Wolsingham Show...England's Oldest
From the book first published in 1993.

Forward (H. G. Dobson)

In compiling this history of Wolsingham Show, many people and previous writings have been taken into consideration. When dealing with such a long period in our history, some facts may have been missed or were not known at the time of writing. Should you have historic information, please contact the Society so that, in the fullness of time, a more comprehensive history may be written.

Much of the impetus for this volume came from Robbie Stobbs, who has drawn from his past knowledge and from documentary evidence made available to him. We are indebted to him for his deliberations.

Much of the information came from past studies and the recollections of people who have been associated with the show. Memory - and of course first hand knowledge - are the most reliable, and I was grateful for a talk I had with Thomas Henry Dowson of Wolsingham, who is 97 years of age. For a man of this age, his powers of recall astounded me.

Tom lived in his younger days at Low Joffless, Wolsingham and in 1913-1914 he rode trotters at Wolsingham Show. He farmed and broke horses until Low Joffless was sold and he was then employed by the water company at Tunstall. During the first world war, after medicals at Bishop Auckland and Newcastle, he was told to go home and to live a quiet life. He was living at Consett, looking after 1800 horses owned by the Consett Iron Company who also owned several pits. He was quite happy but the General Strike in 1926 forced the closure of the iron company. Fortunately his previous good work at Tunstall had not gone unnoticed and he was re-engaged there, from where he retired some thirty years later.

Not only did Tom ride horses at Wolsingham Show; in later years he devoted time to the dog section and also showed fox terriers around the country with Frank Tennick.

From the following pages it will be seen that the objects of the Society - the betterment of agriculture and public awareness and the needs of the countryside - have always applied. With changes in the industry, for example the reduced number of horses employed on the land, the agrarian revolution and farm machinery becoming widely available, the schedule of show prizes has attempted to keep pace with change.

Standards of living and modes of transport have also changed. Instead of one train bringing all our visitors to the show, we now have to cater for thousands of cars. Today, there are fewer farmers in fulltime employment on the land but the present show council is still made up of 75% farmers. Some are members of national agricultural bodies, some are poets and storytellers.

All-in-all they are amicable people to deal with: long may it continue.

History of Wolsingham Show (Robbie Stobbs)

Agriculture and manufacturing have always been the life blood of Wolsingham.

The first record is in the Boldon Buke, a survey and record of all the lands in the County of Durham. It was ordered by Prince Bishop Pudsey in 1183. There had been no Domesday Book for Durham. It is recorded here that Wolsingham had 20 villains who held 1 bovate of 15 acres each and did service to the bishop. There were, among others, three wood turners who rendered 3100 bowls to the bishop each year and Humphrey's son, who made ploughs, and Ralf the bee-keeper who held 6 acres.

When a visitor to Wolsingham Show arrives now at Harperley roundabout and faces west, the Wear Valley and Wolsingham lie ahead.

The first farm on the right, with its ancient house, was mentioned in the Boldon Buke as being occupied by Roger of Bradley who paid 6/8d rent and did forest service for his tenure. It is now occupied by a member of the show society's committee.

One mile further west and the visitor arrives at the show site, 36 acres of flat river land, laid out with its trotting course and large marquees. It has good approaches and plenty of car-parking. There will be an air of bustle and excitement with horse boxes, cars, land rovers, tractors and trailers bringing all kinds of livestock to the showground on the Saturday morning of the first weekend in September.

Before Wolsingham Steelworks was established by Charles Attwood, there were no houses between the Waskerley East Bridge and Scotch IsleFarm. The old Scotch IsleFarm was south of the railway line, nearer to the River Wear and the largest farm in the parish, occupied (1765) by Thomas Bowes. The large piece of land in the East field was occupied by 37 owners who farmed 155 strips of land. In 1856, there were still 50 narrow fields and the occupiers of those fragments of land had the common right to graze the adjoining higher common lands.

And as it was so wasteful of labour, amalgamations of the strips had been steadily taking place over the years. Also, acts of parliament were sought to enable the enclosure of common lands into allotments.

Many new farms came into being in the allotments but many of the cottage owners did not have the money to pay for the surveyors fees and the walling and fencing and other costs the enclosure acts incurred. It was a time of great change and Wolsingham Parish, along with the rest of the country, was transformed.

