TK*v}«r


PW.iH—in.............. .


i ---------------------


C O U N T R Y D I A R Y owl


prey-


Stanley Jeeves to photograph i pair from a “hide".


Hatching


until the camera \.as about 12 feet from the nest situated at the foot of a young coni­ fer. Photography began with tile


This was erected by stages


hatching of the first egg and from that time events were both fascinating and very instructive. Five chicks were hatched at


ROUND AND ABOUT


During thc past week I have been given iwo explanations of the engraved stone-


this paper two weeks ago. The wording on it reads: “William Rushworth, Field House. 1819. Repeat no grievance (sic), study to Be quiet and mind your own business.” Mrs. Graham, of East View, Brow Bottom.


tablet at Field House Farm, Rimington. A picture of the tablet was published in


brother about the other, there was a fight between them and one of them was killed. The surviving brother was sent to prison


Thatched


roof Another reader brought me a copy of Uic Advertiser and Times February 23.1934, which


contained an article on the tablet. According to this, the history of thc tablet


daily intervals for, in common with this species, the adult owls begin sitting when the first egg is laid. This creates an interesting


centres on a quarrel that raged for two years


situation, for when the first chick to hatch is a week old, the last of the family is just breaking through the shell. As a matter of fact, the


The short-eared owl During the past couple


of decades in particular 1 have noted several fantas­ tic changes, nol only in the countryside by the Ribble and Hodder, but also with the wild life. Most of these 1 am con­


indicates that the short cared owl was known tat that period i as a winter visitor, remaining to breed in one or


while Field House stood roofless. “Almost 150 years ago, William Rushworth.


building with disfavour. •The thatched roof, he thought, should be


the owner of Field House, gazed upon the


replaced bv something more substantial and modern, and the walls raised three or fotu


younger members are really hatched and brooded by the


feet“At thc next farm lived one Varlcy. who con- bined skill in building with the business of cultivating the land, and to Varley went Rush-


older brethren. I shall never forget that


two localities. The only reference how­


vinced pass unnoticed, and many who actually sec do not compare the scene or condi­ tions of today with that of yesterday. Given consideration, the


worth


experience as day after day the sun shone as we sat in the “hide". Thc parents re­ turned at regular intervals with freshly captured voles.


ever to nesting in our neigh­ bourhood was that brief men­ tion of it having bred on Bleasdale and on the lower slopes of Pendle Hill in May


Gruesome


changes will often astound and are often as dramatic as some of the photographs we see of events at the turn of the century. Naturalists and the bird


bound to assume that this owl was rare and no doubt remained so until about 1940. from which period our story must begin in the vicinity of Stocks in Bowland. Here in the upper Hodder


1877. From all accounts we are


watcher in particular will find it easy to give many cases to illustrate this constant pro­ cess of change which in many instances can only be des­ cribed as remarkable. Who. for example, on going


alighted near the nest with the vole dangling ominously from the bill to gaze in the direction of the “hide”. Then the gruesome business of feeding began. With one foot holding the


Invariably, he or she,


watershed, we find conditions very suitable to an owl which, in the main, prefers a diet of mice.


Tunnels


for a walk bv Ribblc would believe that 20 years ago the curlew was a rarity as a nest­ ing species on the lowlands. Who. 25 years ago. would have dared to suggest the grey squirrel. merganser,


ovster catcher etc. would be regular features of our coun­ tryside in 1968? Not many.


I assure you. Foreurn


perimenting and trying out new ideas. She is never stag­ nant and if the environment is present, then one or another, be they plant or animal, will attempt to estab­ lish itself in what at first appear to be foreign sur­ roundings. The most out­ standing example must surely toe that of the short eared


But nature is lot c™' cx"


owl. In his book, "Birds of Lan­


cashire" the Clitheroe nat­ uralist. F.S. Mitchell, basing his observations around 1880.


rounding acres by the reser­ voir left to revert to the wild. thc grasses uncut year after vear formed a deep mat of dry old vegetation several


Gradually with the sur­ walls.


Plums began to vanish


thatched roof was removed, and three or four feet were being added to the height of thc


"The work proceeded at a steady pace, uic ,


toil to see that the .substitute for the thatched roof was in place before he claimed compensa­


Years; thc plum trees had 1,w<> crops of the cause of all the trouble, and then . .


