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THE
MONTHLY
CHRONICLE
OF
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND
568 ENGRA VINGS.
1889
Printed and Published for Proprietors of the " Newcastle Weekly Chronicle " by
WALTER SCOTT, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE,
AND 24 WARWICK LANE, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON.
(no
Pago
Lord Armstrong. By Major Evan R. Jones ............ 1
Candyman. By R. Oliver Heslop ........................... 6
THE NORTH-COUNTRY GARLAND OF SONG.
Stokoe : —
By John
•'Whittingharn Fair," 7; "The De'il Stick the
Minister," 78; "Captain Bover,"135; "The
Quayside Shaver," 175; "The Outlandish
Knight." 198; "Bob Cranky's Adieu," 252;
"X. Y. Z. at Newcastle Races," 323; "Bin-,
norie, or the Cruel Sister," 374 ; "The Horrid
War i' Sangyet," 398; "The Fair Flower of
Northumberland," 462; " Newcaasel is My
Native Place," and "Bobby Nunn," 485;
" Sandgate Lassie's Lament for the Death of
Bobby Nunn," 486; "Christmas Day in the
Morning," 546.
Halton Castle .................................................. 8
Thirlwall Castle .................................................... 9
MKN OF MARK TWIXT TYNE AND TWEED. By
Richard Welford :—
Sir Henry Brabant, 10: the Rev. John Brand,
M.A., 11 ; George Brewis, the Rev. Wm,
Brewis, 13 ; John Trotter Brockett, 14 ; Sir
Robert Brandling, 66; Robert Brandling, 67;
Charles John Brandling, 68; .John Brown, D.D.,
122 ; Lancelot Brown, 124 ; Michael Bryan, 125 ;
John Bruce, 126 ; John Buddie, 162 ; William
Buhner, 164 ; Sir Thomas Burdon, 210 ; William
Burdon, 212; George Carleton, 213; Robert
Carey, Earl of Monmouth, 266 ; Rev. J. D.
Carlyle, B.D., 268; Rev. James Chadwick,
D.D., 269; George Carr, 306; Cuthbert Carr,
307 ; John Carr, the Rev. George Carr, 309 ;
William Carr, 310 ; Leonard Carr, 354 ; Ralph
Carr, 355; Ralph Carr-Ellison, 385; Sir Robert
Chambers, 387 ; William Chapman, 388 ; Henry
Chapman, 442: Edward Charlton, 443; Edward
Chicken, 445; John Clark, M.D., 506; Joseph
Clark. 507 ; Sir John Clavering. 509 ; James
Clavering, 509 ; Clayton, the Rev. Richard, 538 ;
Cock, William, 540 ; Ralph Cole and Sir Nicholas
Cole, 541.
The Sunderland Babbies ................................... 16
The Wreck of the Stanley.... 17
The Hedley Kow ................................................... 19
THE STREETS OF NEWCASTLE : —
Grey Street, 21 ; Grainger Street, 79 ; Blackett
Street and New Bridge Street, 102 ; Northum-
berland Street and its Offshoots, 158 ; Newgate
Street, 214 ; Gallowgate and Percy Street, 270 ;
The Side, 311 ; The Close, 350 ; St. Nicholas'
Churchyard and St. Nicholas' Square 399 ; The
Quayside, 453 ; Neville Street and Scotswood
Road. 510 ; Elswick Road District, 551.
Early Wars of Northumbria :— 26, 59, 106, 171, 227,
258, 298, 347, 414, 450, 490, 532
The Stote Manby Case ........ . 30
The Robin ............................................................ 31
Langdale Pikes ...................................................... 32
Wallace's Raids in Northumberland ......................... 34
The Sleuth or Blood Hound. By the late James
Clephan ................................................. 36
Our Roman Roads. By William Brockie ...... 38, 51, 114
A Gateshead Prodigy ............................................. 40
Allom's View of Durham ........................................ 40
King Arthur and Arthur's Hill ............................... 41
The Lion Bridge, Alnwick ...................................... 41
NOTES AND COJIMENTARIES :— pa,rc
Burying the Colours of a Regiment in Newcastle
— A Yorkshire Robberv and its Detection.. 42
The Margetts Mystery— The Inventor of the
Steam Plough— A Highwayman Tragedy . 90
ihe Greenhow and Martineau Families— The
Watchman's Rattle— Alnwick Corporation 138
Lieutenant Aclamson, R.N.— The Helm-Wind—
Pudding Chare— A Long Word 186
A Hartlepool Ginevra— St. Nicholas' Church and
the Scottish Prisoners— A Sunderland Hero-
General Monk in Newcastlt — Ridley Villas 235
John Barksby— The Nest on the Tomb— A Les-
bury Epitaph 282
Edward Jennings, V.C.— William Surtees^ a
Corbndge Veteran— Kirby Fight — Henry
Russell in Newcastle 330
Alderman Thomas Forster — Newcastle Pants —
.Mrs. Barrett Brownintr— Oalaly Castle 378
Head of the Side— The Biddick Pitman— The
Wedderstone 425
The Bell Tower at Morpeth— Algernon Charles
Swinburne— An Ancient Doorway— Starlings
at Alston— The Petting Stone at'Holy Island
-Barnum in Newcastle 474
A Northumbrian Bake-Stick— A Clown and his
Geese on the Tyne 522
Sir John Femvick— A Prince's Nurse — Charles
Avison, organist— The Side, Newcastle 570
North-Country Wit and Humour :— 42, 91 139 187 236
283, 331, 379, 427, 476, 523, 571
North-Country Obituaries :— 43, 92, 139, 188, 236, 283 331
3SO, 427, 477, 523, 572
Record of Events :— 45, 93, 140, 189, 237, 285, 332, 381,
423. 473, 524, 573
Extinct Wild Animals in the North 49
Ghosts at Tudhoe 52
Football in the North 54
Swallowship 55
Charles Dickens in the North . 57
The Uaudy Loup 63
Two Famous Waterfalls : Lodore and Colwith 64
Chollerford 71
Barnard Castle 74
Lartington 75 _
Cotherstone 76
Barnard Castle Tragedies 76
A Roxburghshire Poet. By Sir George Douglas, Bart. 79
The Miser of Ketton 84
A Cumberland Worthy : Mr. George Routledge 85
The House Sparrow and the Hedge Sparrow 86
Uncle Tob.y's Exhibition of Toys 87
The Academy of Arts 90
The Victoria Hall Disaster, Sunderland 97
Lottery Offices in Newcastle 101
Mr. Sims Reeves's Early Career 110
Middlesbrough New Town Hall, <tc 110
The Prince of Wales and the Chilling-ham Bull 113
A Fatal Balloon Ascent from Newcastle 117
Langley Castle 117
Chipchase Castle 119
BleaTarn 128
The Skylark 129
Garibaldi's Sword 130
Charms for Venom 132
The Delaval Papers 133
Whitton Tower, Rothbury 136
Rector Gray: A Sunderland Worthy 137
The Pitman of Biddick and the Earldom of Perth ... 145
A Chartist Spear 148
The Grand Duke Nicholas at Wallsend 150
The Reedwater Witches 151
11.
CONTENTS.
Page
Norham Castle 151
Thomas Sopwith 154
William Veitch, Covenanter and Farmer 155
Dinsdale Spa 157
Lambton Castle 161
Morpeth 166
Cost of Newcastle Mayoralty a Century Ap;o 174
Trinity House, Newcastle 176
Football at Chester-le-Street 180
The Cuckoo 181
A North-Country Mystery 181
"Canny" 183
Wastwater and The Screes 184
The Bewick Club ami its Founders 193
A Letter of the Poet of the Seasons 199
Cumberland and the Scottish Kings 199
Duddo Tower and Stones 200
Cartington Castle 201
.Scenes and Characters iu " Guy Mannering " 202
Miss or Mistress 205
Sir Bevis Buhner, Knight of tlie Golden Mine ..... 205
John Bright's Connection with the North 206
Kirkstall Abl>ey 209
The Coming ami Going of tlie Judges 222
The Rook and the Jackdaw 231
"Wandering Willie" 235
The Miller's Cottaffe, Ban-as Bridge. Newcastle 234
Mr. .lames K. Anderson in Newcastle 241
Marshall Wade's Koad 245
The Pardoned Mutineer 247
Kiver Police Station and Dead House, Newcastle 248
" The Quicks' Buring Has in Sidgate " 249
Freemen's Well Day at Alnwick 253
Wearmouth Bridge Lottery 254
Staward Peel and Dickey of Kingswood 255
Bothal Castle 257
Illustration!* of Kail way Development 262
Kn-suth's Visits to Newcastle 276
The Magpie 277
Crowd y 278
Gas Lighting in the North 279
AV'e.st Hartlepool 279
Sanctuary at Durliam Cathedral 289
Northern Sun Dials 292
John the Pieman : A Snnilerland Character 295
Calaly Castle, Northumberland 295
Help, the liailway Dog 297
The Wags of Durham 301
Mrs. Browning's Birthplace 303
The Threepwood Case 315
Leopold Martin's Recollections 318
Old Newcastle on the Tuthill Stairs 319
Lewis Thompson 322
The Chaffinch 324
St. Helen's Auckland Hall 325
Richard Ayre 326
Mercenaries in Northumberland 326
Ttie Roxbya and Beverleys 327
Aske Hall. Yorkshire 329
Thomas Wilson, Author of "The Pitman's Pay " 337
The Lumley Ghost Story 339
The Marquis of Londonderry 341
Hareshaw Linn 343
St. John's Church, Gateshead Fell 344
Norton Church 345
The Greenfinch 358
Bishop Butler at Stanhope 358
The Author of " The Tales of the Border " 363
Bull-Baiting in the North 365
The Salters' Track ... 366
Page
Ponteland Tower 367
Fox How, Arnbleside 368
Katy's Coffee House, Newcastle 369
The Muggleswiek Conspirators 370
Clifford, the Shepherd Lord 373
North-Country Sailors and Pompey's Pillar 375
Kepier Grammar School 375
Cross House, Westgate Road, Newcastle 377
Gibside and its Owners 390
The Village of Alnmouth 392
Racing in the Northern Counties 394
A Mysterious Mail Coach Robbery 402
The Chiff-Chaff 404
A Blind Scholar : Laurence Goodchild 405
Bear Baitine 406
The Castle Garth, Newcastle 406
St. Nicholas' Cathedral, Newcastle 408
J. W. Carmichael, Artist 412
Windy Monday 418
Robert Bolron, the Spy 420
Sir George Bowes, Defender of Barnard Castle 421
Durham University 422
Millet's "Angelus'1 432
Baron Brown, the Durham Poet 433
Newcastle Apprentices 435
The Cut-Purse Ordeal 439
St. Mary's Island, Northumberland 441
Thomas Dixon, Corkcutter 447
St. Giles's Church, Durham 448
Rob Roy in Northumberland 459
The Central Station Hotel, Newcastle 464
Mr. Walter Scott 464
Leprosy in the Northern Counties 465
Sherburn Hospital 468
The Swallow and the Swift 469
Christopher North at Klleray 471
Sir John Fenwick, Jacobite 481
Ralph Gardner, of Chirton 487
Rock Hall, Northumberland 490
The .Story of a BorderTrance 494
Ralph Waldo Emerson iu Newcastle 495
Old House at Hexliam 496
Haltwhistle Church 497
The Floating Island in Derwentwater .. ... 500
Blanchland 500
The House Martin and Sand Martin 514
The British Association in Newcastle 515
Willimoteswick Castle 517
The Sockburn Worm 518
Wmdermere Lake 521
The Luck of Edeuhall 529
Kepier Hospital, Durham 535
Bothal Village, Northumberland 537
Newcastle Jesters 543
Bolton-on-the-Aln 544
A Tyneside Hero ; 545
Captain Wiggins 547
North-Country Fairies 548
Football at Workington .. ... 550
The Pollard Worm 556
The Great Riot at Hexham, 1761 557
Mark Littlefair Howarth 559
Rydal Water and Rydal Mount 560
Fairy Pipes 561
Hermitage Castle 562
The Wagtails 564
"Tommy on the Bridge " 566
Sir Thomas Riddell and Sir John Lesley 566
Sir Daniel Gooch 568
PhiueasT. Barnum.... 569
Hermitage Castle (Frontispiece) Page
Armstrong Park, Heaton Section, Newcastle 1
Residence of Lord Armstrong, Jesmond 4
Banqueting HalL Jesmond Dene 5
Halton Castle 8
Thirlwall Castle . 9
Paee
J. T. Brokett's Book Plate 15
The Sunderland Babbies 16
The Wreck of the Stanley 17
Grey Street, Newcastle 24
Grey Street, Newcastle : Scene during the Snowstorm 25
CONTENTS.
ill.
Page
Maps, Arms and Defences of the Ancient Britons, &c. • —
27, 28, 29, 60, 61, 62, 107, 108, 471, 173, 228. 230, 259
260, 261, 298, 299, 349, 415, 416, 417, 451, 452, 491, 492,
493, 532, 533, 534
The Robin 32
Langdale and Langdale Pikes 32
View from the Top of Langdale Pikes 33
Allom's View of Durham 40
The Lion Bridge, Alnwick 41
Swallowship 56
Birthplace of Charles Dickens, Gad's Hill Place 57
The Falls of Lodore 64
Colwith Force 65
Chollerford, North Tyne 72
Barnard Castle, Lartington, and Cotherstone Church 73
Barnard Castle, from the Tees 75
Grainger Street, Newcastle 80
Butcher Market, Newcastle 81
Art Gallery, Newcastle 82
The House Sparrow and Hedge Sparrow 86, 87
Uncle Toby's Toy Exhibition 88
Academy of Arts. Newcastle 89
Victoria Hall, Sunderland : —
View from the Park, View from Laura Street,
Interior, the Fatal Door, Scene of the Catastrophe,
Two Sketches of the Memorial 97,93,99, 100
Richardson's Shop, Blackett Street, Newcastle 103
Eldqu Square, Newcastle 103
Carliol Tower, Newcastle 104
Public Library, Newcastle 105
Middlesbrough Town Hall and Municipal Buildings.. 112
The Prince of Wales and the Chillmgharn Bull 113
Langley Castle 120
Chipohase Castle 121
Blea Tarn 128
The Skylark 129
Whitton Tower 137
The Watchman's Rattle 138
A Chartist Spear 149
"ACraaFoot" 149
Norham Castle 152, 153
Singleton House. Newcastle 158
Blind Asylum, Newcastle 159
Dame Allan's School, Newcastle 159
St. Thomas's Church, Newcastle 160
Lambton Castle, Durham 161
Entrance to Morpeth Old Bridge 167
Old Mill by the Bridge at Morpeth 167
Morpeth Parish Church 168
Morpeth Market Place 169
Gateway of Morpeth Castle 170
Trinity House. Newcastle 176, 177
Museum, Trinity House, Newcastle 178
Chapel of Trinity House, Newcastle 179
The Cuckoo 181
Wastwater, Cumberland 184
The Screes, Wastwater 185
Memorial to Lieutenant Adamson 186
Duddo Tower and Stones 200
Cartington Castle 201
Dorothy Foster's Visiting Card 205
Kirkstall Abbey, near Leeds 209
Newgate, Newcastle, about 1400 214
Newgate in 1813 215
Demolition of Newgate, 1823 215
The Newgate, Newcastle, 1789 216
Groined Archway of Newgate, 1823 217
Demolition of South Transept, St. Andrew's Church 218
St. Andrew's Church, Newcastle 219
The Black Horse, Neweate Street, Newcastle 220
Scotch Arms, Newcastle, 1843 221
The Toll Booth, Gateshead 223
The Old Moot Hall 224
Sheriff's Procession to meet the Judges 225
Tynemouth Castle 228
Lmdisfarne Abbey 228
Whitby Abbey 230
The Rook and the Jackdaw 232
Wandering Willie 233
The Miller's Cottage, Barras Bridge, Newcastle 234
Old Windmill, near Walker-ou-Tyne 237
River Police Station, Newcastle 248
The Quicks' Burying Ground, Newcastle 249
Staward Peel " 256
Bothal Castle, Northumberland !!!!!"!!!"" 257
Rains of Monastery at Jarrow 259
A Chmle ....... 260
Swords and Axe-head.... 261
Puffing Billy, 1813 .."".I"."""'.'.". 262
Stephenson's Engine, 1815 262
Stephenson's Engine, "Rocket" 263
Chat Moss, showing Stephenson's line ""'.'. 263
Opening of Stockton and Darlington Railway. 264
The Rainhill Competition, 1829 : The " Rocket" First 265
Gallowgate, from Percy Street, Newcastle 272
Darn Crook, Newcastle 272
Old Houses in Percy Street, Newcastle 273
Corner in Percy Street. Newcastle ....'.'... 273
Gallowgate Hopping, Newcastle 274
The Mairpie 277
New Municipal Buildings, West Hartlepool 280
Stranton Church, West Hartlepool 281
Church Street, West Hartlepool 281
The Nest on the Tomb, Jesmoud Cemetery 282
Sanctuary Knocker, Durham " 239
Sun Diai at Haydon Bridge 293
Seven Dials 294
Calaly Castle, Northumberland 296
Help, the Hail way Dog 297
Coxhoe Hall, Durham 304
Long Walk, and The Avenue, Coxhoe 305
Head of the Side, Newcastle, 1876 312
The Side, Newcastle 313
Gale Cross, near the Sandhill, Newcastle 314
Sweeper's Entry, Close, Newcastle 319
Panelled Chamber, Tuthill Stairs, Newcastle 319
Elizabethan Mansion ou Tutl.ill Stairs 320
West Entrance to Panelled Chamber 321
ChalHnch 324
St. Helen's Auckland Hall, Durham 325
Aske Hall, Yorkshire 329
Fletcher's Entry, Groat Market, Newcastle 333
St. Michael and All Angels' Church, Newcastle 335
Fell House. Residence of Thomas Wilson 337
Hareshaw Linn 343
St. John's Church, Gateshead Fell 344
Norton Church 345
Effigy in Norton Church 347
Part of Earl's Inn, Newcastle, 1846 351
The Yellow Doors Tavern, Close, Newcastle 352
Close Gate, Newcastle, 1826 ... 353
The Water Tower, Close, Newcastle, 1346 353
The Greenfinch 358
Latin Inscription in the Rectory House of Stanhope... 359
Stanhope, Weardaie 360
Stanhope Church 361
Stone Bridge over the Wear, Stanhope 362
Ponteland Tower 367
Fox How, Ambleside 368
Katy's Coffee House, Newcastle 369
Kepier Grammar School, Houghton-Ie-Spring 376
Cross House, Westgate Road, Newcastle 377
Gibside Hall, Chapel, and Banqueting Hall 392
Alnmouth 393
St. Nicholas' Church, Newcastle 400
Union Bank, St. Nicholas' Square, Newcastle 401
Old House in St. Nicholas' Square, Newcastle 401
TheChiff-Chaff 405
The Castle Garth, Newcastle 408
St. Nicholas' Cathedral, Newcastle 409
Cover of Font, St. Nicholas' Church 410
Pew Standards, St. Nicholas' Church 411
Brinkburn Priory 415
The King's Cairn, Dunmail Raise, Cumberland 417
Procession of Boats on the Wear, Durham 424
Garden Party in the Castle Grounds, Durham 425
Millet's " Angelus" 432
The Cut-Purse Ordeal 440
St. Mary's Island, Northumberland 441
Three Tuns Inn, White Cross, Newcastle 446
Autograph of Edward Chicken 446
Residence of Thomas Dixou, Sunderland 448
IV.
CONTENTS.
