Sutton-in-Craven Village Website

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From	Subject/message
Andrew Monkhouse Hanoi, Vietnam Tuesday, November 9, 2010 23:12	'the acres', land above Sutton given to returning soldiers from WW1 It�s Armistice Day tomorrow. As a matter of interest, a local war memorial committee was established around 1920 to raise funds and oversee the design & construction of the war memorial in Sutton park. One of the issues the Sutton war memorial committee also deliberated on was the setting up of land for local returning soldiers who had survived the war to use for market gardening, which they would eventually own, about an acre each. I have recently heard that the hillside behind Sutton to the left of Ellers is where the land was split into small areas, possibly a dozen such areas. These are known as 'the acres' and are the pieces of land which were given to local men who returned from the war and could not find a job. So it would seem that the committee not only debated this but actually implemented it through the local land owner/owners. Is anyone able to elaborate on this finding and shed more light on this area of land known as �the acres�? Thank you.
Denis Marshall Pickles Norfolk Wednesday, November 10, 2010 10:58	Andrew, I thought that everybody with a Sutton connection knew where the Acres is, but apparently not. Try Google Earth - Enter 'The Acres, Sutton-in-Craven' and you'll be taken there. The Acres are to the right as you go up West Lane. not to the left off the Ellers. There's a roadway which used to peter out into a footpath connecting to Crag Lane. When I was a lad, during WW2 many of the Acres were still occupied by the original people who had benefitted from the gift of land. Some had erected bungalows on the land. I see that now virtually every 'Acre' has been built on.
Andrew Monkhouse Hanoi, Vietnam Wednesday, November 10, 2010 22:52	Thanks Denis, I knew I could rely on one of the Pickles bros to come up with the goods. Not sure how The Acres escaped my attention when I lived in Sutton, except to say I lived on t�other side of the village up the top of Park Ave on Harper Grove. Didn�t tend to �play out� up the Bent Lane area. Anyway, despite The Acres apparently being a well known area of Sutton, I wonder how many of today�s generation know the origins of these individual plots of land. If they didn�t know before they certainly do now!
Shirley de Sonnaville Bella Vista Arkansas USA Sunday, November 14, 2010 21:14	Hi everybody, it was interesting reading about the Acres as I spent a lot of time there as a child, my Father Hubert Ellison was one of the recipient as he lost his arm in WW1 when he was nineteen,his two brothers Tom and Reggie also had an allotment there, we kept rabbits and chickens and grew all our own vegitables and some fruits, there was a lot of picking and weeding to do, some years were really good and we were able to share with others,it was a lot of work and my Mother worked right along side of him, I don't think I appreciated it as a child but now I love gardening.I haven't been over there in a long time, I think people built houses up there now, am I right, I would like to see how it looks after all those years any pictures anybody?
Paul Wilkinson webmaster Monday, November 15, 2010 16:06	Hi Shirley Try this link for a bird's eye view... Google Maps centred on The Acres You can also take a "virtual walk" along The Acres using the little orange man icon to launch Google Street View.
Andrew Monkhouse Hanoi, Vietnam Thursday, November 25, 2010 10:48	Denis, do you happen to know who actually donated these one acre blocks of land to returning servicemen? Would it have been one of the two big mill owners Hartley or Bairstow? Or a local farmer/landowner? I take it the land was actually given as a gift, rather than loaned or let to them. If so, what a terrific gesture back then to give these returned Servicemen blocks of land in which to grow fruit & veg when times were hard & money was desperately short. Not sure it would happen these days.
Denis Marshall Pickles Norfolk Thursday, November 25, 2010 14:31	Andrew, You credit me with far more knowledge than I actually have. I'm afraid that I don't know who donated the land. Perhaps Shirley out in Arkansas will have some idea her father being one of the recipients. But I don't think it would have been the Hartleys because although the Hartleys owned most of Sutton at the turn of the century, their land/farm holdings were offered for sale on the afternoon of Tuesday November 7th 1911 at the Temperence Hall, Keighley, by Mr Murgatroyd Smith. The 'Acres' was, at that time, part a 5 acre meadow being part of Briggs Farm and part an 8 acre pasture being part of Frank Stirk's farm. Who bought the land I don't know but having regrd to your bulldog-like tenacity when applied to solving problems, I'm sure you'll find out. If any one knows someone who lives on the Acres now, their deeds will provide the answer.