Something


plum trees in the garden in front of Field House had clothed themselves in the most tempting apparel. Varley had sons, and the


“Meanwhile, summer had faded, and the


plums began to vanish. “Rushworth. it is supposed, was fond of


prey, the owl tore it apart to present the morsels to these ever hungry young­ sters. the younger chicks re­ ceiving the very small por­ tions. Then, as the chicks became


his fruit trees, for he could not forget, m spite of the inopportuneness of the moment, that Varley’s sons were close at hand, ana that his plums were decreasing in number. “Finally, and about the time that Field


stronger and larger, huge portions were eagerly pressed into the graping mouths of the oldest nestlings. Altogether it made a 1ns-


inches deep. This formed a wonderful


House had increased by three or four feet in stature. Rushworth taxed Varley’s sons with looking on Uic plums when they were ripe. “Father Varley protested his sons inno­


cence. and forthwith called a builders strike. “Rushworth must have loved his plum


cinating movie and at the same time provided one of thc mast intimate experiences of family affairs I have ever


witnessed. My companion, Stanley


hide-out for mice and field voles which were able to go about, their business in a maze of tunnels amply pro­ tected by the thick bed of matted grass. Such an environment un­


Jeeves, also had the pleasure of seeing his film sequence, taken on 16 nun. gauge, on television. A few years later, the For­


filled all their requirements, and it was only when they came out into the open that they were exposed to any danger. As a result, scores ol acres


estry trees smothered the ground, and as a result the owls could not get so read- ily at their prey which, by this time, had shown a severe decline in this particular area.


were riddled with these rodents. Then came thc short eared owls, and as the rodents multiplied so did thc owls until some 15 years ago. Dale Head could boast one of thc greatest owl popula­ tions in the Kingdom. I t was at this time that 1


became interested in their activities and at one period went along with my lriend


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Distance no object r


S O S c H a r » ^ a - - S 8 " a S S sed trying to force a door a s


as Robinson, ran off. could not be found.


came to Clitheroe police sta- LIBRA (September 23 WOctt^ tion and reported that his van ber 22): How impatience with a wu had b ^ n stolen. He was arres-


Ncxt morning, Koomsun xt l


Robinson seem promising and coum mean ’ important role at the begin- wmdfall.


an explanation.


Ti&eta .


^ „ mc


ted and charged with the | ‘iS t td0wn. and this ^ probably " '


Stupid


friends, but felt thirsty. He whcrc money is conee.rned tlilnk but|na®|ybi,“important ambition saw the door, which was closed well ahead before taking action, a s m “nllsed. Not a good time S tried to force it. “I realise Don't give way to sudden


»dventureu.^and


how stupid I was, and nothing 1 SAGITTARIUS (November 23 costly schemes. he'addfd


haPPe“ aBain'”


told Robinson: “You have a shocking record and have been


Mrs. M Williams, presiding, given many chances.


the next three years, he. would so your positlonwill be stronger, ^ ^ ‘^n^^ou'canmoVo into ‘suffer a very Revere sentence, g t f g S S g W m ’g « | f e ^ w ' e =


came6up in court again during


“possibly higher than court could impose."


more . guidance. mm £ V'V r “7 . . . . . . once°you”haye done adventurous ^ nnancjoa^scnenie oAPRUj.. ,


C^Saturday: Many changes will be


dairy and found a jemmy lying shal.ccl Pay attention to detail 01 Sti ng ^ cnvU.onm(.nt, inter on. on the ground. A search was you may be prevented from com w -J-[iesday: Persist with your made for Robinson, but he pletlng a major piojcct


PC Hartley returned to the ^ “ ^ S c


Don't keep P'aiw.jR,„Evolved will * break'through® Financial e^ h^ ^ T r e equally adaUs X lbm t /o r 'a r S e of


Later however, a mini-van harsh actions or 2nn*fc let an tacular fashion. On the domestic was found, with Robinson's name on Uic key ring.


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have some temporary disappoint ‘3a^ ur responsibilities


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Voles


apparent as the years went by. and in approximately 10 vears the short eared owl was rare over this part of the ground of say three miles. They did. however, move to


The change was very


trees Masons of any standing were few and far between in those days, and he had ncglcc-


the short cars come o.i the scene. No one knows how the news spreads, but by some instinctive power they stall


to nest and as the l0°d their choice is so readily


available they too begin to


multiply. On occasions such as i


have mentioned they begin nesting very early and I hate on record one family vith young at the beginning ot


March. 1 have also seen as many


■is nine or even 10 young m one nest when ihe voles weic


plentiful. Another instance ol the changes which are constantly


the Tosside area where the very young plantation did not restrict their hunting activi­ ties and where the voles were also plentiful. This remarkable ability ol


t ■ikin'' place in our distnct Is that of nearby Grindleton


Fell. Here when tree planur.g


began, as at Dale Head, the owls came along and too over territory on which they were seldom seen prcviousl..


the short eared owl is well known and has been recor­ ded on many occasions in thc British Isles, the reason for this no doubt being due to its diet of voles. From time to lime we have


so do the owls. But how and whv thev manage to keep in tune with voles, no one


And as the voles increase knows.


