Village vicar's handwritten diary gives author inspiration

Forty Years in Thixendale by Pauline Foster, is based on the church diary of Thixendale's first vicar, the Rev William Henry Fox.

Mr Fox, who was vicar of St Mary's Church from 1871 until his death in 1911, kept a daily record of events affecting the church and his flock, and also sent rainfall records to the predecessor of the Met Office in London.

His subjects ranged from mundane matters such as the changing membership of the church choir, to events of international significance such as the Boer War.

Sometimes the impact of the outside world influenced the length and detail of the descriptions he gave – on uneventful days a simple "sunny" was logged, but on the death of Queen Victoria, in January 1901, the vicar was moved to write a full page describing brooding skies and villagers "huddled together" in mutual comfort after learning the distressing news.

Despite keeping such meticulous records, Mrs Foster said he rarely gave much of himself away.

Mrs Foster, who lives next to the church, said: "Even when he's writing the diary none of it is in the first person. He only once refers to himself and puts 'the vicar'; this was when he presented to the church an antique Cross, but he doesn't say why he did it."

Mrs Foster, who first saw the diary in the Beverley Archives 20 years ago, said the handwriting in the old exercise book was often difficult to read, but she had seen clues to the author's character in an old picture of Mr Fox which hung in the church.

"He was very fine looking, not handsome, but had a very intense gaze and appeared gentle," she said.

Mrs Foster would like to hear from any relatives of Mr Fox, who was originally from Stamford in Lincolnshire.

The book will be launched in the village hall on Friday, November 19, from 7.30pm.

Forty Years in Thixendale is the latest offering from the High Wolds Heritage Group, which was given a grant of nearly 50,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund four years ago.

The book costs 6.95 and will be available in the village shop or through the website www.highwolds.org.uk.