Burning the Bartle West Witton, Wensleydale, Yorkshire England. 1971. Every year on the Saturday following 24 August (formerly the traditional date for the custom), a large straw effigy known as 'Bartle' is carried in procession by its maker Mr J Alan Harker (right) and assistant down the main street of West Witton, accompanied by a crowd of villagers. This was the 22nd year Alan Harker had made Bartle.
A doggrel verse is sung outside the oldest houses in the village
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more »Burning the Bartle West Witton, Wensleydale, Yorkshire England. 1971. Every year on the Saturday following 24 August (formerly the traditional date for the custom), a large straw effigy known as 'Bartle' is carried in procession by its maker Mr J Alan Harker (right) and assistant down the main street of West Witton, accompanied by a crowd of villagers. This was the 22nd year Alan Harker had made Bartle.
A doggrel verse is sung outside the oldest houses in the village
"On Penhill Crags he tore his rags
Hunters Thorn he blew his horn
Cappelbank Stee happened a misfortune and brak' his knee
Grassgill Beck he brak' his neck
Wadhams End he couldn't fend
Grassgill End we'll mak' his end
Shout, lads, shout!"
Mr J Alan Harker wrote in 1971 "... when it is burnt we have a good old fashioned sing song with a few well know old songs such as My Boney Lies Over the Ocean, Nelly Dean, Coming Round the Mountain etc etc". He goes on to write that Mr G Smirthwaite had records and these were lost in a fire. he left a lot of money to be invested and at Bartle time old people in the village received the interest off the money he left, in 1970 that was £50-00 to the over 75s and £2-00 for the makers of Bartle.
L to R. J Alan Harker and assistant Richard Harker not related)
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