Country notes

Although we are not quite at the end of February today felt like spring was on the way. I was able to walk Molly without wearing a woolly hat (me not Molly!) and it was still light at half past five. The snowdrops in my wood are carpeting the ground and seem particularly good this year. It is hard to believe that only a few days ago they were covered with snow and frost.

I have a few aconites in flower too but try as I might I cannot get them to spread. I envy the large patches I see in a nearby wood, contrasting so beautifully with the snowdrops.

It is warmer too and the Rayburn, stoked with logs from a dead elm, is keeping the house warm without too much input from the oil boiler. Listening to it going always makes me think that it is like burning money.

Tomorrow I am fetching three new brown hens and hope this time to keep them from the fox. I have plenty of grain for them and they will have no excuse not to lay us lots of eggs.

I have had the trees which fell over winter - two or three - dealt with and logged up although the young men who enthusiastically carried out the work 'accidentally' cut down my lilac tree. I was not happy.

Molly is now asleep in her bed, whimpering as she dreams of who knows what! A dog's life is not a bad one.

Holiday cottages at Saltmarshe near Howden

Last night I was the speaker at the Laxton WI and had a very enjoyable time. The meeting was thrown open to any interested villagers and around 50 attended. I had gathered together around 150 old pictures of Laxton, Saltmarshe, Sandhall and Skelton and put them together into a Powerpoint presentation.

There was a mixture of scenery and familiar faces but of course the most popular were the old school pictures. The noise rose to a crescendo as those who were infants in 1955 saw themselves in short trousers or corduroy pinafores.

Afterwards we all ate butterfly buns and fruit loaf and cheese [the latter a traditional Yorkshire pairing]  and drank cups of tea.

I was talking to my neighbour who has two holiday cottages and provides bed and breakfast on the family farm. In fact she was a few minutes late as she was settling in some guests.

I met some  of her American guests last year who combined a UK holiday with researching their family history. It is only a short walk along the riverbank to where I live and I was able to find them some information on their family from my resources as well as suggesting what they should look for in the archives at Beverley and York.

I have added a link to Appletree Cottages and can recommend them to anyone wanting a peaceful break with stunning views of the River Ouse.

Here is a picture of the village shop in Front Street, Laxton which I showed last night.

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.

Goole shipbuilding

My Goole students have recently been studying the shipbuilders of the town. We started by looking at the early builders such as John Gutteridge, George Outwin, James Wake and John and Thomas Day who had small yards, mostly on Canal side.

Then we have looked at the bigger yard on Vermuyden Terrace, on the bank of the Dutch River founded by John Pilkington and run successfully until his death in 1886 by Thomas Scott.

Eventually this yard went into receivership and was rescued by the Craggs family. This began a long association between the family and the town of Goole. Even I, who knew then little about shipbuilding, was very grateful to receive a Craggs memorial grant when I left GGS - although I do not think that I knew then what the connection was between the name and Goole.

We have been looking at some amazing pictures of ships being launched from between a row of houses and learning of Goole ships coming to grief in various parts of the world. It is a fascinating part of Goole's history.

On the domestic front I have had some winter flu bug and Molly does not understand why her long walks have not been happening. Roll on spring. At least the snowdrops have appeared and are carpeting the garden.

Howden church organist and choirmaster

I have been looking this week at various aspects of the history of Howden church and in particular some of the interesting people associated with it.

I was researching the history of the organ and found that in the 1890s the organist, choirmaster and master of the Howden Grammar school was Charles Sanderson Fosbery [1865-1958].

I knew little of him but I found that after leaving Howden he eventually moved in 1900 to Montreal in Canada. There, in 1909, he founded the Lower Canada College which, on his retirement in 1935, he gifted to the Old Boys of the school. It still flourishes as a private independent school. He returned to England, married a former matron of the school and lived in Bournemouth.

I wonder if he ever returned to visit Howden.

East Yorkshire landscape

We are in the news at the moment with features on BBC Countryfile and the opening of David Hockney's new exhibition at the Royal Academy based on the East Yorkshire landscape.

