Ugthorpe. Looking back and living forward

Ugthorpe village, a farming village with two churches and a pub. It’s a place that never seems to change and if it does, its very slowly. Small local farms work together whenever needed, strengthening a sense of true community, which is not limited to work activities.

There are strong family ties too, Whites, Browns and Gallons to name just a few. There’s a sense of understanding, of knowing between folk often without things being said, working for a common good and not driven by profit or self-gain.

Ugthorpe Quoit pitch, rear of the Black Bull circa 1928

This true community sense leaks into their social life too, with dances, whist drives and such like.
The dances were in the village hall, but most other things met around the pub, the Black Bull. In the days of Will & Agnes White, the doors would be open whenever a customer arrived and closed when the last one left. Social activities had to work around the seasons of farming animals and crops, a village too small to field a football of cricket team.
 

1) Jack Gallon 1930               2) Joe Sanderson               3) Joe Sanderson &  John White            4) Fr Pat Bluett trophy

Quoits, a skilful game of throwing heavy iron rings at a pin in a square base of clay, a distance of 11-yards; quoits have been played here for well over a hundred years. There’s also a strange set of words to describe the position of a thrown quoit: Hill gator, hole gator, flat, pot, side on, que and Frenchman. The season would start the second week in May and run for around twelve weeks. Long summer evenings and a relatively quiet farming period made this an ideal game. Father Pat Bluett (St Anne’s) presented the Bluett trophy, something to play for.

Ugthorpe B Team 1927
Back row: J Gallon, J Booth, J Foster, W White,
L Harrison, R Welford, H Brown
Front row: F Hart, T Foster, W Duck, A Newton, J Dobson, J R Gallon

 

Danby district quoits league consisted of village teams such as Fylingthorpe, Goldsborough and Lealholm. Often Ugthorpe would put up two teams, this was brought about by youngsters showing an interest. John White was the motivator and persuaded the team to include them. Names were chosen to fit around family, farming and travel arrangements.

Teams for 1976 were:
Team-A captain Malcolm Cornforth (lad) Ralf Brown (man), Pete Floyd (lad), Anthony Gallon (lad), Chris Gallon (lad), Tommy Gallon (man), Joe Sanderson (man), Walt Spenceley (man), John White (man) and Andrew White (11-years old).

Team-B captain Colin Spenceley (lad) Stan Carr (man – first season), Pete Cornforth (lad), Luke Gallon (man), Eddy Harker (man), Bernard Gallon (lad), Marshall Hill (man), Pete Hill (lad), Edmund White (man), Joe White (man), Paul Welford (lad).

The quoits handicap takes place at the end of the season and anyone from Ugthorpe can enter. As often happened, a few from neighbouring Goldsborough also take part. Experienced and inexperienced players are levelled with handicaps from 3 Away – Scratch – 12 points (termed Owes). It’s a great event, drawing retired players, and wives who offer to make tea. In 1952 there were thirty-four players. The Semi-finals were E Calvert and F Gallon (11 - 21) & J Gallon and R Foster (21 - 4).

Jack Gallon won the final over Frank Gallon (21 - 17).

1976 Quoits Supper: Thirty-two played the handicap on the first Saturday of September 1976, and prizes are presented at the Quoits supper or Quoits night as it is often called, (Friday 26^th November 1976). Not only the Fr Pat Blewitt trophy but also prizes for the domino drive, a means of collecting money to help with the cost of food. In years gone by, free-gift prizes would be sought from Whitby traders. 1976 winner of the cup was Ralf Brown, presented by Bill Tyreman (chair of the local league) but not before Bill telling a tale in his broad Yorkshire dialect, so much that the writer had to translate to his new wife.

As second, third and fourth place winners are congratulated, and three domino players – Ralf pops the cup over the bar to be filled with whiskey and lemonade. I remember the first quoits night I attended with my father, he passed me the cup to drink from and told me clearly to “Just wet thee lips lad.” It was a powerful brew!

Tradition says, each prize winner must sing a song. John White (master of ceremonies) called on Ralf to sing the first song. “What shall I sing” says Ralf” – “Go on, give us Old Gypsy.” The room joined in the chorus to “Sing to me gypsy” and Ned White picks up the bass harmony. There is no accompaniment here, though plenty of encouragement. Most singers will have what is considered as their song and folk expect them to sing it.

