The York Book of Days E-Book

Robert Woodhouse

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

Taking you through the year day by day, The York Book of Days contains a quirky, eccentric, amusing or important event or fact from different periods of history, many of which had a major impact on the religious and political history of England as a whole. Ideal for dipping into, this addictive little book will keep you entertained and informed. Featuring hundreds of snippets of information gleaned from the vaults of York's archives, it will delight residents and visitors alike.

Leseprobe

THE

YORK

BOOK

OF

DAYS

ROBERT WOODHOUSE

I am indebted to my wife Sally for her research and unstinting support, and to Liz Taylorson for her administrative skills. My gratitude goes to: John Woodhouse; Bob Eastwood; John Oxley; staff at York, Northallerton and Middlesbrough libraries; York Tourist Information Centre; Katy Porter of York City Publicity Department; and Melody Wright (York Museum Service).

The Julian calendar was in use until Wednesday, 2 September 1752. The following day, the Gregorian calendar was adopted, making the date Thursday, 14 September 1752. The dates in this book before and after this shift correspond to the respective calendars.

References for extracts appear in brackets at the end of each entry.

Robert Woodhouse, 2011

First published in 2011

The History Press

The Mill, Brimscombe Port

Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

This ebook edition first published in 2012

All rights reserved

© Robert Woodhouse, 2012

The right of Robert Woodhouse, to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