Page
St. Giles's Church, Durham 449
The High Crane, Quayside, Newcastle 4bA
Grinding Chare, Quayside, Newcastle 454
Quayside, Newcastle 454
Hornsby's Chare. Newcastle 455
Grain Warehouse, Quayside, Newcastle 4bb
Hi(?h Dykes Tavern, Broad Chare, Newcastle 456
Old House in Broad Chare, Newcastle 457
House Where Lord Eldon was Born 458
The Glasshouse Bridee, Newcastle 458
The Central Station Hotel, Newcastle 464
Sherburn Hospital 465
Sherburn Hospital Gateway 468
Chimney Swallow 470
The Swift J/0
Christopher North's Cottage at EUeray 473
Ancient Doorway, Mowhray Park, Sunderland 475
Monument to Thomas Thompson 478
Ralph Gardner's House at Chirton 488
Rock Hall, Northumberland 489
Old House at Hi-xham 49°
Haltwhistl.- Cli.ir.-l. 497
Views of Blanchland 501-2-3-4-5
Pace
Central Railway Station, Newcastle 512
Elswick Works, Newcastle 513
House Martin and Sand Martin 514, 515
Willimoteswick Castle 517
Windermere Lake (two views) 520, 521
A Northumbrian Bake Stick 522
Elephant Rock, Hartlepool -. 526
Eden Hall 529
Fairy Well, Eden Hall 531
Luck of Eden Hall 531
York Castle 533
The Conqueror at the Seige of York 534
Kepier Hospital, Durham , 536
Botlial Village 537
Bolton on the Aln 544
Sea Fight off Yarmouth 545
Elswick Lane : Entrance to Elswick Park 552
Elswick Hall and Park 553
Elswick Cemetery 555
Rydal Mount 560
Weardale Fairy Pipe 561
The Wagtails 565, 566
The Side, Newcastle 571
Lord Armstrong •?
John Brand -^
Georgs llrcuis 13
John Trotter Brockets 14
Thomas Gray *J
George Dodds 44
Joseph Baxt-r Ellis 45
Thomas Kiclianlx>n 45
William Sut'.on 45
John Lucas 46
Mrs. Ashton Dilke 47
Arthur Nio.ls 48
Charles John Brandling 69
Joseph Barlow 83
George lioutl'-.l:;>- 85
T. Humphry \Var.l 96
Kims Rce-.es 110
William Fallows Ill
Raylton DIM in 112
G. Gordon l!o-.kins 112
Dr. John Brown 1^2
Lancelot (" Capability") Brown 124
Michael Bryan 126
John Bruce 127
Rev. Robert G ivy. M.A., Rector of Sunderland 137
John Augustus O'Shea 142
Professor John Stuart Blackie 143
Henry BlackUrn 143
Archduke Rudolph, Crown Prince of Austria 144
Major le Caron ..... 144
Thomas Sopwi th 154
John Buddie 162
William Buhner 164
Dadabhai Naoroji 189
King Milan of Servia 192
Richard Pigott 192
H. H. Emmerson 193
Robert Jobling 195
JohnSurtees 195
Ralph Hedley 196
Thomas Dickinson 197
John Bright 208
Sir Thomas Burdon 211
Bishop Carleton 213
Samuel Carter Hall 240
Duchess of Cambridge v 240
James R. Anderson in 1846 and 1886 241
Mr. Anderson as Ulric, 1838 242
Mr. Anderson as Macbeth, 1871 244
Robert Carey, Earl of Monmouth 266
Bishop Chad wick 269
Louis Kossuth 276
Prince Albert Victor 279
William Gray 280
Georpfe Pynian 230
John Barkslry 282
R. S. Newall, J.P 283
Henry George 285
James Craig 287
Carl Rosa 288
John the Pieman, a Sunderland Character 295
Hut. Aklerson, Bellman of Durham 301
Elizabeth Barrett Browning 304
Rev. George Carr 309
Leopold Charles Martin 318
Lewis Thompson 322
Richard Ayre 326
William Roxby Beverley 328
Edward Jennings, V.C 330
Thomas Wilson, author of "The Pitman's Pay " 337
The Marquis of Londonderry 342
Bishop Butler 360
John Mackay Wilson 363
Bernard Gilpin 375
Benjamin Piummer, J.P 380
J. K. Smith 380
Sir Jacob Wilson 383
l\alph Carr-Ellison 385
William Chapman 389
Laurance Goodchild 405
J. W. Carmichael 412
Dr. Lake, Dean of Durham 426
William Drummond 426
The Shah of Persia 429
Baron Brown, the Durham Poet 433
Dr. Edward Charlton 444
Thomas Dixon, Cork-cutter 447
Walter Scott 464
John Wilson : Christopher North 472
Joseph Clark 507
Professor W. H. Flower 516
Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell, Bart 516
Professor J. S. Burdon-Sandersou 517
The Marquis of Londonderry 525
Arthur Brogden 527
Wilkie Collins 528
Eliza Cook 528
Rev. Richard Clayton, M. A. 539
Rev. Robert Wasney 539
Captain Wiggins 547
Mark Littlefair Howarth 559
William Wordsworth 561
" Tommy on the Bridge '.' (Thomas Ferns) 566
Sir Daniel Gooch 568
PhineasT. Barnum 569
SirJohnFenwick 570
Charles Avison, Organist 570
Charles Marvin ., 573
Gbronicle
OF
NORTH-COUNTRY+LORE*AND*LEGEND
VOL. III.— No. 23.
JANUARY, 1889.
PRICE GD.
ilurtr
(Coan Jtotolani)
AUTHOR OF "LIFE AND SPEECHES OF JOSEPH COWEN," "HEROES OF INDUSTRY," &c.
j|HE fond hopes and "best laid schemes" of
parents have oft been frustrated by the
tyrant voice of genius. Honour and obedi-
ence to beloved guardians are commend-
able and to be cherished. But the human soul and
intellect cannot be formed and fashioned like the pot-
ter's clay. We may not change the colour of the iris,
the character of the voice, our form and stature : much
less the Divine essence — the soul and its stock-in-trade
within us. Ben Jonson had a trowel in his hand for
long, a book in his pocket and volumes in his brains the
while. Davy ignored his indentures to the apothecary to
search the hills for minerals and dream of future renown.
Linnaius was intended for the Church ; but he neglected
SCENE IN ARMSTRONG PARK, HEATON SECTION, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE.
2
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I January
theology, obeyed the still small voice, and became the
immortal founder of botany. Faraday obtained food for
his craving genius from the books he stitched, responded
to the inward monitor's call, and held "aloft among the
nations the scientific name of England for a period of
forty years." The generous offer of a friend and the
solicitous guidance of parents made William George
Armstrong a lawyer. He locked himself up amid parch-
ment rolls and tomes of decisions and authorities, gave
his undivided heart to the pursuit of science, and made
a column of water lift a hundred tons !
Children are not necessarily the best judges of that for
which they are best intended. They frequently make a
wrong selection under the influence of surroundings not
intended to give them the bias. In maturity they often
abandon their first love. Many boys are without pre-
ference ; they continue indifferent to every vocation from
the village green to the end of life. This was not the
case with the boy William George Armstrong. Me-
chanics were to him a passion from childhood, and physi-
cal science absorbed his hours of relaxation as a schoolboy
and as a student at law. His father was the son of a
Cumberland yeoman, who became a corn merchant, an
alderman, and a mayor of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, while
his mother was a daughter of William Potter, of Walbottle
House, Northumberland. To this worthy couple, a son,
afterwards the famous engineer, was born on Nov. 26,
1810, at Pleasant Row, Shieldfield, Newcastle.*
William entered the Bishop Auckland Grammar School
in 1826, where he remained for several years. During
his residence at Bishop Auckland, he gratified his me-
chanical ingenuity at the works of Mr. Ramshaw. He
was invited to that gentleman's home, where he found
"a help-meet for him." Aye, and one who, during a
busy, eventful, and brilliant career, has seconded his best
efforts and cheered his anxious moments. She shares
to-day his noble fame. Upon leaving school young Arm-
strong entered the law office of Mr. Armorer Donkin, an
intimate friend of the family, and a man of influence and
position in the cemmunity. His legal curriculum was
finished at the office of his brother-in-law, Mr. W. H.
Watson, the late Baron Watson, then a special pleader in
the Temple. In 1833 he returned to his native town to
become a partner with Messrs. Donkin, Stable, and
Armstrong.
Mr. Armstrong was not an orthodox English sports-
man. Though fond of music, the cry of the hound failed
to charm his senses. Fishing was his favourite sport.
He imbibed the taste from his father. Even in this pas-
time his inventive genius found employment. A new bait
basket was contrived, whereby the minnow was kept at a
lower temperature; his tackle was continually under-
going improvement ; and he became one of the most ac-
complished fishers on the Coquet. It was during an out-
* For view of birthplace tee IfmtUy Chronicle, voL L, p. 286.
ing through the Craven district of Yorkshire in quest
of trout that the idea which culminated in his fame first
came to him. He was rambling through Dent Dale, in
1836, when his attention was arrested by an overshot
water-wheel turned by a gurgling rill. The mill-wheel
supplied the power for some marble works at the foot of
the declivity. Twenty feet only of several hundred feet
descent was utilised ; the rest remained unproductive.
The possibility of the stream as a motive power at once
engrossed Mr. Armstrong's thoughts. Intuition took
the hint. For ten years he thought and wrought Jo
perfect and realise his idea. Now the freights of nations
are swung by his crane, and his hydraulic machinery is
found on every mart of commerce in the civilized world.
But the time during which he was harnessed to the
legal profession was in truth a period of apprenticeship
in constructive mechanics. Scarcely a day passed when
Mr. Armstrong was at home that he did not spend
several hours at Watson's High Bridge Works, either
superintending his own models or watching the construc-
tion of scientific machinery. It was a severe struggle be-
tween a sense of duty to his partners and profession on the
one hand, and innate genius on the other ; and the young
solicitor kept swinging like an erratic pendulum between
the law office and the lathe. The first attempt of Mr.
Armstrong to realise his ambition to convert a column of
water into a motive power was by means of an automatic
hydraulic wheel, acted upon by discs made to enter a
curved tube at the radius of the wheel-edge. It was an
ingenious contrivance, and its utility was tested at the
Skinner Burn. This was admirable experience, and a
valuable lesson ; but the wheel failed to realise the in-
ventor's expectations.
Soon after this time a sensation was produced in the
scientific world by a phenomenon which transpired at one
of the Seaton Delaval Collieries. The workmen declared
that something "uncanny like" was seen at the engine
boiler, and when they adjusted the safety-valve while
steam was blowing off, fire was said to reach out towards
their finger-tips. Tyneside philosophers, and subse-
quently men of science throughout the country, became
interested in the mystery ; and it was discovered that
electricity was evolved under the following circumstances :
The boiler was found to be insulated upon a dry seating,
and the friction produced by the escape of particles of
water blowing away with high-pressure steam produced
electricity, and a nervous shock was experienced when
the hand was held in proximity to the escaping steam.
Experiments bearing upon the generation of electricity
by high-pressure steam were commenced by a number of
scientific men ; but the lawyer distanced the philosophers
in the measure of success attained. Numerous tests were
made as to the best material for insulation and the best
form and lining for the exit of steam. At last the
hydro-electric machine was produced at the works of
Messrs. Watson and Lambert, Carliol Square. Large
January
I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
numbers of this celebrated machine were constructed — for
the Polytechnic Institution of London, for Professor
Faraday, and for the scientific institutions of Europe and
America,
When the invention had been completed, Mr. Arm-
strong returned to his favourite study, and continued to
make experiments to perfect his hydraulic machine : at
last he succeeded. A fortunate circumstance materially
assisted in bringing it under public notice and into prac-
LOBD ABMSTRONO.
tical use. In 1845, Mr. Armstrong became associated in
his legal capacity with a company organised to supply the
towns of Newcastle and Gateshead with water. When
the company was formed, Mr. Armstrong delivered a
lecture at the Literary Society of Newcastle, and demon-
strated the utility of his invention by a working model.
Soon thereafter a few friends joined with him to erect a
crane on Newcastle Quay, where its usefulness could be
put to the test in loading and discharging ships. Three
more cranes were eventually ordered by the Corporation
of Newcastle. A somewhat interesting circumstance,
which tended to forward the popularity of the hydraulic
crane, took place at this time. Let the inventor himself
relate it : —
Amongst others the late Sir William Cubitt (then Mr.
Cubitt) took a very early interest in the machine, and
wrote to Mr. Jesse Hartley, who was then the engineer
of the Liverpool Docks, urginghim to go and see it, but
that somewhat eccentric gen-
tleman, who was very averse
to novelties, at first flatly
refused to do so. A second
letter from Sir William Cubitt
put the matter in such a light
that Mr. Hartley could not
persist in hia refusal without
incurring the imputation of
shutting his eyes to improve-
ments ; so without giving any
notice of his intention he went
to Newcastle alone to see the
crane. It was not at work
when he arrived, but the man
in charge was there, and Mr.
Hartley entered into a banter-
ing conversation with him.
This man, who went by the
name of '* Hydraulic Jack,"
had acquired great dexterity
in the management of the ma-
chine, and being put upon his
"mettle" by Mr. Hartley's in-
credulous observations, he pro-
ceeded to show its action by a
daring treatment of a hogshead
of sugar. He began by run-
ning it up with great velocity
to the head of the jib, and then
letting it as rapidly descend,
but by gradually reducing its
speed as it neared the ground
he stopped it softly before it
quite touched the pavement.
He next swung it round to the
opposite side of the circle, con-
tinuing to lift and lower with
great rapidity while the jib was
in motion, and, in short, he
exhibited the machine to such
advantage that Mr. Hartley's
prejudices were vanquished.
Mr. Hartley, who will be re-
membered as a man whose odd
ways were combined with a
frank and generous disposi-
tion, displayed no feeling of
discomfiture, but at once called
upon the author, whom he la-
conically addressed in the fol-
lowing words : *' I am Jesse
Hartley, of Liverpool, and I
have seen your crane. It is
the very thing I want, and
I shall recommend its adop-
tion at the Albert Dock."
With scarcely another word he bade adieu, and returned
to Liverpool. This anecdote marks an epoch in the his-
tory of hydraulic cranes, which then passed from the stage
of experiment to that of assured adoption.
The triumph of the invention and the fame of the in-
ventor were now established ; and in 1847-8 the Elswick
Works, intended for the construction of hydraulic ma-
chinery, were founded by Mr. Armstrong and his old
friend and partner Mr. Alderman Donkin, Mr. Alderman
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
\
January
Potter, Mr. George Cruddas, and Mr. Richard Lambert.
From this beginning the famous works of Sir William
Armstrong and Partners have developed.
Mr. Armstrong had no part in the international jumble
out of which the Crimean War was begotten. But when
the appeal to arms was made, he was sufficiently human,
and enough of a patriot, to wish success to British arms.
He watched the movements of troops, the formation of
lines, the approaches and means of defence with the
anxiety of an Englishman, but from the plane of science.
Difficulty was experienced at Inkerman in bringing up
heavy artillery. Two eighteen-pounders were finally got
into position ; they contributed largely to turn the tide of
battle, and gain the doubtful day. " Why cannot lighter
guns obtain a greater range ? " That was the question
which occurred to Mr. Armstrong. And he grasped this
proposition with all that strength and continuity which
characterise him. Inkerman was fought in November,
1854. Within a month he had solved the problem,
convinced the War Secretary, and commenced the
gun. The arrow in its flight tirst suggested the best
for rifled ordnance. A Committee of the House of
Commons, reporting upon the whole question, said : —
Mr. Armstrong proposed » method of constructing a
gun which rendered it capable of enduring the strain to
which rifled ordnance is submitted. This method was
certainly at that time the only one capable of fulfilling
that condition ; and your Committee have had no
practical evidence before them that even at this mo-
ment any other method of constructing rifled ordnance
exists which can be compared with that of Mr. Arm-
strong. In combination with his system of constructing
or manufacturing a gun, Mr. Armstrong had introduced
to the notice of the Government a plan of breechloadinsr,
the gun being rifled on the old polygroove system, which
involved the coating of the projectile with soft metal.
This combination of construction, breechloading, rifling,
and coating the projectiles with soft metal, came to be
termed the Armstrong system. The range and precision
of the gun were so vastly superior to all field ordnance
known at the time, that, after careful and repeated trials,
the Committee appointed to investigate the question
recommended its adoption as the field gun of the
service. ,
The Adjutant-General of Artillery pronounced the
Armstrong field gun the best then known— that also-
being " the opinion of officers of Artillery of all classes.'
The success of the gun was conclusive, the result of the
form of projectile. But material of construction and its
application, the mode and method of rifling, loading,
and of exploding shells — all the questions involved in
gunnery had to be thought out anew and by a single
mind. Experimental guns were constructed, and trials
were made at early hours and in out of the way places, on
the moors at Allenheads and by the sea-shore. At last,
in the spring of 1856, the Armstrong gun was ready for
official scrutiny. The first gun submitted to the Govern-
ment was a three-pounder. A five-pounder was next
made for further examination ; it was adopted. Heavier
cannon, to be constructed on the Armstrong principle,
were required at once. The Rifled Cannon Committee
tested the capabilities of the (run to the uttermost, and
recommended it as combining the best known elements
struggle was most gratifying to Mr. Armstrong, and
fortune was at his feet. But he rose to a sublime height,
and gave the fruit of his genius, his toils of years, his
hope of reward and renown, without fee or consideration,
to his country. The nation applauded the deed of
patriotism. The Queen conferred upon him the dignity
of Knighthood and Commander of the Bath. His
services were found imperative for the construction of the
gun ; and he was made Engineer of Rifled Ordnance,
with a salary of £2,000 a year, and, later, Superintendent
of the Gun Factory. The Government required that
guns should be constructed with secrecy and despatch.
Woolwich was entirely unprepared for such work, and an
arrangement was made whereby the Armstrong guns
should be made at Elswick. Lord Derby's Government
January I
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
made the contract. Under its provisions the Elswick
Ordnance Company were obliged to provide all the works
and machinery for making the ordnance required, and
confine them entirely to the execution of Government
orders. Should the works be kept idle through want of
orders from the Department for War, the company was
to receive compensation, to be assessed by the Attorney
General. This arrangement continued until the spring of
1863, when Sir William resigned his appointment, and
the contract between the Government and the Elswick
Company was cancelled by mutual consent.
But few of the original features of the Armstrong gun
are maintained in the ordnance now made by the in-
ventor. The coil formation, the rifling, and the breech-
loading when desired, are adhered to. And in view of
the results of the trials at Spezzia, it is only fair to add
that the gun still holds the supremacy. But the original
little three-pounder, which two men could carry, has
grown into a one hundred ton wire gun, the most
destructive weapon upon earth.
From modest beginnings the Elswick Works have
gone on increasing and extending until now they cover
about seventy acres of ground, and afford employment
to 12,000 contented men. Towards the end of 1882,
they were joined to the well-known shipbuilding works
of Charles Mitchell and Co., of Low Walker, under
the corporate name of Sir William George Armstrong,
Mitchell, and Co., Limited. The position for their
enterprise is admirable : their capabilities for build-
ing and mounting war vessels — arising out of a remark-
able combination of genius, skill, workmanship, hydraulic
contrivances to make and handle ordnance, and work the
guns when mounted— are certainly unsurpassed. When
the new company's stock was placed upon the market, the
applications exceeded the shares to be issued fourfold.
Although he had been frequently invited to associate
himself in some direct manner with the management of
the public affairs of his native town, Sir William Arm-
strong only once solicited the suffrages of his fellow-
citizens. And then his services were declined. A grave
crisis had arisen in 1886. Mr. Gladstone, having pro-
duced a Home Rule Bill for Ireland which had failed to
secure the support of a large section of the Liberal party,
was defeated in Parliament. Then followed a general
election. Sir William Armstrong was a Liberal ; but he
dissented from the Irish policy of Mr. Gladstone. Re-
quested to come forward as a candidate on Unionist
principles for one of the two seats for Newcastle, he
agreed to stand, with Sir Matthew White Ridley as his
colleague. Mr. John Morley and Mr. James Craig,
Gladstonian Liberals, were, however, returned. It was
Sir William Armstrong's first and last contest in New-
castle. But though excluded from the House of Com-
mons, he was offered a seat in the House of Lords. This
offer, made in 1887, was accepted. Elevated to the
peerage as Baron Armstrong of Cragside, he was hon-
oured by the Government of the day with the duty of
seconding the Address in reply to the Speech from the
Throne. It goes without saying that he discharged this
function with dignity and credit
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
( January
I 18»9.
