HERE’S another update on the history of the Dales.

Hopefully this will be both interesting and informative – and most important, won’t upset or insult anyone.

Did I mention that I got accosted the other day for once saying that I put the cat out at night?

Apparently cats don’t like going out at night. They should be indoors in the warmth, I was told. “But cats are nocturnal,” I would have protested had I not been slightly scared. And they have fur which keeps them warm. And I hate emptying litter trays. And it’s a house rule at night – all kids in, all cats out.

So to avoid being accosted by cat lovers or receiving emails from angry American visitors defending their nation’s love of guns, let’s play it safe and learn together about the area’s history.

So far we’ve had ice, forests, some big animals, hunters who became farmers, Romans and then Scandinavians, including King Cnut.

After King Cnut came the Normans who killed Harold at Hastings by shooting him in the eye with an arrow. This meant the English and Anglo- Scandinavian landowners in Yorkshire were replaced with William’s mates.

This didn’t impress the old landlords in the Dales and the area became a rebel stronghold. This really annoyed William who ordered crops and food stocks to be burnt. It was called harrying apparently and it caused a horrible famine.

Land in the Richmond and Dales area belonging to one of the rebels called Edwin was given to William’s friend Alan, who fought somewhere near the back at the Battle of Hastings.

To help him control his land, Alan built castles in Richmond and Middleham, although I’m not sure they are the same castle standing today.

In the Domesday Book, much of Alan’s land, including Hudswell near Richmond, was described as waste, although this could just be a way of avoiding taxes.

Count Alan gave bits of his land to his relatives, including one piece to his wet nurse, Orwen. Clearly Orwen made a big impression on young Alan.