Who Was Peggy Wilson?

Peggy Wilson was actually Margaret Dorothy Wilson, the daughter of Colonel Richard Wilson who sadly died in 1912 at a very young age.

The colonel was at the time the owner of the Kildwick estate. Many generations of the Wilson family resided at Eshton Hall at Gargrave.

In 1928, in memory of his daughter and to help benefit the children of Kildwick Primary School and the village, the playing field land was donated and a charity set up to ensure the playing field was maintained for future generations.

A memorial to ‘Peggy’ can be found in the churchyard of Gargrave Church.

Charity

(Registered Charity 523740)

The charity is run to ensure the original purpose of the playing field is maintained to benefit the children of both Kildwick and Farnhill villages as well as Kildwick Primary School.

The charity was originally setup in 1928 under the name ‘Peggy Wilson Playing Field With Gazebo’. The gazebo was a double storey structure located on the playing field, prior to its demolition in the 1950’s.

In subsequent years the charity was renamed to ‘Peggy Wilson Playing Field’ to allow for the fact that there is no longer a gazebo and the previous name was a bit of a mouthful!

The charity has no formal income and is reliant on the help of Kildwick Parish Meeting and Farnhill Parish Council as well as Kildwick Primary School to assist with the cost of basic maintenance to the playing field.

The charity currently consists of the following trustees:

  • Mr Richard Dobbins
  • Mr Gary McKinney
  • Mr Tim Whitehead
  • Mr Anthony Sibley

The custodianship of the playing field is granted to the national Fields In Trust.