In 1830s rural Yorkshire, two brothers from Pateley Bridge defied the unpopular Game Laws, setting them on a collision course with landowners, gamekeepers, and the police. The unexpected twists and turns their lives would take over the next 40 years are worthy of a Hollywood film. In fact, to borrow from The Princess Bride, their story has shooting, fighting, chases, escapes, true love, miracles. There’s also a fair bit of crime.
I’m currently writing a book about Jack and Elisha Sinkler, that will chronicle their remarkable lives as gamekeeper’s sons turned poachers, their skirmishes with the law and life on the run, transportation to Australia as convicts, and the incredible lengths they took to return home to Nidderdale.
Once well known local rogues of legendary status, in recent years the exploits of the Sinkler brothers seem to have been largely forgotten in their hometown. There are no displays about them, no monuments or memorials, nothing to show they were ever here. I’d like to rectify that. It’s time to claim our fellow dalesmen back, set straight the misinformation that seems to have crept into the record, and reconstruct their fascinating lives for future generations.
In the course of my research I’ve made some unexpected discoveries, which I can’t wait to share. There’s much more to the Sinklers than currently published on this website, which will be explored in full in the book. I don’t want to give away all the spoilers just yet!
In the meantime, I’ve created this little website as a place to put my thoughts, and also share my interest in Yorkshire Dales dialect. I hope you’ll find these pages interesting and informative. I’ll be adding to it from time to time and the book will be available here when it’s finished. If you’d like to help me keep this website running, you can donate/buy me a coffee (metaphorically – although caffeine is my one vice!).