in this country what are known as “vole-plagues" when these rodents cover a cer­ tain area and in one season multiply at an enormous rate. Tile ground at such a time becomes riddled with their runs and a few acres of rough ground may hold many thou­ sands of these rapidly breed­ ing creatures. I t is at such r. time that


n a t u r a l i s t .


does not knout Whether the sons estabhshed their innocence—which isscaiccly Ukelj afU the passing of two years—whether the guiltj one was caught renewing a stealthy acquam- tance with the front garden of F eld Hous... or whether Rushworth decided that a ten lon^-digested plums were not to be weighed I g a l n s f a roof for his house, is not knowa But a conference was called, and thc build*. •


missing “What happened exactly, my informant


declared thc strike off " t h e n , something was missing, s e e ­


thing to show other people that little b u k ^ in^s arc not to be weighed against the pi- touting roof of friendship, and Varlcy piopo-


sed the erection of the tablet. P"The words, apparently are an adaption of . . . f


tion for his stolen fruit. “The quarrel raged on. months p a s s e d into


the verse in the First epistle to Uici Thes- salonians. which reads: ‘And that ycsLid.i to lie quiet, and to do your own business, am to 1, /,,-k with your hands, as wc command you. Even after reading both explanations. I iw


wor


not sure which is the more plausible. I u leave it to the reader to decide.


Concert to aid


Hall, Lowergate, on Thursday, April -5. on behalf of the Clitheroe and District Support Group for Cheshire Homes. The concert is being organised by the pal­


Support Group A public concert is to be held in the


college Blackburn, reinforced by pupils from The Notre Dante Convent, and the Holy Family


ish of SS Michael and Jol] \ T* ' " ” p“ p will be the military band of St. Mary s RC


School. Accrington. Altogether there will be more than 60 performers.


Group is to be held on Tuesday, April 23 at the Boys' Grammar School.


A public meeting on behalf of the Support


Grindleton, tells me that around that - time, two brothers lived in the house. As a result of a story being told to one


for manslaughter. When he was released, he made the tablet and placed it in the wall.


with Quis


THIS WAS NEWS


75 YEARS AGO APRIL 21, 1893


Steeplechases under the aus­ pices ol the Pendle Fores*


Thc second of thc aumm


Hunt took place at Gisburr, * ■


earlicr rounds of the Lane... shire Junior Cup compctiiicc for several years. Cntheroe F.C. attained the oaject w their ambition ;|iid Irourti' home the trophy alter Im;. ing Kearslcy .1-0. rhe ima' was played at Ewood Part Blackburn, before umr.- :h.r. 5,000 spectators, of whoa, 1,200 made fhe .lomne.. lrcoi Clithcroe by specui train, clithcroe's team was: Me Mahon; Hobson. Doo.sur, Marsh, PatefieUi. Yates: Ratcliffc. Hargreaves, Sand­ erson, Oil'. Qumn.


After struggling m U n-


59 YEARS AO APiRIL 1fl, 1918


G


The Corporation became pig-keepers, 12 porkers beine


housed at the Sewage Farm. *


agreed to employ Germ,:; prisoners on the roads when they were not. required bv farmers. Mr. E. Mi>"vc obser­ ved that the men did no- need much guarding as the;, were quite content where tit- ■ were. The charge foi c,n.. man was 25s a week.


When Bowland Council *


H. L Williams as Vicar i' Mitto’n took place on Apr.:


Thc induction of the P.t-v 13.


25 YEARS AO APRIL 16, 1943


G


to provide two Haluax num­ bers for the Royal Air Forte. Bowland’s "Wings for Vic­ tory Week" received a trium­ phant send oft. It wss annouced that up to noon on the 10th. £25.985 had beer, invested.


With a target of £80.000


Emlyn williams, was p:e.vn- ted to local audiences by th. Viking Players at St. Mary'; School.


••Night Must lad- e- HOW


Almost every month it seems, new families arrive to swell our village popula­ tion. Some quickly settle down in one or another ol llie Jovcly bungalows and ‘semis’ that are springing up all around us. but others bide their time un­ til they can snap up sonic old cottage or crumbling barn which they hope to convert into a ’desirable residence.'


T h r o u g h W h a U e y


Window


we h.uc to seek out sources of information.


And very successful most ot M them are!


