Highway Robbery In 1797 Richard Terry - son of a Ripon banker - was attacked as he
made his way through Farnham on his journey home after a day at Knaresborough Market.
A pistol was fired and Terry was left at the roadside.One Peter Buck was arrested,
tried, convicted and sentenced to death by hanging.
Stang Lane The name of part of the road to Scotton - said to derive from the punishment
known as 'Riding the Stang'. Wrongdoers - particularly husbands that ill-treated
their wives - were sat on a hurdle and paraded through the village to the general
abuse from the inhabitants. Churchwardens Throughout the country this duty is met by
lay members of the parish - but Farnham had one churchwarden who deserves a mention.
John Wood died in 1787 aged 102 - a remarkable age for the times. One of the church
bells is inscribed as follows:
Peake & Chapman, London
Rev. Thos Collins. Vicar
J. Wood Churchwarden 1774
The First Farnham Publican? Recorded in the papers of The West Riding Court Sessions
1597 - 1602
'William Snave of Menwith; Edward Burrell of Knaresborough; John Bickerdyke of Farnham
granted permission to keep a common alehouse'
Children Present day Farnham can be fairly noisy with traffic at times - but not much
sound of children. The 1841 census shows that there were 40 or so children of school
age in the village - schooling was not compulsory at that date and many would have
worked on the land. However with all those children, plus the clatter from the Blacksmith
and cattle being driven through the street - it must have been quite lively
When describing the Tradesmen of the 1841 village, it was stated that 'nothing was
now made in the village' perhaps that was wrong in view of the above - except that
the present work - though excellent - hasn't quite the romantic image of the Blacksmith
at his forge and the Cobbler at his last.
Wartime - Shell Filling During the 1939 - 45 war a factory was established on the Knaresborough road, at the edge of the village, where artillery shells were filled with explosives. This dangerous work was done in bunkers dispersed over the site and connected by wooden causeways. Later the factory was used in the manufacture of audio speaker cabinets. Currently it is used by a company making components for car interiors.
