648 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
June 11, 1887. 
THE GREAT YORK GALA. 
In the autumn of the year 1858—nearly thirty years 
since—a few gentlemen connected with the city thought 
it would be advisable to organise an annual exhibition 
of plants and flowers, combined with good music and 
other entertainments, on a scale never before attempted 
in York ; and, in order to do this, a guarantee 
fund was raised by contribution of £20 each, each 
guarantor to pay a deposit of £5 to meet any deficiency 
that might arise in carrying out the scheme, which was 
adopted at a meeting of guarantors—twenty-nine in 
number—held at Harker’s Hotel, York, on February 7, 
1859, when the following officers were appointed:— 
E. E. Anderson, Esq., chairman; R. W. Bailey, Esq., 
vice-chairman ; Joseph Wilkinson, Esq. (Town Clerk), 
treasurer ; J. Pratt, Jun., Esq., lion, secretary ; Mr. 
John Wilson, secretary. An exhibition of flowers was 
decided upon, to be held in the grounds of the York 
Lunatic Asylum, the use of which had been granted 
by the House Committee (fruit being excluded at first), 
together with a grand concert the evening before the 
exhibition in the Festival Concert Room, a balloon 
ascent, and a brass band contest. At this meeting it 
was decided that any profits arising from the concert 
and the first day’s exhibition should be paid to the 
York Charities. 
On the 10th of February in the same 3 T ear Mr. Tom 
Smith was appointed joint hon. secretary; shortly 
afterwards Mr. Anderson declined the chairmanship, 
and ultimately Mr. Bailey became chairman. The first 
few months of the society was not without its “ rocks 
ahead,” as rumours of the resignation of the secretaries 
were afloat; but ultimately Mr. John Wilson was 
appointed the acting secretarj^, and the City Sheriff, 
J. B. Atkinson, Esq., the hon. secretary. 
The First Exhibition. 
The projected exhibition received the approval and 
patronage of His Grace the Archbishop of York and 
many of the noblemen and gentlemen of the county. 
The sum of £150 was devoted to plants and flowers, 
divided into twenty-seven classes and seventy-eight 
prizes. The baud of the Coldstream Guards assisted at a 
concert on the Tuesday evening prior to the exhibition, 
and attended on the first day of the fete. Mr. Coxwell 
made his first balloon ascent from York, and a brass 
band contest terminated the evening’s amusements. 
The fete was a decided success, the total receipts 
amounting to £1,252, including the sum of £74 7s. in 
donations. The guarantors received back their re¬ 
spective amounts deposited to provide against any risk 
of loss, and the committee granted 100 guineas to the 
charitable institutions of the city, which sum was 
further increased to £120 by the guarantors’ generous 
help. 
On the 14th of July in the same year, soon after the 
first exhibition, the following resolution was adopted 
in committee : “The object for which the committee 
was formed having been successfully carried out, and all 
claims being paid, this committee now to be dissolved.” 
Appended is a list of the twenty-nine guarantors :—- 
*Mr. E. R. Anderson 
,, Bailey 
* ,, George Bland 
* ,, W. Bland 
* ,, Burdsall 
* ,, Chadwick 
* ,, W. Collier 
,, Fender 
* ,, Graham 
,, T. Gray, Ne wc as tie - 
on-Tyne 
* ,, C. Harker 
* ,, A. H. Harris 
* ,, Holliday (Draper) 
* ,, Holliday (Station- 
master) 
* C. Hudson 
Mr. G. Hopkinson 
* ,, Lancaster 
* ,, Geo. Leeman, M.P. 
for York 
* ,, E. Oates 
* J. Pratt 
,, J. Sampson 
* J. H. Simpson. 
* „ T. Smith 
,, Tom Smith 
* ,, Thomas 
,, E. Thompson 
* ,, Weatherley 
,, J. Wilkinson 
,, J. Wright, Ponte¬ 
fract 
Those marked with an * are dead, and Messrs. Hop¬ 
kinson and Fender may be also. 
The Second Gala. 
