Ancient breed - North Yorkshire Moors Association

Voice of the Moors Issue 90 

The magazine of the North Yorkshire Moors Association Autumn - Winter 2007 

• The Cleveland Bay 

• Peat management 

• International incident 

• A tribute to Don Tilley 

• New legislation 

• Book Review 

To protect and enhance the characteristic beauty of the North Yorkshire Moors for present and future generations.

Ancient breed 

THE CLEVELAND BAY 

An ancient local breed of horse was threatened with extinction by the advent of the tractor 

The words by Alfred Pease are as true today as they were 

in Victorian times. This British breed is the ideal sire to 

produce today’s sport and performance horse. But how 

did it originate? 

The Cleveland Bay is the only British clean legged breed of 

horse. Originally bred in the Cleveland area of the North Riding 

of Yorkshire, it is noted for stamina and an even temperament 

and was originally used as a pack horse to carry the coal and iron 

ore from the moors down to the coast. The return journey would 

be of salt, fish or whatever could be sold. The ‘Chapmen’, as 

“Some sixty years ago I stood at 

the ringside of the Cleveland Show 

contemplating, with wonder the 

uniformity in beauty, colour, quality and 

power of a large class of Cleveland 

brood mares. Separated from their 

foals, they were a splendid spectacle 

and in that hour I realized not only 

that we possessed an ancient race 

as beautiful as it was useful, but one 

of amazing uniformity, combining 

quality and power in a quite unique 

degree...” 

Alfred Pease (late) 

these merchants were called, used the local clean legged short 

coupled horses which were hardy and sure footed. 

Fastest times between London and the North 

Animals were needed to pull the coaches of the time and the 

pack horses proved to be suitable for breeding carriage horses 

and the type which developed was known as the “Yorkshire 

Coach Horse” . These gained in reputation for fast times 

between London and the North pulling the mail coaches. 

2 VOICE of the MOORS Autumn-Winter 2007 

Dealers travelled from all over the country to Yorkshire to find 

and buy these horses and take them home. With a little luck, a 

farmer could sell foals at the autumn ‘horse fairs’ to pay his rent 

for the year. Bred from the same stock these pack and coach 

horses were bay with black points and became known as the 

Cleveland Bays grazing in their native Cleveland overlooking 

Skinningrove 

‘Cleveland Bay’ taking the name from the area in which they 

originated, although many were bred in other parts of rural 

Yorkshire. The breed was also used to pull gun carriages and 

many lost their lives in the service of the country 

A handful of breeders 

The local farmers used their horses on the land, the clean 

legged quality being important, because the predominantly clay 

soils did not stick to their legs. Their horses were used for every 

aspect, of country life, ploughing, hay making, pulling the cart 

to take produce for sale and as a riding horse for taking the 

children to school or rounding up the sheep on the local moors. 

continued on page 5

Contents 

Officers of the Association 

President 

Derek Statham 

Vice Presidents 

Professor Allan Patmore 

Ron Foster 

Chairman 

Tom Chadwick 

Vice-chairman 

George Winn-Darley 

Association Secretary 

Gareth Fawcett 

Association Treasurer 

Jonathan Scandrett 

Council Members 

Phil Collier 

Albert Elliot 

John Farquhar 

Geoff Fossick 

Don Furness 

Association secretary 

Gareth Fawcett 

2 High Street, Castleton, 

WHITBY, YO21 2DA 

Tel. 01287 660 671 

e-mail garethfawcett@hotmail.com 

Association Treasurer 


75 The Paddock, Stokesley 

TS9 5PN 

email: jcscandrett@aol.com 

Membership Secretary 

Gerald King 

5 Cleveland View, Faceby 

Middlesbrough , TS9 7DE 

(01642) 701051 

‘Voice of the Moors’ articles to: 

Anne Taylor 

Chairman, Editorial Panel 

The Hall Cottage, 

Appleton-le-Moors, York Y062 6TF 

( 01751) 417670 

annet.taylor@tiscali.co.uk 

Suggestions for events 

Don Furness 

Mount House, Urra, Chop Gate 

Middlesbrough TS9 7HZ 

Tel:01642-778302 

Development Officer 

Colin Jones 

113 High Street, Great Broughton 

Cleveland TS9 7HB 

(01642)-710415 

CjCjones@aol.com 

Registered Charity 

No. 517639 

Articles appearing in 

the “Voice of the Moors” 

convey the author’s 

personal opinion and 

are not necessarily 

the views of the North 

Yorkshire Moors 

Association. 

Page 2 The Cleveland Bay 

Contents 

A local breed famed throughout the land 

Page 4 Foreword 

The Durham records 

Page 6 Peat management 

Peter Barfoot brings this issue to the fore 

Page 7 Letter 

An international incident with links to NYMA 

Page 8 Moors Diary 

Sundew reflects on boundary issues 

Page 9 Where on Earth? 

Where lies Alfred John Brown? 

Page 10 Renewables in the Park 

A call for leadership 

Page 11 A tribute to Don Tilley 

A look back over Don’s long and productive life 

Page 12 New legislation 

Action on off road driving given a boost 

Page 13 Crossword 

Amanuensis in top form again 

Page 15 Book review 

Fylingdales Moor 

Page 16 Winter is setting in 

Officers and Council 

would like to take this 

opportunity to wish all 

of our members a Happy 

Christmas for 2007 

We are grateful to Stephen Street Photography for permission to reproduce the rear 

cover photograph. 

Our cover picture illustates Cleveland Bay horses in seasonal conditions. 

Reproduced, along with images on pages 2 & 5 by kind permission of Liz Worthy. 

www.north-yorkshire-moors.org.uk 

VOICE of the MOORS Autumn-Winter 2007 3

Foreword Estates for sale 

Grape Hyacinths flowering in Houlsyke, Tortoiseshell 

Butterflies in Westerdale and in Castleton, new 

leaves on Honeysuckle, in November. Almost every 

day there are observations of nature out of line with seasonal 

expectation. 

Tortoiseshells in November! 

