Previous Events

Centenary Event: Society Meeting on 13th March 2024. AGM and talk ‘Fanny Whitehead and the Alverthorpe Textile Workers’ Strike.’ West Yorkshire History Centre, Wakefield.

The well-attended meeting started with the AGM, when our President and Council were re-elected, and reports were made on various aspects of the Society including the Gissing Centre and Wakefield Historical Publications.

Our President, Pam Judkins, reported on the possible sale to the Metropolitan Museum in New York of a medieval ivory sculpture that was found in Wakefield in the 18th century.  The Victoria and Albert Museum are trying to raise £2 million before a June deadline to keep it in their collection. Much discussion ensued as to how this could be publicised, and how the Society could help. It was agreed that the Society should make a £500 donation to the V&A.

This was followed by a short talk, ‘Fanny Whitehead and the Alverthorpe Textile Workers’ Strike’ by Shirley Levon. The Society had been sent a booklet about two textile workers who had been taken to court for obstructing the highway during a strike in 1889. The background to the strike at Colbeck Bros. mill at Alverthorpe was described, and the progress of unionisation in the textile industry at the end of the 19th century. Documents from the West Yorkshire History Centre that had been used in the research were on display.

 

Centenary Event, 16th February at Wakefield Town Hall: ‘Wakefield Gingerbreads: Spicey Life in Wakefield’, talk by Peter Brear

The audience were greeted with tables set out with eighteen different samples of gingerbread. Peter Brears had cooked and prepared the earlier examples, while members of the Historical Society had cooked more recent recipes. His knowledge of the subject as a renowned food historian is unparalleled, and his links to Wakefield made his talk particularly relevant to the audience.

Peter related how gingerbread was a speciality of Wakefield for over two hundred years, and that he remembered in the 1960s going into Gosnay’s shop on Northgate which still had glass panels over the beams etched with ‘Wakefield Gingerbread’ in gold. The Gosnay family had been confectioners in Wakefield since at least 1834.

Peter explained that ginger was widely used from the early medieval period: it was considerably cheaper than other spices such as nutmeg, and the roots could be dried in the sun and transported easily. The early gingerbread was eaten like a sweet at the end of a meal with the rich also enjoying crystallised ginger in syrup. It was also used as an aid to digestion. The earliest known recipe was from a cookbook of 1390. The samples Peter had prepared therefore covered 600 years of recipes. He had found that the medieval recipe was still being made at local country houses 400 years later.

‘Whitby gingerbread’ was the first ‘named’ gingerbread, baked hard, with a design stamped on it; it takes months to soften sufficiently to get a knife through it, and was widely used by sailors. The first record of ‘Wakefield gingerbread’ dates from 1746, followed by Grantham, Ormskirk, and Ashbourne. An eighteenth century gingerbread recipe by Lady St Oswald of Nostell was less sweet and hard like a biscuit; it needed to be stored in a slightly damp atmosphere like a cellar until it was eatable, locally this was called ‘coming again’.  Peter had cooked this gingerbread last October and it was only ready to be eaten in January.

From the 1870s when yeast or a raising agent were used, professional bakers started to cook and sell it widely. The recipes were often kept secret and therefore not recorded. The earliest known confectioner to make ‘Wakefield Gingerbread’ was Joseph Simpson of Kirkgate, known to have established his business by 1823. Gingerbread was also cooked in a domestic setting in our area as most houses had kitchen ranges and access to coal to fuel them.

Gingerbread became popular for afternoon tea in the Edwardian period, and recipes were included in fund-raising cookbooks throughout the 20th century.

Further west in the Pennines wheat was not grown, so in the early period oatmeal was added and the gingerbread cooked over a fire to make ‘tharf cake’ – with no yeast this was again quite hard. Parkins which used oatmeal were cooked round the bonfires to commemorate the Gunpowder plot each year, and became a tradition. ‘Treacle’ which could be golden syrup, or black treacle was added.

As Peter’s audience ‘ate’ its way through 600 years of history, they were also provided with milk, which has been a traditional accompaniment for the spicey ginger. Many people chose to take home ‘goody bags’ to enjoy the recipes again at home. Booklets written by Peter were given to all members of the audience containing the history of Wakefield gingerbread and the recipes.

Our thanks are due to Peter Brears for a fascinating talk about a Wakefield speciality that has been forgotten, and to him and some Historical Society members for all the cooking and preparation. It was a memorable event.

 

Centenary Event 24th January 2024: Lecture by Gary Brannan, ‘The Future of History is Within You: the next histories of Wakefield’
Wakefield Historical Society Meeting in conjunction with Wakefield Civic Society. 

We were delighted to start our Centenary Year off with a keynote lecture by Gary Brannan, ‘The Future of History is Within You: the next histories of Wakefield’. A local lad, born in Batley, Gary is at present Keeper of Archives and Special Collections at the Borthwick Institute in York, but had previously been an archivist at West Yorkshire Archives in Wakefield.

While based in Wakefield Gary had worked with John Goodchild who he described as ‘the last of the antiquarians’, and Kate Taylor, who he described as ‘a force of nature’. Gary was also on Wakefield Historical Society’s council until he moved to York.

Gary pointed out that the Society’s very first meeting was held in the same room as the present meeting. He described some of the achievements of our Society over the last hundred years, and how they had contributed so much to preserving Wakefield’s history; including the excavation at Sandal Castle in the 1960s/1970s, the setting up of Wakefield Historical Publications, the founding of the Gissing Trust in 1978, the Friends of Chantry Chapel in 1990, and more recent projects including the Road to Fotheringhay in 2010, the Waterfront project in 2013, and our most recent project on Westgate.

