STOB CROSS
Near Stob Cross stood a ruined dovecote where a poor
girl put herself down for love, on the very spot of her appointments
with her traitor lover.
Her spirit was said to hover round the cote in the form of a milk-white
dove, distinguished from its companions by three distinct crimson spots
on the breast. The poor maid was laid in the churchyard “allowed her
virgin strewments” and the bringing home bell and burial. The traitor
lover drowned himself some years after in the "Floatbeck", being buried
where four roads meet with a stake or “stob” driven through his body,
left the name of the transaction to Stob Cross. Suicides were interred
at midnight, with a stake driven through the body. This “fixing of the
body” was thought to get rid of corpse and ghost together. This
barbarous custom was prohibited by an Act passed in 1823, requiring the
coroner to direct the private interment without religious rites, within
twenty-four hours after the inquest, and between the hours of nine and
twelve at night.
From the above account the “Floatbeck” was the name given to the beck
close to Brandon House Farm and in early times four roads did meet at
"Stob Cross."
DOGGIE
How West Cornforth came to be called “Doggie” has
puzzled people for many years. The author is as uncertain as anyone
else, but gives below four probable explanations from which he leaves
the readers to form their own conclusions.
When the Ironworks were built at Cornforth the iron ore was transported
there from the iron stone mines in Rosedale, which belonged to the same
company. The seam of iron stone worked was the top seam and this was
called “The Dogger." Later there was an iron Foundry at West Cornforth
which produced metal supports for a fire grate, or for fire-irons these
were known as “dogs.” The same works also made an iron spike called a
"Dog” used on the railways to fasten down a chair onto the sleeper.
The most common explanation favoured by most people is that the village
was noted for a large number of dogs. Incidentally there was an area at
North Ormesby called “Doggie” where there were ironworks and foundries.
JACK ORMSTON
Born
October 30th 1909,
Jack Ormston, the
son of Fred Ormston a local butcher, was a flamboyant character, He went
to Barnard Castle School where he was “flogged, gated and made to report
every hour” - after being caught riding a motor bike in town. Later he
was to captain the “Wembley Lions” Speedway team at twenty one, often in
front of 100,000 fans.
His speedway career
spanned the late 20s and the 1930s. While riding for Wembley 1930-32 he
won the first ever London Riders' Championship at the Crystal Palace
(1930), and took part in the first-ever England v Australia Test Match,
at Wimbledon (also 1930).
He then joined Birmingham (Hall Green), and then from 1935-39 rode for
Harringay Racers in London. He was runner-up in the Star Riders'
Championship (forerunner of the World Championship) in 1935, and then
took part in two World Championship Finals at Wembley, in 1936 and 1938.
He rode for England in a total of 13 Test matches against Australia, of
which 3 were in Australia in 1937-38. He had earlier ridden in Australia
in
1932-33, taking the world speedway title.
At that time the
Wembley team brought their bikes to be serviced by George Hudson a
garage mechanic at Coxhoe. In 1929 Jack Ormston was flying his own
plane, a Westland Widgeon monoplane, which had folding wings and was
painted red, This was housed in a shed at Thrislington Hall and the
landing field known as the “Football Field” was across the road from the
hall. Both hall and the landing field have been removed by excavations
by the Quarry. Great excitement was caused among the boys of
neighbouring villages as the plane roared overhead skimming the chimney
tops, and looping the loop. He also took part before the 1939-45 War in
that great air race the “Kings Cup Air Race." Later he was an amateur
steeplechase jockey and racehorse trainer residing at Hutton Magna. He went on to train Le Garcon D'Or, the horse which won more flat
races than any other.
Truly, a very interesting character!
ANECDOTES
Mischievous boys of
which there seemed to be enormous numbers would lay tricks on the
unsuspecting public. Here are examples of a few. Boys propped poss-tubs
(barrels) containing water against people's doors then knocked on the
door and ran away. The occupant on opening the door would be met with a
deluge of water as the barrel tipped over. The handles of the front
doors of two adjoining houses were tied together with string.
Again there was a knock on each door followed by the inevitable running
away. When the householders tried to open their doors they were
prevented from doing so each pulling against the other. On one occasion
while this trick was being performed the string attached to the door
handles was left rather slack. One of the occupants managed to partially
open his door and stuck out his head between the door and the framework. Just then the occupant in the next house opened his door and nearly
strangled his next door neighbour! Another prank was to fasten a pin in
the putty of a window framed to which a piece of thread was tied, a
button was allowed to slip down the thread until it touched the window. When lifting or lowering the thread the button made a persistent tap,
tap against the window. The occupant on coming outside to investigate
the noise could find no reason for this. Lighting newspapers which had
been stuffed into the bottom of the downcomer pipe which led from the
gutters of a house produced a hideous sound inside the house once more
bringing out an irate householder, Needless to say all these pranks were
performed after dark.
Harry Green lived in a little cottage on "the Green” at Cornforth where
he did odd jobs in the village, bill posting, etc. After posting up
bills for a circus visiting the village the circus people refused to pay
him for his work.
The local people taking the law into their own hands threatened to push
the caravans (which were parked on waste ground at the top of the hill)
down the hill unless he was paid for his work, Travelling players, a
common feature in the early days of this century, often performed in the
village. One day two men arranged a show for that evening, one of the
men taking the entrance money at the door. When the hall was full his
companion appeared on the stage keeping the audience amused with jovial
patter. After a while he said "My friend is getting ready to entertain
you, I will see if he is ready." He then left the stage and the hall,
with his companion and the takings, and the two were never seen again.
A custom no longer practised was that of “bidding” when friends of the
family of a deceased person would go round the village inviting people
to the house of the deceased after the funeral for a meal, One lady
known as “Welsh Betsie” would attend all funerals even if the deceased
was unknown to her. When asked about the funeral she would say in a sing
Song voice so characteristic of the Welsh “The rice it was nice, and the
spice it was beautiful."
An old man
who was often teased by local boys chased two boys one dark foggy night
and they, running onto the railway line, were killed by a train.
Two boys Joseph Easton aged 11 years and Thomas Gray aged 7 years were
burnt to death in a house fire on Wednesday night, 8th May and were
buried on Saturdays 11th May, 1918. The house was near open land now
beside Thurston Grange. The fire is believed to have started in a
bedroom and caused by a lighted candle.
A local barber when shaving a customer would remark “Haad thee head
still.” If he cut anyone first aid was rendered by tearing a piece from
one of the bills used in advertising with which the walls of the shop
were festooned, and sticking this on the injured part.
