John Kettlewell "Jack" Suttill
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth: 1910 - Ramsgill, , England
Christening:
Death: Mar 2008
Burial:
Cause of Death:
AFN :
Events
• Obituary, Nidderdale Herald, 11 Apr 2008
Obituary \endash Jack Suttill
Published Date: 11 April 2008
By Staff Copy
The dale lost a much loved figure when 'Jack' Suttill died last month, at the age of 97. YVONNE LE MARE pays her own personal tribute:
JOHN Kettlewell Suttill, 'Jack' to all he met, was born in 1910 just up the dale in Ramsgill. In fact, records show that the Suttills had been a prominent family in the dale since the 1600s. Jack's father, Francis, ran Mill House, a dairy and sheep farm, and the local corn mill in Ramsgill, which were then part of the Yorke Estate.
Transport to and from the mill at this time was by horse and cart, so the family always had horses and they always had sheepdogs, because Francis also dealt in livestock from farms around Nidderdale, and he made use of Jack's droving skills from an early age to bring cattle and sheep down the dale.
In 1923, when the Yorke Estate was sold off, the family bought Ivy House Farm, nearer to Pateley Bridge. In 1935, Jack married Selina Beecroft and at first they lived in a small cottage there, until Francis's death, when they moved into the main farm house. The milking was all done by hand from Northern Dairy Shorthorns, but later, to move with the times, they kept the increasingly popular Friesian cows.
Jack acquired sheep gaits for the farm, and started to breed Masham sheep that were regular winners at the local shows.
They continued at Ivy House Farm until 1962, when Jack spent a year as shepherd on Heathfield Moor, then took on a farm in Winksley from '63 to '66, but when that came up for sale, Jack chose to go back to shepherd the 2,600 acres of Heathfield Moor, which he did for nearly another 10 years.
Jack officially retired in 1975 to a cottage in Wath where he lived contentedly, still looking after sheep and training and trialling his sheepdogs, who he regarded as wonderful companions as well as essential workmates.
Jack seemed to have an empathy with sheepdogs and developed his lifelong interest by spending many hours with an old shepherd called John Paley, who lived in a cottage by the church at Ramsgill. With cobwebs in the window, and by firelight and candlelight, Jack would listen to his stories, much in the same way that Jack's many friends have listened to his stories by the electric fire in the cottage at Wath. And John used to drop by at Ivy House Farm and say "Let me see your dogs run", again, much as Jack has done with his friends for many years. Jack actually started sheepdog trialling as a teenager, getting his first placing - second prize - with his first registered dog, at Pateley Show in the late 1920s. He was still taking part in trials at the age of 96, which has to be a record, and it provided many hours of pleasure for himself, his companions and spectators. Because Jack had been involved with Pateley Show for so many years, showing sheep and competing in the sheepdog trials, and as one of the longest serving Life Members, he was among those presented to Prince Charles a few years ago, when HRH visited the Showground.
Jack was always a gentle person, which could be seen in the way he handled his dogs and his sheep. He had considerable talent and trained many dogs over the years, providing a great service for farmers who would otherwise be without a good dog. Jack and his dogs knew every inch of the moor, the dogs seeming to know instinctively where their master wanted them to go and where the sheep were. Jack was very practical; he always considered that working the stock came first, and any success in sheepdog trials was a bonus. Jack had a wonderfully calm manner with animals and allowed the sheep to settle to him. Jack was so relaxed with them, he could nearly touch the sheep when shedding them or at the pen. Because of his great skill Jack was obviously asked to judge trials and even though his friends were competing, he never favoured them, remaining totally impartial and objective in his approach.
Jack trained dogs for many trial men, including eminent names from the past. He was great friends with Mark Hayton from Otley, and he often told the story of how Mark would invite Jack and Lina in for a cup of tea, then Mark would send his bitch, Pat, off up the fell at the back of the house, and they would continue supping tea while she gathered the moor on her own. Together, Mark and Jack performed sheepdog demonstrations in places like the Stray in Harrogate, and even though it was during the war years, hundreds of spectators turned up to watch. Jack didn't get his first car until 1942, so before that they had to travel to trials by bus, or taxi, and on the small railways.
Spouses and Children
1. *Selina Beecroft