Gary challenged the audience to ‘tell the story’, by using all the different resources around them. He separated ‘history’ from what he described as ‘the easy charm of nostalgia‘ that is not based on fact as memories differ and depend on emotions. ‘Nostalgia’ was once classed as a medical condition. Popular history sees the past in a favourable light, and the present and future as bleak.

He encouraged the audience to look at recent history – to research the history of Wakefield and to take on difficult topics which people may not wish to remember – examples being Wakefield through Brexit and Covid, the Miners’ strike of the 1980s, night life in Wakefield or the regeneration following the loss of the mining industry. He emphasised the richness and unique nature of some of the resources that are available to us all: the material held at the West Yorkshire History Centre, the John Goodchild Collection, the Manor Court Rolls held at the Brotherton in Leeds, wills and church court records held at the Borthwick – and many others.

Gary described ways that we could broaden communication of our research, not just by written documents, but by podcasts, photos, walking tours and other methods. He summed up by saying that future histories should be recorded by us (“if not us, who? If not now, when?”) and should be firmly based on evidence using diverse resources.

Gary’s enthusiasm for historical research was both inspiring and thought-provoking, and will hopefully encourage many of the audience to pursue their interest in the history of our city.

 

Meeting of Wakefield Historical Society, 13th December 2023

‘A Yorkshire Year’ by Catherine Warr

There was a welcome of mince pies and coffee at the History Centre for our final lecture of 2023.

Catherine Warr from Leeds was our guest speaker. Her youth was a refreshing change for our society. Introducing herself as a non-academic historian and film-maker, she attributed her interest in history to family outings and activities. She was enthusiastic and confident, and spoke with little reference to notes.  She has a recently published book, ‘A Yorkshire Year’, which contains a full year of Yorkshire folklore customs and traditions with something new for every day.

Her talk explored what custom or tradition meant. She identified a tendency to ‘tweeify’ traditions so that they become separated from their roots, using as an example long-sword dancing. In contrast Gawthorpe coal-carrying has the makings of a tradition whose meaning is clear. If performed by the community over a period of time this event will become a tradition reflecting an major aspect Gawthorpe’s past.

Folklore has been a frame through which communities have interacted with their world. Catherine discussed the concept of changelings, fairy babies swapped at birth for human offspring. This idea might provide an explanation for an adult who was seen as ‘other’ in the community. What people believed, even with no sound basis, had meaning.

Many stories such as that of Mary Pannell of Castleford have transformed over time in a process of cultural osmosis. Mary was not burned as a witch as is commonly believed, as witches were hung or stoned in Yorkshire. Similarly any real person remembered today as Robin Hood has become untraceable.

In analysing her folktale sources Catherine noted that many of these were clergymen, including the Rev Sabine Baring- Gould of Horbury, and others were women. Antiquarian vicars who were figures of authority in their communities were often the Victorian sanitisers of folktales. The tales recorded by women such as Marie Hartley and Joan Ingleby are those of women’s experience, and so often more rooted in daily life.

‘Fakelore’ is always a problem but Catherine believes that if a belief was meaningful it is important to understand it. If the layers of time are peeled back it is possible to see how some beliefs have shaped communities and societies.

 

Meeting of Wakefield Historical Society, 8th November 2023

The intended talk by John Whitaker about 100 years of Wakefield Museum was unfortunately cancelled due to illness. Instead, at short notice, Pam Judkins our President, described the planned events for our Centenary next year. Many of these will be organised in conjunction with other organisations and includes a keynote speech in January about the John Goodchild Collection by Gary Brannan, Keeper of Archives at the Borthwick Institute in York. Other events during the year include a talk by Peter Brears about gingerbread (with samples!) a performance of ‘Words about Wakefield’ by our members and the publication of a memoir of life in Scott’s Yard on Westgate in the 1930s. The year will culminate in a ‘party’ in December 2024, to which other local organisations will be invited. Pam hoped our members would be involved with the events and volunteer to help when it was needed.

Lesley Taylor described the plans to read various short extracts that have been written about Wakefield from the 11th century to the present day for the ‘Words about Wakefield’ event. This would also be an opportunity for our members to work together and get to know each other a little more. The audience was split into three groups led by Lesley, David Scriven and Shirley Levon. Volunteers read some of the extracts aloud in order to understand what was involved. The Theatre Royal will be giving the readers some advice and training before the performance in April.

 

Meeting of Wakefield Historical Society, 11th October 2023

OPULENCE AND OSTENTATION -THE AGE OF NINETEENTH CENTURY CIRCUS BUILDING IN THE UK

BY STEVE WARD

 Circus history in the UK starts with Philip Astley’s riding school in Georgian London. This was a permanent structure, but some of Astley’s imitators toured the country putting on their shows in ‘temporary’ wood and canvas buildings such as the one used by Pablo Fanque’s circus in Wakefield’s Wood Street in the 1840s. Although some of these buildings were truly temporary, others stood for so long they became permanent venues such as one at Leeds which survived for about 60 years. Unfortunately, these structures were prone to both fire and to collapse. Pablo Fanque’s wife was a victim in one such disaster, killed when the circus seating gave way. From the 1850s these temporary wooden buildings were joined by the canvas big top, an import from the United States.

