Recent articles

  • Blind Peter Barker

    Remembering Hampsthwaite’s Blind Joiner - an article by Shaun WilsonLike the market town of Knaresborough, who had ‘Blind Jack’ – John Metcalf, the road builder of Yorkshire in the eighteenth century, the small rural village of Hampsthwaite had it’s blind hero also, almost a century later – Peter Barker who became known as ‘The Blind Joiner of Hampsthwaite.’ Though there are some similarities between John Metcalf and Peter Barker’s lives, these are purely co-incidental and each fulfilled a life, character and career in their own right.
  • Jane Ridsdale

    JANE RIDSDALEAged 33 years, born at Hampsthwaite, near Harrogate, Yorkshire, her height is 31 ½ inches.She is remarkably chearfull & enjoys very good health.Published July 1st 1807 by Jane Ridstale, at Harrogate where purchasers of this Print will have the opportunity of seeing and conversing with her
  • Joshua Tetley

    Joshua Tetley was the founder of Tetley’s Brewery in Leeds, and he retired with his wife Hannah to Hollins Hall on the outskirts of Hampsthwaite (Hollins Hall Retirement Village).
  • The Execution of Hannah Whitley

    Arsenic Poisoning in Hampsthwaite - The Execution of Hannah Whitley In 1789, Hannah Whitley of Hampsthwaite used a pie as the delivery medium for a fatal dose of arsenic, with the poison concentrated in the crust. She claimed She had been coerced into the act of poisoning by her employer, a local linen weaver named Horseman, who was involved in an on-going feud with the intended victim.
  • Scrubbers and Stones

    SCRUBBERS & STONES - Sat 29th June 10.30am - 2.30pm - Entry FREE! Explore the Memorials at St Thomas a'Becket Memorials Treasure Trail - for children if all ages Self-Service / Self-Checkout BBQ from 12 noon (inc. veg option) Food £2, Drink £1, Donations? - yes please! Hot & Cold Drinks Laptop & Screen to show Mapping Hampsthwaite’s Past Use a Bucket & Brush to help reveal Inscriptions on the older memorials . . . or just Sit & Enjoy CORPUS CHRISTI BRASS BAND . . . from 11.30am . . . followed by Afternoon Tea & Cakes at the Memorial Hall!
  • Hampsthwaite Open Gardens

     Hampsthwaite Open Gardens - Sat 29th June 12.30am - 5.00pm - Entry £5.00 (accompanied under 15's FREE) Tickets on the day from Hampsthwaite Memorial Hall Plant sales - many named varieties of plants Delicious homemade refreshments Afternoon tea and cakes served from 12.30pm at the Memorial Hall
  • Genealogy Websites

    Free genealogy websites will help you start your family history research at no cost as listed by the 'Who Do You Think You Are' magazine.
  • Kitchen Refurbishment

    Memorial Hall kitchen is now completely, and expertly, refurbished by Neil,Batty Builders Ltd as a result of a grant awarded by the National Lottery's 'Reaching Communities' fund.See also the equivalent
  • Amy Woodforde-Finden

    A highly successful composer of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, Amy Woodforde-Finden, together with her husband and step-son, is laid to rest in the churchyard of St Thomas à Becket Parish Church. Inside the church there is an impressive marble monument of her, created by the renowned sculptor George Edward  Wade. It was unveiled in 1923 and a few years later, Finden Gardens in Hampsthwaite was named in her honour.[Click on title or image to link to articles]
  • Amy Woodforde-Finden Centenary Events (2)

    Amy Woodforde-Finden : 'An Evening with Amy'A centenary concert to celebrate the life and works of Amy was held in Hampsthwaite Memorial Hall on April 21st 2023 Click on images to open full-size in new window and use the Browser back arrow to return to here.  
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With a tunnelling company in France

Notes for lecture given circa 1929
by: Ex.Captain P.T.Hough MC
 ex-176 Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers.

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Percy Townend Hough

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Percy Townend Hough arrived as Headmaster of Hampsthwaite C.E. Primary School in 1925. He was highly regarded by villagers as a humane and excellent teacher who commanded great respect from the pupils. He had fought in the Great War as a Captain in the Royal Engineers and received the MC for gallantry. He was a tunneller, laying explosives under Vimy Ridge (described evocatively by Faulks in Birdsong).

He lived in the school house with his wife and son, Richard. He had a lovely garden with lots of roses and he had beehives, so the childen got lessons in Beekeeping. He died very young at the age of 44 in 1937. His widow continued to live on in the village for many years after his death and was an active Church  member.

View the articles below for accounts of his experiences in WW1:

The Medieval Way

image

Passing through the Parish Churchyard from east to west, foot passengers come across a gate on the western boundary as shown in the photograph above. This marks the start of what is known locally as the “Medieval Way” – a footpath leading after several hundred feet to the Birstwith Road.

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In Memoriam - G F Grimshaw



George Frederick Grimshaw



George Frederick Grimshaw


George was born in 1914, the son of William and Mary Grimshaw of Harrogate. In due course he married Mary Kathleen Haxby.

He was enlisted into the Royal Engineers with a service number of 2189393 and became a Driver in 116 Construction Company.

He was lost when the RMS Lancastria went down on 17th June 1940 during Operation Ariel, the evacuation of Allied forces and civilians from ports in western France two weeks after Dunkirk.

He is commemorated on Column 29 of the Dunkirk Memorial. He is also named on the Harrogate Cenotaph.

Click here to read a fuller account of his life and service



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George Frederick Grimshaw - biography

George Frederick Grimshaw 
20th October 1914 - 17th June 1940

George Frederick Grimshaw
George Frederick Grimshaw
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In Memoriam - F Snow



Fred Snow



Fred Snow



Although no connection for Fred to Hampsthwaite has yet been found, his name is engraved on the village war memorial.

He was born in Yorkshire, the son of Robert and Sarah Elizabeth Snow (the 1901 census records two Robert Snows living at Felliscliffe near Hampsthwaite) and at the time of enlisting in the army was living in Leeds with his wife Helen. He enlisted in the Royal Artillery and was given a service number of 1725676.

He served as a Gunner with 262 Battery 71 Lt.A.A. Regiment in the Western European campaign and died on the 16th July 1945 aged 35.

He is buried at 1A.B.5. Hamburg Cemetery.



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The Coach House

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The Coach House - photo

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Parish Council Minutes Archive 2013

Minutes from Parish Council meetings in 2013

Return to Parish Council main article

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Ashville - old photo

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