Officers crnd Comrnittee lor 1955 - Whitby Naturalists

Officers crnd Comrnittee lor 1955
President r
THE MOST HONOURABLE
TTIE MARQUIS OF NORMANBY. M,B.E.. J.P.
Vice-Presidents r
Mr. J E. Hemingway, B.Sc., Ph.D.
Mr. F. S. Walker, M.A.
Rev. C. C. Fowler. F.G.S.
Ghairman:
Colonel H. C. Pewse.u-.
Vice-Ghairman:
Rev. C. C. Fowler.
Hon, Secretary:
Mrs. O. Adshead Breckon, St. Michael's, Ruswarp Lane (Tei. 175).
Hon. Treasurer:
Mr. James Lindley, Brooklyn, The Avenue, Ruswarp (Tei. 859).
Flon, Organiser:
Mr. Arthur Smith, 14. Stakesby Va1e, Whitby (Tel. 187)
Press Secretary:
Mrs. Millard.
Librarians !
Mr. J. B. Niven. NIr. T. W. StamP.
Hon, Auditor :
Mr. A. F. Watson.
Lanternist :
NIr. Frank Readman.
Committee :
Retiring 1956: Retiring 1957 r Retiring 1958 r
Mr. J. E. Hemingway, Mrs. F. Story. Miss M. C. Walker.
B'Sc'' Ph D Rev. C. C. Fowier, Mrs. A. F{oliings.
Miss M. Keighie-v. F.G.S. Mr. Scrutor-r.
Mr. J. Niven. Mrs. C. W. Bror,vn.
llon, Members :
tsurnett, Percy. Burttett, Mrs.

Addey, Miss K.
Askew, F. G.
Askew, Mrs.
Adshead, S.
Adshead-Breckon, Mrs.
Armstrong Mrs.
Bagshawe, K. G. R.
Barker, Mrs.
Be1i. Miss E.
Bell, Mis,s FJ.
Bell, Mrs. TI. R.
Bennett. L{iSs E.
Billington, R. H.
Billington Mrs.
Biackwell. Mrs.
Botham, N. D. S.
B,eocock, D.
Bradley, MisLs.
Breckon, Mrs. M.
Brierley, {.
Brierley. Mrs.
Brooks, Mrs. P.
Brown, Mrs. C. W.
Brown, E. ,H.
Brown, Dr. L.
Bro.wn. Mrs.
Brown, Miss M. V.
Brown. Miss V. E.
Browne, H. B.
Burnham, ,C. E. A.
Burnham. Mrs.
Bury, A. F.
Carr, L
Carter, N{,iss E. H.
Cleverly, Miss D.
Close, R.
C

Simpspn. C.
Smlth. A.
Smith, Mrs.
Smitlh. Miss NI.
Smales. Mrs. K.
Smales. Mrs. R.
Snaith. W.
SmLa1s5, I\4it.
Spaven, Mrs. L.
Spencer. Miss K.
Spencer. Miss L
Starnp. T.
Stephenson. G.
Storrar, Miss
Sr,vain. Mrs.
Slvales, Miss E.
Swales, M.
S,warbreck. Miss
Su'eeting, P.
Sweeting, Mrs.
Sweeting. Miss
>weelrng, l!,.
Sutcliffe. Miss
Story, Mrs. F.
Story. P.
Storey. Mrs. H.
Shaw. Mrs.
Taylor. B.
'Iindatre, Mrs. G.
Tindalc. NIiss S.
Towell, I{iss
Trattles. Miss
Turnbull. Mrs. J.
v enLress. '1 .
Walker. A. B-
Walker. Miss D.
Walker. F. S-
Walker. Dr. J. N.
Waiker. Mrs.
Walker. Miss M.
Walker. Robin
Watson, A. F.
Watson. Mrs.
Watson. T.
Ward. Mrs.
Webb. Miss A.
White, Miss
Wilkinson. Mrs.
Wilkinson, Miss J.
lVilkinson, Miss K.
Williamson, Miss J
Wood, A.
Wood, Miss C.
Wood. Mis-s E.
Wright, Mrs. M.
Wright. Mrs. B.
Whytehead. J.
Whvtehead. Mrs.
Young. M.

ANNUAT REPONT, 1955
Young Members Wcnted
An appeal for more young members
was made by Mrs. O. Adshead-
Breckon, secretary, at the annual
meetinq ot Whitby Naturaiists' Club,
at the KendaII -Room BLACKBOARD ACOOUNTS,
Mr. J. Lindley, treasurer, introduced
the financial statement in a
novel way, having before the meeting
of WhitbY copied
Museum on the 26th
it on a blackboard, so thai
ultirno.
Mrs. Adshead-Breckon said
the various items were clearly
the before the members as he explained
Chib would warmly welcome some of
the o der schoolclrildren of
them. He reported balances in the
Whitby,
and other young people
Aeneral fund bf €103 f6s. 5d. and ru
who felt they
would like to get to know their
fhe booklet account of €39 9s. 5d.,
own
countryside intimately and
the total of €143 5s. 10d. being
Iearn
more of the glories of nature, for
approximately €19 more than theY
to started the year.
know was to love and understand. Miss
Colonel H. C.
Vioiet E. Brown presented
Pewsey, chairman,
presided, and referred to the
the botanical record, saying that in
loss
ihe Club had suffered by the
spite of the very wet, cold and
death lrlindv seasons of ihe past .year, the
of 1\{r. Wilfrid Wood, deputy chair- Secti6n had not been
man. He said the members could
congratulate themselves on the
successful running of the Club, due
to the wholehearted support and
untiring energy of Mrs. Adshead-
Breckon, Mr. J. LindIeY. treasurer
and l/Ir. A. Smith. organiser. He
also referred to the excellent work
undertaken by Mrs. W. A. Millard as
Press liaison- oiicer and Mr. J. B.
Niven as librarian.
-deteried from
a certain amount of Pro-gress. and
field excursions were weII attended.
It was sratif.ving to note that some
memberi had been working in small
groups on certain areas, apart trorrr
t-he airaneed meelings of the Section.
and mucli valuable-knowledge had
been obtained. She urged members
to keep careful records as, owing to
the great changes taking Place in
the dountryside. manY Plants were
In her report, Mrs. Adshead- in danser of elimination.
Breckon briefly recalled the Club's Reooitine for the Archeological
summer meetings, and said that in Sectibn. Miss M. C. Walker said the
snite of the much criticised weather exertions of the Section through a
ohl-y one meeting was abandoned long period with regard to Duck
She atso outlined the winter series EriEee. Danbv, were now largelY
of meetings. and said one feature of rewalded bv the erection of the more
the Club effective anh pleasing County Council
warning siens at the approach to
both en?s of the bridge. With those'
ind ttre additional sign supplied bv
the Ministrv of Works at the bridge
itself. no ohe could be unaware of
bolh the historic interest and the
vulnerability of the ancient monum-tnt.
The County Council had
accepted advice from the MinislrY
is to ttre best means of Preserving
the stonework.
LILLA CROSS,
Mr. Harker had suggested that a
sisn should be Placed on Lilla Howe
to"mark, witi-rout nossibility of doubt
in fufure Years, the exact mound on
whicb Liila Cross had stood before
its removal. Thc precaution seemed
needless-thev knew which was Lilla
Howe-but tlie proLrabiiity was that
-had happily revived.
the Whitby Gazette -been having grven
the hospitality of its columns, and
she wai assured the reports were
widely read and much appreciated
The death of five members was
recorded with regret, and fifteen
new members were welcomed.
The Secretary thanked the WhitbY
Literarv and Philosophical Society
for its- co-operation, and said het
work as secr6tary had been rendered
almost nominal bY the valued helP
of her colleagues. - arrd Mr. R
Chambers who Eave loYal service in
many ways. She also thanked the
ieiaers, sireakers and recorders who
had made' such valuable contribulions
to the year's Programme' AII bul
two weie club members. and the.v
could congratulate thernselves on the
amount oJ talent and' enthusiasm
tl-re club could show.

it would be a very considerable
time before any thought of replacing
the cross could be entertained, and
by then it was possible to imagine
some uncertainty as to the exact
location. It was deemed wise to act
upon the suggestion, and permission
had been received from the military
autrhority t6 erect such a sign, and
it was hoped to obtain a metal plate
frorn the Ministry of Works to be
fixed on the howe.
While extensive reconstruction to
the river embankment along Church
Street was being carried out, the old
containins wail had been taken
down. The stones lay in a great
heap and were to be used again as
foundations to the new embankment.
Amonq them were to be seen several
worke-d stones which must have
come from the Abbey luins. for
example multi-curved stones used irn
the .ril"lars She had asked whether an;v
had beern laid to one side, and was
told it w,erS not pussibtle under
working conditions to differentiate
between the stones, and they had all
been thrown among tlre rest. Much
as one would h-ave wished to
examine the worked stones, the size
of the pile and the enormous weight
of each individual block made it
impracticable. In these days of
devastation and upheaval one felt
powerless, in face of the many threats
to the things one would wish to
preserve.. .But, taking the long view
oI past history, one must suppose
Urat such regrets had been common
to all ages, and one gleaned a
measure of reassurance thereby.
The ofrcials were elected as
follows : President, the Marquis of
Normanby; vice-presidents, Dr. J. E.
Hemingway, Mr. F. S. Walker, and
the Rev. C. C. Fowler: chairman.
Colonel H. C. Pewsey; vice-chairman,
Rw. C. C. Fowler; secretary,
Mrs. O. Adshead-Breckon; treasurer,
Mr. J. Lindley; organiser, Mr. A.
Smith; Press secretary, Mrs. W. A.
Millard: librarians. Mr. J. B. Niven
and Mr. T. W. Stamp; auditor, Mr.
A. F. Watson: lanternist, Mr. F.
Readman; recorders-botany, Miss
Wilkinson; bird life, Mr. A. B.
Walker; geology, Dr. J. E. Heming-
way; ledidopl6ra, Mr. B. Taylor;
archaeology, - Miss M. C. Walker.
Three members retired by rotation
from the committee, and Miss M. C.
Wa ker, Mrs. Hollings and Mr. H.
A. Scruton were elected.
RECORDERS' REPORTS.
Reoorts were received from Miss V. Brown, on Motany. and Mr.
Hickman. on Archeologv.