Lord Armstrong has ever taken a deep interest in pub-
lic institutions and affairs. It was through him that a
committee was appointed by the Government to report
upon the coal measures of Great Britain. He has actively
participated in the deliberations, and is a past president
of the British Association, the Institute of Mechanical
Engineers, the Institute of Civil Engineers, and kindred
societies. The Literary and Philosophical Society of
Newcastle is indebted to Lord Armstrong, its president,
for more than his bountiful hand and wise supervision.
His lectures from its platform have added to the high
position it occupies among the societies of England. In
1844 he addressed the members upon hydro-electricity.
During the next session he delivered three lectures on
" The Employment of a Column of Water as a Motive
Power for Propelling Machinery." These, together
with addresses delivered to the various scientific and
mechanical institutes, and articles contributed to maga-
zines and publications, are all in the special direction of
his fame. But in the winter of 1873 he gave the society
and his townsmen the result of a visit to Egypt in 1872,
in four lectures. These lectures now constitute a small
volume, full of information and charm.
Bountiful gifts from Lord and Lady Armstrong have
become such frequent occurrences that they no longer oc-
casion surprise. Were the Jardin d'Acclimatation re-
peated on the western slopes of Newcastle, no one
would wonder. A lecture hall for the Literary Society
to-day, an operating theatre for the Infirmary to-mor-
row ; thousands to restore a grand old steeple ; thou-
sands more to the Children's Hospital ; three-fourths
of a £20,000 bridge across Benton Valley; ten thou-
sand to the Natural History Museum ; a Mechanics'
Institute, and a long range of schools, for the work-
men of Elswick : a Banqueting Hall for the city of
his birth ; Parks for his fellow-citizens ! I am told
that his wealth is still immense. The more he bestows
the richer he becomes. To satisfy the cravings of the
student, to reclaim the child from disease, are deeds for
more than evanescent applause. What are bags of gold
in the vaults compared with a mortgage upon the hearts
and brains of men and women ? And the parks he has
provided, the acres which his bountiful heart has wisely
bestowed upon the people, are more valuable to him now
than ever before : the quality has been transformed, the
area transferred into the grateful visages of the people ;
and smiling little faces of generations yet unborn shall
bless the memory of him who vouchsafed for them recrea-
tion grounds surrounded by the beauties and riches of
nature — who enabled them to breathe the air of heaven
amid the hum and strife of earth. He who can evoke
the blessings of the poor is more than a prince : and his
fame shall resist " the empire of decay."
The banqueting hall in Jesmond Dene, like the Armstrong
Park adjoining, forms part of the princely gifts of Lord
Armstromg to the people of Newcastle.
Lord Armstrong's portrait is copied from a photograph
by Messrs. W. and D. Downey, taken a few years ago.
j]R. MURRAY, of Oxford, pausing in the her-
culean task of his "New English Dictionary,"
_ tells us—" The fact has of late years power-
fully impressed itself upon philological students, that
the creative period of language, the epoch of 'roots,' has
never come to an end. The ' origin of language' is not to
be sought merely in a far-off Indo-European antiquity, or
in a still earlier pre-Aryan yore-time ; it is still in peren-
nial process around us." A literary language is hostile to
word-creation. But such is not the case with language in
its natural state. "The unwritten dialect," he adds,
"and, to some extent, even slang, and colloquial speech,
approach in character to language in its natural state,
aiming only at being expressive, and treating memory
and precedent as ministers, not as masters. In the local
dialects, then, in slang, in colloquial use, new vocables
and new expressions may at any time be abruptly brought
forth to serve the needs of the moment. Some of these
pass at length from colloquial into epistolary, journalis-
tic, and, finally, into general literary use. The dialect
glossaries abound in words of this kind." Such a word is
"candyman," a word known to every pitman in Durham
and Northumberland, which has a place in the English
language and is defined in "The New English Dic-
tionary " as meaning, in the North of England, " a bum-
bailiff, or process server." Now, everybody knows the
"candy," or "sugar-candy," which lured the juvenile,
happy in the possession of a penny, to purchase its sticky
sweetness from the tempting window, or which was an
irresistible bait to our infantile ha'penny when displayed
with all the blandishment of the itinerant " candyman."
But what possible connection can there be between the
grave " bum-bailiff " of the dictionary and the wandering
confectionery man with sweet discourse ? This question
was asked in the London Kotet and Queries just a dozen
years ago, and was in that same volume fully and finally
explained by Mr. W. E. Adams, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
who wrote — " It is not often that we are able to trace so
satisfactorily the origin of provincial words as we are that
of the word 'candyman.' It is, as was stated in the
editor's note (Notes and Queries, vol. v., p. 325, April
22nd, 1876), 'a term in the North for men employed to
carry out evictions against cottage occupiers.' There was,
in October, 1863, a great strike of miners at the collieries
of Messrs. Strakers and Love, in the county ot Durham.
As no adjustment of the difference was possible, the
owners determined to eject the miners from their cottages.
For this purpose a large number of curious characters
were engaged by the agents of Messrs. Strakers and
Love. Among the persons so engaged was at least one
January \
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
whose ordinary occupation was that of selling candy
and other sweetmeats in the neighbouring towns. The
man was recognised and was chaffed about his calling by
the evicted miners. Very soon, of course, the term
'candyman,' which rapidly became a term of reproach,
was applied to the whole class. Since that time the word
has come into general use over the two Northern Counties
whenever ejectments take place." Like the verbs to
bowdlerize, and to boycott, the substantive candyman
has thus taken its place as an English word in very
recent years. The adoption of "candyman," however,
dates from an earlier period than that mentioned by Mr.
Adams. It seems to have been first used during the
" great stick" of 1844, and had already become general in
1863. But for the prompt record of the unlikely connec-
tion between sugar-candy and the serving of a warrant,
what groping might not some twentieth century philolo-
gist have made, "as vainly in the 'word-hoard' of Old
English speech, or even the fullest vocabulary of Indo-
European roots, as in a school-manual of Latin and Greek
roots and affixes," to find the origin of the bum-bailiff
candyman ! R. OLIVER HESLOP.
STIu U0rtft=€0tmti*B (Sarlatttr
fff
)" £tokoe.
WHITTINGHAM FAIR.
jjALLADS embodying a series of riddles are
much rarer in the English language than in
the language of Sweden, Denmark, or other
Northern nations. The riddles in these
ballads are sometimes propounded to a knight, sometimes
to a lady, and often to the Evil One himself ; in the
latter case, the demon is sure, of course, to be puzzled and
unable to answer the questions.
In addition to its enigmatical character, the metrical
construction of " Whittingham Fair " is of a duolinear
form, common to many ballads which have descended to
us from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These
compositions were generally of a rude and simple kind,
consisting of verses of two lines only, with an interval of
rest at the end of each, which the minstrel made use of to
play a symphony (either to lengthen the ballad or to
display his musical skill). Vocalists, when singing such
ballads without instrumental accompaniment, it may be
easily inferred, would introduce some burden to replace
the symphony of the minstrel. Some of these burdens
consisted of short proverbial expressions, such as " 'Tis
merry in the hall, when beards wag all." Others were
mere nonsense lines that went glibly off the tongue,
giving the accent of the music, but having no connection
with the subject of the ballad. Examples of these
burdens are common in the plays of Shakspeare and the
Elizabethan dramatists. The " Willow willow " of Ophe-
lia in " Hamlet," and "Hey ho ! the wind and the rain "
of the clown in "Twelfth Night," are specimens, as are
also the "Fallal la" and the "Tol derol"of our own day.
"Whittingham Fair," like many other old ballads, has
been relegated to the nursery, and is sometimes sung
without the first verse, though it is then evidently in-
complete.
The melody which here accompanies the song we
believe to be the original tune, and is always sung to it in
North and West Northumberland.
Are you go • ing to Whit-ting-ham Fair?
Pars - ley, sage, rose - ma - ry and thyme, Re-
jjP^r fljb^fe^g^
mem-ber me to one that lives there, For
once she was a true
lov - er
ine.
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme ;*
Without any seam or needlework,
Then she shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell her to wash it in yonder well,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme ;
Where never spring water or rain ever fell,
And she shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell her to dry it on yonder thorn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme ;
Which never bore blossom since Adam was born,
Then she shall be a true lover of mine.
Now he has asked me questions three,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme ;
I hope he'll answer as many for me
Before he shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell him to buy me an acre of land,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme ;
Betwixt the salt water and the sea sand,
Then he shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell him to plough it with a ram's horn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme ;
And sow it all over with one pepper corn,
And he shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell him to sheer't with a sickle of leather,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme ;
And bind it up with a peacock feather,
And he shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell him to thrash it on yonder wall,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme,
And never let one corn of it fall,
Then he shall be a true lover of mine.
When he has done and finished his work,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme ;
Oh. tell mm to come and he'll have his shirt,
And he shall be a true lover of mine.
• The second line of the song " Parsley, sage, rowmary, and
thyme," fullv bears out the condition of being a nonsense line,
having no connection with the lubjeet ; but when we once heard
the ballad the singer achieved a still higher pitch of absurdity by
solemnly chanting "Parsley, sage, grwa merry in time, an the
correct burden.
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
j] ALTON CASTLE or Tower is situated
about a couple of miles north of Cor-
bridge, and within a short distance of the
Roman Wall. It is regarded as a good specimen of the
late pele tower. Without possessing any distinguish-
ing feature, it is interesting from the fact that its stones
were mostly taken from the neighbouring Roman station
of Halton Cheaters, which was identified by Horsley as
the Hunnum of the Notitia, the fifth of the stations from
the east per lineam valli and the headquarters of the
Sabinian cavalry regiment. Two Roman funereal tablets
are built into the surrounding walls. A small chapel ad-
joins ; but, save the chancel arch and the east window,
little of the original architecture remains.
The manor originally belonged to the family of Halton,
and appears in the list of lands held in drengage under
King John. There was a John de Halton in Henry III. 's
reipm, and a William of the family was High Sheriff of
Northumberland in the seventeenth year of the reign of
Edward I. A sister, Margaret, inherited a moiety of the
manor, the other moiety being possessed by the Carnabys
of Carnaby, a famous Northumbrian family who in the
reign of Richard II. appear to have been in possession of
the whole manor. Preserved in this Border tower was a
sword of the Carnabys, 5ft. 4in. long. There is a tradi-
tion to the effect that when the country was infested with
mosstroopers one of the Carnabys had a commission to
apprehend and try them. Whilst he was engaged upon
the trial of some thieves who had fallen into his hands, a
notorious character was seized by his son, who asked his
father what should be done with him. "Hang him,"
said the father. At the termination of the trial with
which he was occupied, the elder Carnaby ordered the
culprit to be brought before him, but was informed that
the sentence had already been carried out. There is a
similar tradition, however, about Belted Will.
A relic of the feudal system, according to a statement
in the proceedings of the Newcastle Society of Anti-
quaries for 1882-t, is still observed at Great Whittington.
The freeholders are obliged to send seven mowers and
January \
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
9
fourteen reapers to Halton Castle for one day every year
when called upon. It is called the Bond Barge. The
labourers receive no wages, but are supplied with victuals
and drink.
Efttrltoall
pHE ruins of Thirlwall Castle are situate on
an eminence on the west bank of the Tipalt,
a tributary of the South Tyne, at a short
distance north of the point where that rivulet was
crossed by the great Roman Wall. Though the
castle is said to derive its name from the Scots
piercing the wall here, it has evidently had no con-
nection with the great barrier. Horsley, indeed, con-
jectures that it might have received its present name
from a passage of a branch of the South Tyne through
the wall a little to the west of the fortress. There is,
however, a tradition that the castle received its name
from the fact that the Roman Wall was "thirled," or
penetrated, at this point. The walls are in some places nine
feet thick, and the place was defended by a strong outward
barrier. There is evidence that this stronghold was built
entirely of stones from the Roman Wall. In 1831 the
south wall fell into the Tipalt. The ruins now present a
picturesque appearance, derived from its situation on a
rocky boss about thirty feet from the stream. Thirlwall
Castle was for many generations the seat of the Thirl-
walls, whose heiress, in 1738, married Matthew Swin-
burn, of Capheaton, who sold the castle and manor to the
Earl of Carlisle. Dr. Bruce in his "Roman Wall,"
says : — " Amongst the witnesses examined on the occa-
sion of the famous suit between the families of Scrope
and Grosvenor, for the right to bear the shield 'azure, a
bend or, 'which was opened at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in
1385, before King Richard II. in person, was John
Thirlwall, an esquire of Northumberland. The witness
10
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/January
\ 1689.
related what he heard on the subject of the dispute from
his father, who 'died at the age of 145, and was, when he
died, the oldest esquire in the North, and had been in
arms in his time sixty -nine years.' Such is the lan-
guage of the record of these proceedings, preserved in the
Tower of London."
at Jttarft 'Eton^t Cgne antr
Brabant,
AN EXTREME LOYALIST.
" Sir Henry Brabant, another alderman, profest, if the
King should command him to kill a man in cold blood,
he took himself bound in conscience and duty to execute
his commands." " Life of Ambrose Barnes."
j]NE of Richardson's reprints— " The Eve of
the Revolution in Newcastle" (already
quoted in our sketch" of Sir William
Blackett the Second)— is a letter to King
James II. from Sir Henry Brabant, complaining that his
loyalty to the Crown had not been supported as it should
have been by some of his colleagues in the municipal
government of Newcastle. The writer of this epistle
came, like so many other "men of light and leading" in
Newcastle, from the adjoining palatinate. His father,
John Brabant, of Pedgbank, had bound him apprentice,
in 1636, to Alexander (afterwards Sir Alexander) Davi-
son, one of the leaders of the Royalist party in New-
castle, and one of the most venerable and venerated
aldermen of that faction. The times were becoming
critical when he entered upon his apprenticeship ; they
became still more so before his indentures were half com-
pleted ; long ere his term expired the country was en-
gaged in civil war. In the eighth year of his servitude,
when the Scots stormed Newcastle, his master was killed
fighting, at the age of eighty, upon the town wall.
Trade being at a standstill, he made no effort to secure
a "turnover," and when he applied to be admitted to
the freedom of the Merchants' Company he was fined for
neglecting to complete his apprenticeship. Pleading ig-
norance, he obtained a remission of one-half the fine, and
on the 1st September he was received into fellowship.
Not for long, however, did he enjoy his privileges. He
had taken lessons in loyalty from the master who died
sword in hand defending the Stuart cause, and express-
ing his opinions too freely, he incurred the displeasure of
the authorities. By order of Common Council, in 1649,
he was publicly disfranchised for being in arms against
the Parliament.
What became of Mr. Brabant during the interregnum,
is not stated. At the Restoration he regained his
freedom, and, being impoverished in his estate by the
civil commotions, obtained from Charles II. the office
of collector of customs, &c., in Newcastle. The
Shrievalty came to him in 1662, and five years later he
rose to the higher position of Mayor. Excisemen in
those days were not usually very popular persons, and
even collectors of customs, when invested with municipal
authority, were apt to be regarded with aversion.
"There were none that bore office in the excise but
rogues," said John Lee, yeoman, " being at William
Mason's house in the Bigg Market," on the lath
October, a few days after Mr. Brabant's election. " And
what was Henry Brabant," he temerariously asked,
" but an exciseman ! and none but broken rogues had
such places." For which outspoken speech, and seditious
words against his Majesty, Lee was hauled up before
a magistrate, as, at a later date, Albert Hodgson was
cited for saying something to the contrary effect.
Hodgson being a Catholic, railed at Alderman Davison,
son of Brabant's master, " and did with much invitracye
and malice asperse and abuse Mr. Davison," adding that
"none of the aldermen were worth anything except
Mr. Brabant," &c. In the times of the Stuarts, as in
our own day, railing and abuse were the common
heritage of persons in authority, for party spirit in
politics and religion is eternally the same.
In the books of the Trinity House is a record that
Alderman Henry Brabant and Ralph Jenison were
deputed by the town to attend the King in council for the
adjustment of a dispute pending between the town and
Mr. Edmoud Curtis, who had undertaken to clear
away the wrecks in the river. The Hostmen's books
contain entries that "Ralph Jenison, governor, and
Henry Brabant, Esq., going to London, are desired to
use their endeavours to secure an Act of Parliament for
regulating the abuses of collieries," &c., and that in 1681
the Hostmen appointed a committee to consult Henry
Brabant and other officers in the Custom House, with a
view to compel ships to discharge at a proper ballast
quay, or shore, within the river. Items of no great
importance are these, except to show that Mr. Brabant
was living in the sunshine, after some years spent in the
shade. The circumstances under which he became
Mayor a second time, at Michaelmas, 1685, are given in
his letter to the King. In that document he appears as
a knight, and it is believed that he received this courtly
title at his Majesty's accession in March previous. The
honour came too late to be of much use to him. For in
June, 1687, being then about 66 years of age, he died —
died, as he had lived, a poor man. There is an order of
Common Council, dated 1707, by which £5 was to be
given " to Lady Brabant in charity," and that is the last
time the name appears in the municipal annals of
Newcastle.
January \
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
11
gflje ?Rtt). |oljn $ranb, Jtt.gu,
ANTIQUARY AND HI8TOBIAN.
The father of John Brand was parish clerk of
Washington, near Durham. His daily occupation is
not stated ; probably he was a farm labourer, or small
handicraftsman ; if he had been in better circumstances,
local historians would have told us so. His son John
was born on the 19th August, 17*4; his wife died
shortly afterwards, and when he married a second
time he allowed his brother-in-law, Anthony Wheatley,
to bring the boy to Newcastle to be brought up. Mr.
Wheatley was a shoemaker in the Back Row, a narrow
thoroughfare which extended eastward from the foot
of Westgate Street. (A view of the Back Row, which
has now disappeared, was given in the Monthly Chronicle,
vol. ii., p. 137.) He was only a small tradesman, follow-
ing an ill-requited calling in a poor neighbourhood,
with squalid surroundings, but he did the best he could
for his adopted son.
As soon as he was old enough, young Brand was sent
to the Royal Free Grammar School of Newcastle, an
institution which a newly-appointed headmaster — the
Rev. Hugh Moises — was endowing with fresh life.
Under his careful tuition, the lad made rapid progress.
Wise and thoughtful beyond his years, as boys brought
up by foster-parents often are, he became a diligent and
obedient scholar — a credit to the school, and a source of
pride and gratification to bis teachers. At the age of
fourteen he was withdrawn from Mr. Moises's care, and
bound apprentice to his uncle.
It was, perhaps, fortunate that the sedentary occupa-
tion of a cordwainer fell to his lot. Shoemaking, as
practised before the introduction of machinery, was
favourable to the formation of studious habits. Young
Brand had acquired at the Grammar School a taste for
learning which he was unwilling to neglect. His uncle,
being a lenient master, and most likely proud of the
accomplishments of his youthful relative, raised no objec-
tion. Thus, unfettered at home, and encouraged by Mr.
Moises, the lad kept up his studies, conned over his
lessons as he sat at work, and grew up to manhood
clever and accomplished.
When his indentures of apprenticeship expired, in 1765,
Mr. Brand was desirous of utilising his acquirements in
a more congenial sphere. But no opening presented
itself to his maturing genius, and he remained with his
uncle. During his servitude he had begun to woo the
Muse, and ventured into print with "A Collection of
Peetical Essays. Newcastle-upon-Tyne : Printed by I.
Thompson, Esq., 1765."
Under the will of Bishop Crewe, Lincoln College,
Oxford, was endowed with twelve exhibitions to be held
by natives of the diocese of Durham, and in 1768, when
Mr. Brand was taking up his freedom of the Cordwainers
Company, it occurred to Mr. Moises that the bishop's
munificence might be utilised to rescue his gifted protegu
from a life of drudgery and indigence. Opulent friends
were consulted, and favourable responses obtained. On
the 8th of October, 1768, Mr. Brand was admitted a
commoner of Lincoln College, and on the 10th of the
month following he was elected a Lord Crewe ex-
hibitioner, the value of which, at that time, was £30 per
annum. His collegiate course lasted three years, and
when it was ended he was ordained by Dr. Egerton,
Bishop of Durham, and licensed to the curacy of Bolam.
