From the D&S Times, January 14, 1967

EXACTLY 50 years ago, Bedale Rural Council received permission from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government to buy the market rights in Bedale from the joint lords of the manor.

"It follows nearly 25 years of negotiations in Bedale about the possibility of Bedale obtaining the market rights and getting improvements made to the market place," said the D&S Times.

Presumably the joint lords of the manor were the heads of the Fitzalan-Howard and the Beresford-Peirse families.

By taking control of the market, the council hoped it would be able to introduce improvements, but traders immediately expressed their concerns at the plans to move them to the north end of the town, near Bedale Hall, which would have allowed more car parking on the south end cobbles.

Over in Brompton, near Northallerton, a similar parochial dispute was unfolding. A public inquiry was being held as Northallerton Rural District Council wanted to build a public lavatory onto a bus shelter on North Green, but this would require the removal of a tree. The inquiry was to decide whether the tree should stay and alternative plans to build the bus shelter and the toilets 20ft away should be adopted at a cost of an additional £250.

Amazingly, a Government inspector came all the way up from London to adjudicate. Even more amazingly, that Government inspector was female. "The question of whether the lime tree or £250 will be sacrificed will rest largely on the recommendations of the woman inspector conducting the inquiry, Miss JM Albery," said the D&S. The result would be known within weeks.

January 13, 1917

WE think that our 21st Century society is litigious, but exactly 100 years ago, Leyburn Rural Council received a letter “from Miss EB Horner, Middleham, complaining of damage to her hand, and also suffering shock and damage to her coat and gloves by falling over a heap of mud left at Middleham by James Langstaffe, employed by the council on the roads”.

Mr Langstaffe’s job was to scrape mud and horse muck off the roads and cart it away. He’d piled his day’s work up and, according to council officials, left it tucked well back on the pavement awaiting collection.

But, under the cover of darkness, Miss Horner had come along and stumbled over it.

“It was one of those any accidents that took place owing to an absence of light consequent upon the regulations on account of the war,” said the D&S. “The clerk was instructed to write to Miss Horner expressing regret and asking for particulars of her claim.”

Meanwhile, a brave Bedale soldier was home on leave, showing what extraordinary wars the most ordinary of men experienced. Lance Corporal W Court, a shoemaker at Newton-le-Willows, was back at Emgate for ten days having spent the three previous months in hospital in Scotland recovering from being shot in the back.

Earlier in the war, he’d been awarded the Military Medal “for his bravery in a bombing raid on the enemy trenches”, near Ypres.

The article concluded: “L-Cpl Court has this week rejoined the colours at a Yorkshire camp.”

January 12, 1867

THIS is how life used to be – for some. Hundreds of the greatest and the most good in County Durham and North Yorkshire in their finest finery attended the first grand ball held at Wynyard Hall by the Earl and Countess Vane since they had succeeded to the estate, near Sedgefield, in 1854.

The D&S over-bubbled with rapture about the hall, the people and the occasion: “The entire suite of gorgeous apartments was thrown open, consisting of the breakfast room, which was made into a cloakroom, the vestibule, my lady’s boudoir, than which, with its rare contents, there is nothing more exquisite in the mansion, the library, the anteroom where, from a buffet, lighter refreshments of ices, confectionery, tea, coffee, sherberts and fruits were dispensed, the pink drawing room, the ballroom, the conservatory, which was charmingly lighted with coloured lamps, the memorial chamber, and the spacious and lofty marble hall, around the whole circuit of which statuary and busts, orange trees, gigantic ferns, musas, palms, and parti-coloured leaved plants were arranged…

“The costumes were wonderfully elegant, and the display of jewels and fine old lace was quite remarkable.”

Dancing began punctually at 10pm. “Long before midnight the ballroom was inconveniently crowded and many who, anxious to avoid the crush and secure their dresses from utter destruction from the sharp spurs of some of the officers and the hard crusted diamond bracelets of some of the ladies, as well as the scratching of epaulettes, were glad enough to escape into the cooler retreat which the hall, with its luxurious divans offered.

“A magnificent supper was served at one in the state dining room, and was continued, relay after relay until the guests finally departed.

“High gold vases on pedestals holding alternately beautifully arranged bouquets of exotics, and charmingly grouped fruits of various kinds, each surmounted by a pine, occupied the entire centre of the table, which was lighted by numerous candelabra of gold and silver plate, and in each corner a grand display of gold plate in shields and salvers, coolers, flagons and other rare objects stood out in bold relief against a crimson velvet background over marble sideboards.

“The soups, and game, and poultry were hot, the cold dishes being extremely recherché, and most elegantly served.”

On and on and on drooled the D&S about the paintings, the dancing, the playing, the “orange trees in full bearing”, until it concluded: “The entertainment at Wynyard has never been more successful, and this is saying a great deal when the splendid hospitality which has reigned there since the peace of 1815 is remembered.”