Stokesley is an old market town to the north-west edge of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. The River Leven runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by several bridges. The oldest of these is certainly the Pack Horse Bridge.

Its age is uncertain but records do exist of an order of the local court being issued in 1632 to compel the inhabitants to repair this bridge in order that the parson could cross into town to visit the sick.

It has been the subject of numerous sketches and paintings. Above are 3 different representations of the bridge.

The first is a 19th Century sepia photograph looking directly onto the bridge as travellers would approach it.
The second is my own photograph of the bridge as it is today.
The third is of a small bas-relief plaque in wood, carved over 60 years ago by my uncle.

Perhaps Caedmon, writing in the 7th Century whilst a monk under the Abbess Hild at Whitby Abbey, was the first Yorkshireman (perhaps even the first Englishman) to write verse? Caedmon was said to have been an illiterate herdsman who had a vision one night and heard a voice commanding him to sing of “the beginning of created things”.

Since that time countless other poets have sung about the life and events of North Yorkshire (see the 'Lyke Wake Dirge' on the previous page). In more recent times, verses have been published attempting to represent the Yorkshire dialect in written form. This certainly involves liberal use of the apostrophe!

One such dalesman published several collections of entertaining and expressive dialect verse under the pen-name of 'Erimus'. The poem of his which I reproduce below has a particular connection with the pictures above as my uncle, Edwin Richardson, who carved the wooden bas-relief of the Pack Horse Bridge, was one of the sons of the auctioneer, 'Auld Ap', recalled in the poem 'Farm Sale at 'Midnight'.

Ah went tiv a seeal yance at 'Midnight'.
Auld 'Ap' started preeachin' at ten;
He ranted on t' breedin' an' t' birthright
0' t' Maister an' t' poor daytal men:
He'd got bargains bi t' score for us buyers,
All t' stock was weel wintered, he said,
All t' hosses was soond an' good triers
An' t' beeasts had been varry weel fed.

He was sellin' some yows an' some wethers,
Sike a brokken moothed lot nivver stirred!
Some pooaks all stuffed full wi' feathers -
There was beastlins an' bowls o' white curd:
A wall-eyed auld gallower called 'Rastus'
Was tied up in t' stall next ti t' bull;
A razor-backed sow galloped past us
Leeatin summat ti git t' belly full.

A Westerdale youth wi' a tub-trap
Bowt a coo wi' its bag trailin' t' ground,
She 'ad a hingrowin' hoorn an' a blinnd pap-
But hotherwise - perfectly sound:
He bowt t' Missis some mair bits an' pieces -
A 'lye' an' tweea garden speeads,
Some bales o' Teeswatter fleeces,
All clinkered an' liftin' wi' caids.

Some farm lads was there playing marbles, Near a mangy auld dog an' some cats, There was stirks wi' their backs blebbed wi' waarbles
An' t' granary was swaarmin' wi' rats:
T' farmer's wife was a raucous auld creeatur,
Sike a skinflint, she'd skin ivvery louse:
She'd tak' drinks frea all 'at would treeat her,
Then skip smartly back inti t' hoose!

T' wasn't long afoor t' lads got their glimmers
On t' greeat sarvant lass 'at was there,
They forgot aboot biddin' for t' gimmers,
As she eyed 'em frea t' auld rockin' chair:
A reet useful soort ti' git wedded -
An' a bargain at seventeen steean two,
It would just need anuther yan like her
An' ye could yoke 'em beeath inti t' plew!

Click on the logo to be taken there

Noo ye nivver saw fleas that could beeat 'em!
We all ceeam oot i' greeat lumps,
We hardIins knew which way ti' treeat 'em,
As we scratted oor bellies an' rumps!
Auld Jim said, 'By Gum, but Ah'll cap 'em!'
They'd driven 'im just aboot fond;
He'd gi'en ower trying ti' slap 'em,
Sae he dived heead fost inti t' pond!

Ah had ti git t' Missis ti shift mine,
She threw all mi cleeas on ti t' wall;
Ah stood in a barril o' quick lime,
Then ah dived inti t' nearest coo stall:
She finished em off wi' a blow lamp -
Ye could hear 'em sizzlin' all t' tahm Ah was pleeased as Punch when they flooated,
ut she varry nigh did me some 'arm!

They say t' sun nivver shines there at 'Midnight',
Except for an odd tahm in t' year,
Maist o' t' worrk's deean there bi moonlight,
Wi' neca tahm ti' drink onny beer:
Ah was nivver seea glad ti git scamperin'
Wi' t' hoss's heead pointed for heeam,
An' Ah'd tak' a fair bit o' pamperin'
Ti git 'ticed back ti Midnight ageean!!

In the opening verse, 'Auld Ap' refers to the one and only Stokesley character A P Richardson - Auctioneer, known throughout North Yorkshire, now regrettably no longer with us. His dry pungent wit would loosen the purse-strings of the most inveterate miser.

Midnight Farm does, of course, exist. Situated in a fold of the Cleveland Hills above the typical North Yorkshire village of Ingleby Greenhow. It's very position denies it much of the annual sunshine it would otherwise receive.

    From: 'Wi' t' accent on Yorkshire': A selection of poems
    by 'Erimus' (Maistly for fooak wi' a yen for t' No'th
    Yorkshire Moors & Dales (Is there yan 'at 'as n't?)
    Published 1976 by Wm.E.Fell, Danby, N.Yorkshire)

James Cook was born at Marton-in-Cleveland in 1728, but his childhood was spent a few miles away at Great Ayton.

A commemorative obelisk now stands on the site of the family home which was removed stone by stone to Australia where it was rebuilt and now stands in the public gardens in Melbourne.

His old schoolroom in Great Ayton is now a Captain Cook Museum.

Overlooking this small country town, and prominent for many miles, an obelisk has been erected on the top of Easby Hill as a memorial to Captain James Cook.

At the age of 16 James was apprenticed at a general stores in the fishing village of Staithes.

After 18 months James left abruptly, walked the 13 miles down the coast to Whitby where he joined the crew of a collier, the 'Freelove'.

The ship carried coal up and down the North Sea coast, mainly between Newcastle and London.

Eventually James gained his mate's certificate. He joined the Royal Navy at the time of the Seven Years' War.

His expoits, explorations and discoveries after that are well known and North Yorkshire has many reminders of this illustrious man.

There are museums at Marton (Middlesbrough), Great Ayton and at Whitby.

This statue of the famous navigator, explorer and seaman stands on Whitby West Cliff overlooking the harbour from where he sailed on so many occasions.