Liz Truss set to speak to Conservatives in Harrogate tomorrow

Conservative leadership candidate Liz Truss will visit Harrogate tomorrow as she continues to tout for votes from the party’s membership.

The foreign secretary will speak to local members at an undisclosed venue at lunchtime in what is being described by organisers as “an informal gathering in a central Harrogate location”.

Tickets have been sold in advance by Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Party, with even those booked to attend not being told the location of the event until tomorrow morning. Organisers have cited “security reasons” for the secrecy.

Last month, Ms Truss’s opponent, Rishi Sunak, spoke to party members at an event at the Black Sheep Brewery in Masham.

Attendees included Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, who has declared his support for Mr Sunak. Some of those present told the Stray Ferret there was a “warm” reception for the candidate, and that many present were already predisposed to him.

Great to welcome @RishiSunak to a packed @BlackSheepBeer in #masham today. Excellent feedback from @conservatives members across North Yorkshire #Ready4Rishi pic.twitter.com/aCY9s3gZy2

— Julian Smith MP (@JulianSmithUK) July 24, 2022

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has also given his backing to the former chancellor.

Nigel Adams, whose Selby and Ainsty constituency covers the Harrogate district’s southern and eastern rural areas, has not declared his allegiance. A close ally of outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, he has said he will stand down at the next election.

Ms Truss and Mr Sunak are the final two left in a long-running race to lead the party and become the next Prime Minister.

Ballot papers have now been issued to party members, with the winner of the contest set to be announced on Monday, September 5.

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Stray Views: Who benefits from Maltkiln?

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Who benefits from the Maltkiln development? 

Will our local councils come clean and explain to us why they are proceeding with Maltkiln after refusing, right up to the High Court, the development of Flaxby with the following consequences:

Can they tell us who are the beneficiaries of this decision?

Dr Terry Bramall CBE, Harrogate

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Chain Lane/York Road junction, Knaresborough

Having read Mr Payne’s letter regarding this junction and the poor signage, I was compelled to write. I asked North Yorkshire County Council why the temporary right turn sign suddenly appeared. This makes life difficult for residents on The Paddock trying to get home from Wetherby Road. The diversion down Manse Lane is nothing short of dangerous!

I have waited patiently for weeks for a reply…still waiting. I also contacted our Town representatives….they are also still waiting for a reply.

Is this the service we can expect when we all come under North Yorkshire Council. It makes me shudder!

Please Highways, can I have an answer?

Regards

Jayne Jackson, Knaresborough 

Opening Beech Grove wont solve anything

Dennis Richards says the Beech Grove scheme has made Victoria Road more dangerous because of speeding traffic.

Beech Grove Low Traffic Neighbourhood hasn’t made drivers go faster on Victoria Road but it has meant there are more of them. That is going to be tackled by making the junction with Otley Road one way only.

Drivers will be able to enter Victoria Road but not exit onto Otley Road.

Opening up Beech Grove to through traffic won’t solve anything but will make the road much less pleasant for residents and no longer a safe oasis for cyclists.

Malcolm Margolis , Harrogate District Cycle Action 

District girls’ football teams see rise in enquiries following Lionesses’ win

Enquiries to join girls’ footballs teams in the Harrogate district have surged following the Lionesses’ historic Euro 2022 victory.

The impact of the team’s success have been felt across the area, with coaches and players labelling England’s success as “inspiring”.

And it is hoped the win will now open doors for young girls in the future.

Rachel Daly’s pathway to the Lionesses began at Killinghall Nomads.

Rachel Daly (centre) with girls from Killinghall Nomads Junior Football Club and their manager David Terzza (right).

Ms Daly played and trained in a boys’ team, but the club now teams for both girls and boys.

The club also runs non-competitive weekly Wildcats sessions at Killinghall Moor. They allow girls, aged five to 11,to try out playing football before committing to a team.

David Terzza, Killinghall Nomads girls’ football manager, who was a coach when Rachel Daly played at the club, said:

“On Monday night I ran a session and there were six new girls who signed up straight away.

“We have up to about 32 girls who take part in the Wildcats sessions, which cost £3 and are run by qualified FA coaches. I give out information about clubs in the area. We hope they come to our club at Killinghall, but that’s not always the case.”

