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PAGE FIVE OF TEN 
"BELIEVE IT OR NOT"Which Yorkshire village has two wells, one associated with a saint and the other with the death of a drummer boy?The village of Harpham, in the East Riding, and where St. John of Beverley was born in the seventeenth century. It has two wells, one associated with the local boy who became Bishop of York, and the other, known as the drummer boy's well, so named due to the legend which tells of the tragic death of a little drummer boy who fell down the deep shaft during archery practice by soldiers. Both wells are credited with strange powers and it has long been believed that the ghost of the drummer boy sounds a roll on his drum prior to the death of a member of the St. Quintin family. Who was known as old boots?An employee of the Unicorn Inn, Ripon, named Thomas Spence. Spence lost his teeth somewhat before he might and developed a remarkable facility. He was able, being blessed with an abnormally long nose and slightly upturned chin, to hold a coin between the two points of his physiognomy. Curiosity seekers travelled far to see him. He received the distinction after death of being the last to be buried in the Minster Yard. Who was the schoolmaster and brilliant intellectual who was hanged for murder in 1759?Eugene Aram, born at Ramsgill, near Pateley Bridge, in 1704, and the son of a gardener. As a boy he showed extraordinary intellectual gifts and by the age of sixteen had mastered the Latin, Greek and Hebrew tongues. He grew into an intensely studious man who appeared to prefer a life devoted to the pursuit of knowledge and culture than a normal association with his fellows. In 1734 Aram opened a school at Knaresborough and for some years led a respectable life. But a few years later he made the acquaintance of three men of utterly different calibre, Richard Houseman, Henry Terry and Daniel Clarke, men of shady and suspicious character. In 1744 Clarke disappeared, and although numerous enquiries were made and searches set afoot, his whereabouts remained a mystery. Shortly afterwards Aram vanished from his neighbourhood and was not heard of again for several years until in 1758 some bones, believed to be those of Clarke, were discovered. Houseman, who was suspected as a murderer, broke down under examination and named Aram as Clarkes assassin, and as a result a search for the schoolmaster began. He was at length discovered at Lynn, Norfolk, was apprehended by constables and brought to York. In August 1759, Aram and Houseman faced trial in York castle, charged with the murder of Clarke, Houseman turned king's evidence and blackened Aram's character by every means he could use. The schoolmaster was found guilty and on very circumstantial evidence, and in our own time he would certainly have been acquitted. He conducted his own defence and read a long, carefully reasoned and ingenious statement to the judge. It was, however, and unfortunately for the wretched schoolmaster, not considered strong enough to prove his innocence. The night before his death, Aram attempted suicide by means of a razor, but was revived and conveyed to the gallows on York Knavesmire. A paper was discovered in his cell and on which the Knaresborough schoolmaster had penned the following : "Come pleasing rest ! Eternal slumber
fall ! Where was built a bridge for the sake of love?A bridge was constructed near Glaisdale by a certain Tom Ferris to span the Esk. He had loved and courted a local freeman's daughter though the father forbade the association and swore he would never permit the girl to marry a beggar. There being no bridge across the river at the time, Tom was obliged to swim across the Esk to see his sweetheart and vowed that when he became rich he would build one for others. He kept his word, married the girl of his heart and carved his initials and the date 1619 on the parapet of the bridge. Where is the holy well supposed to be that was associated with the death of a king?At Bardsey. Wilfar's well is believed to be connected with the death of king Oswin. Where are the remains of an old oak tree considered to be 1,000 years old?At Cowthorpe, near Wetherby. Of Cowthorpe Oak, Dugdale, in his "Antiquities of England," wrote : "At this village may be seen the famous oak, exceeding in size even the Greendale oak at Welbeck in Nottinghamshire. The principal branch was rent off in 1718 in a storm, and being accurately measured was found to contain upwards of five tons of timber. Its present circumference at the ground is 60 feet, its principal limb extends 45 feet from the trunk, and its shadow is said to cover half an acre." The tree is now a mere skeleton. At what Yorkshire