Yorkshire's Best Guides

2 days ago

Happy International Hat Day!

No idea why it’s celebrated today but it’s a good excuse to mention that most Yorkshire of headgear - the flat cap.

The flat cap dates back to the 14th century when they were probably known as bonnets. In 1571 an Act of Parliament designed to help grow the wool trade decreed that all males aged 6 or over had to wear a woollen cap or pay a fine of roughly 3 farthings. Although the act was repealed less than 30 years later, the habit of wearing the hat was firmly established among the working class.

Traditionally made from tweed or wool the flat cap is characterised by a thin small rounded flat brim at the front and the pic is of yours truly wearing one back in the day!

#internationalhatday #hat #flatcap #yorkshireflatcaps #traditionalhat #woolcap #historyofclothing #hathistory #milliners #yorkshirehistory #yorkshire #experienceyorkshire ... See MoreSee Less

Yorkshire's Best Guides

4 days ago

"I've done my stint" is an old fashioned expression that used to be much more common. Now the trees are nearly bare, it's easier to see the regular strips of terraced land cut into hillsides in the Dales. If this were somewhere else you might see a vineyard or rice growing on such a landscape. In the Dales, it's simply a reminder of an ancient field system.

In Anglo-Saxon times, the land surrounding each village was held in common. There was a well-organised system of land usage. The land was carefully divided and allocated to villagers or 'commoners'. ​Hay was usually taken from the low-lying meadow land by rivers. A little higher up, another layer of land was used to grow crops and then grazed by livestock after harvest. The uplands were also be grazed. Commoners took turns to use the land or 'do their stint'.

The land in a productive field was carefully divided into strips so each family had an area to use to grow their own food These strips were used to grow crops such as rye and barley (for beer), and oxen were used to plough the strips or flat terraces cut into the hillside. The result of this was row upon row of 'lynchets'.

You can still see these medieval lynchets on the south facing slopes of many hills in the Dales. There are particularly good examples in Swaledale, Wensleydale and Wharfedale. I still find it incredible to think that these terraces from almost a thousand years ago can still be seen. They're been left largely undisturbed for centuries. Some of the lynchets were built up by piling stones cleared from the strips as they were cultivated. The flat strips are not wide, but were broad enough for oxen to plough. You may also spot some ridges and furrow, long ridges separated by ditches and used for arable farming. ... See MoreSee Less

Yorkshire's Best Guides

5 days ago

Do you know where/what this is? Clue: it's not a tardis!There was a time when you might have been very relieved to come across the distinctive AA telephone box that stands sentry on the A684 between Leyburn and Hawes near the West Burton turn-off. Such boxes were built in the 1950s and phased out in 2002.

The Automobile Association started to install their network of sentry boxes across the UK in 1912. This was when driving was in its infancy and the newly invented motor car broke down quite frequently. The first AA boxes did not include telephones but were shelters for patrolmen who were ready to help any motorists in case of breakdowns or to offer directions and first aid.

​Eventually the patrolmen disappeared and telephones were fitted into the boxes. Members of the AA were given a key so they could make free calls. Mobile phones gradually rendered this unnecessary and most AA boxes were removed.

There are now fewer than 20 boxes still in existence in the UK, and box number 442 on the A684 is one of just 8 that has been listed, to preserve it as one of the Dales' many distinctive landmarks. It's mainly thanks to volunteers that the iconic box is well-maintained, with small gardens on either side. ... See MoreSee Less