How the legendary author W R Mitchell MBE brought the Yorkshire Dales to life

Bill took these words to heart and spent decades earning the trust of Dales’ residents, who were often reluctant to share their innermost thoughts with strangers, so he could tell their stories.

Apart from rising through the ranks to edit the “Dalesman” and its sister publication “Cumbria”, Bill wrote more than 200 books about the Dales and its people, providing a priceless insight into life in remote farms and hamlets during the 20th century. Four of his books have now been re-published in time for Christmas. The titles – Nobbut Middlin’, Summat & Nowt, Nowt’s Same, How they Lived in the Yorkshire Dales – could only have been written about God's Own County.

Roger Hardingham, the Publisher of Kingfisher Productions, who is responsible for re-printing the books, said: “I was a good friend of Bill’s and he helped me do some projects around the Dales. I then ended up producing and distributing his books.”

Mr Hardingham has taken on the responsibility for re-publishing the books under his Kingfisher imprint with the Mitchell family’s permission, and royalties will go to one of their dedicated charities.

He added: “The four books all relate to ordinary life in the Dales and epitomise Bill’s ability to talk to ordinary folk about their lives and bring out the great humour that exists in those communities. He was, of-course a great writer, but he also had the gift of communicating with farming families who had tough times over the period he worked in the Dales.

“I feel Bill was always keen to tell the ‘real’ stories of people in the Yorkshire Dales, who nearly always had a twinkle in their eyes too. His great wealth of information gleaned over several decades gave him much material to write books in his ‘retirement’ from editorship of The ‘Dalesman magazine.”

Bill’s thirst for knowledge and a keen listening ear made him an expert on many topics. In 1996 he was awarded the MBE for his services to journalism in Yorkshire and Cumbria and he received an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Bradford. In 2010 he won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Dalesman Rural Award ceremony, receiving the award from another advocate of the countryside, John Craven.

He died in 2015, aged 87, leaving behind hundreds of taped interviews and thousands of slides and photographs documenting life in the Dales.

Keith Madeley, who served as chairman of the Yorkshire Society from 2002 to 2018, has fond memories of meeting Bill when he was a judge for the Dalesman’s Rural Awards.

"I think it is very important that a new generation should be taught about Bill’s work,’’ said Mr Madeley. “He was one of the greatest ambassadors for the Yorkshire Dales. I believe many young people will learn so much from his writings and some will be encouraged to consider living and working in the Dales.

“Bill’s messages are so relevant to a new generation, teaching them to appreciate the outdoor life and the opportunities it offers for both work and play.”

Interviewed by The Yorkshire Post in 2013, Bill said he had witnessed a tremendous change in the Dales over the years. The landscape was nothing like it used to be.

He said: "The hills are still there and it’s a green and pleasant land but it wasn’t altogether green in days gone by. The meadows were all multicoloured with all kinds of flowers, there was a range of vegetation and now it’s all green."

"At one time about 98 per cent of the population was made up of local people,’’ he recalled. “They were born there, went to school there and lived there, whereas nowadays the majority of people have moved in. “I’m not being derogatory, these offcomers have an interest in the Dales and its heritage but on the other hand they’re not truly Dales folk." "Humour is contrived, wit just occurs and there is a witticism about Dales folk,’’ he said. “There’s a story about this old chap who’s dying who was 94.

"He’s in bed and his wife comes in and says, ‘Are you all right, love?’ and he said, ‘Yes, would you light a candle to brighten my last hours?’ And she said, ‘Oh no, you know the price of candles’. Anyway, she left and came back a minute later and said, ‘You can have a candle but if you feel yourself going, blow it out’."

“Bill was all about the Dales,” said Victoria Benn, the membership and events officer at Friends of the Dales, a charity which campaigns to promote and protect the Dales.

" As President of Friends of the Dales for many years he passionately believed that the protection and promotion of the unique qualities of the Dales landscape had to go hand in hand. Bill was concerned with what was being lost from the Dales, hence his urgency to record, draw and write about people’s lives, skills and the way they expressed themselves.

"Our landscape stands on another precipice right now which is why we are encouraging a new generation to enjoy and protect the Yorkshire Dales before there is even more architectural and biodiversity loss.”

Mr Hardingham believes Bill’s books provide much needed escapism and entertainment during a period of economic gloom.

He added: “Young and old will be fascinated to read them. We do, after all, all need some humour at the moment!”

The books are available now in local bookshops or can be ordered by phoning 0333 121 0707