Saturday, May 15, 2004

100 years ago: The wide use of electricity in lighting public buildings in York was taking its toll on the rate payer. York's City Accountant had prepared a statement of the cost of gas and electric light respectively for the past six years, as used in the Mansion House and other public buildings. In 1898 the cost of lighting the Mansion House was £22 5s 6d for gas, which by 1903 had dropped to £9 9s 11d, but with an added bill of £165 11s 11d for electric light. In the Guildhall and Municipal Buildings £32 4s 8d worth of gas was consumed in 1898, while in 1903 the figures were for gas £21 9s 7d, for electric lighting £95 18s 7d.

50 years ago: Spring was on its way, as the first report of a cuckoo in the area came in to Mr Nobody, rapidly followed by several other claims for the earliest one heard. Initially the columnist allowed the honours for the first cuckoo of the spring to go Copmanthorpe, but claims were coming in from various villages claiming they'd had one last month, the earliest so far being April 25. The first report of hatched birds came from St Ann Street in York, where a thrush was raising three young birds amongst some paint pots in a shed, followed by a report of a wren nesting in a coat pocket, and more unusually a business in Piccadilly reported a partridge wandering around at the back of their shop.

10 years ago: Children in an East Yorkshire village should not forget where their parish starts and ends, as one girl literally had it banged into her head. The ancient tradition of "beating the bounds" was revived in Bielby, near Pocklington, last year and was brought back again this year by popular request. The custom involved children having their heads beaten against the parish signposts in the hope that it would stay in their memory for ever. The idea to revive it originally came from the Open Spaces Society which protects village greens, although the tradition was varied slightly: the volunteer had somebody's hands over her ears to protect her head, whereas in the old days children's heads were beaten against the posts until they cried, just to make sure they remembered.

Updated: 08:39 Saturday, May 15, 2004