EPUB ISBN 978 0 7524 8595 9

MOBI ISBN 978 0 7524 8594 2

Original typesetting by The History Press

Contents

January

January 1st

January 2nd

January 3rd

January 4th

January 5th

January 6th

January 7th

January 8th

January 9th

January 10th

January 11th

January 12th

January 13th

January 14th

January 15th

January 16th

January 17th

January 18th

January 19th

January 20th

January 21st

January 22nd

January 23rd

January 24th

January 25th

January 26th

January 27th

January 28th

January 29th

January 30th

January 31st

February

February 1st

February 2nd

February 3rd

February 4th

February 5th

February 6th

February 7th

February 8th

February 9th

February 10th

February 11th

February 12th

February 13th

February 14th

February 15th

February 16th

February 17th

February 18th

February 19th

February 20th

February 21st

February 22nd

February 23rd

February 24th

February 25th

February 26th

February 27th

February 28th

February 29th

March

March 1st

March 2nd

March 3rd

March 4th

March 5th

March 6th

March 7th

March 8th

March 9th

March 10th

March 11th

March 12th

March 13th

March 14th

March 15th

March 16th

March 17th

March 18th

March 19th

March 20th

March 21st

March 22nd

March 23rd

March 24th

March 25th

March 26th

March 27th

March 28th

March 29th

March 30th

March 31st

April

April 1st

April 2nd

April 3rd

April 4th

April 5th

April 6th

April 7th

April 8th

April 9th

April 10th

April 11th

April 12th

April 13th

April 14th

April 15th

April 16th

April 17th

April 18th

April 19th

April 20th

April 21st

April 22nd

April 23rd

April 24th

April 25th

April 26th

April 27th

April 28th

April 29th

April 30th

May

May 1st

May 2nd

May 3rd

May 4th

May 5th

May 6th

May 7th

May 8th

May 9th

May 10th

May 11th

May 12th

May 13th

May 14th

May 15th

May 16th

May 17th

May 18th

May 19th

May 20th

May 21st

May 22nd

May 23rd

May 24th

May 25th

May 26th

May 27th

May 28th

May 29th

May 30th

May 31st

June

June 1st

June 2nd

June 3rd

June 4th

June 5th

June 6th

June 7th

June 8th

June 9th

June 10th

June 11th

June 12th

June 13th

June 14th

June 15th

June 16th

June 17th

June 18th

June 19th

June 20th

June 21st

June 22nd

June 23rd

June 24th

June 25th

June 26th

June 27th

June 28th

June 29th

June 30th

July

July 1st

July 2nd

July 3rd

July 4th

July 5th

July 6th

July 7th

July 8th

July 9th

July 10th

July 11th

July 12th

July 13th

July 14th

July 15th

July 16th

July 17th

July 18th

July 19th

July 20th

July 21st

July 22nd

July 23rd

July 24th

July 25th

July 26th

July 27th

July 28th

July 29th

July 30th

July 31st

August

August 1st

August 2nd

August 3rd

August 4th

August 5th

August 6th

August 7th

August 8th

August 9th

August 10th

August 11th

August 12th

August 13th

August 14th

August 15th

August 16th

August 17th

August 18th

August 19th

August 20th

August 21st

August 22nd

August 23rd

August 24th

August 25th

August 26th

August 27th

August 28th

August 29th

August 30th

August 31st

September

September 1st

September 2nd

September 3rd

September 4th

September 5th

September 6th

September 7th

September 8th

September 9th

September 10th

September 11th

September 12th

September 13th

September 14th

September 15th

September 16th

September 17th

September 18th

September 19th

September 20th

September 21st

September 22nd

September 23rd

September 24th

September 25th

September 26th

September 27th

September 28th

September 29th

September 30th

October

October 1st

October 2nd

October 3rd

October 4th

October 5th

October 6th

October 7th

October 8th

October 9th

October 10th

October 11th

October 12th

October 13th

October 14th

October 15th

October 16th

October 17th

October 18th

October 19th

October 20th

October 21st

October 22nd

October 23rd

October 24th

October 25th

October 26th

October 27th

October 28th

October 29th

October 30th

October 31st

November

November 1st

November 2nd

November 3rd

November 4th

November 5th

November 6th

November 7th

November 8th

November 9th

November 10th

November 11th

November 12th

November 13th

November 14th

November 15th

November 16th

November 17th

November 18th

November 19th

November 20th

November 21st

November 22nd

November 23rd

November 24th

November 25th

November 26th

November 27th

November 28th

November 29th

November 30th

December

December 1st

December 2nd

December 3rd

December 4th

December 5th

December 6th

December 7th

December 8th

December 9th

December 10th

December 11th

December 12th

December 13th

December 14th

December 15th

December 16th

December 17th

December 18th

December 19th

December 20th

December 21st

December 22nd

December 23rd

December 24th

December 25th

December 26th

December 27th

December 28th

December 29th

December 30th

December 31st

January 1st

1881: On this day, pedestrians were allowed to cross the newly-completed Skeldergate Bridge for the first time. This splendid Victorian structure was the third modern road-bridge to span the River Ouse in York (following the Ouse Bridge, possibly dating from the ninth century, and Lendal Bridge 1861–3). A survey by the Corporation of York during 1873 indicated that in excess of 800 people were using the Skeldergate ferry each day, and in 1875 the York (Skeldergate Bridge) Improvement Act was passed. The original architect was Thomas Page, who had also designed York’s Lendal Bridge and Westminster Bridge in London, but he died during the early phase of the development and was succeeded by his son, George Page. In some respects Skeldergate is similar to Lendal Bridge. Both are built from iron and have a wealth of Gothic detail. In the case of Skeldergate, there is a parapet with ornate ironwork. (www.historyofyork.org.uk)

1967: The Eastern and North Eastern regions of British Rail were amalgamated and the headquarters of the expanded Eastern region was moved from London to York. Large-scale new office blocks were built in the yard of the old station to supplement offices in the former North Eastern region headquarters and in the old station buildings. (Hoole, K., A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain, The North East, Vol. 4)

January 2nd

1790:The York Herald and County Advertiser was first published on this day. At the end of July 1833, it passed into the ownership of the Hargrove family, who remained in charge for many years. William Hargrove (1788–1862) was closely involved in the campaign to preserve York’s city walls, as well as setting up the Parliament Street market and the cattle market. In 1818, he published a highly informative History of York. During January 1856, William Wallace Hargrove and Alfred Hargrove became partners in the business. When Alfred retired in 1873, W.W. Hargrove was left as sole proprietor. The newspaper was published in Coney Street in the former office of The York Courant, which had been bought by William Hargrove in 1815. The York Herald became a four-page penny daily on 1 January 1882, and in 1882 W.W. Hargrove founded the Yorkshire Evening Press, the first edition appearing on 2 October. During the centenary year of The Herald, the title of the daily was changed to The Yorkshire Herald. The daily newspaper was published for the last time on 31 December 1936, and from 2 January 1937 the weekly paper was known as The Yorkshire Herald. (Pocock, M., Old Towns and Cities – York)

