Christmas Past

It seems appropriate as we approach Christmas to have a look back at how the season was celebrated locally in times past. We are at present having wet weather but it is not too cold.

However in December 1878 the York Herald reported that it was well below freezing and the rivers were frozen. It is interesting in these days of a long Christmas break to read that on Christmas Day the businesses were closed - which suggests that they were probably open on all other days. The report begins with what was happening in York and then moves to Goole and Howden.


From the York Herald, Saturday 28th December 1878

"Those who have sighed for a 'good old-fashioned' Christmas have at length had their wishes realised to the full, for the weather is of a more severe character than any that has been experienced for many years.

In York Christmas Day was observed in the orthodox fashion, the various places of business being closed, and services held in the different churches and chapels.

The hallowed day was ushered in by a gladdening peal on the Minster bells, and as soon as the day was fairly born the waits awoke the stillness by their carols and hymns. The Ouse and Foss being frozen, hundreds indulged in the exhilarating and healthy exercise of skating, of which for several seasons they have been deprived.

The inmates of the York Union Workhouse, numbering about 60 more than last year, were supplied with a substantial Christmas dinner, consisting of roast beef, potatoes, and plum pudding. To supply such a large number of appetites 67 stones of beef, 10 bushels of mashed potatoes, and 55 plum puddings, were called into requisition. The plum puddings were made up of 210lbs of currants, 70lbs of brown sugar, 40lbs of ground lump sugar, 120lbs of moist sugar, 13lbs of sultana raisins, 33lbs of lemon peel, and 60lbs of suet.

At tea, currant cakes, baked out of 20 stones of flour, were served up with as much of the "cup that cheers but not inebriates" as the inmates desired. Various parts of the house were decorated with evergreens and mottoes, and everything was done to render those to whom the institution afforded shelter from the cruel blast of poverty, contented and happy.

Goole
 
For the first time for several years, Christmas Day has come with the river blocked with ice, and with consequently a large number of men unemployed. The companies, in whose hands the steam trade of the port rests, have made strenuous efforts to keep the channel open, but the great block of ice in Goole Reach has baffled their efforts, and their steamers have had to return to Goole after a struggle of an exciting nature, in which the ice was the victor.

The river now presents a very picturesque appearance. Blocks of ice, stranded on the shoal sands, rise to a height of 10 or 12 feet out of the water, dotting the river for miles, while portions of the channel are covered with great sheets of ice closely heaped together, over some of which men and youths have crossed.

The Aire, the Dutch river (or Don), and the Derwent, are all blocked. On Christmas Day the thermometer was 22 deg., or ten below freezing, but until noon the weather was fine and bright. After that hour it clouded over and became very foggy. The parish church, which was very prettily decorated by the ladies of the parish, was well attended, the Christmas sermon being preached by the Rev. Dr. Bell, vicar of Goole.

At Snaith, Rawcliffe, Hook, Airmyn, and the other parishes round, the churches were suitably decorated. To meet the needs arising out of the distress, coals were distributed on Christmas eve, and on Wednesday, at the Market Hall, there was a soup boiling, tickets being given by the committee to those persons suffering from the present stagnation of trade or by the frost.

At the workhouse the usual treat was provided for the inmates by the Guardians, and a number of ladies and gentlemen attended to assist. The guardians present were Mr Huntington, Mr Bromley, and Mr Gleadow, and, notwithstanding the extra number of inmates, the house being full, there was enough and to spare. The visitors included Mrs and the Misses Wells, of Boothferry House, the Rev. T. Dickin, &c. At the close the usual speeches were made, and a very pleasant afternoon was passed.

Howden

The usual services were held at Howden Church, which was tastefully decorated, and a service was also held in connection with the Wesleyan body. The inmates of the workhouse had their accustomed treat in the shape of a dinner of roast beef and plum pudding, with other little luxuries for the inmates after dinner. The ice was the centre of attraction in tbe afternoon, and skating was indulged in by a great number of people both down the Selby-road and at the Kilpin Brick-yards."

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A later newspaper report comes from the Hull Mail in 1936:

"HOW GOOLE SPENT CHRISTMAS"

"Goole spent a cheerful Christmas, reflecting the recent improvement in trade of the port, and family parties, football and dancing were the chief attractions.

The aged, the sick, and the poor were not forgotten, and there were the usual festivities at the hospitals and institutions. The Mayor and Mayoress (Alderman and Mrs S. G. Bevan), with a number of other guests, attended the Christmas dinner at the Poor Law Institution, where an original note had been struck in the decorative scheme, the dining hall being bedecked to represent a cruise on an ocean liner.

