This History is written for The Stray Ferret by Harrogate historian, Malcolm Neesam:

The recent tragic circumstances which have initiated a somewhat frenzied public examination into the background of individuals who past generations with vastly different values to our own times decided to honour, have prompted me to consider how this might apply to Harrogate.

This, initially, may seem of dubious value, given that Harrogate’s great days of urbanisation and statue erection belonged to the west’s post-slavery decades of the mid and later nineteenth century. The great problem is one of degree. If Harrogate has never put up any statues to acknowledged slave owners, this is not to deny that in common with every other UK community, there will inevitably have been those of its citizens who benefited from the slave trade by indirect association. The innkeeper, who invested in a company known to profit from the Virginia tobacco trade; the doctor, who bought shares in a company trading in Jamaican sugar; the gentleman farmer who sat on the board of a cotton importation business without looking too closely into the conditions of those who produced that cotton.  Were we today to closely examine the basis on which some of our family fortunes were established, many would surely be discomforted.

Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn

But perhaps there is one figure with a strong connection with Harrogate who might be scrutinised, and that is the man who gives his name to Wedderburn House, Wedderburn Road, and the Wedderburn estate in general. Alexander Wedderburn, M.P. (1733-1805) was an ambitious politician, who in 1771 became Solicitor General, later advancing to the positions of Attorney General, Chief Justice of Common Pleas, and, in 1793, Lord Chancellor, a post he held until 1801.

Wedderburn earned a place in history when he grilled Benjamin Franklin on his role during the unrest in the American colonies. His meteoric career earned him many enemies, and his friendship with David Garrick and Richard Brindsley Sheridan was evidence for his great interest and support for the theatre. Wedderburn’s titles included those of Baron Loughborough and first Earl of Rosslyn.

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In 1775, Wedderburn acquired lands south of what became the Stray, and after living at Woodlands House, he moved into Wedderburn House, it being widely believed to have been remodelled for him by the great Carr of York. Wedderburn’s decision to acquire a residence in Harrogate was partly because he travelled frequently between London and Edinburgh, and found the town ideally situated more or less half way between the two. It was also known that he was attracted to one of the actresses who appeared with Samuel Butler’s troop at Harrogate’s Church Square Theatre – now Mansfield House. In 1790, the sixteen year old Tryphosa Jane Wallis was described as “exquisitely fair, with expressive blue eyes, well controlled movements, a fine figure, and a voice of more sweetness than strength’ . Her talent was recognised by the Lord Chancellor of England, Alexander Wedderburn, also known as Lord Rosslyn, and his wife, who obtained relief from a medical complaint from the mineral waters of the neighbouring St. John’s Well. Years later, when Miss Wallis was a nationally celebrated actress, she interrupted her work at Covent Garden to visit Harrogate,  staying at Wedderburn House, although it is not known what Lady Loughborough thought about the visit!.

Wedderburn House on The Stray

Wedderburn’s wife, Charlotte, received such benefit from the waters of the St. John’s Well on Wetherby Road, that her husband, who then had the title of Baron Loughborough, paid for the rebuilding of the pump room, which is shown in the engraving of 1796, (main picture)  and which records Charlotte’s visit to the well. This was tenanted by William Westmorland, whose name may be seen above the door. Lady Loughborough’s retinue included a black page boy, who is depicted at far left.

Although this writer knows of no direct involvement by Alexander Wedderburn with the slave trade, it would be unrealistic to think that so powerful a man as the Lord Chancellor with his broad portfolio of business interests, did not occasionally benefit from the proceeds of this vile business.

Further research into this may prove revealing, if anyone has the wish to do it.

Malcolm Neesam:

Malcolm Neesam was born in Harrogate and graduated from the University of Leeds as a professional archivist and librarian. He subsequently worked in Hereford, Leeds, London and York where, for twenty-five years, he was North Yorkshire’s County Music and Audiovisual Librarian.  Malcolm is a much-published author. In 1996 Harrogate Borough Council awarded Malcolm the Freedom of the Borough for his services as the town’s historian.

Harrogate Borough Council has extended the contract for the NHS Nightingale at the Harrogate Convention Centre until the end of July.

The HCC, which is owned by the council, was converted into Yorkshire and Humber NHS Nightingale in April in just a few weeks. It has a 500 bed capacity  – but so far has not treated seen a single covid patient. The NHS said recently that it was opening up its CT scanning facilities at the Nightingale for non-covid outpatient use.