 The first stone-built circus, the British Royal Circus, opened in London in the 1770s and gave its name to the new form of entertainment it housed. As more permanent circuses were built across, their designs became increasingly sophisticated and reached a peak of opulence in Frank Matcham’s redesign of the Blackpool Tower Circus. To attract the public novelties such as aquatic displays were introduced into the circus. At the Brighton Hippodrome, the inner and outer ring were separated by water, while at the Blackpool Tower Circus the ring could be lowered and flooded. Architects also had to cater for the management of a growing variety of circus animals. The Coliseum in Leeds, opened in the 1880s, featured underground stables, while at Cirque and Opera House in Belfast there was an elephant entrance. As technology changed, circuses adapted with the Coliseum in Leeds becoming the first circus to be lit by electricity. Impresarios were well-aware of the importance of providing their customers with easy access to their venues. Belfast’s Cirque and Grand Opera House was sited close to a railway station, while in Leeds a covered walkway led from a station to the Victoria Amphitheatre.

 In the twentieth century, competition from other forms of entertainment including the cinema led to the decline of the circus. Some circus buildings were demolished and others were converted to new uses. Today the Great Yarmouth Hippodrome and the Blackpool Tower Circus survive as permanent circus venues. Although new circus buildings are being built abroad, none are in the UK.

Steve Ward’s book ‘Opulence and Ostentation: Building the Circus’ was published in May 2023 and is widely available.

 

Meeting of Wakefield Historical Society, 13th September 2023

‘Hot off the Press’ by Dr Phil Judkins

The history of Bletchley Park is now well publicised, but it was fascinating to learn from Phil Judkins of a local connection. He explained that the history of one category of women involved in war work had remained unsung, as it had been especially secret. However in 2019 a document was added to the National Archives which recorded exactly how the information from the Enigma decoding at Bletchley Park was used. At a time when Germany was developing the V1 and V2 missiles, Barbara Annie Dixon was involved in the translation of messages that had been decoded but were written in highly technical German. Phil Judkins passed round a summary book which contained not only some of the technical terms, but also a long list of abbreviations that Barbara Dixon would have needed to know. Her work was vital to identify the routes the missiles took to launch sites, times of launch and the path of the rockets, and because of this intelligence, many missiles were destroyed before reaching their targets. Barbara Dixon had been personally known to several members of the audience, for she later married Ray Perraudin, an early President of Wakefield Civic Society, but she had never spoken of her wartime work.

After a short break, four members of the Society read short extracts from authors who had written about Wakefield in the 18th century. These will be part of a meeting planned in our centenary year which will include about twenty such extracts covering Wakefield’s history from the Domesday Book to the present day. Volunteers were sought to read these.

 

Summer Coach Excursion Thursday 27 July to Victoria Baths at Chorlton and Smithills Hall near Bolton

Account of the visit courtesy of Kevin Trickett, Wakefield Civic Society

Members have visited Victoria Baths at Chorlton and Smithills Hall near Bolton on our latest coach excursion.

At Victoria Baths, we were given a cup of coffee before being shown around for an update on the latest work to bring the building back to life – and much has been done since we last visited in 2008, although, as yet, it is still not possible to have a swim as the pools remain empty of water.

After a break for lunch in a rather drizzly Bolton, we re-boarded the coach and headed for Smithills Hall , a 14th century manor house with Tudor and Victorian additions. Members were able to amble around the house and gardens at their leisure before heading to the café for refreshments.

 

‘1541, the Wakefield Conspiracy’ and the ‘Real Battle of Newland’
Two talks at Wakefield Historical Society’s meeting on 12th April

At our previous meeting on 8th March, we were intrigued to learn from Phil Judkins about a project to discover the history behind ‘The Battle of Newland’, a manuscript Ballad discovered in the John Goodchild Collection. The two talks on 12th April provided historic background, and answered many questions that had arisen.

Phil Judkins described the events leading up to 1541, when Henry Vlll was dissolving the monasteries and claiming their rich and extensive lands and property, including Newland. The Pilgrimage of Grace was just five years earlier, a popular uprising throughout Yorkshire and the north of England. Promises were made to the rebels which were broken, with many of the leaders being executed. Wakefield was divided, with some supporting the king, and others supporting the Knights Hospitallers at Newland. Richard Rich, who was in charge of the Court of Augmentations seizing monastic assets, turned his attention to the Knights Hospitaller at Newland. In 1541 a conspiracy in Yorkshire was discovered, to assassinate Robert Holgate who became the Archbishop of York; he was a supporter of Thomas Cromwell and the King. The plan was then to control Pontefract Castle and rebel against Henry, seeking the aid of the Scots.

Phil then recounted the background to the Knights Hospitaller and their role in the Crusades, which engulfed the Middle East for two centuries, involving many countries and at least 5 different religions. The Knights’ Hospitaller escorted pilgrims and provided a hospital as a charity. They were supported financially by the land and farms that they held across Europe, and commanded large land holdings including those of Newland. Detailed accounts exist showing exactly what they grew, and the value of their holdings. John Goodchild’s collection holds original deeds which are of national importance.

Subsequent to Richard Rich sequestering Newland, it was sold to the Wakefield Bunny family; thereafter it was acquired by the Silvester and Smith families, eventually being leased by a branch of the Milnes family.

Paul Dawson explained that the ‘Battle of Newland’ described in the ballad was not an historic event taking place in 1541, but a satire on politics and the Wakefield elite in the latter part of the 18th century, written by Benjamin Clarkson of Flanshaw Hall, who aspired to the wealth and status of the Milnes family, rich merchants who lived on Westgate. They were dissenters, belonging to the Whig party, wanting reform so that the middle classes could vote, and more religious freedom. Paul described the national political scene, the involvement in it of the Milnes family some of whom became Whig MPs, and the inter-marriages which increased their power, including a link to the Rich family of the time.