Excursion to Howshcrm
April 30th, 1954
Ths Whitby Naturalists' CIub
enjoyed the first outing of tleir
summel programme on Saturday,
when a iarge party travelied to
Howsham HalI, an extensive mansion
near Nlaiton, the excursion
being srranged by the archaeological
seition undel the leadership of Mrs.
Mi11ard. Sleights.
Hov/sharn Hail, atr unique and
lovely specimen of Jacobean architecture,
was built by one of the
Bamburgh family with stone5 from
the u'reck of Kirkham ALbrbey,
floated down the river Derwent
which passes the .Halt. . This, supposed
act oI sacrilege brought a
curse upon the house rvhereby the
male heirs to the estate were
Cestined to premature death. As
the year s passed the prophecy
became a legcnd. The male line of
the Bamburghs dieA out and, later,
by inter-marriage with the Wentworths,
tlte las1 of thi. family
became extlnct.
In the nineteenth century Coionel
Sir George Chomley became the last
of his iine. His widow, Hannah.
erecteC the church at Howsham iri
1860 to his rnemory and that of three
of their children. For centuries
Hor,vsJram Hail was the home of the
Strickland family. The Hon. Ida M.
H. Strickland, the "Lord of the
Manor" of Whitbv Strand, left the
Ha1I about 1948. -Since then it has
becomc derelict and the estate has
been boughl by the Pickering Sawmills
and Timber Company of
Pickering for its tirnber. A Sodiety
known as the Historic Buildings
Bureau ha5 become interested in
the mansion and, to save it from
demolition, is endeavouring to find
r puri:haser.
Tire Whilby. Naturalist5 share their
jnteres{ in this question an4 on
Saturda-y, made a ihorough exblora-
tion o{' ths HalI,. walking thioulh
a seemingly endless procession o{
rooms and corridors. opening
innumcrabls cupboard doors
admirins beautiful marble mantelpieces
an6 glorious views from the
rvindolvs. In an ups@1rs room
excitement was created by the
finding oI a pigeon'5 nest. built on
the hob oI an old-fashioned fireplace
and conlnining tw6 eggq still
walm. Excilement mounted on tbe
discovery of a secret hiding hole
behind a ho)low panel in a narrow
iobbv be'tween two bedrooms. The
magnificenl oak stair case and
balustrade werg ereatly admired
but not the varst series of stone
flonred ki{chens and larders.
In ihe grounds two boaf honrses
were inspecled" alsn the handsome
stable b'uildings, and the church
with its beautiful mosaics and ros€
window at the west end. Mrs.
Millard expressed the CluLr's thanks
lo the o',vners for lheir permission
10 vrew.
Ths Naturalists felt that it would
be a difficuit problem to find a use
ior this o;ld mansion which is
rapidly falling into decay.

Visit to the Bridestones at Fcrirhead
Under the leadership of the club
secretary, Mrs. Adshead Breckon,
the archaeological section of Whitby
Naturalists' Club visited the Fairhead
bridestones on Saturday. Mrs.
Adshead Breckon recalled that it
was at a meeting at the Bridestones,
led by Captain H. L. Boyle, R.N.,
in April,, 1938, that the formation of
an archeological section of the club
was p,roposed. The section is now
very flourishing, with 100 members.
The Bridestones are silent witnesses
of man's existence on the
moors some 3,000 years ago. They
were the scenes of fervent religious
cererrnonial and strange burial
customs. At the end of the
Neolithic Age this country was
invaded by people from Denmark
and the Rhineland-prehistoric fore'
runners of the Saxons and the Danes.
They bro,ught with them new types
of stone and flint implernents and,
above a1I tools of bronze, and sc
initia.ted the Bronze Age. First cam,e
the Eeaker people, then the Food
Vessel people', and as time went on
cremation became rnore and more
general, and the ashes of the dead
were deposited in earthenware urns
under round barrows. Hence the
period is called the Urn period. It
was the Urn people who made the
first serious atte'mpt to live in the
dales and on the moors, their
dwellings were hut pits, scattered
along the valley sides below the high
moorland plateau; their fields
May 14th, 1954
terraced the daleside and grew oats
and barley, and {hey kept herds of
swine, goats, sheep and a few srnall
cattle. Adjoining each settlement
was ,their burial ground where the
hurnbler folk were laid to rest under
round piles of stones. Thg inurned
ashes of the ctriefs were entombed,
and large mounds erected on the
high ridges and remain the greatest
surviving works of the Urn people
in this district. They also erected
large stones, either singly or in lines,
or circles, and here they performed
their rites and cerernonies inthe hope
of promo'ting the fertility of crop,s,
animals and man himself. Tlhese rites
were associated wi'th the Earth or
Mother Goddess, a memory of whom
slrrvives in the, ter,m "old wife," a
name often attached to the remains
of Urn people.
No o'ne really knew why they are
called BrideStones. Some of them
a e known to have been places
wtrere lovers plighted their troth.
The name may be a corruption of
"Druid Stones." They may also
have been associated with the
soddess Brigantia, and later wiLh
trre Celtic -eoddess of fire and
fertility, Bridget, otherwise known
as Brig, Brid or Bride.
The Low Bridestones, about 10O
feet lower on the moor, form a
remarkable examqrJ.e of prehigtoric
wallirrg, and are the remains of
stone-walled enclosures, fieIds, or
cattle folds.

Club Outing
May 28th, 1954
The Botanical Section of Whithy
Natw:rlists' Club held their first
outiog of the season, on SaturdaY,
under the leaCership of Mrs. H. C.
Pewsey. They went to Arncliffe
Woods, and at Beggar's Bridge,
Glaisdale. Mrs. Pewsey related the
romantic story of the bridge, which
wa5 built in 1621, as the result of a
lover's vow. The mernber" thein
st,arted theil walk through the
wcod.5 in search of botanical specimens.
Aboul forty different flowerg
wele lourrd. but nothing rare. The
bluebell5 were al their best. The
sheets oi blue under the lovely
trees, with their soft spring foliage,
and manv wiid aFiple tree5 in
biossom, were a picture to
Botcrnical Outing
June 4th, 1954
Favoured by a war,m, sunny afternoon.
the Botanical section of
the Wl-ritbv Naturalists' Club
enioyed the second outing of the
season, under the leadership of Mrs.
T. Wiikinson. and Miss Jean Wilkinson
on Saturday. Twenty-two members
were welcomed at the bus terminus
at Sleights. and the walk
throuAh meadow and woodland Proce,eded
in the direction of the old
Manor Farm, Eskoalegates. By Permission
of Mr. G. Pearson, the carttrack
was followed through the
meadows to the o1d Chapel ot
Hermitaee. where the ancient legend
associated with the ruins and the
planting of the Pennv Hedge was
iecalled. After crossing the lailway,
rr'.itlr permissiun of the Br'itish Railwav:.
the monks' Path across the
fietds from Thistle Crove was fo]lowed
f or some distance in the
remember. The long spell of cold,
dry winds had retar'ded growtl:" but
there was plentv to see and find.
The leader rernarkd it was a sad
tact tbat our rare British flowers
were dying out, owing chiefly to
ruthJess picking an6 up-rooting, to
more land being cultivated, and to
the grea,ter facilities for more
people tb get out into the countryside.
A flower's seeds were its
chief mean5 of reproduction, and
some cf the flowers. as in the case
of our native o,rchids took years
to corne to maturity.
The watked endcd at Egton
Bridge with tea at the Station
Hotel by invitatioq o,f Colonel and
Mrs. Pewsey,
directio,nof Nevrbigin. Refreshed
by tea, a discussion of the botanical
specimens found en route followed;
the party then returning through the
Woodlands to Sleights Bridge. Just
over a hundred specimens were
noted. which included alternate.
leaved saxifrage, adder's-tongu€
tcrn. green-wing;ed orclris. archangel
and oendulous sedge. It was inferesrinA
to find thaf one-third of the
ninety-nine fa'rnilies, into which
Messrs. Bentham and Hooker have
divided British Wild, Flowers. were
renresented bv l"hose f ouni during
thb walk.
'The
spells of cold
weather had sornewhat retarded
giowlh, but it was Pleasing to
observe the hawthorns. fragrant
with maY blossom; and crab-apple,
mountain ash and hol'lv flowering in
abundance.