The council confirmed this evening that the NHS had “taken up its option” for an extension until July 31st.

Beds inside the NHS Nightingale- ready for covid-19 patients that have never come

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The NHS has not payed any rent to the council for the initial contract until June but ,in May, documents that went to a council cabinet meeting stated:

“The contract does not provide for rent to be paid during the NHS occupation up to the end of June, as no planned events were being held during this period. However, should the agreement be extended there is provision for compensation in the event of the cancellation of future events.”

Fire crews from Ripon and Acomb have helped winch a horse to safety from a river at Nun Monkton.

The rescue operation took all day after the horse got itself stuck near an embankment. The fire crews had to use animal rescue equipment and had the help of a local farmer.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue took this film of the moment the horse was lifted to safety:

HORSE UPDATE: A lot of Human and machine power used. pic.twitter.com/CBal0btVuN

— NYFRS Acomb 2 (@AcombOnCall) June 8, 2020

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said

“The incident occurred at Nun Monkton and involved a horse getting stuck by the side of a river. Crews from Acomb and Ripon (Ripon are specially trained in large animal rescues) attended.

“The crews freed the horse using animal rescue equipment (harnesses) and with the help of a farmer using a telehandler. The horse was sedated by a vet to allow for the rescue to take place. The horse was checked over by the vet once it was freed and believed to be unharmed”.

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A distressing milestone was reached this afternoon with two further deaths recorded at Harrogate District Hospital of patients who tested positive for covid-19 – bringing the total number of deaths in the hospital to 70 since the pandemic started.  Both patient’s deaths were reported yesterday.

A further 72 people, who tested positive for the coronavirus have died in hospital in England. 17 were in the Yorkshire and North East region. The total figure for UK deaths stands at 40,465.

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Patients were aged between 45 and 96 years old and all had known underlying health conditions.

On Thursday, the hospital reported that it had discharged 118 patients who tested positive for coronavirus – an increase of nine on the previous week.

Harrogate District Hospital has reported no further coronavirus deaths, keeping the total number of deaths at the hospital to 68.

A further 75 people in England, who tested positive for the coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 27,359.

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This week the hospital reported that it had discharged 118 patients who tested positive for coronavirus – an increase of nine on the previous week.

Patients who’s deaths were reported today were aged between 43 and 100 and all had known underlying health conditions.

This column is written for The Stray Ferret by Jacqui Hall, non-executive director for CNG, a commercial based gas supplier in Harrogate, and regional chair of the CBI Yorkshire and Humber district:

Coronavirus and its impact has crept into every part of our lives. The world of business looks a very different place to what it did just a few months ago, and as it starts to reopen and begin its road to recovery, it will not look how we knew it.

The economy was hit hard by the necessary shutdown at the end of March, and recent data suggests the full impact of that difficult decision is still yet to come. Temporary closures and reduced operations have led to financial concerns with many business having faced or facing reduced income.

As businesses start to reopen, the Government has released some guidance on how to do so. The CBI has worked closely with the TUC and the Government to deliver a plan that works for employers and employees. All this builds on the good proactive plans many firms have developed during lockdown. Excellent employee engagement, fast workplace innovation and transparency have helped many companies support livelihoods. The financial support has been a lifeline for businesses and as the economy restarts and situations continue to change this is ever adapting to become more individual sector specific.

But even with all this support – the battle is not necessarily over yet. Businesses still face months of change and challenge as they navigate through the recovery phase, operational costs are higher, overheads are increasing and most businesses are having to operate at a reduced capacity in order to adhere to government guidelines.

Most businesses look extremely different to what they did prior to lockdown, with many of their operating models changing completely. We’ve seen B2B businesses move to B2C, restaurants become takeaways and innovators stimulating new technology adaption or bringing technologies already in place to the forefront of their businesses. As we move toward the ‘new normal’ these business are now faced with a new challenge – do they revert back to old ways or continue with the new model they’ve adopted? Customer habits and needs are changing and it is hard to predict where the next six months will go.

It’s not all doom and gloom though, it is an opportunity for businesses to adapt and change – there is an appetite for them to learn from others, adopt new strategies and build back better.

At CBI we are committed to this effort to ensure Yorkshire and every region across the UK is positioned to bounce back from this crisis as quickly as possible whilst making investments in skills, infrastructure and technology needed to sustain inclusive growth.