January 3rd

1843: George Baines, landlord of the Durham Ox in North Street, appeared in court charged with refusing to entertain and provide for William Cockerill and John Saddler, two privates in the Buckinghamshire Regiment of Foot. In his statement to the court, Baines explained that when the men had arrived he already had one soldier billeted at the inn and family members occupying other beds. His impression was that the men had been sent to him by mistake, but the court fined him the sum of £2. In May 1854 there was a similar case, when Francis Redfern of the Elephant and Castle in Skeldergate was accused of failing to provide accommodation for a recruit – only to have the case dismissed by the Lord Mayor. (York Herald)

1765: On this day, Joseph Baker opened a new theatre with room for about 550 patrons. On 8 January, it was described in the York Courant as ‘by far the most spacious in Great Britain, Drury Lane and Covent Garden excepted, and for Convenience and Elegance it is thought to be equal, if not superior to either of them’. The new theatre had an additional tier, and playbills state that there were now boxes at a charge of 2s 6d. Prices for other areas were 2s for the pit, 1s 6d for the first gallery and 1s for the upper gallery. (‘Theatre Royal York’, York History Journal, No. 4)

January 4th

1841: A new railway station and offices was opened for the Yorkshire and North Midland Railway. It replaced a temporary terminus built outside the city walls. The architect was George Townsend Andrews (1804–55). Company meetings were held in the new offices and Robert Stephenson was present on the first occasion, 29 January, when his father, George Stephenson, who had served as an engineer, was elected a director. Access to the new station via Toft Green, Barker Lane and North Street was difficult. Most passengers and goods traffic used North Street, but this narrow thoroughfare often became badly congested and the company prepared plans for a new bridge over the Ouse at Lendal, as well as a roadway to link the station with Micklegate. York City Commissioners agreed at the meeting in November 1843 to pay £1,000 towards construction of the road link to Micklegate. The completed route was named Hudson Street, after the chairman of the railway company (George Hudson). Deliberations about a bridge at Lendal were more protracted and building work, which got underway in 1860, eventually totalled a sum of £35,000. (Benson A.R.I.B.A., G., An Account of the County and City of York)

January 5th

1990: This day saw a record attendance for a rugby league match in York, with 4,997 spectators watching the Ryedale-York team against Halifax in a Division 2 fixture at the Huntingdon Stadium. Starting in 1868, the club had little cash and no permanent ground. Goal posts for matches were moved from pitch to pitch on a cart, until Robert Christison formed York Amateurs and secured a permanent pitch on Knavesmire, opposite the grandstand. During the 1870s results improved and in 1877, York lost to Halifax in the final of the Rugby Union Challenge Cup. But there was a major development in April 1898, when northern teams broke away from the Rugby Football Union. York’s first match under Northern Union rules was a defeat (28–2) against Hull Kingston Rovers. After the First World War, they were known as The Dreadnoughts. York’s best moment came in 1931, when they reached the Challenge Cup Final for the first time (where they were defeated 22–8 by Halifax). In recent years, the club moved to the Huntingdon Stadium (1989). It was known as York Wasps (1996–2002) but currently is called York City Knights. On 26 September 2010, they won the Cooperative Championship League 1 Play-Off Grand Final to gain promotion to the Championship. (Official York City Knights website)

January 6th

1959: On this day, York City Council agreed to pay 600 guineas for a painting by the impressionist artist, Loiseau. The purchase of this oil on canvas, entitled Port de Goulphar Belle Ile En Mer, provoked heated debate. Councillor R.A. Cattle described the picture as ‘like Flamborough Head on a foggy night’. He said that 600 guineas would have been far better spent on providing more light for the city during winter but, after further discussion, the council approved the recommendation of the Finance Committee to purchase the painting. Following the previous evening’s meeting (5 January), the painting was already on view in the York City Art Gallery and the press report ended with the statement, ‘The York Gallery is one of the foremost galleries in the country and this reputation has been obtained for little expenditure.’ The painting was completed between 1897 and 1903 and is still on display in the Burton Gallery of York Art Gallery. (York Evening Press and material supplied by York Art Gallery)