inn did the landlord lose his licence for harbouring thieves and vagabonds on his premises?The landlord of the ancient Blue Bell at Wentbridge 350 years ago lost his licence as a result of encouraging criminals and unlawful characters on his premises. The licence was however, restored in 1633 and until recent times the old sign was preserved by the landlord who retained it for curious sightseers, a much-battered and worn relic bearing the crude painting of a bell and the date 1633. Where did a witty innkeeper warn his customers in verse?At an inn in Silkstone where the following notice, placed on the mantelpiece, may be read by all : "Customers came and I did trust 'em, Which old hall was once haunted by a skull?Burton Agnes Hall, near Bridlington. The disturbances were the result of a broken promise made by two surviving sisters at the death bed of the third, Anne Boynton. The dying woman had begged that her head be severed from her body after death and buried within the precincts of the home she loved so well. Her sisters, however, either regarding the request as something emanating from a confused mind on the brink of eternity, or recoiling at the execution of such a task, broke their promise. The result was nights of disturbance and terror for both sisters and servants, until at length the promise was honoured and the skull of Anne taken into the house, after which peace and tranquillity were restored. Which catholic place of worship remained free and unmolested during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I?The chapel, dedicated to St. Leonard, which adjoins Hazelwood castle near Tadcaster, and founded in 1286 by Sir William Vavasour, the first baron. The chapel, a venerable building, never suffered despoliation and closure, nor its worshippers prosecution during the stormy periods of religious intolerance during the 16th and 17th centuries. This was perhaps due to the fact that one of the Vavasours supplied timber from his estate for the building of a fleet to meet the Armada of Spain. Stone was also given for the construction of York minster by Robert Le Vavasour. The chapel contains some fine 16th century marble tombs and statues of members of this ancient family. Which theatre is haunted by the apparition of a nun?The Theatre Royal at York, which is tenanted by a ghost known as the grey lady. The building occupies the site upon which St. Leonards Hospital stood in ancient times and where a nun is believed to have been walled up in her cell, a section of which now forms part of the Dress Circle coffee lounge. Several people claim to have seen the restless lady whose appearance is always accompanied by a sharp fall in temperature. Who claimed to have invented the first straw hat?Isobel Denton of Beeston, Leeds. She produced the first model in the reign of Charles I, having as a spouse a wastrel husband which necessitated her labour to provide for several children. The new mode met with great success and soon involved a very large turnover. What and where is Cromwell Gap?A gap in the hedge on Clump Hill on the southern edge of Marston Moor battlefield. The vacant space is now filled by a gate and tradition tells us that on July 2nd, 1644, the royalists, hotly pursued by the forces of Cromwell's Iron-sides, fled in panic through the opening. It is claimed that since the event nothing will grow on the spot. Which Yorkshire mansions are reputedly haunted by female apparitions?Temple Newsam and Newburgh priory. In the former instance the Blue Damsak Bedroom is haunted by the ghost of a lady dressed in blue and wearing a beautiful lace shawl. She has been seen by many, including the late Lord Halifax. The old mansion houses other phantoms, including a little boy who steps out of a cupboard and a malevolent-looking monk. At Newburgh priory the ghost of a lady in crinoline is seen on rare occasions. Her visits are by tradition a warning of the owner's death. The priory contains a room which according to legend, is cursed. It is known as the Unfinished room, and many attempts have been made to complete it without success. Where was a gold ring found in the heart of a turnip many years after it was lost?At Northallerton in 1798 when the cook of a Mrs. Metcalf, in cutting open a turnip, found in its heart a gold ring which had been lost during weeding twelve years previously. Who was "The Factory King" who laboured for the abortion of child exploitation in industry?Richard Oastler, who was born in Leeds in 1789, and who with others campaigned vigorously on behalf of children in mills and factories who in his day were literally worked to death. A humane and sensitive man, Oastler, who was the son of a Thirsk linen merchant, had