In 1773, returning to Newcastle, he officiated as one of
the curates of St. Andrew's, and the following year, Mr.
Matthew Ridley, of Heaton, gave him his first pre-
ferment, the curacy of Cramlington, of the yearly value
of £40.
While at Oxford, Mr. Brand had renewed his dalliance
with the poetic Muse. The subject of his verse was sug-
gested by frequent walks along the banks of the Isis to
the ruins of Godstow Nunnery, the burial place of "Fair
Rosamond," paramour of Henry II. In 1775, when he
took his bachelor's degree, he gave these poetical medita-
tions to the printer, and they were published in a thin
quarto (with a copperplate engraving by Ralph Beilby),
under the suggestive title of "Illicit Love." For-
tunately, soon after its publication, he turned to a
more attractive and more useful study— that of
antiquities. In November, 1776, he sent to press,
from his residence in Westgate Street, Bourne's
little book on the Antiquities of the Common Peo-
ple (which had become scarce) with copious addi-
tions of his own, under the title of "Observations
on Popular Antiquities." This work, expanded from
materials which Mr. Brand left behind him, and from
other sources, was re-issued in 1813 by Mr. (afterwards
Sir) Henry Ellis, and has been several times reprinted.
12
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
A few months after it was published the author was
admitted a member of the London Society of Anti-
quaries ; the year following he was appointed under
usher in the Grammar School of Newcastle, where he
had received his early education ; and in 1781, having
in the meantime taken his M.A. degree, he was preferred
to the ushership. The curacies of Cramlington and St.
Andrew's, Newcastle, supplemented by his income as
usher, afforded him a moderate competence, and he lived
in Newcastle, with his aunt, Mrs. Wheatley, as his house-
keeper, in comparative ease and comfort.
While thus engaged, be had been collecting materials
for a history of Newcastle, and by Christmas, 1783,
had made substantial progress with his work. It
happened that just at this time the rectory of St.
Mary-at-Hill and St. Andrew Hubbard, in the City of
London, fell vacant, and the Duke of Northumberland,
the patron for that turn, offered the living to Mr.
Brand, adding to it the office of private secretary and
librarian. On the 8th of February, 1784, he read him-
self in at St. Mary-at-Hill, and prepared to take up
his permanent abode in London. Directly afterwards,
another appointment fell in his way. Dr. Morrell,
secretary to the London Society of Antiquaries, died
on the 19th of the month, and through the influence of
the duke, and the high opinion which his fellow
members entertained of his merits, Mr. Brand was
unanimously chosen to fill the office.
And now, resident in the Metropolis, provided with
ample means, and having free access to public records
and private collections, Mr. Brand was able to push his
history of Newcastle more rapidly towards completion.
Frequent reference to it is made in his " Letters to
Ralph Beilby," published by the Newcastle Typographi-
cal Society. Obtaining from the Common Council of
Newcastle, on the 14th June, 1787, permission to dedicate
the work to them, he commenced to solicit subscribers,
and on the 16th May, 1789, it was announced as ready for
delivery, price three guineas, in two volumes, royal
quarto, and liberally illustrated with 34- plates, &c.,
engraved by Mr. Fittler.
For two and twenty years Mr. Brand fulfilled the
duties of secretary to the Society of Antiquaries and
rector of St. Mary-at-Hill. He did not marry, but lived
with a housekeeper at the rooms of the society in
Somerset Place, Strand, till, prosecuted by common
informers for non-residence, he was compelled to occupy
his parsonage. After the publication of his "History,"
nothing of importance issued from his pen. He con-
tributed a few papers to the " Archaeologia," and printed
a quarto pamphlet about some inscriptions discovered in
the Tower of London, and that was all. Not that his
pen was idle during that long time. On the contrary, it
was constantly at work, though in another direction. He
n.ade it the chief business of his life to collect scarce and
out-of-the-way books and manuscripts, and enrich them
with pen and ink sketches of their authors, explanations
of the text, and other useful and critical annotations.
Many hundreds of books, pamphlets, and tracts were
gathered together at Somerset Place and the parson-
age, some of them of the rarest character. Writing a
small, thin hand, but clear and legible as print, he was
able to compress a great deal of matter into a fly leaf, or
the back of a title page, and scores of his treasures were
in this way illustrated, explained, and improved.
On the morning of the llth of September, 1806, while
preparing for his usual walk through the City to the
office of the Society of Antiquaries, Mr. Brand suddenly
died in his study. He was buried in the chancel of
his church of St. Mary-at-Hill, where a tablet, bearing
the following inscription, preserves the memory of his
pastorate : —
Within the Communion Rails lies interred the Body of
the Rev. John Brand, 22 years and 6 months the faithful
Rector of this and the united Parish of St. Andrew
Hubbard. He was also perpetual Curate of Cramlington,
in the County of Northumberland, and he was Fellow
and Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries. He died
llth September, 1806, in the 63rd year of his age. His
affectionate Aunt, Mrs. Ann Wheatley, of Newcastle-
upon-Tyne, has erected this Monument to his Memory.
By his will dated March 14, 1790, Mr. Brand be-
queathed all his " books, English portraits, prints,
ancient coins, household furniture, cloaths, and linen,"
and all the residue, &c., to his aunt and sole executrix,
Ann Wheatley, who had brought him up. The old
lady proceeded to realise the property, and the sale of
the books and MSS. which he had gathered together
was a notable event in London. A priced catalogue of
the first part of the "Bibliotheca Brandiana" shows
that the sale lasted from May 6 to June 20, 1807,
comprised 8,611 lots of books, &e., and 243 lots of
MSS., and with a second auction in February follow-
ing of more than 4,000 duplicates, and collections of
pamphlets, realised £17,000.
Probate was granted to Mrs. Wheatley in November,
1806, the value of the property being sworn as under
£800. But after the sale, when it was ascertained how
inadequately that sum represented the value of Mr.
Brand's effects, another probate was issued, and the pre-
vious one was declared to be null and void. At Mrs
Wheatley's death, her furniture and other goods and
chattels were bequeathed to her maid, Mary Sharp, who
had lived with Mr. Brand in London. From Mary Sharp,
who resided for some years in Cumberland Row, New-
castle, and died at the age of 90, they came to her niece
Ann, wife of Edward Hudson, of Alnwick, and are now
in the possession of Mrs. Hudson's representative, Miss
Almond of that town. Among them are Mr. Brand's
cabinet of coins and curios, gold watch, clock, portfolio of
prints, and various framed pictures and engravings. His
writing desk (upon which the Rev. Mr. Wasney, the
popular curate of St. Thomas's Chapel, wrote his sermons
while lodging with Mary Sharp) is owned by the widow
January!
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
13
of the late Mr. William Armstrong, master printer of the
Newcastle Chronicle — a friend of the Hudson family. A
collection of papers and letters by and relating to Mr.
Brand, including his memorandum book for 1799, and a
MS. notice of his works by the late Mr. Thomas Bell,
was purchased by the Rev. J. R. Boyle, in 1885, and is
now in the library of the Newcastle Society of Anti-
quaries.
Our portrait is taken from a miniature kindly lent by
Mr. J. C. Brooks, of Newcastle, who inherited it from
Mr. John Martin, librarian to the London University.
So far as is known, this is the only recognisable portrait
of Mr. Brand in existence, the liknesses prefixed to the
" History of Newcastle," and sometimes found attached
to the catalogue of the "Bibliotheca Brandiana, " being
only shadow-outlines, or silhouettes.
(George
ATTORNEY AND TEMPERANCE REFORMER.
In the early part of the present century three brothers
named Brewis came from the country to Newcastle, and
started business as cartmen. They were industrious,
thrifty, God-fearing men, and they prospered. John, the
oldest, became an elder and precentor at the High Bridge
Presbyterian Chapel, round which loving memories of the
Rev. James Murray still lingered, and his brothers
William and George were among his fellow-worshippers
They all brought up families in respectability and com-
fort. One of John Brewis's sons became a popular
Independent minister (of him more presently) ; one of
William's children was George Brewis, attorney, pioneer
of building societies in Newcastle, and temperance
reformer.
George Brewis was born about the year 1814, in Percy
Street, and was educated by Mr. John Weir, a well-
known schoolmaster of the period. As a boy he entered
the office of Mr. John Clayton, town clerk, where he
continued eleven years, and thence transferred his
services to Mr. George Tallentire Gibson, to whom he
was articled with a view of entering the profession of
the law. About 1845, he was placed on the rolls as an
attorney and solicitor, and at once commenced a prac.
tice as the legal adviser of building societies, the founda-
tion of which, with much foresight, he had laid during
his clerkship.
Incentives to thrift in the form of building societies,
and incitements to sobriety in the shape of total abstin-
ence pledges, came in together. Joseph Livesey, the
founder of teetotalism, visited Newcastle in the autumn
of 1835. George Brewis signed the pledge on the 22nd
June, 1836, and immediately thereafter became an active
propagandist of temperance principles. When the first
report of the " Newcastle Teetotal Society " came out, its
roll of officers was filled with these well-known names :—
President, Jonathan Priestman ; secretaries, Jas. Rew-
castle (corresponding), Geo. Hornsby (minute), John
Benson (registering), and Geo. Brewis (discipline).
Following the bent of his own inclination as well as the
traditions of his fore-elders, Mr. Brewis was an earnest
Nonconformist. As a youth he taught in the Sunday
School of High Bridge Chapel ; in manhood he became
a member of the Congregational Church assembling in
St. James's Chapel, at the head of Grey Street. In
politics he was an advanced Liberal, and gave energetic
support to Mr. J. F. B. Blackett, Mr. Peter Carstairs,
and Mr. (afterwards Sir) Joseph Cowen, in their re-
spective candidatures for the representation of New-
castle. With municipal matters he did not actively
intermeddle till late in life, and then, having been a
Poor Law Guardian for a time, he fought for a seat in
the Council, and was unsuccessful.
Mr. Brewis died suddenly in his office, Royal Arcade,
on the 3rd December, 1867, and a few days later was
interred in Elswick Cemetery with the solemnities of a
public funeral.
$eo. SKUltam
INDEPENDENT MINISTER.
William Brewis, eldest son of the before-named John
Brewis, was born in Newcastle on the 8th of October,
1804. Trained to the religious life by his father at High
Bridge Chapel, and manifesting early inclinations for the
work of the ministry, he was sent to Rotherham Indepen-
dent College, in September, 1820, on the eve of his 17th,
u
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
year. After passing through the usual curriculum, he
was called to the pastorate of the church at Lane End in
Staffordshire, and on the 26th of April, 1825, received the
rite of ordination. His next appointment was at Kirby
Moorside ; thence he removed to Gainsborough ; and in
1837 he became minister of the Congregational Church at
Penrith, where he remained until called to his reward,
thirty-two years later.
The congregation at Penrith was small in number and1
in influence when Mr. Brewis entered upon his ministry
there, but his preaching attracted hearers, and in no
long time he built up a strong and flourishing cause.
Such was his success that, after a few years' labour, a new
building, in which his Penrith followers might worship
with convenience and comfort, became desirable. But,
although his hearers were numerous, their resources were
slender. It was not until 1865 that they felt justified in
commencing to build a place that should be worthy of
them and their position. When, however, they did begin,
they built for posterity. Completed in July, 1866, at a
cost of £3,500, the handsome new edifice became a centre
of renewed life and activity, sixty members were added in
one year, and the various organisations which have their
origin and find their home in a prosperous religious
community, grew and flourished under the roof of Penrith
Congregational Church.
i'or three years only was Mr. Brewis permitted to see
the fruition of his labours. The end came somewhat
suddenly. In the morning of Saturday, May 22, 1869,
after family worship, he complained of sickness, and in
the afternoon, sinking from his chair, in a kneeling
posture he passed away. On the Wednesday, while his
old friend Samuel Plimsoll, M.P., and ministers from all
parts of the Northern Counties gathered round, his re-
mains were buried in the private cemetery of the congre-
gation. A sermon from the text, " The Lord God is a
Sun," which he had prepared the day before his death for
the ensuing morning service, was read the following Sun-
day in a dozen neighbouring chapels, and, being after-
wards printed, had a wide circulation.
|ol)n Srottec Crockett,
AUTHOB OF THE "GLOSSARY."
During the fifty years which preceded the general
adoption of steam locomotion, when methods of inter-
communication and opportunities for interchange of
thought and opinion between provincial communities
were limited, Newcastle was the home of gifted men,
whose acquirements in literature and science, in anti-
quities and art, gave the town a definite position among
trans-metropolitan centres of intellectual activity. Excel-
lent are their names — Adamson and Atkinson, Bewick
and Buddie, Burdon and Brockett, Dobson and Double-
day, Hodgson, Losh, and Mitchell, Mackenzie, Richard-
eon, and Turner, Williamson, Wilson, and Winch. Ad-
mirable were their enterprises — the Literary and Philo-
sophical Society, Society of Antiquaries, Typographical
Society, Institution for the Promotion of the Fine Arts,
Botanical and Horticultural Society, Mechanics' In-
stitute, and Natural History Society. "True men were
they in their time " — these pioneers and promoters of cul-
ture in Newcastle. " They rest from their labours"; but
their works, for the most part, survive, and bear testi-
mony, generation after generation, to their wisdom and
foresight, to their energy and devotion.
Among these leaders of thought in Newcastle, John
Trotter Brockett was a prominent figure. Born in 1788,
JOHN TROTTER BROCKETT.
his early surroundings had been in the highest decree
favourable to the acquisition of knowledge and the cul-
tivation of literary taste. The Rev. William Turner —
Unitarian divine, scientific lecturer, and director-general
of intellectual progress on both sides the Tyne— super-
intended his education ; his father (claiming on the
mother's side descent from the Nonconformist family of
Angus) was Deputy-Prothonotary in the local Courts of
Record, and supervised his studies in mathematics and
jurisprudence. His own diligence, aiding the sound
training of teacher and parent, enabled him, at the
proper age, to enter with confidence upon the profession
of the law. Having completed articles with Messrs.
Clayton and Brumell, the leading solicitors in the town,
he became managing clerk to Mr. Armorer Donkin, in
due time was admitted an attorney, married a daughter
of John Bell, merchant, and settled down to a lucrative
practice.
Mr. Brockett commenced at an early period of life to
write, to edit, and to publish. In 1817, his name appears
as the editor of a new issue of Bartlet's " Episcopal Coins
January!
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
15
-of Durham and the Monastic Coins of Reading, Minted
during the Rei(rns of Edwards I., II., and III." Heat
the same time reprinted two rare tracts — one of 1627,
"A Short View of the Long Life and Reigne of Henry
the Third"; the other, dated 1650, being "An Exact
Narration of the Life and Death of the Reverend and
Learned Prelate and Painful Divine, Launcelot Andre wes,
late Bishop of Winchester." The excellence of the typo-
graphy displayed in these reprints by the printer (Mrs.
Hodgson) induced him to suggest the formation of
a society for the re-issuing of scarce tracts, and the
preservation of local compositions, in the best style
of printing that the town could produce. He was
busy at this time with a learned treatise upon a
question that was occupying the attention of local
politicians, and the following year it was issued,
with the long-drawn title of "An Enquiry into the
Question whether the Freeholders of the Town and
County of Newcastle-upon-Tyne are entitled to vote for
members of Parliament for the County of Northumber-
land"— an inquiry, by the way, that was answered by
the Reform Bill. As soon as this, his first bit of inde-
pendent authorship, was out of hand, Mr. Brockett
resumed his reprint proposals. A pamphlet on "Hints
on the Propriety of Establishing a Typographical
Society in Newcastle," which he published in the same
year as the " Enquiry," led to the formation of a literary
organisation based upon his suggestions. The Newcastle
Typographical Society sprang into being at once, and,
although its aims were limited and some of the members
were not very careful about the utility of the productions
which they put forth, a collection of their tracts—
about 80 in number — is not without historical value.
The society printed for private distribution as a rule,
and in very limited numbers, Of some of their publica-
tions only twenty copies were issued ; of a few as many
as 300 were struck off, and these were generally offered
for sale, but for the most part the number printed was
a hundred. On various issues were engraved the special
devices of the issuing members, being generally cuts by
Bewick, representing a ruin with armorial bearings.
Mr. Brockett's vignette, which appears upon a dozen of
the tracts, was one of the most striking, as his pamphlets
were, from a historical point of view, among the most
valuable of the series.
In 1825, appeared the first edition of his far-famed
" Glossary of North-Country Words" ; it was followed in
1829 by another and much more comprehensive book
under the same title ; and after Mr. Brockett's death,
his son, aided by local men of letters, brought out the
work in the two-volume form that is now most com-
monly met with. A " Glossographia Anglicana," from
MSS. which Mr. Brockett had prepared for publication,
was privately printed a few years ago in "The Sette
of Odd Volumes, "with a biographical sketch by Frederick
Bloomer.
From the title of the first book to which Mr. Brockett
put his name it may be inferred that he was interested
in the collection of coins and medals. To a knowledge
of numismatics, which was at once deep and wide, he
added a passion for gathering together not only the
shining discs which attract men to that special cult,
but curios of all kinds, and especially rare editions of
rare books. Mr. Fenwick tells us that his collection
of the former at a ten days' sale in London, in 1823,
realised £1,760; and his library of scarce and curious
books, which occupied fourteen days in the selling,
brought £4-, 260. No sooner had he disposed of these
treasures than he began to accumulate afresh. Dr.
Dibdin, the famous antiquary, passing through New-
castle in 1837, was entertained by the literati of
the town, and in the charming book which he after-
wards published, "A Bibliographical, Antiquarian, and
Picturesque Tour in the Northern Counties of England
and in Scotland," describes his intercourse with Mr.
Brockett in terms of mingled humour and apprecia-
tion : —
More than once was the hospitable table of my friend,
John Trotter Brockett, Esq., spread to receive me. He
lives comparatively in a nut-shell : but what a kernel !
Pictures, books, curiosities, medals, coins of precious
value, bespeak his discriminating eye and his liberal
heart. You may revel here from sunrise to sunset, and
fancy the domains interminable. Do not suppose that a
stated room, or rooms, are only appropriated to his
BOKES : they are " upstairs, downstairs, and in my lady's
chamber." They spread all over the house— tendrils of
pliant curve and perennial verdure. For its size, if 1
except those of one or two Sannatyners, I am not sure
whether this be not about the choicest collection of books
which I saw on my tour.
From an early period of his life Mr. Brockett was a
member of the Literary and Philosophical Society of
Newcastle, and for some years preceding his death he
undertook the responsible duties of one of its secretaries.
He assisted at the formation of the Newcastle Society of
Antiquaries, and became an active member of its Council.
The Newcastle and Gateshead Law Society found in him
16
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
one of its warmest supporters, and awarded him, in 18J2,
its special thanks for services he had rendered to the pro-
fession before a Parliamentary Committee. He was a
Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London ; the
well-known initials of that institution formed the only
affix that he consented to couple with his name. In
domestic life, he was a pattern of all that was amiable.
His family participated with him in his favourite studies
and pursuits, and his home was the abode of peace and
happiness. Some years previously to his death he lost his
eldest sen. He sustained the shock with surprising
fortitude ; but it may have been the remote cause of
his death, which occurred at his house in Albion Street
on the 12th of October, 1842, in the 54th year of his age.
was the popular name given to two
Hfe-sized leaden figures which for many
years formed the chief attraction and laud-
mark in Broad Street (now Roker Avenue), at the
junction of Fulwell Lane and Church Street, Monk-
in its later days by " Gentleman John," a soubriquet
which clung to Mr. John Smith, shipowner, all through
his successful career from a blacksmith to a capitalist.
But previous to this it ia said to have been the residence
of the great-grandfather of the late Mr. George Cooper
Abbes, of Cleadon Hall, who purchased the two figures'
which had been brought over from Germany (with ten
more) by some speculative skipper, and set them up to
adorn the entrance to his house. The other figures found
their way into the hands of different gentlemen in the
County Palatine, and most of them have probably Jong
ere this been melted down for the sake of the lead. The
duty on lead, in the shape of ore, was four pounds a ton a
hundred years ago, whereas the Babbies, being "works
of art," would be admitted either duty free or for a com-
paratively small charge.
