| 17th Century Token hand over |
| 23rd November 2012 |
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A four hundred year old piece of Pocklington's history was handed over to the Pocklington & District Local History Group by local resident, Brian Penter, at the recent Flying Man Festival in All Saints. After the Civil War in 1642 there was severe inflation in England, and small change was in desperately short supply. With the government unable or unwilling to do anything about the problem, a number of larger tradesmen created their own 'trade tokens' - small denomination coins that were used for local everyday transactions. Mr Penter handed over to the group archivist Andrew Sefton an example of one such local token produced by leading Pocklington citizen, Barney Buttery, in 1666. Buttery was a wealthy Pocklington businessman and maltster who lived in one of the town's biggest houses up until his death in 1669. The copper alloy trade token has 'Barney Buttery, His Half Peny' on the obverse side, with a motif of three interlaced flowers and 'BB, 1666 Of Pocklington' on the reverse. The token came into Mr Penter's possession when it was put into a collection box in the 1970s, and after taking care of it for over 30 years he has now decided to donate it to the history group's archive. The Pocklington & District Local History Group is always willing to give advice and support to anyone who wants to preserve a part of the town's history. However, it is just as keen to record any local items or features for the group's digital archive by photographing or scanning them and returning them safely to their owners.
Anyone willing to have a Pocklington artefact or photograph copied for posterity should contact the history group.
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| Flying Man celebrations 2013 |
| 11th/12th May 2013 |
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Good attendance considering the weather
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Jumps and rides in the Pavement |
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The Parish Record entry for the flying man |
The history group display |
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Not a flying man but a flying girl! |
A wet day for climbing a tower! |
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| Visit of East Riding Local History Society |
| 27th April 2013 |
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East Yorkshire Local History Society visited Pocklington and were given a tour of the town by the Pocklington and District Local History Group. Watson's sundial, the school, Pocklington Arts Centre (the Oak House), the Feathers, the course of the beck and a visit to Pocklington Church was the itinery for the visit. Picture right in Railway Street.

David Rumbelow gives a guided tour of the church.
The visit finished with tea and cake in the Old Court House, and a vote of thanks by the visitors. |
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| AGM & mini talks |
| 18th April 2013 |
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Jo Green gave a summary of a very busy and successful year for the group, followed by the treasurers report from Peter Green showing a healthy closing balance. Andrew Sefton administered the election of chair in the absence of President Roger Bellingham. Jo Green was re-elected and presided over re-election of the existing committee. One of the committee has resigned (Heidi Woodhouse). Election of two new committee members took place, they were Jane Henley and David West. The mini-talks then commenced with Phil Gilbank who tried to untangle the confusion over the history of the Pocklington Manors, Jim Ainscough (pictured right) gave a fascinating short account of the life of George Sharp, the American murderer sentenced to the electric chair, who survived to serve as a RCAF tail gunner and claimed he met Churchill at Pocklington. Andrew Sefton again concluded the meeting with a slide show of interesting photographs donated in the last year. 2013/14 Committee: Chair & Secretary– Jo Green, Treasurer – Peter Green, Archivist/Webmaster – Andrew Sefton, Committee – Phil Gilbank, Dennis Moor, Paul Jennings, David Rumbelow, Chris Bond, Jane Henley (representing the villages) and David West. Roger Bellingham is Honorary President.
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| Bishop Wilton Film Night |
| 21st March 2013 |
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 Another superbly attended evening. Old films are a reliable guarantee of good attendance. The evening started with a film taken by Robert Sefton in and around Bishop Wilton in 1959/1960. Shots were shown of the Sefton family, harvesting on their farm, Bishop Wilton Show, Bishop Wilton Sunday School outing to Scarborough, shots from the top of Pocklington Church, Leeds Railway station and the Yorkshire Show.
This was followed by a series of films from Yorkshire Film Archive of soldiers gathering in York prior to the first war, egg collection, Market Weighton Station, Pocklington Penny Arcade. Everyone enjoyed the evening and the feedback has been very positive. |
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| Pocklington School Archives |
| 21st February 2013 |
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 Angie Edwards kindly set out, in the school's library, artifacts, documents and photographs from the school's archive of memorabilia. They included the school seal (shown here) which dates from the 16th c., old record books, issues from the school magazine 'The old Pocklingtonian', the old Cocking bell from the 17th c., and documents linked to William Wilberforce who attended the school. Our thanks go to Angie and the school for their hospitality in providing a most interesting evening for our group. |
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| Howden Airship Station |
| 17th January 2013 |
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 Ken Deacon is the acknowledged expert on Howden's Airship Station, and has written books on the subject. Ken gave a very interesting illustrated talk on the history of airship station with illustrations of the layout of the site which had living quarters, large hangers and even it's own railway line. It was the location for the manufacture of the R100 airship designed by Sir Barnes Wallis. The airship station closed in 1930, and today there is little evidence left of the airship activities that once took place there. |
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| Epitaph for a Railway |
| 23rd November 2012 |
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Trevor Buttle locked Pocklington Station for the last time on the night of 27th November 1965. His personal recollections of working at the station in it's last days were invaluable and fascinating. He has spent a lifetime researching the railways, and works at the National Railway Museum in York as a volunteer. He gave a most interesting 90 minute audio visual presentation of the York to Beverley line, which was a victim of the Beaching cuts.
Over 100 people attended the talk on the night which appropriately was held in the old railway station building, which is now a converted sports hall. Enthusiasts brought the actual signs that hung in the station, and Trevor's illustrations and recollections vividly brought to the audience a real understanding of the day to day operations of Pocklington Station. The vote of thanks expressed a wish and hope that Trevor would be present for any possible reopening of Pocklington Station.