"I*,4 .Qv !!iss V. Brown, members
or whttbv NaturalisLs' Club enioved
q. .t9ng rarnble in the Kettlbriess
grslrrct on .saturday. After assembung.,.wlrs.
Adshead-Breckon referred
ro 1f e p'asslng of their fetlow_
memDer. the Rev. Maloo,im
bucnannan_, and the party observed
a snorr srle_nce as a tribute to his
memory. Miss Brown explainid
Llrat
Ipe nan?_e l(ettleness is derived from
Outing to Kettleness
acco-rdin_g to Walter ^White:
rne ,,KetUes"
.nouows _or in the
ff ii"? rifrH"1.ff u",'l ?,i"uT"l,i:l
tr)ot-hotes or ci,rcular holes scoured
:lL^ir ?".99|qd
by the swirring
9glrgn_ qI pebbtes are known as
"Ketlles" from their resernUtiir6e J6
rne torm of .cauldrons.
Qgme- ppop]e,
h.owever, Iiken the heaorano to Uhe
snalpe O,t a ketile.
, The party walked from Kettleness
19 rne 'hgmlet of Goldsborough alonq
the-road past thte church and thE
June 16th, 1954.
fB "Lucly Dog,s point,, and the
Coa.stguard_ Stati-on. f-ovetv--iiewi
!g!l !_e^en- obtained at heightJof fr'ori
.tuu-cU1-, Iee.t ab'ove sea-IeveL of Lhe
coasrltne lrom Saltwick Nab in the
soutn-€ast to Runswick Bay and
Boulby Cliff in the north-we-st. --
.Atter a picnic tea,. the party pro_
ceeded along the clifl top in ^ttre
oqp.oste direct ion lowards Ru,ns_
8i!"p5"?qii i,1: f:*?:yfi'*i:
no.red,^ "cat" meaning the clayev 'f3* soil
rurl ot stones and ,,butt" derioting a
{neeung cushron or hassock. At
utaymore _Well it was said rhat
rarrles used to wash their linen in
!{19. . _splirng and the noise of their
"bittles" was heard more thin --l,wo
le,ld ,knoJvn es ..Scratch mrles awav.
-
Alley," so-
Thg botanists among the partv
lounct. many . specimens of flowers
and plants. Airnong the less common
were. corn spurrey, rayless-mayweed,
lYjyll?9-1 Iarge purple hea4ed zig_
called, dou,btless, from -t-trJ"'sto'rie
known as scretch, which forms the
s[rarum. jfiIrred,iately helow the soil.
Alte.-rnatively, "Old Scratc6;- wil
anoun€r name for the
was
devil. A halt
made. ;1,o inspect the
Court outside
euoild
the - za g- clover,_ bloody cr'anes-Uitl, ire-m'_
.tock, corrl bugloss, comtrron mallow.
v-lscuous gr-oundsel, hoary plantain,
mouse-_ear hawk-weed. woim_wood
r1n Dudr. mtil

Excursion to Mulgrave OId Ccrstle
JuIy 2nd, 1954
Whitby Naturalists' Club heid a
joint meeting with the Scarborough
Archaeological Societv on Saturday,
when they visited Mulgrave Old
CasUe under the leradership of Mrs.
Adshead-Breckon. The walk through
Mulgrave Woods was much enjoyed.
the trees heavy with foliage and
very beautiful indeed. Affeiclimbing
the steep path up 10 the ruins
the party enjoyed the magnificent
view and realised what a strong
position the Castle commanded.
The most interesfing part of the
ruins still rernaining are the six-feet
thick outside waIls, the great west
gate with its circular towers, the
north-east tower built in 1340, and
the keep, originailv a square tower
to which four angle towers were
added about 1290.
Mrs. Adshead-Breckon s cetched
the historv of Mulgrave from the
days of the Saxon Wada, not forgetting
the leg'end of Giant Wade. Mulgrave
is finst p"n1lott"d in Domesday
when it was the ho,me of a Dane
called ;Sven, and after the Norman
Conques,t it was given to Nigel
Fossard. It rernained in Fossard
hands and was ealled Foss Castle
until 1195, when the last male
Fossard died, leaving an only
daughter who married Rober,t de
Turnharn, and their daughter
Isabella married Peter de Mauley.
There were edght successive Lords of
Mulgrave with the name Peter de
Mauley. the last dying about 141b
\4ithout children, and the estate then
passed to his sister Cbnstance, who
marrierq Sir Jotrn Bigod. The Bigods
reigned at Muigrave about 120 years,
the iasl one, Sir Francis, being sentcnced
to death for his p,art in trhe
Pilgrimage o{ Glace in 1537. II,is
daughter married Roger Radcliffe,
but their son Francis was the last
Radcliffe to live at Mulgrave. In
7592 the castle was granted to
Edmund, Lor.d Sheffield, who in 1628
was created EarI of Mulgrave. The
fourth earl was made Duke of Nor-
manby and Buckingham, and
although he married three tirnes all
his children died young. The lease
of the castle was a,fterwards granted
by George II. to Constantine Phipps,
a grandson by a former m.arriage of
Katherine, the Duke's third wife.
Constantine Henry Phipps was
created Marquess of Normanby in
1838, and the present Marquess is
the fourth.
,\fter the destruction of the castle
by order of Parliament, it ceased to
be a reside.nce, though the damage
was not nearly s'o severe as in many
other castles. Much of the stone tras
been taken away for building elsewhere,
and what rem,ains has graduaJly
,fallen into a state of neglecl
rand decay.
Botcrniccrl Visit to " Woodlcrnds," Sleights
Favoured with a glorious summer
afternoon, members of the Botanical
Section of Whitbv Naturaiists' Club
explored the drive ,and private
grounds of "Woodlands," S.ieighis,
on Saturday, bv permission of Miss
Yeoman, studying various kinds of
trees. Dr. W. A. Millard. who led
the excursion, showed the p,arty how
to distinguish be'tween tn-e pines, fins
and cypresses o.f which there were
rnany good specimens, including a
handsome group of Douglas Firs.
Among the deciduous trees were
July 3rd, 1954.
11
some fine hornbeams (rarely seen in
the north), horse chestnuts, oaks,
beeches, elms, sycarnores and limes.
The leader said he thought it was a
great pity that lirnesr weie not more
comrnonly used as ornamental trees
in ou'r ,towns, where they grow
extrernely well and are more suitable
than sycamores. Appreciation
was expre'ss-ed to Miss Y^ebman for
the privilege she had extended to
the Club, and a oe,llection was made
for the funds' of the Red Cboss.

Mount Grqce Priory Visited
July 23rd, 1954.
A party of members of Whitby
Naturaiists' Club visited Mount
Grace Priory, near Northallerton.
under the leadership of Mr.
Wilflrid Wood, on Saturday.
As arranged by Mr. Arthur
Smith, the route taken from
Whitby was via Lealholm, Castleton,
Commondale, Kildale Ingleby
Greenhow and Broughton, the
return iournew being made via
Stokesley an

Visit to Danby crnd Ccrstleton
On Saturday members of the
aroheoloeical -section of WhitbY
Naturalis{s's Club enjoyed exploring
the remains of the old castles of
Danby and 'Castleton, under the
leadeiship of Mr. F. G. Askew' After
July 30th, 1954.
a coach'journey through beautiful
countrvsiae bathed in sunshine, the
nartv stopped at the Castleton sile
'on 'Castl-e- ttitl. Here tbev were
ioined bv Mr. F. Weatherill, the
banbv mison who carved the Elgee
me,mdrial on Castleton moor and
who volunteered nr,uch interesting
information.
The feudal fortress of Castleton
was founded by Robert de Brus
about 1092. It would consist of a
wooden building surrounded bY a
stockade as a Motte and Bailey type
of castle. but was re-built in stone
bv Adam de Brus abou1. 100 Years
laier. lt rvas shaPed like a horse
shoe, and was of the Shell KeeP
tvne. with a turret tower on each
sirie'guarding the main entrance,.in
front of which was a d.rawbrldge
simitar to Mulgrave OId Castle.
Nothing now remains excepl-a few
vards 6f walling on the north side,
bbout thirteen feet thick' The castle
stood. with a surrounding moat, on
the northern extremity of Castleton
On Saturday, twentY-nine mem-
bers of the - Botanical Section of
Whitbv iNa,turalists' ,C1ub met at
Fvlind'Hall Slation, which, as usual,
was b-eautifully laid out with flowering
plants, and was much admired'
Th.-e -partv stood in silence for one
minuie iir me,mory of their late
member, Miss C. PoPPle. From the
station. under the leadership of Mrs.
E]lam. thev made Uheir wav into the
valley and through Lhe woods to
Howdale Gorgel across the beck, and
uD a steeD inEline on the other side'
pisiine the Old School. A Pic-nic
iea whs enjoY-ed on the heather
which, except -for the BelI variety'
Bridge overlooking the River Esk,
and iommanded a vierv oI the main
road between Rosedale and Guisborough.
A stone mantelpiece. from
the oastle, taken from a house in the
villaee. is now in the Masonic [IaIl
at S5ltburn. In 1300, the fami-IY o{
Latimer, then the owners, abandonect
the,old feudal fortress at Castleto4,
and besan to build Danby Castle
which the Naturalists also visited.
Thi,s proved quite an adventrrre,
as Danby was one of the earliest
types of balace fortresses, completed
about 1302. A gruesome dungeon
was inspected with shudders of
dismav. but more cheerful were a
kitchen with a hure fireplace and
larse holes at either side where the
doq:s were kept that turned the sPit,
anii a small chaPel. The most
interesting fact about Danbv Castle
is that some upPer rooms are srul
used. one beine where the Court
Llel'jutv meet. 'A' plan of the castle
showi that 'it was'quadrangular in
shape, with square turret towers at
each corner. with a courtyard in tle
middle. In the iurv room rs an olo
oak chest in *hiCh manv ancient
documents were .tound some Years
aeo. It fastened with iron bands and
n6 less than five locks'
Botcrniccrl Section ForcrY
August 13th, 1954.
was no't vet a,t its best. The return
iournev 1o the Station was bY a
hinereirt route, via Browside Fhrm,
across the railwav and several fields.
owins 1o the vaiietY of the walk:
throu"qh woods, meadows and moor-
Iand. a good manv different-sp€cies
of flowers were noted, over lorrY ln
alt. To list a- f6w of. them-giant
white campanula. climbing. corydalis'
St. John's wol'ts and hawkweeds rn
variety, cathartic fl'ax, dwarf malIow,
trioerti bugloss. marsh and Pale
willow her6, black brionY, etc. The
sun shone brightlly all the afternoon,
ind the ourting - was very much
enjoyed.
13