Chris Fahy,  Boroughbridge Juniors Football Club’s chairman and coach, said England’s success was “massively important” for girls’ football.

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A year ago he applied for tickets to the Euro 2022 final — and it paid off as 70 members of the club got to see the Lionesses beat Germany 2-1 at Wembley on Sunday.

Boroughbridge girls at the Euro 2022 final at Wembley.

He said:

“I’ve been doing girls’ football for eight years and at the moment we’ve got three teams – a small group aged from five upwards. I’m hoping what happened on Sunday will have an impact. We had a couple of enquiries just on Monday from people wanting to join.

“It’s good for the future. The publicity has been absolutely fantastic. There has been so much build-up and media attention.”

Mike Collier, women and girls football lead at Scotton Scorchers Junior Football Club, said the club was “so proud and emotional” about what it means for the Lionesses to win the Euros.

He said:

“It’s not just the winning but also the way they have gone about doing it.

“They are role models and superstars and yet still ordinary people in touch with their fans.

“This isn’t overnight success though and it’s great that the current players have given credit to everyone who has gone before them, including recognition for their grassroots clubs, reminding everyone that every England player started their football journey there.

“We hope the game continues to grow and become securely established so that players really can have football careers, but it’s also really important to remain accessible, relatable and likeable.”

Scotton Scorchers is the club of footy-mad Tess Dolan, eight, who was gifted tickets by the BBC after she was filmed dancing to the unofficial anthem Sweet Caroline following last Tuesday’s semi-final victory.

Scotton Scorchers under 14s girls team on a charity fun run last year.

The youngster stole the nation’s heart again when she was interviewed on TV before the victorious final on Sunday.

Mr Collier said:

“We have had many of our players at the games and are proud of all our girls, with good luck messages on social media and local radio etc.

“But also our little dancing superstar Tess, who summed up the nation’s great joy with her celebrations at the semi-final and went on to join the BBC on match day in the studio and lift the trophy too!

“We  have over 150 girls and women playing football, we are all inclusive, and it’s about fun and friendship, respect, health and wellbeing. We also have some fantastic players and teams competing at the highest levels in the county. Our Women’s team  trained recently with the Lionesses!”

Strayside Sunday: Is the £540m Devolution Deal good enough?

Strayside Sunday is our political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party. 

This week my former colleague Greg Clark, then Director of Policy for the Conservatives, now Secretary of State for the tongue-twisting Levelling Up, Communities and Local Government signed-off and handed down North Yorkshire & York’s much anticipated devolution settlement.  The 32-page document awarded the area £540m over the next 30 years, along with devolved powers to help the region develop the skills, housing, and transport infrastructure it needs.  Whether this represents, as the government claims, “a once-in-a-generation chance to help tackle regional inequalities by not only reducing the North South divide nationally, but also helping to resolve economic differences that are being felt between urban and rural area,” remains to be seen.

What we do know is that the money comes with the promise that we’ll get a Combined Authority, likely next year, with an elected Mayor to follow in 2024.  This must be a good thing, with the shining examples of Tees Valley’s Ben Houchen and the West Midland’s Andy Street demonstrating the positive leadership possibilities an elected Mayor can bring.  Both have used the special powers of the office to create special purpose Mayoral Development Corporations to buy land and assets to drive local economic regeneration and employment, to great effect.  Houchen famously returned Teeside Airport to public ownership and, just this week, Street announced Birmingham as the new home for a large portion of the BBC’s production capabilities, testament to investments made in vital property infrastructure. Tracy Brabin, West Yorkshire’s elected Mayor, still relatively new in post, is yet to find her feet.

Whether or not North Yorkshire’s Mayor is a success will rest on strength of personality and imagination. Will they have the vision, communication skills and drive to push the limits of their newfound powers and make the most of them?  Let’s hope so.  They’ll need to be more persuasive than North Yorkshire Council’s representatives who made the bid for devolution.  Last week’s settlement was significantly less than the “ask”.  £750m over 25 years had been requested, versus the £540m over 30 years received.  Net, the new Mayor will have £18m per year to spend on their agenda, rather than the £25m per year hoped for.  The bid also hoped for £47m to redevelop the much-maligned Harrogate Convention Centre.  Much to Harrogate Borough Council Leader Richard Cooper’s disappointment this was turned down flat – with Westminster civil servants giving a “very strong steer” it would not be funded and should not be part of the devolution settlement.  The money for that will now have to be found from other means, with an application to Boris Johnson’s Levelling Up Fund in the works.  The Convention Centre’s future remains uncertain, not least because with the coming change in Conservative Party leadership there is no guarantee that existing spending commitments will hold.

