COMMON GROUND

The original initiation ceremony into the Ancient Order of Foresters required the initiate to perform some odd religious rituals, and some tests of courage, including  “to defend themselves with a sword against any members in the court room” ! This was later reigned in a bit and a baton was used as the weapon of choice. 

Dave let me take photos of all the pages in this book, which was commissioned in 1934 to tell the history of the Ancient Order of Foresters. The first sentence in the 45-page book reads “The finest work in the world is done in quietness”

Dave also had some great insights into groups origins - It turned out the order was founded by some prominent Freemasons (check out the eye-in-the-sky banner regalia!) as something of a secret society.

 Dave told me that the original ‘foresters’ were an organisation made up mostly of archers, that upheld laws in the Forest of Knaresborough, long before there was anything like a national police force. Some people believe the Robin Hood legend originates with one such Knaresborough Forester named William Beckwith! 

The ‘Ancient Order’ was a later incarnation of this group, founded in 1790 on Kirkgate. It was formed as a friendly society to give mutual aid to all its members.  

Organised a meeting with local historian and co-author of ‘A History of Kirkgate’ Steve Burt, to find out his opinions on public space, and to hopefully get a few leads on the ‘Ancient Order of Foresters’.

Steve was full of useful information about Kirkgate, and dispelled a few erroneous leads from older historians like Edmund Bogg.

He told me how 19th Century land grabs had eroded the common lands of Leeds and contributed the influx of people into urban areas. He emphasised how important character and individual identity are to public spaces, and how comparatively poorer countries often have vastly better public spaces than here in the UK because of an abundance of squares, public artworks and open architecture. 

Steve had also heard of the Ancient Order of Foresters! He told me that the creation of societies like this was a pushback to the land enclosures of the elite class, and that groups like this were ‘public spaces’ in the sense of being mutual interest groups aimed at solidarity and support 

Until the last few weeks of hanging around Kirkgate a lot, I never really noticed just how many pigeons there are in town...

Found a report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation entitled ‘The Social Value of Public Spaces’ which was an interesting read. Some findings included: 

- Street Markets often serve as meeting places, and perform a vital social function, especially for older people.

- Shopping areas discriminate against “non-affluent user groups” who are less likely to spend money in them, i.e young people 

- Often the most important public spaces are the ‘everyday spaces’, such as markets, car boot sales, common/unused land etc

- Spaces shouldn’t be over-regulated as security is more likely to grow out of self-organisation and active use

- Lack of experience of other neighbourhoods fosters the belief in people that they are ‘no-go’ areas, a belief usually dispelled when the area is actually visited

‘What’s important to you in public space ?’

Some answers from the last few days:

“More green spaces…trees and stuff like that”

“places to sit and relax”

“somewhere that feels welcoming”

The story of Henry Harrison, the Kirkgate Wizard, was interesting on a few levels -  the historical accounts of quack healing in Leeds painted a vivid picture of how, in hard times, people will fall back on superstition and easy answers to complex questions. Correspondingly, there will always be people willing to pedal those snake oil solutions for their own gain. 

Equally, throughout Dove and Harrison’s trials, it was the newspapers which shaped public opinion of the cases. 

Just finished reading ‘Murder, Magic, Madness’, one of the books Lucy at the Leeds Library lent me. It describes how ‘Wizards’ and ‘Cunning-Folk’ were familiar characters in Mid-Victorian England, offering a wide range of services. At a time of no social security, unemployment insurance, sick pay or decent sanitation, folk-healers and amateur doctors thrived. 

In 1856 the Leeds Intelligencer commented that “Unfortunately, Leeds has for many years been notorious as the residence of the “Wise Men”, including the infamous Mary Bateman, as well as self-described “Planet-Ruler” Isaac Rushworth. Apparently many potion-sellers, herbalists and diviners set up around the Kirkgate Markets. 

One such entrepreneur was Henry Harrison, whose business card read “Astrological Doctor and Dentist”. Harrison set up near the South Markets, and was a regular patron of the Old Red Lion Pub. 

“What’s important to you in public space?” 

Some answers from the last few days: 

“Tidyness”

“people...interesting people”

“Respect”