When Whitby Wqs Industricrl
An excursion of absorbing interest
w,as enjoyed by members' of Whithy
Naturalists' Club on Saturdav. The
thriving industriai district -of the
Whitby of manv years ago from Bog
llall to Ruswarp was ably reconstructed
by Mrs. F. S,tory, who produced
old pictures to illustrate her
remarks. At the outset the large
party examined the exterior of Bog
HaIl, dated 1719, and the gardens,
then proceeded ,to the site nearby
where Richardson's tannery stood in
7707.
The houses clustered at the foot of
Waterstead Lene, formerly ttre
narrow "\f,atering" Lane, were built
for the workpeople. A foobpath
beside the tannery was 'the only
means of reaching Ruswarp in the
days before the railway was built.
Watering Lane nan down,to the river
where there was a ford, and was
probablv the most ancient track in
Whitby, and, a cen,tury ago, was the
busiest par,t. Roperies stretched
along the present site. of Esk Terrace,
and nearbv stood the Esk Inn,
herring houses, and an icehouse
where ice iblocks brought from
Sweden were J

Ncrturcrlisls' Entertcrined
Memrbers of Wihitby Naturalists'
Club were guests of Scarborough
Aroheological Societv at Scarborough
oh Saturday. At the Wood
End Natural Histor.y Museum th€y
were welcomed by Mr. G. Watson,
the curator, who conducted the
party round this very delightlul and
interesting mr.nseum-the Mammal
Ha11. the- British Bird Rooms, the
Foreian Bird Room, the Fish and
Repti]-e Room. the Geological Room
anii the Vivarium. Mr. Watson
explained many of the more impor-
tant exhibits, and answered
nu.merous questions, his intimate
knowledge and sense of humour
being much appreciated. Wood End
Following heavy rains, it was an
agreeable rsur,prise that Saturday
was preceded by two fine days,
which made the excursion to Stony
Moor possi'ble under almost ideal
conditions. About thirty mernbers
of the Botanical section took part,
under the leadership of Mr. W.
Geary. The route was by Raygate
Slack, where there is a fine example
of an old style sheep-waLsh, with its
irregularly-shaped fold into which
the shee,p were herded; ihe washbeak
in which tfrey were cleansed
before cJipping:. and the cleugh b,y
which the water was afterwards
allowed to pass down into the Cil1.
Washing the sheep in this manner
was practised before 'the present
dipping methods came into use. The
details of the walk had been planned
to confirm to t he availabJ.e train
service to Levisham Station, and
although the time-fac'tor made it
irrxpraclicable 1o collect many specimens,
there were some interesting
finds, including great valerian, tway
blade, wall lettuce, arnd spearwort. It
was essentially a he,atther walk, and
August 271h,1954.
is the former homg of the Sitwell
family, and the Library wing has
been arranged for the display of a
collection of printed books, manuscripls.
drawings and other objects
associaled wirh the Sibwells, including
the famous portrait of ttle family
by J. S. Sargent. The mernbers went
on to the ;Scafborough Art Gallery
and enjoyed seeing many beautiful
and interesting pictures, and later
spent some time at ;the fine old
Piarish C'hurch of Si. Mary's, almost
in the shadow of Scarborough Casfle.
In the chur'chyard is the grave of
Anne Bronte. The return journey to
Whitby was through beatiful Harwood
Dale,
Excursion to Stony Moor
September 3rd, 1954.
on Stony Moor cross-leafed heath
and purple heath were noted among
the ling or true heather. This moor
is a small heatherlclad tract covered
with numerous boulders consisting
of estuarine grits and sandstone,
along with quartz and quartzite,
authoritatively stated to have been
brought down during the Ice Age by
the rush of water from the head of
Wheeldale. There are also many
"standing stones in circular and oval
form,ation, erected by pre-historic
tribes. During the tea interval mention
was madti of the close proximity
of th,e partv to the site of the
two-centuries-old Raindale MilI.
Opportunity was taken to visit the
St. John's Church, at Newton-upon-
Rawcliffe, and to see a ;turret clock
example
-an
of fine craftsrnanship.
The atmosphere wa's very clear
throughout the afternoon, and the
views var,ied and magnificent.
Returning to the Station, Mrs. A.
d'O. Brown ex'p'ressed the trhanlrs of
the memrbers for a very successful
outing.
TJ

Enioycrble Rcrmble lrom Gocthlcnd
Members of Whjtby Natu.ralists'
CIub enjoyed a delightful moorland
walk on Saturday, led bv Mrs. L.
Hollings, Darnholm, Goathland.
They went via T'wo tlowes and
Sim'on Howe to Hunt House. follow-
ing a track. used_ ,by pre-historic
lng a lrack- used. by pre-hlstoric
man
-more . than 4,000 years ago.
Proof of h.is existence. mainjly as a
hunrter, pu^nrtgr,. hunter, is provided provided by the flints flints he
ielL le.tt behind, oerllno, marnty mainly of ot a mesolithic mesolrtntc
character, micro)iths. neeqle-shaped
pieces, and a few tew neolith neo.l.rthtc arrow
heads. neaqs. The TEe '1he party partv sathered gathered together
at Simon Howe, where Mrs. Hollings
e{plained that lound Howes, such as
Simon Howe, were o{ the Bronze
Age. and honoured the most impor-
tanl ps6pls of the tribes. Siniilar
Howes could be seen in a1I directiols,
Foster Howe, Louvain Howe,
T;i]la Howe, fligh Woof Howe, anci
olhers whic,h were unnamed. Some
of the Howes were surrounded by a
ring of contiguous stones, two to
three feet high, and others had a
secold circle inside the ring. What
lav b.eneath the Howes coild only
be ascertained by expert excavalion.
She explained -in iome detail the
work carried out at Loose Howe by
Dr. Elgee, who found a boat burial
with an oak leaf coffin and lid.
accom,panied by aa eight feet boat,
dug out and beautifullv shaped.
Inside the coffin there ha-d beeir a
f911. length inhum'ation of a fully
cloth.ed man. tris shoes on his feet,hii
bronze dagger at his hip. and his
head resting on a piltow, possibly
covered with linen fdbric.
T'1he first mention of, Sirnon Howe
was in May, 1294, when a Goarthl,and
man, Hugh Prudrhomrrne, with four
com'pranions, killed three hinds with
bows and arrows on Simon Howe
\[oss, and carried them to a sheeofold
at Littlebe,ck-a daring deed
because it was heavilly ounishable to
hunt deer in Pickeringfcirest, with the
risk of oullawry and even deiath. Thai
September 10th, 1954.
prart of the moor was always within
the.Regard of the Forest, lnd once
ln trrree yqalg a jury of freeholders
made a detail survey of woods and
clltured ground. FLom thal record
they le'arned lhat in the four{eenth
century the value of draught'oxen
was 2s. 8d. to 3s. 4d eacLr, and wagons
were 6d. each. In the account blook
of the Constable of Pickerine Castle
in 7322 was the entrv: "For -itre sale
oI dry wood for the- use of a smelting
place and charcoal faotorv in
Wheeldale 13s. 11d.: also foi- a
licence for Robert Short, smith, Lo
reside ther€ 5s." Wheeldale was
evidentlv the scene of considerahle
aclivitv in those days. There was
also mention of the lease of a house
yjth meadows and pastures -in
Wheeld,ale for the surn- of 13s. 4d..
and the occupier was Tho.mas de
Huntthouse. He was a man of some
importancg and the name Hunt
Houise remained. I'hroughout the
seventeen.th and eighteenth century
the land was leased to successive
sheep farmers, bul as a sheep strav
il became most no'ted durine lhe lif-e
time ot Willie Smith of Hunt House.
born in 1821. He was a noted
breeder of blackface sheep, and did
much to improve thern.
During the walk Winnev Nab
could be seen, an imposine mass
against the sky line, and Mrs.
Hollings recalled that at one time
Malo Cross stood oh its sumrnit. and
thev could well imagine whai an
rmporlant landmark it must have
been.
Although it is generallv regarded
as a poor year dor heather, sorne
beau,tiful st:etches of purple were
seen, and some members were
fortunate enough to find some pieces
of whirle heather. Mr. Hickman
expressed the Club's thanks to Mrs.
H^ollings for what was a deligh,tful
alternoon.
lo