It’s not going to be easy, but it is just as important now than ever that we pull together – this is a long road, but one we aren’t on alone.

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Marks & Spencer is likely to open its M&S Food store in Ripon in mid July, The Stray Ferret understands.

The M&S store, on Rotary Way, was originally due to open on April 29 but that was put on hold because of coronavirus.

It is part of the £10 million Saint Michael’s Retail Park development. A spokesperson for M&S said:

“We’re working hard to finish our Ripon store and as soon as we have more information on the opening we will update the community.”

The new store, located close to the Ripon bypass, was first granted planning permission by Harrogate Borough Council in 2017. It will provide up to 80 new jobs, including people who have been recruited locally.

Ripon is currently served by four supermarkets – Aldi, Booths, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.

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German budget supermarket Lidl, which already has a store in Chain Lane, Knaresborough, has announced that it plans to open up to 89 new stores in Yorkshire and has Harrogate and Ripon on its list, saying:

The company, which is hoping to double the number of stores it has in the UK added, that it was looking for ‘prominent sites  in town, district, edge of centre or out of town locations, ideally with main road frontage with easy access and strong pedestrian or traffic flow.’

“We want to double our portfolio. To continue our phenomenal growth we require further sites across the country.”

The proposed locations for Lidl stores in Ripon and Harrogate is not as yet known.

The owners of Three’s a Crowd and the Coach and Horses on West Park Stray said they followed government guidelines when they opened over the weekend to sell take-out beer.

On Saturday afternoon crowds outside the two pubs led Harrogate police to urge the public to stick to social distancing as people blocked the pavements and were not keeping 2 metres apart.  It led to a large amount of concern on social media that people are giving up on the rules.

John Quinlan of Three’s a Crowd told The Stray Ferret that safety was their priority:

We worked with the North Yorkshire police to monitor social distancing and they were supportive and helpful throughout. Helping us maintain the safety of our guests within the boundaries of our pub.

The majority of our guests were sensible and followed the social distancing measures set out with only a few that decided to ignore these. With the Stray being closed directly opposite and people beginning to congregate we decided to close early and stop serving, asking people to disband.

Tables and chairs put on the grass verge of the Stray for drinkers at The Coach and Horses on Sunday

“You can go to Waitrose and buy a can and sit on the Stray and drink it or you can come here and buy a drink and do the same thing. The only difference is that every penny we take is going to Horticap. Saturday was the first day and a one point it did get crowded outside. You learn – today we’ve put chairs up on the other side of the road so that the pavement outside is free and we’ve put an extra barrier outside.

I have a licence to sell beer either on and off the property- what rules am I breaking?”

Whether Mr Nelson will be allowed to keep his chairs and tables on the other side of the road though, remains to be seen.

For the fifth consecutive day there have been no reported deaths at Harrogate District Hospital of patients who tested positive for covid-19. A total of 64 patients have died at the hospital of the virus since the start of the pandemic.

A further 85 people, who tested positive for the coronavirus have died- 25 in Yorkshire and the North East. The total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England is 26,614.

Patients were aged between 56 and 100 years old.  Six of the 85 patients had no known underlying health condition.

WATCH:  A moving video of the 10 weeks of Clap for our Carers in the Harrogate District .

On Thursday the hospital reported a total of 109 patients, who tested positive for coronavirus, had recovered and been discharged – an increase of five on the previous week.

We have noticed an increase in gatherings on pavements due to queuing for takeaways from various premises and then staying around the area with bought goods. Please can we remind you that when queuing outside premises, you adhere to the social distancing guidelines and enjoy your bought goods away from the queues.

What is the guidance for take-aways?

• Setting out clear demarcation for 2m distances for customers queuing.
• Asking customers to wait in their cars. Asking customers to order online, on apps or over the telephone to reduce queues and stagger pick-up times.
• Making regular announcements to remind customers to follow social distancing advice

What are the current rules for meeting others?

• Over the weekend the rules have not changed. People in England are allowed to meet 1 person from another household in a public place outside while maintaining a 2m distance.
• From tomorrow, groups of up to 6 will be allowed to meet. People in England will be permitted to congregate in gardens and other private outdoor spaces, instead of just in public spaces.  Public gatherings of more than six people from different households will be prohibited in law.

A group of 11 on the Stray on Friday evening