January 7th

1839: During the night of 6/7 January, a ‘great gale’ swept across northern areas of the British Isles, leaving widespread destruction in its wake. Between 250 and 300 people were killed in Ireland as hurricane-force winds left thousands of homes uninhabitable. In the York area, a simple stone pillar (with considerable significance) was blown down during the tumult. Sandburn Cross was given Grade II listed status on 29 January 1953. Located about 100 metres north of the Tanglewood Inn, beside the A64 at Stockton on Forest, it is set in a socketed base and stands about 1½ metres tall. It marked the boundary of Monk Ward Stray under the heading ‘EBOR’. Faces of the cross bear the names of Pasture Masters and the statement, ‘This Cross Repaired in the Year 1782’. Following the gale damage in 1839, the cross was replaced by the Duchess of Sutherland during the following year. In 1912, the Sandburn estate was sold at auction to Mr John Hetherton and he carried out restoration work on the cross. When he died, aged seventy-four, on 14 February 1937, his ashes were scattered around the stone base. (Benson A.R.I.B.A., G., An Account of the County and City of York; www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk)

January 8th

1863: The opening of Lendal Bridge provided the second of York’s modern road crossings (in addition to the Ouse Bridge) and replaced a ferry service that ran from Barker Tower, on the south-west bank, to Lendal Tower. York’s growing importance as a railway centre during the first half of the nineteenth century caused severe congestion for passengers making use of the ferry to travel to and from the original station in Tanner Row. Replacing Lendal ferry service with a bridge was proposed in 1838, but the Corporation of York and railway companies failed to agree on who was responsible for construction work. An Improvement Act was passed in 1860 and, with William Dredge in charge of design work, foundations were laid for the bridge later in the same year. Tragically, this structure collapsed during 1861 and five men were fatally injured. New designs were prepared by Thomas Page, who also worked on York’s Skeldergate Bridge and Westminster Bridge in London. Lendal Bridge opened in 1863. Until 1894, tolls were charged at a rate of half a penny for foot passengers, a penny for animals and two pence for horse-drawn vehicles. The ferryman who had been put out of business by the bridge was granted compensation of £15 and a horse and cart. (www.historyofyork.org.uk)

January 9th

1959: A serious blaze at the Railway Street premises of York Cooperative Society almost completely gutted the ballroom. Five fire appliances directed three jets of water on the upper floors of the building in an attempt to curb the spread of the flames, but it was some time before the fire was brought under control. It was the most destructive fire in York for many years and the damage was considerable, though no one was injured. On the building’s lower floor, firemen struggled to protect goods from water. A Cooperative spokesman reported that the prompt efforts of the firemen had saved a large amount of stock. The ballroom was festooned with Christmas decorations at the time of the fire and, during the blaze, parts of the ceiling in the ballroom collapsed and the rostrum for bands at dances was completely destroyed. A passing taxi driver had raised the alarm after seeing ‘a flash of flame’ from the Cooperative Society building, ‘which lit up the sky’. In the aftermath, members of staff were struggling to ‘dry off’ and sort out goods. The store was open to customers the next day and business was carried out as normally as possible. (Yorkshire Evening Press, 9 January 1959)

January 10th

1715: John White, a printer, died in Stonegate at the age of eighty, a year after being installed as a City Chamberlain, and was buried in St Michael le Belfry Churchyard. He left his second wife, Grace, half of his business, and the other half went to Charles Bourne, a grandson from his first marriage (to Hannah Broad). Grace continued the business to her death in 1721 and gained a place in York’s printing history by becoming the first woman to set up a newspaper, The York Mercury. The first issue arrived from her press in Coffee Yard, Stonegate on 23 February 1718, and was published in conjunction with Thomas Hammond, Quaker bookseller and publisher. (William, K. & Sessions, E.M., Printing in York)

1952: The unique headquarters of York Arts Society was opened in the newly restored Marygate Tower by the Lord Mayor Alderman J.H. Kaye. After refurbishment as a studio and library, it was the first permanent headquarters of the society in its thirty-one years’ existence. History was repeating itself, as until 1644 it was used as a repository for records relating to all former religious houses north of the Trent, under the custody of the King’s Council in the North. (Newspaper cuttings)

January 11th

1919: Advertisements in the local newspapers make most interesting reading. In terms of cinema and theatre-going in York, there was plenty of choice between the City Picture Palace, the Theatre Royal, The Opera House and Empire, the Electric, the Picture House and Café, the Victoria Hall and the Grand Picture House. Admission prices were not always given, but in January 1919 tickets at the Empire varied from 5s in the front row of the dress circle, to 1s in the pit. Advertising columns also included a range of remedies for just about every known ailment, but prices were perhaps surprisingly high. Beecham’s Pills were ‘sold everywhere in boxes, labelled 1s 3d and 3s 0d ‘, and other well-known brands that were on offer on 11 January were Dr J. Collis Browne’s Chlorodyne, Phosferine and Dinneford’s Magnesia. Support for Phosferine was supplied by Pt Meise, a member of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (it cost 1s 3d for a small amount), while Dinnefords claimed there had been no increase in their prices of 1s and 2s 6d per bottle (but did not give a date). They also made the claim that it was ‘the safest aperient for Delicate Constitutions of Ladies, Children and Infants’, and then somewhat demolished this statement by adding a health warning that advised sufferers to take the potion in a ‘solid’ form and then watch out. (York Herald and Yorkshire Evening Press)