At Bcrndymere
September 17th, 1954.
Eneircled by lofty Scotch Pines,
Douglas firs and Japanese larches
Iike guardian angels, RandYmere
Reservoir lay cradled in serene
loveliness under warm sunshine and
fleecy white clouds on Saturday wtren
visited by the Whitby Naturalists'
Club.
Under the leadership of Mr. Ben
Taylor, the party spent a memorable
afternoon walking round the reservoir,
exploring the surrounding
woodlands, and examining the
chlorination house. The reservoir,
which is lined with concrete, is
unusual as it is not an orthodox
type. Here, instead of a single dam
ac-ross a valley holding back the
waters of a stream, are two dams,
one at each end, and no stream. The
water comes from Wheeldale GiIl,
Huley Spring, Oakley Beck, The
Oaks and Hazel Head Springs. The
Comoanv which built the reservoir
for 'futriiby was first {ormed in 1864.
In the woods Mr. A. Wood noticed
two uncommon birds, the tiny goiderest
and the tree creeper' as well
as a peacock butterfly. Mr. Taylor
told the members that Randymere
was unique in providing ideal conditions
for many different species of
birds, both resident and migratorY,
through the combination of pine
woods, moorland, sheltered valley
and the water itself. He mentioned
the pigeons as the chief nesters in
tla pine trees, unfortunately prey.ed
upon by carrion crows and jays.
Kestrels, nightjars, sparrow hawks,
tawny owls, most of the tit family,
and cole tits were also found.
Winter flocks include crossbills and
siskings. The latter do not normally
nest in this country at aII. Redstarts
are very common in the summer,
also wil1ow warblers and wood
wrens. The reservoir itself attracts
dipoers. two kinds of wagtails, the
pibt and the g:'ey sandpipei-s. herons.
greenshanl(s and many krnds 01
duck. as well as mallard. Teal nest
in the vicinity every year but the
young seldom reach maturity. Game
and rabbits are not plentiful' but
loxes are often seen. An occasional
visitor was an otter. The grey is
now the only kind of squirrel found.
Every year, on the first really fine
day of spring, a watch was kept for
the arrival of the toads. These make
their annual pilgrimage to the water
to breed, and their appearance was
spectaculor. One day there was
none to be seen, the next they were
evervwhere. The reservoir keePer
had his work cut out diverting them
to the pond at the Julian Park end,
and abbut a month later the Pond
was black with tadpoles. AnY spawn
q'hich should appear in the reservoir
was believed to be eaten bY trout
as it quickly disappeared.
The thanks of the party to Mr.
Taylor were expressed by Miss
Keigh1ey.
L7

Dcys of Smugglers Reccrlled
The old. bad days oI smuggling
were revived lor Whitbv Naturalists
on Saturday, wlhen Mrs. Brodrick
Robinson led a large party of club
member:s to explore the Ugglebarnby
and Sneaton dis,tricts. At De,an
Hall Mrs. Robinson said that some
people think it used to be "D,ane's
HoIe," where the Danes, who
infested this part from time to time,
made tbeir .Cood and grain store. It
is knorvn that just outside Mr.
Noble's farmhouse there is an und.erground
tunnel with five ste,p,s leading
down to an uncertain 'destination,
possiblv to South House or the
Red Barn. The latter is notorious
for being the scene of the arrest of
Father Postgate, wlho was thg last
priest from this district to be
murdered, if not the last. at York.
So much smuggLing took place
round about in the olden davs- that
a hiding hole f or contraband was
essential, and when the hole at Dean
Hall was opened about fortv years
ago wood was found similar to that
used for rum casks.
Uggiebarnbv was at one time a
hot bed of smuggling. Imaginations
were stirred in hair-raisin,g fashion
bv Mrs. Robinson's word giiLures of
a bnnd of smugglers on a dark
night, when the tide washed up, to
Glen Esk, guiding their donkeys
laden with contraband and soirits
along the Monks' Trods to this place
of safety, the leading donkey having
a tinkling bel1. Stories of ghosts
abounded, and a well-known one
was supposed to haunt !"itts Steps.
The party proceeded down a
rough track known as Tom Bell's
Lane to the ruins of South House,
now in the last stages of decay, budlt
by a mem'ber of the Strangways
family. This was probrably Sir
Ridhrard Strangways of Qrmesby and
Sneaton, whose eldest son mar,ried
lVlarqaret Chotlmley, daughter of trhe
"Black Knight," who dou, tless lived
at the o1d Sneaton Castle in the
Another Strangways married into
the Mitford familv of Northumberland
and Hunm,anby Hall, Filey. It
September 241h, 1954
18
is interesting that this ltral1 in
WhiLby Strand became the propertv
of Sir Isaac Newton's famiiv inout
1700. Later it belonged -to the
Seaton Gray family.
The vvalk continued to Uggle_
barnby. so called from EglebertlJith
the long, or "owl" beaid. At one
time.il was a township of some 600
people. returning two members to
Parliamenr. "Ye OIde poor House;'
is belor.v the church, and the site of
the moat which surroun.ded the old
Manor Tlo_use can plainly be seen.
Ul partrcular interest was the ,.Mor,'.
or, -as .the lo,cals .call it, the
"Tinkler" stone, now standing'in lhe
grounds oI the present Manor House,
the home ol Mr. and Mrs. D.
fin'lqrey, who were warm,ly thanked
b.v Colonel Pewsey for welcomine
the. parlv. This slone is a foreigi
body to the sandstone of iliis
countryside and experts think it was
b:ought Jrom the North b.y glacial
action. Doubtless the locai'worthies
ga,the're.d together round it. There
nqay be some connecfion betwden
the stone and the farm known as
"Tinklers"rHall lower down the road
wirich, bearing the date 1682 on an
east window, was a famous meeting
nlena fnr cmrrooJarc
At the church, where Mrs. Robinson's
grandfather, the Rev. John
Brodrick preached the firsrt sermon
as Rector of Snea,ton, trwo pillars
were seen in the porch taken from
the original Saxon- church. also one
oI the only lour "Judas" stained
glass windows in this country. The
lrctern. hold,ing semi-precious stones,
is a copy of that in Sandringham
Church, and the ancient pew sides
came from Burv St. Edmunds.
The excursion ended with a visit
to the interesting church at Sneaton
and the Beacon, which was first
lighted to give warning of the sighting
lhe Spranrish Armada. In modern
tjmes it is used for Coronations and
other events of national im,portance.
A cordial vote of thanks was
p.assed to Mrs. Robinson -for a
delightful archeological outing.

,R
I
,*
I
,i
I
*
Favoured wiflh ideal weather,
seventeen members of Whitby
Naturalists' Club had an enjo,yalble
fungus foray to Mulgrave Woods, by
permission of ,the Marquis of Normanby,
on Saturday. Miss J.
Wiliiamson and Miss J. E. Wilkinson
were the leaders, and in spite of the
cold and wet summer, a fair number
o.f specimens were found. including
twenty-five basidiom;ucetes, Iive
gasteromycetes, and two ascomycetes.
A specimen of lycoperdon
Whitbv Naturalists' Club held an
open.mee_ting -to1 talks and exhibits
at the beginning of the winter
session on Saturday, when eight
members contributed to an interestln
d nr^,drcmme
Mirs Y. Brown gave an amusing
account of her quest in search of
the bee orchis, and Mr. P. R. Hickman
recounted his enjoyment of a
nine mile walk in ihe lovely dis-
trict betrveen Rosedale and Farndale,
along the old. mineral railway
track made in 1860 for the lronstone
mines then worked irn Roseda
e va,lley.
Mr. A. Smith read an- original
letter, written in diary form in 1834,
from a Whitbv emigrant during the
agricultua:al depression in this
country. Hs and his famiiy saileci
i1 one o,f the orld, wooden ships
which took six weeks 'and three
days to cross the Atlantic to Canada.
The hazards of the trip were
vividly describeci.
A particularly interesting account
of mo,les and their habits was given
by Mrs. O. Adshead-Breckon.
"P1a,nts out of Season" w'as the
Fungus Forcy
October 2nd, 1954.
Members' Tqlks
October 22nd,, 1954.
bovista, the size of a large football,
was brought by a mernber, and wds
examined at the beginning of the
walk, before enteling the Woods
near Sandsend Church to p,roceed by
the Tunnel and coach road. Tihe
beauties ol autumn, and the changing
Ioliage were much appreciated.
Specimens collected were displayed
and classified including a specimen
of Boletus versicolor, which was the
host of hypomyces ehrysosp,ermus
subject chosen by Mrs. C. lM.
Brown wbo displayed specimens of
pear blossom, primrose, wander
primrcse, deronicum, aub,retia, rock
rose and rock campanul,a now in
oloom.
Prints and pictures of o1d Whitby
thsatl es wele stkroll'n by Miss M.
Keighley who said the firs'f of
these was the "New Theatle," built
in 1763 in Scate Lane. now Brunswick
Street. Ii was afterwards
known as "The Theatre," then it
becalne the "Theatre Royal"l
FinaIIy firc destroyed the building.
and a room in Baxtergate was fitte6
up, but this was aiso 'burnt down.
The Spa Theatre used to be called
"Tl:re Saloon."
A good specimen of a Bronze Age
axe head, dating from 500 B.C. was
shown by Mr. F. G. Askew. It had
been found on ground at Gl:aisdale,
between the main road and the
river, callerd Gfrryll Slack.
i\{is^; M- C. Wa1ker made a plea
{ol ciiscretion in picking rose-hips
as they provided lood for birds in
the wiurter.
10