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| Pocklington Breweries |
| 18th October 2012 |
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 Phil Gilbank and Andrew Sefton gave a talk on 750 years of brewing beer in Pocklington. Phil related how his father grew malting barley at Clayfield Farm, as did Andrew's father at Bishop Wilton on the heavy clay soils. Pocklington Barley was renound for producing good beer helped by the hard water fed from the chalk wolds. Phil related references to Ale and bread given to the Sokemen of Pocklington for ploughing the manor land. Many examples of maltsmen and brewers were given in early times. Andrew related the history of the later town's breweries including Pavement, Waterloo, Cattle's and the clubs brewery. The main families were Staveley's, Collinson, Scaife, Stables, Cattle and Middleborough.A display of old Brewing containers was provided by Steve Elliot and a collection of old beer labels was brought on the night by a local collector (right). |
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| Sundial installed in Pocklington |
| 28th September 2012 |
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| An information board and sundial designed and built to the specification of the 19th century local map and sundial maker William Watson was installed by members of the Pocklington and District Local History Group and Stephen Holehan the Yorkshire sundial maker. It was fitted to the south facing wall of Sissons butchers, which is near to where William Watson used to live in George Street. Vixen radio have published on their website audio interviews with Stephen Holehan and Andrew Sefton. |
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Stephen Holehan maker of the sundial
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Geoff Sheasby, Pocklington Town Crier, with an interest in William Watson, who may have been a crier himself in Market Weighton in the 1840's |
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Members of Pocklington History Group who created and fitted the information board on William Watson |
Stephen fits the sundial, but where's the sun? |
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| Battle of Stamford Bridge |
| 20th September 2012 |
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 Chris Rock of the Battle of Stamford Bridge Society gave us a talk on his plans for a possible future visitor centre in Stamford Bridge to commemorate the battle, and also gave a comprehensive rendition of the Battle which took place in September 1066, 10 days before the Battle of Hastings. A victory for King Harold over Harald Hardrada of Norway and Tostig the vanquished brother of Harold. The superbly illustrated talk was given a vote of thanks by David Rumbelow, on behalf of the large audience in attendance. |
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| Thixendale Visit |
| 10th July 2012 |
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 On a very rainy night, with a superb turnout, we had a most interesting evening with the High Wolds Heritage Group. They led us around the village imparting their obvious knowledge of the history of the buildings in the village. We then entered St. Mary's Church to listen to the 'Sound and light Tour', and then convened back to the Village Hall for refreshments. A most interesting evening, not spoiled by the inclement weather. |
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| Diamond Jubilee celebrations 2012 in Burnby Hall |
| 4th June 2012 |
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| Over 4,000 visitors came through the gates at Burnby Hall to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of our Queen, and a good many of those came through the PLHG exhibition of old photographs which had the theme of 'Pocklington People in the 1950's' and memorabilia and posters of the 1953 coronation celebrations in Pocklington. |
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Lots of visitors to the PLHG tent
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Crowning of the Jubilee Queen |
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I know that face! |
The PLHG tent |
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| Flying Man celebrations 2012 |
| 26th/27th May 2012 |
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The PLHG display with video screen
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Bernard Ross talking about his Pocklington Airfield model . |
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Refreshments in the church |
Slides for the kids |
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Not a flying man but a flying teddy! |
Fund raising stalls in good weather. |
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| AGM & mini talks |
| 19th April 2012 |
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Jo Green announced the group had been running now for 5 years and gave a summary of a very successful year for the group, followed by treasurers report from Peter Green with good income due to book sales. Roger Bellingham administered the election of officers. Three of the commitee have resigned. They were Alan Cartwright, Pearl Harris and Geoff Pea. Election of two new committee members took place, they were Heidi Woodhouse and Chris Bond. An Interesting talk followed by Phil Gilbank on Pocklington jockey Jem Snowden, and an analysis of the burial records. Andrew Sefton concluded the meeting with a slide show of interesting photographs donated in the last year. 2012/13 Committee: Chair & Secretary– Jo Green, Treasurer – Peter Green, Archivist/Webmaster – Andrew Sefton, Committee – Phil Gilbank, Dennis Moor, Paul Jennings, David Rumbelow, Chris Bond, Heidi Woodhouse. Roger Bellingham is lifetime Honorary President.
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| Pocklington School finds |
| 19th March 2012 |
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William Mackay gave a talk on fieldwalking finds from Pocklington & also conducted old coin and medal identification and valuations.
William and the school pupils made a host of remarkable finds whilst fieldwalking in and around Pocklington in the 1970s.
They included Neolithic, Iron Age, Bronze Age and Roman artefacts from such sites as Sherbuttgate, Kilnwick Road, the Airfield and Pocklington School.
After leaving Pocklington William went on to become a coin expert for international coin auction house, Spink. Right is a bronze axe exactly the same type as the two bronze age axe heads found whilst fieldwalking near Kilnwick now in the Yorkshire Museum in York.
And in the second part of the evening he helped to identify and value coins, tokens and medals brought to the meeting.
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| Workshop on Food |
| 16th February 2012 |
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A workshop was held on food and Jo Green introduced the topic by describing some of the old and forgotten foods with recipes including 'Frumaty' and Rook Pie. Attendees brought old recipes which included one for lambs testicles!
Right: This is an old recipe for 'Pock Biscuits' found in the archive of William Watson, the Seaton Ross mapmaker. It was the book of recipes of Sarah Jackson. Watson is known to have had a housekeeper called Elizabeth Jackson.
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| Pocklington Canal |
| 19th January 2012 |
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Yet another lock out for this popular topic. Paul Waddington of the Pocklington Canal Amenity Society gave an illustrated talk on the history of the Pocklington Canal and the creditable efforts of the Society over the past years in renovating the Canal. Photographs of the members shifting half ton blocks of stone and moving huge volumes of Canal sludge clearly demonstrated the dedicated commitment of its members. More work is still needed and a heritage lottery bid has been launched to complete the renovation of the last 3 locks, dredge the section up to Canal Head, and build a possible visitor centre. The History Group would like to apologise to all the people turned away for safety reasons for this popular talk.
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| Aerial Photography in Local History |
| 17th November 2011 |
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Mike Pratt of Bishop Wilton Local History Group fascinated his audience with aerial photographs of Bishop Wilton. He showed how evidence of the medieval farming system is still clearly visible from the air. Everyone was encouraged to look for evidence in the photographs of earthworks, old trackways and sites of former buildings. Mike explained where aerial photographs can be found and encouraged Pocklington members to investigate Pocklington's history as seen from the air.
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| Thor Missiles at Full Sutton |
| 20th October 2011 |
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Steven Oliver of the Bolton and Fangfoss Local History group gave an accomplished talk on the Thor Missiles which were stationed at Full Sutton Airfield in the late 1950's. His extensive and fascinating research on the cold war crisis of the early 1960's, showed how Pocklington was a possible nuclear target for Russian missiles during the Cuban Missile crisis. The secret documents he found at Kew, and now released into the public domain, show how Britain had a dual key with the US President to launch these nuclear devices on a 15 minute warning. Fascinating!
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| William Watson in Seaton Ross |
| 23rd September 2011 |
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 Andrew Sefton gave a talk on William Watson using archive material from the Treasure House in Beverley and from the research of Malcolm Young who gave help and support for the talk. The archive is a real treasure. Watson was an interesting character who was a farmer, mapmaker, sundial maker, astronomer and poet. Andrew explored his memorandum book and his penmanship book. The former a collection of random facts and trivia, giving an insight into the mind of Watson and his fascination with measurement and odd facts. His penmanship book showed his caligr  aphy skills of himself and his wide circle of friends which included Thomas Cook of Allerthorpe and Skirpenbeck, founder of Cook Instruments in York. He recorded the monumental inscriptions of churches in the area many of which have since disappeared. His Sundials are still to be found in the area with 3 fine examples still visible in Seaton Ross. His maps of Seaton Ross, Market Weighton and Pocklington are a superb legacy. Photo right below shows the people of Seaton Ross viewing his maps in the Village Hall. The event was organised by Jane Henley to raise funds in aid of the Village Hall. In the foreground is Andrew Watson a descendant of the Watson family.