January 12th

1797: Among over 1,000 messages of love on Valentine’s cards at York’s Castle Museum is one that was sent on 12 January 1797 by Catherine Mossday to a Mr Brown, who lived in Dover Place, Kent Road, London. The delicate card is pierced in the corners to produce a lace effect and is decorated with cupids, doves and flowers, which were probably hand-coloured after printing. It was published on 12 January 1797 by John Fairburn of 146 Minories, London and includes the following verse printed around the edge:

Since on this ever happy day,

All Nature’s full of love and play

Yet harmless still if my design

’Tis but to be your Valentine.

A handwritten message inside reads:

As I have repeatedly requested you to come I think you must have some reason for not complying with my request, but as I have something particular to say to you I could wish you make it all agreeable to come on Sunday next without fail and in doing you will oblige your well wisher. Catherine Mossday

(www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk)

January 13th

1645: The city council followed an order from parliament to remove and disenfranchise six aldermen, including three knights named Cowper, Belt and Jaques. This was on account of their loyalty to the King. At the same time, the city walls were ordered to be repaired. (Benson A.R.I.B.A., G., An Account of the County and City of York)

1856: This day was the birth of Henrietta Eliza Vaughan Stannard, daughter of Reverend H.V. Palmer, Rector of St Margaret’s. In 1884 she married Arthur Stannard, a civil engineer, and pursued a career in writing. Her earliest published work, under the name ‘Violet Whyte’, appeared in the Family Herald and she followed this with a collection of regimental tales, including Cavalry Life in 1881 and Bootles Baby in 1885, which established her reputation with over two million copies sold in the first ten years. In total, she published about 100 novels and ten other books, as well as articles for The Cornhill and Temple Bar. Between 1891 and 1895, she published her own weekly magazine and wrote Confessions of a Publisher in 1892, which mocked patronising male publishers of the time. She was the first president of the Society of Women Journalists and became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. (www.ampltd.co.uk/digital_guides)

January 14th

1719: Sir John Vanbrugh, architect of Blenheim and Castle Howard, married Henrietta Maria Yarburgh of Heslington Hall at St Lawrence’s Church on Lawrence Street, York. The present building dates from 1883 and is the largest parish church in the city – a reason for it often being referred to as ‘the Minster without the walls’. It contains three interesting stained-glass windows and the fourteenth-century font came from the previous church on the site, which was largely destroyed during bitter fighting in the Civil War. Henrietta Maria was aged twenty-six when they married; her husband was fifty-five. In spite of the age difference, it seems to have been a happy marriage, during which they had two sons. Most of their married life was spent at Greenwich in the property on Maze Hill, which is now known as Vanbrugh Castle – a miniature Scottish Towerhouse designed by Vanbrugh in the earliest stages of his career. (Encyclopaedia Britannica online; Dictionary of National Biography)

1906: A crowd of 10,000 gathered outside the De Grey Rooms to hear the result of the poll in the General Election. The Liberal candidate, Hamar Greenwood, gained most votes. (Peacock, A.J., York 1900–1914)

January 15th

1195: Hugh of Lincoln visited York during his time as Bishop of Lincoln (1186–1200). Born in 1140 at Avalon Castle in Burgundy, he became a Carthusian in 1160 while visiting Grand Chartreuse. In 1175, he was invited by King Henry II to found the first English Charterhouse of the Order at Witham in Somerset (as part of the King’s penance for the murder of Thomas Becket). In 1181, he was appointed sixth Bishop of Lincoln and soon afterwards began the planning and building of the choir and other eastern parts of Lincoln Cathedral. He died at Lincoln on 16 November 1200 and at the funeral his bier was carried by notable figures, including the Kings of England and Scotland. Canonised in 1220 by Pope Honorius III, he became the first Carthusian saint and his tomb became a popular pilgrim site until it was despoiled on orders from King Henry VIII in the sixteenth century. (The Catholic Encyclopaedia)

