Maureen Ellis and Harold Foxcroft
Foot and Mouth disease last year affected everybody in North Craven, but now the countryside is open again. We start the journal with important business articles, including a financial one by the treasurer Michael Southworth and another about the purchase of rare historical documents bought by the Trust.
This issue contains three articles linked to industry. Helen Atkinson describes the recruitment of labour to Settle from outside the area and Pat Smith features the emigration of Settle workers out to Accrington. Elizabeth Shorrock has talked to Maurice Lambert about his work as a Quarryman.
More ancient history is represented by John Brassey's description of his finds on the footpath between Austwick and Clapham, and Ian Smith writes of the history of Victoria Hall, Settle. Diana Kaneps, as always, has provided us with beautiful drawings as well as a description of Scosthrop Barn. Throughout the journal there are her drawings of decorations that grace secular buildings. She interprets these as symbolic; for example the apex of a barn, or a triangular shape as man aspiring to God. Each design which appears on a barn end she interprets as having symbolic or religious meaning.
The arts are well represented by Hannah Smeds-Davies' article about her weaving and Dorothy Hemsworth writes of Lawrence Binyon, the poet who lived at Burton in Lonsdale. Brian Birkby has written lively accounts of musical events benefiting the Trust.
It is always helpful to have feedback on the articles and we are grateful it has been pointed out that in last year's journal the photograph at the foot of page seven was wrongly labelled Wigglesworth Hall; it is in fact Hammerton Hall. With respect to the article on Wood House Farm; Margaret Horsley was Joe Robinson's sister - not his daughter, their father being Joseph Robinson who died in 1936. Joe was married to Molly and they had no children.
Our Vice President has written an obituary of one of our early walk leaders, Mildred Slater.
The walks programme was of course cancelled following the outbreak of foot and mouth disease, and therefore there were only two walks this year, one at the beginning and one at the end of the year.