INDUSTRIES
In 1990 the West End and The Square could be called the industrial estate of North Dalton. The industries are John Scott’s steel construction company number 1 Map 1, Wilkinson – haulage contractor number 21 Map 4, Wold Travel – tour operators number 33 Map 4, and The old School Tea Rooms and Soft Furnishings. John Scott Engineering bought Little Wold from Fred Thompson who built the workshop. Thompson bought the site from D. Rowland, who excavated and leveled the site, with the intention of building an accessories depot. John Scott is a local boy made good. His father, David, and Uncle Jock were the village blackSmiths and his grandfather too, from the turn of the century until the 30’s. Wilkinson Haulage was founded by Ernest Kennington who built Wolfreton Lodge and developed th haulage business – Note Ernest Kennington died. Joyce Davey and her husband Peter bought the Old School. Joyce Davey was an upholsterer and soft furnisher. (now – 1996 – living on the Isle of Wight). She converted the large and middle classrooms into work-rooms and showrooms. She made curtains etc. for several large houses in the East Riding, as well as for local people. Mrs. Davey converted the infant’s classroom into a Tea Room which became a popular place for cyclists and other travellers. Margaret Gibbons was a popular cook and waitress in the Tea Room. David Rowland bought the old blackSmith’s shop at Number 10 Map 1 and also the unused Wesleyan Chapel. He converted these buildings into stores for a caravan accessory business. He built the bungalow Number 21 Map 4 and rented the field Number 36a Map 1 belonging to the Village Hall to park his vehicles. He eventually closed down the caravan business and became a coach operator under the name of “Wold Travel” The business is still expanding. Wold Travel run day trips, weekend breaks and holidays abroad. They also run a mini coach for local runs and School work. We are very fortunate to have Wold Travel based at North Dalton, especially so for the more senior people, who are able to go on day trips, being picked and dropped more or less near to their homes. David Rowland and his wife, Jan, are most helpful and considerate to their passengers.
WOMEN AT WORK
Probably as long as men have cultivated the land, women have supplemented the manpower at different seasons of the year. Before machines to reap and bind corn were invented, women helped their men folk in the harvest fields. THE WOMEN’S LAND ARMY did a great job during the wars making up for the shortage of men on the farms. At North Dalton in the 1970’s an agricultural contractor, Gordon Barker, came to live in the village and he organized gangs of women to work on farms which grew potatoes and Brussel sprouts. They also helped to gather in the straw bales at harvest time.
HINDS WIVES
During the 1939-45 war several ladies worked voluntarily in the N.A.A.F.I. Previous to the 1950’s the hardest working women on the farms were the “hinds” wives – usually the foreman’s wife – who were responsible for the boarding of the single men who lived in the “Hinds” house. These men were engaged each Martinmas week for all the following year. The number of men to be boarded and lodges varied from one to three on the smaller farms to seven or eight on the larger ones. The “hinds” wife of course had her own man and family to look after too. The days for these women must have been long and hard, especially at harvest time when “Looances”, that is tea and something to eat, had to be provided not only for those men “living in” but also for all the other labourers who were helping with the harvest. The “Looances” were provided at 9.30 a.m. and 3.00 p.m. each day. The menus in the farmhouses were very similar whichever farm the men were living at. Mondays was of course the washday, which meant an extra early start in order to get the copper fire lit to boil the clothes. The coppers were also used to make a gallon or two of “broth”. These women did not have washing machines. They relied on dolly sticks, washing tubs, mangles (wringers) and muscle power. So the menu for Mondays was cold beef and boiled suet dumplings. Tuesdays in the farmhouse was always a baking day, as was Friday. On those days the men were presented with huge, meat and potato pies, this was usually followed by a rice pudding. The menu for breakfasts never varied from cold beef and plenty of apple or prune pies. The teas were similar, maybe home cured ham or bacon instead of beef. Meat was bought by the stone from the butchers and on baking days flour and lard were used by the stonel They baked all their own bread, made pounds of curd and churned no end of butter. During 1960 and 70 Dewhirsts – clothing manufacturers at Driffield – ran a mini coach round villages in the area collecting women to work in the factory. Similarly, Twiddales turkey factory at Driffield employed Women from the villages.
TREE PLANTING
In 1970-1980 the Dutch elm disease killed all the lovely old English Elm trees in this area. There were Some giant specimens, in particular there was on along Back Lane near Peter Caley’s. There was also a fine old tree near the road end leading up to West Field Farm and along West End there was a massive Weeping White Elm. The plantation between the church and the road from the church gates to Manor Farm was decimated by the disease, as were some Elms near the cemetery at the junction of Stork Lane and Diker’s Lane. There were also some fine specimens up Stork Lane, These too have gone. One particular and noticeable victim of the disease was a beautiful Weeping Elm growing on the island in the pond. This tree we felled in August 1983 by the Parish Council. It was replaced by a Weeping Willow, given by Peter Caley and planted on 1st January 1984. The tree is a Salix Matsudana Pendula. Larry Greenwood and I planted it. The reason why the willow is not in the centre of the island is because we could not remove the stump of the old elm, which was in the centre. By the way, the Weeping Elm was 127 years old. The plantation was completely re-planted. Anthony Byass of Manor Farm provided the trees and the labour. George Foster and Tommy Lazenby planted them. The plot near the cemetery was also re-planted in 1984. Mr. and Mrs. Larry Greenwood, two teachers who live in the village, grow, preserve and plant trees as a hobby. With permission from local farmers and the County Council, they have planted quite a lot of trees round the village. They planted five on the spare ground at the first corner along the Driffield Road. The County Council later planted some more. Larry Greenwood advised on the choice of, and supervised the planting, of trees in January 1978 to commemorate the Queen’s “Silver Jubilee”. These trees are planted in the hedgerows either side of the Driffield Road, just outside the village. Nine trees were planted – two Silver maples, two Green Leaf Maples, two Silver Leaf Limes, two Large Leaf Limes and one Cherry. The following people planted the trees – George Foster, Michael and Robert Conner, Denis, Jean and Sally Barr, myself, David, Andrew and Graham Lyon, Mrs. A. Byass, Katey and Oliver Byass, Mr. and Mrs. Greenhoff and family, T. Foxton, Mo and Larry Greenwood. Also three Copper Beech were planted near the play area. In 1952-53 ornamental trees were planted on the site of the old well Number 9 Map 2 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. Three seats were erected on this site too.
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