| Where | Great Broughton Village Hall | Type of Event | Illustrated Talk |
| When | 15th April 2024 at 7.30pm | Tutor | Tony Nicholson |
The lecture was delivered by Dr Tony Nicholson, who has visited the Local History Group before. Tony has a well-deserved reputation as an informative and entertaining speaker. And so it was on this occasion. We had a good sized audience. Tony’s presentation was clear, lively and well organised. This was a well- researched and mastered subject.
Tony began with an account of a young clergyman riding over the moors to inspect his next parish. This was the person we know as Canon Atkinson and the parish was Danby. The Canon saw what he perceived to be an isolated community cut off from the modern world. He was instantly taken with it. He was interested in all its aspects and remained in the parish for several decades.
Canon Atkinson
Canon Atkinson tapped into the folklore of Danby at a time when there was an active Pan-European folklore movement. His studies resulted in several noteworthy publications. Within the community the canon observed witches and wisemen, hobs and fairies, manners and customs, and dialect. And he helped establish further the identity of Cleveland, which seemed to be an elusive concept.
There were others who did much in this respect. Graves, Walker Ord, Tweddells of Stokesley, Blakeborough and, later, Major Fairfax-Blakeborough. Their achievement was to observe and preserve folklore before change overwhelmed it.
The material was absorbing and the audience was attentive. The time passed easily and the audience was informed and entertained. There were questions at the end of the presentation and some continued into the later evening. An enjoyable evening.