Name and Shame

Working in and around the City of York, Yorkshire, UK is always a treat.

The place is steeped in history and heritage from the striking monuments including the Roman Walls to the landmark, which can be seen for tens of miles, of York Minster.

At street level there are interesting foundation stones in walls where they should not really be found, narrow secretive alleyways, picturesque hidden churches and very individual buildings from all epochs and era's.

I am particularly intrigued by the names given to the highways and by-ways which give a clue, although not always at first obvious, as to what went on there and who was involved.

York has been a cultural hub for millenia.

It's geographical location is no coincidence being a natural staging post for conquering and occupying armies, determined invaders and as a seat of power for later dynasties of princes, kings and archbishops and much later, equally influential industrialists and philanthropists.

A look at successive Ordnance Survey Maps from the first editions in the 1850's to the present illustrates the expansion of York beyond the security of its walls.

In the name of progress many of the historic lanes and tracks that will have brought centuries of human kind to the city have been swallowed up in road widening schemes or have been allowed to disappear under development.

One such corridor, running some two and a half miles in a north easterly direction from the Tang Hall area of York is recorded by archivists as being part of a Medieval lane.

Along its length, a rather rambling one, it has in the past assumed a number of names or rather these have sort of blended into each other. It can be a matter of local preference and allegiances as to what name is used.

The names appear sporadically on new or updated maps. These include Osbaldwick Back Lane, taking this from the ancient hamlet of Osbaldwick although now very much a sizeable suburban and dormitory location, The Nanny's Lane where it approaches and passes Apple Tree Farm which suggests some longstanding family attachment or perhaps a popular pram pushing route for the domestic staff of well to do households and High Moor Lane after a larger rural area at the farthest end of the corridor.

There are connecting lanes running off the southern side such as Outgang Lane as in a way used by cattle to reach pasture and therefore quite a common label in countryside areas and the more specific Piker Thorn Lane which takes its name from the parallel running stream or drain of Piker Thorn Beck.

The 1853 Ordnance Survey sheet gives the impression of a fertile and tranquil environment which is a far cry from the present. In the late 1960's the lane was rudely severed by the course of the York Bypass, the A64 leading to the elevating of the track up and over the dual carriageway and changing its identity irrevocably. This is a major transport route with the inevitable persistence of road noise and pollution.

You can appreciate however the attraction of parcels of land along the old lane in the quieter times of the 17th and 18th Centuries for those looking to establish a living from rural activities.

These were generally small scale operations beyond the large landed estates of the local gentry. There were on that Eastern side of York the Manors and Country seats of Murton Hall, the original Tang Hall and Heworth Hall amongst more modest farms and smallholdings.

One individual, whose identity and era is lost to history, made the very big decision to commit to the purchase of a few acres towards the far end of the lane.

The seller was similarly unknown and although our perception of those times was one of gentlemanly and honourable conduct by those of a certain social standing and reputation there was always the chance of a scam, underhand dealings and less than truthful declarations.

Our ambitious entrepreneur in perhaps a Water Mill endeavour given the proximity of a watercourse, the aforementioned Piker Thorn Beck or other commercially viable rural and agricultural or horticultural operations must have done a deal over what was marketed to him as an eminently suitable bit of real estate.

The mantra of Caveat Emptor or let the buyer beware must have been present then as it is today although a handshake and acceptance of representations in good faith will have been a stronger form of contract between parties in those days.

It is not clear when the buyer subsequently discovered that he had been misled about what he had bought, or duped or cheated outright.

Local folklore is that the purchase had actually included a large area of waterlogged swamp.

The transaction may have coincided with a prolonged drought or the offending meadow may have looked suitably verdant and lush under happily grazing livestock and not therefore demanding a closer and careful inspection.

Such was the feeling of outrage and indignation on the part of our would be Squire that he must have embarked on quite a vociferous and aggressive campaign. The admittance of his gullibility will have not been an easy thing to do.

There is no record of any redress or compensation through legal process nor a duel with pistols at dawn.

What was hammered home for posterity was the renaming of the course of the lane as a permanent warning to others of being sold a useless bit of land.

The foreboding "Bad Bargain Lane" leaves very little to the imagination and as a piece of local history it is beyond price.