Paul explained that the ballad lampoons members of the family, such as Pemberton Milnes who was well-known at the time for his fondness for port, with a character called ‘Sir Vinyard Port’. Paul asserted that the ‘Battle’ referred to Pemberton Milnes’ raising of the Volunteers against the ‘Black Lamp’ revolutionaries who were attacking the ships bringing Russian grain into Yorkshire. Paul explained that Wakefield people would have understood the satire very well – both the national and local politics that were the target.

One mystery has not been definitively resolved – the initials ‘P.W.’ on the ballad. Paul however pointed out that, although who he (or she) might be has not been discovered, there were a number of letters to newspapers of the time also signed with those initials.

Two fascinating talks which gave the audience a wealth of information, some answers, and plenty to ponder on!

 

‘Treason! The Wakefield Conspiracy and The Mysterious ‘Battle of Newland’
Community event, at Normanton Library, Wednesday 29th March

The event had morning and afternoon sessions, in each of which a wide variety of books, maps, documents and leaflets were made available to the community by Archives and by Libraries, accompanied by staff to explain and answer questions, accompanied by four short (15 minute) talks. Phil Judkins first of all set the scene, with a development of the talk WHS members heard at our AGM. WY Archives’ Stef Davidson and Helen Walker described the material in the John Goodchild Collection (John of course was a Normanton resident and very well-known and respected in the community), together with the research services offered and managed by West Yorkshire, such as the Historic Environmental Record and the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Drone pilot and researcher Suzie Cross then took us into the air with her drone flights over the Newland site, and described the efforts of the farmers in the sustainable and environmental development of their land, with rewilding and restoration of open-cast mining. Finally, Phil rounded off by taking the audience deeper into the background of the Wakefield Conspiracy and of the Knights Hospitaller at Newland, illustrating the importance of Newland’s managed estate stretching from Ossington in Nottinghamshire to the Lake District, the Knights’ third richest farming enterprise in Britain, and the importance of John’s archive in understanding Newland.

It is fair to say that the day was a great success, with almost 60 attendees with a great interest in the documents on display and a ready flow of detailed questions at each of the talks. Among the attendees was the farmer on whose land Newland sits, and Phillip Ross, the detectorist and self-taught archaeologist who has most recently written about the site. The ‘buzz’ of engaged conversation was constant throughout the day, and was evidenced by the number and detail of questionnaires completed. WHS members will perhaps not be too surprised that the Normanton community also wished to know everything about these new mysteries, with just a little less interest in who the ‘P.W.’ was who put his or her initials on authorship of the Ballad of Newland. There was almost unanimous positive community feedback, constructive suggestions and considerable and vocal demand, led by the local councillor, for more local history events.

 

AGM and two talks: ‘Some Carved Stones’ by Dave Russ and ‘£10,000 grant for the John Goodchild Collection’ by Phil Judkins
Society Meeting on 8th March

The meeting started with the holding of our Annual General Meeting with the members approving the minutes from 2022, the reports of officers and accounts, and the ratification of the President, Pam Judkins, and other members of the Council.

Two short talks by members followed. Dave Russ described how he had seen a Facebook post about some mysterious stones, which had been deleted within 24 hours. However he believed he knew what they were and was able to contact the person who posted the images, and to see the stones himself. Dave showed us a series of photographs of the stones, each about 4 to 5 feet long, carved with capital letters: ‘N’ and ‘I,’ ‘O’ and ‘T’, ‘G’, ‘H’ (which had gold paint on) and two with scrolls and carvings on. Dave who has an interest in Beverly’s Brewery recognised them as part of the stones from the demolished Griffin Hotel which once stood on Bullring, and was later rebuilt on Providence Street. He showed us a colourised photo of the original hotel and the stones were instantly recognisable. He has not been in contact recently with the person who posted on Facebook, but he hopes to go back to see if there are other stones.

Phil Judkins described the background to a grant of £10,000 to research two events that occurred in Wakefield in 1541: first, a plot by some of Wakefield’s gentry and priests at the parish church to assassinate Henry Vlll; second, a battle between the Knights Hospitallers at the Preceptory at Newlands, Normanton, and the King’s men recruited from Wakefield. Phil explained that there was anger about the dissolution of the monasteries, inflamed by Henry’s behaviour following the Pilgrimage of Grace five years earlier, when promises including a promise that the rebels would be pardoned were broken.

Phil explained how Sir John Neville of Sandal’s Chevet Hall, a wealthy man who had been High Sheriff of Yorkshire three times, and had opposed the Pilgrimage of Grace, began plotting with Wakefield gentry, wool merchants and priests from the Cathedral and chantries. Their plot was to assassinate the King’s man in the North, Archbishop Holgate, at Pontefract, and raise a rebellion in the north, form an alliance with the Scots, and then murder King Henry.  But the plot was betrayed, and the penalty for High Treason was swift and cruel, of the 31 plotters, 26 were tried, and no fewer than 15 were executed.

Phil continued to explain that in the John Goodchild collection there is a manuscript, by a mysterious P.W., of an ‘Historical Ballad’, the ‘Battle of Newland’, which tells how the men of Wakefield, loyal to the King, were called upon to march to Newland, and there fought a battle to overcome the resistance of the Knights to being evicted. The manuscript, which has been printed several times, appears to date from the 18th century at the earliest, but it may preserve the memory of a real battle.