There is a clear reminder of climate change in the latest issue of 

the journal of the Royal Meteorological Society that features the 

meteorological record of Durham University. The temperature 

record, from 1850 to 2005, is the second longest continuous 

record of temperature at one site at a university in Britain. The 

record is extremely valuable in terms of comparative studies 

and is a tribute to the people who have maintained it over the 

last 160 years. Unlike other presentations of global temperature 

changes which often seem remote, this is very close to home. 

The revelation of the increasing ten year mean temperature, 

especially in the last twenty five years, may in part explain why 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Durham temperature record, 1850-2006. Data plotted are annual mean temperature (AMT, oC) plus a decadal 

running mean. 

it was possible to watch a tortoiseshell Butterfly on the moor 

above Westerdale on November 2nd. 

Carbon release from peat 

It is also a reminder that climate warming has implications for 

the North York Moors particularly with regard to the carbon held 

in the peat moorland. Peat bogs absorb carbon and therefore 

act as carbon sinks. Degradation of peat bogs by drainage or 

unsuitable land management can result in significant loss of 

carbon. There is also some scientific evidence which shows that 

a rise in temperature increases microbial activity leading to the 


release of carbon. There are about 1.5 million hectares of peat 

in the UK and this is the largest single carbon reserve with an 

estimated 3 billion tonnes of carbon compared with woodland 

which holds around 150 million tonnes. Problems such as 

wildfires and erosion could lead to the emission of up to 381,000 

tonnes of carbon per year across the UK. All of this has a direct 

bearing on moorland management especially in the retention of 

water and the restoration of sphagnum bog. (see page 6). Next 

year the Association’s AGM will be held at the Moors Centre at 

Danby on June 14th with guest speaker Professor Philip Ineson, 

Head of Biology at York University and a leading expert on the 

possible effects of climate change on peat moorland. 

This year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 

(IPCC) published the Fourth Assessment Report followed 

by the Stern Report on the Economics of Climate Change. 

Now the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is 

to produce a study on “Adapting the UK to Climate Change” 

with the aim of publishing 

a report in 2009. Perhaps 

we are at last moving from 

words to actions because 

it is both collective and 

individual action which will 

help to mitigate the effects 

of climate change and help 

us to adapt to it. 

Wet summer - Dry 

autumn! 

At the time of the last issue 

of voice, water was very 

much on everyone’s mind as 

we witnessed the poor start to 

summer. Officially, this year, 

we had the wettest summer 

since 1912 and the eighth 

wettest since1766. This was 

caused by the excessive 

amount of rain in June and 

July. However, the three 

months since then, August, September and October have only 

had 48% of the average rainfall, with October being especially 

dry. The seventeen year local average rainfall for October in the 

upper Esk Valley is 88.7mm which was reduced to just 18.5mm 

this year. 

Tom Chadwick 

We are grateful to Professor Tim Burt, Durham University 

Geography Department for permission to reproduce the 

temperature graph 

Members with £15m to spare may like to invest in what 

the market for many years. Following the death of 

of 64, the Westerdale and Rosedale estates within the 

is said to be the largest sporting estate to come on 

Brigadier Tim Landon, from lung cancer, at the age 

National Park have been put on the market, placed 

jointly with Knight Frank and CKD Kennedy McPherson. Over the years Brigadier Landon purchased property 

amounting to some 50,000 acres in England, including these estates in the North York Moors amounting to nearly 

12,000 acres, including a 12 bedroom hunting lodge, nine cottages, a hotel, 8 farms and six farm houses. We 

regret the passing of Brigadier Landon and offer our condolences to his family. We can only hope that new owners 

are found quickly and that they share Brigadier Landon’s committement to maintaining and conserving this central 

part of the North York Moors landscape. (Ed. note. We understand that a sale has recently been agreed see issue 91) 

FOR SALE

Cleveland Bays (contd) 

Continued from page 2 

With the advent of the tractor, Cleveland Bays became redundant 

and the number declined to critical levels. The breed reduced 

to only nine registered stallions and a few mares in the early 

Right:Champion 

“Mulgrave Supreme” 

1960’s. Through the efforts of a handful of breeders in the 

traditional “Cleveland county” they survived into the seventies, 

but not before the breed was placed on the Rare Breed Survival 

Trust Register at Category 1. Her Majesty the Queen bought the 

pure Cleveland Bay stallion “Mulgrave Supreme” to prevent his 

export to America. This purchase helped preserve the breed and 

maintained the use of the Cleveland Bay as a carriage horse in 

the Royal Mews. 

Royal Stud 

The breed’s potential has been recognised for many years by 

“Bounder” and “Reflection” 

horsemen throughout the world and many have been exported 

to far distant lands including Australia, New Zealand, America, 

South Africa and Japan to improve their native stock. The Royal 

Stud of Japan has used the Cleveland Bay for many years to 

produce their carriage horses. Today the Cleveland is the ideal 

cross for producing hunters and competition horses for every 

sphere. 

Bays at the olympics 

The pure bred Cleveland Bay stallions Borderfame Prince 

Charming, Oakenbank, Grenadier and Whitehouse Sheriff are 

performance tested with NaStA and have competed in varying 

disciplines. Part bred Cleveland Bays are successfully competing 

in dressage, show jumping, eventing and driving including Arun 

Tor, William Hill, Pemboke Minstrel, Tregoyd Tor, Iron Bru, 

Glenaig Solo Dancer. Meridian, Rococo, Sutton Supers and 

many more. North Flight ridden by David Barker represented 

Britain at the Tokyo Olympics as did Madison Time ridden by 

Harvey Smith at the Mexico Olympics. The success of the part 

bred is not limited to the UK as they are equally successful 

in a wide range of disciplines in Australia, New Zealand and 

the USA. Many young pure breds are being exported today 

and are all highly thought of and in great demand in their new 

environments. 

In conclusion 

It is hard to believe that such a versatile, talented animal remains 

on the Rare Breed Survival Trust’s Register, Category 1. To 

end, I would like to quote two lines from a poem by Sir J.D. 

Paul printed in the Whitby Gazette in 1879:- 

“All things that live have parallel, save one: 

The Cleveland Bay horse, he alone has none!” 

