WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Cathy]

Me, me, me... I enjoy OG. I might not reply to every topic or issue but that is because a lot of them involve actually 'being there' and being daily affected by them. I'm interested but my imput from Oz generally wouldn't relate. No problem, I enjoy lots of other things about OG.
I'm happy to be on here, and be involved where I can.

[David Whipp]

The crows collecting twigs in the tree outside my window have found a good nesting site - our house!

[Tizer]

Well, you too chose to nest there, it must be a good spot for it!

Wendy, Cathy, I'm as bewildered as you are. I don't know what this `ladies' thing is all about. I wish people wouldn't post cryptic comments. If they have something to say, then say it in clear, simple words without resort to metaphor then we can get on with life and important things...like the obituary of the scriptwriter who did the Batman films. Apparently one of his favourite bits was where Batman goes to a select nightclub, in his batsuit, mask, cape and with a glamorous lady on his arm. The maitre d' asks him where they would like to sit and Batman replies, in a grave voice, "Not too near the music, it wouldn't do to be conspicuous".

[Wendyf]

"It relates to behaviours within small "isolated" communities. Very commonly seen within the play ground, classroom, clubs and things.

Who wants to be in my gang and all that kind of stuff, close relationships that often fear outsiders. Sometimes involves narcissism, command and control, etc"

I don't think I'm bewildered at all Tiz! Tardis is quite clearly suggesting that the women who post on the site are in Stanley's "gang" and under his control. I have taken offence!

[plaques]

As a relative new boy on the OGFB site the one thing I look forward to is reading other peoples comments. Each of us has our own perspective on things depending on our own experiences. This sometimes leads to a one sided judgement, a little like reading ONE book and thinking that must be the answer. At times the number of postings on a particular subject does get a bit thin. Whether this is a fear of being shouted down by the “establishment” I don’t know but I hope not.
The “Speakers Corner” looks a good vehicle for having your say. The latest reply by David Whipp makes some very good points which we may not have considered previously. I’m sure that someone, somewhere, will have a counter argument. Please let’s hear it. The more the merrier.

[Stanley]

At the risk of being accused of something again.... Cathy, I look forward to your contributions which are always sensible and good tempered and often very pertinent to Barlick. Like many I haven't forgotten when you and Maz told us your story. Just because someone isn't in Barlick makes no difference, think Bob King and Chinatyke! On the subject of women in general look at the goodwill they spread especially in caring for puzzled genealogists. That's why Wendy got a hug in the library. By the way, if Wendy says she is taking offence, take notice!
Tiz, I agree about ambiguous posts, what's the point in posting if it conveys nothing. What is even worse is that they are open to misinterpretation. Only clear statements can be debated but then, that's probably why it is done.
Funnily enough we have a perfect example this morning of input from abroad (and by a woman no less!) getting us nearer to a truth about a picture.



Many of you will remember this nice pic from the archive and it has always been unclear who the well dressed man in the bow with the girl is. Maz and I did a bit of digging about her gggrandfather Bill Moss and in the course of that she showed me a picture of him. As a result of that and the fact that Bill and a man called Witham were partners in Park Close Quarry plus the fact that this is a Park Quarry boat we are almost completely certain now that the man in the boat is the pork butcher Witham and the man in the cloth cap with the barrow is very likely to be Bill Moss. Only a small thing but down to Maz.
On a different tack, the firming up of opinions about the pings they have been hearing in the Southern Ocean. I think they are almost certain they have found the plane and are working on pinpointing the location. Of course they are being careful about what they say and quite rightly so.

[Marilyn]

It really hinges on the date of the photo, Stanley, because Whittam/Whitham wasn't married in 1911 ( according to the census)...so who is the child?
If it was taken in 1911, Moss had a boy and a girl. It is definitely NOT Moss holding the girl.
( and who took the photo?)
Could it be Sagar on the boat?
Could it be Whittam/Whitham on the left and Moss on the right? Possibly, though the only thing I can draw that from is that the picture of Moss that I have shows the wearing of a similar cap in the same fashion. I really can't be certain, because the picture I have of Moss shows him younger.

( eyes are rolling about in me sockets from scrutinising said photos....)

I am going to do more hunting...find a Marriage/Children for Whittam/Whitham ( first name Arthur). This could date the photo some years after 1911, explaining why Moss looks older (and heavier) and also explain the child.
Though the man in the boat DOES have the tummy of a butcher! Doesn't he?
And maybe the man standing to the left, who looks like he hasn't actually assisted in the loading of all that stone, is the boat owner....or the stone buyer...

[Marilyn]

Stanley...I have been going back carefully through the print out I did of your topic "Salterforth, Seven" and have come up with a few interesting things.
You mention the sale of the quarry in 1887 and that one of the promoters of the Salterforth Stone and Brick company was a H. Marsden.
A strange correlation in my family is that William Moss's eldest sister married a George Marsden in Kelbrook in 1896...George's father was a Butcher of all things!
I also note some replies to your story from "klondykekid", whom you refer to as Nick. I have emailed him from the OG members page ( 2 days ago) but no response...
He states that the photo you have posted above was taken in April 1893 ( very specific!) and that the man seated in the boat is Sagar and his daughter...and that it is of his new barge sat at Hatter's Bridge Wharf.

I do wish he would respond to my email, as he seems to have heaps of information about the Quarries and the folk who worked them. Also seems to hold a lot of papers and photos.

Can we send out an S.O.S. for Klondykekid?????!

[David Whipp]

Can we send out an S.O.S. for Klondykekid?

Haven't heard of Nick for a few years. He was voted off the parish council after an incident with a fellow resident in Salterforth.

[David Whipp]

I notice I've become a 'senior member'; and there's me still feeling like a teenager!