The 1541 plot has not been fully researched, and other evidence of the ‘Battle of Newland’ has not been found. As the grant-givers, the UK Government’s Research and Innovation unit working with the Young Foundation, has asked WHS to discover what the community itself wishes to know, and Phil asked the audience if they would provide their thoughts through a prepared survey as part of this community involvement.

‘Little Dark Exciting Words’, talk by Richard Knowles
Wakefield Historical Society Meeting, 8th February

Richard’s talk on bookselling and the history of printing was a pleasure to listen to, not least because of his enthusiasm for his subject. To illustrate his many interests, he read ‘The Road not Taken’ by Robert Frost, and explained that he could have followed any one of several paths, with his interests in armour, effigies, castles, T. E. Lawrence, and books and bookselling. He was involved with the archaeological dig at Sandal Castle between 1964 and 1973, and became Secretary of our Society in 1973. He worked for many years for the library booksellers ‘Askews’, before having his own bookshop in Horbury, selling new books but also specialising in antiquarian, local history books, and T. E. Lawrence.

Richard described the history of printing using examples from his own and his wife’s books and manuscripts. Medieval books were written and copied by hand, sometimes with beautiful illustrations. When Caxton introduced the printing press to England in the late 15th century, each letter was painstakingly set by hand to produce each page. Caxton was not only a printer, but also a publisher of books in English, with popular subjects such as Aesop’s Fables and the Morte d’Arthur which remain popular to the present day. Woodcuts were used for illustrations.

In the 16th and 17th century type-fonts became more legible. In the 19th century steam presses enabled many more copies to be printed. Richard described the book by Thomas Gent, published in 1733 of the history of Ripon which included a woodcut illustration of Wakefield.

During the 19th century literacy increased, and books became cheaper. Jane Austen’s books were originally published in three volumes (termed ‘three deckers’), so that subscription libraries could claim three payments for lending a title. Purchasers could take the publishers’ simply bound books to the bookbinder to be beautifully bound in order to look good on their own bookshelves. Following the Education Act in 1870, all children attended school and learnt to read.. In the 20th century the first paperback books were published in the 1920s and bookshops on railway stations were established to take advantage of these less expensive versions.

Richard used several books as illustrations of the value that can be attached to rare books, particularly first editions in pristine condition and including the original dust wrapper. He described the various editions of T. E. Lawrence’s ‘Seven Pillars of Wisdom’ and explained his own interest in him. ‘Ulysses’ by James Joyce can achieve a value of £100,000 at auction, and a first edition of ‘Casino Royale’ by Ian Fleming can reach £20,000. He said that a first edition of ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ can sell for up to £60,000 and is likely to keep its value, as only 500 copies of the first edition were printed; it is regarded as alandmark in children’s publishing as it introduced so many children to the pleasure of reading.

As an example of a rare local history book, Richard mentioned ‘The History and Topography of the Parish of Wakefield’ by John Hewitt, originally issued in parts and of which there are possibly only six complete copies. Richard showed us a copy of the talk by J. W. Walker at the inaugural meeting of Wakefield Historical Society in December 1924.

After the talk we were able to look at some of the precious books that Richard had brought to display.  He continues to conduct his bookselling business online at: Rickaro Books: https://www.rickarobooks.co.uk

 

Talk by Sarah McLeod, CEO of the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust
19th January 2023

Wakefield Civic Society hosted this joint talk with Wakefield Historical Society, and the topic was a popular choice with all places taken, and some members joining the live stream.

Sarah McLeod described the founding of the Trust, which took ownership of the house and part of the estate in March 2017, following the raising of £7 million, and a further grant of £7.6 million from the Government. This fund was for capital projects, but the Trust were to be responsible for upkeep. The first aim was to build a team to make a long-term plan for the property. The Trust decided that it was vital to involve the people of South Yorkshire, and they were asked for their suggestions.

One of the first projects was to make the roof watertight and safe. Scaffolding and a false roof were constructed over the main building, and the public were given access via stairs and a lift to view the work. Hatches were added so that access was easier for maintenance purposes.

When the COVID lockdown started the workers were able to return on-site within 4 weeks as they were able to space themselves easily. Ten thousand wooden birds decorated by people of all ages with images and memories of lockdown were displayed on a giant tree on the lawn at the front.

There is an emphasis on opportunities for young people, with apprenticeships being available, training on heritage skills, and citizenship. The house is often used as a set by the film industry and the Trust became aware of a skill shortage in the industry. The Trust now has its own TV studio with training being provided for 16-25 year olds. The website provides digital tours of the house. The Trust works with schools and colleges, and internships are offered for students in the lower-income group.

The most recent projects have seen the restoration of the Camellia House, and work has started on the Stables, and the State Room in the main house. From an original staff of just 8 when the Trust took ownership, there are now 100 staff including 40 full-time employees, and 270 volunteers.

Sarah McLeod’s talk was inspiring, providing an insight into what is possible with such a large historic property if the will is there, and the support of the local population. It will be interesting to follow further developments.

Wentworth Woodhouse

 

Society Meeting, Wednesday 7th December.

Talk by Sir Rodney Brooke: ‘From Morley Boy to Westminster Knight’.

Sir Rodney entertained us with many anecdotes from his distinguished life in public service.  Growing up in Morley he could remember the trains full of rhubarb rumbling past his house, and the queues of miners at the bus stop. He talked of the societal change in his lifetime, with more people from the lower echelons becoming professionals, people moving away from their birthplace, and the diversity of religions in the area. His philosophy throughout his life was to start at the lowest level possible to improve people’s lives.