Sometimes the style of building gives an indication of the -approximate penou.


other the


‘ T h i r s t y ’ - s o


m a n t r i e d t o b r e a k


i n t o d a i r y A 28-year-old labourer


who was seen attempting to break into a store at Prim­ rose Dairy, Railway View, Clitheroe, later told the pol­ ice that he did so because he


was thirsty.


pended**for ihfee years, when he appeared at Clitheros yes-


terday


Then, with bathrooms installed and kitchens modernised (for however much she loves the atmosphere of a country cot­ tage. no woman wants an old fashioned kitchen), they quickly make themselves at


get to work immediately. Paint is laboriously scraped from old oak beams and panelling to reveal thc natural beauty of thc centuries old wood, layer after layer of Paper i-s stripped from uneven walls, plaster work is renewed, and walls and fireplaces removed to reveal ancient inglenooks.


ainly ‘do it yourscUers' they home. Curious


Once thev have time to look around, the newcomers be­


Their questions arc endless and sometimes very difficult to answer, for it is only


come curious about the his­ tory of their property. Exactly how old is thc cot­ tage? Who built it? Is it where so-and-so used to live?


rarely that title heeds give the date of erection, and thus


FOR WEEK COMMENCING 2 2nd APRIL, 1968


son. of St. James Terrace, Hey- wlp have to reach a decision_ on f oti,crs. -and act swiftly. Xod° who was . sentenced to


HO was Norman Albert Robu> "q your* eggs’^n one basket. You j veep conce*rned. Don't put


six months imprisonment, sus GEMINI (May 21 to June 20). +Vlf> financial schemes of Dlen nnt tn Hmcnd too much


2o ? ! ^


T y“ vm “u « 3 y J g ^ c 8 pSSSfcm” '


KTAURUS (April 21 to May 20): mKl you .should *'[■ , il i eep a sense of proportion wbcic ^rotxcler plan-s for tile luuiic. *


__


but over the years changes have often taken place. Emi a windows have been added,


a


Thus it is wise to take a at some of Hie nearby art galleries, for Whalley has proved an inspiring subject


look


for Uic artist, or the illus­ trations in old books may be


Old mans too, can give most valuable information. I t was


helpful.


doors blocked up. and jm- occasionallv — perhaps be­ cause the route of the road has been slightly changed thc house has been -tinned right around, and what was once the front is now tnc


Now "and again, the ownus have a stroke of luck. thiJ find an old stone with a dal: carved upon it, or perhaps some long forgotten crafts­ man has made his mark upon some portion of his handi­ work, but even this is not an


T infallible guide.


additions long after the house was first built, oi stones from an older dwelling may be incorporated in the Ol more recent structure.


he craftsman may hate stub- bled his name there while engaged on alterations or


There are too. a number of other avenues we tor you!) can explore. Old bills of sale, old wills, old newspaper re­ ferences. can all be helpful, as can electoral rolls and cuisus returns, leases, tithe maps, and more recently, the ordnance survey maps are full of interesting detail.


the custom for the owners cf great estates to have plans drawn of the lands in their possession, even if de­ tailed maps of the whole area were available, and from one* compiled for Thomas Braddyll in the middle of the eighteenth century it is pos­ sible to identify many houses still standing in the village.


S a l l y t o t h e -IN with increased


INTEREST in the Special Investment


Department


{STARTING


OFF ON ////- R1GH.


| FOOT


With more and mord attend01' being focused o,|


healthy fed- ‘he corrCC| fitting ° fshoes haS assumc‘| a new important-


: Dramatic changes hav taken place- not only „


: styles, but in the rang. c| ! si;cs and fillings. io aiP extent which would hav I staggered the founder c|


Dan Lord and Son, thl Moor Lane t o o twe a


|, s ocialists, who arrive!


1 Kero on January I. 1901 take over the shol


which had been. supply.nl shoes since 186/-


"Today, every membd


John owner


J


' IU 8 Lord, the preset| of the business.


of the staff has to attend fitting course, said Ml


Revolution


odours available in t« day's men s shoes th over there used to be


“And there arc mol


women’s. But particularly surpril


ing has been thc revolutic| in children’s shoes.


The average stock cal


ried by Dan Lord's shtl is 1.200 pairs at any ol lime, and this mav f increased to 2,000 pairs I the beginning of eaii


season. Such a vast number hi


been made necessary I the five fittings in sizes al half-sizes, and each chtltl i fcct are measured II


length, width and girth- that the shoes provided ? exactly right.


Reputable Foot ailments caused


badly fitting shoes are n much less frequently <


countered than in the pt and tor this the more putable manufacturers a responsible retailers m| be given much ot


: credit- Where such facilities


!j offered, shoe purchas] [: owe it to themselves


I lake advantage.


Many, many old documents are preserved at thc County Re­ cords Office, so. if you are one of our newcomers pos­ sessed of this healthy and understandable curiosity, why not go along to Preston some afternoon and ask if the officials there can help?


d paintings can give u.-> valuable clues. If the house is shown, perhaps m the background of a picture of the church, we know that it was standing when the


artist was at work.


the stars and you r AQUARIUS (January 20 to Feb­


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