A WENSLEYDALE farmer was carried to his funeral service by tractor and trailer – with the vicar leading the procession on a vintage vehicle.
John Metcalfe's coffin was brought to church for his funeral on December 29 on a trailer pulled by a classic Fordson Dexta.
Mr Metcalfe, who farmed at Washfold Farm, near Leyburn, died on December 18 aged 80.
The procession was led by vicar and tractor enthusiast Rev Chris Lawton, who was driving another vintage tractor, a Ferguson TEF.
They were followed by the pallbearers in a classic Land Rover 101.
The funeral of local farmer John Metcalfe takes place in Leyburn, North Yorkshire with the service at St Matthew’s Church in the town.
Lower Wensleydale parish priest Rev Lawton, chaplain to Leyburn Auction Mart and friend of the family, said: "It is a great privilege to be asked to help a family that I've known the entire time I've lived in the area.
"I think it would have brought a smile to John to know a vicar he knew was leading the procession on one of his tractors.
The funeral of local farmer John Metcalfe takes place in Leyburn, North Yorkshire with the service at St Matthew’s Church in the town.
"As the procession pulled out of Washfold onto the main road a large rainbow appeared which was lovely."
The vicar said he had borrowed one of the Metcalfes' tractors for the procession as his own was currently being repaired.
Before arriving at the church, the funeral procession circled the town's auction mart, where Mr Metcalfe was a director.
More than 300 people attended the funeral service at St Matthew's in Leyburn, with mourners having to stand outside as the church was full.
The funeral of local farmer John Metcalfe takes place in Leyburn, North Yorkshire with the service at St Matthew’s Church in the town.
Directors from the auction mart lined the path as the coffin was brought into church.
Mr Metcalfe and wife Thora were also involved in the running of Wensleydale Agricultural Show for many years and served as presidents several times.
The couple had three sons, David, Brian and Philip.
The funeral of local farmer John Metcalfe takes place in Leyburn, North Yorkshire with the service at St Matthew’s Church in the town.
A eulogy was read in church by Philip. He told how his dad was a talented footballer as a young man and loved sharing his knowledge of farming with others.
He also enjoyed shooting, running the Washfold shoot for several years.
Philip added: “Dad was very keen on his vintage collection. Several tractors were restored to pristine condition.
“A lot of visitors to Washfold admired the collection over the years.
The funeral of local farmer John Metcalfe takes place in Leyburn, North Yorkshire with the service at St Matthew’s Church in the town.
“Dad’s eye for detail amazed us all. He had a large stack of vintage magazines and spent hours looking through them. When he saw a good genuine example of a tractor, he would call it a clinker.”
Donations from the funeral will be split between the Alzheimer's Society and St Matthew's Church charitable causes.
The funeral of local farmer John Metcalfe takes place in Leyburn, North Yorkshire with the service at St Matthew’s Church in the town.
Metcalfe Farms have recently had an application approved to create a museum at Washfold for the tractors and other agricultural equipment collected by John and other members of the family.
The family has announced that the museum will be named after Mr Metcalfe.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here