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.

Village School

Hampsthwaite C.E. Primary School

Link to http://archive.hampsthwaite.org.uk/history/images/1000/School1000.jpg

William Grainge writing in 1871 ("Harrogate and the Forest of Knaresborough") tells us . . . . "The" national school was built by public subscription, in 1861. It is an elegant and substantial building of stone, in the Elizabethan style of architecture; comprising schoolroom, with classroom, and master's house attached. In order to make this establishment of permanent benefit to the parish, the late Bilton Josephus Wilson endowed it with the interest of £1,500, on the 25th January, 1865. The memory of such actions ought to go down to posterity in everlasting letters."

[See the entry for Thimbleby House in Church Lane for further comment about Bilton J. Wilson]

The Conservation Area document says the school. . . . ."is typical of its era with tall high-level windows and a steeply pitched roof. Its gabled porch echoes that of the Church and the railings are a dominant feature of the village green".

The original site of the school was enlarged in August of 1931 when Helen Dorothea Jowett (of Hollins Hall) donated to the school's trustees additional land which extended the site up to the Cockhill Beck effectively doubling the school grounds.

The school has clearly played an important part in the life of the village since the middle of the 19th century and it is hoped that this article will be extensively enlarged as a result of further researches currently in hand. Meanwhile we have the insight into past school life provided by extracts from Book One "Villagers' Reminiscences" which may be read by clicking here.

. . . . . an engraving of the school dated 1861 . . . . .

Link to http://archive.hampsthwaite.org.uk/galleries/HampsthwaiteSch/National%20School%20-%201861.jpg

See also Hampsthwaite CE Primary School photos in the Galleries section, in the archive, the school's own web site, and the book Hampsthwaite Village History Book 3 : School Memories which can be ordered from the Village Society - see: http://www.hampsthwaite.org.uk/villagehistory/303

Angela Sansam has contributed a short article The 'Spanish Flu' - Hampsthwaite 1918 and how this impacted upon the school and its pupils

Mr Percy Townend Hough

Percy Townend Hough

Click HERE or on the tmage for an article concerning this former headteacher and his exploits as a tunneller, laying explosives under Vimy Ridge (described evocatively by Faulks in Birdsong)

He had fought in the Great War as a Captain in the Royal Engineers and received the MC for gallantry.

Arriving as Headteacher 1925, 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.

Their memorials can be found just south the pathway leading towards the Mediaeval Way and near that end of it.

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Village School