In December, 1859, and January, 1860, several 
meetings were held by those interested in the Gala of 
1859, for the purpose of organising a permanent society 
on somewhat similar lines to those of the 1S59 Gala 
and Horticultural Exhibition, but with rather a broader 
basis, and ultimately the following resolution was 
adopted:—“That it is highly desirable that a grand 
Floral and Musical Exhibition, similar to that carried 
out in June last, should be held in this city in the 
ensuing summer, and this meeting pledges itself to 
assist in carrying this project into effect.” To further 
ensure the success of the projected exhibition, a 
guarantee fund, consisting of 120 members or more of 
£5 each, was formed. On the 14th February, 1860, a 
general meeting of the guarantors was held at Harker’s 
Hotel, and the Grand Yorkshire Gala was settled upon 
a firm basis of management. The Right Hon. the 
Lord Mayor, Mr. Alderman Evers, president ; John 
Holtby, Esq., chairman of committee ; Mr. Christopher 
Harker, vice-chairman ; Joseph Wilkinson, Esq. (Town 
Clerk), treasurer ; Mr. John Wilson, secretary, with a 
good committee, formed the managing staff at that 
time. 
The distinguished patronage of Her Majesty and the 
late Prince Consort was at that time thought to be 
desirable ; and Mr. Wilson, the secretary, obtained this 
for the society through the influence of the city 
members, the late Col. Smyth and the late J. P. Brown 
Westhead, Esq., the following being a copy of Sir 
Charles B. Phipps’ letter to Col. Smyth : — 
Buckingham Palace, March 23, 1860. 
My dear Smyth,—The Queen and Prince have 
readily granted their sanction to the Floral Fete at 
York being announced as under the patronage of Her 
Majesty and his Royal Highness.—Sincerely yours, 
Col. Smyth, M.P. C. B. Phipps. 
The distinguished patronage of Her Majesty and the 
Prince Consort led to the support of the leading families 
of the county, and the great York Gala soon took a 
most prominent position as one of the great horticul¬ 
tural meetings of the year. 
The Society Aeronaut. 
Mr. Henry Coxwell, the celebrated aeronaut, still 
living in retirement at Tottenham, made his first ascent 
at the Gala in 1859, and was engaged every year, 
including last year (18S6), but his retirement into 
private life at the close of last year breaks off the 
pleasant associations betwixt himself, the committee of 
the York Gala and the visitors there ; and no man 
carries with him into private life more affectionate and 
sincere regard than Mr. Coxwell does from his York 
friends, and they are numerous. With the exception 
of two or three occasions, when illness caused his 
absence, Mr. Coxwell was always present at the annual 
gatherings, for York was a favourite place of his. In 
the year 1865, Mr. Alderman Wade, the Lord Mayor 
in that year, accompanied Mr. Coxwell in the ascent, 
a most favourable one, and Mr. Wade is, happily, still 
living and taking an active part in each succeeding 
Gala. This ascent was made in a new balloon, and 
the ceremony of christening it was performed by Miss 
Wade, who was the Lady Mayoress, the name of 
“ The City of York” being given to it. 
In a recent letter to the writer of these lines, dated 
April 28th, 1887, from Seaford, Surrey, where Mr. 
Coxwell is making a long stay for the benefit of his 
health, he writes :—“ I regret that I shall not be able 
to be at York, as that week will be one in which I 
may have, should I continue in my present state of 
health, to take an aerial outing. I certainly did not 
anticipate being so well and active as I am, nor can I 
feel sure about continuing so, but if I do I shall have 
to, in some form or other, make a display of loyalty in 
my line, especially as I was born the same year as the 
Queen, and commenced studying ballooning in the 
year of Her Majesty’s accession. I had the honour at 
York of taking up the Lord Mayor during his year of 
office, and I must have made nearly a hundred ascents 
from that ancient city, as the advance was made from 
a single to a double and treble ascent, and I have been 
there for nearly thirty years. It is not my age but my 
infirmity which has caused me to resign active service, 
and I do not regret having done so, as it was most 
painful for me to have occasionally to depend upon 
others, although the committee most considerately 
allowed me full latitude and discretionary power.” 
Presentation to Mr. Coxwell. 
An illuminated address from the committee was pre¬ 
sented to Mr. Coxwell at the luncheon, in the year 
1882, of which the following is a copy :— 
Dear Sir,—The committee of the Grand Yorkshire 
Gala in meeting you on this, the twenty-fourth anni¬ 
versary of your balloon ascents from the ancient city 
of York, desire respectfully to offer for your acceptance 
this permanent record of their high regard for your 
personal character, and of the high estimation in which 
they hold your professional services, not only as adding 
to the pleasure of the many thousands who have 
witnessed from the grounds in which we are now 
assembled, but in promoting the interests of scientific 
research, as attested by your memorable ascents with 
Mr. Glaisher, and other occasions of the highest scientific 
value and importance. During the many years you 
have been associated with the Grand Yorkshire Gala 
you have never disappointed us, and for this we feel 
that we owe to you our heartiest and especial thanks. 
