Archbishop special guest as show shrugs off heavy rain

The Archbishop, who is still recuperating after hospital treatment in May, greeted both the four-legged competitors and their handlers, including Champion Limousin in Show, breeding bull Fabracas, on his tour of the showground.

Acting show chairman Charlie Breese, said yesterday: “Attendance has been understandably down, due to the weather.

“The Archbishop toured all the show and also did a brief address in the main ring, which was lovely. We also had a fantastic show of cattle and sheep, there were far more than normal. It was a good day in Malton, depite the weather.”

Such was the popularity of the agricultural show when it started in 1873 that special trains were run, halting at Appleton Junction.

The first attendance was recorded at 8,000 and, despite the farming population having decreased since then, organisers have generally maintained the figure over the past century.

A spokesman for the show organisers said: “Whilst this is the 125th Malton Show, the Malton Agricultural Society has been in existence for a good while longer, starting in 1833.

“There have been several years when Malton Show did not take place, notably during war years and there were times when the show suffered during the years of depression in the 1930s. The only recent instance of Malton Show not taking place was in 2001 when foot and mouth disease decimated the show season.”