At 15 years old he became a newspaper reporter, then worked as a tea boy at Morley Town Hall. He became a solicitor and moved to Southwell, Nottinghamshire. Subsequently he became Clerk of the Peace for the West Yorkshire County Council and eventually Chief Executive. He oversaw the pursuit of the Yorkshire Ripper, the events surrounding the death of Helen Smith who met her death in Saudi Arabia, and the fire at Bradford City Stadium. He referred to the suite of offices at County Hall when the John Poulson scandal was being investigated. He recalled the setting-up of the West Yorkshire Archive Service, when the various separate archives came under one ‘umbrella’.

Subsequently moving to Westminster as chief executive, Sir Rodney described his opposition to Shirley Porter, leader of Westminster Council, and the ‘homes for votes’ scandal. He was knighted in 2007.

Sir Rodney was asked about the highlights of his career, and answered that it was his time as CEO at West Yorkshire County Council. Asked what he would wish to change, he said that it would be a return to household rates which was a fairer system as opposed to the present council tax.

Sir Rodney’s memoir has been published as ‘The Winding Stair: From Morley boy to Westminster Knight’, widely available through booksellers.

 

Society Meeting on 9 November: ‘The Diary of a Wakefield Man’ by Lorraine Simpson.

We are rarely able to learn about the lives of Wakefield people recorded in detail over such a long period. Lorraine has transcribed all of John Bowman’s diaries, and the period 1896-1953 has been published by Wakefield Historical Publications. Lorraine described his early life growing up at Hope Hall, which he and his family regularly revisited for holidays. His family were Quakers, as a child he attended Ackworth School, and later he and his family attended the Quaker meeting house on Thornhill Street in Wakefield.

When he was young he was apprenticed to Thomas Hartas in Mansfield, and subsequently went to work for a Wakefield draper, I G Wallis, which is where he met Janie to whom he was married in 1896. They lived at first at Brookhouse cottages on Barnsley Road where they had hens, and grew fruit and vegetables.

In 1898 John Bowman opened his own shop at Belle Vue, and he and Janie moved into the rooms above. Later they were able to buy the adjoining shop, and eventually bought Claremont House on Regent Street. Not only did he sell retail, he also had a flourishing wholesale business which entailed him travelling to outlying villages, sometimes by train, but often by bicycle, carrying his samples with him.

Lorraine described how he was a family man, having four children, and their involvement with the Quakers, attending meetings and social events. He writes in his diary of both local events such as attending lectures at the Mechanics Institute, or going to see Buffalo Bill, but also of national and international events. He describes events in World War One, such as the Barnbow explosion, and Zeppelins, and the many funerals he saw at Wakefield Cemetery during the Spanish flu epidemic. He records the arrival of 65 Basque children in 1937 due to the Spanish Civil war. During the second World War he notes the bombs and incendiaries landing in Wakefield, and the landing craft being built on the Waterfront.

As a widower he was still involved with civic life, becoming a liberal councillor, and acting as a trustee for the almshouses on George Street. When he died of a stroke in 1953 he was buried next to his wife at the Friends’ Meeting house on Thornhill Street.

Lorraine’s excellent talk certainly whetted our appetites to learn more of John Bowman and his experiences during his long life. Sadly, the book is sold out, but libraries across the Wakefield district hold copies to borrow.

 

Society meeting on 12th October: Factories and Fevers: 19th Century Child Health by Dr Emma Storr

Dr Storr described the various aspects of disease that affected children in the 19th century: occupational disease and infectious disease; how poor working conditions and sanitation caused this and how legislation was passed to improve the situation.

In 1870 the infant mortality rate (the number of deaths of children under 1) was 218 per thousand, with large numbers of children working in mills, factories and down the mines. Flax mills had particularly high morbidity caused by humidity, poor ventilation and many accidents.

Health problems included distortion of the knees, ankles and feet due to long hours standing, disease such as bronchitis caused by the inhalation of dust, anthrax known as the woolsorters’ disease, malnutrition, deafness, accidents, and physical abuse by the overseers.

Large numbers of children died from infectious diseases, such as smallpox, measles, diptheria etc. Between 1835 and 1992 nearly half of the 97,000 entries in the burial register for Leeds were children under 9.

In 1842 a report by the Poor Law Commissioners in Leeds examined the conditions of the labouring classes. The Public Health Act of 1848 considered that the most important steps to improve public health were to improve drainage and sanitation, remove refuse from houses, streets and roads, provide clean water, and to appoint a medical officer of health for each town.

A series of labour laws followed in the 19th century, and there was a gradual improvement, helped by medical advances in the understanding and treatment of disease. By 1900 the infant mortality rate had fallen to 156 per thousand, and in 2010 was 4.3 per thousand.

Dr Storr’s illuminating talk reminded us how common it was in the nineteenth century for families to endure the loss of several children due to working conditions and disease, and how legislation gradually made improvements.

 

Society meeting on Wednesday 14th September.

‘Yorkshire Watermen Project’ by David Scrimgeour
A most interesting talk to start our face-to-face meetings again. David Scrimgeour recounted the sad closing of the Yorkshire Waterways Museum at Goole, which led to the Yorkshire Waterways Heritage Society being established. David has been working on a huge database to record Yorkshire watermen using the Canal Boat Registration, introduced in 1877 as there were concerns about the sanitary conditions that children were living in. He described the Humber keels many of which are recorded in the different registers including Wakefield. The database of watermen has now reached nearly 4000 entries. He is now recording Yorkshire watermen in the 1881 census – a huge undertaking. He had researched the family history of 20 of the families, including the Mellor family of Thornes Lane in Wakefield, who built a keel named ‘Emperor’.