*Urgent Request* - Does anyone know the whereabouts, or have the 1848 book of houses in Seaton Ross, East Riding of Yorkshire drawn by William Watson. It was 'borrowed' from the family a few years ago and was never returned. It is an irreplacable treasure and I hope it still survives. Do contact me if you know of it.
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| Wetwang History Weekend |
| 27th-29th August 2011 |
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Wetwang Local History Group are a flourishing local history group, and they invited local groups to take part in their history weekend.
The main event was a photographic exhibition based on the history of Wetwang. The
Pocklington History Group (photo on right) along with other local groups had a display of old photographs, maps, had books for sale and provided a summary of research.
Other Groups attending were:
Caves U3A
Ryedale Family History
East Yorks Local History
British Association for Local History
East Yorks Family History
Yorks Wolds Heritage Trust
Southburn Museum
High Wolds Heritage Trust
A successful event with good attendance over the three days and a superb and varied display of old photographs was a credit to the Wetwang group.
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| Womens History Group Book Launch |
| August 2011 |
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The Women's History Group book called 'Ladies Largely Predominating' was launched in August 2011. Pocklington History, like the nation's history is nearly all about men and their roles. The Pocklington Women's History Group came together to focus on the history of women in Pocklington and the surrounding area.The authors from left to right, Heather Anderson, Jo Green, Sue Skelton, Sue Bond, Jane Henley and Joyce Fowler.
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| Farming Museum at Murton visit |
| 2nd July 2011 |
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An outing to the Farming Museum at Murton, near York, was most interesting. A guided tour was given by a member of the museum staff, and on view was their extensive collection of old tools and implements.
After lunch, we were given full access to their extensive private library collection of books and 2,500 old photographs. A return visit is a must, and a recommended destination for any visitors to the local area.
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| Bishop Wilton Visit |
| 14th June 2011 |
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 Mike and Kate Pratt of the Bishop Wilton History Group gave the Pocklington history group a walk and a talk around Bishop Wilton, pointing out the historical landscape and culminating in a view of the ancient site of the Archbishop of York's summer palace and possible hunting lodge. It was thought to be built in the 1220's by Archbishop Walter De Grey and was believed to be in ruins by 1388. There still remains the outline of the buildings and old moat on the English Heritage preserved site. |
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| Flying Man celebrations |
| 21st/22nd May 2011 |
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Bernard Ross with his impressive
model of Pocklington Airfield. |
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Attendence was excellent! |
One of the 2011 Flying Men |
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Bacon Butties - Yum! |
The History Group display with the Parish Register which contains the Flying Man. |
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| Pilgrimage of Grace |
| 19th May 2011 |
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 Phil Gilbank gave an accomplished presentation of the Pilgrimage of Grace in Pocklington church. Phil covered how the protest rebels came into Pocklington in October 1536. His background research and volume of facts gave the audience an insight into the minds of the Yorkshire people, from all sectors of society, who were very unhappy at the changes taking place in the religious structures of tudor society. Phil and Grahame Hicks ended the talk by explaining how the Pocklington and Wolds Gateway partnership are putting together a lottery bid to promote the tourism of the area with walks and cycle paths and display boards in the area using the routes taken by the pilgrim rebels of 1536. |
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| AGM & mini talks |
| 14th April 2011 |
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The AGM kicked off with a Jo Green giving a summary of a very successful year for the group, followed by treasurers report from Peter Green explaining about the healthy state of our finances mainly due to book sales. Roger Bellingham administered the election of officers. All the previous committee indicated they wished to be re-elected, and all were unanimously voted back on. Jo indicated her wish to carry on in the chair for only one more year. Interesting talks followed by Roger Bellingham who outlined the research on Pocklington Backs carried out by himself and John Nottingham. Peter Green followed with a talk on the history of Pocklington allotments. Andrew Sefton concluded the meeting with a slide show of interesting photographs donated in the last year. 2011/12 Committee: Chair & Secretary– Jo Green, Treasurer – Peter Green, Archivist/Webmaster – Andrew Sefton, Committee – Alan Cartwright, Phil Gilbank, Dennis Moor, Paul Jennings, David Rumbelow, Pearl Harris and Geoff Pea. Roger Bellingham continues as Honorary President.
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| Ladies Night! |
| 17th March 2011 |
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 Yet another very well attended event was held in the old court house. The sub group set up to research the history of women in Pocklington have come to the end of their project and read out their conclusions. Many prominent ladies of the town have been studied. Talks were given by Jo Green, Sue Bond, Joyce Fowler and Sue Skelton. It is hoped that a booklet will be published as a conclusion to the project, and a report to the heritage lottery fund who helped to sponsor the research.
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| War Walk |
| 13th March 2011 |
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On Sunday 13th March, and as part of the 'Walkers are Welcome' weekend, the Pocklington and District Local History Group led a walk which looked at the effects on the WW2 on the town. It was led by Peter Green, with valuable input from Jim Ainscough.
The walk covered many parts of the town that were relevant to the war, and then made its way around part of the Airfield, and called at the Gliding Club.
A short tour of the club and the memorial, was given by Colin Stevens, and the walk was completed by a visit to the cemetery, where several Airmen are buried. 
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| Railway Talk was a 'lock-out' ! |
| 17th February 2011 |
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 A talk on the railways with particular empasisis on the Hull-York line was given by author David Walford. So many people turned up that the group had to lock its doors to prevent over crowding. The obvious interest in the subject matter was the reason. The future railway line, now being planned, may lead to a stimulation of the town in the way it did in the 1840's when the railway first arrived in Pocklington.
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| William Watson map and sundial maker |
| 20th January 2011 |
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 The life and work of William Watson from Seaton Ross was the subject of a talk by Andrew Sefton. He was brought up in Seaton Ross on the estate of the Maxwells of Everingham and learned the art of land surveying from his father, a collector of land taxes for the Maxwells. He was a farmer, astronomer and maker of sundials. His circle of local astronomer friends included Thomas Cooke, and his collection of diaries and notebooks are a remarkable legacy, as are his superb and detailed maps of Seaton Ross, Market Weighton and his two impressive maps of Pocklington. William died in 1857 and is buried in Seaton Ross churchyard where his sundial sits on the front of the church.
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| History of Costume and book launch! |
| 18th November 2010 |
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 Copies of the new book " The People and Places of Old Pocklington" were snapped up by the attendees of the November meeting. It is full of up to 80 old photographs of Pocklington.
Janet Tierney gave a slide show on 19th and early 20th century costume from ERYC museums service. Examples of clothes were brought and a clear description of ladies changing fashions meant it would be possible to date old photographs using a knowledege of the fashions of the time.