Ned (Edmund) White is up next, considered a trained singer and everyone listens when he performs. “Just a wearying for you” sang with clarity and feeling. Joe Sanderson (John White’s father-in-law) is next to sing. Joe is at the bar getting his old school friend Billy Baldwin a drink. Joe asked Billy to stand in for him and sing “The old rustic bridge” it’s sung seriously, and the room is quieter still.

John calls his older brother, fourth place winner Joe White, who is a little nervous but encouraged by his brother he begins to sing “The fishermen of England.” This was the first time Joe had sung this, he would normally have sung “Keep right on till the end of the road.”

Domino drive winner Phil Marsay is called upon to sing but chooses not to and disappeared to the toilet. A substitute is found and Ted Cornforth sings “Loch Lomond”. Pete Floyd wearing a cloth cap sings “Nobody’s child” and the third domino prize winner sings “There’s a tiny house.”

All the prize winners have sung, the next in the way of things is for each singer to nominate the next. To get things moving, John White calls on Phil Hales who really gets the room buzzing with “The end of my old cigar” full of expression and laughter. Phil calls upon Luke Gallon who needed a bit of persuasion to sing “Mother Machree” and they press him for another verse. Luke calls Lucy White who reluctantly performs “Two eyes of blue.” Next up is Bill Carr to sing “Granny’s old armchair” and the room joins in with four choruses. Ralf Foster (brother to Jack Foster) is next to be called on. John quietens the room and says, “C’mon Ralf, give us t’ord favourite.” Ralph begins to sing “Nice to get up in the morning” as John calls for quiet. Ralf calls on John White who changes from master of ceremonies to the serious role of singer and performs “You’re the only good thing that’s happened to me.”

After some persuasion, Walt Spenceley sings a sentimental song “The wanderers warning” he then calls his son Colin who gives a good rendition of “The crystal chandelier” though Colin forgets a couple of words and is helped by Malcolm Cornforth. Colin is one of the youngest lads there and calls on one of the oldest, Jack Gallon. There’s a loud applause and John White taps his glass and calls for order. Jack sings a lovely song “The bonny hawthorn” he struggles a little now with the high notes. “Your call” says John, and Jack calls on the eldest in the room Jack Foster who says he is past singing but is encouraged by John and the room to sing “Where is my wandering boy tonight.”

After trying to get Eddy Harker to sing or a substitute, John calls on Chris Gallon, one of the young quoiters. Chris sings a Beatles song “Yellow submarine” and is then followed by Malcolm Cornforth with a comical song by the Wurzels “The bus shelter.” Next to be called is Liz Allen who sings “I’ll take you home again Kathleen” struggling with the second verse John and Ned help out. Noel Stamp is called upon and sings a song known as his song, “Old Shep.” Order is restored and Jack Bailey of the Fylingthorpe club is called and sings “Rose of Tralee,” the room responds well to the chorus.

It’s time for Tommy Gallon to get up and sing a song learned from his father “Will you love me when I’m old?” Tommy is followed by his nephew John Pearson, who sings his father’s song “Mush mush tural-i-addy.”   Anthony Gallon is requested to sing “A roving” Sylvia Richards sings “A poor little orphan boy” and the landlady is collecting glasses. The night is closing in, but you wouldn’t believe it! John White and Phil Hales strike up a partnership and the whole room joins in with songs such as: Cigarettes & whisky, old McDonald, the old rugged cross, Dublin’s fair city, merrily we roll along and Moonlight Bay. You knew it was home time when we sang “Now is the hour.”

North of England Quoits championship June 1979 at Fylingthorpe. George Hutton wins.
Runner up was Paul Welford. John White and Joe Sanderson were third & fourth respectively.

1977/8 Ugthorpe Quoits Winners and other players at Ugthorpe Quoit club’s individual championship. Seated from left: F Raw, Fryup 4th. J Winspear, Egton Bridge 2nd. P Marsay, Goldsborough 1st.
P Welford, Ugthorpe 3rd.

 

Congratulations are given deservedly and much encouragement, but it’s never about the individual – great achievements are done together.

We learn through experience and following the footsteps of those before us. These were golden days to be treasured and relived in whatever way we can. There is a strong togetherness within a community such as Ugthorpe, which even today holds on to these simple principals.

 

 

 

 

Players Colin Spenceley & Paul Welford
July 1991 Winners of pairs Crown
at Beamish Museum.  

 

Acknowledgments:

Keith Sullivan – Leeds University for his recording of the events of the Quoits night 1976

Family photos, newspaper cuttings and village archives