Neolithic artefacts, free and fee-paying scholars, a former Wesleyan chapel and pub – Flaxby is a small village but has a fascinating past. Resident Pat Procter, who has lived with her husband David in the village since the 1960s, delves into its rich history.
We came into the village in Autumn 1964 to look at the plot of land where John Ellis Builders of Aldborough was going to build. His plan was for five bungalows. We showed him the plan our architect had designed for us and Mr Ellis agreed to build our bungalow and sold us a parcel of his building land separately to accommodate it. (5 Shortsill Lane) The other four bungalows (Nos 1,2,3 and 4 Shortsill Lane) were then built. We moved into the village at the end of June 1965.
We thought the open east west views were wonderful and yet it was so easy to access the old A1. The name of Flaxby/Flasbie is of old Danish/Scandinavian origin. When we came to the village there were two working farms, seven cottages and not much else.
The Grange owned by the Gill family. This was originally in the ownership of Lord Mowbray Stourton who was the Premier Baron of England and lived at Allerton Castle. His grandson Edward lives at Allerton but the Gothic castle was eventually sold and beautifully restored by an American gentleman, Dr Rolph who bought it in 1984. Because of years of neglect, the renovation was an enormous undertaking.
The other farmer in the village was Alan Crowther who lived in the first house on the left as you come into Flaxby.(Woodland View) His stack yard and farm buildings extended to almost the junction of Shortshill Lane (at the time, always known as Coneythorpe Road). In fact a very tiny cottage at that point became extended storage space for farm sacks etc. It was quite derelict and an equally derelict tiny shed was by the side of it overgrown with elderberry. In days gone by an old lady called Mrs Taylor lived there. The place was very cold and damp apparently. The Crowthers' farm land wasn’t extensive. (It was called Martin's Farm) One field behind our bungalow was divided into two by a very old hawthorn and mixed hedge but was scrubbed out to make ploughing easier. There is a small stream running along the bottom of the field where kingcups etc grew. The Crowther boys and our two boys sometimes played there. A much later planted wood now hides the whole area and beyond.
Between the Crowthers' house and the stack yard was Pump Cottage, built side on and set back from the road. It had a big garden well tended with flowers and vegetables. Mr and Mrs Toby Rose lived there. Mrs Rose ran a small shop from her kitchen. She also catered every Sunday for the Cyclist Touring Club with sandwiches and delicious home made cakes etc. Shortly after we came to live here, she sold only lemonade, sweets and tobacco. Toby always had a pipe with thick twist smouldering away. He served in Battle of Jutland.
Also at this time Hutton’s Butchers from Knaresborough came with a van into the village every Tuesday and Albert made sure the meat selection catered for individual needs. Also a large Co-op travelling shop came every Thursday. It was very well stocked. Both these shops were welcome in Flaxby and other villages. Also, there was an hourly bus service each day coming through the village from York. Goldsborough was also on its route.
MEDIEVAL VILLAGE
In the garden of Pump Cottage there was an old pump inscribed with the date 1815. It is known that an inn once stood there called The New Inn. Looking at an old map, it looks as though the first one was between Goldsborough village and Flaxby. Also just outside Flaxby was a medieval village called Newton. Now only a field name.
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| Farming has played a key role in the history of the area. |
When old Pump Cottage was demolished so were the ( Martin's) farm buildings to make the area clear for building on it the existing bungalows. Sadly, two magnificent horse chestnut trees growing near the stack yard were felled at this time. It seemed sacrilege at the time.
Now opposite Pump Cottage on the right hand side as you enter the village there are four council houses. The first private house (South Edge) wasn’t there, only grassland belonging to the Gill’s farm. It was built a few years after we came here. Until 2011, Mrs Mary Morland (a lovely gentle lady who loved her garden) lived in the second council house. She lived there all her married life and she had lived in Flaxby all her life. Her maiden name was Oxoby and her parents had an isolated farm/small holding in the middle of Flaxby Covert. When growing up she remembered playing amongst the remains of the Pleasure Gardens which the Duke of York erected when living at Allerton Castle. Frederick, Duke of York, bought Allerton Castle in 1786. He was the second son of George III. He lived there I understand with his brother who later became George IV. The castle was sold to Colonel Thornton in 1789 for £11,000 and he renamed it Thornton Royal. In 1805, it was sold to Lord Stourton for £163,000. The Barony of Stourton dates from 1447. The Mowbrey name dates from1295.