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| Pocklington At War |
| 14th October 2010 |
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 Jim and Margaret Ainscough, with help from members of the U3A, have written a superb book on the town of Pocklington in the last War. They both gave presentations on various aspects of the war. The population of Pocklington doubled, and Jim and Margaret related many vivid stories taken from the living memories of Pocklington people they had interviewed, together with a slide show of pictures from the time. A memorable evening and their book is an essential read. |
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| Heritage Weekend |
| 11th/12thth Sep 2010 |
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| An exhibition called "Discovering Pocklington Families" was held on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th September. A number of parish records were available to view including some original parish registers which the Rev. Geoffrey Hollingsworth had borrowed back from the Borthwick Institute Archives. The original entries to the registers made at the time of the Civil War and the record made of the death of the" Flying Man". Other items which has not been seen before included a map showing how land was allocated at the time of the Enclosure Award in 1759. Members of the public were invited to bring any documents they have which shed light on the history of Pocklington families and included a display of the Buttle family archive. There were short guided tours of the Church memorials by Phil Gilbank and also tours up the church tower. |
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John Nottingham and Roger Bellingham authors of the new Pocklington Enclosure Award Map of 1759 |
The Exhibition was held in the Barwick Aisle |
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Looking up old records |
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| Devonshire Mill Visit |
| 26th July 2010 |
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| Sue and Chris Bond kindly opened their home for a fascinating evening tour of the old Devonshire Mill. It is thought to date from 1808 when a deed mentions local surgeon John Bell of the Oak house, who later went bankrupt. The main part of the building may have coincided with the demolition of Londesborough Hall in 1819 when the Duke of Devonshire wanted save money to make alterations to Chatsworth. Timbers used to support the heavy workings are said to have come from the Londesborough estate - hence the name Devonshire Mill. Timothy Overend was an early miller and was involved in the Pocklington Canal construction as an outlet for the flour from the mill. Anthony Blanshard was miller in 1841 was then followed by the main family who developed the Mill. Henry Cains moved from Clock mill in 1848 and added steam power. In 1891 his son Henry Parkin Cains took over, and kept the mill going until the 1950's. Sue and Chris arrived in 1992 to find an old derelict building and by their determined effort they have transformed it into a beautiful home and deserve much credit for the way they have preserved the heritage of the old mill. |
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Sue and Chris Bond meet the group |
The old mill wheel is still visible and was
cast at the Albion Foundry in Pocklington (where Kay & Backhouse were in New St.) |
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Much of the old mill working machinery
still survives |
Pocklington beck still flows under the building. |
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| Kilnwick Percy Visit |
| 24th June 2010 |
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| Phil Gilbank led the charge in June up Chapel Hill to visit the site of the possible deserted Medieval Village, and then afterwards to Kilnwick Percy to visit the old mansion house of the Anderson's, Denison's and the Duncombe's. Phil described in his usual, highly detailed syle, the history of Kilnwick Percy and gave a fascinating tour of the old church, which has now been deconsecrated, and which has an uncertain future. Phil was a church warden at Kilnwick Percy church for many years, as his family farmed nearby. |
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Chapel Hill - was it so named because a Chapel was located there?. |
Phil describes the history of the building |
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Admiral Arthur Duncombe, who for many
years lived at Kilnwick Percy Hall.
b. 24 March 1806, d. 6 February 1889 |
Kilnwick Percy Church was a Chapel
of Ease to Pocklington Church. |
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| Bielby Visit |
| 27th May 2010 |
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| In May, our meeting was held at Bielby with a guided tour of the church and village by John Peel. The recently renovated outside of the church has now revealed remnants of the old inner aisles. John rang the bells (avoiding the pun!), which are amongst the oldest in Yorkshire. One dates from the 1300's and it was remarkable to hear the same sounds that have been heard in the village for the last 700 years! A tour of the village followed with a walk to the old mill, and a discussion on the old, recently discovered map of 1613, was held in the College Arms over a pint and a roaring fire. |
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| John Peel describes the Norman doorway . |
The pillars of an old aisle are visible |
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| An old brick found in Bielby by Richard Coe says on it: "This brick was made 18 May 1741 by Wm Morrill" |
A handmade brick of 2 inch depth.
More on bricks here and here |
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| 2010 AGM |
| 22nd April 2010 |
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The third AGM of the Pocklington and District Local History Group included AGM business and officer reports, election of officers and a talk from Phil Gilbank'. All officers were re-elected. The accounts showed a healthy surplus and thanks were expressed to Jo for her work on the Lottery Grant application and to Andrew for his work on the website and who also showed latest information & old photos which have been donated to the group. Jo concluded it had been a most successful year. The committee were re-elected; Chair – Jo Green, Secretary – vacant, Treasurer – Peter Green, Archivist/Webmaster – Andrew Sefton, Committee – Alan Cartwright, Phil Gilbank, Dennis Moor, Paul Jennings, David Rumbelow, Pearl Harris and Geoff Pea. Roger Bellin gham continues as Honorary President. Jo appealed for a volunteer for the position of Secretary with no takers. Please contact Jo if you are willing to help.
Phil Gilbank went on to give a most fascinating talk on the location of Pocklington's Manor House. He showed Watson's maps and old newspaper clippings and other manor houses in the area. The conclusion was it may still be there, albeit in a much altered form.
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| Barmby Moor Exhibition |
| 10th April 2010 |
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Pocklington and District Local History group held an exhibition in Barmby Moor Village Hall of old photographs of the village as well as displaying the metal detector finds of Bernard Ross. The exhibition was sponsored by the Heritage Lottery 'Awards for All' which gave the group a grant for equipment to help with the promotion of local history in the district. A successful day was had with many visitors leaving favourable comment about the day.
Some visitors brought old photographs for scanning: Barmby Moor School in 1937 and Barmby Moor School in 1952 are examples. |
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| Bernard Ross stands near the display . |
Ray Wilkinson remembers the Zeppelin Raid |
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| Interest in old photos and scanner ready |
A rolling slide show using the group projector |
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| Last 65 Years Workshop |
| 18th Feb 2010 |
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 The last 65 years workshop relied upon peoples memories of Pocklington. There were many stories recalled about Pocklington's past shops, Fish and Chip Shops, industries, the cooperative cricket teams. The evening started with a list of topics to discuss and the room split into 3 groups. Recollections of people and events were related. Some brought photographs which included a set of Aerial Photographs which were taken in 1988 from a glider flight. It is remarkable just how quickly that Pocklington has changed and is still changing now.
Here is one of the photographs brought along to the evening. It is a picture of the staff of Corner Cafe. From Left to right is Mrs Crabrete?, Elsie Gelder and Phyllis Howbrig.
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| Church Updates |
| 3rd January 2010 |
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The Church Records section has been upgraded with more information. A useful article appeared in the 1898 Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, Volume 14, by Alex. D.H. Leadman. I have extracted most of this article into different sections. Leadman's description of Pocklington Church includes a review of the Sotheby monument. Leadman goes on to look at the church monumental inscriptions, some of which have since disappeared since the article was written. Pocklington Parish Record abstracts are particularly interesting, Leadman has extracted some good examples.
