Gaping Gill and the Mysterious Miss Booth
June 1906
S.A. Craven
The Booth family is legendary in the history of the YRC. The progenitor, Thomas Singleton Booth, was elected to membership in 1892[1] . His two sons, Fred Singleton Booth and Harold Singleton Booth, were very active members. The sons first attended a YRC. meet, at Gaping Gill, in May 1920[2] . All three kept a keen interest in the affairs of the Club until their deaths.
During the Gaping Gill meet of 5 – 7 June 1906, descents were made, inter alia, by Thomas Singleton Booth and by “Miss Booth” . By default I had always assumed that this “Miss Booth”[3] was a daughter or other relative of T.S. Booth. Because she is not recorded as having attended any other YRC. meet, I did not regard the lady as being historically important.
The matter rested there for many years until the well-known former Editor of the Dalesman, Bill Mitchell, published his book about Ingleborough[4] . In the publicity for this book, the author claimed that the first lady to descend Gaping Gill was “Miss Mary Booth who lived at Ben Rhydding”, and that this information had been given to him by the lady herself[5]!
The first lady to descend Gaping Gill was Miss L.E. May Johnson of Bradwell, Derbyshire. She attended a meet of the Leeds Ramblers Club in August 1904[6] , and for some time used to go out with the famous Derbyshire caver and climber, J.W. Puttrell[7] .
Mitchell’s historical error prompted me to think further about the “Miss Booth” who descended Gaping Gill in 1906. Mary Booth, and her brother Harold, for many years lived near me in Margerison Road, Ben Rhydding. They were eccentric recluses, whom I never associated with the YRC. nor with Gaping Gill, despite several long conversations with the late Fred Booth. I well remember the Ben Rhydding Harold Booth as being a stooped, round-faced man – quite unlike the lean and erect Harold Booth of the YRC[8] who lived all his life in Leeds[9] .
Who, then, was the mysterious Miss Booth who descended Gaping Gill in June 1906? She may have been Thomas Singleton Booth’s daughter, Linda[10]. Bearing in mind that Booth is a not uncommon surname, she may have been either a close, distant or no relation of the YRC. Booths. The eccentric Mary Booth of Ben Rhydding still has not been eliminated from the enquiry.
This matter is still not closed, and cannot be pursued any further at a distance of six thousand miles from Yorkshire. I will therefore be most grateful if readers can throw any further light onto the mysterious “Miss Booth”.
I am grateful to members of the YRC. whose correspondence with me has contributed to the above article.
[1] Anon. (1947) “In memoriam Thomas Singleton Booth” J. YRC. 7. (24), 157.
[2] (Anon.) (1921) “Gaping Ghyll, 1920” J. YRC. 4. (14), 237 – 244.
[3] Horn A.E. (1907) “Further explorations in Gaping Ghyll Hole” J. YRC. 2. (7), 202 – 210.
[4] Mitchell W.R. (1994) “Ingleborough the Big Blue Hill” 120 pp. (Settle: Castleberg).
[5] Craven Herald and Pioneer 25 Mar. 1994 p. 15.
[6] Toothill F. (1904) Leeds Mercury Weekly Supplement 24 Sep. p. 4.
Botterill M. (1929) “Gaping Ghyll in 1904” J. YRC. 5. (18), 309 – 310.
[7] I am grateful to Johnson’s nephew, J.W. Kay Esq. of Dronfield, for her biographical details.
[8] (Stembridge H.L.) (1985) “Harold Singleton Booth 1924 – 1982” J. YRC. 11. (39), 392. [Not yet published on web]
[9] Letter d. 18 March 1995 Stanley (Marsden) to Raymond Harben.
[10] (Stembridge H.L.) (1973) “Frederick Singleton Booth (1924 – 1972)” J. YRC. 11. (36), 97 – 99. [Not yet published on web]