When Edward Simpson opened a dale boarding school for boys it was not long before he attracted the sons of affluent families living in the south. This was hardly surprising as his adverts made out that his academy at Woden Croft Lodge near Cotherstone was a seat of learning of the highest order. He built the first section in 1792 and added more as the demand for places grew. One notice in the Times promised that young gentlemen would be instructed in English, Greek and Latin languages, writing, arithmetic, merchants' accounts and the most useful branches of mathematics. There was an entrance fee of a half guinea. Annual fees were then 16 guineas for 4-8 year olds, 20 guineas for ages 9-12 and 25 guineas for older lads. There were extra lessons in mechanics, drawing and French for additional money. It added: "The health and morals of Mr Simpson's pupils are strictly attended to, and in order to expedite their education as much as possible he does not allow any vacation, but innocent recreations out of school hours are permitted and encouraged." The lack of holidays would no doubt appeal to some wealthy parents who simply wanted rid of their offspring without the nuisance of them arriving home for an occasional break. The "recreation" wasn't much fun, because they had to work in surrounding fields which were run as a farm holding. There were reports of some looking unkempt and almost bootless, like spiritless drudges, as they carried out menial tasks. They probably feared Simpson at times because a verse which summed him up ran: A man severe he was and stern to view/Well had the boding tremblers learned to trace/The day's disasters in his morning face/Full well they laughed with counterfeit glee/At all his jokes for many a joke had he/Full well the busy whispers circling round/conveyed the dismal tidings when he frowned. Several boys died at the school. A gravestone to one read: "In memory of Richard Higgenden Watkins of Ramsgate, who departed this life on the 4th day of April 1810 at Woden Croft Lodge aged 7 years 9 months and 4 days." Known as Neddy, Simpson was 38 when he started the school, and he ran it for nearly 30 years. One pupil wrote later that there were about 150 boys there. They had to crowd round a trough to wash in summer or winter. There were no towels, so they had to dry themselves on their clothes. They were often given brimstone and treacle with a chunk of bread for breakfast. Other meals were poor, but if they did not eat them they could be thrashed. Sometimes three, four or even five boys had to sleep in one bed. Simpson was in London trying to sign up more pupils when he died in 1821 at the age of 67. His son Lionel took over the school. The Woden Croft buildings, all maintained to a high standard, are now owned by the Oughtred family.

Plans are underway at last to honour 20 dale men and women who went off to serve in the Second World War. One died in action but the other 19 survived the hostilities -- and Kathleen Teward, who knew them all, feels that though 68 years have passed their efforts should now be recognised. She wants to have a memorial plaque made and put up in the village hall at Newbiggin, where she lived in her younger days. The 20 all lived in that area. "They all went away to risk their lives and serve the country, so there should be a permanent reminder of what they did," she explained. She has drawn a design for the plaque, with the inscription: "Thank you to you all from us all." The soldier who gave his life was John Verdon Watson, son of Mr and Mrs Stephen Watson of Newbiggin House Farm. His four brothers -- Willie, Henry, Maurice and Raymond -- all got back home after the war but Willie had lost a leg. The other survivors included four young women: Sheila Bainbridge and Grace Irene Gargate, who were both Wrens in the naval service; Joyce Iceton, who was an airwomen in the WAAF; and Jennie Wilkinson, who was a soldier in the ATS. Mrs Teward, who is now aged 90 and lives in Middleton, said she would have liked to see active service herself, but was needed at home to work on her parents' farm. The others who returned safely were Thomas Anderson, Thomas Coatsworth, Denis Coggins, Edward Collinson and his brother Raymond, Bill Makepeace, Les Robinson and his brother Tommy, Ellis Temple, Thomas Wade and Gerald Wearmouth. She remembers the anxiety there was when they went off to the colours at different times, the sorrow experienced over John Watson's death, and the relief felt when each of the survivors arrived home. In the close-knit community all the families knew each other, so the mourning and celebrations were shared. There is already a memorial in the village hall to five local men who lost their lives in the First World War: W.J. Gargate, E.W. Hebdon, T.H. Nixon, G.C. Watson and S. Watson. It also gives the names of 36 others who served in the war. But in the years after the later war nobody got round to arranging a local roll of honour, like those in other communities. Mrs Teward still has to finalise details of who will make the new plaque and the cost of it, but she hopes it will be completed and put in place before long. "There is a need for this so that their service is not forgotten," added Mrs Teward, who has always taken a keen interest in the history of the upper dale and is a noted expert on the local dialect.

Women's football teams are getting a lot of attention these days, with a growing number of Premiership clubs setting up their own female squads, and some of their matches being shown regularly on television. Their own FA cup final between Arsenal and Bristol Academy is being screened on BBC2 tomorrow. But how would the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United ladies have fared against the Wearhead Amazons? It's claimed that there was plenty of true grit and fighting spirit in that good looking lineup, which had its heyday back in 1949. In the eleven were Evelyn Thompson, Bessie Peadon, Winnie Corbett, Kathleen Peart, Audrey Coulthard, Connie Peart, Joyce Simpson, Jean Graham, Betty Corbett, Doreen Douglas and Edna Beavis. They won a carnival match against the battling ladies of the Westgate Spartans, and then overcame a men's team which turned out in drag in a comical fixture. Maybe the Amazons couldn't defeat one of the modern highly-coached female teams, but it's a fair bet they caused more laughter than any of them. The photograph was in a booklet marking the centenary of Cowshill and Lanehead village hall.

There's never a dull moment when Maurice Scott is wielding the hammer at any auction. The wisecracking character from the top of Teesdale is a natural born comic who seems to have fun whatever he's selling, be it cattle, furniture or items at a charity event. He demonstrated his rapid-fire style, and had everyone chuckling, when he appeared on The Dales television show this week. He was at Hawes mart giving the presenter Adrian Edmondson a lesson on how it's done, and then watching him having go. There must be a fair number of folk who, like me, have gone to one of Maurice's sales and bid too much for something they didn't really want in the first place. He has a way of charming them into sticking a hand up at the right moment. That, of course, is the art of top quality auctioneering. He is a master of that, with jokes, banter and pleasantries thrown in for good measure. It's just a pity that his contribution to the TV programme didn't last a few minutes longer.