Tag: history
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Echoes of the Leven: A Riverās Memory
A quick photo before raindrops splattered the camera lens. The River Leven is high, a few determined souls brave the weather, and the paths are mostly puddles. I have taken a photo from this spot before, though I only realised that after I got home. My computer, as ever, has a far better memory than…
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From Widheris to Wether House: A Farmsteadās History
On Wetherhouse Moor, nature is quietly concealing the remains of a post-medieval farmstead beneath the watchful eye of a solitary sycamore. Of the original three ranges, little can be discerned now, save for a crumbling gable end of a barn. It has, for more than a century, since the last tenants left, been steadily yielding…
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Mauley Cross: Linking Ancient Ritual with Regency Enterprise
Mauley Cross, that modest monument to the caprices of the de Mauley family, likely served as a marker of their grazing rights or, if we are to believe the National Parkās heritage record, a humble wayside guide for those wandering the moors. It could, of course, have been both, though neither role saved it from…
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By Hammer and Hand: A Slice of Hutton-le-Holeās History
A return trip to Hutton-le-Hole turned out to be great timing, Ā since the weather has been pretty dreich. This little village is known for its Quaker history in the 1700s and has that classic English yeoman feel with sturdy stone cottages that really seem to embrace a spirit of independence. The Ryedale Folk Museum is…
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The British School of Great Ayton: A Historical Walkthrough
It’s pretty rare to get a clear view of any of Great Ayton’s old buildings without some car or other parked in the way. Take the village library, for exampleānow known as the Discovery Centre since the community took it over. Originally, this building was the British School, set up to educate the poorer children…
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Purple Haze: Lingās Role in Yorkshireās Past
For a brief spell each year, the North York Moors are transformed into a sea of iconic purple. The ling, or heather, is not quite at its peak yet; it remains patchy, especially here on Great Ayton Moor. Some may argue that these vast stretches of purple moorland lack diversity and serve only the grouse…
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The farce is over …
The farce is over ā the āidle and useless pageantā has gone by ā the doll has been dressed, dizened, and exhibited ā a host of gawping idlers have been gratified with a spectacle, while the madness of the moment has been improved by the political beasts of prey to the strengthening of their fangs…
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The forgotten High Dam at Cod Beck
In August 2021, in the aftermath of the Covid rules, I went on a guided walk led by a local historian to explore the history of Scarth Wood Moor. During the walk, the historian mentioned that the High Dam at Cod Beck had burst in 1857. According to my notes, a local farmer noticed the…
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Joseph Foord: The man who brought water to Fadmoor and Gillamoor
This is Sleighthome Dale, which is drained by Hodge Beck. Bransdale is upstream and Kirkdale is downstream, but it’s unclear where one dale ends and the other begins. Across the dale, there’s a limestone plateau called Boon Hill, with the twin villages of Fadmoor and Gillamoor. In the 18th century, both villages had no easy…
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Two villages: “Cherchbi” and “Broctune Magna”
It’s been a windy day on Cringle Moor, but the sky has been clear. The moving clouds created a beautiful display of shadows over the vale of Cleveland. I could see below me the villages of Kirkby-in-Cleveland and Great Broughton, both of which were mentioned in the Domesday Book. Kirkby-in-Cleveland was referred to as “Cherchbi”…