Tony Ingham Sutton Thursday, November 25, 2010 18:07	99% certain it was JOHN WILLY HARTLEYS sister EMMA HARTLEY,who lived in SUTTON HALL before moveing down to GLEN GARTH (BUTTERFLY HOUSE) who gave the ACRES)????. Tony Ingham.
Tony Ingham Sutton Thursday, November 25, 2010 19:12	Now 100% certain that Emma Hartley donated the land to those returning from 1914-18 War. See Doris Riley's book "OWD SETTINGS" Sutton -in - Craven, page 38. Tony Ingham
Andrew Monkhouse Hanoi, Vietnam Thursday, November 25, 2010 20:27	Great work fella�s, exactly what I wanted to know. Tony you�ve come up trumps twice in two days, might have to recruit you into �Team Harry�!
Denis Marshall Pickles Norfolk Thursday, November 25, 2010 21:08	A glance at Alec Wood's book, 'Sutton-in-Craven, The Old Community' reveals some interesting detail regarding the 1911 sale of farms in Sutton by Miss Emma Hartley and explains why Miss Emma still had the land on the Acres to donate to returning soldiers after the Great War. It would seem that both Brigg Gate Farm and Stirks Farm, although offered for sale, were withdrawn. In fact the majority of farms offered for sale were withdrawn or no offer was made. There can't have been much brass about in 1911!
Andrew Monkhouse Hanoi, Vietnam Friday, November 26, 2010 01:02	Denis, thanks for pointing me in the right direction with Alec Wood�s book and the 1911 sale (or lack of sales) of farms in Sutton by Miss Emma Hartley. This certainly explains why she still had the land available to donate to these returned servicemen after WW1, in the same way her brother John William Hartley donated land in the middle of the village to be made into a park for the benefit of Sutton's residents. I have a further question probably best aimed at Shirley in Arkansas, USA who posted an earlier comment on this thread. Shirley, you mention that your father was one of the recipients of this land as he lost his arm in WW1. Do you happen to know how many one acre blocks of land were donated to these returned servicemen? (I�m assuming around 20). Secondly, how were these servicemen prioritized in terms of who got the acre blocks and who didn't? My understanding is that ex-servicemen who were unable to find work after WW1 were given priority. These people undoubtedly fell into the category of amputees, gas victims etc. Looking at the numbers from WW1, 241 men from Sutton served and returned, with an additional 40 men paying the ultimate sacrifice. So of these 241 who returned, I am wondering how many benefited from the gift of land. I know from looking at the 1911 census that many Sutton soldiers already worked in the local mills in Sutton and surrounding villages prior to WW1. Perhaps the majority of returned soldiers were able to resume work in these mills and only the 20 odd amputees or whoever needed extra assistance in the form of a small land donation. Again with the passage of time it may not be too easy to answer these questions. Perhaps there are some committee meeting minutes still in existence, possibly as Parish Council level?
Andrew Monkhouse Hanoi, Vietnam Friday, November 26, 2010 01:30	Forgot to mention, once the 1921 UK census details are released in 10 years time we will then be able to check who the first owner of each Acre was. Until then we have a 3,650 day wait!
Tony Ingham Sutton Friday, November 26, 2010 22:27	You may not have to wait for 3,650 days, Andrew, as I have come up with a few names to begin with: Charlie Simons, Hubert Ellison, Mr. Phillips, Willie Richmond, Harry Daffern, Ernest Berry, Ernest Bennett, Mr. Tickle, Mr. Horner so far! Hopefully, more to follow. Watch this space! Tony.
Tony Ingham Sutton Monday, November 29, 2010 19:45	Andrew,Few more names for you .who got half acre of land .Some got an acre off EMMA HARTLEY,on THE ROYDS, after called THE ACRES. Bill Tate. Morrell.Charlie SimondsHubert Elison. MR Phillips Bill Richmond Harry Daffen* Ernest Berry* Ernest Bennet* Bill TICKLE* Mr Horner. Those marked * built homes on thier plots.Those marked** still have family living here.BILL RICHMONDS,bungalow is called ROYD MANOR. Hope this is of some use. Thanks to Howard Brooksbank for his help in recalling these names.
Andrew Monkhouse Hanoi, Vietnam Wednesday, December 1, 2010 20:41	Great work Tony, it never ceases to amaze me how the collective amalgamation of local knowledge from people like you, the Pickles Bros and others manages to turn the key on the locked secrets, or forgotten periods of Sutton�s past. I guess it also comes back to the power of the internet and websites such as this that allows this collective pool of knowledge to be integrated into the one spot for all to see and contribute to. p.s. Shirley in Arkansas, are you THERE there (echo, echo)

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