A full list of known Pocklington Vicars is included, and we are fortunate to have a photograph of all Vicars since 1840. Next is a list of the various Charities set up to help the poor of the parish. Old Church documents has information on old Pocklington families and some descriptions of early property in the town. Although Heraldry is a very specialised area in historical research, it can give clues as to the various important families in the area going back to very early times.
The last of the local inns have been included and the Wellington Oak at Canal head provided refreshment to the workers on the Pocklington Canal.
A newspaper reference on the 1840 Gala day is an interesting insight into the celebrations of the marriage of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert. Following last months page on Yapham School in 1929, another school photograph was submitted for Yapham school in 1925.
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| Updates and News |
| 5th December 2009 |
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Cock Fighting was the persuit of Pocklington Gentlemen in the eighteenth century. The practice continued into the nineteenth century. An extremely rare and fragile handbill has been discovered in the British Library and it has been reconstructed to show on this site. Further references to Cock Fighting have been found in my trawl though the York Courant newspaper and appear on the same page. A Theatre handbill was also discovered in the British Library for a production in 1793 in Pocklington.
A photograph of Yapham School in 1929 was kindly sent to me by Kevin Warcup. His uncle Eric provided names of all the pupils. If you have any school photographs, please send them to me.
Timothy Overend had a brewery in Pocklington which was sold in 1763. The York Courant sale details are shown on the Pocklington New Inn page.
The Lee family of Pocklington were an early Pocklington family. It is not known if they are the same family that created the 'Eric Lee' business in the town.
In 1536, Robert Aske of Aughton led the revolt against the Church Reformation, and the destruction of the Monastaries by Henry VIII's henchmen, and became known as the 'Pilgrimage of Grace'. After an uprising in Lincolnshire, the people of the East Riding met on Arras hill at Market Weighton. They moved to Pocklington before marching on York. This page represents ongoing research and will be added to.
Blackthorn Press have approached the Pocklington and District Local History Group to write a book on the History of Pockington. We have agreed to do this and have assigned joint authors for the project. We have a big job ahead in terms of research and a fairly short timescale (less than 2 years). There is very little written about Pocklington apart from the excellent David Neave booklet, and various publications on the church, the police station etc. There is no Victoria County History and therefore much of the research for the book will have to be original. We will appreciate any help that anyone can give the joint authors such as visiting record offices, studying the census returns, supplying photographs etc. Any research used in the publication book, will receive the appropriate credit. Please contact me if you wish to help and contribute to the project.
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| Pocklington Police |
| 19th Nov 2009 |
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 Peter Rogers, a Sergeant at Pocklington Police Station, 10 years ago wrote a booklet on the History of Pocklington Police Station and Law Court. Peter gave an excellent talk on the building of the Court House and Police Station in 1899 and a biography of the police constables who served in it at the time. This was followed by a tour of the Police Station where remnants of the old police cells still survive.
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| National records |
| 22nd Oct 2009 |
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 Steven Oliver, chairman of the Bolton History Group, gave an excellent account of three National surveys, using examples from Bolton and Fangfoss. The 1840 Tithes, the 1911 Land Tax and the National Farm Survey of 1941. Steven's maps and illustrations were admired and added many possible avenues for future research.

A good audience turnout on the night
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| More Updates |
| 13th August 2009 |
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The Lord of Pocklington Manor, Robert Dolman and his family, had problems of debt in the eighteenth century. Various parliamentry acts were passed to allow the sale of the Manor and the proposed railway map of 1844 shows remnants of the old Manor. The sale notices posted in newspapers provide extra information that is valuable in assessing what was present. The sale of Reighton Manor in 1862 also has attached to it Ousethorpe and Ousethorpe Mill. The sale of Kilnwick Percy Estate in 1840 provides more useful information and a wonderful example of nineteenth century descriptive text. The sale of Yapham Mill of 1825 provides information about build date and a description of the working mill. The sale notices of Waplington Manor also show that the owner Robert Denison was suffering from ill health in 1844, and he had a sheep sale to fund an overseas rest and recuperation. Also added is the sale notice of the Manor of Grimthorpe bought by Robert Denison in 1795, which includes Meltonby, some parts of Fangfoss, Yapham and Givendale which was given to William, son of Ulf in the 12th century by Henry I.
Martin Cooper provided various first world war memorial texts from local newspapers. Pocklington War Memorial was unveiled in 1921 and in the same year one was unveiled in Pocklington School. There was one in Pocklington St. Mary's and also one in Pocklington Church. |
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| Latest Updates |
| 31st July 2009 |
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Recent updates to the website include an excellent article written by Roger Bellingham on the late eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century. I have created a new category under 'History' and called it '18th Century'.
I am slowly working through the York Courant newspaper starting at 1745 and am now up to 1753 looking for Pocklington items. I came across the references to Cock Fighting and references to at least 2 organised events in the Black Bull in Pocklington. Huge amounts of money were wagered on the outcome of the battles. Further Inns have been uploaded and now we should have all of the known Pocklington's Inns covered by the website. The Oddfellows Arms in Union Street and the Lost Inns of Pocklington have been added. York Courant references have taken the Red Lion back to the Smeathman family who were innkeepers in Pocklington back as far as the seventeenth century.
A remarkable Time Match is recorded by the Hull Packet newspaper in 1801. Along the present A1079, a wager took place in November 1801 between a Mr Barclay and Mr Fletcher. It seems that a mile of the road was lit by lamps, because the race started at midnight!. The road was lined by cheering crowds and betting took place on the outcome. The prize was a huge 10,000 Guineas which was a national record sum for a race of this type (at the time the annual wage of an agricultural worker was about £40).
Pocklington School educated the sons of all the notable Yorkshire families of the area. The Yorkshire Archaeological Society, in 1920, published a fascinating article on the school admission register of 1626-1717. Look out for Jasper Belt who died in 1690 from a pair of compasses stuck in his neck!
Family History information is also being gathered and stored. David Beach supplied me with information on the Hewison family of Ousethorpe.
*Stop Press* - A nice piece of research has been submitted on Brickmaking in the area by John Nottingham, whose ancesters had a brickyard at Haxby. |
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| Awards for All Grant for the History Group |
| 1st July 2009 |
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Quote from the official Lottery press release - "Pocklington and District Local History Group is looking forward to a brighter future after receiving a grant of £5,111 to create an oral history database and archive photographs and other documents in a digital format.
Archivist and webmaster Andrew Sefton, who also helped form the group, said: “We set up the group to promote the history of Pocklington as we felt it was neglected by publications and research. By starting to preserve its past, we can help to promote the town and lead to interest in it.