There remained parts of an old summer house in the covert. Small paths were still visible and also the remains of some of the tiles once decorating them. The pond and little else remained when we explored the wood in the 60’s.
So Mary was a true Flaxby person. She was in her 90’s when she died and is greatly missed. Mary and her husband Sam had two sons and a daughter. For many years, Sam worked at the cold storage building adjacent to the railway station. It even had its own off-shoot line. It is a large brick building and was very important during and after the war. There was security on the gates. Sam loved country life. He told us where the badgers had their holt, the best places to pick blackberries etc. He died many years before Mary.
REAL CHARACTERS
In each of the other three council homes lived real characters. One being the local road man. He kept all the ditches etc cleared and took a real pride in the up keep of the local roads. I’m not sure if all these four houses are now privately owned, maybe so.
Immediately after the council properties was another open space before the Grange Farm out buildings. About half way between, I believe, this was the site of the Toll Bar Cottage. The toll bar came when the Turnpike Trust laid out a new road line via Flaxby between 1752 and 1777 in place of the long route through Ferrensby and Arkendale. The new route from Knaresborough was via Long Flat Lane (York Road), Goldsborough Fields and Flaxby. The Bar Cottage stood for many years. I don’t know when the tolls were stopped. (The Tollgate was pulled down on 1st November 1878)
The three bungalows now there were built maybe 1969 by a builder, Arthur Key who also built at this time the first house just before the council houses.(South Edge)
Grange Farm house believed to originate from the 17th century was by far the larger of the two Flaxby Farms. Part of the farm's acreage in 1947 included a hill called Ten Low Hill. It’s behind where the existing school/reading room is. The hill’s origin dates back thousands of years. In the early 1900’s part of it became a small quarry. Pottery a number of querns and bronze age arrow heads were discovered. The querns were turned by hand for grinding corn. They were used for this purpose over many centuries by Bronze Age settlers and others. The querns are now in a local museum.
Just beyond the farmhouse was a piece of land large enough for a tennis court. If we could fund it, Les Gill was happy for the village to use it as such. We never got as far as “under what terms.” We cleared out one of the smaller barns. Seats were straw bales and we had The Flaxby Fling to begin raising money for the project. The event proved popular but unfortunately interest waned and the court never got built. This probably was in the 1970’s. Les Gill enjoyed being a member of the York and Ainsty Hunt and sometimes the hunt met at the farm for the stirrup cup before setting off. The village was full of horseboxes and it was a great sight watching the hunt trot out of the village. One year a rather tired fox took refuge in our garage as the door happened to be open and it soon took off again. The hunt was nowhere to be seen.
Opposite Grange Farm House are three cottages. The last one on York Road as you leave the village (Grange Farm Cottage) was the home of Mr and Mrs Brear and Family. Mr Brear was employed by Les Gill as his pig man and farm worker. Neither the farm nor this cottage belonged to the Allerton Estate as they had been sold. Later, other cottages were also sold. It is a pretty cottage with a fair sized garden. Les and Joan lived at the cottage in their early married life. His parents owned and ran the farm until Mr Gill senior died.
The farm land is now part of the Flaxby Golf Course. The new Grange development occupies the land etc where the farm buildings stood, completing now all the right hand side of the development. Next door to the aforementioned cottage are two semi cottages. They were tied cottages where estate workers lived. The one next to Shortsill Lane (No 1 Woodmans Cottages) was the home of Mr Les Jones and Family. He was the “woodman” for the estate. When David Procter, John Exley and Jim Horner came up with the idea of planting a tree on the village green, it was Les Jones who advised. The green over the years had had salt and sand deposited on it each year in various areas each winter for local roads, so it was a question of what would grow. Les’s recommendation was excellent. The tree planted mid seventies has thrived and given much pleasure. At the time of planting there was no telegraph pole to consider and none envisaged on the green.
