Obejectives Set for 2010
The December meeting was a little down on numbers, due to clashing village events. However it started with a flurish, as a non-member came to donate historic documents relating to an Ickornshaw Moor court case. These have been stored for safekeeping and can be viewed on request.
The major decisions to be made were to set objectives for the coming year. These were as follows:
1. A Spring Nostalgia Afternoon (decided last month)
2. Planning short history routes around our area, to be ready for use in summer,with resources for points of interest.
3. A history leaflet for B&B , campsite customers.
4. Begin a record of all historic sites,with photographs and grid references
5. Renovation of Philip Snowden Memorial Cairn and signs in conjunction with the Parish Council.
6. An Autumn “Where do you think you are?” afternoon for residents who are not born and bred Cowinheeaders. Information, in the form of a picture show, would demonstrate what used to be where houses now are and also give the basic main features of history that makes Cowling a unique historic community.
7. Commencement of a picture book of old pictures.
This is quite along list, but it was thought better to put them all down and if all are not acheived, then they can be carried over to the next year. Work will commence in January, with a designer coming to talk about how the B&B leaflet and picture book could be approched. January and February meetings should also see work on the Spring Nostalgia Afternoon (date to be decided).
Other items presented to the group were:
- a Hugh Smith Charity document of 1902
- an excerpt from the Kildwick Almanac of 1868 supporting the change from domestic industry to mills, due to it leading to a disiplined life for workers. This posed a few interesting questions over a century later and proved once again that hindsight is a wonderful thing.
The final item raise quite a laugh and brought proceedings to a close on a high. Research on the internet showed that William Bradley Wainman, of Carr Head, famous landed “gentry” of our area, was in the 1860’s quite a pig breeder. He was one of the early improvers of the Yorkshire White. He was a prizewinning exhibitor at both the North East (held in Belfast) and Royal Agricultural Association shows in the early to mid 1860’s, winning three years running with the same pig – Arch Trespasser, a boar ( as a small, then medium, then large white).
The funniest tale however was that Mr Wainman leant a tenant farmer a pregnant sow. The sow’s litter was then purchased by Mr Wainman. The proceeds of the sale allowed the tenant to pay off his rent arrears to the same Mr Wainman, in ‘the terrible year of 1860′ , when farmers were struggling to make ends meet. It sounds like Mr Wainman needed a pat on the back for being an understanding landlord.
Thus another profitable meeting ended as members left ,still digesting their pre – Christmas mince pies devoured at the refreshment break.
