New Book
The Donkeyman

Introduction

The medieval market town of Knaresborough sits on the edge of the scenic river Nidd. Its dramatic river setting can be found on countless picture postcards, thanks to its world famous viaduct. The town is also famous for its historical characters, such as St Robert the hermit, John Metcalf a blind road builder and Mother Shipton the prophetess.  What is less known is that the town continued over the years to be the home of less well known characters, who one might politely call local eccentrics.

One of these was my father David Allott, known locally as the donkeyman or Donkey Dave. Father was given these nicknames on account of the large brood of donkeys he reared, gave rides with at the side of the river Nidd and also took to donkey derby fund-raising events until his death in 1993.
In the small town of Knaresborough, which expanded in the late 1960's, father was a well-known figure and in summer would be seen working his donkeys or standing on the High Bridge chatting to both locals and tourists. His donkeys, through their fund-raising activities for charities and the like became famous throughout the North of England. Father had by far the largest number of donkeys in the region, which he loved and cherished - often, it was said, more than his relatives.
My father saw himself as a normal person working hard to support his family. However, by those people who were kept awake on account of his donkeys' braying, those who fell in the donkey droppings sometimes left behind on Knaresborough roads, or those that were occasionally hit by father because of their 'lippiness', he was often seen as something else.
Despite his unusual and somewhat eccentric behaviour, father had a profound sense of justice and a belief in fair play. He would on occasions stand up to the authorities and sometimes cause them acute embarrassment, when he believed they were wrong.
How my father made a living, how he started, and the various adventures that took place and how it all ended are the subjects of this book. Most of the events portrayed in this book actually took place, although to make the book easier to read a number of them have been grouped together and in some cases developed. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.