| Description | Horner
DOB: N/A
DOD: N/A
Grew up in Voverdale, Yorkshire.
Childhood filled with countryside activities like fishing and poaching.
Remembers local mischief, humorous chapel incidents, and rustic life.
Influenced by rural traditions, local dialect, and close-knit community.
Minimal details provided but likely limited formal education.
Acquired substantial knowledge through experience and oral tradition.
Gamekeeper by profession.
Managed estates, controlled vermin (foxes, rabbits, stoats), and maintained land (walls, drains, fences).
Also acted as fisherman, poacher, and occasional repair worker.
Never filled out a time sheet - worked irregular and long hours.
Keen on fox hunting, fishing (especially with worms), ferreting, and snaring.
Skilled in poaching techniques like tickling, grappling, gaffing, and using a leister and lamp.
Enjoyed telling stories, dialect monologues, and Yorkshire humour.
Enthusiastic observer of wildlife and landscape.
Wartime activities: continued gamekeeping and vermin control.
Involved in a dramatic rescue of a terrier trapped underground, which required explosives and was photographed by the press.
Many humorous and sometimes poignant local events recounted, including pranks, funerals, and village mishaps.
Commentary on social changes, river pollution, and the decline of traditional salmon fishing.
Type-written
Yorkshire Dales, Coverdale, Gamekeeping, Vermin control, Poaching, Fishing, Rural life, Dialect and humour. Tradition, Self-reliance, Nature, Community. |