[Wendyf]

Maz, here are some more pictures of Salterforth Quarry folk to drive you mad. These are on the Lancashire Lantern Website. HERE and HERE

[Stanley]

Maz, I'd forgotten that date and didn't know about Witham's marriage. Raises some interesting questions. I wouldn't argue with anything Nick says about Salterforth and I'm sure he is right about the boat being at Hatter's Bridge. My problem with that is that the tramway that ended there was the one from Park Close. The Sagar quarries went down to the wharf that is on the bank where the New Road Bridge is now. As far as I know the Sagars never had an interest in Park Close. As for who took the pic I don't know. It came to me with a lot of others many years ago with a pile of others that I was allowed to copy. I know that at least one of the others was c1890 so the 1893 date fits. I don't allow myself to be certain about anything, you often get surprises, however one thing I can be certain about is that it was a very long exposure, see how the water looks like glass and this is typical of large plate negatives of the period.
I suppose it doesn't really matter, the main thing is that we are still digging and speculating. Looking at Wendy's pics of the quarries, isn't it a shame that we don't have the names of the people!

[Marilyn]

Wendy...second linked photo...farthest right...looks more like the pic I have of William Moss. The hairline ( quite distinctive) and the flat cap just visible.

( me eyes are revolving again. I must take a look on my computer tomorrow rather than my IPad mini.)

[Bruff]

Some interesting names there. Is there a line from this 'Sagar' to the Sagars of 'Wellock and Sagar'? 'Whitham' - a Mrs Whitham (don't know her forename as she was always Mrs Whitham to me as a child) had the toy shop if I recall on Church Street (my mother 'did' her hair). Her daughter had a stall on Skipton Market. Is there a line here?

Richard Broughton

[Stanley]

I think there is Richard but of course I will defer to our splendid genealogists who will no doubt tell you exactly! You’ve reminded me of Shirley, what a lovely woman and what a shame she was taken so young. Someone somewhere has a very poor sense of humour.

[David Whipp]

Joan Shaw and Lesley Gilbert, Barlick in Bloom volunteers, putting new plants in next to the bus shelter on Station Road. Joan has cleared this patch of overgrown shrubs. Some of the plants are donated from domestic gardens, others are from splitting perennials or grown from cuttings in the polytunnel which Premier Polytunnels kindly offered us the use of.

[Stanley]

Local heroes!

[Stanley]

The report about the poor lady who downloaded a Neil Diamond song while in S Africa and was billed £2000 for it when she got home. The company has reduced it to £300 but it's still dear entertainment!

[Stanley]

Later... Just a reminder of the work going on behind the scenes to keep the site clean, Wendy has been busy zapping spammers. I can't help thinking about a terrier guarding a rat hole! (Sorry about that Wendy....) Clean streets!

[Marilyn]

The report about the poor lady who downloaded a Neil Diamond song while in S Africa and was billed £2000 for it when she got home. The company has reduced it to £300 but it's still dear entertainment!

That is exactly why I don't go on OG from my computer when I am in UK...it can be horrendously expensive downloading a page. Ok if you have free wifi these days or if you are savvy enough to buy local Internet ( which we did with O2 last year) but there were reports here last week that it can cost up to $2000 to watch a YouTube video if you are stupid enough to do such things using country of origin Internet. The problem we found, is that British Telcos will only sell you Internet if you have a British Bank Account ( true!), which of course we don't. Just another way they try to stitch up travellers. ( whereas you can buy Internet here at any supermarket from a great many providers. Even corner shops sell it).
The Telcos know exactly what pain they are causing...
We managed to buy 30 days Internet from O2 plus a wifi hotspot for about £35. Couldn't renew it at the end of that time of course, as we did not have a British Bank Account ( even though we were paying cash!).

[Marilyn]

And what did we get for our £35?
One gig!
( enough for emails home for a month, but precious little else)
Still...cheapest option and we considered it the best available to us at the time.

[Stanley]

It's a nightmare isn't it Maz and I sympathise. It's all artificial of course. If Talktalk can give me unlimited international phone calls for £3.50 a month where is the problem with data?
Just heard a howler on R4. Reporting on commemoration of the Hillsborough disaster today a lady has just informed us that the Liverpool Ferry will stop in mid stream and "sound its funnels". That'll be interesting.....

[Marilyn]

While we are on that subject, I would like to advise that folk do not fall for buying "International pre-paid sims for Internet" ( such as the Amaysim). A total waste of money. They do not work. They cost you mega -bucks in the long run and you cannot get your money back. You can talk to their operators until you are blue in the face and get no satisfaction or problem solving at all. They are a scam.

How they rip you off goes like this.
You tell them what country you are going to, and they sell you 30 days Internet. ( prepaid and at quite a cost)
You get to the country of travel and spend a fortune trying to activate it using the mobile phone!
Balance now quite depleted you find you cannot actually get on the Internet because the local providers won't deal with them. Every time you try to retrieve an email your little card has to talk to the local provider...who won't allow access...but that little electronic chat in cyber-space between computers manages to reduce your pre-paid balance...even though you still cannot access your email. Pre-paid funds deplete at an alarming rate in this way until it needs topping up...which I swear you will only do once because it still does not work. Mobile phone calls to the company are answered in quite interesting places, like Ireland, even though you are not in Ireland. They cannot tell you what is wrong. Perhaps if you throw some more money at it Madam?
" Can I have a refund?"
" Well no you can't, as ( oh dear) you seem to have run out of funds!"

[Stanley]

I can't imagine anything more annoying Maz. As you say, a scam and what sort of people can live with making money like this?

[Stanley]

A report on World Service that men with full beards are more attractive to women. Surely not!