From this newspaper 150 years ago. – Stealing a watch. On Friday, the 20th inst., at the Town Hall, Leyburn, (before The Right Hon. Lord Bolton, and T Riddle, Esq.) John Plews was charged with offering for sale of the 15th April at Northallerton a watch, the property of John Handley, of Middleham, intending to appropriate the same to his own use. John Handley was sworn, and said, I live at Middleham, on the 13th April, I took to the prisoner a watch to have its chain mended. He was at Mr Towler's public house at Middleham, the prisoner said he would have it done in two hours. I said I could not wait, and told him to leave it with Mrs Towler who would pay for the repair. I called at night for the watch. I saw Mrs Towler, but the watch was not left, the prisoner has gone away. I then went to Leyburn and heard that the prisoner has gone to Northallerton, I afterwards went to Northallerton and found the prisoner at the railway station. I asked him for the watch, and he said he had left it at Leyburn. I then gave information to the police. The watch produced is my watch and the same I took to mend. – John Willoughby, on being sworn, said, I am a bricklayer, and reside at Northallerton. On Saturday, the 15th inst., I was at the Nag's Head Inn, kept by Thos. Smith. It was about eight or nine o'clock. I saw the prisoner there. He pulled out a watch and offered it for 5s. I agreed to give him 4s. for the watch which he took; I gave up the watch to Police Sergeant Spence on the Monday following. The one produced is the same. I know it by a mark on the face. I have known the prisoner for years as a watchmaker and dealer in watches. - James Spence, was sworn, and said, I am Police Constable at Northallerton. John Handley gave information to me that the prisoner had gone off with his watch; I found the prisoner at the Mason's Arms Inn; I took him into custody and charged him with taking the prosecutor's watch for his own use. He said the watch would be found at Leyburn; I told him that could not be, as he the (prisoner) had been in the lock-up during the Friday night previous, and then had the watch on him. It is the watch I now produce. Prisoner said that the watch had been "nailed" from him at Tom Smith's. On making further enquiries I found the watch had been bought by Willoughby, and went to him and found the watch. After his Lordship had given the usual caution, the prisoner set up as a defence that it was a drunken spree and devoid of felonious intent, showing that if he had wished he might have decamped with watches of greater value. The prisoner was committed for trial at the next quarter sessions to be held in Northallerton, and his Lordship too the opportunity of saying that parties purchasing goods so much below their value ran great risks.

From this newspaper 100 years ago. – Richmond Guardians. The Workhouse Master (Mr Barber) reported that the number of vagrants for the fortnight was 93, against 26 for the corresponding period last year. Of these 61 were going to the military works at Catterick and nine to the military works at Ripon. Ald Russell asked why they had not taken advantage of the bread station ticket. They contributed towards the scheme that the County Committee had in hand but had not put it into force as other places had done. They gave to the vagrants who went out two ounces of cheese and eight ounces of bread each, but this should be provided at a bread station in return for a ticket given them when they left the Workhouse. If there was not a station in the direct route the tramp wanted to take them he should go a little way out of his way to get to one. With such increasing numbers it meant a great expense to the Board. It was decided to furnish the Master with a list of the stations in order that he might in future issue tickets to the vagrants as they left.

From this newspaper 50 years ago. – An 18-year-old pupil pilot died and three other airman, two instructors and a pupil, parachuted to safety after a mid-air collision near Northallerton on Tuesday between two Provost jet training aircraft from RAF Leeming. The dead man was Acting Pilot Officer Lawrence Mead, of Welshpool, Montgomeryshire. It is thought that, after the collision over Bullamoor two miles from Northallerton, APO Mead's parachute became entangled with his aircraft and he plunged to the ground with it and was killed instantly. The three men who escaped were Pilot-Officer David Christopher Pack, of Normanby Road, Romanby; Flt.-Lieut. John Swaine, Malvern Link, Worcester; Pilot-Officer Colin Sharples, of St Annes, Lancs. All three airmen suffered shock and back injuries and were taken to the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton, and detained. Their conditions were stated to be "fairly comfortable" later. Pilot-Officer Pack had moved into a new house in Romanby with his wife only last week after having previously stayed at a Richmond hotel following his posting to RAF Leeming about a month ago. Neither he nor his wife, who have no children, are local people. The crash happened late in the afternoon on Tuesday and many people living locally had heard a bang after two planes swooped over. Then they each spiralled out of a leaden, overcast sky to crash about half a mile apart in open fields. Accustomed to low-flying jets from Leeming over the Northallerton district few people bothered to look up when they heard the aircraft fly over and, as a result, there were few eye-witnesses of the tragedy.