“The grant will help us to create a digital archive of the town’s history and record it for the future, as we will be able to buy a laptop and screen for our meetings. We will now be able to exhibit the materials gathered and hold roadshows in neighbouring villages and we can also give talks to community groups to increase the awareness of the wealth of local historical evidence in the area and encourage more people to become actively involved in local history." |
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| Book Festival Walk |
| 15th June 2009 |
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The Book Festival walk organised by 'Simply Books' was very well attended, and we had to split into two groups. The theme followed was that of the Pocklington beck. The people of Pocklington have changed the course of it's flow, for centuries, for the benefit of the town. Members of the history group covered various sections of it, which included talks about the stream being used by Mills, for Baptisms, for sanitation, for Tannery waste, for the disposal of offal, for brewing, for flax milling and fire brigade water. |
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| Pocklington School visit |
| 14th May 2009 |
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Our May meeting was a tour of Pocklington School led by David Rumbelow and John Peel. A fascinating evening which included examination of wall graffitti, a visit to the school chapel, the hall, the Gruggen room and the old railway cottages now converted to classrooms. Old documents and photographs were put on display and a vote of thanks was expressed.
*Latest Web Updates* - 1912 Group photo, Pocklington Races 1783 Trophy photograph. |
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| 2009 AGM |
| 16th April 2009 |
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Our AGM was an interesting evening of AGM business including officers reports, election of officers and a talk from Nigel Puckrin on the 'History of the York Sugar Beet Factory'. All officers were re-elected. The accounts showed a healthy surplus and thanks were expressed to Jo for her work on the Lottery Grant application and to Andrew for his work on the website who also showed latest old maps & old photos which have been donated to the group. Chair – Jo Green, Secretary – vacant, Treasurer – Peter Green, Archivist/Webmaster – Andrew Sefton, Committee – Alan Cartwright, Hilary Angle, Phil Gilbank, Dennis Moor, Paul Jennings, David Rumbelow and Pearl Harris. Roger Bellingham is Honorary President. Jo appealed for a volunteer for the position of Secretary, and two further committee members, with no takers. Please contact Jo if you are willing to participate on the committee.
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| Pocklington People |
| 29th March 2009 |
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I thought it was time I issued the recent updates to the website. Pocklington was witness to one of the world's first ever balloon flights made back in 1786 by the Italian pioneer balloonist Vincent Lunardi.
We have been fortunate to discover an early Pocklington National School photograph of 1910 with all the names thankfully recorded by the Buttle family. The Buttle family have also been added to the families section and also a photograph of James Easton blacksmith of Church street has been found recently. More families hopefully will follow.
The local villages have also started to be catered for. Allerthorpe has gained three more trade directories. Barmby Moor, Bielby and Burnby have had the entries for Bulmers 1892 added.
Two more Inns had been added. The Windmill Inn changed it's name to the Tiger Inn in Chapmangate and in George Street the Royal Oak Inn.
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| Women in Pocklington's History |
| 19th February 2009 |
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A research group was formed to study the history of women in Pocklington in the autumn of 2008. They presented the results of their comprehensive research to a packed room in the old courthouse. The research team was Jo Green, Sue Bond, Sue Skelton, Heather Anderson, Joyce Fowler and June Malcolm. They covered a wide ranging period of history from Queen Ethelburga, who converted her husband King Edwin to christianity, and through to Pocklington workhouse Matron Mrs Janine Sargeant. The depth of information was impressive with examination of wills, and studies of the local nunneries. The research will hopefully be written up, and published on the website, or eventually in a printed publication.
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| Societies & Entertainment |
| 1st February 2009 |
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A new section has been created for societies and entertainments. A history of Cinema in Pocklington as well as the Pocklington Amateur Dramatic Society. The social calendar in Pocklington was varied in the late 19th century, an early agricultural society was followed by a Horticultural Society. Educational evenings were provided by the Pocklington Literary Society.
Pocklington was one of the first towns to create a Conservative Association in 1835. A newspaper report describes an amazing inauguration dinner for 250 attendees all catered for by the Feathers Inn in a large marquee set up in Pocklington Fair. A sound clip of the music played played on the day is included in the page. These early meetings were the foundation of today's Conservative Party, which was formed between 1830 - 1840.
More group photos are included. The Station sawmills in 1948 and another working mens club photo. Pocklington choir from 1924-1928 has been recently sent to me.
A superb and extremely rare Trade Directory has been found. Williams & Co. Directory of the City of York for 1844 has a detailed list of Pocklington trades and professions and is a significant addition to the information on the website.
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| Archaeology Evening |
| 22nd January 2009 |
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Our January meeting was a talk given on the Archaeology of Pocklington and the work of the Humber Archaeology Partnership, by Ruth Atkinson, the Sites & Monuments Record Officer for the partnership. She included details on some of the 70+ records held on Pocklington at the SMR in Hull. Aerial photographs and rare photographs from their archives of the town were shown to a well attended meeting.
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| Transport & Communication |
| 18th January 2009 |
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Transportation by horse drawn coach from Hull to York took 6 hours in 1787! Roger Bellingham has written about the York to Beverley Turnpike. He also examines the arrival of the telephone to Pocklington and writes an article on the early adopters of the telephone in Pocklington.
Pocklington Railway station closed in 1965 following the Beeching cuts to the railway network. We all miss the line and it is being considered for re-opening. This article examines the history of the York to Beverley railway line.
Trade tokens were issued in the seventeenth century. Who was Barney Buttery? His tokens issued in 1666 still survive today.
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| Crime & Punishment |
| 4th January 2009 |
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A murder in Pocklington took place in 1915 at Brass Castle Hill by a soldier from the Ousethorpe camp. The crime and court case is described in detail by Martin Cooper. Other crime and court case incidents from the 19th century are included in the new Crime & Punishment section under Archives -> People ->Crime.
The Black Bull was an old Cock Fighting Inn and now has a page on it's history and past landlords. Next door to the Black Bull, Procter's Grocery store is still remembered by the older residents of the town. Trevor Brigham wrote to me telling me his grandfather Lyth Downham was rulleyman for Procter's and supplied me the photograph of Procter's 1935 Jubilee Celebration.
An email conversation highlighted the existence of a photograph of the 1957 Pocklington bellringers. This was tracked down and displayed on the Pocklington Church old photos page, together with names of the bellringers.
The Gough map is the earliest Medieval Map and is drawn sideways! It highlights the important towns of the East Riding and Pocklington appears as does Market Weighton. There are two roads shown from York to Market Weighton, one passes via Pocklington through Stamford Bridge and the other crosses the river at Kexby.
Check the forum and make a posting. A superb history of the descendants of Sir Thomas More has just been posted by Martin Wood, the author of the book “The Family and Descendants of St Thomas More”
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| Pocklington Families |
| 14th December 2008 |
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A new section has been started on the website called 'Pocklington families' and Martin Cooper has written a profile on the Robson family of Pocklington. Thomas Robson served many offices in Pocklington at the turn of the century and his obvious contribution was the building of the Victoria Memorial in Market Street. Two other Robson's were amongst Martin's 'Fallen Heros' that he recently researched for the exhibition held in November. If you would like to submit a Pocklington Family page, then please contact me.
