At Royd Press we want to hear your comments on our books, and especially any extra information or corrections you may have. Local knowledge can be the best guide!
At the Foot of the Lud:
These will all be corrected in the reprint.
Yorkshire Dales Textile Mills: the picture on page 138 is not of Hector Christie, but of John Bonnie Dewhurst. Our apologies, and this was corrected in the reprint.
Fabrics, Filth and Fairy Tents: thanks to Arthur Whitehead of Marsh, Huddersfield, for pointing out that Victorian journalist Angus Bethune Reach got a name wrong (page 4) when he says "The town of Huddersfield belongs to one ground landlord - Sir John Marsden." (The mistake appears in the original newspaper report.) This should have read Sir John Ramsden.
Growing Up in Sowerby ... and more - Jean Illingworth.
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Back row, left to right,: John Kerridge, Eric
Moore, Audrey Moore, Margaret Kerridge, Margaret Jowett. Perhaps someone can complete the missing names? |
Mrs Christine Capstick, nee Mark, now in North Allerton, wrote to identify herself in the photo above. She is a cousin of the (late) Audrey, Eric and Dorothy Moore. As a young girl her family stayed at Moore's Farm, Upper Field House, Triangle and she has memories of that special time. She has heard from Dorothy Moore in Australia - Dorothy's brother-in-law David Sutton sent her a copy of the book.
The Holroyd children were identified by Mrs Marie Bates, nee Hitchcox, who used to live in Newlands Avenue.
Dennis Hobson, who is in the school photo on page 45 (back row, 5th from the left), phoned from Melbourne to say he had enjoyed the book.
Pauline Nobes, whose husband used to live at the Star Inn, said that Whitakers Brewery sold of the portrait of John Almighty with other items that went to be auctioned!
David Cliff the author and secretary of Ripponden Historical Society lived at Rooley Heights from 1956 when the family moved up from Sowerby Bridge. In the photograph on page 32 of the Ladies' Outing to Blackpool, his grandmother Mary Cliff is on the extreme right, and lady crouching in front wearing a white jacket or cardigan is probably his Aunt Betty . In the bottom photo of the men's pub trip to Redcar Races, his grandfather Derrick is at the rear wearing a tie and with curly hair, to the left of the man in the trilby hat and above the "1952" in the caption. He thinks the date is incorrect as they didn't come to Sowerby until 1956.
Peter Ward, now in Scarborough, said that his Dad was landlord at Shepherd's Rest, Hubberton. Peter knew Willie Lang who lived in Haighs Buildings and was the champion cornet player with The Black Dyke Mills Band. He took Peter as a boy to hear the Halle Orchestra rehearse in Manchester and Peter was introduced to Sir John Barbirolli.
Tony Murphy, who's in the school photo on page 45 (4th from right, back row), says that his grandparents were licencees of The Star Inn during the 1920s and that his Grandad was called George Habergham.
Mr Norman Storer (now in Barnham, West Sussex) says his family used to own W. J. Storer, Drapers, Wharf Street, Sowerby Bridge. There were three shops in the block and theirs was in the middle. On the left was Harrison's Bakers (at the bottom of Church Bank) and on the right a milliner's shop. In next block was Reggie Tidswell's, Joiners & Undertakers, and next door was a sweet shop (opposite the Roxy)
Mr Hartley (now in Wickersley, nr Rotherham) says his father used to have a fish shop at Copley. He's now in touch with Jean's lifelong friend Stuart Hartley, whose great uncle he is.
Mary Chapman, nee Haigh,says her parents Harry and Connie used to run Sowerby Post Office from 1934 - 1959.
Other comments are: "I think the book is great, it brings back so many
memories."
"Congratulations, Jean, you really have made a lot of people
very happy, I love all the historical facts also!"
Mrs Margaret Walsh (nee Cardwell), now of Huddersfield, says " The memories the book brought back are amazing! have sent copy to my brother Gordon in Canada. Our father was the Tommy Cardwell you write about."
Ned Carver in Trouble - Phyllis Bentley. We're trying to find out if the village of Hurstbridge is based on Elland: in the story it is a town a couple of miles from Halifax with a three-arched bridge. When the boys and mill-owner Mr Cartwright drive over the hills to the smith’s forge, they have “a splendid view” of rolling hills, with Hurstbridge in the foreground and Hudley beyond it in the distance. Most of the historical events she refers to actually took place around Cleckheaton and Liversedge. An Elland gentleman confirms the view of Elland in the foreground and Halifax behind, which he says can be seen from the Huddersfield-Halifax bus; and Elland certainly has a three-arched bridge so unless anyone comes up with a different idea, I think we'll assume Hurstbridge is Elland!
The Adventures of Tom Leigh - Phyllis Bentley. The puzzle here is that Phyllis Bentley says several times that the men fixing the cloth to the tenters have to kneel to do so, even when fixing to the top bar. This is also shown in an illustration in her non-fiction book, The Pennine Weaver. This would imply that the tenter rails were set close to the ground (the ones she is talking about have wooden, not stone, posts) - but other sources disagree with this. Any ideas?