East Yorkshire is described as an undiscovered but beautiful area - those of us who live here already knew that. Much of the coverage too is of the Yorkshire Wolds and not of our flatter and more arable landscape.

Where we live we are dominated by watercourses, much like some areas of Holland. There is the fast-flowing Ouse, the Derwent, the Aire and the Don (although the Don is the Dutch River as it flows through Goole). Also vital is the smaller River Foulness, known locally as the 'Foonah', as well as countless large drains, with their massive clough doors which stop the water running back in at high tide.

The land is rich and fertile and there are some lovely local walks. I walk Molly every morning not far from home. This morning it was both sunny and frosty and a pleasure to watch a big hare running across the frosty field.

The following pictures were taken two days ago and this morning.

Goole around 1900

Amongst my collection of old photos are several which were taken from around 1900 - 1903 by members of the Wadsworth family.

These small snapshots show the visits of Barnum and Bailey's and Sangers' circuses to Goole as well as processions to celebrate Mafeking Day and some of the Snaith Commando.

I am making digital copies of them and repairing some of the scratches and creases. But they are lovely pictures as they show the people of Goole in an informal way.

Here is a picture of Boothferry Road on Whit Monday 1901. I wonder what happened to these two little boys.

Laxton history

I have been looking at the history of Laxton [Yorkshire] in preparation for giving a talk to the local WI in February. On the internet it is often confused with Laxton in Nottinghamshire where strip farming survives.

Our Laxton is agricultural but the fields are large and arable and very flat. Until the death of the last Philip Saltmarshe of nearby Saltmarshe much of the village was owned by the Saltmarshe estate and still within living memory villagers had to tip their hat to the 'squire'.

The village has a church, a village hall [the Victory Hall], a pub and a garage but no longer has a shop and post office and sadly too there is no longer the village blacksmith.

Herbert Martin was the last smith and I can remember him shoeing a horse in the road. He also made gates, weather vanes and other ornamental ironwork as well as repairing farm machinery.

His blacksmith's shop, outside which there was often a gathering  of men, putting the world to rights, now stands empty.

Howden parish records

I have been looking through my Howden notes and thought the following information may be of interest to researchers.

Goole Library has some Howden parish records which deal with the period 1828 to 1843. They refer to several matters but particularly to the poor.

For example, at a meeting in July 1828 it was reported that Thomas Nutbrown applied for clothes and it was agreed that he was to have a second hand coat.

In August the case of Milson Clark was discussed. He had previously been given notice to leave the workhouse and had appeared again to 'beg for something to set himself up as a quack doctor'. His request was refused on the grounds of his bad conduct.

A Mary Walsh appeared with a request for shoes. She was told to have the old ones repaired.

Also in these records are bastardy payments made by men to maintain their illegitimate children as well as some ale house licences, jury lists and notes on drains etc.

The records cover quite a short period but are very useful for anyone with ancestors in Howden.

New Year's Eve 2011

It is the end of another year and as far as the weather is concerned the contrast with last year could not be greater. It is very mild and I noticed that a lone geranium which I had not lifted in still looks quite healthy.

Molly is peacefully asleep in her bed, having consumed breakfast and also a small shrew-like creature which the cat had left outside the back door. Daffodils are well up and it is tempting to go outside and do some gardening. My three chickens are enjoying pecking for grubs. I am hoping to get some more soon to replace those lost to the fox.

My local history classes resume the week beginning 9th January in Howden, Eastrington and Goole. It will be nice to see everyone again and perhaps welcome new students.

I have enjoyed researching some interesting families this year. It is always rewarding to find that missing link for someone or to trace changing fortunes of a family through the generations.

Many of those for whom I have carried out research have become friends via the medium of email and it is particularly interesting to find out about the lives of those who left the local area and became pioneer settlers in USA, Canada and Australia.

I also have enjoyed finding old pictures for those who are searching for a photo of their ancestor or where they lived. It is frustrating that many of our forebears did not write on the back of their old family photos - but do we?

I have a large collection of  football team pictures from Goole from the 1890s-1920s and these are wonderful as they are mainly all named. If only school pictures had been named too.