Some interesting discoveries.
A search on the internet will often uncover little known facts about a subject. Search under Slingsby and you will find entries for the manufacture of aircraft and office equipment, of a village in Yorkshire and places to stay when visiting. Further searching reveals family histories and people in sports, art and literature. It becomes quite addictive and sometimes a little frustrating when you find something that wets the appetite and then the trail goes cold. I have had a number of successes recently with the purchase of some books. One lovelly find is "In praise of Yorkshire. An Anthology for Friends" compiled by Eleanor Slingsby and first published in 1951 by Fredrick Muller Ltd of Great James Street London. If anyone knows anything about Eleanor I would love to hear from you.
Below are a number of interesting facts or subjects that
have a Slingsby connection. Most (not all) have links to external websites where
you can learn a little more.
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Slingsby Day 8 June 2008 is the 350th anniversay of the execution of a Slingsby. At 11:00am on 8 June 1658 Sir Henry Slingsby was taken from the Tower of London to the Scaffold on Tower Hill where he fell to his knees in private prayer, preparing himself for his execution for treason........ More to follow |
The Village of Slingsby, North Yorkshire Slingsby is a village in Yorkshire, situated 6 miles NW of Malton on the road to Helmsley. We visited Slingsby at the end of March 2007 and had a wonderful weekend staying in Slingsby Hall. Click on the blue heading "link" above to see more about Slingsby and pictures. |
H.C. Slingsby PLC A modern day success story, H.C. Slingsby was started in Bradford by Harry Crowther Slingsby in 1893. Originally the Company was a family firm of Wholesale Bottlers in Bradford. However Harry saw a niche in the market for high quality robust equipment for moving heavy materials on a factory floor and set about developing Sack Trucks and Trolleys to do just that. In 1961 the company went public and became HC Slingsby PLC. Today, several members of the Slingsby family remain on the board of directors and continue to drive the business forward through the 21st Century. (Source:- H.C. Slingsby Website) |
Slingsby AviationSlingsby Aviation started life and Slingsby Sail Planes in the 1930's. Today Slingsby Aviation specialises in Composite Material, a 21st Century product used in Aircraft and the Marine environment, supplying primarily the aerospace and defence industries. Its success stories include the T67 Firefly 2-seat aerobatic training aircraft, used to train military pilots in many countries around the world and the Slingsby's SAH2200 hovercraft, 2 of which were recently made famous in the James Bond movie, ‘Die Another Day'. |
TS ElliottTS Elliott wrote a poem about a Slingsby. |
Samuel PepysSamuel Pepys was friends with a Slingsby who is mentioned in his diaries. Pepys was the friend and colleague of Sir William Penn ( father of the man of Pensylvania fame). Sir William Batten (Surveyor to the Navy) and Colonel Slingsby newly appointed Comptoller of the Navy and who had a house in Lime Street London. On the 11 January 1660 there was an "uprising" in Barnet and Pepys went with Col Slingsby to organise the defence of the Dockyards at Deptford where there was an Arsenal. |
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William Cecil Slingsby 1849-1929 Considered to be the father of Norwegian Mountain Climbing, he first visited Norway in 1872. He was the first to reach the summit of "Storen" (2405m) 21 July 1876. He wrote a book on climbing in Norway in 1904 (Norway: The Northern Playground) and it is still in print. The last reprint being in 2003. David Slingsby from Tokai, South Africa kindly emailed me a very interesting article by Walt Unsworth, on William Cecil. Click on the blue title above to access it. There is also a link to Wat Unsworths web page should you be interested in other articles and books written by him |
Aunt Charlotte and the Slingsbys Thanks to the Staveley History Society who have published "Memoirs of the Hartley family of Bingley and Staveley" by Minnie Growse. Just click on the blue link above to the relevant web pages. |
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George Slingsby (1889-1967) - Passenger on the Lusitania A Saloon Class Passenger and Valet to Sir Frederick
Orr-Lewis a Canadian businessman He was on the Lusitania when she was
torpedoed in 1915 by a German U boat. It was about 1:30pm when the ship
violently changed course and glancing out of the window George spotted the
tell-tale wake of the torpedo. After the impact George went to find Sir
Frederick and his guests. George seflessly gave his lifejacket to one of
the party Lady Allen. George survived and was reunited with Sir Frederick.
Lady Allen survived but two of her daughters drowned. For the full story
and other information about George and the sinking of the Lusitania, click
on the title above. |
Tom Slingsby - Member 2008 Australian Sailing Team
A modern reference to a Slingsby. At 21 Tom scored his first major win at
the 2000 Laser Radial Nationals and lots more followed. But Tom lifted his
game another notch in 2005 with Laser Olympic class wins at Hyeres and the
Holland Regatta. His sights set on an Olympic medal I followed the
racing with great interest ( I am a sailor too). Tom came 21st. The
results
can be seen at the Australian Team website along with his profile. |
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Cartoon, drawn by Jack Greenhall, is probably from the Daily Mirror which published Useless Eustice from January 1935. |
