b'Manna Green FarmBased on material supplied by Irene MegginsonT here is very little sign of the buildings of Mannaand a smell of paraffin displaced the sort of dusty musty Green Farm now. Surplus to requirements, theysmell of many years disuse. That year I got some 2d wire were demolished in 1980. The OS map of 1910 givessnickels from Pock and some seasoned botry from a us some idea of what it was like (see detail opposite).rabbit burrow (Georges stock for seasoning I expect) for It was situated south of Cot Nab with access from Thepegs, and caught rabbits enough for the pot and to sell Bence. to the mobile shop (Stevenson?) on its weekly call.The farm took its name from the area of theI had of course no conception of the real economics Wolds in which it was situated, called Manna Greenof survival, not even when I was sent for a walk with or Main Green Rigg in the Enclosure Act for BishopGeorge to Cot Nab to borrow some flour. George in Wilton dated 1769 (see Andrew Seftons article in thishis Sunday best of course. Cot Nab kitchen by contrast bulletin). Built following enclosure, the accompanyingseemed huge and cavernous and had more wooden chalk pit and dew pond were typical of a Wolds farmbenchesfarm lads didnt have time to need a backrest!of its time. That last summer was kinder than the cloudy wet year before, and the old binder was coaxed into action pulled by both horses. It promptly broke down, and I was sent on my bike to ask at Buckles, Pocklington for a con-rod for Mr Harding. A pointed bit of wood, on tick, wasted most of the time that the corn was fit on that day. A vital spare part was too expensive a luxury to hold in stock!Jarge was still a powerful man, whose kindly clear blue eyes missed little on the dales. He was intensely Memories of Manna Green loyal to maister, and was content with his board and In 1983, Irene Megginson received a letter frombed, plus a weekly plug of black twist for his pipe. His Ken Potter of Tadcaster who had seen an article ofwas the only working timepiece in the housea hunter hers in the Dalesman. In the letter Ken recalled: carried in the pocket only when Sunday best was worn. Memories from the decade up to 1937 or 8 when,It would be approaching 9.0pm when George took first Baileys boneshaker buses and later a bicycle took usthe watch in his great gnarled fingers, carefully opened to visit Mr & Mrs Harding, and George. That is, the bikefront & back, delicately inserted the key and wound it took me, latterly, to spend a week of the school holidayup, announcing that it was about time for him to climb at Manna Green. In that last year two men were diggingthe dark back staircase to a room which I never saw. a trench from the road towards the farm to bring pipedOf course, only essential work was done on a Sunday, water for the first time. Aunt Harding often related theso that on a sunny afternoon George & I leaned on story of the construction of the pond used by the stock.the gate to the dale and watched a rambler toil up the I cant remember a wellbut there must have been one,diagonal path from the Millington end. He was breathless used in earlier years for everything. but managed to gasp in a cracked voice, but cut glass Also in that year I was called on to read a cutting fromaccent, that he needed directions most urgently in order the Herald (?) to the effect that last December a farmerto get to Bishop Wilton to rejoin a coach party, due to of about 80 and a man nearly as old as himself wereleave in a matter of minutes. George relit his pipe while to be seen harvesting corn by handit being too badlypondering the correct route. This followed the farm laid for the binder to pick up. Scythe and Massey Harrisroad to the Millington road, then to the main road to twine. My eyes were the only ones not needing to visitGarrowby, before the now desperate rambler pleaded Woolworths to choose a new pair of 6d specs!! for a more direct way. Even as George pointed his pipe The cart-shed in those years held the trap, its ponyat the opposite dale top, the man bounded down our long gone, kept perhaps as a token of faith in the returndale and attempted to run up the other side. He must of better timesor just not saleable? have sweated blood before he was lost from our sight. To a child the rooms seemed quite large. The kitchenGeorge pondered the ways of such strangers for a long had a large flour bin, usually empty, and a large deal tabletime before shaking his head naya, naya. I wonder scrubbed into deep ridges. The two front rooms held thewhat modern television might have made of George, had piano and parlour furnitureplus a kaleidoscope andhe been found as was Hannah, who farmed somewhere a snow-storm glass paperweight, useful on wet days.further up the dales and was shown content within the Then one year little was left of the furniture, and insteadconfines of a lovely primitive remote farm.was an incubator for hatching successions of chicks,Reference:OS Yorkshire [East Riding] 1910 Sheet CLIX.15BULLETIN 3 29'