Copyright retained by Liz Worthy, CBHS 

The Cleveland Bay Horse Society (founded 1884), based 

at York Livestock Centre is responsible for the registration, 

licensing and promotion of the Cleveland Bay horse and 

welcomes new members and breeders. Activities are held 

throughout the country and classes for pure and part bred 

Cleveland Bays are included at many shows. An annual 

magazine is available for a modest £3 plus postage and this 

includes articles, stallion lists, breeders advertisement, pure 

bred and part bred registrations. Visit the web site at www. 

cleyelandbay.com or contact the CBHS office telephone 

01904 489731. 

We are indebted to the Cleveland Bay Horse Society for permission 

to reproduce the images of the driving four on page 2 

and of “Mulgrave Supreme” above 


Peat response 

John Farquhar’s article in issue 88 of the ‘Voice’ raised a 

number of important questions about peat management on 

our moorland. The article correctly identified the dry nature 

of our moors and the fact that conserving peat by preventing 

it drying out or being eroded is increasingly seen as an important 

element in combating potential climate change. What 

this article will attempt to do is set out briefly the position in the 

North York Moors and the type of actions that the National Park 

Authority is promoting. 

Drier Climate 

Very little of the North York Moors supports the type of deep 

peat soils found extensively on the Pennines and the more 

westerly upland areas. (See map) This is entirely due to the 

drier climate experienced in the eastern areas of the UK. Even 

where deep peat does exist, much of the vegetation it supports is 

dry heath rather than the blanket bog which might be expected. 

The reasons for this are probably a combination of a drier climate 

and previous management, including burning and drainage. 

Burning - a quandary 

There has been a long debate nationally over the management 

of blanket bog by burning. There is no doubt that ‘hot’ burning 

can destroy the sphagnum moss on which the blanket bog relies 

to retain its water and continue to grow. Burning blanket bog 

can also dry out or even burn into the peat, leaving cracks 

where erosion can start. However there is concern, which is 

very pronounced in the North York Moors, that without burning 

management the resultant long heather will produce a very 

high risk of accidental fire. This would burn intensely and 

potentially destroy considerable amounts of peat, as seen on 

Glaisdale Moor in 1976. 

A compromise does appear to be emerging with the promotion 

of ‘cool’ burning techniques which allow the sphagnum layer 


PEAT MANAGEMENT 

Peter Barfoot responds to John Farqhar’s article (Issue 88) 

to survive. Given that much of the deep peat on the North 

York Moors does not support blanket bog vegetation with its 

characteristic sphagnum, the appropriate management has to be 

assessed on a site by site basis. 

Water retention 

Moorland gripping is not nearly as common in the North York 

Moors as it is on the Pennines. The two major peat projects 

in the North of England, “Moors for the Future”, in the Peak 

District and “Peatscapes”, in the North Pennines, are both 

seeking to address large areas of gripping and eroding blanket 

bogs. Whilst this problem is not widespread in the North York 

Moors, it does exist and we are keen to work with estates and 

other moorland interests to see how more water can be kept on 

the moors. 

The techniques being developed by the large peat projects will 

be very valuable in this process. Reversing past drainage can 

create linear pools which are valuable wildlife features as well 

as helping the peat act as a sponge. Path 

repair can also play an important role in 

preventing further peat loss. Funding 

for this is always limited, but substantial 

stretches have been restored and work is 

about to start at Jugger Howe on the Lyke 

Wake Walk. 

Wild fires 

Preventing accidental fires, or rapidly 

controlling them if they do occur, is clearly 

very important if our peat resources are 

to be conserved. The National Park 

Authority convenes a Fire Liaison Panel 

with representatives from the Moorland 

Association, the Fire Service and the 

North York Moors Railway. This is 

very useful in raising issues and finding 

solutions to them. It has facilitated the 

development of fire plans for estates so 

that the fire service can be provided with 

maps showing access tracks and water 

supplies etc. 

Dealing with the legacy of old fire damage, going back decades, 

is still a concern. Although restoration has been successful in 

many areas, scars do remain and act as a continual reminder of 

what we have yet to do. 

Active growing bog 

In summary the issue of peat conservation in the North York 

Moors is an important one. We are keen to work with land 

owners and estates to prevent peat erosion, reverse previous 

damage and, where possible, encourage the development of 

active, growing, blanket bog. 

Peter Barfoot 

Head of Conservation 

North York Moors National Park Authority

Letter 

Dear Editor, 

AN INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT 

Brian Spencer recalls a brush with the Iron Curtain involving Don Tilley, who died recently 

I first met Don in 1978 when he joined a cross country ski trip I 

led in the Giant Mountains range of Czechoslovakia, a meeting 

that led to our longstanding friendship and my membership of 

your association. It might not be so well known but it was on 

the trip that Don managed to get himself lost on what was then 

the rather sensitive border with Poland. 

1978 was the tenth anniversary of the Prague Spring that was 

cruelly put down 

by Russia and 

whose troops 

were very much 

in evidence 

during our stay. 

As a result and it 

was at this time 

that Poland was 

trying to assert 

its independence 

from Russia, 

armed guards 

were stationed 

along the border 

ridge half a mile 

or so above the 

hotel where we 

were staying. I 

had a Czech 

colleague who had 

escaped during 

the Uprising and was then working at the Shell laboratories in 

Amsterdam. He told me about the heavily guarded border from 

which the Czechs were turned away, but suggested that if I took 

a good supply of duty free cigarettes, he was sure, being non 

Czech, we would be allowed to enjoy an excellent ski run along 

the border escarpment. This proved correct and not only did 

we set up a friendly relationship with the Polish soldiers but we 

enjoyed several exciting days of high level runs in untouched 

powder snow. 

Don fourth from the left, with the map. 

Don being the gentleman he was had the odd habit of stopping 

whenever he saw another skier 

coming towards him, even 

though they could easily have 

passed many yards apart and 

as a result he was often tail-end 

Charlie. On the last day but 

one I planned a fairly ambitious 

trip that unfortunately involved 

crossing a busy downhill area, 

followed by a steep drop into a 

valley from which we were to 

catch a midday bus towards the 

border and then through dense pine forest to our hotel. Knowing 

it would be impossible to cross the ski run as a group I told 

my party that I would go ahead and wait at a small restaurant 

until they had all passed on their way into the valley. As I 

felt that Don might be seriously delayed on the downhill area I 

suggested that if he hadn’t reached the restaurant by the time we 

agreed, he should turn back. 

