Last March, I put up a piece about the Bishopthorpe Brass Band which was formed in the 19th century by Thomas Carbert.  We are fortunate that one of Thomas's great grandchildren, Roxie Wellman of the USA, responded with photographs and further
information on the Carbert family. 

Thomas married three times in Bishopthorpe and had 21 children between his wives: Margaret Stead, Elizabeth Barron and Mary Buckle.  Thomas and his last wife, Mary Buckle, had nine children, four of whom left these shores to make new lives in North America.  One of these children, Arthur Carbert, was Roxie's grandfather, seen here playing the tuba in 1936.
Arthur was born in the village on 17th November 1870.  In 1887, at the age of 17, Arthur borrowed some money, left his remaining family in Bishopthorpe, and worked his passage to America on the ship, Peruvian.  He made his way to where his brother Herbert lived in Ontario, Canada, and worked in the area for a year and a half.  Moving to Delhi, Minnesota, with his cousin Emmanuel Carbert, he worked on a number of farms.  Arthur eventually bought his own farm and married Stella Salome Bruner on 27 October 1898.  The couple had eight children: four sons and four daughters.  Arthur died in 1961 at the grand age of 91and was buried in Redwood Falls Cemetery, Minnesota. 


Arthur Carbert is remembered in his family as having a wonderful singing voice.  He sang in
the Presbyterian Church choir, sang solos - and, obviously, played the tuba.  Apparently, it was family lore that Arthur had played in a band in Bishopthorpe.  However, they did not know how true this was until Roxie read the article on our website.  

We see so many villagers passing through time in the historical records of Bishopthorpe;
sometimes they live here for many years, others just months. It's great to learn what happened to some of them.  In this way, former residents cease to be just names on a page.

 With thanks to Roxie Wellman for the photographs and family information.  

Linda Haywood

York's Big City Read is an annual event organised by Explore York (York Library).  A programme of events is held at a number of venues to celebrate a specific book and its connection to York.  This year's Big City Read is The Lost Luggage Porter by Andrew Martin.  It's an Edwardian crime novel set in York and Bishopthorpe.  York Railway Station is featured and the railway detective, Jim Stringer, lives with his wife on Main Street, Bishopthorpe and enjoys supping a pint at one of the local hostelries.  (Incidentally, Andrew Martin's ancestors also used to live in the village.)  

The Bishopthorpe Local History Group was invited to take part and has organised the following events:

It is 100 years ago that the nation celebrated the Coronation of George V and Queen Mary.  The actual day, 22 June 1911, was a holiday and the city of York took on an air of festivity with bunting and flags strung from shops and homes.  

By contrast, a visitor to Bishopthorpe who wrote about the day in the Parish Magazine was slightly disappointed.  The writer found, "So little had been done in the way of decoration of the houses or the village street.  A few inhabitants had made some effort in this direction, and they enabled one to see how good an effect could have been obtained if only more had cooperated."

However, he or she, writing under the pseudonym of 'An Outsider', soon realised that various leading parishioners were missing, although loyally engaged elsewhere.  This included Archbishop Lang who was attending the Coronation in Westminster Abbey with his chaplain, the vicar of Bishopthorpe, the Rev. Crawley.  The 'Outsider' excused the lack of decoration in the village as the locals soon showed that their "energies and loyalty had been exercised in other ways". He also admitted to having been indulgently and hospitably welcomed. 

So the day began with Divine Service at St. Andrew's Church which was well-filled; the children's aisle being particularly crowded.  The singing of the National Anthem brought the service to a close and the congregation then proceeded to the cricket field.  On the way, the schoolchildren entered the Palace grounds where they were given Coronation mugs filled with sweets; a gift from the Archbishop.   

On reaching the cricket field, sports and games followed thick and fast.  The tiny "dots" under the age of five ran the first race "manfully in the blustering wind."  The little girl who was blown in first won a doll.  Race after race followed with children winning tops, building bricks and teddy bears.  Disaster struck only one yard from home when the two leading girls in the three-legged race lost the handkerchief which tied their legs together. As a result, they were disqualified. 