Autumncrl Chcnges Seen in the
Countryside
October 29th, 1954
Colonel C. Pewsey presided over
a large attendance at a meeting of
Whitby Naturalists' Club on S,aturday.
when the secretary of the Club.
Mrs. O. Adshead-Brec]

Corn Grinding Methods
November 5th, 1954.
Mr. A. F. Bury Ugthorpe,
addressed members of WhitbY
Naturailists' Club on Saturday on
"The Evolution of Corn Grinding
and the Development of Water
Mills." Mr. Burv has helped to -make
a survey of water mills in ths Nortl!
of Engl-and for the dual PurPose of
investigating their potential usefulness
as generators of electricity or
other sources of power, and also
their historieal and mechanical
interest.
NIr. Burv said evidence existed
that corn - grinding was Practised
trom earliest limes bY means ot
stones or "querns" worked bY hand
amonsst nrimitive tribes in Northern
trndia. in -Africa, and by the Australian
aborigings. Thg w-ord "Quern"
was derived form the Sanscrit verb
to rub or grind together. In
Anslo Saxon. Dutch and Danish the
woid was practicallv the same in
pronunciatidn. The uie of the quern
I'ent back to prehistoric times and
its earliest abpiication. In this
countrv it was -introduced about 100
B.C. and in the "'Saddle" form; one
stone rubbing backwards and forwards
ov€r another. Livingstone
mentioned the saddle form in his
African travels, in Northern
Nieeria the ball and bowl form was
used, while in the 'Canary Isles they
favoured the disc form of a pattern.
Dr. Johnson also mentioned the
ouern in his -iournal of his tour of
the Hebrides. In the middle ages
power was used for purposes other
ihan erinding corn. Machines cut
wrought iron bars into nail rods, and
every castle, abbey or other comuniti
had its own corn grinding mi]].
Q61p mills formerly existed in
Eskdale at Egton Bridge, AisIabY,
Brissswath. Usglebarnby, Danby,
Lea'iholm ind o[her plabes. Eighty
nine mills .were mentioned as
existinq at one time in Cleveland'
Aftei the introduction of water
mills machinerv replaced human
labour [o a large extent. Water
mil1s sprang up. At Present th-ele
were tlwo classes of water mills,
UiU Lathes and Dams, an example
oi ttre latter being the mill a!
Ruswarp which was also a tidal
mill.
Mr. Burv exhibited many Photographs
and a fine model of a Shetland
mill.
Mr. Watson thanked the sPeaker
for his instructivo talk.
2l

CIub Entertained by Archeological
Members
November 12th,7954.
Eleven members of the Archaological
Section of Whitbv
Naturalists' Club contributed to th"e
meeting held on Saturday, and a
number of beautiful photberanhs.
taken by Miss Tindaie -duriris -thi
sumrner outfligs, were on vie'"'i, and
were greatly admired. N{r. A. Smith
showed a map of the course of Bagdale
Beck. and spoke of its imporiance
in the past in the transport of
slone .[rom Aislaby Quarries, -and of
!!e. bqsy water mill built in Stakesby
Vale in 1759. Mrs. Niven referred
to the book "God's Graves and
Qqhptqt-.' recently acquired by the
Club Library. She mentioned corrections
which had been made to
certain erroneous statements in the
book, and suggested these should be
inserted in the Club's copy.
. Miss P, Moxon gave an account of
the summer meeting of the Roval
Archeological Institute of Grbat
Britain which she attended at
Durham. She said it was a week of
delightful and instructive lectures
and outings to places of archaeological
interest. Miss Keishlev told
the ctub the history of a Celtic
quern, now in the Museum. and
which she acquired about fiftv'vears
ago. It was found at Julian Park,
near. Goathland, and was a verv flnd
specimen, with both stones in'position.
Experts placed it as belonking
to the Iron Age, 100-200 B.C. -Mr.
sand {eet in a distance of less than
ten miles to join the sluggish River
Derwelt. _ Before the Ice Age, he
said, the Derwent entered the
Jackson showed a letter written to
the Rev. George Young, the historian
in Whilby, from Mr. Thomas Hinderwell.
of Scarborough, in 1817. giving
lntormalton about manv of the
churches in the dislrict. Mr. Hickman
spoke of his walks in the Vale
of Pickering, and of the many
Etreams, some of which fell a thour
'sea
nerar Scarborough, and it still seemed
celuctant to flow the other way.
tle Rqv. C. C. Fowler produced a
window blind cord to which was
attached an acorn-shaped knob. He
;alct the acorn shape was probablv a
:elic of the Druidical -cult ol ihe
racred oak, said to be the only tree
lo give safe protection during
inunderslorms. As time went on,
ecorns were regarded as, charms
against lightning, and were often
p)aced in the windows of dwellings.
Ihe acorn-shaped knob to winddblinds
still hung in manv modern
wlndows,
. Mrs. Erierley told of many visits to
the Orkneys. which wer6 islands
steeped in history and romance, wild
and often inaccessible. She spoke in
particular of one ancient chuich site
on the tiny remote island. the
Brough of Birsay, which had polsible
association with St. Ninian. Excavations
were particularly di,fficult there,
owing to the fact that Viking settlements
were always built or Pictish
sltes.
Mr. F. G. Askew described two old
stone crosses at Sandbach which
commemorate -the introduction of
Christianitv into Mercia in 653.
Mrs. O. Adshead-Breckon spoke of
tJre discover.y within the lasl three
years of an old Stone Age track, L20
miles in length, from Berkshir'e to
Grimes Graves in Norfoik, where
there were the remains of many
mine_shafts, and where, 5,000 years
ago, Neolithic men dus flints for
their spears and arrow heads.
22

Lqntern tecture, " A Nclturclist's 'Holidcy "
November 1gth, 1954.
Mernbers of Whitiby lrlaturalists'
Club were entertained on SaturdAy
by a rseries of colour slides shown by
Mr. I. Carr, head forester to the
Mdlgrave Estate. coloned [L c.
Pewsev introduced Mr. Carr, who
explained his slides and entitled _his
taLk "A Naturalisrt's Holiday."
He began bv showing many views
of the deep ploughing on Huttgn
Moor in preiparation for the planting
of spruce, and later, red oak, which
were able to grow under the acid
conditions of this moorland soil. [Iis
holiday tour took him to London,
and the audience were shown
beautiful pictures of Kew Gardens
and Regent's Park Zoo. On the
return journey, views of Fountains
23
Aibbey, Studley Royal. and Durham
were shown, followed by slides of
the Farne Islands, with their m,any
rare birds, Seahouses, Bambrough,
Carter Bar and on to Edinburgh,
where Mr. Oarr visited the Zoo and
photographed many of the animals
and birds.
-Among the last pictures were some
of the f amous Yorkshire crosses-
Ralph, Anna and Fat Betty, and an
unusual series of the wild oxen of
Chillingwor'th, the only herd of wild
caltle in Britain to-day.
During the, talk, Mr. Carr rnade
comments on the different types of
oolour plates used. A vo,te of thanks
to Mr. Carr was proposed by Mr. J.
Lindley.