The Christmas fare included beer provided by Mr Fred Taylor. In the evening a concert organised by Alderman and Mrs Ernest Johnson was given by Mr Geo. Waud (tenor), Mr E. Walker (baritone), Miss D. Bullock (elocutionist), B. Fish (ventriloquist), Mr Harold Dodson (piano accordion), Mr G. W. Jennings (piano), the Cliftonians Mandolin Band, and the pupils of the Bradley School of Dancing.

At the Bartholomew Hospital, each patient received a present and was allowed two visitors to tea. The Mayor and Mayoress toured the wards, and Father Christmas (Dr. K. Barrett) handed gifts from the Christmas tree to the patients and visitors. In the evening Mr H. Dodson entertained with his piano accordion, and on Boxing Day a cinematograph show was given by Mr H. Kay.

Nearly 300 poor children of the town were present at the annual Christmas Day breakfast organised by Carlisle Terrace Church Christian Endeavour Society. The Mayor and Mayoress also attended this effort, and Mr Sam Lister, acting as Father Christmas, distributed toys and sweets to the boys and girls."

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I hope all readers of this blog have a merry Christmas and enjoy their Christmas dinner. I hope too that the rivers are not frozen and the weather clement!

Charles Crump and his memories of Reedness

Some years ago whilst reading the old files of the Goole Times for 1937 I came across some articles entitled 'Marshland of 70 years ago'.  They were written by an anonymous author who recalled his childhood in Reedness when he was aged 6 in 1867.

His recollections were very detailed and the Marshland Local History Group have recently incorporated them into a beautifully produced book entitled Memories of Reedness . The book also includes the memories of present day Reedness residents - and former residents - including my friend Bill Wroot whose memories are included on my Howdenshirehistory.co.uk website.

Bill Wroot and his wife Gudrun at the launch of Memories of Reedness

The group has used censuses and maps to trace the history of Reedness people and houses in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

There are enough clues in the memories from 1937 to trace the author. He was, I believe,  Charles Crump who was born in Upper Peover in Cheshire. His parents were Samuel Crump born in Warwick and his wife Ann [ Hannah, Anna], formerly Reynolds of Packington in Warwickshire.

They married in 1843 and spent several years in Over Peover in Cheshire where their children were all born. Samuel was the  village schoolmaster and his wife Anna was schoolmistress. In February 1866 they moved with their two youngest sons, James and Charles to Reedness.

Charles and James grew up in Reedness. Charles followed in his parents' footsteps and was a pupil teacher on the opening day of Goole Alexandra St schools on 17th January 1876. From 1880 when his father became ill he took over the school at Reedness until his father died in 1883.

He later was headmaster at Little Harrowden, Northamptonshire where he lived with his family.

He died, I believe in 1942.

If anyone has family connections with the Crump family I would be pleased to hear from them and confirm that the memories were indeed written by Charles Crump.

Charles Briggs of Howden

I am researching details for a book I am writing about Howden. It is some years since I wrote a history of Howden with Ken Powls. The book was very popular but is now out of print. So I am now writing a pictorial history  (probably in several short volumes as I have done for Goole) which will include both pictures and text.

Whilst writing about the Ashes Playing Field which, along with the Manor House was given to the people of Howden by Charles Briggs in 1927 I came across an article about Charles Briggs' will which I thought was interesting. It appeared in the Hull Daily Mail in 1950:



"£2,000 FOR 'SUFFERING MIDDLE CLASS': £12,000 LEGACY FOR POOR REVOKED

Charles Briggs, of Howden, who left £75,933 (£75,612 net), said in his will, published today, "In a previous will now revoked I had provided a legacy of £12,000 to establish and endow six rest houses for the poor of Howden. Since then the various trade unions have caused a general unrest among the working class and, in consequence, I have thought it necessary to provide for more deserving persons than the misguided working class.

"I consider that by taxation to meet the unemployment, old-age pensions and assistance from Government in these ways I have already contributed sufficient to a trade union-ridden class, whose extravagant demands for higher wages, shorter hours and restricted output, and unwillingness to work overtime, has resulted in withdrawal of my sympathy from them to the suffering and neglected middle class, who are so deservedly looked after by the said Royal United Kingdom Beneficent Association."

 Mr Briggs. a benefactor to Howden, died at Bournemouth in February, aged 86. Probate of his will has been granted to Gerald R. H. Wright, of Homeland, Greyfriars-crescent. Beverley and Charles A. C. Wilkinson, of Wakefield. He left £400 to Charles A. C. Wilkinson, and the residue upon trust for his wife for life and then:

 Two thousand pounds to the Royal UK Beneficent Association, to found the "Charles Briggs Annuity," to show my sympathy for the suffering middle class as present - day legislation only tends to ease the lot of the worker, and entirely overlooks the condition of the class that is eligible for assistance from this excellent association.