 

Saturdays 14th and 21st May. Events showcasing the John Goodchild Collection

The event in the Ridings Centre on 14th May was sited in the entrance to one of the empty shops near the entrance. Our Society had a stall with details of John Goodchild’s publications, some of which had been published by the society and were for sale. The West Yorkshire Archives displayed some of the gems from the Collection which is held by the West Yorkshire History Centre on Kirkgate. Wakefield Libraries also had a stall with information about the publications that they hold.

On the 21st May we again had a stall at the West Yorkshire History Centre with some of John Goodchild’s publications for sale, and free sheets listing his publications. There were also free sheets about the Knights Hospitaller, as the Collection holds a number of records relating to them. Talks were provided in the morning and afternoon including ones by our Secretary, Phil Judkins. These were well attended.

 

Society Meeting, 13th April by Zoom
‘Wakefield’s Links with Slavery and Moves for Abolition’, talk by Paul Dawson.

 

Paul Dawson introduced the subject by commenting how Wakefield’s links to slavery had been largely ignored, although his research had shown that it was a regional centre of slave traders and the distribution of slave produced goods from the late 17th century. However the move for abolition was led by Wakefield Unitarian preachers, William Turner and Johnstone.

 

Wakefield benefited in three ways from slavery: trade and sale of people into slavery, trading in slave produced goods such as sugar and rum, and the export of goods such as cloth to slave plantations. Many dissenters who were debarred from taking positions in public life chose to go into slave-trading.

 

Paul then gave examples of some of the men who profited from slave-trading, many of whom were dissenters and linked by marriage to Wakefield families, such as Arthur Heywood who married into the Milnes family of merchants. Arthur and his brother Benjamin chartered 134 slaving voyages shipping 43,338 slaves. The Ingram family, who were Anglicans, invested heavily in slavery, enabling them to go into banking. Members of the family lived in Bank House in Westgate. John Leatham, a Quaker from Pontefract invested in slave trading voyages from 1792-1806, and bought out Ingram’s bank when it failed.

 

As well as slave traders, there were also slave owners, overwhelmingly Anglican. Thomas Charnock owned 392 slaves on his tobacco plantations in 1761.The vicar of St John’s, Richard Munkhouse married into a family that owned a plantation; on abolition his three daughters received compensation for 109 slaves they jointly owned. A collection of letters in the Archives record the buying of slaves by Henry Peterson, after whom Peterson Road is named.

 

Trading between Britain and the plantations was hugely profitable, and Wakefield people consumed slave produced commodities such as sugar, tobacco, tea, rum, mahogany, coffee and chocolate. Musgrave Brisco who lived on Westgate, and his son, Wastell, traded in such goods, using the turnpike roads and the Aire and Calder Navigation to trade goods on. Other Wakefield men who profited from trading were George Charnock, brother to Thomas, who used his wealth to build South Parade, Richard Fennell who supplied indigo to Benjamin Gott, and Robert Lumb who was the principal dyer in Wakefield.

 

The Unitarians at Westgate Chapel led the fight for abolition, with two of the ministers, William Turner and Thomas Johnstone taking a leading part. Johnstone was one of three men jailed for opposing the seditious meetings act of 1792 which limited freedom of speech. In the 1806 general election the Whig Committee run from the Chapel helped to secure a victory for Charles James Fox, and the slave trade was abolished the following year.

 

Paul’s well-researched talk exposed Wakefield’s links to the slave trade, and the wealth that it brought to our city. Paul’s book‘The Battle Against Slavery: The Untold Story of How a Group of Yorkshire Radicals Began the War to End the Slave Trade’is widely available.

 

Presentation of John Goodchild publications to Wakefield Library on 16th March. 

The Society’s Hon. Secretary Dr Phil Judkins presented Cr Jo Hepworth, Deputy Portfolio Holder of Culture, Leisure & Sport, Wakefield Council, a complete set of John Goodchild’s published books and articles for use in the Local Studies Library on behalf of Wakefield Historical Society. Phil has discovered over a hundred books and articles, far more than already known about or available in the Library. It is hoped that they will help local historians and researchers find ways into the massive John Goodchild archive which was the source for most of his publications. 

As examples, Phil described how John Goodchild’s collection holds documents relating to three major Wakefield inventors,John Harrison who invented the marine chronometer, Joseph Aspdin who invented Portland cement, and Edward Green of Green’s Economiser. They are known about because of John’s Collection. Enquiries to the Society about railways in Wakefield, and mills and dyehouses on the waterfront have been answered with information from documents in the Collection. 

The Collection is held at West Yorkshire History Centre, and work on box-listing, and transcribing John’s own index cards is ongoing.

Society Meeting on 9th March
AGM, followed by two short talks, and an update on the John Goodchild Collection

The AGM of the Society was held on the 9th March. Papers had been circulated amongst members giving details of the accounts and reports from the officers. The position of President and members of the Society Council were ratified by the members.

The AGM was followed by two short talks from members of the Westgate Research Group, and an update about the John Goodchild Collection.