TRACTORS
There were no other houses after Les Jones cottage as you come up Shortsill Lane. A medium height boundary wall came up from there to Pond Cottage in front of which was a broad grass verge, so tractors sometimes had to go up onto it. The lane itself wasn’t wide and the parallel stone wall was just where our roadside white fence is delineating our boundary. There was little traffic then.
Behind the east side wall almost opposite our drive was visible the top of a small open barn type building with a black tin roof. When the two houses (Rivendell and Coneyway) were built by Harrisons Builders in 1976 originally there was a joint shared drive which went at the back of Coneyway to access cars to the second property, but later Nina and John Morris made a direct drive entrance to their property. It was a very big job and the last of the banking was dug out.
Pond Cottage (now called Lilliel Cottage) did have a small pond in the field behind, which froze in the winter. Albert Simpson and Family lived in this cottage. He worked for Mr Goldthorpe of Spring Bank Farm. Albert was a quiet kindly man. He was ploughman etc for the farm. He worked in all weathers sometimes with a sack over his shoulders to help keep off the rain. He offered to plough the land around our bungalow. We had to go away the weekend after our mid- week move and when we came back the job was done. During the coming months David and I collected 40 tonnes of stone off the land prior to garden laying. Albert took this away by tractor/trailer and it formed the surround for a new Dutch Barn at Spring Bank Farm. Albert’s hobby was making model threshing machines. A genuine, honest man. His two brothers, one being the aforementioned road man and a sister lived in the fourth council house. Albert’s house was tied with his job.
Opposite the entrance to Spring Bank Farm on Shortsill Lane there was once a red brick Wesleyan Chapel. In use until about the early 40’s and long since demolished.
JOINER'S SHOP
The next property close to Pond Cottage was the village joiner's shop. He specialised in making handmade cartwheels and brightly coloured carts. Sometimes, when things were very hard for the farmers, he never charged for work done according to Mrs Morland who remembered Charlie Young and his two sons very well. The building wasn’t in use in 1965 and I believe the house at the top was where they lived, but not sure of this fact.
Hillside Cottage the house at the top of the village was not occupied when we came, but had been the village police house. The first occupants we knew, were a Mr and Mrs Starmer and Family. Mr Starmer was one of two game keepers for the Allerton Estate and it was the estate who owned the cottage. When more of the Estate was sold Les Gill bought it and his mother lived there for a time. He then sold it when he left Flaxby.
Coming up Shortsill Lane, the first property on the left was a small bungalow which was and remained empty for quite a while. (No.1 Shortsill Lane 'Byways') Mr Crowther senior built it for he and his wife but never moved in. Not sure when writing this if he farmed here before his son. (Alan). Up to and possibly beyond 1947, the farm buildings were known as Martin’s, but don’t know when it changed hands. This bungalow is now known as Byways and much work has been done to the original over the years. The next bungalow (Herons Keep) was built on part of the land retained for Mr Crowther senior. his bungalow was built as John Ellis was finishing his building here and again was left empty for a while until a Mr and Mrs Horner bought it.
On the land prior to John Ellis building, it was an orchard/pig run with an old barn like building standing on it. We thought it was a pigeon loft or dovecote and understand possibly of ancient origin. It was demolished. Our next door neighbour whilst digging his garden found a a piece of shaped flint which was identified by Harrogate Museum’s archaeological dept as a neolithic scraper used for scraping small animal skins, confirming there was a settlement here at one time. Going back much further it is believed Flaxby was on the shore of a vast lake. (Humber pro glacial lake)
Next door but one to our bungalow was a very pretty large cottage. It was surrounded by a big garden. It had a well and a beautiful orchard. Mr Bailey lived there and, sometime after his first wife died, he moved to Goldsborough when he remarried. The cottage quickly became derelict. Our two boys and other village children played in the garden and out buildings. Everywhere was a wilderness. Eventually, the property and land were sold and a bungalow and four houses were built and the cottage demolished. (Nos. 6,7,8,9 and 10 Shortsill Lane) This completes all the housing development since 1965.
