The Little Book of Yorkshire (eBook)

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SOME INTERESTING YORKSHIRE TITBITS

COMPASS POINTS

The most northerly settlement in Yorkshire is Staithes near Whitby.

The most southerly settlement in Yorkshire is Totley, near Sheffield.

The most easterly settlement in Yorkshire is Kilnsea, on the Spurn Peninsula.

The most westerly settlement in Yorkshire is Low Bentham, near Ingleton.

TYKES

A foreign traveller long ago once remarked that the British Isles comprised five distinct races – the English, the Scots, the Irish, the Welsh and the Yorkshire ‘tykes’. The nickname tyke has been inoffensively applied both within and outside the county of Yorkshire, although exactly where the nickname arose appears to have been lost in the mists of time. Today the term tyke is applied in a complimentary manner, irrespective of what the various dictionaries of slang and colloquial English may suggest to the contrary.

DID YOU KNOW?

At Thixendale, which means ‘sixteen dales’, sixteen Yorkshire dales run into one hamlet: Blubberdale, Broadholmedale, Buckdale, Bowdale, Breckondale, Courtdale, Fairydale, Fotherdale, Honeydale, Longdale, Middledale, Millamdale, Pluckamdale, Warrendale, Waterdale and Williedale.

The oldest inn in Yorkshire is the Bingley Arms, Bardsley near Leeds. Restored and extended in 1738, church records show that the inn was originally called the Priest’s Inn and dates back to 905.

King Richard II, having lost his throne was brought to Yorkshire, first to Pickering Castle and then to Pontefract Castle where he died in February 1400.

The longest street name in York, Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate, is supposed to originate from the old custom of chastising prisoners. Felons were whipped from St Anthony’s Hall to the Church of St Crux. Another theory of the origin of this most unusual street name is that any dogs found in the street could be whipped out of it.

York once stood in four administrative counties: in the North, East and West Ridings geographically, and also in its own administrative county.

The Lord Mayor of York is entitled to be addressed as ‘My Lord’ during his term of office but not afterwards, whereas his wife can insist one being called ‘My Lady’ for life.

During the eighteenth century tobacco was grown in the Vale of Pickering and York and the growers continued in the business even after the growing of tobacco was prohibited. To curb this the authorities took drastic action and whole fields of tobacco were burned, growers imprisoned and fines totalling £30,000 imposed.

During June and early July at Whitby the sun can be seen to both rise and set in the sea.

Yorkshire has more acres than there are letters in the Bible. The area known as Yorkshire is given as 3,889,432 acres and the letters in the Bible 3,566,480.

The Tan Hill Inn in Upper Swaledale, which stands at 1,732ft above sea level is the highest public house in England.

King Henry I, fourth son of William the Conqueror and his only English-born son, was born in Selby. The Benedictine Abbey there was founded in honour of his birth.

HARROGATE OATH

The London Chronicle and Universal Evening Post of 3 July 1764 describes the events surrounding the Flitch of Bacon Oath which was taken at Harrogate:

‘York, 30th June, 1764. - Monday, the 25th instant, the following dinner, furnished by the gentlemen whose names stand opposite to the respective dishes, was given to Mr. And Mrs. Liddal, at the Green Dragon, in Harrogate, on their taking the Flitch of Bacon Oath, inserted in the 607th Number (8th Vol.) of the Spectator. What was extraordinary in the couple was that so far from repenting of their union within a year and a day (which is the time limited by the oath), they declared they could safely take it for the whole term they had been married, which is full 17 years:

The claret at dinner was charged to Lord Cardross, on Mr. Liddal taking the oath; and the malt liquors, &c., were set down in common to the company.’

Horsforth J.E. Poppleton

ANYONE FOR LEECHES?

The oldest chemist’s shop in England is situated in Knaresborough. Established in 1720 but occupying much older premises, the shop contains a ‘bleeding couch’ used during the application of leeches and an extensive collection of original bottles, powders and crystals.

PROVERBS & SUPERSTITIONS

The following are Yorkshire weather proverbs believed to have been handed down since Saxon times:

A bushel of March dust is worth a King’s ransom.

When April blows his horn, it’s good both for hay and corn. (Meaning when it thunders during the month of April)

A May flood never did good.

Look at your corn in May, and you’ll come weeping away,

Look at the same in June, and you’ll whistle a tune.

A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay,

A swarm of bees in July is not worth a fly.

When the wind’s in the east, it’s neither good for man nor beast.

A snow year, a rich year.

A cloudy morning bodes a fair afternoon.

The grey morning cheereth the traveller.

An evening red and morning grey is a sure sign of a fine day.

If there be a rainbow in the eve it will rain and leave; but if there be a rainbow in the morrow, it will neither lend nor borrow.

When the clouds are upon the hills they’ll come down by the mills.

When the sloe tree’s as white as a sheet,

Sow your barley whether it be dry or weet.

A rainbow in the morning is the shepherd’s warning,

A rainbow at night is the shepherd’s delight.

When the peacock loudly bawls,

Soon there’ll be both rain and squalls.

When rooks fly sporting high in air,

It shows that windy storms are near.

If the moon shows like a silver shield,

Be not afraid to reap your field;

But if she rises haloed round,

Soon shall we tread on deluged ground.

WISDOM IN SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY VERSE

A Dialogue in the Yorkshire Dialect, printed in York in 1684 is a dialogue in verse, with a glossary and the famous pean ‘In Praise of Yorkshire Ale’. G. Meritan appears on the title page as the author. Some of the more interesting bits of the dialogue are the old Yorkshire proverbs which have been handed down from antiquity:

Love me leetly love me long.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

God sends the meat and the devil sends the cooks.

Mare haste warse speed.

Home’s homely if it’s never so poor.

All is not gold that glisters.

Over much of a thing is good for nothing.

Steek the stable door when the steed is stalen.

While the grass grows the horse starves.

Hot love is soon cold.

Proffered things stink.

Many a little makes a mickle.

You can have no more of a cat than the skin.

You may buy a pig in a poke.

A cat may look at a king.

Charity begins at home.

Ill weeds wax fast.

A tumbling stone gathers no moss.

A good Jack makes a good Jill.

Change of pastures makes fat calves.

God never sends mouths but he sends...