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hr> name=Neville Gardner website= email=neville.gardner@ntlworld.com location= message=Re Maypole Trust constitution. further to some requests, those who would like a copy of the Barwick in Elmet Maypole trust - constitution. Send me an email and I'll attach a file copy in reply. name=Neville Gardner website= email=neville.gardner@ntlworld.com location=leeds message=Re: Roger Ecclestone. Further to Marks’ explanation of the current maypole lowering procedures. Originally the maypole was managed by three Pole Masters this was changed in 1951 when Stan Robshaw formed a committee to take control of the maypole and to provide a management that was accountable. The original format was for the term of office to end once the pole was down. At this point tradition was for a public meeting to be called to elect new Pole Masters (now a committee) who would then be responsible for the pole and proceedings for the next three years. As became common practise the meeting would be called, then a proposal to adjourn to a better venue would be passed. Meetings took place usually in the Miners welfare, or school in more recent years. Then, in 1994 the Barwick in Elmet Maypole Trust was created and formally constituted at a public meeting in 1996. The Trust was to be managed by a committee duly elected at the triennial public meeting. Clause 5 (i) of the constitution states …. “There shall be a Triennial public meeting in connection with the Trust which shall be held, in accordance with established custom and tradition, on Easter Monday following the lowering of the maypole.” Amongst the usual matters of appointing members etc, the accounts would be offered for scrutiny and approval, usually preceded by some questioning, one in particular about the cost of “free” beer! There were often occasions when the committee was “ribbed” for one thing or another. As stated by Roger, when at the public meeting in 1969 apparently, a couple of ladies were out to scuttle the proceedings just as Mr Stan Robshaw was proposing to have the existing committee returned “en Bloc.” One of the ladies called the committee a set of old fogies. There was also another occasion when the committee was accused of being a “closed shop,” possibly around 1972, as then and also just as Mark states now, it’s a democratically elected committee, every one has a vote. The present committee seem to be adjusting the rules to make management simpler, but is it technically (traditionally) correct, and are they likely to be now creating a precedent. The Health and safety aspect has created a very large and conspicuous shift in the way such events can be managed, unfortunately a large chunk of tradition has been sacrificed in the process. Copies of the constitution should be available from the Maypole committee. name=Mark Vipond email=barwickmaypolecommittee@hotmail.com location=Barwick-in-Elmet message=Re. Roger Ecclestone’s post regarding the maypole lowering. The lowering of the maypole was indeed carried out on the morning of Easter Monday, as it was in 2005. Few people will be surprised to hear the reason for the morning lowering which is – you’ve guessed it – all thanks to Health & Safety legislation. We’re having to employ the use of a crane for the lowering nowadays, and the company we hire it from are very strict about crowd control and safety measures; these include the wearing of hard hats and visi-vests etc. for all involved and having a restriction zone around the pole. Hiring crowd control barriers and ensuring we have enough people to marshal the crowds is a very costly venture, and our funds are – regrettably – rather limited. For these reasons, we’ve kept the lowering as a relatively low-key event, although there were a few dozen spectators present on the day. Rest assured, however, that our budgets will allow for all the required crowd control measures to be in place for the raising of the pole on Maypole Day (which will once again be a morning affair as it was in ’05) and we’re hoping for a as big a turn out as possible from villagers and visitors alike. There will be a strict restriction zone around the pole and we'll be installing barriers across Main Street, The Cross and The Boyle with a view to allowing as many people as possible to enjoy the spectacle of the maypole raising. With regard to the fabled public, post-lowering meeting, this was essentially the Triennial General Meeting at which new/current members could be nominated and voted onto the maypole committee. The timing of this meeting meant that there could be a potential change in personnel at a pretty crucial time in the planning of Maypole Day, ie. between the lowering and the raising, and it was felt that a better date for the TGM would be after everything is done and dusted in June. This was carried out for the first time in 2005 and will be the format once again this year. Rest assured, our democratic tendencies still run true, and notice of this year’s meeting will be posted around the village inviting any member of the public to come along and vote or – you never know – stand for a place on the committee. You’ll also be glad to hear that whilst we are in no way a ‘closed shop’ we are still, most resolutely, a bunch of old codgers. Hope to see as many people on Maypole Day – 26th May – as possible to soak up the atmosphere and the warm summer sunshine… Very Best Regards, Mark Vipond Barwick-in-Elmet Maypole Trust email=neville.gardner@ntlworld.com location= message=Maria Re footpaths to Woodhouse farm. There used to be quite a few ways you could walk up to Woodhead farm from the village. Two that I have used are from the Boyle, through the field to the left of the houses. Was called "long tongue" or walk up towards Scholes along Rakehill Lane pass the old work house then turn right, further up the hill,over the fields to Woodhead Farm. I recall someone published a small book of