The Chairman, Michael Dalton and Gathering Organiser, Howard Dalton recently met in Hull for a series of visits and meetings to finalise various details for the forthcoming Yorkshire Gathering. Here, Michael reports on these visits and meetings and reveals some exciting details about the event, now just three months away at the end of July. This is the fifth in a series of articles that are appearing each month in "Daltons in History" as we approach the 2012 DGS Gathering.
Our first meeting was with Nicola at the Mercure Hull West Hotel, agreeing menus and details for the setting up of our room, the Garden Suite, during the Friday and the Saturday. I think we are assured of being well looked after and I am sure we will not go hungry! The weblink for the hotel is www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-8331-mercure-hull-west-hotel/index.shtml.
Our next port of call was to meet Steve Gardham, Chairman of the Yorkshire Garland Group. Steve and two of his colleagues will be entertaining us after dinner on Saturday as the folk song group "The Spare Hands". Founded in 2006, the group is dedicated to bringing Yorkshire’s traditional songs and music to the widest possible audience and we are delighted that they have agreed to join us at our gathering and bring us a programme of music connected with the sea-faring communities in and around Hull. For more details of their work and a library of songs online, visit www.yorkshirefolksong.net.
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Exterior of Holy Trinity Church, Hull |
The Nave of Holy Trinity Church |
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Tombstone of Thomas Dalton, |
Close up of the brass inscription plate on the tombstone |
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The magnificent ceiling in the church |
Poster for the Beer Festival |
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Howard enjoys a glass of real ale |
....... and Michael cannot resist another |
We then went to Holy Trinity Church in Hull to meet with Jean Fenwick, who is the visits coordinator for the church. On Friday 20 April the church was taken over with a three day beer festival which, as the photographs show, Howard and I were unable to resist joining in! What an amazing way to promote Holy Trinity Church and entice people inside – full marks to the vicar and his team for being so innovative. On a more serious note we viewed the tombstone of Thomas Dalton, who was Mayor of Hull and died in 1590. The photographs show a brass plate on the memorial which is set in the floor of the south choir aisle with the following inscription:
THIS THO: DALTON FIRST MARIED ANN WALKER WIDOW
BY WHO HE HAD NO CHILDREN &
AFTER MARIED ANN TIRWHIT DAUGHTER TO SR ROB: TYRWHIT OF KETLBIE KNIGHT
&
BY HER HAD SIX SONNES & THREE DAUGHTER VIDZ ROB: JOHN WILLIAM PHILLIP
EDW:
& THO: ANN ELIZ: & SUSANNA HE WAS WISE HONEST & BOUNTIFULL
HE DIED BEINGE OF THE AGE
OF 74: IN THE FEARE OF GOD & LOVE OF ALL GOOD MEN WHOSE DEATH THE
POORE MUCH LAMENTED
Another memorial which we will see records the deaths of Henry Dalton 1837, Richard Dalton 1838, William Middleton Dalton 1838 and Henry Dalton 1845. Those coming to our gathering will have the opportunity to attend a service at Holy Trinity on Sunday morning and there will be a guided tour of the church. For more details about this magnificent church, go to www.holy-trinity.org.uk.
Our next port of call was the Hull History Centre for a meeting with the Archivist, Martin Taylor. Everything is now in place for the Friday afternoon visit to the Centre when we will be welcomed by the present Mayor of Hull, who will be wearing the chain of office, which was first worn by Thomas Dalton, during the first of his three mayoralties, in 1554. As Major-General John Dalton stated in his article reproduced in the March 2012 edition of "Daltons in History", that was the year when a rich citizen called Sir William Knowles presented the Corporation with a gold chain weighing 4½ ounces upon condition that the Mayor should wear it every Sunday, holiday and on particular occasions or else forfeit 40 pence for every omission. The chain has survived to this day and is still the basis of the chain worn by contemporary Mayors of Hull. After tea and an opportunity to take a short tour of the Centre, Helen Good will give her talk entitled "16th Century Dalton Mayors of Hull", illustrated with documents held in the Centre’s archives. The Hull History Centre website at www.hullhistorycentre.org.uk is worth a visit for more details of their collections and facilities.
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Howard stands in the magnificent entrance door |
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...... and then points to an incription on the NW corner of the exterior |
...... R Dalton 1890 (a blacksmith and brother of one of his direct ancestors) |
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...... and stained glass windows too! |
From Hull we headed north to the village of Garton-on-the-Wolds, a journey of less than half an hour. Here we will visit the village church of St Michael & All Angels on the Sunday afternoon and see a Dalton inscription on the exterior of the building. We will also see the magnificent interior with its wall paintings and stained glass by Clayton & Bell executed in the 1870s. The wall paintings underwent a major restoration programme between 1985 and 1991. Also in the village is a blacksmith’s forge, and the possible site of where Howard’s ancestor Robert Dalton had his forge.
West End Farm, Garton - the new home of the elusive Dalton hinges
With assistance from local villagers, we located the new home of the door hinges made by Robert in 1833 and originally seen by Howard back in 1982 at the time of the Dalton Jamboree visit to Garton. Delegates will hear more of this story when Howard speaks about his Garton Daltons at the Saturday morning conference. More detailed information about the village of Garton can be found at www.gartononthewolds.co.uk, where you will also see the Dalton coat of arms, a note about our visit to the village on 29 July and a link to our website.
The Pipe and Glass Inn at South Dalton
Our final destination at the end of a busy day was the Pipe & Glass Inn at South Dalton where we will be enjoying an informal buffet supper on the Sunday evening served in the conservatory. Howard had booked a table for the two of us for dinner, which was excellent – this is a pub visit not to be missed! Take a look at the website at www.pipeandglass.co.uk.
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Beverley Minster - Outside |
Beverley Minster - Inside |
On the following day I went to Beverley to enquire about tours of the Minster. A roof tour, which is the way to see the splendid architecture of this amazing medieval building, has been booked for 3.15 pm on the Saturday afternoon. The web address is www.beverleyminster.org.uk.
I also visited the Treasure House, a new building in Beverley which is the home of the East Riding Archives and Local Studies and also of East Riding Museums Collections. There will be time for a short visit on the Saturday afternoon, but if you want to undertake any serious research, you may want to consider doing this on Friday morning, or on the Monday. More details will be found at www.eastriding.gov.uk where you can click on archives, museums and local history.
The real Garrowby Hill (on the road from Driffield to York)
My final stop before heading home was on the road from Driffield to York, which takes you down Garrowby Hill, right in the heart of the Yorkshire Wolds. The photograph, on a rather dull day, contrasts starkly with the David Hockney painting featured here in "Daltons in History" last month. What a beautiful part of the world this is, and oh to be an artist!
I hope all will agree that we are now set to have a very full and comprehensive visit to East Yorkshire, and it promises to be an enjoyable and interesting weekend for all those attending. Howard and I are very much looking forward to welcoming you to our Gathering and taking you to each of the places about which I have given you further details in this article. See you there!!
