The Bradford Daily Telegraph

This page contains transcripts of articles and reports published in The Bradford Daily Telegraph. The subjects will be varied and specific entries will be linked to from the relevant page in the Wiki. It should be an accurate transcript taken from images of the printed page. Where the image quality is such that there is some doubt as to what it says it will be in italics (apart from whole sections that are in italics to separate it from the normal content) and where a best guess can't be made it will be shown as italic question marks.

Saturday 11 June 1904 Day by Day

About Towngate Stocks

A very interesting discovery by a party of residents an antiquarian turn of mind was made on Wednesday evening. The statement which had been accepted as true for many years that the old village stocks Baildon were broken up and used in building the boundary wall the old reservoirs in the moor has been often contradicted. Councillor John Wilks said recently that his father, the late Mr. James Wilks, remembered seeing them placed in the reservoir embankment for the purpose of preserving them, and they would be found near the surface the south-west corner the lower reservoir. Mr. Henry Greenwood informed Mr. Wm. Scruton, who is now resident, and these two gentlemen along with Mr. Geo. Robinson, chairman the District Council, made an examination of the reservoir embankment Wednesday night, and were not long in coming across this old relic of bygone days, which appeared to be practically intact. The stocks were prominent feature of the picturesque village square up the early sixties, and it was mystery to many Baildonians as to what became of them.

For many years prior to their removal they had ceased to be anything more than  a reminder the summary justice of our forefathers, but the story is still told of their last victim, who was said to be a coal hawker from Wibsey. He was an object of sympathetic interest to the villagers. One kind-hearted old lady who had brought him some tea kept saying to him; "Ay, Maister, ahm sewer they cannot put ye in here,” to which the prisoner replied: "Aye, ye all say so, missis, but ye see I am here.” Baildonians will be pleased to hear that the stone work practically intact, and that there is a proposal on foot for restoring this interesting link with the past to its former position. Mr. Geo. Robinson, it is rumoured, intends to bring the matter up the next Council meeting.