Botanical Section Meeting
The Botanical Eection of Whitbv
Naturaiists' Club enjoyed a varie-d
programme on Saturday, when a
number of members contributed to
an open meeting.
Miss V. Brown presided, and said
she had been fascinated during the
summer by the Passion flovrers at
Whitby Spa. She had looked forward
to the opening of the flowers which
Iast for three days only, and she
instanced the belief that this flower
is so called because it signlfies in its
_s€pa,rate
parts the Passior, of uur
November 26tl^\,7954.
LOrd.
Miss Hebron presented a book to
the section librarv entitled "The
Coming of the Flowers.'' by A. W.
Anderson, which was gratefully
accepted. Traveller's Joy, named by
Gerard, famous herbalist anil
traveller, was exhibited, and described
by Miss L Sutcliffe. This is
a chalk pLant with an almond scent
and is prolific in Essex.
The Fa4ne Islands had this year
been visited by Mr. T. Wilkinson,
who spoke about the two wild plants
mainly lound there, the sea-campion
tissues are stimulated ir:.to abnormal
gfoqth which produces rhe gaII.
r rnarry a pupa or pupe lie in the
cenlre. of the gall and, in the
lotlowlng season. bite their way out
and sia|t their lile cycje again.-
A_ diverting account of stineing
nellles _ was given by Mrs. - O.
Adshead-lJrecKon. Interesting lacts
emerge.d that . a good dye dan be
maS.e by boiling nettle 'roots, that
neltles are supposed to cure rheu_
matic aches. and that the seeds onlv
germinare on soil disturbed by man.
Mr. H. Scruton brought three new
b_ooks to the notice -of members,
'Wild Flowers" or "Botanising iri
Britain," "Wild Flowers at a Gla-nce"
and 'Blitish Plant Life." bv W. B.
TurriII. which mainl.y deals -with the
biology of the floweiing plant.
_ .The rjrre and beautiful piant,
I.innaa Borealis, chosen by Liinead
to perpetuat , his name, was described
by Miss Conder, who showed
pressed specimens and mentioned
lfe
and another planl of the Borage
family, probably introduced from
California with the poultry food
supplied to the lighthouse keepers
{or ttreir fowls. There are rnore
than seventy different species of
plants in the islands. Hedges of
Daneswort or dwarf elder havE been
planted to afford shelter to the
keepers' gardens.
Miss M. C. Walker talked about
"Gails" and showed beautiful exhibits
of "Robin's Pincushion" on a rose,
and marble. spangle, currant, cherry,
silk button and b,lister ga1ls cn the
oak. These galls, she said, were
caused by flies which puncture the
_ql?n1 lissues. a,nd lay their egqs.
When these hatch, thi: surroundins
jo-y p-he experienced when seeing
the__ Iittle plant growing near
Jedburgh. Ii is a perenn-ial, and
prefers firwoods, especialiy in Scotland,
but is also found in parts of
Yorkshire, having been iniroduced
by recent afforestation.
In CasUe Howard qrounds Miss
J. Wilkinson had found a bird's nest
fungus (crucibrulum vulgare), which
grows on wood, twigs, old sacks and
sawdust. The specimen she showed
was found on the latter.
A sample of pennycress found at
Aislaby was exhibited by Mrs. O.
Shaw where flowers, leaves and
fruits were present on the same
plant. Mrs. Shaw also said she had
looked in vain this year at Upgang
tor a special clump of Grass of
Parnassus which had been comoletelv
buried b1' sand

McncrEement of Gn Estcrte
M'r. E. W.'I. Malcoim, agent to Lord
Nornanby, talked to the Whitby
NaLuralists'Club cn SatuldaY, on
"Some Aspects o{ Estate Managenrent."
Mr. I\{alcolm. r'eferred to a
book written bv Edward Larvrence
in L727, when hb ri"'as s'reward to the
Mulgrave estate, entitled: "The Duty
o{ a Steward to his Lord," and said
that many of the precepts there set
forth were gcod to-da:r.
Contrnuing, tire speaker said there
are threg types of nanagement, (a)
the cwnel who looks a-fter his estate
himself and, possibly, one farm. This
group accounted Ior slrty per' cent. oi
ownel occupiersl , i:) the whole
tims residenl agent icoking a{ter
orle oI more lalge e siaies, rvhich was
the general practice and (c) the
agent in a rural area who managed
a number of small estates, dealt in
lard, agricultural valuation, rent
collec'ting and of..rce worl

Talk on Ancient Cities
NIrs. I{ollings, Dar,nholme, thrilled
fellc'w members of Whitbv Naturalists
CIub, on Saturday with a vivid
account of her recent visit fe the
exca-'r'ations at Pompeii and Herculaneum.
He1 descriptions oI all s,he
had seen, wirile wandering about the
lgln:, rnads those ancient Roman
cities come alive again.
Pornpeii and Hercuianeum were
buried by tire terrilble eruption of
Vesuvius in the year ?9 A.D. when,
said Mrs. Hollings, the people there
had no idea that the mo{rntain -was
v.rlcanic, or that they ought to leave
their homes. The great volcano
poured molten lava. boiling wa:ter
and boiling mud upon Herculaneum,
engulfing its inhabitants, and burying
it 50 to 100 feet deep undel a mass
which cooled into hard rock, making
excavation arduous and expensive. A,i
Porrpeii 20 r'eet of stones and ash
cr)veted the citv and this can be
remi)vecl more easily than the rock
at llerculaneum.
n'Ii's. Hoilirrgs read rnoving extracts
from letters written by the youngcr
Pliny. a leading Roman Iawyel and
frienci of the Emperor Trajan in tater
years. who was an eye-witness of
the events wl)iIe staying with his
uncle commanding ,the Rornan Fleet
based on Misenum, on the northern
shore cf the Bay of Naples. He
wrote ,his description of the tragedy
at the request of his friend Tacitus,
the historian.
Herculaneum was immediatelv at
the loot of Vesuvius. by the sea, a
pieasant, select litt1e place, full of
sunsirine and peace. From its houses
have come collections of bronze and
marbles of exquisite design and
beaut5'. speaking of the culture and
December 16th. 1954
26
wealth of its p,eop1e. In one place
was found a library of more tlhan
1,000 papyri which, despite their
fragility and charred text, have been
translated.
The excavatlons of the eighteenth
century at Herculaneum were made
by means of tunnels. This is not done
any lo'nger, and. by descending a
long staircase, visitors can walk
about in its streets.
Pompeii was abou,t a mile lrom the
mountain. a comrnercial town of
perhaps 12,000 to 20,000 people. In
contrast to Herculaneum the greater
part of thg inhabitants of Pompeii
escaped into the countryside.
Nowadays ,the policy is to clean
and restore what is found and
replace it in its old position in the
houses and on thg streets. An
uncovered house is seen as it was
originally, containing mural paintlrngs
with a wealth of colour, loaves
of bread in the ovens. scones, fruit
and grain now charred and many
homely articles. in the shape of
kitchen w'are as well as valuable
jewellerv anri silver dishes.
The speaker said that town planning
was clearly seen by the layout
of thr: streets and the setting of the
hr'uses which were chie,flv two
st,Jrer s higir. She ended heir talk,
which was illustrated with prhotographs
and pictures, with a description
of the various shops to be seen
on a walk through the streets.
The Rev. C. C. Fowler, who
presided, paid tribute to the
speaker's ability and Mr. P. R.
Hickman, who has himself visited
Pompeii, erdorsed this in proposing
a vote of thanks.

Bird
The Rev. C. C. Fowler presided in
the absence of Colonel Pewsey at the
meeting of Whitby Naturalists' CIub,
on Saturday, when Mr. Michael K.
Swales, B.A. (Cantab.), gave an
unusual and fascinating talk,
entitled " Bird Watching in Norway'"
Mr. Swales was one of a pariy of
Cambridge Students, mainlY members
of the Cambridge Bird Club,
who stayed in the Peninsuia Lista,
South Norway, for the Past five
years during the autumn 'migration
period, under the auspices of the
Stavanger Museum and the direction
of its Curator.
The aim of the expedition, said Mr.
Swales, was to determine the extent
and nature of bird migration at
Lista with a view to setting up an
observatory there. Mr. Swales said
that observers stayed at Loshavn
and regular early morning watches
were kept at the top of Eigvaag hill.
This proved to be a suitable locality
f,:r watchin g diurnal migration,
which took place on a massive scale
on one or two occasions. A11
migrating birds passing over this
ooint were counted and the direction
of their flight noted. Other members
of the party stayed at Borhaug and
kept a regular morning watch at
the Fvr. with an occasional watch at
Steinodden. A daily census was
made of the birds in an area in the
vicinity of the Fyr so as to make
deductions concerning the night
misrations there. In addition,
waTches were kept at the lighthouse
of the Fyr for part of certain nights
during a period.
A vivid word picture was drawn
by the speaker of windless, misty
nights, with no stars visible, spent
on the lighthouse balcony when
Wcrtching tn Norway
December 24th, 1954.
masses of birds, losing their way,
would come calling, as if mesmerised,
to the light. Attempts were
also made to find out more about
the nature of the movement of birds
through the hi1ls of North Lista on
to the plain itself.
It was necessary to catch numbers
of birds in order to ring them, and
this was done by means of several
different traps. A Heiigoland trap,
arranged in a wood in the lighthousekeeper's
garden, proved a most
successful method. Seven hundred
birds were trapped there in four
years. A wall trap was erected and
clap-netting laid down on seaweed
to catch waders. Spring nets and
chardonnerets were unsuccessful. A
total of 412 birds o[ 31 species were
ringed last year, and almost all of
these were weighed and measured.
There had been 30 bird ring returns.
The overall total of species of birds
seen in Lista is 194. During
migration as many as 12,000 birds
pass in an hour. Considerable
numbers migrate south-east and
north-west. There is a smaller
passage of birds to the south-west,
and sparrow-hawks are the only
birds seen to go south. Among the
migratory birds were noted
bramblings, fieldfares, starlings,
coal-tits, kestrels, merlins, shorteared
owls, shags, buzzards, grey
lag-geese, cormorants, auks, crossbiils.
buntings, chaffinches and flycatcners.
In the five years' plan the party
achieved their object, and recommended
that an observatory be set
up at Lista.
In passing a vote of thanks to Mr.
Swales, Mrs. Gregson said migration
was a very intriguing business.
27

