Winifred Holtby in East Yorkshire #1: Rudston

Winifred Holtby was born in the East Yorkshire village of Rudston, where in the church graveyard there stands a prominent prehistoric monolith to the east of the chancel:

'THIS MONOLITH STANDING AMOST 26FT ABOVE GROUND LEVEL

WAS HEWN AND BROUGHT HERE IN THE LATE NEOLITHIC PERIOD

POSSIBLY circa. 2000 B.C.

IT CONSISTS OF A SLAB OF MOOR GRIT CONGLOMERATE AS FOUND

IN A WIDESPREAD AREA OF THE CLEVELAND HILLS INLAND

OF WHITBY. '

'IN THIS CHURCHYARD IS THE GRAVE OF

WINIFRED HOLTBY 1898 – 1935

BORN AT RUDSTON HOUSE IN THIS VILLAGE
EDUCATED AT QUEEN MARGARET'S SCHOOL
SCARBOROUGH AND AT SOMERVILLE COLLEGE
OXFORD, SHE WON A HIGH PLACE AMONGST
THE WRITERS OF HER DAY. HER WORK WAS
NOTABLE FOR UNDERSTANDING, INSIGHT,
& SINCERITY. HER CHARM AS A WOMAN CAME
FROM GENTLE GRACE OF MANNER, HIGH
COURAGE AND PURPOSE, PRACTICAL SYMPATHY
FOR OTHERS AND AN ENDEARING SELFLESSNESS.
SOME OF THE MANY WHO CALLED HER FRIEND
OR WHO KNEW HER THROUGH HER WRITING
HAVE SET HERE THIS TRIBUTE TO HER MEMORY.

BEATI IMMACULATI.'

'IN

LOVING MEMORY

OF

WINIFRED,

DAUGHTER OF

DAVID AND ALICE

HOLTBY.

DIED IN LONDON

29TH SEPTEMBER 1935,

AGED 37 YEARS.'

The parish church sells the Winifred Holtby Guide, partly written by her biographer Professor Marion Shaw, and an important link to the Holtby sites in East Yorkshire. Most of my information for my future posts is culled from this leaflet.

My other posts on Winifred Holtby:

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Winifred Holtby in East Yorkshire #4: Sunk Island
Winifred Holtby in East Yorkshire #3:Withernsea
Winifred Holtby in East Yorkshire #2:Hornsea
Winifred Holtby in Cottingham and Hull