SCHOOL
The idea to have education in the village goes back to1640 when Richard Hodgson bequeathed certain lands in Ilkley and Fewston to his wife Ellen and after her death the rents to endow a free school kept within Flasbie (Flaxby). Eventually, a school was sited on the west side of Shortsill Lane at the north end and about halfway up the hill. When this was built it had 12 free scholars from Flaxby and another six fee paying scholars from elsewhere. Books had to be provided by parents together with one shilling entrance fee plus two shillings (old money) for fuel/heating during the winter. One master had the use of a house and garden adjoining the school and lived there for 27 years. He and his wife had eight children. She died in childbirth and he died in 1805. The annual income from the endowment as late as 1809 was only £5.10 shillings per annum.
Early 19th Century, the Lord of the Manor of Allerton, Lord Stourton, and partly at his expense had the school rebuilt in 1810. It had a large number of pupils and two masters. A father and son called Hastings. The school became known as the Flaxby Academy. In 1857 a national school was built on a new site, namely at the bottom of Shortsill Lane on the east side where the building remains today. When this school opened the average attendance was only 13 pupils. Goldsborough School was built in 1873 and pupils then went there. Flaxby School then became known as The Reading Room and a plaque near the door was affixed to be replaced later with one identifying The Old School. Mrs Mary Morland remembers very well the building being used for tea parties etc, but never as a place of learning. Adjoining the building at the rear was an earth closet next to a coal house. The toilet was later replaced by an Elsan. Both these outside buildings we remembered as they were demolished in the 1960’s. In the 1970/80’s, the school was occasionally used by the children for recreation, then was used once a year for the annual village post carol singing get together to enjoy the mulled wine kindly prepared by David and Celia Sharp and during which a charity auction was held.
There was no quorum of acting trustees for quite a number of years because of circumstances, i.e. moving away or dying. Then about 1991 a proper managing trusteeship was put in place. This was at the request of The Rev T Betts vicar of Knaresborough who “didn’t want to be personally involved”, nor did his successor. Much earlier (1920) the then board of education also said they were not interested. They were approached again in the mid 1990’s and the trust received the same negative response. Since 1991, there have been three trustee chairmen, making up a dedicated quorum of trustees. Tony Brooks stood down as Treasurer in 2007 and David Procter was asked to take over as treasurer. The school trust is to benefit children with their future education from Flaxby and Goldsborough with a preference for candidates resident in the village of Flaxby. (For years those of us who had heard of a trust were under the impression it was for the maintaining of the actual building).
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| The road less travelled ... before the bypass, York-bound traffic passed through Flaxby. |
TRAFFIC
Originally, all traffic going to York onto and across the old A1 came through Flaxby. Crossing the A1 became increasingly dangerous, and after a number of fatal accidents, the authorities decided a bypass of the village had to be built. This happened in the early 1970’s. In building a bypass, the A59 was established. A lot of woodland with its flora and fauna was destroyed. It was a huge project. The old York Road through Flaxby was sealed off and the village became quiet again. Also closed was the level crossing at the station. You had to go across this when entering or leaving the village. The crossing gates were operated by the signalman. The station itself was closed in 1958, but the old platform gardens were always kept in good order. The Station House was eventually sold and the signal box closed.
Once the bypass was completed, the bus didn’t come into the village, but there was a bus stop on the new A59 bridge. About this time, the two travelling shops stopped coming into the village also.
Much later, more woodland was destroyed which caused a huge public protest. The destruction was for the construction of Octavius Atkinsons steel stockholders factory. They were only there for a short time despite promises of local employment. Samsung took over the factory also for a very short time and then they were followed by Donnelly’s printers.Very little of the old covert now remains.
If you use the public right of way behind Spring Bank Farm, you will see a rather dried out large pond. Years ago, a mill stood nearby. (info from old map). Past the pond you come to a small gate and, continuing on the public right of way, you will get a splendid view of the golf course. The track brings you onto the Old York Road.
Compiled by Mrs P.J. Procter to the best of my knowledge and information 2012