I have a dream

The serious faced chap at the front is myself at 4 years of age, and the smiling one is my younger brother David, 3 years, going on a test drive to foster parents from the orphanage. My foster mother is on the right, foster father took the photo, and the other woman is the Matron of the Barnardo's Home in Ripon, in Yorkshire, and I don't know who the little scallywag is with his back to the camera.



I'm feeling sentimental, so I thought I would share the image with you all. The reason I am telling you this story, is that we went to live in a little farmhouse called Throstle Nest Farm, in the village of South Milford, near Leeds in Yorkshire. At an early age I was fascinated with place names. In Anglo Saxon times it was Sud (South) of the Mill Ford (Bridge). I used to love sitting on the Pack Horse Bridge and watch the Beck (stream) flow underneath, and the little fish and the occasional eel; and watch the traffic, especially when the horse racing was on at Tadcaster or York and see all the posh cars come from London. Sometimes The Queen and or the Queen Mother would go by in their chauffeur driven Rolls Royce.

The next town is called Sherburn - in- Elmet, about 2 miles away. One day I asked my foster father why it was called that when it was actually Sherburn in Yorkshire. He said that he did not know. Neither did the headmaster of the primary school. Just by chance, one day, I was looking through a historical atlas of Great Britain, and came across a reference to the Kingdom of Elmet, which was larger than the present day Yorkshire, and included in its territory what is now Yorkshire, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, and Northumbria. Years later, I went to the library in Leeds and did some research. King Athlestan actually had his seat where the present church stands at Sherburn. All very exciting for a child growing up in an area so steeped in history.

At one end of the village, is Steeton Hall and its battlemented gateway is an Ancient Monument. Knights used to ride out of there going on The Crusades. York used to be the capital of England long before London. There is talk going on at the moment to allow Scotland its independence. If this happens, and Wales and Ireland follow suit, Cornwall would wish to go the same way. I have a dream, to re-establish the Kingdom of Elmet and give us the freedom from Westminister rule. I am talking about a revolution here. Does anybody want to jump on my bandwagon. I would certainly make room for Ginger.