walks in the Village some years back which might be helpful if you could get a copy. Or get an OS map which will show the paths anyway. name=Roger website= email=roger.ecclestone@yahoo.co.uk location=Leeds message=What a wonderfull site this is. I only came across it through curiousity as i had returned to the village last Monday with the hope of watching the maypole come down. To my surprise the Pole was down and resting in Hall Tower field. The people I asked told me it was much as a matter of fact and without any ceremony. When did the practice change from early evening lowering to early morning and do they not have a public meeting any more? It was always an eventful occassion to watch the struggle of bringing the pole down and then going to a meeting room where villagers would argue over one thing or another. I seem to recall an occassion when the villagers acused the committee of being a "closed shop" full of old codgers! Has it now moved in this modern world to autocracy ? name=Peter Simpson website= email=peterNdenise@googlemail.com location=Scarborough message=I am the only son of the late Violet BALME(born Barwick 1912),who in turn was the only daughter of John William BALME(born Barwick 1863) and Matilda Alice Blackburn, both of whom retired to Scarborough along with their daughter circa 1936. I would love to hear from any distant relatives still alive. name=Richard Perkins website= email=rvynerp@btopenworld.com location=Peterborough, UK message=Trying to establish an ancestral link with Perkin family, the tenant farmers of Lime Tree Farm. My confirmed ancestor James Perkin married Ann Smith on 24th Dec 1749 at Barwick Ch - James, John, Mary, Sarah, Thomas. Buried 25.03.1768 at Barwick. He was a farmer but I need to know where his farm was. name=Maria Garrett (nee Brogden) website= email=morleychildminder@fsmail.net location=Morley, Yorks message=I've seen a reference on the site to the "New" Graveyard - is it still there, and if so where! I wasn't sure what period this was used & whether it was linked to the Methodist Church or not. Best regards, and thanks again for all the time and effort you put into helping with these enquiries, Maria x name=Bill Prince website= email=bill@billprince.co.uk location=Northamptonshire message=I am a musician, and I was told (probably by my father) that Arthur Wood's "Barwick Green" was adapted from a Maypole tune/dance - is there any evidence, anecdotal or otherwise, to support this? It certainly has the feel in the first eight bars of a "morris"-type tune. A friend of mine is a musical researcher, with a particular interest in all things traditional, and has asked me the above question. I hope someone can help. name=Bill Prince website=http://billprince.co.uk/ email=bill@billprince.co.uk location=Northamptonshire message=My Grandfather Arthur lived at "Amigos", Elmwood Lane, after retiring from farming at Church Farm. Both he and my father (also Bill) are buried in Barwick Churchyard. I'd be interested to know if any photographs exist of Church Farm from the 1920s onwards - previous to that they lived at Allerton Bywater. name=Leighton Smith website= email=LeightonSmith@bigpond.com location=Australia message=I should like to make contact with any living descendants of my namesake, Leighton Smith, a former resident of Barwick in Elmet and a cousin of my late father. name=Mark D Vipond website= email=mdvipond@hotmail.com location=Barwick-in-Elmet message=Hello Maria and all who read this guest book. You are quite right Maria, I am a terribly cheeky boy - however - the post below *isn't* from me. I hate to see someone messing with Harold's hard work once again, but that post has clearly been made by someone even cheekier than myself and I’d love to know who. Whoever it is, their grammar is awful and the email address they’ve shown has clearly been made up. I’ll be emailing Harold to let him know… And, rest assured, we really don’t have time to start harking back to age old arguments over the pole anymore; we are way too busy with our preparations for this year’s Maypole Festival – 26th May, make sure it’s in your diaries – to enter into anything like that again. Regards to all, Mark EDITOR: I have deleted the entry referred to above as it was a malicious attempt to make trouble. H J SMITH name=Maria Garrett (nee Brogden) website= email=morleychildminder@fsmail.net location= message=I am grateful for your kind response to my previous enquiry. I have learnt through my research that my Brogden ancestors farmed at Woodhouse and Morwick. Are there any public footpaths that would allow me access to the land that my family would have worked? Thanks and Regards, Maria. name=Maria Garrett (nee Brogden) website= email=morleychildminder@fsmail.net location= message=Visited Barwick today to look for gravestones of my Brogden ancestors (yes, I really should get out more)and was a bit surprised that I only found part of 1 stone now used in the footpath to the rear of the church (John and Jane Brogden - died 1854 & 1829 respectively) - are there more old graves elsewhere in Barwick (at the Methodist Church?) or have they been lost? PS Mr Vipond you are a cheeky boy, why do you want to start another argument with dear old Neville whats-his-face?* EDITOR. See entry from Mark Vipond dated 15 Feb. 08 name=Dawn Mason website= email=dawnmason43@yahoo.co.uk location=Hampshire message=Have just found your website when searching for references to Marshall Street, Barwick-in-Elmet, because my great-grandfather lived there according to the 1901 census. His name was Samuel Blunt. Unfortunately it does not give a house name or number. Is Marshall Road still there? What does it look like? He died in 1915, I believe. He was a retired builder and cabinet maker, but I wondered if his name appeared in any local directories. I would be grateful for any information you could give me. Back to Barwick-in-Elmet Historical Society Back to the guest books |