1829: The last reference to active waits (small groups of musicians who performed in their locality, most notably at Christmas) is minuted in the city records of 15 January 1829, around six years before they were abolished by the Municipal Corporation Act of 1835. It reads ‘…Daniel Hardman of York, musician, appte one of the City Waits with the usual salary.’ (Merryweather, J., York Music: The Story of a City’s Music from 1304–1896)

January 16th

1959: Two ‘tramps’ stole the show, and at the same time almost wrecked it, when the York Old Priory Choir gave a concert to raise funds for the New Earswick Operatic and Dramatic Society at the Folk Hall. Just before the interval, two ‘tramps’ forced their way into the hall, despite the efforts of the attendants, and demanded that they be allowed to sing. They were quickly thrown out after a short tussle. A few minutes later, however, back they came and this time they ‘overpowered’ the attendants. With their clothes tattered and their faces dirty, they advanced up the aisle and said they did not want to cause any trouble, but as they had brought some music they wanted to give their audience a turn, after which they would leave. After discussing the situation with the choir conductor, Mr J.L. Huntington, the ‘tramps’ sang the well known ‘Two Beggars’ and the audience, still mystified, gave them tremendous applause, demanded an encore and showered coins on to the stage. They then disappeared. It was not until the end of the show that choir members were let into the secret that the two vagrants were in fact two of their own members, Henry Rennison (tenor) and Digby Graham (bass). Later, the two ‘tramps’ came back on stage in normal dress to join the choir and sing solos. (Yorkshire Evening Press)

January 17th

1858: Making the long journey by railway from Ramsgate, a sailor, William Fox, arrived in York during the evening of 17 January and made his way to an inn on King’s Staith, where he met Mary Ann White. He enquired about lodgings and she invited him to her home, but before leaving they got through liberal amounts of brandy, beer, oranges and oysters. On the way back they bought meat for supper along with a quart of ale – at Fox’s expense – and before going to bed in the early hours of the morning, they got through three or four half pints of gin. When her guest seemed to have fallen asleep, Mary Ann crept into his bedroom and began to search his clothing, but William Fox soon wakened, accused her of robbing him and chased her downstairs. A court case was held the next day, where Mary Ann denied the charge and claimed they were drunk together. However, she had faced similar charges before and the Lord Mayor gave both of them well-chosen words of advice before they left the Guildhall. (Yorkshire Herald)

January 18th

1777: The press gang arrived in York on 18th January as reported in the York Courant (on 21st January): ‘On Saturday evening a lieutenant, with several sailors in a pinnace and two yawls arriv’d in this city on the Impress Service and to beat up for volunteers. They pick’d up five hands in their passage hither. The Lord Mayor and Aldermen have backed their warrant, and last night they impressed several men.’ Such an event was more common on the Thames, with the fear of being suddenly seized by licensed press gangs for the navy or by unlicensed kidnappers of labour for plantations. At this time the English fleet was manned partly by the press gang, some of whom were criminals, and partly by inducements to able-bodied seamen of bonuses ranging from 30s to 100s. Naval service offered only considerable hardship and poor reward: pay was 19s to 24s a month, and not payable until the Fleet returned to England, at which point it was liable to deductions by agents, the navy pay department or even their own officers. (York Courant, 21 January 1777)

January 19th

1778: Pawnbrokers seem to have originated during the reign of William I, with the practice of lending money on items deposited as security. It was not only confined to the poorer members of society either. In 1338, King Edward III pawned his jewels to the Lombards in order to raise money for his wars with France. Henry V embarked on a similar exercise in 1415. On the local front, Alexander Lenox Esquire of Saint Saviourgate seems to have visited his local pawnshop only twice. On the first occasion, on 19 January 1778, he pledged his gold watch and his stone ring – each one for the curious amount of £6 2s 2d. He called the next day to redeem both items. Lenox was probably the sort of customer the pawnbroker hoped to attract because he accepted a large cash sum (promoting good interest rates), redeemed the pledge swiftly and pawned saleable items in case they remained unclaimed (keeping storage space free). (Blackhouse, A.A., The Worm-Eaten Waistcoat)

1909: Early in 1909, ‘New Street Palace of Varieties’ opened in a former chapel. On 19 January of that year, shows featured film footage of the recent earthquake at Messina and the world heavyweight title fight between Tommy Burns and Jack Johnson. (Yorkshire Evening Press)