The adults also took part in many races.  Most interest centred upon the tortoise bicycle races.  The women's race was won by Mary Lofthouse who showed remarkable skill in the manipulation of her free wheel.  Egg and spoon, thread-needle and mixed clothes races were, apparently, very amusing and popular.  The most remarkable race of the day was for men aged over 50 years when an old gentleman of 85 came in third. 

The races were followed by tea in Mr. Lofthouses's barn, which had been cleaned and decorated making it look like a huge tent.  The long tables were spread with a beautiful tea and house plants.  But the children were described as the nicest decorations: "so pretty they looked, and so well-behaved were they that it was no wonder Mr. Sutherland took a snapshot of them."  [What became of this rare photograph?] 

The children returned to the cricket field for more games and sports while the adults had their tea.  Sports continued until 8.00pm when the prize-giving took place.  Cheers rang out afterwards for His Majesty and for the Archbishop who had supplied the tea as well as the Coronation mugs.  While the Archbishop was, indeed, generous the funding for the festivities was raised by public subscription and organised by many willing helpers.

The evening, which was spent dancing to music by a "capable" band, ended with the lighting of a huge bonfire and a display of fireworks.  As the anonymous writer, 'Outsider' concluded: "This ended a day that will linger long in the minds of many who were fortunate to be there.  A happy day it was to all, and the reason was not far to seek, all with one accord seemed to mean to be happy, and right royally they succeeded." 

Linda Haywood

Bishopthorpe Parish Magazine, July, 1911.
The Yorkshire Gazette, 24 July 1911, p7.

Did you know that, during the 19th century, the villagers of Bishopthorpe enjoyed the pleasure of being entertained by their own brass band?  An enquiry from Gavin Holman, who is researching the history of brass bands in local communities, set me seeking evidence for a similar musical group within our own parish.

Gavin tells us that the late 19th and early 20th centuries were the golden age for brass bands with, probably, up to 40,000 bands at their peak.  By contrast, there are only about 1,500 bands active in the U.K. today.  Many bands were associated with local industries while others provided a musical focus for small towns and villages.  These early bands left little in the way of information about their existence; Gavin, therefore, is trying to identify as many as possible by collecting material to enter on a central database.  (His website can be found at: http://www.ibew.co.uk)

This enquiry rang bells with me (if you'll pardon the expression) and I soon discovered a couple of sources of information.  The first lies with Mr. William Camidge, a local historian from York, who wrote articles for the Yorkshire Gazette in the late 19th century.  In 1890, these were published in book form under the title, Ouseburn to Naburn Lock. In this, he referred to a band in Bishopthorpe:  

A brass band consisting of 15 performers existed in the village for twenty years under the care of the late Mr. Thomas Carbert, and enjoyed considerable popularity for twenty or thirty miles around.  They played at most of the club anniversaries of the district and occasionally at York elections and other times.  The band still exists, but its character, composition and management are entirely changed. 

Thomas Carbert lived in Bishopthorpe from about 1839.  He was a market gardener who raised a large family, but still found time to take on duties such as parish clerk and enumerator for the 1861 and 1871 censuses.  The Carbert family seemed to be talented musicians and held annual concerts in the school room under the patronage of the Archbishop. It is not surprising, therefore, to learn that he led a popular brass band. Mr. Carbert died in 1886 and it is not known who succeeded him. 

The Archbishop's Extraordinary Homecoming

In his book, William Camidge also made mention of when Archbishop Harcourt (1807 - 1847) used to return to Bishopthorpe from lengthy duties in London.  These were occasions of festivity in the village when he was greeted with enthusiasm by large numbers of villagers. This is borne out by the second and earliest reference to the village band. On this occasion, it played a part in a remarkable story.

In 1846, the newspapers reported Archbishop Harcourt returning to Bishopthorpe after spending the summer at his family seat in Oxfordshire.  During his absence, a new school had been built for the boys, while the 18th century school (in School Lane) was refurbished and enlarged for the girls.  The wealthy Archbishop had paid for the building work as well as financially helping with the restoration of the church.  

