Friday, March 26, 2004

100 years ago: The Archbishop of York had received, from an anonymous donor, a sum of £20,000 for the assistance of the widows and orphans of the poorer clergy in the Diocese of York. This "splendid benefaction", which was assumed to come from a loyal and distinguished churchman, whose family had had an interesting and close connection with the affairs of the Diocese and with York Minster. The common object of the Diocese's Clergy Charities, one of which was established in each Riding, and which mostly dated back more than a century, was to relieve the widows of clergymen; children of deceased clergymen who were unprovided for; clergymen who became necessitous by age, sickness, infirmity or misfortune; and the children of necessitous clergymen in their lifetime, so far as to assist them in education and advancement in life.

50 years ago: What were believed to be a series of earth tremors were felt along the Yorkshire coast, including Bridlington, Flamborough Head and Spurn Point. The vibrations shook houses and rattled doors and windows, each "wave" lasting a few seconds, with a short interval between them. On the south side of Bridlington some residents ran into the sea in panic, and on the north side the ceiling in one room of a hotel cracked. Some people reported a bang before they started, like an aircraft breaking the sound barrier. A theory was put forward by a member of the Bridlington Augustinian Society that the strata at the coast had tilted under the alluvial deposits of Holderness, causing the vibrations through the earth.

10 years ago: Ethical foods were available on supermarket shelves in York, thanks to the efforts of a consumer watchdog pushing "politically correct" goods. Caf Direct coffee and Maya Gold chocolate bearing the Fair Trade label were available at several local shops, with plans for a similarly-labelled tea to follow. Fair Trade only accepts goods from democratic companies that pay their workers a percentage of profits, have approved working conditions, do not use pesticides and do not pollute waterways or destroy forests. It was believed that there would be a large amount of customer demand for such goods in York.

Updated: 10:11 Friday, March 26, 2004