SWALEDALE: Hidden Histories

19th July – 27th August 2023

Genealogist Derek Wallace presents years of dedicated research into the history of Upper Swaledale and its communities, revealing fascinating stories, snapshots of the lives of its inhabitants and tracing the fortunes of those who left the dale.

Whilst most written local history generally focuses on the over-arching stories of an area and its inhabitants, research in archives and documentation can bring back to life the stories of long-forgotten individuals. Wills, title deeds and other legal documents give valuable insight into the histories of houses still inhabited today, as well as providing fascinating details of possessions and farming practices. Small details can bring those long forgotten back into our minds, many of whom are ancestors of those who still live in the area today.

For centuries Swaledale was largely unknown to the wider world, and indeed the compliers of the Domesday Book failed to venture further than Reeth, declaring the lands beyond wasteland. However, over the following centuries a complex network of families built up communities and villages, interconnected by winding tracks and footpaths. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries mining and farming became central to life in Swaledale, and it became more widely known; however, particularly in the late 19th century, it was romanticised by writers who portrayed it as remote and inaccessible as the Alps.

The exhibition will bring to life the stories of long abandoned buildings, chart the ancient families tied to the dale, and trace the life stories of those who took their chances in the wider world. It will also explore how religion, education, the environment, and economics have shaped Swaledale as we know it today and take a closer look at its unique dialect.

ABOUT DEREK WALLACE

County Durham born Scientist; former Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA); Director of The Paint Research Association of Great Britain (PRA) and a former Governor of Bedale High School and Leyburn Primary School.

Historian and Genealogist.

“Since moving to Wensleydale, I have developed a keen interest in the history of that part of the Yorkshire Dales known formerly as Suardal, Swardal but now Swaledale. In particular that more remote part of Swaledale beyond Muker and Keld as it stretches towards Cumbria.

Without the interest of Tennants, the encouragement, knowledge, and support of residents of Upper Swaledale and beyond the seas, as well as the staff in the archives in Northallerton, Reeth and Richmond and my wife Barbara who suffered many long hours of silence, it would not have been possible to show the lives and times of these hardy, long suffering, sometimes forgotten but fiercely independent and proud people of Upper Swaledale.”

EXHIBITION OPENING HOURS

Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm

Saturday 9am-5pm

Sunday 9am-4pm

Pictured: Richard Alderson, also known as Neddy Dick, playing a set of stones from the river Swale chipped to form musical notes. Photocredit: SWAAG ( Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Archaeology Group) via the Alderson Family History Site