The restaurant was very busy and needing to keep a look out for 

my group, I had to share a table with an East German and his 

young son. Apparently the boy was starting to learn English 

and at his father’s request I chatted to him, but it required my 

full attention. As a result I only caught a glimpse of my passing 

skiers, but no Don, and as time was pressing, had to rush down 

the icy forest track to the waiting bus. The length of the day’s 

tour meant we were 

fairly late and it was 

getting dark when 

we returned to the 

hotel where to my 

horror, there was no 

Don! 

A quick search 

proved he had not 

been seen and so I 

alerted the mountain 

rescue and suggested 

they search a part 

of the forest where 

I calculated Don 

should be. Riding 

ski scooters they 

were able efficiently 

to cover the area 

but reported back 

they couldn’t find 

him. Rightly as it turned out I explained that when he saw their 

scooter lights, he would step off the track and into shadow, so I 

sent them back and told them to switch off their lights and blow 

their whistles. Sure enough they found a very cold and tired 

Don exactly where I indicated on the map. 

Don opted to have a rest on the day following, our last in the 

Giant Mountains, a day we used for a final run along the border 

ridge. Meeting our Polish military friends I was asked where 

he was and answering that he was resting back at the hotel, the 

response was to tell me to lock him in his room and throw away 

the key! Apparently they had been on 24 hour alert without any 

real protection on the exposed border ridge. 

The story does not end there, for a week or so later I opened the 

Guardian to find a half page feature entitled ‘ The Night we Lost 

Don’. Written in typical Guardian journalese by Janet Watts 

who was a member of my party, it described another lady, who 

happened to be wearing a plaid dress, ‘as walking up and down 

the room wringing her hands like Lady Macbeth!’. 

Not many people can claim to have sparked an international 

incident and also have a Guardian feature written about it but 

Don did, bless him. 

Brian Spencer 

VOICE of the MOORS Summer-Summer 2007 7

Moors’ Diary 

RED LINES ON THE MAP 

Triggered by the designation process for the South Downs, Sundew looks again at local park boundaries 

The long process of designating the South Downs as a 

National Park is entering its final stages but, perhaps inevitably, 

a major disagreement has arisen. The inspector 

who conducted the public inquiry into the designation of a National 

Park, whilst recommending the principle of Park designation, 

suggested a number of changes to the proposed boundary, 

including leaving out a large area of the western Weald which 

many regard as integral to the Park designation. A campaign is 

now underway, led by the CNP, to persuade the government to 

include this area in the final designation. 

A programme of boundary reviews abandoned 

Some years ago, the then Countryside Commission proposed 

a review of the boundaries of all the National Parks to bring 

them in line with current events and developments, both on 

the ground and administratively. A programme of reviews 

was suggested with the Moors 

Park in the middle of the order. 

Unfortunately, the Commission 

found the process of review 

in the first Parks in Dartmoor 

and Pembrokeshire Coast so 

time consuming, protracted and 

demanding of its scant resources 

that it abandoned the rest of the 

programme. 

This can be seen as a 

consequence of freedom and 

democracy in our country 

though one wonders whether 

the pendulum has swung too far 

when a hard working agency 

like the former Countryside 

Commission is forced to take its 

bat home because of the sheer 

weight of public representation 

and lengthy legal procedures. 

I cannot help but compare this 

with the way the boundary between the state of India and the 

emerging state of Pakistan was drawn up by a British civil 

servant in a matter of weeks or the way the American states 

were defined along lines of latitude and longitude. 

In the meantime, some preliminary work had been undertaken 

in most of the Parks, including the Moors though the 

possibilities did not give rise to a public debate as the review 

was abandoned. 

Influence of powerful voluntary groups 

The designation order for the Moors Park in 1951 proposed a 

much larger area for the Park than that subsequently approved 

by the Secretary of State in 1952. For instance, it ran along 

some of the line of the former, but then still active, railway from 

Helmsley to Scarborough. What followed was a classic case of 

political pressure and influence of powerful voluntary groups, 

particularly from the farming lobby. As a result, large `bites` 

were taken out of the Park, principally along the southern 

boundary between Helmsley and Scarborough where the land 


rises gently to the escarpment of the Tabular Hills. This was and 

is relatively good agricultural land and much of it was excluded 

with the dales being left in the Park. The town of Pickering was 

also excluded. 

It is astonishing to learn that only 11 representations about 

the designation were officially received. They included both 

objections in principle, mainly on grounds of cost, interference 

with farming and industry and impact of public access, and on 

boundary issues. The public inquiry held in Northallerton in 

July, 1952 seems to have been a very low key affair and the 

confirmation of the Park designation, incorporating the many 

deletions amounting to some 47 square miles, proceeded 

rapidly in November of that year. There had been a good deal 

of lobbying behind the scenes of course and it is here that 

ministerial minds will have been swayed. 

Three areas 

The 1949 National Parks and Countryside Act gave powers to 

the Secretary of State to vary the boundaries of the Parks but 

over the years, these were rarely used. In 1981, the Wildlife 

and Countryside Act gave the Countryside Commission the 

power to prepare variation orders and this led to the programme 

of review. The discussions which took place at officer level 

centred on three areas of the Moors Park Firstly, the inclusion 

of the Whitby` salient`, the rationalisation of the boundary south 

of Loftus and the inclusion, or exclusion, of a dozen villages 

where the boundary cut through them, resulting in two planning 

authorities in one village. 

The possibility of extending the Park into the area of the 

Howardian Hills had been an issue for discussion but this was 

pre-empted by the Commission`s decision to press ahead with 

an Area of Outstanding Beauty designation for this attractive 

continued on page 9

A. J. Brown 

One of the most enthusiastic and hardy walkers of the 

twentieth century was the irrepressible Alfred John 

Brown, author, adventurer and lover of all thing 

Yorkshire. His zest for life, and a delight in walking solo on 

lonely moors and fells, never left him. Born in 1894, in the town 

of Bradford, where his passion for hard moorland tramping 

blossomed, through the walking he enjoyed in that area with his 

father as guide and mentor. 

In his early twenties, he served as a gunner in the Great War, but 

contracted a fever and was invalided out of the forces, being as 

Continued from page 8 

wooded landscape. 

