Monday, August 22, 2005

100 years ago

A pack of otter hounds, booked from Croft to Bedale by a Mr Robson, proceeded on this morning to hunt Bedale Beck. They arrived at Bedale at 11.30am and were met by a very large number of followers. They proceeded up the railway and on to the beck, which they hunted up beyond the railway bridge without hitting a drag.

50 years ago

A hope that, as an outcome of better world understanding, Britain would soon be able to make a substantial cut in the length of National Service, was expressed by the Mayor of Morley, Alderman H Malcolm Smith, at Imphal Barracks, York. Alderman Smith, who took the salute at the passing out parade of recruits of the West Yorkshire Regiment, told the parade that in the present conditions, National Servicemen were playing a vital part in the security of the realm. The recent Geneva meetings, however, gave hopes of a new and better understanding between nations. One result of this might be a welcome cut in the existing length of national service. Congratulating the recruits of Corunna and Sebastopol platoons on the efficient standard of training they had achieved in the 10 weeks since they had been soldiers, Alderman Smith also paid tribute to the regular soldiers in the unit.

25 years ago

Archaeologists were asking for more time to explore York's famous Viking site in Coppergate where an apparently unique find had just been made. The site where digging had been going on for four and a half years was still buzzing with excitement after the discovery of a Viking die-cutter's iron die, the first unearthed in this country. The find proved that minting and die-engraving was carried out in 10th-century Jorvik, a fact expected to arouse the interest of numismatists all over the world. "If this piece is a genuine Viking-age die, it will be absolutely unique -- the one item we have always dreamed of digging up,'' said Mr Richard Hall, deputy director of York Archaeological Trust. "None of this date has ever been found in this country," he added. "York will have made numismatic and archaeological history." Over the next few days, experts would clean the circular die, which was 9 cm long with a design on one end. Archaeologists had found silver pennies and lead trial-pieces on the site in recent months. The discovery provided final proof that minting and die-engraving took place there. Mr Hall spoke of their surprise that the building where the die was found -- the house or workshop of a "moneyer" or engraver -- was of wattle construction. They had expected it, as the premises of an important person responsible to the king for minting money, to be different from neighbouring buildings.

Updated: 09:34 Monday, August 22, 2005