Further research on Pocklington Inns has produced extra information on the Three Horsehoes inn in Market Street. Using property records it has been possible to find out that the 'Horseshoes' inn was opened around 1750 by John and Mary Easton as a diversification for their Blacksmith business on the same site. It has been possible to trace the property back to 1686 when a property record describes "the town beck running before the door on the south".
The Buck has been taken back to at least 1769 when William Pinder applied for a licence (Alehouse recognizance). Pocklington New Inn was found to have been built just prior to 1759 by Thomas Overend, a Pocklington Brewer who wanted to capitalise on the Coaching trade that was bypassing Pocklington on the York-Hull road.
Do not forget to post a message in the Forum. Valuable information is starting to appear there. For example, Phil Gilbank has posted a history of Pocklington newspapers.
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| Pubs, Updates and Corrections |
| 7th December 2008 |
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It has been discovered that 'The Station' Hotel used to be called 'The New Red Lion' Hotel and in the early nineteenth Century, for a brief period, was called the 'Dog and Duck'. 'The Red Lion' in Regent Street became known as 'The Old Red Lion'. One of Pocklington's oldest inns was the 'Star Inn' and dates from at least 1733. The 'Cross Keys' was so named after the nearby Manor House of the Dean of York. The story of the black cat of the 'Feathers' was updated and the list of landlords.
Coins and artefacts found in and around Pocklington are being recorded on the site. 'The Pocklington Axe' was from Neolithic times and is in Hull Museum. Auction catalogues provide a useful source of information and included from them are metal detector finds and World War II medals, The auction site Ebay is another source of discovered finds.
Pocklington's influence and development was largely due to the success of it's fairs and markets. Pocklington fair was attended by Dick Turpin the infamous highwayman. Pocklington National school was in New Street and built by Thomas Grant. John Singleton was the world's first professional jockey and was born in Melbourne in 1715.
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| Lords of the Manor & Updates |
| 23rd Nov 2008 |
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Lords of the Manor - members evening |
'Fallen Heroes' exhibition |
On 13th November a members evening of talks on the Early Lords of Pocklington Manor took place. First was Earl Morcar, the last Saxon lord of Pocklington Manor, and was deeply involved with the momentous events in 1066 that decided the course of English history. Following his escapades came William's retribution on Yorkshire called 'the Harrying of the North'. A later Lord Thomas Bishop was involved in intrigue, was a spy, a traitor, an opportunist and a survivor. A most fascinating evening.
Two more Trade Directories; Kelly's 1929 and Kelly's 1933 have been added since the last update. Old streets of Pocklington have been created by the research of Roger Bellingham. Following the Fallen Heroes exhibition, the men who fell are recorded on the Pocklington War Memorial. Dr. Wilson found the 'Grimthorpe Sword' and was Pocklington's foremost archaeologist. The Forum has some fascinating Pocklington Family information including one Pocklington family tracing their family line back to Sir Thomas More who was beheaded in 1535 for not recognising Henry VIII as head of the Church. |
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| David Neave Talk |
| 6th October 2008 |
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David Neave gives his talk to Pocklington |
A good attendance at Burnby Hall |
Dr. David Neave came back to Pocklington 40 years after starting the first history classes at Woldgate School, which later led to the publication of the definitive reference on Pocklington called "Pocklington 1660-1914: A Small East Riding Market Town". David gave a most interesting talk on the development of the town from early times, included some previously unseen photographs and references which the history group will follow up and research.
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| 2008 Heritage Day |
| 13th September 2008 |
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| On the 13th September, Pocklington held it's heritage day in the Old Court house in George Street and Pocklington Local History Group set up an exhibition of old photographs. A hot day provided a good attendance and many people appreciated the effort put into the display. Thanks is given to Yara Phosyn for printing many of the large photos and providing the display stands. One positive outcome was the naming of many faces on the group photographs and the addition of more photograph scans. Ones progressed include the coronation street party, and a further Woldgate school photograph from around 1975. Please let us know any names to the faces. |
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| Many more old Photos were on display. |
Research of old documents and newspapers |
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| Dennis Moor & his bottle collection |
Ian Gibbs & Phil Gilbank comparing notes |
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| More Directories |
| 25th August 2008 |
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Two more Trade Directories of the town have been added. These are William White's 1858 Directory and the excellent Post Office Directory of 1879 which went on to become Kelly's Trade Directory. They cover a period previously lacking of information on this site.
Pocklington metal detector finds are a very useful insight into activity in various periods of history. We have been given permission from the Fitwilliam Museum in Cambridge to show items from their database for Pocklington on this website. They only record items from the period 410 - 1180, but the spread of coins found show that Pockington was an early market town. Roman coins are plentiful but are not recorded by the EMC database, a hoard was found near Pocklington.
Sport was very important in Pocklington, and we had an early Boxer prize fighter who fought in wager fights near Leeds. Pigeon shooting was a popular pastime and this occurred close to the town. Horse Racing on the New Inn track took place up to at least 1842, and is visible on the 1854 OS map. |
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| Forum Released! |
| 9th August 2008 |
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Thanks to my son, Daniel, PocklingtonHistory.com now has a Forum that anyone can join and post their questions, suggestions on any topics of research into the Local History of Pocklington or their Family History. If you are researching your links to any person, past or present, please post your information or question here. Someone will answer it. Daniel also has fixed the Menu problem that occurred with Internet Explorer 6.
Read about a hoard of Gold and Silver coins that were discovered in 1848 near the Railway Station. There was a dispute of ownership and the Police in London were involved!
George Boast, the Jockey, was born in Pocklington in 1786, he started racing on Pocklington's race track which went around the New Inn, and competed for a silver cup. I wonder what happened to the cup, was it inscribed? |
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| 1932 Floods |
| 19th July 2008 |
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June 2007 saw the worst floods in living memory, but for older residents they remember the Great Floods of 1932 as being worse. The Howdenshire Chronicle and Pocklington Weekly News newspaper has an interesting report which ironically concludes in capital letters that we must 'DO SOMETHING TO PREVENT ANY FURTHER FLOODING'.
Thanks to a recommendation by the Pocklington History Group, the new library is to be named after the first ever library built in memory of Dr. Thomas Wilson. Read about this interesting Pocklington Doctor.
Two surviving fragile old documents have been discovered in private hands. The Wesleyan Methodist Circuit for 1869 and for 1870 have been digitised to preserve them and can be viewed using the new zoom tool installed on to the website. Please contact the Group if you have similar old documents or fragile photographs which need preservation.