Whitby has prospered 

Thus the boundaries of the Park have remained unchanged 

since designation in 1952. In the meantime, there have of 

course been substantial changes to the landscape of the Park and 

surrounding areas. The town of Whitby for instance, for many 

decades a rather sad run - down resort, has prospered in recent 

years and is now a major tourist destination. Has the stage 

come when, with a programme of environmental improvements 

particularly to the outskirts of the town, it should take its place 

as its geography provided, as a natural focus of the Park? Have 

the recent improvements to the industrial landscape around 

Skinningrove been sufficient to merit extending the Park along 

WHERE ON EARTH? 

a result debilitated for several years. However, he was seldom 

idle, and during this tiresome period developed his love for 

writing, resulting in the publication of his first book in 1923. 

This was the first of many he was to write over his lifetime, such 

as Moorland Tramping, Four Boon Fellows, Fair North Riding, 

Striding Through Yorkshire, and Broad Acres. He was also a 

poet and published Poems & Songs. 

On regaining his health, he explored Belgium and France, and 

crossed the Alps and Pyrenees. He said “Rough walking was my 

cure and salvation.” However, his native Yorkshire remained 

his abiding love and he went on to ramble over just about every 

walkable acre of the county. He became passionately fond of 

wild open moorlands and tramped over the North Yorkshire 

Moors, recording his experiences in his excellent books. 

He married Marie-Eugenie Bull in 1927 and the couple settled 

at Burley-in-Wharfedale. They had 5 children. In 1940, at the 

age of 46, he volunteered for service with the RAF and was 

granted a commission in Intelligence. He finished the war with 

the rank of Acting Wing Commander. His book, Ground Staff, 

deals with this period of his life. 

When WW II ended, he followed his long-held wish, “To live 

near the moors, to write books, and run a small country hotel as 

I thought it should be run.” He and his wife bought and ran a 

small country hotel at the heart of the North Yorkshire Moors 

for three years. The last three years of A.J.’s life were spent in a 

small cottage in a North Yorkshire village from which he and his 

wife could gaze on the restless North Sea in one direction and his 

beloved sprawling moors in the other. He died in 1969 and was 

buried in the local churchyard. The headstone of A J Brown’s 

grave is inscribed with two lines from one of his poems: 

There must be dales in Paradise 

Which you and I will find… 

A fitting epitaph for a life-long walking enthusiast, but where on 

earth would you find A.J.’s last resting place? 

the coast to Saltburn or should efforts be made to create a clearer 

boundary around Staithes and Loftus, possibly excluding the 

potash mine? 

These and many other smaller anomalies need discussion and 

resolution. After 55 years, the time is long overdue for action. 

As a postscript, it is comforting to remind readers that the 

Association`s remit is not restricted to the boundaries of 

the National Park but can include comment on matters and 

developments affecting the Park from outside the actual 

boundaries. 

Sundew 

VOICE of the MOORS Summer-Summer 2007 9

Preferences please! 

I 

was struck , on reading about renewable energy proposals 

at Appleton –le-Moors, (Issue 89) by the seemingly 

incongruous position in which the NPA finds, itself, opposite 

these issues. In a sense I sympathise with this, since it is a brave 

public body that stands in the path of the wholesale clamour for 

“renewables”, but more sp for one which at the same time is 

charged with protecting our landscapes and heritage. 

Now it may be my ignorance of the NPAs position, but if 

so then much more publicity is called for, but I do not see it 

guiding “choice” in this area So it will “consider any scheme 

on its merits”, which is hardly a proactive stance, and at a 

recent planning teach in, the alternatives were explained but not 

a single expression of preference was made. 

I seem to recall a study, no doubt by an eminent academic, or 

if not, a committed enjoyer of national parks, who sought to 

prioritise leisure in terms of its adverse impact on fellow users. 

Its footprint in modern parlance. Not surprisingly walking came 

top of the list and a debate about the bottom of the list would 

provide an interesting future article. (Ed: please note) 

Similarly renewable energy generation in any given location 

exhibits a footprint and if we define the location, lets start with 

For People who Love the Moors 

The North Yorkshire Moors Association 

Please join us – Now! 

I wish to join the North Yorkshire Moors Association. (Annual 

Subscription £10, Life membership £120) 

Name………………………………………………………. 

Address…………………………………………………… 

……………………………………………………………… 

……………………………………………………………… 

Postcode…………………………………... 

Please also enrol associate members living at the same address (Annual 

subscription £1 each, Life membership £12 each). 

……………………………………………………………. 

……………………………………………………………. 

……………………………………………………………. 

Please send this form and cheque payable to The North Yorkshire 

Moors Association to 

Mr. Gerald King, NYMA Membership, 5 Cleveland View, 

Faceby, MIDDLESBROUGH, TS9 7DE 

I am a UK taxpayer YES/NO 


RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE PARK 

NYMA exists to protect and 

enhance the characteristic 

natural beauty of the North 

Yorkshire Moors for present 

and future generations 

We seek to balance this 

protection alongside the social 

and economic life of the 

communities whose homes 

and livelihood are affected 

We work to foster an 

understanding of the forces, 

past and present, impacting 

this national treasure. 

Through members effort we 

monitor activities in the area, 

promoting those benefiting the 

natural beauty, but opposing 

and offering constructive 

alternatives where necessary 

Our council conducts active 

campaigns in support of 

Join us 

the North York Moors National Park, then that footprint can 

be assessed qualitatively at least. It would seem likely that 

technologies can be prioritised in terms of the impact of their 

footprint. Now surely the NPA have views don’t they, I do and 

I’m pretty sure you do, so they must do as well! 

This is too short a space to examine each technology but 

maybe I can illustrate the point. For my money perhaps the 

least negative impact might be ground source heating, unless 

at a scale where it is going to change the ecology of the moors 

through ground cooling? At the other extreme it would be 

hard to beat wind energy in terms of visual impact , damage to 

birdlife, and noise, in general terms that is. Solar and hydro 

seem likely to come between these two. So why doesn’t the 

NPA come out with a view on prefered technologies? Treating 

all options as being equally suitable, until they hit the planning 

buffers seems odd, particularly in a national park. The NPA 

can presumably even encourage adoption of those technologies 

with the lowest ecological footprint, indeed promote them with 

some subdivision of National Government largesse. 