Between sixty and seventy years ago, the Broad
Street mansion (or, as some say, the house next to it)
wearmouth. The house with the garden pillars thus
ornamented was once a very pleasant residence, remark-
able for having a clock and bells, and was occupied
was occupied by a Scotchman of the name of Rae
who kept a -genteel school in it, which was attended
by the children of the principal Sunderland families— the
Kennicotts, Robsons, &c. Mr. Kae's wife was the sister
of a Miss Gilbert, the mother of the celebrated Lola
Montez, whose real name was Eliza Gilbert. Eliza,
whose father is said to have been an officer in the
British army serving in India, was sent home from
the East while yet a mere child, and boarded
January I
1889. j
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
17
with Mr. and Mrs. Rae, from whom she received
the elements of a Rood substantial English education.
She had for her schoolfellows many who, when she after-
wards became world-famous, remembered her as a very
interesting, clever, pretty girl.
A few years ago, the Babbies were presented to the
Roker Park, where they may now be seen ; but it is
proposed to place them on the pillars at the entrance
from Roker Promenade when the gateway shall have
been completed. The style of dress denotes the
figures to be of German or Dutch manufacture. The
scythe which the man is represented in the act of sharpen-
ing, is the Flemish or Hainault scythe, with which a good
workman could cut an acre of corn easily in a day, and
which was introduced into this country by some enter-
prising farmers about fifty years ago, to take the place of
the Irish scythe-hook, which had itself supplanted the
old toothed hook or sickle, all to be rendered obsolete in
their turn by the reaping machine.
TOmft at tire
(HE wreck of the Stanley at the mouth of the
Tyne took place on the 24th of November,
1864. During the early part of that day, a
strong breeze blew from the east-south-east.
It was not, however, sufficiently violent off the mouth of
the Tyne to account for the gradual rise of the waves as
the day advanced. In the afternoon, the storm, of which
the wind from the quarter indicated had been the herald,
gradually grew in violence until it became evident that
there were serious grounds for apprehension as to the
safety of vessels which were then in the offing. About
half-past four o'clock an occurrence took place which,
unfortunately, proved the precursor of further and
more serious disasters. One of the Tyne Commis-
sioners' hoppers, in tow of a steam-tug belonging to
Mr. Lawson, of South Shields, was outside the bar, when
the towline parted. The hopper was driven behind the
North Pier, the two men who were on board of her being
rescued by means of life-buoys by some of the pier men ;
while the tug was dashed upon the Herd Sands, whence
her crew were saved by the South Shields lifeboat. The
next vessel which ran on shore proved to be the passenger
steamer Stanley.
This fine vessel was the property of the Aberdeen
Steam Navigation Company. She was an iron screw-
steamer, and was built at West Hartlepool by Messrs.
Pile, Spence, and Co. in 1859. Her register tonnage was
376, her actual burthen being 552 tons. She had sailed
from Aberdeen on the previous night, bound for London,
in charge of Captain Howling, having a crew of 2j
hands, all told. The number of passengers at the time
of sailing was 30, about half of whom were women.
The vessel had also a full cargo on board, and on her deck
were about 48 cattle and 30 sheep. She proceeded on
her voyage with every prospect of reaching her desired
haven in safety, until off the Northumberland coast,
where she first began to experience the effects of the
storm. Finding the sea so turbulent in-shore, the
Stanley stood out seaward in the expectation of finding
smoother water, but discovered th:it she was only run-
18
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
IK*
ning into the full force of the gale. In this terrible
plight, the captain determined to steam for the Tyne,
the mouth of which was reached about a quarter to five
o'clock. The master had only once during his nautical
career been in the Tyne, and that was about twenty
years previously. Under these circumstances, he na-
turally felt considerable hesitation in taking the bar,
more especially as the tidal lights were not then
burning. He fired a couple of rockets for a pilot, but
none came off. A tug-steamer did, indeed, leave the
harbour, but she never approached near to the
Stanley. The mate, however, who had frequently
sailed to and from the Tyne, expressed his readiness
to steer the vessel into port. The captain yielded to
his representations, and the head of the steamer was
turned towards the bar. This was safely crossed. But
the ship had got no further than just off the Spanish
Battery, when, with a dreadful shock, she struck upon
the rocks known as the Black Middens.
As soon as the peril of the Stanley was seen from the
shore, a number of the coastguardsmen set about getting
the rocket apparatus ready for firing. The Tynemouth
lifeboat, the Constance, was promptly manned, while the
North Shields lifeboats, the Northumberland and
Providence, with the South Shields lifeboats, William
Wake, Tyne, and Fly, were also got out and pulled
down the harbour into the Narrows. Intelligence of the
catastrophe spread with lightning-like rapidity, and the
consternation and excitement of the inhabitants in the
sister towns at the mouth of the Tyne were intense.
The night was pitch dark, and from the elevated
headland overlooking the harbour the sea could be made
out only by a broad band of white foam ; but a couple of
hundred yards from the shore could be dimly discerned
through the gloom some dark object indicating the
position of the ill-fated vessel. The roar of the waves, too,
was deafening ; but in the lulls of the storm the despair-
ing wail of the poor creatures exposed to the pitiless
waves was heard with painful and agonizing distinctness.
As the tide fell, the rocket apparatus was carried over the
rocks, and preparations were made to establish means of
communication with those on board.
Before the disaster, the Stanley had been provided
with four lifeboats ; but, after striking upon the rocks,
three of these were speedily smashed to pieces. An
attempt was made to launch the remaining lifeboat ; and
for this purpose four of the crew got into her, taking with
them four female passengers. While the boat, however,
was being lowered from the davits, a heavy sea caused
her to turn round and sink. Three of the seamen were
rescued by those on board, but the four ladies and the
fourth seaman were, in a moment, swept beyond the
reach of aid.
After firing one or two abortive rockets, the coastguard
at last succeeded in establishing communication with the
Stanley. The line carried by the rocket was soon the
.means of carrying a stout warp between. the vessel
and the shore ; and upon this warp the cradle was
slung. The first man to venture into the cradle was an
ordinary seaman, named Andrew Campbell, who was
safely conveyed to the shore amid the cheers of the
bystanders. A second seaman and a woman next got
into the cradle, but, unhappily, they fell or were
thrown out, and were drowned. The second mate,
James Knipp, then took his place in the cradle, and was
safely drawn through the raging waters to the shore.
Owing to an unfortunate error of judgment on tho
part of some one, the hawser was secured in such a
manner that it was no higher than the rail of the ship,
the consequence being that those on shore could not get
it clear of the water. The result of the mistake was
soon painfully palpable. When a seaman named Buchan
had been drawn about midway between the vessel and
the shore, the bight of the warp was borne by his
weight against the rocks, amongst which the whip-line
of the cradle became entangled, and the cradle itself was
brought to a standstill. Inspired by the strength born
of despair, the determined fellow managed to haul himself
hand-over-hand to the shore by the warp. The warp and
cradle being, by this untoward accident, rendered use-
less, an end was put for the time being to any further
efforts in that direction ; and the unfortunate pas-
sengers and crew still on board were left to their fate
until the full tide of the morning should afford an
opportunity for the resumption of measures for their
rescue.
The captain and his mate appear to have done every-
thing in their power towards saving the passengers from
being swept away. Two women — the only two who were
afterwards saved — were induced to place themselves in
the foretop, where they were securely lashed ; and three
or four more were bound to the shrouds beneath. The
bulk of the female passengers, however, were too much
affrighted and prostrated by the fearful experiences
through which they were passing to venture from the
deck.
About half-past nine o'clock, the steamer was struck
by a tremendous sea. The hull yielded to the irresistible
blow, and parted abaft the mainmast. The force of the
waves swung the fore part and larger portion of
the vessel completely round until it was left in a position
with the bow breasting the waves. At this time the
whole of those on board were on the larger portion of the
vessel. The second-class cabin was on the deck, and the
top of it formed what was known as the bridge or "look-
out." Affording as it did a place of refuge from the
breakers which poured incessantly upon the doomed
vessel, it became crowded by female passengers and a
portion of the crew. All were tightly lashed to the rails
by which the sides were guarded. But a terrific breaker
swept the entire structure, with its shrieking occupants,
into the sea, where they all perished.
January I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
19
The survivors in other parts of the vessel had taken
refuge in the fore and main rigging, whence several of
them were washed into the sea. The same fate befel
two of the women who had been lashed to the shrouds,
while another, unable to bear up against the exposure
and hardships of that terrible trial, expired from
exhaustion.
About five o'clock next morning the sea had suffi-
ciently fallen to permit a resumption of the exertions
to save the survivors. Three rockets were fired before
a communication with the vessel was established. This
time those on board made the warp fast to the mast-
head, by which means it was kept out of the angry
surf, and the incline materially facilitated the working
of the cradle. Soon all was ready for recommencing the
work of rescue, and in a few minutes afterwards the whole
of the survivors were brought safely to land.
There were lost, in all, about twenty-six lives ; and
with the other disasters which occurred at the harbour's
mouth during that memorable night, the catalogue of
mortality was swollen to between thirty and forty.
There has since been no such lamentable experience
in the history of Tyne navigation, the great improve-
ments effected by the enterprise of the River Com-
missioners having largely contributed to the greater im-
munity from fatal disaster which is now enjoyed, while
the brave members of the Tyneraouth Volunteer Life
Brigade, which owes its origin to the wreck of the
Stanley, are ever ready to render assistance when neces-
sity arises.
The sketch of the wreck which accompanies this article
is taken from a painting by Mr. J. W. Swift, a local
artist of the time.
(Cite
j|HE whole surface of the globe, so far as it
has been inhabited and explored by man,
is supposed to have been infested more or
less in former times, if not still, by super-
natural beings of one sort or another. Some of these
sprites have been held to be beneficent, others malig-
nant, others again only mischievous or tricksy. Some
seem to have been thought ubiquitous, if not omni-
present, or at least able to appear, or capable of being
called up, at any time or place ; while others are local
goblins, frequenting particular spots, and never wandering
beyond certain narrow limits. The counties of Durham
and Northumberland are popularly believed to have
abounded as much as any known region with these crea-
tures of the imagination, which have not even yet been
all forced to flee away by the spread of secular know-
ledge. The Brownie and Dobie, the Brown Man of the
Moors, Redcap, Dunnip, Hob Headless, Silky, the Cauld
Lad of Hilton, the Picktree Brag, are all local sprites of
more or less celebrity, haunting particular spots, and
varied in characteristics. The Hedhy Kow is not one of
the least famous of the number.
According to all accounts, this Kow was a "bogie,"
mischievous rather than malignant, which haunted the
village of Hedley, near Ebchester. Some uncertainty pre-
vails as to the precise locality here indicated; for there are
at least four Hedleys within a short distance of the old
Roman station on the Derwent, viz., Hedley, near
ilickley, in the parish of Whittonstall ; Black Hedley,
near Eddy's Bridge— both in Northumberland ; Hedley,
or Hedley Hall, on the skirts of Blackburn Fell, formerly
a great waste, in the parish of Lamesley ; and Hedley
Hope, near Cornsay, in the parish of Lanchester— the
two last in the county of Durham. Whichever of these
four neighbourhoods was that haunted by the Kow, it is
perhaps impossible now to tell. Neither, in fact, does it
matter very much, as the localities are only a few miles
from each other, with only the river Derwent intervening.
One thing all are agreed on, the Kow did nobody any
serious injury, but merely took delight in frightening
people.
To whomsoever he appeared, lie usually ended his
frolics with a hoarse laugh at their fear or astonsihment,
after he had played them some sorry trick. To an old
woman, for instance, gathering sticks, like Goody Blake,
by the hedge side, if not actually out of the hedge, he
would sometimes appear as a "fad" or truss of straw,
lying on the road. If, as was natural, the dame was
tempted to take possession of this "fad," her load in
carrying it home would become so heavy that she would
be obliged to lay it down. The straw would then appear
as if "quick," the truss would rise upright like the
patriarch Joseph's sheaf, and away it would shuffle
before her along the road, swinging first to one
side and then to another. Every now and then
it would set up a laugh, or give a shout, in the
manner of a rustic dancer when he kicks his heels and
snaps his fingers at the turn of the tune ; and at last, with
a sound like a rushing wind, it would wholly vanish from
her sight.
Two men belonging to Newlands, on the left bank of
the Derwent, opposite Ebchester — a place now rendered
famous in connection with the mysterious person who
claimed to be Countess of Derwentwater — went out one
night about the beginning of the present century to meet
their sweethearts. On arriving at the appointed place,
they saw, as they supposed, the two girls walking at a
short distance before them. The girls continued to walk
onwards for two or three miles, and the young men to
follow without being able to overtake them. They
quickened their pace, but still the girls kept before them ;
and at length, when the pair found themselves up to their
knees in a mire, the girls suddenly disappeared with a
most unfeminine ha, ha, ha ! The young men now per-
20
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I January
ceived that they had been beguiled by the Hedley Kow.
After getting clear of the bog, they ran homeward as fast
as their legs could carry them, while the boggle followed
close at their heels, hooting and laughing. In crossing
the Derwent, between Ebchester and Hamsterley Hall,
the one who took the lead fell down in the water, and his
companion, who was not far behind, tumbled over him.
In their panic, each mistook the other for the Kow, and
loud were their cries of terror as they rolled over each
other in the stream. They, however, managed to get out
separately, and, on reaching home, each told a painful
tale of having been chased by the Hedley Kow.
A farmer of the name of Forster, who lived near
Hedley, went out into 'the field very early one morning,
as he intended driving into Newcastle, so as to be there as
soon as the shops were opened. In the dim twilight, he
caught, as he believed, his own grey horse, and harnessed
it with his own hands. But, after yoking the beast to the
cart and getting upon the shaft to drive away, the horse
(which was not a horse at all, but the Kow) slipped away
from the limmers, setting up a great "nicker" as he
flung up his heels and scoured away "like mad" out of
the farmyard.
The Kow was a perfect plague to the servant girls at
farm houses all round the Fell. Sometimes he would call
them out of their beds by imitating their lovers at the
window. At other times, during their absence, he would
overturn the kail pot, open the milk house door and invite
the cat to lap the cream, let down "steeks" in the
stockings they had been knitting, or put their spinning-
wheel out of order. Many a time, taking the shape of
a favourite cow, he would lead the milkmaid a long chase
round the field before he would allow himself to be caught ;
and, after kicking and "rowting" during the whole milking
time, " as if the de'il was in Hawkie, " he would at last up-
set the pail, slip clear of the tie, give a loud bellow, and
bolt off tail on end, thus letting the girl know she had
been the sport of the Kow. This trick of his was so com-
mon that he seems to have got his name from it.
It is related that he very seldom visited the house of
mourning — a clear evidence that, demon though he was,
he was not quite destitute of sympathetic feeling. But
on the occasion of a birth he was rarely absent, either to
the eye or to the ear. Indeed, his appearance at those
times was BO common as scarcely to cause any
alarm. The man who rode for the midwife was,
however, often sadly teased by him. He would
appear, for instance, to the horse, in a lonely place, and
make him take the "reist,"or stand stock-still. Neither
whip nor spur would then force the animal past, though
the rider saw nothing. It frequently happened that
the messenger was allowed to make his way with-
out let or hindrance to the house where the " howdie "
lived, to get her safely mounted behind him on a
well-girt pillion, and to return homewards so far
with her unmolested. But as they were crossing some
stank, or fording some stream, the Kow would come up
and begin to play his cantrips, causing the horse to kick
and plunge in such a way as to dismount his double load
of messenger and midwife. Sometimes when the farmer's
wife, impatient for the arrival of the howdie, was groan-
ing in great pain, the Kow would come close to the door
or window and begin to mock her. The farmer would
rush out with a stick to drive the vile creature away,
when the weapon would be clicked out of his hand before
he was aware, and lustily applied to his own shoulders.
At other times, after chasing the boggle round the farm-
yard, he would tumble over one of his own calves, and
the Kow would be off before he could regain his feet.
One of the most ridiculous tales connected with this
mischievous sprite is thus told by Stephen Oliver in his
"Rambles in Northumberland": — "A farmer, riding
homeward late one night, observed as he approached a
lonely part of the road where the Kow used to play many
of his tricks, a person also on horseback a short distance
before him. Wishing to have company in a part of the
road where he did not like to be alone at night,
he quickened the pace of his horse. The person
whom he wished to overtake, hearing the tramp
of the horse rapidly advancing, and fearing that
he was followed by some one with an evil intention,
put spurs to his steed and set off at a gallop, an example
which was immediately followed by the horseman behind.
At this rate they continued whipping and spurring, as it
they rode for life or death, for nearly two miles, the man
who was behind calling out with all his might, ' Stop !
stop !' The person who fled, finding that his pursuer was
gaining upon him, and hearing a continued cry, the words
of which he could not make out, began to think he was
pursued by something unearthly, as no one who had a
design to rob him would be likely to make such a noise.
Determined no longer to fly from his pursuer, he pulled
up his horse, and adjured the supposed evil spirit :
' In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost, who art thou ?' Instead of an evil spirit, a
terrified neighbour at once answered the question and
repeated it, ' Aa's Jemmy Brown, o' the High Fields.
Whe's thoo f "
Mr. William Henderson, in his "Notes on the Foil
Lore of the Northern Counties of England and the
Borders," institutes a comparison between the Hedley
Kow and Ben Jonson's Robin Goodfellow, the Irish
Phooka, the Scotch Water Kelpie, the Icelandic Grey
Nykkur-Horse, the Flemish Kludde, the Yorkshire
Padfoot, and other famous goblins, all of which
were believed to take a variety of shapes, appearing
sometimes like an ox, sometimes like a black dog, oc-
casionally like an ass, and at other times like a sow, a
horse, a white cat, a rabbit, a headless man, or a headless
lady.
January
L
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
21
HTft* Jbtmtrf at
j]REY STREET is generally regarded as a
noble monument to the genius of Richard
Grainger. To trace its origin we must go
back in thought to the spring of 1834, for
then it was that Mr. Grainger entered into arrangements
with the representatives of Major Anderson for the pur-
chase of the celebrated Anderson Place, at a cost of
£50,000. Other property, including the old theatre in
Mosley Street, probably cost him about £45,000 more.
Having made this costly venture, his next step was to lay
his plans for projected new streets before the Town
Council ; and this was done on March 27th of the above
named year. He desired to remove the Butcher and
Vegetable Markets, then comparatively new, and to build
on the site a magnificent thoroughfare which should co n
nect Blackett Street with Dean Street. Many were the
difficulties he had to encounter. The owners of the threat-
ened property, and other persons who had invested their
money in the neighbourhood, sang out lustily against any
change being made. Grainger was not disposed to yield
to this clamour if he could possibly help it. Accordingly,
he exhibited his plans in the Arcade on the 29th of
May. They were eagerly inspected by the public, and
obtained such general approval that about five thousand
signatures were appended to a memorial in their
favour. A counter-petition only obtained some three
hundred signatures. Expressions of approval were also
obtained from a parish meeting in St. Andrew's, the
Chamber of Commerce, and other bodies. The Council
met on the 12th of June to consider the whole question,
when, by twenty-four votes against seven, it was resolved
to treat with Grainger. On the following 15th of July,
sanction was formally given to the plans. Great were
the rejoicings when the news was made known. The
parish churches rang out merry peals ; Mr. Grainger's
workmen were regaled in the Nun's Field ; in fact, the
town was en file.
Then Grainger set to work with all his characteristic
energy. He began to lay out his new streets on the 30th
of July. The levelling of the ground was a most expen-
sive undertaking. Nearly five trillions of cubic feet of
earth had to be carted away, at a cost of upwards of
£20,000. In the course of the excavations, portions of an
ancient crucifix and a gilt spur were found, as well as a
quantity of human remains, on the supposed site of the
burial ground of St. Bartholomew's Nunnery. The work
was not without its perils. On the llth of June, 1835,
for instance, about three o'clock in the afternoon, three
houses on the south-west side of Market Street suddenly
fell with a tremendous crash whilst in course of erection.