The enclosure of Wolsingham South and North Moors (1765-1785) brought about the demise of many small land holders and they were replaced by new investors and large farmers who built new farmhouses and farm buildings. They also planted trees and hedges and drained the new lands. The newcomers required higher incomes and better rents to defray their costs. There was a demand for better livestock returns and better crops to help pay those investments.

The north-east was not slow in taking up the challenge and in the forefront were the landowners of Wolsingham. It was some of those men who met at the Queens' Head at Wolsingham and decided to sponsor competition for improved livestock and crops. Prizes and premiums were offered for the best stallion for harness and for bulls, as copies of the 1807 and 1810 bills illustrate.

Horse-racing has also been part of the Wolsingham scene for many years. Purses of gold were offered for competition in 1806; trotting and sheep dog trials were introduced in 1890. Two guideless trotters were exhibited in 1927. Unfortunately one broke a leg and had to be destroyed.

Early shows were held near the Queens' Head in the Market Place, then in the Hallsfield near the East Bridge. In 1862, the venue was the West End, in what is now the Recreation Ground. The 1856 show was held on the first Tuesday in October. In 1887 it was changed to Wednesday, September 7th. Following a meeting on 1st June 1937, a permanent date was fixed on the first Saturday in September.

Arrangements were made for the 1939 show, to be held on September 2nd, but because of the threatened outbreak of hostilities between Britain and Germany it had to be cancelled. The site had been prepared and expenses incurred. A sale of materials failed to cover the expenses. Nothing more was done until 1946, when Herbert McCullagh and Robbie Stobbs, with the encouragement of Mr. H.D. Ward of The Denes, Wolsingham canvassed farmers and small livestock breeders to see what interest there was in reforming the show. There was sufficient favourable response for a meeting to be called in the Mechanic's Institute under the chairmanship of Mr. W.L. Burn.

Discovering that the old society owed £33. 8s. 5d. to Martins Bank and the Manchester Chronicle, it was resolved that the debts be paid. A further meeting was called on August 26th, 1946 to which all known members of the old society were invited. The notices were sent out by the late William Turnbull and John Ross and the postage paid by Mr. Fred Turnbull. At that meeting, Mr. Charles Pickering on behalf of John Powell Amusements offered a subscription of £25 if the society provided tickets to that sum for rides on his roundabout on the night of Friday, 6th September, 1946. Herbert McCullagh sold them all himself.

while John Powell returned some tickets for resale. Sufficient money was raised to pay the debts. By running raffles and dances, the show had £151. 16s, which permitted the first post-war show in 1947 to go ahead. Fred Storey was appointed secretary and he held that position for 32 years.

The show was moved to its new location at Durham Road Farm and Scotch Isle by invitation of Mr. H.D. Ward and Mr. H. McCullagh. The admission charge was 2/6d. for adults and the event proved an outstanding success. At the end of the year, there was a cash balance of £737.19s. 19 1/2d Mr. Ward had arranged for Mr. Tom lngliss to bring six trotting horses from Scotland. Among them were the famous Hurricane and John's Son. Lloyd Rutherford of Black Cleugh was
successful with his Swaledales, as was Walter Dalton of Horsley Head and his brother John Dalton of Snowhope Close with their Dales Ponies.

Mr. W.L. Burn retired from the chair in 1952 and was succeeded by Mr. W.W. Wilson. Unfortunately, the 1952 show was cancelled because of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the north of England.

1957 brought gale-force winds and lashing rain. Tents were blown down but the trotting survived.

The death of president, Mr. H.D. Ward, cast a shadow over the 1960 show. He was a staunch supporter and tireless helper of the society for more than 40 years.

In 1962, the show committee was inviteted organise the Blaydon Centenary Races for Newcastle Corporation. Ray Johnson was the organiser and the committee erected the ring and provided the stewards. Half the takings were paid to the society for its work.

There have been many changes slnce 1947. The committee has always been responsive t o the demands of paying patrons and, over the years, there have been many Innovations such as long distance pony rides, hound trails, motor cycle racing, Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling (organised by Mr. Des Ward, who was world champion at the time), even greyhound racing at Hetton-le-Hole, and silver band competitions.