 £8,000 to York Diocesan Board Finance upon trust to pay the income to the curate for the time being of the parish of Howden. or to any existing stipend fund of the said parish.
 £275 upon trust to pay the income between  the bellringers of Howden Parish Church as a Christmas honorarium,
 £165 to the parochial church council on condition various family graves are maintained, and £165 towards the general maintenance of the churchyard.

 He desired that a tablet commemorating all his and his wife's benefactions to the church and town of Howden be erected on the wall of St. Peter's Church, Howden.

 He left £100 to Richard Tiplady, whether or not still employed as groundsman at the Ashes Playing Field, Howden, "to mark my appreciation of the interest he has always shown in my playing field scheme."

Other bequests included: £500 to Hull Guild of Poor Brave Things; £300 each to Dr Barnardo's Homes, and the NSPCC; £250 to the Yorkshire Home for Incurables, Harrogate; £150 to Leeds Children's Holiday Camp Fund; £3,000 if a spinster, £500, if not, each Janet, Evelyne, Ethel and Hilda, daughters of the late Henry Green, solicitor, of Howden; £50 to Mrs Jane Loving, of  Bridport, Dorset; £5.000, if a spinster or widow, otherwise £1,000, to his wife's niece. Neta: £1,000 to Gerald Wright, and £1,000 upon trust for Mrs Edith Wright and then to her son, Gerald Wright: £1,500 upon trust for Laura Wright for life and then for her sons, William and Ruby, and £550 each to them.
 Other legacies, and one fourth the remainder to Ashes Playing Field, Howden, upon trust for the maintenance of the 16 acres of recreation field, which he had given to Howden, and three fourths to the vicar and churchwardens of Howden, to one part for the church fabric fund, providing a memorial tablet  which has been or will be erected to the memory of Rev William Hutchinson. MA (vicar there from 1862- 1902), and two parts for the assistant curate fund."

The Pepper family of Goole

Yet again it has been cold, wet and grey. There has been flooding in West Yorkshire and a local gardener I talked to said all his vegetables were just sitting in the soil, not growing and looking a bit yellow. So my garden is not alone in looking very sorry for itself.

The poor weather has meant I can spend more time on the computer. I have been researching a Goole family called Pepper who spent much of their life on Goole barges and billyboys.

George Pepper was born on a canal boat and after his marriage to Emma Ward in 1880 he worked variously as a boatman and as a dock labourer. The family were living at The Barracks on the road to Swinefleet in 1911.

George had a few brushes with the law being summonsed for poaching and for salmon fishing without a licence.

At least two of George's sons, Paul and John Henry, served in the army in World War One. Paul survived but John Henry was killed in 1918, just before the end of the war. He was awarded the Military Medal.

Chris, who has recently set up a blog on Goole men who were killed in the war, provided the following entry from the Goole Times.

Taken from ‘Goole Times’ Thursday November 1^st, 1918.

SERGT. J.H. PEPPER KILLED.

            Official news has been received of the death in action on September 18 of Sergt. John Henry Pepper, Manchester Regiment, of 21, Antis Street, Plymouth, son of Mr. and Mrs. G. Pepper, of 23, George Street, Goole.

            Sergt. Pepper, who was 36 years of age and was well-known in Goole, had left the town some two years before he enlisted at the beginning of the war, and he had been out in France some three years. He leaves a widow and six young children.

            Writing to Sergt. Pepper’s widow, his officer, Lieut. J.A. Corley, says:- “Please let me offer you my deepest sympathy in your sad bereavement in the loss of your husband. I saw him a few moments before he was hit. A more gallant or brave soldier I have never commended for his bravery. I had already mentioned him to my Commanding Officer, who promoted him to the rank of Sergeant and recommended him for a decoration. His death is a loss to the company and myself; we greatly appreciated his services, and his cheerful disposition was a magnificent example to us all.”

            A brother of Sergt. Pepper, Pte. Paul Pepper, has just been discharged from the Army after being wounded five times and gassed twice. A brother-in-law, Mr. Chas. Abson, of 32, Gordon Street, is a minesweeper, and is at present in Russia.

In 1911 John Henry Pepper was in Dartmoor prison but nothing is known of why that was or indeed what happened to his family after the war.

George Pepper survived until his early 90s and in 1930 was featured in an article in the Hull Daily Mail as 'England's oldest boatman'. He claimed to have fathered 20 children and to have 100 descendants.

If you are one of them please get in touch!

Howdenshire History

We have been thinking for some time that my Howdenshire History website needed an overhaul. One of the main problems was that it did not have a proper address and so this weekend after many hours labour we have moved. The new address is:

www.howdenshirehistory.co.uk

Further updates are planned and I am hoping to add some new content including more photos and a page on Saltmarshe history.