The buildings had nearly reached their intended height
At least a hundred men were at work upon and imme-
diately around them, several of whom were precipitated
to the ground with the falling materials, and were buried
in the ruins. Many more had almost miraculous escapes
from a similar fate. As soon as the alarm had subsided,
the other workmen, upwards of seven hundred in number,
devoted themselves to the relief and rescue of the suf-
ferers. Of those disinterred, one, the foreman of the
masons, died in a few hours ; four were dead when found ;
fifteen were got out alive, but greatly injured, and two of
them died, making seven in all. Grainger himself had a
narrow escape. He had inspected the houses but a few
minutes before ; when they fell, he was standing upon the
scaffolding of the adjacent house.
Let us see if we can realise something of the general
appearance of this locality before Grainger converted it
into a palatial thoroughfare. The higher part of what is
now Grey Street was a place of solitude and retirement.
Waste ground surrounded Anderson Place. One of our
local poets has recalled the time when Novocastrians
could
Walk up the lane, and ope the Major's gate.
Pass the stone cross, and to|the Dene we come,
Then, halting by the well where angels wait
To bathe the limbs of those in palsied state,
(So saith the legend), gaze in musing mood
On the time-honoured trees where small birds mate.
Unlike the nuns, build nests and nurse their brood,
And prove that Nature's laws are tender, wise, and good.
Outside the Major's boundary there was plenty of life,
and plenty of noise, especially on Saturday nights.
Itinerant vendors indulged in their quaint cries. Women
and children (mostly the latter) sang —
Silk shoe ties, a penny a pair :
Buy them, and try them, and see hoo they wear.
Others made known their vocation by the cry : — " Good
tar-barrel matches, three bunches a penny." The air re-
resounded with the invitation : — "Nice tripe or mince to-
night, liinnies ; gud fat puddins, hinnies, smoking het, "
concerning which savoury viands the lines recur to the
veteran's memory : —
And now for black puddings, long measure,
They go to Tib Trollibags' stand ;
And away bear the glossy rich treasure,
With joy, like curl'd bugles in hand.
The side adjoining Pilgrim Street was devoted to the sale
of poultry and eggs ; that opposite, and therefore nearer
the Cloth Market, to the stalls of the greengrocers. The
intervening space was given up to the butchers, whose
shops ran in rows from north to south. These shops had
stone fronts, with tiled roofs, and an overhanging canopy
in front.
Such, then, was the general character of this part of the
good old town in the past. We may turn now to its
features in the present. Let us start from Blackett Street,
and walk quietly down to Dean Street. At once our at-
tention is arrested by the noble column usually known as
the Grey Monument. On October 6th, 1834, a. public
meeting was convened to con-ider the propriety of cum-
22
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
(January
memorating, by the erection of a statue, the services
rendered to the cause of Parliamentary Reform by the
then Earl Grey. William Ord, Esq., presided, and the
idea was unanimously approved. A sum of £500 was
subscribed in the room. On February 13th, 1836, a
model of a Roman Doric column by John Green was
adopted, to cost £1,600 ; and it was resolved to commis-
sion E. H. Baily to provide a suitable statue of the earl,
at a further cost of £700. The construction of the
column was entrusted to Joseph Welch, builder of the
Ouseburn Viaduct, and Bellingham Bridge across North
Tyne. The foundation stone was laid by Messrs. J. and
B. Green, architects, on September 6th, 1837, and the
column was finished on August llth, 1838. Baily's statue
was placed on the summit thirteen days later.
The monument is 133 feet high, and contains 164 steps
in the interior. A glass bottle, containing coins and a
parchment scroll, was deposited in the foundation stone.
The scroll records : — " The foundation stone of this
column, erected by public subscription in commemoration
of the transcendent services rendered to his country by the
Right Hon. Charles Earl Grey, Viscount Howick, Knight
of the most noble Order of the Garter, and Baronet, was
laid on the sixth day of September, one thousand eight
hundred and thirty-seven, by John Green and Benjamin
Green, Esqrs., Architects. Building Committee : — The
Rev. John Saville Ogle, of Kirkley, in the county of
Northumberland, Clerk, A.M., Prebendary of Durham ;
Edward Swinburne, of Capheaton, Esq. ; Thomas Emer-
son Headlam, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, Esq., M.D. ; John
Grey, of Dilston, Esq. ; Thomas Richard Batson, of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Esq., and Alderman ; Armorer
Donkin, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Esq., and Alderman ;
Ralph Park Philipson, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Esq.,
and Town Councillor ; John Fenwick, of Newcastle-
upon-Tyne, Esqr. ; James Hodgson, of Newcastle-upon-
Tyne, Esq., and Alderman ; Emerson Charnley, of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Esq., and Town Councillor."
On the exterior of the column is cut the following in-
scription : — " This Column was erected in 1838, to com-
memorate the services rendered to his country by Charles
Earl Grey, K.G., who, during an active political career of
nearly half-a-century, was the constant advocate of peace
and the fearless and consistent champion of civil and
religious liberty. He first directed his efforts to the
amendment of the representation of the people in 1792,
and was the Minister by whose advice, and under whose
guidance, the great measure of Parliamentary Reform
was, after an arduous and protracted struggle, safely
and triumphantly achieved in the year 1832."
Near the Monument is the Victoria Room, formerly used
as a music-hall. In its early days, political meetings were
occasionally held here, whereat Thomas Doubleday,
John Fife, and Charles Larkin were usually the chief
speakers. Later on, an effort was made to popularise
cheap Saturday and Monday evening concerts in this
room. Amongst others who took part in them were Mr.
William Gourlay, the talented Scotch comedian, who
sang comic songs here when the theatre, a little lower
down Grey Street, was not open ; Mr. Fourness Rolfe,
also of the same theatre ; the sisters Blake ; and Miss
Goddard, afterwards Mrs. Gourlay.
At the corner of the little lane just a step or so further
down Grey Street, the Newcastle Journal had its printing
and publishing offices at one time. Mr. John Hernaman
was the editor of this paper for some years, and got into
several scrapes owing to the violence with which he
attacked his political opponents. On one occasion he fell
foul of Mr. Larkin, who, in return, made mincemeat of
him (metaphorically) in a scathing pamphlet, entitled,
"A Letter to Fustigated John" — the word "fustigated"
being an old synonym for "whipped." It was, in fact,
Mr. Hernaman's unpleasant experience to have to endure
corporal chastisement more than once in the course of his
journalistic career. One of his whippings occurred at
the Barras Bridge. In another case, several Sunderland
men came over to Newcastle to avenge themselves for
what they considered an unfair criticism on certain of
their transactions. They suddenly burst in upon the
editorial presence, and asked Hernaman for the name of
the writer of the objectionable article. The latter
declined to furnish them with any information on the
subject. On this refusal, he was attacked with walking-
sticks and horsewhips. The case came up in due time
at the Sessions, where the defendants were "strongly
recommended to mercy on account of the very great
provocation they had received." They were each called
upon to pay a fine of £50. Fortunately, the days of such
journalistic amenities in Newcastle may be safely enough
regarded as over now for good.
Across the way is the Central Exchange Hotel, with its
handsome dining-room, its rooms for commercial tra-
vellers, &c.; and on our left hand there is another of a
similar character, also devoted to commercial men and
their customers, named the Royal Exchange. The latter
is at the corner of Hood Street, so called after an alder-
man of that name. In this street is the Central Hall,
used for Saturday evening concerts, teetotal gatherings,
and revival meetings. It was originally a Methodist New
Connexion chapel, in which Joseph Barker used at one
period of his career to hold forth to large congregations.
Passing Hood Street and Market Street, we come to
the Theatre Royal, the successor of the establishment
in Mosley Street. The portico of the Theatre Royal is a
striking feature of the street, though unfortunately
it remains incomplete to this day. The design is
taken from the Pantheon at Rome. Six noble Corinthian
columns, with richly executed capitals, support the pedi-
ment, in the tympanum of which it a sculpture of the
royal arms, the work of a Newcastle artist who died all
too soon for the ripening of bis fame. This work of his
has often won the approval of critics in such matters. It
January!
1889. )
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
23
is here that the Theatre Royal front has been suffered to
remain unfinished, for it was orignally intended to
place a statue of Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic
Muse (after Sir Joshua Reynolds's famous pour-
trayal of that great actress), on the top of the
pediment. The building was opened in 1837, under
the management of Mr. Penley, with an address from
the pen of Thomas Doubleday, the "Merchant of
Venice," and an ephemeral afterpiece. The house has
remained a popular home of the drama ever since.
Most of the great players of their day have fretted
and strutted their little hour on this stage ; and some
of them laid the foundation of their future fame and
fortune here. Macready (who first appeared in the old
theatre at the foot of the street, of which his father
was manager for about twelve years) was always a
Newcastle favourite, alike in his youth and in his
prime. He says himself of his first appearance
here: "I was warmly received, and the partiality
with which my early essays were encouraged
seemed to increase in fervour to the very last
night, when I made my farewell bow to a later
generation." The great tragedian appeared on March
15th, 1850, as Cardinal Wolsey (in "Henry VIII.")
and as Lord Townley (in the "Provoked Husband,"
by Vanbrugh and Cibber). After playing these parts,
Macready delivered his farewell address to his New-
castle friends. In the course of it he said: "When
I retrace the years that have made me old in acquaint-
ance and familiar here, and recount to myself the many
unforgotten evidences of kindly feeling towards me,
which through these years have been without stint or
check so lavishly afforded, I must be cold and insensible
indeed if time could so have passed without leaving deep
traces of its events upon my memory and my heart.
From the summer of 1810, when, scarcely out of the
years of boyhood, I was venturing here the early and
the ruder essays of my art, I date the commencement of
that favourable regard which has been continued to me
through all my many engagements, without change or
fluctuation, up to the present time."
Samuel Phelps and James Anderson, two of Macready 's
trusty lieutenants in his great Covent Garden enterprise,
have frequently played here with acceptance. So has
Charles Kean, who, by the way, was hissed in Hamlet
on his first appearance in that character in Newcastle,
and cut up by the newspapers afterwards. He went,
much astonished, to the manager. " Good gracious, Mr.
Ternan, they've hissed me ; what on earth have I done ?"
"Well, Mr. Kean, you've cut out altogether the lines
beginning," &c. " Good gracious !" rejoined the dis-
comfited tragedian, "who could ever have thought they
would know Shakspeare so well down here !" " Oh, yes,
Mr. Kean," answered Ternan, quietly, "they know their
Shakspeare here, I can assure you." Ternan was a very
able Shaksperian actor himself.
George Bennett and James Bennett were, among other
popular tragedians, here in their younger days; and
Barry Sullivan was always a warm favourite. Of
comedians, Charles Mathews, Buckatone and his cele-
brated Haymarket company, Sothern (Lord Dundreary),
Toole, and others, have fulfilled successful engagements
in the Theatre Royal. Salvini has acted on the Royal
boards also, as have Madame Ristori and Madame
Sarah Bernhardt. Of our own queens of the stage since
1837, nearly all have appeared here at one time or
another ; but it is such an invidious task to pick and
choose amongst them, that we are fain to shrink from it
altogether. It would be very unfair not to make mention
of the many years of managerial toil given to this stage
by the late Mr. E. D. Davis, for, by common consent of
all qualified to judge, he was ever, as actor, as artist,
and as manager, a gentleman. Since his retirement, this
house has been under the direction of Messrs. W. H.
Swanborough, Glover and Francis, Charles Bernard, and
Howard and Wyndham, who are the present lessees.
Be the day far distant when the Newcastle drama, with
all its honourable records, shall, to use Lord Tennyson's
words —
Flicker down to brainless pantomime,
And those gilt-gauds men-children bwarm to see !
Probably this house held its largest receipts on Sept. 20,
1848, when Jenny Lind appeared in "La Sonnambula."
The prices were :— Dress boxes, £1 lls. 6d. ; upper boxes
and pit, £1 Is. ; gallery, 10s. 6d. The receipts amounted
to upwards of £1,100. Sims Reeves and Madame Gassier,
Grisi, and Mario, and all the great operatic stars have
appeared here. Sims Reeves, indeed, came out on tht
Newcastle boards. Our sturdy fathers hissed him too.
They stood no nonsense in those days, either from a
Charles Kean or anybody else.
The Theatre, Grey Street, itself, and indeed all the
streets and buildings in Newcastle, presented a strange
appearance on the morning of March 3, 1886, owing to a
great fall of snow on the previous day and night. Our
artist's sketch of the scene will convey a better idea of it
than any mere description.
Passing by Shakspeare Street, we find ourselves about
to cross the High Bridge, which is another intersecting
thoroughfare, running from Pilgrim Street to the Bigg
Market. There is nothing specially remarkable about it,
save that at least one somewhat remarkable man of his
day has associated his name with it. James Murray, for
so was he called, studied for the ministry, but he could
not obtain ordination to any pastoral charge by reason of
his peculiar views on church government. He came to
Newcastle in 1764, and found friends who built him a
chapel. And here he remained, preached, and laboured,
until his death in 1782, in the fiftieth year of his age.
The titles of some of his published discourses afford some
indication as to his character. Amongst them are
"Sermons to Awes." "New Sermons to Asses." "An
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NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
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MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
1889.
old Fox Tarred and Feathered," and "News from the
Pope to the DeviL" On one occasion he gave the
authorities a fright, and seems to have got frightened
himself into 'the bargain. Thus runs the story. He
announced his intention of preaching a sermon from
the text, " He that hath not a sword, let him sell
his garment and buy one." Those responsible for the
peace of the town, knowing their man, grew rather afraid
when they heard of this ominous text. They sent some
of the town's sergeants to form a portion of the congre-
gation. All passed off quietly, as it happened ; but then
it occurred to Murray that he had better find out how he
really stood in regard to the powers that were. Forth-
with he went up to London, and called on Lord Mans-
field, the then Chief-Justice. He obtained for his
application the conventional reply: "Not at home."
" Tell him," was the sturdy rejoinder, " that a Scotch
parson, of the name of Murray, from Newcastle, wants
to see him." He was admitted. What passed at the
interview ? We can only guess from the judge's last
words, quoting a simile in the Book of Job : " You just
get away by the skin o' your teeth. "
In 1780 — the year of the Gordon riots in London, so
vividly depicted in Dickens's "Barnaby Rudge," the
year when there was danger of a general attack on the
Roman Catholics — Murray w;is to the fore again. In
that year there was a contested election in Newcastle.
Murray proposed a sort of test, or pledge, to each of the
candidates — aimed, of course, at the religionists, with
whom he had waged a life-long war. Sir Matthew
White Ridley would have nothing to do with it. Even
Andrew Robinson Bowes, who was never in the habit of
sticking at trifles, vowed that "he would be blessed"—
only that was not quite the exact word ! — " if he gave
anything of the sort." The third candidate, Sir Thomas
Delaval, gave the required pledge; but he was unsuc-
cessful at the poll.
We might add more concerning this curious cleric,
but content ourselves with relating two anecdotes
which reveal him on his better side. The first is, that,
being on the highway leading to Newcastle on a rainy
day, he overtook a labouring man who had no coat.
He himself had two. He took one off, and put it on
the wayfarer's back, with the remark: "It's a pity I
should have two coats and you none; it's not fair."
The second refers to an incident which occurred in his
chapel here, A Scotch drover turned into the place one
Sunday rather late, and was content to stand. Nobody
offered him a seat. Murray waxed wroth. "Seat that
man," thundered he; "if he'd had a powdered head,
and a fine coat on his back, you'd have had twenty pews
open ! "
The remainder of Grey Street, though made up of
noble buildings, calls for little notice. In 1838, one of
them was occupied by a Mrs. Bell, who kept it as a board-
ing house. One of h<r boarders was Mr. James Wilkie,
who at the time held the office of house-surgeon and secre-
tary to the Newcastle Dispensary. In a fit of temporary
insanity this poor man threw himself out of an upstairs
window, and injured himself so dreadfully that he died
shortly afterwards. This victim of an o'erwrought brain
had been connected with the institution for fifteen years.
That he was held in general respect in Newcastle may be
gathered from the fact that about a thousand persons
followed his coffin to its grave in Westgate Hill Ceme-
tery, where a monument was erected to his memory.
Amongst other establishments on the east side of Grey
Street is that of the Messrs. Finney and Walker, whose
premises were for many years the publishing office of
the Newcastle Chronicle. Opposite is a noble pile, now the
Branch Bank of England.
Nobody can take a thoughtful glance at the thorough-
fare we have been traversing without admitting that it is
a masterpiece of street architecture : a monument to the
genius of the two men principally concerned in designing
and erecting it — John Dobson and Richard Grainger.
d at $crrtftumlmir.
THE ROMAN INVASION.
[| HEN travelling through the picturesque
stretch of country that lies between Tyne-
dale and the Tweed, and noting its many
indications of marvellous prosperity, it is
difficult to realize that its verdant hills ana smiling
valleys were ever less peaceful than they now are. And
yet, if the whole island was searched from Cornwall to
Caithness, there could be found few districts that have
undergone greater changes, or played a more conspicuous
part in the national history. In pre-Roman times, much
of the surface of Northumberland was covered with bogs
and marshes, and much more with dense and almost
impenetrable forests. Its inhabitants were the Ottadini
—a fierce and warlike tribe of the Brigantes — who have
left their hill forts, their weapons, and their tumuli, as
the sole evidences of their constructive skill. When
Caesar's hordes invaded Britain, fifty years before the
Christian era, they were never able to penetrate these
Northern wilds. Their accounts of the people with
whom they did come in contact, however, furnish material
from which a very fair estimate of the local settlers can
be formed. The men, they tell us, were tall, strong, and
active ; the women fair, well-featured, and finely-shaped.
Both sexes gloried in a profusion of red or chesnut-
coloured hair, and their favourite method of adornment
was by a process of painting, or tatooing, not unlike that
practised by many savage races in our own day. Their
robes, too, when robed at all, consisted entirely of skins ;
their oft-moved huts were little better than nests of
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
27
boughs and reeds ; and their time, when not engaged in
fighting, was usually devoted to the exciting pleasures of
the chase. Cattle were extensively reared as a means of
subsistence ; but, except along the coast lines, there was
no effort made to till the land or to encourage the growth
of corn or other grain.
ARMS AND DEFENCES OF THE BUTTONS.
Such, in brief, is the picture which old chroniclers give
of the appearance and habits of the Britons. It is abun-
dantly sufficient for our purpose, as we desire to deal
only with the warlike attributes of this primitive people,
and to point out the methods by which they sought to
check the advance of our earliest invaders. When the
well-disciplined legions of Rome first secured a footing,
they found the southern portion of the country very
thickly populated. The natives were as courageous as
they were fierce, and defended their woodland settle-
ments by deep trenches and highly piled barricades
of fallen timber. They were swift of foot, as well as
expert swimmers, and these qualities— together with
their skill in crossing fens and marshes — enabled them to
pounce suddenly upon their adversaries, and as suddenly
to disappear with the spoil. Their ordinary arms con-
sisted of a small dagger and spear ; but, in war times, these
were augmented by a light shield, by long and heavily-
bladed swords of bronze, and by javelins which they could
throw with great accuracy and effect. These latter mis-
siles were not lost by the act of propulsion, as they were
attached to the wrist by leather thongs, and could be
drawn back to the thrower as soon as their mark had
been reached. At the lower end of this curious dart was
a round, hollow ball, stocked with pieces of metal, and the
noise caused by the flight of this alarming rattle — added
to the exciting cries and antics of the gaily-stained
warriors — has rendered many a well-meant attack of the
Roman foe inoperative.
THE CHARIOT AND ITS USES.
But by far the most famous of British implements of
war was the chariot. It was drawn by a couple of small,
wiry, and perfectly trained horses, and afforded space for
two or three fighting men, as well as for a driver. The
body of the vehicle was a combination of strength and
lightness, »nd at the extremity of its stout axles were
fixed scythes or hooks for slashing and tearing whatever
came in their way. They could be driven at immense
speed, even over the roughest country, and were usually
of most use at the commencement of a battle. While
dashing madly about the flanks of an opposing lorce,
their occupants would throw their terrible darts with
great adroitness, and the very dread of this onslaught not
unfrequently broke the ranks of Caesar's finest troops.