Let’s hear it from you NPA! 

Geoff Belbin 

measures to conserve the 

natural beauty and maintain 

your access for quiet 

enjoyment of the National Park. 

Projects in support of the 

park are undertaken through 

members’ voluntary effort. 

NYMA is an independent 

registered charity, concerned 

for the future of the North 

Yorkshire Moors which 

include the National Park. 

Members share in a 

quarterly magazine, events 

programme and project work.

Don Tilley 

James Howie MacDonald Tilley was born almost 91 years 

ago. MacDonald became shortened by the family to 

Donald. To many here Dr Tilley was known simply but 

affectionately as Don. 

An appreciative 

and enquiring 

mind 

He was born in a 

Durham mining 

village. His father 

was the village 

schoolmaster – but 

this was during the 

Great War – Mr 

Tilley was soon 

serving in France, 

His mother, also 

a trained and 

committed Junior 

School teacher, brought up Joyce, Don’s eldest sister, Don 

and after the war, the two new arrivals, Helen and Eva. In this 

close knit mining community Don entered the local Church of 

England School, under his father, a firm but scrupulously fair 

disciplinarian. Helen remembers how at an early age, Donald 

revelled in long country walks with local boys, observing 

wildlife with an appreciative and enquiring mind – a scientist in 

the making. He drew and painted butterflies then released them 

back into the wild. He studied bird life but left eggs undisturbed. 

These were important formative years. 

Hard act to follow! 

With success at 11 plus, his education moved to Houghton 

le Spring Secondary School , as indeed did for all the Tilley 

youngsters. Following outstanding results in Higher School 

Certificate he was awarded – 

An Honorary County Scholarship 

A State Scholarship 

A Lord Kitchener Scholarship 

For siblings, I imagine, a difficult act to follow! 

He was accepted to take a degree in medicine at Cambridge 

with hospital training in London during the blitz of World War 

Two. After two years in practice in Preston, young Dr Tilley 

moved to a shared practice in a difficult area of Liverpool , with 

a heavy patient load and demanding call-out rota. It was here 

that he took a Diploma in Public Health which enabled him to 

move to to Oxford as Medical Officer of Health in 1958. In 

1974 he arrived here in Cleveland to continue his work with the 

National Health Service, until retirement in 1982. He may well 

have used that word “retirement” himself, but in reality the last 

25 years have been far from that! It was in fact merely a change 

in direction. 

A Moors Society working in parallel with the NPA 

Don always had a keen interest in the outdoors, especially in 

walking and skiing. His links with the North Yorkshire Moors 

A TRIBUTE TO DON TILLEY 

We reproduce David Taylor’s tribute to Don 

date back to the early days of the Youth Hostels Association 

in the 1930’s. He often spoke of staying on one occasion with 

Helen in a hostel which was formerly part of the West Side 

Mine in Rosedale. Now, as a National Park Voluntary Ranger, 

he saw the need for a moors society working in parallel with the 

National Park Authority. With encouragement and help from the 

National Park Officer, and two former Park Members, a “gang 

of four” set about finding likely soul-mates. The main aim was 

always “to protect and enhance the characteristic beauty of the 

Moors”. The inaugural meeting was held in the Moors Centre, 

Danby in 1985. Don, as Secretary, Editor, Membership Officer, 

etc., etc., put in place a firm foundation for the North Yorkshire 

Moors Association, (NYMA) which thrives today. Sisters 

Helen and Eva worked tirelessly in the background. He was 

particularly proud of the wide-ranging membership, reflecting 

not only the leisure-seekers, but also many who live and work in 

the moors, especially from the farming community. 

The area covered by NYMA includes the fringes of the moors 

often outside the National Park. As we entered this beautiful 

church today, we should be aware that its site and views towards 

the moors were protected from unsightly pylons by in part at 

least by the dogged determination of Don. 

Far from parochial 

When he stepped down from office in 1995 he was made 

Vice President of the Association which had then prospered 

for 10 years. A copse of trees was planted in Eskdale for this 

anniversary, and in recognition of his work they were given the 

name, “Tilley’s Ten”. True to form, he continued his interest 

in the Association, to the extent that he attended the AGM as 

recently as June this year, 2007. There are Council Members 

of NYMA with us today. I hope I will not offend church 

authorities if I slip in a brief commercial – new members are 

always welcome. 

Don was passionate regarding the Moors, he was involved in 

pressing for a local Parish Council, and voiced concern recently 

regarding a local planning application. Despite all this, it would 

be unjust to say that his interests were mainly parochial. He 

was equally passionate and concerned over world population 

growth, third world famine and what we now refer to as carbon 

footprints. His concern was of a practical nature, shown in his 

considerable financial contributions to so many worthy causes 

world-wide. 

Active and wide ranging 

He had such an active and wide-ranging mind. I remember with 

fondness journeys with Don to NYMA Council Meetings and 

field outings, sometimes in inclement weather, often in remote 

parts of the moors. In one trip his conversation could range from 

nuclear physics to the ridiculous price offered for a Swaledale 

fleece. Not always easy for the driver negotiating the water 

splash at Hob Hole or Blakey Rigg in fog. 

But his infectious enthusiasm influenced so many people. We 

thank God for a long and fruitful life and for every remembrance 

of Don. 

David W. Taylor 


Off-road driving 

NEW LEGISLATION TO TACKLE OFF-ROAD ABUSES 

Statements from CNP and the NPA on the recently introduced powers 

The Council for National Parks (CNP) has welcomed 

new powers for National Park Authorities in 

England to make Traffic Regulation Orders to 

control the use of motor vehicles on rights of way. 

The new powers have been introduced in response to 

concerns about the impact that recreational motor vehicles 

such as four wheel drives and trail bikes can have on the 

conservation and enjoyment of some of the National Parks. 

In 2005, CNP surveyed all the National Park Authorities in 

England and Wales (4) and found that off-road vehicle use 

was having a significant impact on several of the National 

Parks, including the North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales 

and Lake District. The impacts from off-road vehicle use 

include physical damage to rights of way, conflict with 

non-motorised users and land managers, and disturbance 

to tranquility. 