I have just watched the Wheldale going past on its way home to Goole after taking part in the Jubilee Pageant on the Thames. I expect the crew are exhausted - last week's weather held up their return and it is still very cold and grey - but congratulations to them in bringing  Goole and its history to the forefront of the national and international consciousness.

I have recently been reading my copy of the bound files of the Goole and Marshland Gazette (covering Goole and Howden area history from 1854 until the late 1860s). It appeared monthly and is  is a fantastic resource for the history of this part of Yorkshire. The whole volume is very fragile but I have experimented by copying an extract  using a hand-held scanner. Here is an extract from the edition of January 1862 (please click to view a larger version).

Newport (Yorkshire) new bridge

I have recently been looking at some fascinating pictures of the bridge at Newport showing it with several steam rollers parked on top of it. I was not sure of the date and looked it up using the newly available newspaper search site where you can look up articles in the Hull Mail.

As soon as I realised that the Hul Mail newspaper was available I took out a subscription as there is so much information to be found about East Yorkshire, including Goole [of course Goole used to be part of the West Riding of Yorkshire].

Anyway, I found the reference which told me all I needed to know. Have a look at the extract which appeared on September 17th, 1930.

There is not much to say about gardening at the moment. It remains cold and I have taken a risk by planting out my broad beans. They were growing leggy in the greenhouse but I hope the move to the cold wet soil will not be too traumatic and that they will get going!

There is a rumour that it might be warmer next week. I do hope so.

Goole cricket history

I have recently been asked whether I have any information about when Goole cricket club was formed. I have some pictures but not much about the history of the club.

I am still searching but have come up with the newspaper clipping below which is from the Hull newspaper and describes a match in  August 1849 between a Howden team and a team from Reedness. At the bottom of the report is a mention of a possible match with the Goole Cricket club.

If anyone can add any more about the  early history of the club I should be grateful.

It is very cold today and there was a fall of snow, the first of this winter, on Saturday night. Unfortunately it was, for me 'the wrong sort of snow' as it managed to worm its way through the slates on the front part of the house roof  and collect in the loft. We only knew about it when it began to melt on Sunday morning.

The re-naming of Staddlethorpe station

I have been looking through some files and have come across  a song, written by Gilberdyke teacher Mrs Jean Sellers on the occasion of the change of station name from Staddlethorpe to Gilberdyke in 1974.

To the tune of the Vicar of Bray, the Gilberdyke schoolchildren sang the following:


In Queen Victoria's golden reign
This station was first opened
And all the population round about
Approved the innovation.
For Goole, for Hull, for Doncaster
The people congregated
From Staddlethorpe they travelled far
With freedom long awaited.

But from this day, by one and all
Re-named shall be this station
As Gilberdyke it shall be known
Hurrah for this grand occasion.

But since these days now long far off
This village has seen changes
And British Rail's passed this decree
To suit the situation
That from this day by one and all

Re-named shall be this station

As Gilberdyke it shall be known

Hurrah for this grand occasion.

After the singing, a contemporary newspaper report (February 1974) says the new sign was unveiled by local councillor Lewis Clayton and the old sign was presented to the parish council. Here is part of the cutting (click to view larger). I do have also some photos of the event which I shall eventually put onto the old photo section of my website but in the meantime if you were there singing, let me know!!

Barmby on the Marsh history

I am finding the history of Barmby on the Marsh fascinating at the moment. Whilst I have quite a lot of information on the village already, I am looking at it again and finding new material. 

Situated as it is at the end of the road from Howden, not too many people nowadays know the village - but in earlier times most of those who lived there benefited from being both on the banks of the Ouse and at the start of the Derwent navigation. 

There was a large weaving industry making sailcloth for the visiting vessels and many families were watermen, making their living from the river. There were ferries to both Drax and Hemingbrough and regular 'market boats' to both Hull and Selby.

The land around the village was not enclosed until 1853 and before this villagers had rights to graze on the Marsh - 'marsh gates' - and annual  horse races were held.

I have been looking at the mill or mills - I think there were two: a post mill outside the village and a smock mill in the village centre. I would like to know more of them.

So far I know that in January 1839  both Barmby mills were  blown down in a storm and that in 1851 Alexander Bell from Gilberdyke, John Cooke and Thomas Collins were millers. By 1861 Joseph Wood was a miller.

Barmby also had an inn called the Windmill kept by Thomas Johnson in the 1850s and in 1864 by William Jackson, who was fined that year for staying open too long.

In 1870 Joseph Fenton was refused a spirit licence for the the Windmill beerhouse as it was said that there were already four public houses for the 330 inhabitants in the village.

An advertisement for the sale of the Barmby on the Marsh windmill from 1834