When they had succeeded in making an impression on
the advancing foe, and saw their way for a joint attack,
the Britons leapt from their chariots, formed into a
solid and compact body, and fought on foot with all
their accustomed intrepidity. The drivers, meanwhile,
withdrew the chariots from the strife, and took up
positions which would best favour the retreat of their
masters if the tide of battle should roll against them.
" In this manner," says Caesar, " they performed the part
both of rapid cavalry and of steady infantry." "By
constant exercise and use," he adds, " they have acquired
such expertness that they can stop their horses in the
most steep and difficult places — when at full speed — turn
them whichever way they please, run along the carriage
pole, rest on the harness, and throw themselves back into
their chariots with incredible dexterity." It is worthy of
note that the great leader makes no reference to the cruel
accessories which are said to have adorned the axles of
these vehicles. This omission has caused many writers
to doubt whether such instruments of torture were ever in
existence. It is impossible, of course, to speak positively
on such a matter ; but it is well to remember that similar
appliances have been used in other lands, and that our
own museums contain relics — from more than one British
battle field — which antiquaries think could hardly have
been used for any other purpose than that described.
MILITABT KNOWLEDGE OF THE NATIVES.
In tactics and strategical skill, the natives displayed
considerable talent. When in readiness for the fray, the
infantry — in wedge-shape formation— occupied the centre ;
the cavalry and the chariots constituted the right and left
wings; and at the rear were strong bodies of reserves.
They were quite alive to the importance of harassing an
enemy before delivering the chief attack, and were fully
impressed with the necessity of a well-executed move-
ment on the hostile flanks. They were formidable adver-
saries in every way, and if their weapons had been of a
better quality— not made of bronze that bent beneath a
heavy stroke— it is quite possible that the first Roman in-
28
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{January
1889.
vasion might not have been repeated. As it was, indeed,
Csesar never made any great headway, and could only
maintain himself with difficulty in localities that ad-
joined the coast. In the language of Tacitus, he was " a
discoverer rather than a conqueror," and even his dis-
coveries, in these islands at least, were not far reaching.
THE RETURN OP THE ROMANS.
But if Csesar made little impression on the Britons, he
carried away reports which were well calculated to arouse
the ambition of his successors. Nearly a century elapsed
before the Romans again undertook the work of subjuga-
tion ; but they were then better prepared, came in greater
numbers, and set about their task with such care and
deliberation that a speedy conquest seemed assured. It
is not necessary to follow the fluctuating fortunes of their
numerous campaigns in the South. From the landing of
Aulus Plautius in A.D. 43, down to the advent of Julius
Agricola in 78, bloodshed seldom, if ever, ceased. There
were terrific struggles with the Silures under Caractacus,
and with the Iceni under Boadecia. There were furious
onslaughts upon the Druids of Anglesea and the Brigantes
across the Humber. Fire and sword went hand in hand,
and the track of war was followed by famine and disease.
Victory was not always with the assailants ; but whether
they lost or won at the commencement, they always ended
by bringing the natives under their yoke.
AGRICOLA ON THE TYNE.
It is with the coming of Agricola that we get our first
records concerning the district that constitutes the pre-
sent county of Northumberland. There is an absence of
detail about many of the recitals ; but they will serve,
perhaps, to throw a little lifrht on the condition of the
North Country and its occupants at a very remote period.
The famous chieftain we have named was as skilful in the
arts of peace as in those of war. He had served under
Seutonius Faulinus against the "Warrior Queen,"
and was greatly beloved by his army. Under his able
guidance the fortunes of Rome underwent a marvellous
change. Deserted posts were recovered, refractory tribes
were punished, and an attempt was made to bring the con-
quered people into greater harmony with their masters.
While this work was proceeding in the southern province,
Agricola marched north of the Humber, gained victory
after victory, and ultimately found himself face to face
with the brawny races near the higher reaches of the
Tyne. There is no absolute record of early battles in this
district, but it is fair to suppose that the Ottadini — like
the Brigantes of Yorkshire and Lancashire, and the
Gadeni of Cumberland and Westmoreland — would be dis-
persed to their mountain retreats, and that Agricola
would then, according to his invariable custom, protect the
acquired territory by throwing up strongly entrenched
works for the accommodation of his soldiers.
THE UNSUCCESSFUL FIGHT WITH (JALGACUS.
By the spring of 81 — having ensured the safety of his
communications — the Roman leader was ready for a
further advance, and he began his march northward with
every confidence in the ultimate triumph of his army.
While traversing the open country, he was practically
unassailable, but at the river fords, and amid the moun-
tain passes, his progress was disputed with all the obsti-
nacy that a clever and courageous foe could devise.
Many an entrenched hill top in Coquetdale and Glendale
had to be stormed before the invaders could proceed,
and as the conflict in every case was at close quar-
ters— with the Britons in possession of the best
ground— the assailants lost enormous numbers of their
men ere even the Cheviots were reached. In the end,
the defenders were always compelled to give way ; and,
being then driven before Agricola's dashing legions, they
were put out of harm's way behind the line of forts he
erected between the Firth of Forth and the River Clyde.
Having, by the summer of 83, completed this under-
taking, the Roman leader renewed his journey towards
the Highlands, and everything seemed to indicate that bis
pevious successes would be continued. He was no sooner
out of sight, however, than the Caledonians descended
from their hill strongholds, swarmed over his defences,
and, in a night surprise, managed to annihilate one of his
divisions. Returning with all speed, Agricola attacked
his daring assailants, and succeeded in beating them.
But the damage they inflicted upon bis troops and earth-
works, precluded all attempts at further advance, and he
was compelled to winter in a very inhospitable region.
The campaign recommenced with the fine weather of 84 ;
but as 30,000 natives, under the heroic Galgacus, had
posted themselves on a well chosen spur of the Grampians,
it was necessary at once to dislodge them. After a fierce
and destructive battle, the Romans carried the position,
and inflicted terrible losses on their retreating foe. But,
though defeated, the Northenera contrived to check
the foreign advance. When morning dawned, the in-
vaders saw only a silent and deserted land. Their late
adversaries had disappeared as if by magic, and left
nothing behind them but smoke and flame and ruin.
With a crippled army and straitened supplies, it would
have been extremely hazardous to penetrate into the hill
country, and Agricola found himself compelled to relin-
quish his enterprise. He returned by easy stages to; the
January!
1SS9- I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
29
entrenchments he had left on Tyneside, and there, putting
his troops into cantonments, he threw that mighty
earthen rampart across the country — from Wallsend to
the Solway Firth — which has been a source of specula-
tion and wonder through all succeeding ages. His cam-
paigns had taught him that it was much easier to march
through a poverty-stricken district than to remain in it,
and he fondly hoped, by his famous barrier, to confine the
infuriated Northmen within the boundaries of their own
desolate wilds.
HADRIAN'S WALL.
So seriously had Agicola's inroads crippled the native
tribes, that it required thirty years to rehabilitate their
shattered forces. In the reign of Hadrian, however, they
recommenced hostilities, and attacked the Roman garri-
sons all along their line. Matters had become so serious
in 120, that the energetic Emperor journeyed with all
haste to this country, and did everything in his power to
quell the rebellious spirit that had been engendered. He
was successful in restoring the wavering allegiance of the
Yorkshire Brigantes, and tried to accomplish a similar
result among the tribes on the Borderland ; but all his
efforts to gain ascendency over the Ottadini and their
Caledonian allies proved abortive. It thus happened that
the Clyde line of forts was demolished, that the country
for a hundred miles to the southward had to be abandoned
by the invaders, and that the conquests of Agricola were
rendered useless. To more effectually protect his remain-
ing possessions, therefore, Hadrian spanned the country
with a second and more formidable line of works, on a site
closely adjoining the mound of his predecessor. It was
evidently the intention of the Romans, at this period, to
make the Tyne their northern boundary, and they would
have been saved endless trouble if they had adhered to
their resolve. But different commanders had different
ideas. Lollius Urbicus — one of the great captains of
Antoninus Pius — advanced from the wall in 138, and,
slowly fighting his way, carried the Roman banner once
more to the Forth. Having connected that river with
the Clyde — by means of an earthen bank and a score of
strong redoubts — he conceived that Northumberland and
the Scottish Lowlands had been permanently won. The
tribesmen declined to so understand it. In 183, they
again broke through the Scottish barrier, assaulted the
forts, and — after several sanguinary encounters with the
column sent to the relief of the beleaguered garrisons —
compelled the Roman legions to seek safety beyond their
southern defences.
BEVERUS AND HIS SUCCESSORS.
The "barbarians" — as the Ottadini were called— had
matters pretty much in their own hands until the arrival
of the Emperor Severus in 207. Though suffering badly
from the gout and other maladies, this aged warrior
gathered his forces, and led them with a vindictive heart
towards the disputed land. But the tremendous
difficulties he encountered, on passing the vallum of
Hadrian, show very clearly that the country had nevei
been altogether under foreign control. There was an
absence of really good roads, the rivers were unspanned,
and large tracts of wood and morass were almost impass-
able wildernesses. Every inch of the invaders' progress
was disputed. Though not sufficiently numerous to risk
a pitched battle, the natives contrived to commit in-
calculable mischief. Their intercourse with the Romans
had already taught them the value of metal head-gear
and shoulder guards, and, with such protections, they
were able to maintain a succession of skirmishes and
flank attacks that were as irritating as they were
destructive. When aided, later, by their old allies of the
Scottish Lowlands, the resistance they offered would
have deterred a less valiant enemy. But Severus was un-
daunted, and doggedly plodded on. What with regular
fighting, losses in ambuscades, and sickness caused by
unceasing labour in draining bogs, cutting down forests,
bridging rivers, and constructing solid travelling ways,
his force is said to have been reduced by 50,000 men. In
spite of all obstacles, however, he succeeded in reaching
a more northerly point than any of his predecessors, and
eventually struck such terror into the native hordes that
they were driven to sue for peace. With the exception
of this solitary result, the campaign was as barren as any
that had gone before. Of this fact the Emperor himself
was thoroughly convinced. He realised — reluctantly, it
may be— that the debateable land between the Tyne and
the north could never be permanently held by his
legions ; and his first care, on his return southward, was
to supplement the earthworks of Hadrian and Agricola
with a strong and formidable wall of solid stone. It
would serve no useful purpose to describe the Tyneside
works in detail ; but it may be interesting to explain the
nature of the operations which the Romans from time to
time carried out. According to the account of William
Hutton, there were really four barriers. The defences of
4 ar ic ola, hadTian &ev-erus
& ^-fs\
Agricola consisted of a double rampart of earth, having a
ditch so planned as to cause a rise for the assailants of
nearly 20 feet. To further strengthen this obstacle,
Hadrian deepened the ditch, and, with the soil so ob-
tained, constructed a third mound, 10 feet high, a little
more to the northward. These all ran in parallel lines.
When Severus, as we have stated, conceived the idea of a
still mere formidable structure, he raised a barrier of
stone. It was 8 feet thick and 12 feet high, with an addi-
tional elevation of 4- feet for the battlements. Added to
this, at equal distances, were a number of stations or
towns, 81 castles, and 330 turrets— all connected by good
wide roads, along which troops could move from one
threatened point to another with the greatest facility.
30
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
January
But for fear all these impediments should prove insuffi-
cient, the north front was protected by a tremendous
ditch alone its whole course. Having a span of 30 feet,
and a depth of 15, it is not surprising that the military
chiefs should have regarded their last effort as insur-
mountable. As long as ever the Roman supremacy
lasted, this line of defence was constantly garrisoned by
many thousands of armed men ; but for 130 years after
the death of its valiant founder — if we except an abortive
raid by Constantius Chlorus — there was no attempt made
to leave its protecting shelter.
WILLIAM LONOSTAFF.
The first illustration shows the sword, dagger, and
spear-head in use amongst the Britons, as well as the
hooks that are supposed to have been attached to their
chariots. These latter were sketched from specimens in
the British Museum, and clearly indicate the effects of
corrosion from their long sojourn in the ground. — No. 2
eives the generally accepted notion of an ancient chariot
and shield. — No. 3 is the ground plan of a British fort
near Hepple, in Coquetdale. It shows three lines of
entrenchments, at varying heights, round the sides of a
commanding hill ; while at the summit may be seen the
excavations that were commonly used as store-rooms or
places of shelter. — No. 4- shows in a rough form the sec-
tions of the barriers erected by Agricola, Hadrian, and
Severus.
£tatt
Case.
j|R. BARON PARKE heard an extraordinary
case at the Northumberland Assizes on the
28th of February, 1855. From the magnitude
of the claim and the romantic story raised on behalf of the
plaintiff, it caused an intense amount of interest, not only
in the North of England, but throughout the country,
and more particularly in Lincolnshire. The claimant and
plaintiff was William Stote Manby, a gardener of Kiln
Yard, Louth, a man in a most humble walk in life.
Mr. Samuel Warren, Q.C., the author of that then
popular standard novel "Ten Thousand a Year," was
leading counsel for the claimant, and it was said at the
time that he undertook the case gratuitously.
The plaintiff claimed to be heir-at-law of Mrs. Dorothy
Windsor, a widow, before her marriage Miss Dorothy
Stole, spinster, daughter of Sir Richard Stote, Knight,
Sergeant-at-Law. As such heir-at-law he sought to re-
cover extensive estates in Northumberland. The de-
fendants were Thomas Wood Craster, Esq., and Calverley
Bewicke Bewicke, Esq., and others, their tenants. The
first two defendants were sued as the representatives of
Sir Robert Bewicke and Mr. John Craster, tenants of the
estates prior to 1780.
The value of the estates claimed by the Louth gardener
was stated to be about £50, 000 a-year; but probably this
was an exaggeration. They comprised, however, the greater
part of the hamlet and extra-parochial chapelry of Kirk-
heaton, near Belsay, including Kirkheaton Hall, the
living of the chapelry, and a land-sale colliery ; an estate
adjoining Howdon Pans, in the parish of Wallsend, of
about 297 acres, the coals under which were sent to Lon-
don Market under the name of " Bewicke and Oraster's
Wallsend " ; an estate in the adjoining parish of Long
Benton ; and an inn called the Coach and Six Horses.
The estates altogether were stated to consist of about
4,000 acres, with valuable mines below.
The plaintiff sought for a declaration that he was heir-
at-law of Dame Dorothy Windsor (who died, aged 84, in
1756, in Upper Brook Street, London, possessed of the
above-named properties, which were known as the
"Windsor Estates"), and also heir-at-law of his grand-
father, Stote Manby, who died intestate in 1780, leaving
William Mauby, of Louth, his only son and heir-at-law,
who died in 1809, leaving two sons, Richard and the
plaintiff, but Richard had died a bachelor in 1820. The
plaintiff claimed that he was entitled to the manors, here-
ditaments, and premises of which Dame Dorothy Windsor
died seized, and asked that it might be declared that he
had been kept out of possession of the estates by col-
lusion and fraud, that the defendants were not entitled
to avail themselves of the Statute of Limitations, and
that possession of the property might be delivered up
free from incumbrances.
Mr. Warren entered fully into all the circumstances of
this extraordinary case with great clearness, ability, and
eloquence, which enhanced the interest and excitement in
Court. He recounted the biography of the plaintiff's
grandfather, Stote Manby, the original heir-at-law, who
was a very illiterate man, unable to read or to write even
his own name, a day labourer or carter, who during
his later days was supported by his wife's labour and
the casual charity of his neighbours, and who lived all his
life in a wretched mud hovel, scarcely fit for human habi-
tation, in the village of Keddington, near Louth. It
was explained that William Manby (the plaintiff's father)
was born in 1747, and resembled his father in mental
incapacity, and in being unable to read or write his
own name ; that plaintiff's brother (Richard) was also
very poor, and, until he died, unmarried, worked for his
daily bread ; that all these members of the plaintiff's
family had lived and died in total ignorance of their title
by inheritance to the Windsor Estates; and that the
plaintiff only first became aware of his rights in 1846,
when he was told by a very old man, living in Louth,
that a trial was heard at Newcastle-on-Tyne, in 1781,
which showed that his grandfather, Stote Manby, was heir
to the wealthy Dame Dorothy Windsor, but being of weak
mind had been kept out of the property unlawfully. The
plaintiff's story was that Sir Robert Bewicke and Mr.
John Craster, being tenants, retained undisputed posses-
sion of the estates from 1756 (the time of Dame Dorothy
Windsor's death) until 1780, " most unrighteously and
cruelly" taking advantage of poor Stote Manby's in-
capacity ; that one Harvey, an attorney, came down
January
\
;
NORTH-COUNTRY L-O&E AND LEGEND.
to Louth in 1780, and undertook to be Stota Manby'a
lawyer ; that Harvey commenced actions which were
defended on the grounds, first, that Dorothy Windsor
was not seized of the estates, and, secondly, that Stote
Manby was not her cousin and heir ; that in 1781 an
action was tried at Newcastle, before Mr. Justice Nares
and Mr. Justice Heath,* in which Stote Manby's heirship
was established by a verdict of the jury ; that on
the day after his trial a second action was called on
as to another portion of the property, but that by
fraud and connivance no trial took place, Harvey having
been prevailed upon to abandon the action and enter into
a compromise, the effect of which was to secure to the
then plaintiff, Stote Manby, and his heirs, a rent charge
of £300 a year, leaving the defendants of 1781 in quiet
possession.
The object of the trial in 1855 was to unravel all these
proceedings, as well as any subsequent transactions that
had taken place, and to put the plaintiff, William Stote
Manby, on a verdict being given in his favour, in posses-
sion of the whole of the Windsor estates. Before, how-
ever, Mr. Warren had proceeded far with his opening
of the case he was stopped by Mr. Baron Parke, who
stated that he considered the Statute of Limitations
barred all title on the part of the plaintiff. Mr. Warren,
therefore, having no alternative, consented to be non-
suited.
What became of the annuity or rent charge which
Messrs. Craster and Bewicke granted to old Stote
Manby, when (as above alleged) he resigned his claim in
1781, does not appear.
The case (after the non-suit) was carried into the Court
of Chancery. The defendants demurred for want of
equity, and relied on the Statute of Limitations. The
preliminary process to enable the plaintiff to establish his
case was, however, granted by the Court. After a long
and protracted hearing, on the 23rd April, 1857, Vice-
Chancellor Sir W. Page Wood decided that nothing had
been elicited to support the allegations of the plaintiff,
and his bill was consequently dismissed with costs against
him.
The Lincolnshire Journal in April, 1857, explained how
the claimant was able to carry his case to the Court of
Chancery : —
The manner in which the funds were raised for the
purpose of enabling the plaintiff to prosecute his sup-
posed claims was by borrowing sums of money with the
promise to re-pay twenty for every single pound when he
should have obtained possession of his estates at New-
castle, &c., but that in the event of his not succeeding in
his suit the money so advanced should be considered as a
free gift.
* The only record of the case in the Newcastle Chronicle
for 1781 is as follows : — Before Sir George Nares and
the Hon. Justice Heath, at the assizes opened in New-
castle, Saturday, August 13, 1781, " the long contested
cause between the claimants of the estates of the late Sir
Richard Stote, of Jesmond, near this town, was this week
compromised by the parties."
The bait took admirably, and an immense number of
the unwise, anxious to secure the prospect of receiving so
large a return for a small outlay (well knowing that in no
legitimate business could they make one pound realise
twenty) rushed to deposit various sums according
to their means ; some selling their pigs, some borrowing
money, some reducing their stock-in-trade that they
might embark in this lottery ; and, in this manner, hun-
dreds have invested their all in the risk.
After repeated delays, when some of the less san-
guine were beginning to fancy all was over, the case was
announced positively for trial a few days since, and the
spirits of the subscribers rose to fever heat. On Tuesday,
the 31st ult., the case commenced, and day after day
letters announcing the flourishing state of the suit were
received from a party in London who was watching its
progress ; and five to one was freely offered that the
plaintiff would obtain a favourable verdict, and be placed
in possession of the estates forthwith, when — alas ! for
the mutability of mundane affairs — the news that the
arguments of the four eminent and learned counsel
engaged for the plaintiff had failed to make out a case
reached here on Saturday morning last, and that Sir W.
Page Wood had, without calling upon defendants for
their answer, dismissed the bill with costs.