CNP’s research highlighted the need for Park Authorities to 

be given direct powers to make Traffic Regulation Orders 

as previously such orders could only be made by local 

highway authorities. This meant that there could be a delay 

in making orders, during which time further damage often 

occurred. 

In welcoming the new powers, David Murray, Transport 

Campaigner at CNP, says, “These new powers will enable 

National Park Authorities to address concerns about 

damage caused by inappropriate off-road vehicular use. 

This will help ensure that the public can continue to enjoy 

the tranquillity and peace and quiet found in the National 

Parks”. 

Council for National Parks 


National Park Authorities do now have the 

power to make Traffic Regulation Orders to 

control motorised use of “green lanes” within 

the National Parks. This was pushed forward by 

government in response to concerns raised by National 

Park Authorities and the Council for National Parks that 

off road motorised vehicles were in some areas causing 

unacceptable levels of damage and disturbance to the 

landscape and special qualities of National Parks and that 

action to prevent this was often difficult or unnecessarily 

time consuming to secure. 

Previously, these powers were held by Highways 

Authorities. National Park Authorities were unable to 

take direct action and had to press for their concerns to 

be given a higher priority than the Highways Authority, 

with it’s different set of responsibilities, might otherwise 

have given it. Given the scale of damage being caused in 

the worst hit locations and the National Park Authorities’ 

role in landscape and recreation management, this did not 

seem a viable situation Essentially, this means that we 

can now take direct action to tackle the problem. This 

Authority has no plan for widespread, immediate use 

of these powers but will certainly make use of them as 

problems arise and on a case by case basis. 

Richard Gunton 

Director of Recreation and Park Management 

North York Moors National Park Authority

Crossword Answers 

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD 

Number 38 by Amanuensis 

1 2 3 4 4 5 6 7 

8 9 

10 11 

13 12 

13 14 15 

17 18 16 18 

17 18 19 

20 

21 22 23 

24 25 

Answers to this Crossword can be found below. 

a) Lad-louper - A forward girl; one who makes the first advances or does 

not wait to be wooed. 

b) Porriwiggle - the tadpole, the young of the frog or toad in its early 

stages of existence. 

c) Roupy - Hoarse, not able to speak properly because of the effects of 

cold. ‘As roupy as a raven.’ 

d) Scallibrat - A passionate, screaming child. 

e) Popple - The common corn cockle. (a flower now far from common!) 

f) Smiddy - A forge or blacksmiths shop. 

g) Forkin-robin - The common earwig. Also known as a twitch-bell. 

h) Caumerill or gaumerill - A somewhat crooked piece of wood, with notches 

at each end, employed by butchers to keep the hind legs of 

slaughtered animals, especially pigs, apart and at the same time form a 

means of suspension. Pig carcasses secured to caumerills were raised up 

high by pulleys attached to rafters and hung there for a time to allow the 

meat to ‘set’. 

25 

CROSSWORD ANSWERS No 38 

Across 

1 & 15 A spanner used by poor people. (7,6) 

5 Crazy cleric loses one hundred but survives from the past. (5) 

8 Refreshing character one hears. (3) 

9 It has its hang-ups. (4,5) 

10 Source of wealh down under - very likely. (8) 

11 Not for a party? (4) 

13 He hangs by a chain. (6) 

15 see 1 across. 

17 In a position to control high tree. (4) 

18 Uneasy when remainder takes fewer. (4) 

21 Scotland’s own god takes exercise near Danby (9) 

22 catch a rock promontory (3) 

24 Nocturnal fantasy perhaps (5) 

25 Protest if you give evidence inside (7) 

Down 

1 Hangs around all day but is active at night. (3) 

2 Bowl of whisked egg white. (5) 

3 Little Albert went with bad actor and female supporter to 

Spain. (8) 

4 Salty Sarah in the east. (6) 

5 Encrusted with corrosion at the middle. (4) 

6 Fifty deserved to be very knowledgeable (7) 

7 They take their turn at the wheel. (2-7) 

10 Billy on high ground in moorland village. (9) 

12 Wastes the battered deep-fried food. (8) 

14 Academic has weapon that is left. (7) 

16 Search for the musteline mammal. (6) 

19 Boredom in France. (5) 

20 Sliced hams turn out to be bogus. (4) 

23 Robin Hood has a local one. (3) 

Down: 1 bat, 2 Grail, 3 Alhambra, 4 saline, 5 rust, 6 learned, 7 co-drivers, 10 Goathland, 12 fritters, 14 balance, 16 ferret, 19 ennui, 20 sham, 25 bay. 

Across: 1 & 15 Beggar’s Bridge, 5 relic, 8 tea, 9 hall stand , 10 goldmine, 11 anti, 13 albert, 15 (1 across), 17 helm, 18 restless, 21 Ainthorpe, 22 nab, 24 dream, 25 testify,. 

QUIZ ANSWERS 

ANSWER TO “WHERE ON EARTH” 

A J Brown. He spent his last years living in the village of Sleights near 

Whitby and is buried there in the churchyard of St John the Evangelist. 

The hotel he bought and ran was the Whitfield Hotel in Goathland, which 

he called “Highfell” in his book. 


President’s Fund Quiz 

THE PRESIDENT’S FUND 

The Association invites applications for an 

award from this fund from University or Sixth- 

Form students, from local interest groups, or 

from individual amateur researchers who are 

currently pursuing or are intending to pursue 

research into the Natural History, Archaeology, 

Social and Economic History, or Natural or 

Built Environment of the North York Moors. 

The results of the research should make a 

contribution to the body of knowledge about 

the Moors. 

The award is up to £500 - The closing date is 

March 31st 2008. 

Applications must include an outline of the 

current or proposed research project, and 

a statement of the applicant’s previous 

experience and/or academic support, and an 

indication of how any award would be spent. 

