Past Activities

Glorious weather again in the Dales, the sun shining, curlews burbling, lambs getting stuck in cattle grids, as a record 41 Milestoners assembled at the Hebden Village Institute, near Grassington, including 7 members of the national committee, lured north by the sheer variety of the programme.

First was Mike Lea with Kate, who managed to convince his audience that fingerposts are actually worth studying, by showing different Cumbrian styles and amusing anecdotes, supplemented with practical expertise by Duncan Armstrong. Following Mike, (by special request!) Janet Niepokojczycka gave her latest talk “The Packhorse in Art and Literature”, with colourful illustrations ranging from the Luttrell Psalter to Christmas cards, of beasts of burden and their accoutrements. Lively questions were addressed to both speakers.

The lunch break meant a chance to sample Terry Witham’s cakes as well as to view the many displays. One member had brought a halo fingerpost finial that she had been given by a Highways engineer when undertaking refurbishment; those present debated which museum might be a worthy destination and Settle was the preferred choice.

The afternoon session was launched by June Scott with some vivid coaching tales including insights from ‘Pickwick Papers’ then Jeremy Howat explained how the Ryedale project had been such a successful collaboration. Rounding up the day, Christine Minto set a quiz based on the recent OTG and Newsletter, which caused much merriment as well as blank looks – won by Richard Heywood with just 12 out of a possible 20 marks!

Next year’s meeting will be on Sunday April 15, put the date in your diary now…

The lambs were enjoying the sunshine punctuated by April showers as 26 Milestoners gathered at Hebden Village Institute for another lively day. Our guest speaker, local historian Maurice Taylor introduced us to the Ancient Right of Sanctuary, including boundary stones around Ripon, then Christine Minto took us on a tour of Scotland, with excellent photography of landscapes as well as mileposts. The lunchbreak gave time to sample Terry Witham and Heather’s delicious cakes as well as to browse the Keegan travelling book-stall and other displays – Frank Minto had produced CDs of the Diamond Collection and Liz Hayes some photo-bookmarks.

The afternoon speaker was June Scott who cast light on the life of the rakish Blind Jack of Knaresborough, from the research by Dr Arnold Kellett. Dr Kellett came along and read a poetic tribute, too.

The final session of contributions from members included Jeremy Howat’s experiences of restoration partnerships and a suggestion about a website for sharing knowledge of restoration projects. As Blind Jack’s epitaph exhorts: “Reader, like him, exert thy utmost talent given” – there’s certainly plenty of talent amongst our Milestoners !!

JS/April 2009

Chris Marcus moved to the Saddleworth area around 10 years ago. He was already a keen member of the Letterbox Study Group and embraced with glee the milestones and other turnpike features of this locality. By 2007, he hoped to engage other inhabitants sufficiently to promote it as ‘Turnpike Country’ and wanted to host a Milestone Society meeting there. He spoke at our Hebden meeting again in April 08 and I finally gave way to his infectious enthusiasm – hence the ‘Pennine Ways & Waymarkers’ day came into being.

Chris was also a keen walker despite some mobility difficulties and he led our Sunday walking group round the area at the beginning of August, pointing out interesting artefacts amongst the wonderful scenery. He also introduced us to a splendid ice-cream parlour, Grandpa Green’s, beside a lock on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. Next day was his 61^st birthday and two days later he was dead, having succumbed to another heart attack.

His colleagues on the A Level Archaeology course at Selby described him as a “warm, witty man” – we have lost a great supporter of our cause and a good friend.

What would be a fitting tribute ? An excellent meeting – and so it turned out to be.

Forty Milestoners, friends and visitors found their way to Uppermill Museum, which sits beside one of the many turnpike roads that converge through this dip in the Pennines.

Our first speaker, Mike Buckley of Saddleworth Historical Society described ‘Ancient Saddleworth Highways and Byways’, illustrating the surviving remains of the Roman road past Castleshaw fort, the medieval packhorse trails and the routes of the turnpikes over Standedge. Aerial photographs made the account even more vivid.

Mike was followed by Howard Smith, who talked about ‘Finding the Way – how our Ancestors crossed the Peak’. Starting with natural features such as hillocks and rocks, as well as the oral tradition of retention of directions, Howard showed an amazing variety of Guide Stoops (a scandinavian word meaning large stone!) including wooden poles. We were also intrigued by some mirror writing – were the carvers dyslexic or did they get the template the wrong way round?!

Lunchtime provided the opportunity to view Christine & Frank Minto’s comprehensive display, to purchase books from Terry Keegan and Paul Hindle and to visit the Museum which houses the capstone of the Saddleworth Waymark, a toll-board and a ‘Take Off Here’ stone.

In the afternoon, I showed a miscellany of milestones and other waymarkers from around Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Cheshire; local Morris dancers illustrated the capstone story, where young men (after a Wakes night) would attempt to lift the capstone onto a nearby wall and back. We also had the legend of the Marsden cuckoo which perches atop a brand new waymarker on the Packhorse track. Some of the slides were taken by Chris Marcus himself, including his Cheshire ‘open book’ pictures – as well as the same style milepost recently for sale on e-Bay. Hopefully that story will end happily, too.

Then Christine Minto took us through the intriguing ‘Brayshaw and Booth’ saga that she had described in ‘On the Ground’. Why did the new West Riding County Council spend a great deal of money replacing milestones on turnpikes and other routes at the very end of the 19^th Century, when the received wisdom indicates that road traffic had diminished significantly? Perhaps the roads remained busy in the wool districts, perhaps it was just a conspicuous display of local authority pride.

Would Chris have been proud of our day? I’m sure he would have greatly enjoyed it ! And we were fortunate to have known him; we’ll remember one of life’s true enthusiasts.

Jan Scrine