And that’s part of the problem here.  £540m sounds like a big sum but, in truth we can’t be certain it represents new money.  We have little idea how it fits with the existing local government grant and public spending commitments.  What we do know is that it seems certain that tax cuts will be on the government’s agenda following the change of Prime Minister.  That, plus the most ominous macro-economic climate in a generation (recession, soaring inflation and rising interest rates) means that coming downward pressure on public spending seems locked in.  Whoever becomes Mayor of North Yorkshire and York will have their work cut out for them.

The same of course is true for the new Prime Minister.  It now seems likely (if polls are to be believed) that Liz Truss will win comfortably the Tory Party leadership contest and assume office.  Assuming I get a non-hacked voting paper from the Harrogate & Knaresborough Conservative Association I’ll be putting a cross next to Rishi Sunak’s name.  If Liz Truss does win it will be another example of the maxim that “he who wields the dagger never yields the prize”, Sunak having led with Sajid Javed the avalanche of ministerial resignations that finally put paid to Boris Johnson.

For the life of me I can’t see the logic of the aggressive tax cuts that Liz Truss proposes.  To paraphrase Maurice Saatchi’s famous “Labour isn’t working” political advertising slogan from the 1980’s, an argument can be made that “Britain isn’t working.”  The NHS has moved beyond perpetual ‘crisis’ and is now in real trouble, with waiting lists soaring for everything from cancer treatment to mental health treatment, nary an ambulance in sight when you need one and chronic staff shortages.  It takes an age to get a passport and, when you do, the airports are carnage.  The DVLA can’t get a driver’s license organised for love nor money and with a series of national train strikes and 7-hour queues to take a ferry to France, travelling in this country is becoming a Kafka-esque challenge. Planes, trains, and automobiles indeed.  I haven’t even mentioned the disaster that is immigration policy and our handling of the small boats influx on our shores.  Reform may well be part of the answer but setting all these right needs real money and competent grip.  Economists who support Ms. Truss’ plan to tax cut our way to economic growth to fund all this are thin on the ground.  Like North Yorkshire’s coming new elected Mayor, Ms. Truss’ real task is to find imaginative policy solutions to our problems, from skills to housing, from transport to health and then find a way to run them properly.  And that takes public money, gobs of it.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

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Missing Boroughbridge teen found

A Boroughbridge woman who failed to return home on Friday night has been found.

North Yorkshire Police issued an appeal for help finding the woman after she went missing.

It issued photos and a description and asked people to get in touch with details of possible sightings.

Police said yesterday the girl had been found.

Consequently this article has been updated to conceal the women’s identity.

The new top local politician in the Harrogate district

The local political landscape is being utterly transformed.

A new unitary authority is coming; eight existing councils, including Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, are going.

A devolution deal this week paved the way for a countywide mayor and the creation of a combined authority overseeing £540 million.

It’s not just the institutions changing. So too are the politicians.

Richard Cooper and Graham Swift, the long-serving Conservative leader and deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, will step down when it is abolished next year.

Don Mackenzie, the Conservative councillor previously in charge of transport at North Yorkshire County Council, did not seek re-election in the local elections on May 5.

Since then a new man has emerged as the most senior local politician and although he too is a Conservative he is a somewhat different beast.

As executive member for health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council, Michael Harrison is the only person from the Harrogate district sitting on what is effectively the 10-person cabinet making key decisions on spending in the county.

Cllr Harrison (far right), sitting on the county council’s cabinet.

Cllr Harrison’s portfolio is responsible for more than half of the county council’s £380 million annual budget. But most people aren’t interested in social care until they need it, so his role attracts far less attention than the transport brief Keane Duncan inherited from Don Mackenzie, even though the sums are higher.

Cllr Harrison, who lives at Killinghall Moor, is far from unhappy about his low profile. He says:

“I enjoy contributing in an executive capacity. Adult social care is a complex area — you are dealing with some of the most vulnerable people in society.