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| Heritage Walk |
| 7th July 2008 |
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The author Phil Gilbank in 'Simply Books' |
A tour of the town |
'Simply Books' launched the new Pocklington & District Local History Group book called "A Pocklington History & Heritage Trail". To coincide with the launch and the town's book week, the history group organised a sell out walk and talk for 45 people. Various speakers were stationed at historic locations in the town and each gave a 10 minute talk. Everyone enjoyed the evening between the rain showers.
*STOP PRESS* - The story of a young telegraphist aboard HMS Volage is told by Australian Arthur W. Carter who has kindly submitted his story to this website. HMS Volage was adopted and sponsored by the town of Pocklington in the last war.
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| Maps! |
| 22nd June 2008 |
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William Watson created two superb maps of Pocklington for which Local Historians of the town have been forever grateful. They provide a wealth of information on Pocklington over 150 years ago. The 1844 Map shows how Pocklington was before the arrival of the railway. The 1855 Map gives even more information by providing a visual representation of the houses as well as the main householders. For the first time his maps can be viewed using 21st Century technology (thanks Dan!).
A photograph has been sent to me of the Pocklington Home Guard. If you recognise anyone please let me know. Also, as an experiment, I include a Woldgate School Photo of 1968.
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| New stuff |
| 15th June 2008 |
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As the church pages were updated, I thought it time that the Chapel pages were updated. We now have pages for Pocklington Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, the Congregational Church and the Primitive Methodist Chapel. Simeon Templeman was an intersting character and more information about his family roots have been added. Read about Pocklington's last Duel in 1838 from a newspaper report at the time. No one was killed, but the outcome was a bloody nose.
One of the joys of running a website like this is that people submit articles from their research and local knowledge. Thanks to Ian Gibb for his article on the Everingham Brothers of Pocklington and their Bus service.
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| Updates |
| 1st June 2008 |
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The church pages have been updated. Phil Gilbank found a fascinating letter to the Pocklington Weekly News about the Soteby Cross, expressing the opinion of the Antiquarian, Dr. Wilson, that Pocklington was the site of the conversion to Christianity of King Edwin in 627 following the destruction of the Pagan Temple at Goodmanham. It is commonly stated that Aldby, Buttercrambe was where this took place. If true, and his arguments seem persuasive, makes Pocklington an important centre for early Christanity. Dr. Wilson created Pocklington's first library which was called the 'Wilson Memorial Library', surely our Library should still be named as it was created by it's founder?
Early images of Pocklington Church have now been included on the website. Burnby has now been included in the list of villages in the district, together with Burnby Photos. |
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| Latest Updates |
| 24th May 2008 |
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I have found out when Meynells Grocers closed their shop following the kind donation of a newspaper clipping. Read all about it on the updated Meynell's Page (scroll to the bottom). I have concentrated on more shops by adding a feature on Nelson's Shoe Shop and the
Co-operative Stores in Pocklington and the district. A new section has been added under Archives called 'Local Industry'. Profiles on three have been included; the Old Brewery in Chapmangate, some photographs of Rowley's clothes shop and factory in London Street, and a feature on Allison's, the builders, and their Garage in Railway Street. |
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| Latest Pages |
| 4th May 2008 |
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| A new directory has been added, Kelly's Directory for 1897. This completes all the listing of directories from my own book collection, but provides a reasonably comprehensive range of dates for which to do research. Remember when searching for people, open the page and use your Internet browsers 'Find' facility. They all have one. A profile of the Pocklington Flying Man, Thomas Pelling has been included into the Prominent People section. Two old documents have been added; the Indenture of Thomas Plaxton in 1585 and Oliver Cromwell's Town Charter from 1656 giving rights to markets and fairs in the town. More photographs of Barmby Moor have also been put into the District section. |
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AGM Night
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| 21st April 2008 |
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| Quiz - Dennis knows the answers! |
Peter gives a mini-talk on "Threshing Days" |
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Jo administers the AGM and then gives a talk on the use of Wartime Pigeons |
On Monday 21st April 2008, the first AGM of the Pocklington Local History Group took place. After the officers reports, the election of the committee took place.
Chairman – Jo Green
Secretary – Alan Cartwright
Treasurer – Peter Green
Archivist/Webmaster – Andrew Sefton
Committee – Hilary Angle, Phil Gilbank, Dennis Moor, Paul Jennings, David Rumbelow and Pearl Harris. Roger Bellingham is Honorary President. A vote was made to introduce a subscription which was carried. The amount and setting of the future programme would be decided at the next committee meeting.
The evening concluded with three mini-talks by Peter Green on his recollections of threshing days as a youngster, Phil Gilbank gave an illustrated talk on old Cycles in Pocklington, and Jo ended with a talk on the use of pigeons from the Pocklington Airfield in the war.
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| New Pages Added |
| 20th April 2008 |
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Earl Morcar may have had his fortified manor in Pocklington. He fought alongside his brother Edwin, against the Viking Invaders at the battle of Fulford in 1066 but was defeated and had to await Harold's army from the south before winning the decisive battle at Stamford Bridge.
More shops have been added. George Todd had a well remembered grocers shop in New Pavement, and Hills Garage in George Street was where Somerfield Supermarket is today.
Pocklington had a Golf Club! it seems to have been located down Yapham road and had over 100 members in it's first year. |
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| Pocklington Horse & Foal Show |
| 14th April 2008 |
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| Latest updates include Pocklington Horse and Foal Show, which was the East Riding's premiere event of it's kind. It started in 1858 and carried on for many years afterwards. Major Percy Stewart was an important Pocklingtonian, he kindly donated in his will to the people of Pocklington, Burnby Hall and it's world famous Water Lily Gardens. Simeon Templeman made his fortune by winning the Derby, read about how it built his house in Burnby.. |
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| Everinghams |
| 7th April 2008 |
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| Everinghams were a family firm who started a tailoring business in Pocklington in the late nineteenth century. They had a factory in the town and sold suits and clothes. With the advent of the motor car, the sons founded a bus company which carried on for many years, and fondly remembered by many in the town. More photos have been added to the story. Let me know if you have more. |
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| More Pubs! |
| 4th April 2008 |
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| The 'White Swan' inn was renamed the 'Merry Legs' inn which was renamed later to the 'Railway Tavern', which then became generally known as the 'Railway Inn' in Railway Street. The story of this public house can be found here. |
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| Further Updates |
| 30th March 2008 |
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All the sporting pages have been updated. Phil Gilbank has written an article on Pocklington Rugby for which he is the definitive authority on the subject. Early Cricket matches and evidence has been found for 250 years of Football in Pockllington in old newspaper references.
Further Pubs have been added to the website. The Feathers has been updated with it's ghost story legend. The Buck Inn later became the Buck hotel with early references and the Three Horseshoes was an old farmers market pub. Two more Pocklington Industry pages on the Pocklington Tannery, and the Flax Fire of 1856 have been added.
Lastly, don't forget the useful LINKS page can be found in the footer of every page on the website. A link for Pocklington Parish Registers can be found there. |
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