I was asked to write an article for the December issue of The
Barwicker as the magazine approached its 100th edition; as an outsider
not only of Barwick-in-Elmet, but of Yorkshire, I puzzled as to what
could I write about with regard to Barwick-in-Elmet and Scholes that
had not already been written in the last 99 issues of The Barwicker.
However, I decided I couldn’t resist the challenge, and would take a
wry look at the world in 1910-12 as it appeared to mere mortals living
100 years ago.
Headlines were as follows:
Anglo-American treaty negotiations between Mr. Knox, Secretary of
State and Mr. Bryne, the British Ambassador in April 1911 closed
without full agreement. (Nothing new there then!)
Cabinet crisis in Spain, resignation of the Ministry. The collective
resignation brings King Alphonse hurrying from his residence in
Seville to Madrid to confer with his politicians. However, there was a
bit of consternation when a census was required to be taken at all the
Royal Palaces in 1911!
There was a revolt in Albania and all the residents took flight from
their town of Tuzi and left the warring factions to it.
We have all heard of the Titanic. However, you may not know that she
had two sister ships, the Olympic and the Britannic. The RMS
Olympic, like her sisters, was an ocean going liner, and three months
earlier than the fated Titanic, her maiden voyage to New York was also
marred when she had a collision off the Isle of Wight with HMS
Hawke. The ship did make it back to Southampton under her own
steam. The startling fact is this; a crew member, Violet Jessop, a
survivor of the relative minor collision of the Olympic, was also a
survivor of the ill starred Titanic and, a survivor of the third sister ship
the Britannic when it was sunk in 1916. The Olympic continued in
service until 1935; not sure about Violet Jessop, I would think she
eventually gave up a sea going career.
Something that impacted on all of us and still resonates today, or
should do, is the Suffragette movement. 1911 saw the first violent act
by leading suffragettes, an arson attack by Christabel Pankhurst.
About this time came the Suffragettes’ boycott ending in a
demonstration in Trafalgar Square. The Telegraph headlines ran thus;
True to their declared intention and their (the suffragettes) perverted
views of citizenship continued last night by flouting the common laws
and demonstrating in Trafalgar Square until after midnight.
The first suffragette in Yorkshire to be imprisoned was a young girl of
seventeen sentenced to fourteen days in Armley goal. Upon release
Laura Wilson said “If they could sentence me for thinking I would
have been sentenced for life. I went to gaol a rebel, but I have come
out a regular terror”. (A typical feisty Yorkshire lass don’t you
think?)
The first Yorkshire certified pilot took to the air in 1911, a Mr. Hubert
Oxley of Heckmondwike flew the new Blackburn monoplane at Filey.
Several more flights were made by Mr. Oxley.
A little closer to home, the first Scholes Coronation tree was planted in
1911.
An honour for a lady from one of the most distinguished families of
the area when the King was graciously pleased to sanction the
appointment of Mrs. Trench Gascoigne as a one of the ‘Ladies of
Grace’ of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.
The environs of Barwick-in-Elmet must have been a healthy place to
live as in 1911, there were only 12 burials. The good news is that local
headlines proclaimed a romantic runaway marriage. (Sorry we can’t
tell you who the couple were as the print faded, but it did happen).
In the 1911, the journal of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society
reported on a visit to Barwick-in-Elmet made by them.
The Theatre Royal in Leeds provided entertainment with plays like
For Wife and Kingdom and Sexton Blake, Detective. One title sounds
very patriotic and the other aiming at mass popularity. There were also
mind boggling titles like ‘The Pride of Byzantia’ which give little
away as regards the content. Another popular theatre The Empire
(even the name conjures up a bygone age), along with the Theatre
Royal have now disappeared but the City Varieties still soldiers on.
Now to some other minor but surprising changes to be noted over the
last hundred years.
Bearing in mind that newspapers were broadsheets, in the Yorkshire
Post in 1910/11 two and a half columns were dedicated to offering
positions for apprenticeships.
A half column was taken by the makers of Beecham’s pills, with
claims of cure-all medicine. Cadbury’s Cocoa took a quarter column
advertising a ¼ lb. tin costing 7 ½d.
Does anyone remember Maypole margarine? It cost 6d for 1-lb.
Hovis bread filled a full double column, advertising all the good
qualities of the product.
And lastly a Baby Grand piano brought to your door for a mere £63.00.
The Leeds Mercury sadly is no longer in print, though many readers
may remember it, cost 1 half penny in 1911 with 10 full broadsheet
pages.
Sources:
The Daily Telegraph
The Times
Leeds Mercury,
The Yorkshire Post
The Yorkshire Evening Post
Office of National Statistics
Calderdale-on-Line
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