“I feel I have a lot to offer there. It’s completely different to being the local face of the council.”

From Killinghall to Northallerton

Born in Sunderland, and with the accent to prove it, Cllr Harrison, 52, moved to the Harrogate district in the mid-1990s with his job at Lloyds Banking Group. He still works for the bank in risk management.

He joined Killinghall Parish Council in 2002, was elected to Harrogate Borough Council in 2004 and nine years later was also voted on to North Yorkshire County Council.

While some of his Conservative colleagues fell by the wayside at May’s local election, he received a commanding 54% share of the vote to ensure he will represent Killinghall, Hampsthwaite and Saltergate on the county council and its successor, the new North Yorkshire Council, until at least 2027.

Many people think councillors are full time professionals, but most combine politics with full-time jobs. Each county councillor receives a basic allowance of £10,316. Executive members, like Cllr Harrison, also receive special responsibility allowances of £15,939.

North Yorkshire County Council's offices in Northallerton.

County Hall in Northallerton, home of North Yorkshire County Council.

Cllr Harrison often takes his laptop to County Hall in Northallerton to work on his day job between meetings. Juggling the two isn’t easy, but he says:

“I think it’s important that councillors are drawn from society itself. It wouldn’t be healthy if only retired people could do it. But it is difficult to do it alongside a full-time job. You need the support of your family and employer.”

Pragmatism over politics

Although he’s a lifelong Conservative, Cllr Harrison does not come across as overtly political. He doesn’t name any political heroes and claims not to be ambitious.

“I’ve never had any particular political ambitions. I get a lot out of delivering quietly behind the scenes. I adopt a pragmatic approach to problems.”

He is backing Rishi Sunak in the leadership contest, saying he wants someone who can “reintroduce honesty and integrity into central government”.

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County Hall in Northallerton operates like Whitehall in London. The politically elected executive members set the direction of travel and professional civil servants carry out the day-to-day work.

Cllr Harrison seems more comfortable talking about the nuts and bolts of North Yorkshire politics rather than banging the drum for the Tories.

He says the new unitary authority will deliver services more efficiently than the current two-tier system by removing bureaucracy and will also end confusion over which council does what. But he admits there are challenges:

“Can the new council demonstrate it understands local needs? Tensions will be there within the district. The key is to understand priorities in each area.”

He says some services, such as gritting and waste disposal, are best handled centrally in Northallerton, but other services, such as leisure and tourism, require a more local focus.

Unusually for a leading Conservative, he’s a member of the banking union Accord and talks warmly about it. He says:

“Unions have a key role to play in representing employees.”

He also has rheumatoid arthritis, which he says is under control. Typically, he doesn’t make a fuss about it and is soon talking about social care again. He seems happy with it this way:

“Prior to getting into local government I said to people ‘I’m not into politics’. I’m more interested in delivering services for residents and hopefully being a common sense voice around the table.”

Farming life on display as Tockwith Show returns on Sunday

A one-day show attracting around 8,000 visitors is set to make its return this Sunday, August 7.

Tockwith Show has not been held since 2019 thanks to the covid pandemic — and organisers have said this year’s event will be bigger and better than ever before.

Committee chair Georgina Watson said:

“Basically we are an educational charity and a huge part of why we hold the show is to showcase the range of farming activities that make up such an important part of this region’s economy and community.

“One of our main themes this year is sheep. We have performances of dancing sheep, demonstrations of sheep shearing, and a chance for younger visitors to work with wool.

“But we also have pigs, horses, pigeons, rabbits, falcons, dogs, tractors, classic cars and even our very own sandy beach for children to play in. So hopefully we have got something for everyone.”

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The one-day event features more than 300 prize classes for everything from farm animals and show jumping to crafts and cookery.

It is held on Tockwith Show Field, on Cattal Moor Lane on the edge of the village. Entry is £12.50 for adults and teenagers, either via the website or on the gate, while children aged 12 and under go free.

For show president Michelle Lee, the return of the event on Sunday can’t come soon enough. She said:

“Being chosen as the show president is a great honour, and I had that honour back in 2019. But then covid struck and the 2020 and 2021 shows had to be cancelled so hopefully Sunday will be third time lucky for me!

