Yorkshire Almanac 2026

Unedited excerpt

If an excerpt is used in the book, it will be shorter, edited and, where applicable, translated.

On “Fifth of November” night a disturbance took place in Halifax by persons discharging fireworks in the public streets. Three or four years ago something like a riot took place in Crown-street, and on Monday night the state of things was nearly as bad. The crowds extended into Princess-street, Corn Market, Hall-end, and Waterhouse-street. Crackers, squibs, &c., were thrown about with the utmost recklessness, rendering the passage of people dangerous. This state of things began about nine o’clock, shortly after which a magistrate of the borough passed down the street, and drew the attention of the police authorities to it. The police mustered, and endeavoured to clear the streets, but this they found to be no easy matter. They were covered with showers of crackers, &c. No sooner were the crowds driven out of one street than they appeared in another and resumed the same reckless conduct. One policeman, named Wilson, was knocked down, whether intentionally or accidentally is not certain, and was so badly hurt on the ribs that he had to withdraw from duty. Two or three years ago a Halifax policemen lost the sight of one eye from being struck with a squib. About a dozen young men were taken to the police-office, detained a short time, and then liberated on giving their names. Whether these will be summoned or allowed to escape punishment as persons have done on two or three previous occasions, remains to be seen. It is only a week or two ago since several little boys were summoned for this offence: it can then hardly be expected that older persons can be permitted to escape.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Comment

Comment

156 years later, Mohammed Qais Ratyal and other Pakistani hooligans travelled from Bradford to Halifax to continue the tradition.

A Sheffield Guy Fawkes rhyme. On the 5th of November boys in the villages about Sheffield go begging for coals (coils), and repeating the lines:-

A stick and a stake
For King James’ sake;
Please give us a coil, a coil.
(Addy 1888)

Similar older rhymes exist. For example (Hone 1826):

Please to remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder treason and plot;
We know no reason, why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!
Holla boys! holla boys! huzza-a-a

A stick and a stake, for king George’s sake,
A stick and a stump, for Guy Fawkes’s rump!
Holla boys! holla boys! huzza-a-a

Moorman includes the verse (Moorman 1916) and follows it, under the same header of Guy Fawkes’ Day, with something I don’t understand:

Awd Grimey sits upon yon hill,
As black as onny awd craw.
He’s gitten on his lang grey coat
Wi’ buttons doon afoor.
He’s gitten on his lang grey coat
Wi’ buttons doon afoor.

Is Grimey Boney, Napoleon?

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Tags

Tags are assigned inclusively on the basis of an entry’s original text and any comment. You may find this confusing if you only read an entry excerpt.

• 📌Bradford (73) W/G ·
• British Pakistanis (3) W/G ·
• Coal (18) W/G ·
• Fireworks (4) W/G ·
• Guy Fawkes Night (4) W/G ·
• 📌Huddersfield (32) W/G ·
• James I (1566-1625) (6), King of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 W/G ·
• Moorman, Frederic William (1872–1919) (4), Devon-raised Yorkshire dialectologist, poet and playwright, Professor of English Language at the University of Leeds (1912-18), allegedly translator of rules of football into German W/G ·
• Napoleon (3) W/G ·
• Poetry (75) W/G ·
• Police (11) W/G ·
• Riot (22) W/G ·
• 📌Sheffield (80) W/G ·
• Yorkshire dialect (21) W/G ·

All tags.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Comment

Comment

156 years later, Mohammed Qais Ratyal and other Pakistani hooligans travelled from Bradford to Halifax to continue the tradition.

A Sheffield Guy Fawkes rhyme. On the 5th of November boys in the villages about Sheffield go begging for coals (coils), and repeating the lines:-

A stick and a stake
For King James’ sake;
Please give us a coil, a coil.
(Addy 1888)

Similar older rhymes exist. For example (Hone 1826):

Please to remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder treason and plot;
We know no reason, why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!
Holla boys! holla boys! huzza-a-a

A stick and a stake, for king George’s sake,
A stick and a stump, for Guy Fawkes’s rump!
Holla boys! holla boys! huzza-a-a

Moorman includes the verse (Moorman 1916) and follows it, under the same header of Guy Fawkes’ Day, with something I don’t understand:

Awd Grimey sits upon yon hill,
As black as onny awd craw.
He’s gitten on his lang grey coat
Wi’ buttons doon afoor.
He’s gitten on his lang grey coat
Wi’ buttons doon afoor.

Is Grimey Boney, Napoleon?

Something to say? Get in touch

Similar

1 January 1916: A newly published New Year’s Day first-foot verse tells Yorkshire readers that God helps those who help themselves

8 January 1844: Members of the 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot stationed at Leeds riot against a graffito

24 August 1870: Fakesong by an army captain about the sights of the St. Bartholomew’s Fair today at Reeth, Swaledale

9 June 1758: Entry into law of the first dedicated railway enabling act, for Richard Humble and Charles Brandling’s wagonway from Middleton Colliery to the Aire at Leeds

5 February 1852: A local poet recounts the fate of some of his 81 neighbours drowned this morning in Holmfirth Flood through the miserliness of the mill-owners

27 January 1830: William Cobbett rides from Leeds to black Sheffield

8 June 1561: A York official explains why textile manufacturing has left his city for the West Riding

10 August 1870: The foundation stone of Bradford Town Hall is laid today, but not by ex-mayor Edward West, godfather of the project

22 February 1865: Rioters besiege the Park Square, Leeds, home of surgeon and magistrate Henry Chorley, on the release from Armley Gaol of his dripping-thief cook Eliza Stafford

5 December 1859: Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon’s nephew and the cousin of the then French emperor, has work for the Barnsley dialectologist Charles Rogers

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Comment

Comment

Paterson is wrong to claim that Louis Lucien was “son of the late King of Holland” – Louis Bonaparte: his father was actually Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon’s younger brother, Minister of the Interior from 1799 to 1800, and president of the Council of Five Hundred in 1799.

Who can find me the Barnsley Song of Solomon?

“One of the Barnsley newspapers”!

Bonaparte also visited Abel Bywater, Sheffield dialect writer, and requested a Sheffield version of the Song of Solomon of him:

This he did, and was favoured with a dozen copies from the Prince. He, however, when he saw them, regretted having reduced them to such a ridiculous appearance (Bywater 1877).

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