January 20th

1927: The siting and design features of public conveniences always seem to provoke an amount of controversy. On this day, a group of local tradesmen, led by William Dove, presented a petition against a proposed lavatory on Pavement. Mr Dove’s ironmonger’s shop on the corner of Pavement would overlook the planned ladies’ convenience and his petition was signed by most of the adjacent Parliament Street shopkeepers. He argued that the proposed building, with measurements of 37ft length, 20ft width and 19ft to the ridge, would be a disfigurement and inconvenience to such a busy thoroughfare. The height of the building, he claimed, would totally cover shop names and fascia signs from the opposite side of the roadway, and such a building, at a location where five roads converged, would seriously endanger pedestrians by blocking lines of vision. A week later, it was decided that the petition should be ignored, but an amount of behind-the-scenes lobbying led to a rethink by the council. An alternative site in Parliament Street had to be rejected because of problems with existing sewers and it was with great relief that a site in St Sampson’s Square was finalised in June 1927. (Murray, H., Where to Go in York: The History of Public Conveniences in York)

January 21st

1959: On this day, the York Herald reported on the York City Baths Club annual meeting. Four members had swum for England in the last year, but members were also saying a sad farewell to their coach of thirty years. Mr A.C. ‘Lonz’ Webster was widely regarded as the man who had made the club great and was known among swimmers at home and abroad. He was retiring as superintendent of St George’s Baths in York and ending most of his active swimming work, but was to continue as president of the club. Speeches were made highlighting Mr Webster’s overwhelming enthusiasm and he was presented with a cheque for £100 by Alderman A. Franks, chairman of the City Parks and Baths Committee, which he was going to use to buy a writing bureau and studio coach. Membership of the club was down by 131 on the previous year’s total of 669, but this was mainly due to the age limit on learner members because of congestion on Monday nights. The treasurer reported balances and assets of £424, with a few small losses during the year. Presentation of trophies was accompanied by the wealth of talent among junior men and, although talent among girls was apparently not so abundant, it was still good. (York Herald)

January 22nd

1909: On this day, Mrs Edith Beatrice Bateman, wife of Dr Hinton Bateman of 48 Micklegate, won the Joicey West of Scotland Challenge Cup offered by the British Sea Angling Association (BSAA), for the heaviest catch of fish by an angler in the West of Scotland on any given day in the year. She was a recent recruit, as the previous year was only her fourth season ‘with the rod at sea but during her visit to Gairloch last September she gave a fine display of her skill.’ One day, fishing in a boat four miles from the coast, she had landed 89lbs of fish, consisting principally of pollock, skate and whiting. It is for this performance that Mrs Bateman was awarded the Joicey Cup. In conversation with the Daily Mail, Dr Bateman said the rod used by his wife weighed only 12oz. The fish were taken within six hours and during the whole time that Mrs Bateman was fishing, the weather was wet and squally. He had also won two silver medals of the BSAA for sea fishing but his wife had ‘gone one better in winning the open challenge cup’. (York Herald)

1999: A gang of gunmen stole a total of twenty paintings from the City of York Art Gallery, with an overall value of £1.7 million. These included works by Turner, Sickert and Bartolommeo, but they were recovered on 17 May 1999. Gang members were caught and convicted during the year 2000, with convictions, in some cases, of fifteen years’ imprisonment. (www.news.bbc.co.uk)

January 23rd

1991: Full Sutton Prison near York was ready to receive Britain’s Iraqi detainees, if the need arose, during the Gulf War conflict. According to the prison governor, there was no certainty that prison accommodation would be needed for the seventy or so Iraqis who were regarded as security risks and the Home Office were not making a comment, but staff at Full Sutton had spent five days preparing facilities. Staff in the E Wing of the prison had dusted rooms, washed floors and moved furniture in readiness for the possible arrival of detainees, but so far there were no exact details on rules for such prisoners, who would be expected to have more rights than other inmates. Members of staff were intending to treat them as remand prisoners, separate from other categories of prisoners, and were adding to their knowledge of religious practices from Muslims within Full Sutton. Pentonville Prison, a Victorian building, was already holding Iraqis in a very different setting to Full Sutton, which opened in 1987. Two new wings at Full Sutton added 192 cells to the original 440, and more than 100 extra officers were being recruited. (Yorkshire Evening Press)