“It’s always a really fun day. It takes a huge amount of work but it’s worth it and our aim is to ensure that our community is able to share in the rich agricultural heritage we have and also have a great day out: in short, to educate and entertain.”

No hosepipe ban for Harrogate district despite falling water levels

A hosepipe ban is not being introduced in the Harrogate district despite continuing dry weather — but Yorkshire Water has said it “cannot rule it out” in future.

The water company is advising people to reduce their usage as much as possible as water levels remain low in Swinsty, Fewston and Thruscross reservoirs to the west of Harrogate, as well as Scar House and Grimwith in Nidderdale.

However, despite there being no rain in the forecast for the coming fortnight, the authority has not said it will follow in the footsteps of others by introducing a hosepipe ban.

A spokesperson for the company said:

“Yorkshire has experienced a particularly dry spring and summer and the reservoirs and rivers in our region are seeing the impact. Reservoir levels are currently around 51% – they declined by 2% over the last week despite the rainfall we had across Yorkshire.

“We’re always asking our customers to reduce their usage where they can and allow their lawns to go brown, not wash the car for a few weeks and turn the taps off when they’re brushing their teeth to stop waste and reduce the likelihood of restrictions later in the summer.

“We’re working around the clock to move water around our network of pipes to keep taps flowing and we’re doing our bit to save water where we can too. Our team of leakage inspectors are out and about across Yorkshire, working hard to save water from leaky pipes, and are prioritising larger leaks.”

Hosepipe bans take effect today in Hampshire, with Kent and Surrey to follow next week. This morning, it was announced that a further ban will be applied in south-west Wales from Friday, August 19.

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Air pollution rises above pre-pandemic levels at nine locations in Harrogate district

The levels of harmful air pollutants in the Harrogate district have risen above pre-pandemic levels at nine locations – including one which recorded a year-on-year increase despite covid lockdowns.

Knaresborough bus station was the only area in the district to record a yearly rise in nitrogen dioxide levels between 2019 and 2021.

Nine out of all 64 monitoring locations saw an increase during the same period, although each had a drop during 2020 when lockdowns led to tight restrictions on travel.

All locations remain below current legal limits, but these targets are set to be reduced by the government after warnings that pollutants are even more dangerous than previously thought.

Air pollution is associated with a number of serious health impacts – it particularly affects the most vulnerable, including children and older people, and those with heart and lung conditions.

The latest figures for Harrogate have been revealed in a report from the borough council which shows nitrogen dioxide levels rose from 2019 to 2021 at:

Bond End is one of four Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) declared by the council for previously breaching the legal limit of 40 micrograms of annual nitrogen dioxide per cubic metre of air.

The figure for Bond End, which has had traffic light upgrades to tackle pollution from idling vehicles, now stands at 38.3 – the highest in the district.

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For the first time in 15 years, the World Health Organisation (WHO) last year released new guidelines which mean the UK’s legal limits for the most harmful pollutants are now four times higher than the maximum levels recommended.

This is after research found air pollution from areas including vehicle exhausts and gas central heating is having a big impact on health, even at lower concentrations.

While not legally binding, the WHO guidelines are used as reference tools by policymakers around the world and impact on how legal limits are set.

The UK government has yet to approve new limits, with a bill currently going through the legal process.

If the WHO’s new target of 10 micrograms of annual nitrogen dioxide per cubic metre of air is introduced, just two locations in Harrogate would meet the new guidelines.

In its annual report, Harrogate Borough Council said it had no plans to declare any new AQMAs under the current rules, but added it recognised there was work to do to improve air quality.

It said:

“Concentrations have risen across the district in 2021, but this is following 2020 when there were multiple lockdowns.

“Whilst air quality has improved significantly in recent decades, and will continue to improve due to national policy decisions, there are some areas where local action is needed to improve air quality further.

“We work with colleagues within the highways, sustainable transport and public health departments at North Yorkshire County Council on air quality, and will continue to do this to improve local air quality.”

Battlefield trail to be launched in Boroughbridge this month

Commemorations marking the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Boroughbridge will end this month with the unveiling of a permanent battlefield trail.

The trail will guide people around sites where fighting took place in 1322.