We earnestly trust that this association may yet be 
long continued, and that it may please God to bless 
the declining years of your life with all the solace and 
happiness, which you could for yourself desire to enjoy. 
—Signed on behalf of the Committee : Joseph Terry 
(chairman), Edward Rooke (vice-chairman), Joseph 
Wilkinson (treasurer), John Wilson (secretary). 
June, 1882. 
Mr. T. Wright, of the Crystal Palace, succeeds Mr. 
Coxwell at York as the aeronaut. 
The royal patronage was continued to the society in 
1861, and fruit was, for the first time, invited for 
prizes, and fireworks Were added to the amusements ; 
and, after the 1S61 exhibition, the committee resolved 
that, after all expenses were paid, a portion of the 
balance remaining should be distributed amongst the 
charities of the city and county, the remainder to form 
the neuclus of a fund for future exhibitions. 
In 1863 a loss of £47 l-3s. 10rf. was immediately paid 
by the guarantors. 
The Reserve Fund. 
I n 186 4 the committee resolved that until a reserve fund 
of £500 was secured, no further sums should be given 
awa) r , and life membership was created by individual 
payments of £5. It was also determined that the 
society should be placed upon a broader and firmer 
foundation than heretofore, and instead of being re¬ 
organised every year, to be of a more permanent 
character, hence, the creation of life memberships as 
well as guarantors ; and in case of loss at any time, eacli 
life member as well as guarantors should contribute to 
such loss in equal proportions. After the Gala of 
1864 the committee were in a position to invest from 
profits and life memberships in consols, the sum of 
£500 as a reserve fund. In 1S35 it was determined 
that in the event of any loss arising from that year’s 
Qala, the reserve fund should be appropriated to meet 
such deficiency, ami if not sufficient, to be made good 
by the guarantors. By the lamented death of H.R.H. 
the Prince Consort in 1862, the patronage of Her Majesty 
for the Gala of that year could not be accorded, but that 
of the Duke of Cambridge, K.G. was secured, and in 
1864 H.R.H. the Prince of Wales granted his patronage 
to the society. From 1859 to 1867 inclusive, the 
society held a two days’ exhibition annually, but in the 
year 1868 it was extended to three days, and has con¬ 
tinued so since then. 
The Horticultural Section. 
The horticultural portion of the Gala has extended 
into an annual disbursement of nearly £600 for 
plants, fruits, and flowers, and it is not necessary 
here to say much as to the influence of the society, 
and the very great attractiveness of the annual 
floral displays. The great exhibitors of the day go 
to York. The late Mr. Cole, Senr., was for years a firm 
supporter of the society, and the Manchester plants 
not only included his fine specimens, but Mr. Thomas 
Baines, at that time a celebrated exhibitor at Man¬ 
chester, also exhibited never to be forgotten specimens, 
and keen, close competition was the order of the day. 
Latterly, a very high position as a plant grower and 
exhibitor has been taken by Mr. Letts, gardener to 
the Earl of Zetland, and his grand collections always 
call forth very sincere admiration from practical 
horticulturists. Neither must we forget the old Pelar¬ 
gonium days when the late Mr. Charles Turner, of 
Slough, used to take his grand plants to York, and 
soon showed other growers what to do and how to 
do it. Before long the late Mr. Henry May, of Bedale, 
became a great, and at times a successful rival, and 
now there is, probably, no other exhibition extant at 
which such a magnificent display of superbly grown 
Pelargoniums can be seen as at York. Messrs. Rylance, 
of the Ormskirk Nurseries, have been and still are 
very successful exhibitors ; but the great grower of the 
present day (and for some years past), is Mr. Eastwood, 
gardener to Mrs. Tetley, Leeds, whose magnificent 
plants are truly wonders of high culture. The fruit part 
of the annual exhibitions is now a special feature, good 
exhibits are numerous, and a high order of excellence 
prevails. We have not space to devote to other special 
features, only to say that Orchids are coming to the 
front at York. Thanks to the exertious of the sec¬ 
retary, Mr. Wilson, and friends in organising good 