More than 400 parishioners greeted him like a hero.  They first gathered at the new school and, led by the village band, made their way to Middlethorpe.  When the 89 year-old Archbishop arrived, a large body of villagers removed the horses from his carriage, attached ropes to it, and physically drew Harcourt to the Palace.  At the entrance, a decorated triumphal arch bore the inscription, "God Save our Gracious Benefactor".  The vicar, Rev. Canon Dixon, read an address to which the Archbishop responded warmly before entering the Palace amidst hearty cheers, and further robust playing from the band.  

From the early twentieth century, it seems that the Bishopthorpe Brass Band faded into obscurity.  Village celebrations and gatherings relied, instead, on the services of military bands from Fulford Barracks or a band from Naburn.  What a pity that the stirring sound of a local brass band no longer entertains us or, perhaps, greets the return of Archbishops from their many travels!  

Linda Haywood

Sources:
Ouseburn to Naburn Lock, William Camidge, (York, 1890) pp343-344
The Morning Post, Sat., 19 Sep 1846.
The Standard, Sat., 19 Sep 1846.

It's OK - you haven't missed anything - there are no plans to build a railway station at Bishopthorpe!  It's just that recently, a Bish-dot-net reader asked if a station or goods yard had ever been built near the nurseries on Appleton Road.  Taking a look at the old Ordnance Survey maps of the area soon established that no railway station was ever built at Bishopthorpe - but it wasn't for the want of trying!



On the 2nd January 1871, the North East Railway Company opened its York to Doncaster branch, providing a new link on the East Coast route to Scotland.  This shortened the distance between London and York by about three miles.  Since the line sliced through the fields on the edge of Bishopthorpe, the provision for a local station was obviously discussed, but rejected.

According to an article in the Yorkshire Evening Press of 1907, the "station question" had exercised the minds of villagers on several occasions.  Apparently, Dr. Thomson, who was Archbishop when the line was built, had frowned on such a scheme.  No doubt he did not wish to encourage even more tourists to visit his peaceful home parish than those who already travelled here by foot, horse or steamer to view the ancient palace of the Archbishops of York.

However, with the arrival of the twentieth century, a different man of influence brought his feelings to bear.  In 1902, Mr. Arthur Toward Watson, a wealthy coal owner from County Durham, came to live in the village.  He employed the fashionable York architect Walter Brierley to build a splendid house, known as The Garth, on Sim Balk Lane.  Mr. Watson who, at one time was chairman of the Parish Council, travelled daily to Newcastle on business.  He was described by his son, John, as "a man of unlimited energy" which is not surprising as he cycled to York Station every weekday morning to catch the 9.30 a.m. train and returned at 7.30 p.m.  

Mr. Watson, who understandably must have tired of the journey, gained the support of the village in his quest for a railway station at Bishopthorpe.  In 1905, he and his wife were joined by the vicar, Rev. Pennyman, and farmer Mr. Lofthouse, when they presented a petition at the headquarters of the North Eastern Railway in York.  Apparently, the petition had been signed by every householder in the village with the exception of four. Despite this popular appeal, it held no sway with the directors of the railway company.  

Fifteen years later, Bishopthorpe Parish Council supported the local farmers and market gardeners by making a formal application to the N.E.R. board for a station and siding but, once again, this was turned down.  The plentiful gooseberries, peas, and potatoes that were grown in the area therefore continued to be transported to market by horse and cart.  After 1920, the idea seems to have been dropped but, if the N.E.R. had agreed to build a railway station all those years ago, no doubt it would have been closed in the 1950s for economic reasons, just like the stations at Naburn and Copmanthorpe.  If it hadn't been made redundant then, it would have certainly disappeared with the opening of the Selby Diversion in September 1983.  But that's another story.

Linda Haywood

Sources
Yorkshire Evening Press: 19 April 1907, p2.
Lest We Forget, C. E. W. Brayley (1975), p31.
Bishopthorpe Parish Council Minutes: 4 January 1920.