been much influenced by John Wesley and agitated unceasingly to ameliorate conditions for factory children. He died in Harrogate in 1861 and was buried in Kirkstall Curchyard. A statue to his memory was erected in Bradford. Where has a fire supposed to have burned continuously for 300 years?At the Falcon Inn on the Scarborough-Whitby road. Who was the Leeds goldsmith who made the city's mace and was later hanged for coining?Arthur Mountjoy of Briggate who was paid £60-11-0 for his work on the mace. Two years later he was found guilty of coining and hanged at York. Who spent 43 years in prison for refusing to answer a question?John Dunfreni, a Leeds merchant, who was sent to prison in 1813 for refusing to answer a question under commission of bankruptcy taken out against him. He died in 1856, having spent 43 years in gaol. Who exhibited what was described as a "magic stove"?A certain Monsieur Soyer who demonstrated his stove at the warehouse of Beecroft, Butler and Co., Leeds. It was claimed that the stove was capable of cooking six mutton chops a minute. The food consumed by visitors at the demonstration included 150 pounds of meat, 570 eggs and several bottles of wine. Where did an ass drive a preacher from his pulpit?At Luddenden Dean Wesleyan Chapel one Sunday in August, 1830. As the minister announced the text, "and the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said into the Balaam. . ."he suddenly dropped his bible and in horror fled from the building through a side door. To the astonishment of the congregation an ass quietly walked up the aisle towards the empty pulpit, evidently driven by a swarm of bees which covered the animal, to seek refuge in the building at a most inappropriate moment. Who was the bishop who wrote a poem denouncing the evils of war and which was quoted in the House of Lords?Bishop Porteus, who was born at York in 1731. His poem was quoted by a noble lord during a debate in the House of Lords. "One murder makes a villain, Who was confined as a prisoner in his father's cellar for fifteen years?Benjamin Storr, a young man of thirty, who was discovered in the year 1819 chained to the wall in the cellar of his father's house in Leeds. Storr had been forcibly kept in these distressing circumstances over a period of fifteen years. A few stacks and a heap of straw represented his bed, whilst the wretched rations he had been provided with had reduced his physical condition to that little better than a skeleton. He had not been washed for several years and was so emaciated that his bones in several places had penetrated the skin. He died thirteen days after removal to the workhouse. Who was known as "Blind Jack?"John Metcalf, who was born at Knaresborough in 1717 and was remarkable for his achievements. He lost his sight as the result of smallpox when a child of six, but which misfortune did not prevent his engaging in a number of enterprises. He soon became well-known as a swimmer, hunter, racer, fiddler, card player, cock fighter and a reliable guide to travellers. Metcalf seemed to know the countryside by heart and would travel between Skipton and Knaresborough without difficulty. In one occasion he travelled alone and on foot from London to Knaresborough. He was accustomed to visit the coast, being in the fish trade, and once rode from Knaresborough to Newcastle in a day, a distance of 74 miles. Metcalf eloped with a Miss Benson, whose parents kept an inn at Harrogate and where the young lady was to marry a rival. The couple lived in great happiness for 39 years. In 1745, in the days of the Scottish pretender, the blind man marched away to Scotland with local volunteers, his beloved fiddle on his back, later returning to Knaresborough unscathed, where in 1754 he opened a stage wagon service between York and Knaresborough. Metcalf later became a contractor and constructor of highways, undertaking work all over the country. Some examples of his work are the turnpike road between Harrogate and Boroughbridge, Harrogate to Harewood bridge, Chapletown to Leeds, two miles of Burley road, the road between Huddersfield and Wakefield and that between Huddersfield and Halifax. He also undertook the lengthening of Sheepscar Bridge. Metcalf finally retired to Spofforth, having lost his wife in 1778, and lived for the rest of his life with his daughter. He died in 1810 in his ninety-third year, leaving four children, twenty grandchildren and ninety great and great great grandchildren. His remains lie in the old churchyard at Spofforth on the north side of the church, the headstone of the grave bearing the following epitaph : "Here lies John Metcalf, on whose infant
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