IF any of your readers know a person called “Wiseman”, it is almost certain that, if they are Lancashire or Yorkshire people, their family originated in Kettlewell.

One hundred and fifty years ago, a third of the village were related to the Wiseman “clan”. In the 1850s, the lead miners of Kettlewell began to move out to Burnley and Bradford, seeking jobs in the mills — which explains why we are so scattered these days.

In 2007, we held a “Wiseman Weekend” for all those of the family who can trace their roots back to Kettlewell. We pottered around the village and held a service in the village church where so many of our ancestors had been baptised, married and buried.

We had visitors from as far away as South Africa, Canada and New Zealand, and as local as Vera Wiseman, the only member of the family still living in Kettlewell. Because the weekend was such a success we are repeating it this July.

If you are a member of the Wiseman family, or if you have distant relatives of the family, we invite you to come along.

Please contact me if you require further details of the “Wiseman Weekend”.

Rev David Wiseman 4 The Ginnel Skipton North Yorks, BD23 2HW Tel: 01756 797443 E-mail: davidwiseman1@sky.com