The Battle of Boroughbridge was fought on March 20, 1322, between supporters of King Edward II and a rebellious group of barons led by Thomas, Earl of Lancaster. It ended in defeat for Lancaster, who was the king’s cousin and one of the wealthiest people in England.

A series of events have taken place this year marking the anniversary.

In March, Viscount Hereford, an ancestor of Humphrey de Bohun, who was killed in fighting across the original bridge over the River Ure, took part in a wreath laying ceremony at the Battle Cross in Aldborough.

Medieval combat by 3 Swords re-enactment group and medieval walks also took place on the anniversary weekend.

Battle of Boroughbridge information board

The trail will tell the story of Boroughbridge’s turbulent past.

On Saturday, August 13, 3 Swords, who make regular appearances at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, will return to give a demonstration of their arms and equipment at Hall Square in Boroughbridge at 10am before a parade to St James’s Square.

At 11am, Boroughbridge mayor Sean Hynes will unveil one of a series of display boards, which form the Battle of Boroughbridge interpretation trail.

The boards will be sited at either end of the bridge over the River Ure, on St James’s Square where Lancaster was captured after seeking sanctuary in the original church, on Aldborough Road and near the lock on the canal at Milby.

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After the ceremony, Louise Whittaker, of Harrogate, a member of the Battlefields Trust, will lead a tour of the battlefield sites.

The 700th anniversary has been marked by Boroughbridge and District Historical Society, the Battlefields Trust and Boroughbridge Town Council, with funding from Miller Homes, which has built housing on part of the battlefield site.

Medieval artwork designed by the Yorkshire region chair of the Battlefields Trust, Chris Rock, has been incorporated into the display boards and an accompanying leaflet to provide a permanent battlefield trail around the town.

What was the Battle of Boroughbridge?

The king’s army was led by Sir Andrew de Harclay, who managed to prevent Lancaster’s forces fleeing north to Dunstanburgh Castle in Northumberland by blocking river crossings at the narrow, timber bridge and at a nearby ford.

After an overnight truce, during which Edward II’s army was reinforced, the royal troops entered Boroughbridge and arrested Lancaster. He was taken to his own castle at Pontefract and sentenced to death after a show trial. Lancaster was beheaded on March 22.

The rebellion had begun after Lancaster, a former member of the royal court, became disillusioned with Edward, whose reign was marked by military failure and constant internal disputes.

The Battle of Boroughbridge raged around a timber bridge crossing the River Ure and a ford, believed to be to the east of the present town, possibly between Milby and Aldborough.

Wreath laying at the battle cross in Aldborough in March. 

When Lancaster’s army, which probably amounted to a total of 3,000 men at arms with their followers, arrived at Boroughbridge, Harclay was already in possession of the bridge and the ford, which proved to be a strategic advantage.

The royal army numbered 4,000 men. At the ford its pikemen were deployed in a schiltron formation, a defensive shield, which they had learned from the Scots in the Scottish Wars. The king’s bowmen created mayhem against Lancaster’s cavalry.

The rebels divided into two columns, led by the Earl of Hereford and Roger de Clifford, of Skipton Castle, who attacked the bridge on foot, and Lancaster, who attempted a cavalry charge at the ford. Both ended in chaos.

One chronicle relates how Hereford was killed by a spearman, who thrust into him from below the bridge. Clifford also suffered serious injuries. Heavy archery fire from the bowmen forced Lancaster’s force to retreat before reaching the ford.

Lancaster negotiated an overnight truce with Harclay, but by morning many of the rebels had deserted. When the Sheriff of York arrived to reinforce the king’s army, Lancaster had to surrender.

He was taken to his home at Pontefract Castle where he was sentenced to death, originally to be hung drawn and quartered, but he was given a merciful beheading.

Thirty of Lancaster’s followers were executed in towns around England, including Roger de Clifford, Second Lord of Skipton, who was hung from Clifford’s Tower in York, which now bears his name.

Edward made Harclay the first Earl of Carlisle for his service at Boroughbridge. Only a year later Harclay was accused of treachery for making a peace treaty with Robert the Bruce without Royal approval.

Harclay was sentenced to death at a hearing in Carlisle and he was hung, drawn and quartered. His head was delivered to King Edward at Knaresborough Castle before being hung on London Bridge. Parts of his body were displayed in Carlisle, Newcastle, Bristol and Dover.