Category: Gisborough Moor
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Three Howes — Heritage in flames
I felt a deep sadness upon coming across this recent burning on a bowl barrow on Gisborough Moor. These bowl barrows are historical landmarks, and government regulations explicitly state that burning “must not … damage important monuments”. I suppose those responsible might argue that the burning was a “cool burn”, not reaching the peat underneath.…
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Codhill Quarry—A 19th-Century Legacy
Here on Codhill, on Gisborough Moors, is one of a pair of small sandstone quarries. Probably 19th-century. It couldn’t have produced any significant amount of rock, likely used for some dry stone walling over at Sleddale Farm. Really, there is not much else to say about this feature. Now, the day started off all hot…
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The Weird Mystery of the Moor — A Guisborough Legend
Here’s another story by Richard Blakeborough, published in the Whitby Gazette on May 5th, 1905. I’m not sure if they’re too long to share on this blog, but I’m really interested in them, especially the ones about places I know such as this one about Guisborough Moor where I can picture the landscapes. Some of…
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Boundary stone on Stanghow Moor
Exploring hob country, the area of moorland south-east of Guisborough. This early 19th-century boundary stone marks an old parish boundary between Guisborough and Stanghow. It is about half way between Hob on the Hill and Hob Cross, which names denote a connection with those mischievious sprites that are supposedly the descendants of prehistoric inhabitants. The…
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“Spare the Trees”
“Two facts confront us, and deserve serious consideration. The forests of the world are going just as the coal beneath our feet is going — man is a cooking animal, and must have fuel. In all the great outlets of water floods multiply, and become more and more destructive. We are compelled to ask if…
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On Gisborough Moor
With a rather dull view across the patchwork moors of Codhill Heights and Great Ayton Moor to Capt. Cook’s Monument. In the foreground, the triangulation pillar on Gisborough Moor, 324m above sea level. Or 1,063 feet as our esteemed Prime Minister would have it. Or maybe he prefers cubits — a cubit being the distance between…
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The House of Lords is “useless and dangerous to the people of England”
The House of Commons so declared on this day, 19th March, in 1649, when the House of Lords was abolished. In January of that year, Charles I had been executed and Oliver Cromwell, ‘Lord Protector‘ dominated the Government. The House of Lords was reduced to a largely redundant body having no powers and was abolished…
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In search of an Iron Age “encampment” on Highcliffe Nab
I was intrigued by this view of Highcliffe Nab that has been opened by the felling in Guisborough Wood and particularly with what appears to be a distinct earthwork descending diagonally from the nab to the col of Highcliffe Gate. First thing when I got in was to have a look at the Lidar mapping,…
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Westworth
When Robert de Brus endowed Guisborough Priory in the early-12th-century, he included vast tracts of somewhat ill-defined moorland. It was left to his son, Adam de Brus, to define the boundaries which named an area of forest known as Westwyth for which de Brus retained his hunting rights. Martyn Hudson in “on blackamoor” describes Westwyth perfectly:…
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G’boro Moor Trig. Point
Today, 17 August, marks the 250th anniversary of the first recorded ascent of Ben Nevis, by Edinburgh botanist James Robertson. I think. I say that because Wikipedia says it’s the 19th. Now, I can’t remember from where I acquired that snippet of information but the Nevis Landscape Partnership website says it’s the 17th, so that’s…