Historical Footnote
| Feb 2012 Historical Footnote by Roger Bingham JANUARY New Year social occasions included a Church of England Men’s Society lecture given by the village GP, Dr Cosgrave, on The five senses. Over 80 people attended a whist drive and social in The National School. Miss Coralie Eugenie Chastel de Boinville, daughter of a former vicar of Burton, was married in Somerset to Mr J Armitage. The bride wore ’a dress of rich ivory satin, trimmed with pearls and Brussels lace. Her court train was draped in old Honiton lace.’ The local Territorial Army Corps received a Marconi wireless set weighing120Ibs. FEBRUARY 20 degrees of frost were recorded at Dalton Hall. Many villagers went skating on the lake in Dalton Park. Mrs Helme broke her skull when she slipped on ice in the Main Street. She was ’conveyed to her home in the ambulance.’ (This was pushed by hand and also doubled as a hearse.) Mr and Mrs Ayer of Heronsyke Cottage celebrated their Golden Wedding, with a party for 43 relations, who included 24 grand children and three great-grandchildren. 40 choristers with the Sunday School teachers attended their annual party at the Vicarage. MARCH George Bush, aged 42, died after he accidentally drank poison from a bottle he found in the stable at Elmsfield House, Holme, where he worked as coachman for Mrs Deighton. Dalton Parish Meeting decided to spent £1 in solicitor’s fees to support claims for grants for Dalton young people from the Burton Educational Foundation. APRIL During a national ’coal strike’ local supplies were obtained from ’the new colliery’ at Ingleton where the miners carried on working. Despite ’the indisposition of the vicar’, the Rev Carpenter, there were 81 Easter Day communicants at the 8 am service and 21 at the noon celebration. The year’s main sensation, the sinking of The Titanic, was marked in most villages by special ’Memoriam’ Services, but, because the vicar was still unwell, Burton had to make do with ’allusions’ to the tragedy in sermons preached by visiting preachers. A notice was placed in the church porch, stating that pews not filled at the commencement of the services would be free in future. NB: Pew rents were charged for all but a few ’free back benches.’ MAY The Honourable William Lowther, former MP for North Westmorland, left £380,000 in his will. Burton church applied for a faculty to permit kerbs round graves. At the Mary Wakefield Festival, Burton Choral Society won the Henry Leslie Challenge Shield for sight reading. JUNE An anthem “The King in thee this day rejoices“ was sung at a special service held at St James’ Church to mark the first anniversary of the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary. ’Several cases of heat prostration’ occurred when temperatures rose to ’a reputed 108 degrees.’ ’One young man, working for Mr Dixon at Dalton Old Hall, fell from a hay cart and was picked up unconscious.’ After ’the services of Dr Cosgrave were procured he made satisfactory progress.’ The heat wave broke in a ’violent storm with flashes of lightning, heavy thunder and torrents of rain and hail; plants with large foliage had their leaves completely riddled and hay grass was beaten flat. Some trees near Henridding, Dalton, were struck with lightning.’ JULY The parish council complained about overhanging bushes obscuring signs on Main Street, and also asked the county council to extend the 10 mph speed limit from Vicarage Lane to Church Bank. ’A Reckless Motorist’, James Gerard aged 22 from Liverpool, was fined £2 with 12 shillings costs after driving at 21 mph between Burton Post Office and Garnett House. The offence was measured by police constables Park and Elder, who were ’armed’ with stop watches. Despite heavy showers The Men’s Bible Class went on a wagonette excursion to Witherslack, where they enjoyed an excellent tea. AUGUST ’A motor belonging to Mr Nicholson of Bolton and driven by Mr Haynes’ collided with the Royal Hotel trap ’at Neddy Hill by the Gas Works corner.’ The occupants of the trap were thrown out, the shafts and harness were broken and the motor’s windscreen was kicked in. Mr Pennel, butcher, bought ’the customary house and shop (in Main Street) with a close containing two acres’ for £550. Miss E Dobson, for her wedding to Mr J Thompson, ’wore a dress of white silk alaine trimmed with brocaded lace and a lavender hat with an ostrich tip. The bride has been a member of the choir for about 20 years and the service was fully choral. A repast at the National School was enjoyed by 80 guests.’ SEPTEMBER Mrs Robinson, the caretaker of the National School, broke her collar bone while cleaning the classroom but Dr Cosgrave ’reduced the fracture.’ Following the resignation of Miss Hoggarth, the church organist and choir mistress, Miss Errington from Priest Hutton, currently organist at Nether Kellett Church, was appointed to the keenly contested post. The runner up was Miss Threlfall, accompanist to the Carnforth Choral Society. OCTOBER In a year marked by many local weddings, Mr James Dixon, of Dalton Old Hall, and Miss Alice Hoggarth, of Ley Pitts Farm, received ’numerous, useful and ornamental articles as presents.’ Wages at the Martinmas Hiring Fairs were reduced as agricultural production had been hit by prolonged wet weather. ’Good men’s’ rates were between £17 to £20 for six months (with full board and washing), ’second best men’ were £14-£16 and girls and lads £6-£10. The Burton Technical Education Committee organised a ’Horticultural Lecture’ delivered by Mr W.B. Little, of Armstrong College, Newcastle. He ’gave a very lucid explanation on the composition of soil and the destruction of garden pests was carefully gone into.’ NOVEMBER There were angry meetings about a South Westmorland Rural District Council proposal to improve local drainage by raising £850 on the rates. It was claimed that 470 residents out of Burton’s population of 517 would benefit. There were doubts whether the Lord of the Manor, Mr Atkinson, would be prepared to extend the lease on the sewage farm by 21 years. Mr Ed Briggs ’who claimed to be the oldest inhabitant’ said that the older ’irrigation systems’, including earth closets, were more effective. DECEMBER The Lancashire Ringers Association rang a full peal of “London Surprise“ at the parish church. A Unionist Smokers Concert was preceded by a debate about ’the inadequacies’ of the current Liberal government. A message hoping that the local Conservative MP, Captain Bagot of Levens Hall, would ’speedily be restored to health and strength was unanimously passed.’ (He died three months later.) On New Year’s Eve there were 24 degrees of frost and ten inches of snow. |