Applications should be sent to:- 

Gareth Fawcett, NYMA Secretary 

2 High Street, Castleton 

Whitby 

North Yorkshire 

YO21 2DA 

January 

Saturday 19th. Meet Kepwick bank Top (GR 489914) at 

10.30 a.m. for a 6 mile walk with Geoff Fossick looking at the 

Limestone Outcrop on North Moor. Tel: 01542-320662 

February 

Saturday 2nd. meet at Appletreehurst farm (GR 582961) at 

11.00 a. m. for a walk with Ken Ward looking at Joseph Foord 

waterways, medieval habitation and a well preserved kiln. Tel: 

01439-798297 

Saturday 23rd. Meet at Botton Village car park (GR696041) at 

In 1868, the Rev J C Atkinson (of ‘Forty Years in a Moorland 

Parish’ fame) published a monumental book ‘Glossary 

of Cleveland Dialect’. This timely volume captured and 

explained hundreds of dialect words that have now virtually 

gone from common usage. See if you know, or can guess, 

the meanings of the following dialect words. 


NYMA EVENTS 

(Bring lunch for morning starts) 

QUIZ 

ASSOCIATION TREASURER 

Council is delighted to welcome 


1.00 p.m. for a guided tour of the alternative energy project , led by 

a member of staff. Finish off in the coffee bar. Tel: 01751-433250 

(Phil Collier) 

March 

Saturday 1st. 2.00 p.m. Laptop presentation on the work of NYMA. 

Castleton Parish Hall (east end of High Street) by Tom Chadwick. 

Tel: 01287-660195 

Members intending to join these events should call the walk leader beforehand-no 

calls: no walk leader! 

(a) Lad-louper? 

(b) Porriwiggle? 

(c) Roupy? 

(d) Scallibrat? 

(e)Popple? 

(f) Smiddy? 

(g) Forkin-robin? 

(h) Caumerill or gaumerill? 

as our new treasurer 

Jonathan’s contact details may be found on 

page 3 

COUNCIL and ASSOCIATION OFFICERS 

very earnestly ask members of NYMA to consider 

serving as Council members. We meet generally 

four times a year to oversee the business of the 

Association, plus attendance at the AGM. 

Council members enjoy a role in directing our efforts 

and making a contribution to the Associations aims 

of: 

Preserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the 

North Yorkshire Moors 

Contact Gareth Fawcett, details on page 3 

Answers on page 13

Review 

FYLINGDALES WILDFIRE AND ARCHAEOLOGY 

An illustrated guide to the project which identified many new sites of archaeological interest. 

To complement the recent exhibition about the wildfire 

a well illustrated and informative booklet has been 

published which I am sure will be of interest to our 

readers. 

Two thousand sites now on record 

The detail of the archaeology of Fylingdales Moors is now better 

known than anywhere else on the North York Moors. “Thanks” 

to the fire, the number of known sites has increased from around 

150, the majority of which were burial mounds dating from the 

Bronze Age around 2000-1700 BC, to some 2000 sites. The sites 

range from WW2 to Neolithic 

times and a description of 

a number of these sites and 

their significance is covered 

through the 40 some pages. 

Time’s direction? 

For me, confusingly, 

‘traditional’ chronology feels 

reversed, with a start made in 

modern times and succeeding 

chapters then go back to 

earlier periods This left me 

struggling to see the unfolding 

story as a continuum. This 

sense of disjointedness was 

emphasised when, following chapter 6, our pre-christian history 

switched from backwards looking (800BC-1600BC) to forward 

FIRESTONE 

Three thousand springs tombed beneath the peat, 

each autumn spreads another blanket 

to muffle the curlew’s sobs, 

the pipits all. 

One feckless fag-end thumbed into the wind 

and flame rips away your shroud; 

leaves you nude and staring up 

at clouds. 

In a carbonised land of blackened ling, 

Saxon dykes, Danish tracks, alum roads, 

tank ruts, a scatter of roasted adders 

and bird silence. 

Astonished at the sun, at the lenses, at men 

measuring your incised lines; the questions: 

boundary stone? map to find Orion? 

Stone speech? 

Or just some hide-clad priest’s contraption, 

to be unveiled on sacred days to steer 

the same old shivering fear safe 

into his hands? 

Harry Nicholson July 2007. 

Re-generation of heather and bilberry on Fylingdales Moor 

looking (2000-1600BC). For somebody who has to stop 

whether 2000BC is older than 1000BC it was at best confusing 

and, at worst, off-putting. 

Fleeting attempt to establish a presence 

The section relating to WW2 left me pondering when 

archaeology begins and litter stops. but then, with the exception 

of ritualistic sites, much of our learning of past civilisations 

comes from their detritus! 

I was left with an overall impression that habitation of the moor 

was but a fleeting attempt to 

establish a presence defeated 

by a combination of poor 

soils and inclement weather 

before it reverted to an area to 

be exploited for its resources, 

be it hunting and gathering 

in neolithic times through 

to grazing in the medieval 

through peat and bracken 

harvesting to industrial 

scale extraction of minerals 

gathering pace through the 

17th to 19th and early 20th 

centuries. 

Our readers will be fascinated by the section starting on page 

31, relating to decorated stones, held to be of largely Neolithic 

origin and maybe evidence of the earliest attempts to settle the 

area. The re-working, in later periods, of Neolithic stones is not 

unknown, and indeed the style change evidenced is dramatic. 

From this welter of finds one can easily sense how interpretation 

and understanding of this singular form of rock-art may be a 

lifetime’s work. 

Fleeting opportunity. 

The writer does not over dramatise the finds, preferring to 

describe interpretations as possible rather than probable, and 

one senses archaeologists’ dilemma. Operating in world which 

demands “black and white answers” how difficult it must be to 

satisfy with a “possible”! 

A delightful end to the book lies in the presentation of a self 

guided walk with descriptive material relating to each item of 

interest, including Neolithic rock art, in effect an invitation to 

go and see for ourselves. It comes with timely health warning 

of poor visibility and a recommendation to carry not only a 

map but GPS also, which at least will remove any doubts as 

to whether you are at the right spot. Worth the money for the 

walk alone!. 

The fleeting nature of this window of opportunity is well 

emphasised as regeneration takes over, hiding and protecting 

many of the sites revealed by the devastating fire. 

Geoff Belbin 

‘Fylingdales, Wildfire and Archaeology’ by Blaise Vyner 

Published by the NYMNP. Price £5.75. (£6.50 incl. p&p) 

ISBN 978 1 904622 14 3

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