Linda Smith told the story of the musical Dykes family who lived at 65 Westgate. William Hey Dykes became manager of the Wakefield and Barnsley Union Bank in late 1841. Born in Hull where he had a successful career as a shipbuilder, he became a banker and moved his large family to Wakefield where they lived in quarters behind the bank in White Horse Yard. Both he and his children were musical, with his 5th child John Bacchus Dykes becoming well-known as an organist and writer of hymns, returning frequently to Wakefield to conduct large musical performances such as the Messiah.  Another son, Frederick became the choirmaster at Wakefield parish church for 25 years. More information about the family is on our website.

Derick Smith described the establishment and development of the Picture House in Westgate. It was built in 1913, following the foundation of Wakefield Picture House Company by Sydney Tolfree. In 1914 the name was changed to the Playhouse, and variety acts and dramas were added to the films. Claude Shayler was appointed as the manager. In 1927 the seating was increased to 1200, and in 1934 to 2000. By 1951 attendance was declining and in 1956 the Essoldo Circuit Holding Company bought it. It became a bingo hall, and later a night club.

Phil Judkins provided an update on the progress of sorting and cataloguing the John Goodchild Collection. He explained that the collection consists of 3,200 boxes, weighing 20 tons. Considerable progress has been made in the past year with ‘box listing’, which refers to listing the main contents of each box, without detailed cataloguing of each item. Many boxes consist of wide-ranging material; different dates and different types of documents. The listing will enable researchers to request material by name, by using John Goodchild’s card index which has now been transcribed, or from references in his publications, although these were often not fully referenced.

Two exhibitions about the Collection are being planned: on May 14th there would be a display in a shop in the Ridings, and on May 21st a display in the West Yorkshire History Centre, with short talks about the Collection.

 

Talk to Wakefield Historical Society on 9th February

‘Cuckoos in the Nest: Sherburn – the strangest airfield’ by Phil Judkins

As Phil Judkins revealed the story of Sherburn airfield it certainly became stranger and stranger. Although it was an RAF airfield it provided training for Royal Navy pilots. In 1912 the first attempts were made to fly from ships, and to land on them. Ship design was developed so that planes could land on a long level surface. Ships also carried airships which were useful to attack German submarines.

The location of Sherburn was of importance, being in the centre of the Yorkshire airfields, close to manufacturers such as the Blackburn Aircraft Company in Leeds and with good road and rail connections. By the end of the war Blackburn’s was building the Sopwith Cuckoo biplane torpedo bomber at Sherburn; a number of Cuckoos were later bought by Japan.

After the war, Sherburn airfield was sold off, and used in the interwar years as a flying club.

In 1940 Sherburn was requisitioned for the RAF, and 46 Squadron were based there in 1940. On the 14th and 15th of March 1941 this squadron defended Leeds when German bombers attacked and 62 Leeds citizens were killed. Blackburn’s factories were based next to the airfield and many local people have memories of working there. Most of the Swordfish biplane torpedo bombers were built there; these attacked the Italian fleet at Taranto, an attack closely copied by the Japanese in their attack on the American Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. The Swordfish was later adapted to fire air to sea rockets capable of penetrating submarine hulls.

Many planes were delivered to and from Sherburn by the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), with women, and older or less fit men, flying aircraft such as the Stirling heavy bomber single-handed – a plane normally flown by seven male aircrew.

From July 1942 paratroopers were trained at Sherburn, though there were initial problems with the method by which they could leave the planes. Trials to get other modes of transport from air to ground were developed; ‘flying jeeps’ being provided with rotors and tails, though these were never used in battle. During the invasion of France gliders were in the first assault, including the capture of Pegasus Bridge in June 1944, followed by heavier gliders such as the Hamilcar carrying tanks.

Following the war, the airfield became home to Aero and Gliding clubs.

 

Talk for Wakefield Historical Society by Brian Groom: ‘Northerners from the Ice Age to the Present Day’
Wednesday 12 January 2022

Covering this whole period in a three quarters of an hour talk is no mean feat, but Brian Groom did so admirably.

Brian pointed out that much is written about the Industrial Revolution in the North, but less about the earlier history. He described the first arrival of hunting groups during the Ice Age, and the first settlements.

Brian described the impact of the Romans on the North, and the development of the kingdom of Northumbria, followed by the Viking incursions which are still reflected in place-names, and dialect words.

William the Conqueror brought terror and famine to the rebellious North, and Wakefield was described as ‘waste’ in the Domesday book. The population grew during the 12th and 13th centuries, both the noble families and the monasteries benefitting. However the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century brought instability with short-lived victories like the Battle of Wakefield in 1460 alternating power between the Yorkists and the Lancastrians.

During the following century, with insurrections in the North such as the Pilgrimage of Grace being firmly put down, the Crown became stronger and the North became marginalised. During the Civil War, Wakefield was Royalist until captured by the Parliamentarians led by Fairfax.

From 1760, the Industrial Revolution once more brought prosperity to the North, with migrants pouring into the area to find work in the mills and factories. The wealth of the merchants and manufacturers in the great Northern cities during the 19th century enabled the building of grand town halls and other civic amenities.

In the 20th century there was industrial decline, particularly in the inter-war years, though in the latter half of the century there was some recovery with regional arts prospering.

Brian summed up by referring to the uncertainty that Brexit has brought, and the surviving divide between the North and the national government in the South.

An interesting and thought-provoking talk. His book ‘ Northerners from the Ice Age to the Present Day’ will be available in April.

If you are a member of Wakefield Historical Society, and were unable to attend the talk, a recording is available, (you may need to have a Google account). Please send us a request for the link to the talk: info@WakefieldHistoricalSociety.org.uk

 

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