100 years ago

The suffragettes who were walking from Edinburgh to London had arrived at Easingwold at about 3.30, on Saturday afternoon.

Smartly attired in brown-coloured costumes and brown hats, with a green rosette, they were 12 in number and took up their quarters at the George Hotel. Their entry into the town was very quiet, very few people being aware of their arrival.

The march was composed of a body of suffragettes drawn from all societies who had mobilised to carry the flag of Woman Suffrage from one capital to the other as a protest against the introduction of the Manhood Suffrage Bill, whilst women were excluded from the franchise.

The feature of the march was a petition praying the Government to adopt a measure for Woman Suffrage in the current session, which was presented for signature at every town en route and which would, by the time London was reached, have covered a distance of 400 miles. A handsome banner, “The Appeal of Woman”, bespoke the purpose of the march and the spirit in which the enterprise was organised, and a pretty feature of this miniature army was the green lanterns carried at nightfall.

The march would continue on to York where they would be met at the city boundary by several of their friends and a brass band.

50 years ago

The greatest single difficulty facing chiropodists in treating the nation’s feet, could be summed up in one word - fashion. Once women got into a shoe that was comfortable, they looked on it as the first sign of old age.

These views were expressed by Mr PJ Read, a vice-president of The Society of Chiropodists, whose northern branches were holding a conference at the Royal Station Hotel. On the question of foot care generally, he said that until fashion entered the picture, most people’s feet were more or less all right. He emphasised that proper measuring of feet for shoes was essential in preventing foot trouble.

Criticising the tendency for “self-service shoe bars”, Mr Read commented: “It is tragic that the girl who fits your shoe in the shop may have been selling apples at the grocer’s the week before.”

25 years ago

York’s city-centre market, it was suggested, could move back into Parliament Street after 23 years – if people wanted it.

Councillors had just agreed to seek residents’ views through the area committees before drawing up plans for the move. Councillor Ken King (Lab), said since the city’s footstreet scheme was introduced the previous month, many traders had suggested the time was right to move back into the city’s main thoroughfare. But before making a firm commitment the council should see what residents themselves wanted, he said.