Fcrscinating Nature Tolk
At the first meetins in 1955 of
Whitby Naturtalists' Club, Mrs. O.
Adsheiad Breckon, secretary. referred
to the death orf one of their oldest
mernbers, Mr. A. Gibbon, of
Grosmont, who died on January 3rd,
aged 86. Up to the end o,f iast
summer he went reguiarly ,on the
Club's outings, and was able to do
the lo_ngest walks-a trim, spare,
upright figure striding over the
moors he loved and knew so well.
Mrs. Adshead Breckon said that
Mr. Gibbon was a rare cou,ntryman,
and a grand old gentleman, and the
Club would long remenrber him with
affection and aclmiration. Members
stood in sile'nce in hirs lrr€rnorJ/.
A talk ol1 "Obsen,ations from
Nature" was qiven bv Mr. Fra,nk
Stonehouse, and memlbers listened
with rapt attention to his vivid and
absorbingly inlerestinq accounL ot
wbat he had seen and heard o{ wilci
life in the countryside. He described
the lives and habits 'of foxes, stoats,
weasels, squirrels. pheasants. paltridges,
kingfishers, h'erons, c.rows and
many other creatures, and imitated
January 28th, 1955.
28
the cries and calls of some of them.
Mr, Stoneho.use s,:poke od the
singleness of purpos6- of tJ.e stoat
when pursuing a rabbit it had
marked out for its prey, and he gavs
intfiguing instances of the tricks a
fox wou-Id piay to escape hounds.
Pheasants and partridges were birds
which Mr. Stonehouse knew
inl,imately. ancl rnn.y were the
stories he Lold of them. particularly
of the way the mother bird gua,rdeii
arnd taught her chicks, and of tLre
almost uncanny way they had of
s_uddqnly disappearing lrom sight at,
the slightest sound oT danger.- He
told,. too,- of the .sagaCity anq
1 cunnlng cunning ot of the carrion crow, crolv, and
of the various alarm cries of many
ibirds. Indeed there seemed little
:that Mr. Stonehouse did n'ot see or
ihear out o'f doorsl he ,lrad collected
'a great fund of intimate knowiedge
'of wild life, and he presented -.r
vivi'i picture of the countryside in a
:rdeligrrtfully easy and hum,orous
cmannef.
i Vt.. J. Lirndiey expressed the
Club's thanks to -Mr. Stonehouse.

Whitby Fishing HistorY
February 4th, 1955.
Introducins Miss Dora Walker,
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts'
as the speaker at the meeting oI
Whitbv Naturalists' Club on Saturdav.
the Rev. C. C. Fowler, who Presid-ed.
described he: as the -friend oI
Whitby fisherme-n who had accePted
her as one of themselves.
-Miss Walker. whose books on the
subiect are well known. gave an
ibsorbing talk on " The WhitbY
Fishing Fleet." It was not known'
she sa"id. when the fleet started in
Whitby, but fishing must have begun
when - the necessarv tackle was
invented. The flrst mention of a
fishing boar putting out from Whitby
is ma"de bv ilede. when the Princess
iltneal. in 654 A.D. visited St.
Cuthbert in one of the boats used b-y
*re ilv 'brethren of the AbbeY. If
rnonks were fishermen then there
must have been others.
wheri the Danes destroye-d -thg
town and Abbey, Young records tnal
i16-* nstterrnei's huls-were erected
amonq the ruins. A colonY so-on
iorme"O. and the first Abbot o'f the
started to collect
"e*ty-Uuitt Abbev -
iiit'tei. Fish must have been a defin-i1J
sourCe of income to the Abbey
;A tht fishermen were likely to
hive 'found the Abbot's dernands
verv tivine. In spite of this the
freiilne "inalustry brought prosper.itv
to th6 men owning and worKlng
itreir boats, as somelimes t4"Y
n*iouel-tt in some 30.000 herring at a
catch.
'..i"-isg+ a vast shoal arrived, and
atiiacled foreigners who sold lhe
Eiir_f,j. export.- Three pence in .the
nound was charged untll complarnls
ivere made that the natrves were
be-ing deprived of their food, and
iuitn"et s'ales for export were forbidaen.
By 1544 WhitbY had become
;^;;;; Rir'ine town, with boat-s of
5o:-40 tons -navigating through -a
eood deep harbour entrance,-.and /4
s-mlJt craft operating qs well In
I-SOZ everv WednesdaY became a fish
day in the NavY.
*-ttrtlir a dislstrous change took
place. By the wear 16J6 the harbour
iiad silterl up, breventing the larger
boats from working. Unemploymetrt
was rife, and the fishing industry
was driven from the town to tne
coiit vittages of Staithes' Runswick,
Sandsend and Robin Hood's BaY.
Drastic alterations had to be made
to the harbour, and WhitbY fishing
families were reduced to nine. Nevertheless.
in 181?, there was a large
fishins ffeet, registered at WhitPY'
ooerating ooeraiine along-the Strand. London
nierchanl nierchani purcFpased ourchpased on the spotancl spot and
transport -was bv sea and p?nn-ie.r. pannier.
The -large The boats were decked-in
-
large boats were decked-in
vawls, ca-rrying two cobles. starting
work in in- Maich, Maich. going out to the
Doager o-n a MondaY and returning
bv - the Friday night' Lines were
viorked through the winter as now,
Herring fishing lasted lrom JUIY-
Septem-ber, after which the Whitlcy
boits went to Yarmouth until
November. The Tale HiIl herring
houses were built in 1833, and the
new railway gave a great impetus to
29
the industry. It was not so mucn'
however, as had been hoPed, as the
railwav took over the Hartlepools
and Scarborough, and these towns
boomed as fishing Ports. Between
the two. Whitbv was negiected' and
her townspeople feverisNv tried. to
turn her into a fashionable walerrng
oti,fi', *uru"r described the various
tvpes of fishing boats illustrated by
niliiseum models of the coble. mule'
keel boat and trawler' The fishing
coble had it,s origin in tlhe Norse
ihios and had redlained unchanged
to this day, except fo,r mechanisation.
Unfortunaielv, the trawler destroyed
snawn and diminished the fish that
clme inshore. As fishing became
mechanised and steam trawlers
airived. conditions worsened and the
fishermen turned to crabbing. -However
after they accepted the idea ol
mechanisation, motbr cobles and
mules started a new era.' The dred-ger
frid tretpeO to rnake the bar less
dangerous, and the Scottish fishing
uoail. after a long break, were again
a seasonal feature.
Miss Walker eoncluded with a
thrilling account of her personal experiences
as a fisherwoman' -a!ct
bmohasised her conviction that fishine^was
not dead in WhitbY nor ever
would be.
Mr. A. Smith, in thanking the
sneaker. reminded her that he built
tire ouarter deck on her boat, the
'Good Faith."

Whitby Bridge History
, WiLh ttre subject of bridges so
Ioplca.l tn tle town, there was
consroerable tnlerest in an address
on,"Whirby _Bri{ges" bv Mrs. W. A.
lvllltaro, Millard, of OI Slerehts. Sleights. to mpmhers members nf ol
Whitly_ _Natural-ists' rClub, Millard,
Whitbv
al td;
Kenda{Room Sendaq Room on Saturday. Colonel
H...9. Pewse.v presided, lnd before
ca.tlrng calling on Mrs. MilIard [o sDeak.
calirng_ on Mrs. Millard to speak,
he paid a tribute to the ]ate Mi. W.
J. C. Wood. vice-chairman vice-chair,man of thF the
ctu6. .wiroie'a;;rir,';;''sata, wis "ln
irrepairable tross.
. --ry.Irs. Milliard began by asking
"where was the first -whitbri nriaeaiE
? question posed by R. T. Ga;kin
rn. .hrs book "The OId Seaport of
Whitby." The.y were aII familiai.
she. said, with the legend thai
uedmon was lhe first p€rson to
work_ a ferry aoross the hiver Esk,
bul Charlton and young answered
tl-re question wh_en they dgreed thaf
trnere was rn earllest ilmes a wooden
Drrdge at . S-tone Quay. Boghali,
wfiCn Stood for rnany generations.
lnls.brldge began at the boltom of
rne hghway on the south side of
tl'.!e Leper's Hospital. ran across the
river into Waterstead Lane. and only
seemed to be for foot passengerr-.
There was evidence that a ttroroieh-
la.re connecting Staithside uiith
llowergate used to descend to the
older quay level by a series of steps
.teadrng to a f ord with steppins
glones crossing the harbour to'thE
llasl srde 10 connect with Ellerbv
Lane. Undoubtedly a bridge exisLe-cl
ln some form at Whirby on the
present site before 1S9b. When it
was considered how necessary such
a communication must have been
whgn t_hg monastery was standing,
and and how small ttre sweil of the
sea into the harbour then was. it
could scarcelv be doubted that the
molt

Lecture, "'A Medley of Flowers "
Despite the wintry weather there
was a good attendance at a meeting
of Whiiby Naturalists' CIub on
Saturday, for an interesting lecture
entitled "A Medlev of Flowers," by
Miss J. Wilkinson, Sleights. The
February 18th, 1955.
talk w'as ilusirated by a wonderful
collection of lantern slides loaned by
Dr. Sledge, head of th€ Botanical
DeDartment of Leeds University, to
wLiorn Miss, Wilkinson expressed her
indebtedness. and also thanked Mr.
r'. Readrnan, the lanternist. Miss
Wilkinson, in her ta1k, sought o show
which wild flowers grew together
and whv. and spoke of the differences
of climatic conditions and soils
on floral habitat. She summarised
the wav plants lived and referred
to the various soil formations-sand,
clay, calcareous, loam, siliceous, peat
and siet, describing the peculiar pronerties
of each. Miss Wilkinson indii:ated
how different soils suited
different plants, and the eflects of
altitude and climate on P1ate communities.
Slides of damp atrd dry
oal