Following the death of Mr. W.W. Wilson after 15 years as chairman, a rule was passed that chairmen should serve a maximum of three years. The present chairman is Mr. John Bell. Mr. Douglas Wilson, the son of the late W.W. Wilson, is vice-chairman. The committee is made up of dedicated people from all walks in life. A few have served since 1946 and the mix of young and old has brought fresh ideas and vitality to the society. Our future looks bright and the next show will have something new to entertain you.

At present we have a healthy balance sheet but our finances were not always so sound. For many years it was a struggle to keep going.

Many fund raising events were organised by the committee. Whist drives and dances were held in the Parish Hall, Wolsingham and at Frosterley Institute. There were barn dances at the Harperley P.O.W. Camp, Shittlehope Burn, andieu, and Ken Lough's Durham Road fields. Block tests by Charlie Watson and pony draws by Robbie Stobbs and Eric Lamb helped to keep the society solvent.

After two disastrous years in 1960 and 1963 the show finances were low and new ideas were vital. On a proposal by Mr. Ray Johnson, a Ladies' Committee was formed. Committee members' wives were invited to form a new section and many of the original ladies still give sterling service each show weekend. The society is greatly indebted to them for the work and support they give freely. Their tent is probably the most popular part of the show and, throughout the rest of the year, their efforts are well supported.

Prudent management of finances by the treasurer and the committee, plus high interest returns and - most important to any show - good weather have enabled the society to build up modest reserves. Over the last 20 years, the number of trade stands has increased. They now contribute a major part of the income of the show. The committee endeavours to maintain a good standard of trade exhibitors and firms wishing to take stands have to book early to secure sites because there is great demand for space.

The Kennel Club dog show is held in national esteem, with entries from all parts of the UK. The organisation of that section is in the capable hands of Mr. Neville Barlow and his team of experts. All the livestock classes are well supported and many well-known national judges have officiated. The Clydesdale judge this year, Mr. J. Somes of Kinfauns, Perth, sold his champion stallion to Japan in 1990 for the sum of £20,000.

Harness racing has been part of the Wolsingham Show programme for many years and draws large numbers of followers on Saturday and Monday, with arrangements in the hands of Mr. Ken Lough and the Eden Valley Trotting Association. The attractive prizes are the inducement which draws entries from as far away as Wales.

Horticultural interests are catered for by the Saturday open show and, on the Sunday, the Wolsingham Chrysanthemum and Horticultural Society's show is not to be missed. There are also adequate catering and refreshment facilities.

The Sunday programme has become a popular crowd puller with something for everyone: Punch and Judy shows for the children (also drawing a lot of adult spectators), working terriers and lurchers, dog agility, police dogs, hound show, falconry display, clay pigeon shooting, goat show, top class show jumping by some of the best show jumpers and riders, fell ponies and other horse classes, together with ladies'trade stand tent, vintage cars and all the fun and excitement of the north of England' slargest country fair. At the end of the day, a combined church service closes proceedings.

Monday starts early with sheep dog trials which last most of the day in the field west of the main ring. Greyhound racing in the main ring at 2 pm is followed by harness racing to end the weekend's entertainment.

In 1947 the total prize money was £389 13s. 6d; in 1990 it was £14,389.75.

During the 213 shows, the objects of the founders have never been forgotten. The aim is to make each show the best ever and next year's even better.

The society has been fortunate in having the generous support of president Mrs. E. Ward and her family, who continue a long tradition of supporting the show by providing the use of the showground, as did her late husband Mr. Des Ward and his father before him. We are also grateful to the family of Mr. & Mrs. Morris Wilson. Morris was a member of the 1946 committee and his sons continue to provide great support and the free use of their grounds.

Appreciation is also due to members of the committee, who give freely of their time, continuing a tradition begun so many years ago, in many cases by their forebears. They hope to achieve the objects of the founders by providing enjoyment and entertainment for friends and supporters.

Enjoy your weekend. Come again. Tell your friends about Wolsingham Show in beautiful Weardale. You will always find a welcome in the Dale, especially during the first weekend in September.