It would be far easier to imagine than to describe the
shock which this intelligence caused, and how deep and
bitter were the lamentations of the deluded friends.
Several had anticipated the pleasing prospect of retiring
from business and enjoying for the remainder of their
days that otium cum diynitale which a favourable issue
promised them ; but all these hopes of future happiness, so
long and fondly cherished, were, at one fell swoop, totally
extinguished, "leaving not a wrack behind." Sic transit
yloria "Afanbi."
S. F. LONGSTAFFE.
Cite
O English bird is a greater favourite than the
robin (Sylvia rubimla). It is more or less an
all-the-year-round resident in the Northern
Counties. Many persons are under the belief that it is
only a winter songster; but this arises from the fact
that the bird is less noticed in summer. Its song may
be heard, in fact, in almost every month of the year.
Though so great a favourite, the redbreast is a fighting
bird. The ' males, at least, are exceedingly selfish and
pugnacious. Where food is placed out, they will attack
and drive off other birds of superior size, and they often
fight with and kill each other. I have noticed that
the robins fight most savagely amongst themselves in
autumn ; and this may account for the rather widely
prevalent opinion that the ungrateful young males actu-
ally kill their fathers ! I have seen many robin fights,
some deadly, but the pugilists were almost invariably
mature males.
The robin, with its ruddy and olive plumage, is well
known to most residents in town and country, chiefly
from its familiar and confiding habits, and its song is
always welcome, either during the dreary days of winter
or in the prime of summer. Here it has many endearing
familiar names, including the ruddock, robinet, &c.,
which latter designation may be taken to mean "little
robin." In Germany it is called Thomas Guidito ; in
32
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
January
Norway, Peter Kousuiead ; and in Sweden, Tomiiii-
Liden. In every country in Europe pretty stories and
legends are told of it. The robin has had its praises sung
by the poets almost as frequently as the nightingale. The
young birds, until they attain their mature plumage,
have their feathers mottled grey and dusky ; but even in
their early youth, after they leave the nest, they have
all the bold, perky ways and characteristics of the old
birds.
In size and plumage, the male and female birds are
much alike, though the latter are rather smaller than
their mates, and their ruddy and olive-grey plumage is
not so brilliant as that of their more pugnacious mates.
When on the ground in search of food, the robins pro-
gress by a series of brisk hops, then halt, and turn their
heads knowingly from side to side. Their food is varied
according to the season of the year. The nest may occa-
sionally be found in very unexpected situations, from the
roof of an outhouse to the open bottom of a hedge. Many
instances are recorded of robins nesting in living rooms
and bedrooms. Usually the bird builds a nest of withered
grass and roots, lined inside with fine grass and hair.
The eggs, from five to six, occasionally seven in number,
vary much in their colour and markings, as most birds'
eggs do. Some are profusely covered with ruddy freckles
and blotches, whilst others are of a dull white hue, with
few or no ruddy freckles. H. KERR.
JJANGDALE PIKES form a grand mountain
group at the head of Great Langdale, the
vale of the upper part of the River Bra-
thay, one of the feeders of Lake Winder-
mere, They soar into three rugged and picturesque
summits. Two of them — Harrison Stickle and the Pike
o' Stickle — figure prominently in almost all the best
views of the English Lake District, though they
nowhere appear to greater advantage than from
Lingmoor, ou the opposite side of the valley.
The other pike is known as Gimmer Crag, but is over-
shadowed by its grander neighbours. From certain
points the two pikes — Harrison Stickle and Pike o'
Stickle — appear to be quite close together ; still, they
are in reality so far apart as to leave a gap by no means
easy to cross. The Pike o' Stickle, which is seen to the
left in our sketch, has an altitude of 2,300 feet above
LANGDALE AND LANGDALE PIKES.
January I
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
33
the level of the sea, and is very rugged and broken,
while Harrison Stickle rises to a height of over 2,400
feet, and is more easy of ascent than the other, which it
overlooks.
Although the Langdale Pikes are surrounded by
mountains of more commanding height, yet from many
places they appear to rise in a group from the plain.
This is notable in our first view, which is taken from a
short distance down the Langdale Valley.
The prospect from the Pikes is varied and exten-
sive. Langdale, with its cultivated enclosures, is seen
far below, its tarns glistenintr in the sunlight ; fur-
ther away is Windermere and Esthwaite Water ;
whilst in the extreme distance a glimpse of the
sea may occasionally be obtained. To the south
the massive bulk of Wetherlam confronts the eye,
Coniston Old Man and Grey Friars shutting in the
view beyond. To the east rises Loughrigg Fell
and the mountains surrounding Ambleside. To the
north-east are Helvellyn, Seat Sandal, and Fairfield,
with Skiddaw and Blencathra, or Saddleback as it is
more commonly termed, overlooking Derweutwater.
This lake cannot be seen from Harrison Stickle, but a
fine view of it may be obtained from the Pike o' Stickle.
To the west, rearing its miehty head above Bowfell is
Scawfell Pike, the highest mountain in England, and
Scawfell, which for many years held this title until the
point was decided by the Government surveyors. To the
north of the Scawfell Pikes rise Great End, Great Gable,
and Glaramara.
Stickle Tarn, noted for its fine trout, reposes at the
foot of the precipice known as Pavey Ark, a projecting
shoulder of Harrison Stickle. It is used as a reservoir
for the Government powder-mills at Elter Water. The
stream from the tarn, known as Mill Gill, makes t
series of pretty cascades, which, with the towering
background of Harrison Stickle, form a striking and
effective picture.
The tourist traversing Langdale may note on the face
of Lingmoor Screes a long white mark. This is the dales-
men's sun dial. When Sol's rays reach this mark, they
know that it is twelve o'clock. Elsewhere — at the
hamlet of Chapelstile — the inhabitants indulge in the
mild joke that it was there that Adam and Eve
were married, the allusion being to Adam and Eve
Fleming, who were the first couple joined together in
wedlock at the church. A short distance further down
the valley is the village and church of Langdale.
Harriet Martineau tells an anecdote about this primitive
place of worship that is worth repeating. "A few years
ago," says she, writing in 1855, "the rotten old pulpit
fell, with the clergyman, Mr. Frazer, in it, just after he
had begun his sermon from the text, 'Behold I come
quickly.' The pulpit fell on an elderly dame, who
escaped wonderfully. Mr. Frazer, as soon as he
found his feet, congratulated her on surviving such an
adventure : but she tartly refused his sympathy, saying,
'If I'd been kilt, I'd been reet sarrat (rightly served), for
you'd threatened ye'd be comin' doon sune.' "
There is a mountain track from Langdale past Stickle
Tarn into Easdale. It was while returning home over
this pass, one winter's evening in 1807-8, that George
and Sarah Green, hard-working dalesfolk, were lost
in a snowstorm, which at the same time imprisoned
VIEW FROM THE TOP OF LANGDALE PIKES.
3
34
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
January
their half-dozen bairns within a remote and solitary
cottage in Easdale for several days. De Quincey, in
his "Memorials of Grasmere," refers to the story, telling
how the eldest girl, then only nine years old, exhibited
the greatest care and foresight in providing for the
requirements of her little brothers and sisters. Agnea
Green, however, succeeded in getting out of her temporary
prison, finding her way to Grasmere, and alarming the
neighbours. After a search of three days, the bodies of
the parents were discovered on White Crag, near the
Pikes, in their last long sleep. This melancholy incident
elicited the sympathy of the whole of the inhabitants of
the Lake district, inspired Wordsworth to write memorial
stanzas on the subject, and brought material help for the
orphans from Royalty itself.
It is worth noting that very few of the ordinary English
song birds, and no skylarks, are to be seen or heard in
these narrow valleys. The residents account for it by
the fact that the precipitous crags afford shelter for
numerous hawks, which, with ravens and crows, are
frequently seen hovering about the hills. Formerly
eagles were wont to build in the Pikes; but the
shepherds declared war against them, because they not
unfrequently carried off a young lamb. The birds were,
therefore, either killed or driven away. Failing that,
the eggs were taken from the nests — a proceeding often
attended with great danger, as the dalesmen had some-
times to be suspended from the tops of precipices by
ropes.
Our drawings are reproduced from photographs by Mr.
Alfred Pettitt, The Art Gallery, Keswick.
in J9mrtfttttit«
j]N the year 1297, Sir William Wallace, who
had succeeded, in spite of the mean
jealousy of the haughty and turbulent
Scottish nobles, in freeing his country for
the time being from the English yoke, led his exasperated
followers into Northumberland, and burned and laid
waste the country wherever he went. Forduu and the
other Scottish historians relate that a principal reason for
his invading England at this time was the extreme dearth
and scarcity that prevailed in North Britain, arising
from the inclemency of the season, joined to the
calamities of war, which had been for so many
years waged cruelly and mercilessly by both parties
alike — the English fighting for conquest at the beck of an
arrogant monarch, and the Scots for national inde-
pendence, under self-appointed chiefs, not always co-
operating heartily with each other. The English his-
torian Walsingham describes this particular year by a
rather singular epithet. He calls it "penuria frugum
illaudabilis," that is, "for scarcity of grain not worthy to
be praised."
Having determined on making the expedition, in order
to subsist his troops at the expense of the enemy,
Wallace is said, in his capacity of regent, warden,
or guardian of Scotland, in the name of King John
Baliol, to have obliged all the fighting men of the realm
between sixteen and sixty to follow him under pain of
death; and it is added that this penalty was inflicted
on the disobedient by hanging them up on gallowses
erected for that purpose in every barony and considerable
town. But the allegation is probably a gross libel on the
memory of the Scottish chief.
After making himself master of the town of Berwick,
which had been evacuated on his approach, Wallace
crossed the Tweed into Northumberland, the prin-
cipal inhabitants of which had fled with their families and
goods to Newcastle, and even still further south, there
being no armed force at hand to make head against
the invaders. King Edward was in Flanders, waging
war with the King of the French for the re-
possession of Guienne; and the heads of the English
nobility, neither well satisfied with the king's foreign
policy, which demanded constant contributions, nor on a
good common understanding among themselves, were
scarcely in a position to meet Wallace in the field, after
the signal victory he had so lately gained at Stirling. So
the Scots marched unopposed as far as the Forest of Roth-
bury, which was then, as its name imported, a thickly
wooded district, and constituted a natural fortress some
seven miles long by four broad. From this place as a
centre or headquarters, they spread themselves through
the low country, laying it waste with fire and sword,
killing all who opposed them, collecting great spoils, and
destroying everything they could not carry away. The
priests and monks of all orders were among the first to
flee for their lives, for the Scots in those rude times were
known to feel little or no scruple with regard to their
sanctity, so many of the Churchmen being soldiers as
well as priests; and the Rector of Rudby, Hugh
Cressingham, who had only a few weeks before been
slain on the field of battle, had his dead body flayed,
and the skin cut in pieces to be distributed as trophies.
The Scots continued to burn and plunder at their
pleasure all over Northumberland, till about the term
of Martinmas, meeting, indeed, with no opposition or dis-
turbance, except when in the neighbourhood of the castles
of Alnwick, Warkworth, Harbottle, Prudhoe, and other
fortresses, from which the garrisons occasionally sent
forth parties to attack the rear of the marauders, or to
pick up stragglers, who, when they fell into their hands, got
very short shrift, being taken, as the Border phrase
ran, " red fang." While they remained encamped in the
parish of Rothbury, the Scots of course would make con-
stant use of the Reiver's Well, which is still to be seen
January I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
35
near the principal entrance to Lord Armstrong's resi-
dence, Cragside.
Having pretty well exhausted the resources of the
eastern district by the month of November, Wallace col-
lected all his forces together, and marched away west-
wards towards Carlisle, with the view of occupying that
city, possibly to make it his winter quarters. In
the course of his expedition up the Tyne, he
stayed two days at Hexham, where the priory had been
burned down, or at least plundered, by a foraging party,
who had likewise set fire to the nave of St. Andrew's
Church, as well as a school-house connected with it. On
this second visit, the following singular scene is said by
Walter Hemingford, the monk of Gisborough, in his
history, to have occurred : —
Three monks, all who had the courage to remain, were
observed in a small chapel. Thinking the danger was
over, they had forsaken their hiding places, and were en-
deavouring to repair the damages of the late visitation,
when, in the midst of their labours, they discovered the
Scottish army, and fled in dismay to the oratory. The
soldiers, however, with their long spears, were soon
among them, and, brandishing their weapons, com-
manded them, at their peril, to give up the treasures of
the monastery. "Alas," said one of the monks, " it is
but a short time since you yourselves have seized our
whole property, and you know best where it now is. " At
this juncture Wallace entered, and, commanding his
soldiers to be silent, requested one of the monks to cele-
brate mass. He obeyed, and the Scottish Guardian and
his attendants assisted at the service with becoming
reverence. When the consecration was about to take
place, Wallace retired for a moment to lay aside helmet
and arms. Instantly the avarice and ferocity of the soldiers
broke out. They pressed upon the priest, snatched the
chalice from the high altar, tore away the ornaments and
sacred vestments, and stole even the missal which the
priest was using. When their leader returned, he found
the priest in fear and horror at the sacrilege. Wallace,
indignant at such conduct, gave orders that the villains
should be searched for and put to death, and in the mean-
time took the monks under his own special protection.
As some atonement for the outrage committed, the Guar-
dian granted to the monks of Hexham a charter of pro-
tection for twelve months.
The town of Corbridge was burned by the Scots
about the same time ; as was likewise a small
house of Benedictine nuns at Lambley, near Halt-
whistle. It is said that the wretched occupants of
the nunnery suffered the common fate of female captives
in such savage incursions — torture and ravishment.
But whether such foul atrocities were approved or sanc-
tioned by Wallace may be seriously questioned. If
they were, one can only say that such sanction or
approval, even in hot blood and in direct reprisal, was
wholly inconsistent with all that one has heard of him
from the outset to the close of his career.
The citizens of Carlisle, when summoned to surrender,
shut their gates in defiance, and made such preparations
for a resolute defence as determined the invaders to turn
away from it and to employ their strength in laying waste
the neighbouring country. The Forest of Inglewood,
comprehending all that large and now fertile tract of
country extending from Carlisle to Penrith on the left
bank of the Eden, and also Allerdale as far as Cocker-
mouth, was overrun and harned. The raiders next
turned eastward, with the view of making similar havoc
in the county of Durham. But they were driven
back by a terrible storm of snow and hail, wherein
many of them perished by hunger and cold, which was
ascribed to the seasonable protection given by St.
Cuthbert to his own people. From thence Wallace
marched eastward towards Newcastle by the old road
on the north side of the Tyne ; and when the raiders were
passing Heddon-on-the-Wall, and a party of them were
foraging about Newburn, the inhabitants of Ryton,
thinking themselves securely defended by the depth of
the river, provoked the Scots with such opprobrious
language that they forded the Tyne, and plundered and
burned the town, spreading a great panic throughout
the neighbourhood. As the Scots approached New-
castle, the burgesses, having made every necessary pre-
paration for defence, sallied forth in order to fight them,
upon which the enemy turned another way. Again
traversing Northumberland, and destroying everything
they had missed in the former part of their raid, the
invaders returned to their own country without oppo-
sition, and loaded with rich spoils, which they divided
after once more crossing the Tweed. During this inroad,
either in coming or going, the Scots encamped on a
hill in the neighbourhood of Carham, on the south bank of
the Tweed, three or four miles from Coldstream, and
there they reduced to ashes an abbey of Black Canons
which had been founded at a period unknown as a cell
to the Priory of Kirkham, in Yorkshire.
The horrible ravages committed by Waallace and
his followers on this occasion are described in the fol-
lowing manner by King Edward himself, in a letter
to Boniface VIII., that infallible pontiff who proclaimed
that "God had set him over kings and kingdoms" : —
"The Scots inhumanly destroyed an innumerable
multitude of my subjects, burnt monasteries,
churches, and towns, with an unpitying and savage
cruelty, slew infants in their cradles and women in
child-bed, barbarously cutting off women's breasts, and
burnt in a school, whose doors they first built up, about
200 young men."
But it must be recollected that this catalogue of
atrocities, scarcely paralleled, and certainly not exceeded,
by any on record in European history, was drawn up on
hearsay evidence, and therefore must not be taken as
literally true. Still there can be but little doubt that the
Scots did commit horrid atrocities. Wallace himself, in
fact, was merely a sort of patriotic reiver. The manners
and tastes of the times, however, were altogether against
the weak and conquered, whether they were. Scots or
Britons.
36
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I January
1 18S9
tlje late game? ffilepljan.
A stark moss-trooping Scot was he,
As e'er couched Border lance on knee.
Through Solway sand, through Tarras moss,
Blindfold, he knew the paths to cross :
By wily turns, by desperate bounds,
Had baffled Percy's best blood hounds.
— Lay of the Last Minstrel.
JIN days of yore, when England and Scot
land were under separate Crowns, and too
close neighbours to be good friends, blood
hounds were kept on the Borders for the
capture of light-footed reivers ; and how best to train
them for their vocation, and how best to evade their
native and cultivated instincts, were important items in
the curriculum of a Tweedside education. On both sides
of the boundary river, accomplished blood hounds were in
anxious request ; and if they could be got ready-trained
by the enemy, no scruples would stand in the way of their
acquisition. English and Scottish poets have alike sung
their praises. Somervile is eloquent of Border strife, and
commemorates the swiftness and sagacity of the hound
which ran marauders down.
****** Upon the banks
Of Tweed, slow winding through the vale, the seat
Of war and rapine once, *
There dwelt a pilfering race, well trained and skilled
In all the mysteries of theft, the spoil
Their only substance, feuds and war their sport.
Veiled in the shades of night they ford the stream :
Then, prowling far and near, whate'er they seize •
Becomes their prey. Nor flocks nor herds are safe ;
Nor stalls protect the steer, nor strong-barred doors
Secure the favourite horse. Soon as the morn
Reveals his wrongs, with ghastly visage wan
The plundered owner stands, and from his lips
A thousand thronging curses burst their way.
He calls his stout allies, and in a line
His faithful hound he leads : then, with a voice
That utters loud his rage, attentive cheers.
Soon the sagacious brute, his curling tail
Flourished in air, low bending plies around
His busy nose ; the steaming vapour snuffs
Inquisitive ; nor leaves one turf untried,
Till, conscious of the recent stains, his heart
Beats quick. His snuffling nose, his active tail,
Attests his joy. Then, with deep opening mouth,
That makes the welkin tremble, he proclaims
Th' audacious felon. Foot by foot he marks
His winding way.
O'er moor and moss goes the untiring "sleuth-hound" —
"the northern name," says John Trotter Brockett in his
Glossary, " for the bloodhound ; so called from its quality
of tracing the sleuth," "the slot or track of man or beast
as known by the scent."
These dogs were held in great estimation by our an-
cestors; particularly on the Borders, where a tax was
levied for maintaining them. Their scent was so re-
markably quick that they could follow, with great cer-
tainty, the human footsteps to a considerable distance, as
fox-hounds chase a fox, or as beagles and harriers chase a
hare. Many of them were, in consequence, kept in cer-
tain districts for the purpose of tracing thieves and ma-
rauders through their secret recesses.
Thai maid a prive assemble
Of well twa hundir men and mea,
And sleuth hundis with thaim gan ta.
The lines here quoted by Mr. Brockett form part of
"The Bruce," the well-known poem of John Barbour,
Archdeacon of Aberdeen ; he who, in the fourteenth cen-
tury, immortalized himself in the affections of his country
by the lines commencing — "Ah! freedom is a noble
thing !" Sir Walter Scott refers to him in a note to the
passage of "The Lay of the Last Minstrel"
which heads this article. "The kings and heroes
of Scotland," says he, "as well as the Border
riders, were sometimes obliged to study how to evade the
pursuit of bloodhounds." Barbour informs us that
Robert Bruce was repeatedly tracked by sleuth-dogs.
On one occasion he escaped by wading a bow-shot down
a brook, and thus baffling the scent. The pursuers came
up,
Rycht to the burn that passyt ware ;
Bot the sleuth-hund made stinting thar,
And waveryt lang tyme ta and fra,
That he na certain gate couth ga ;
Till at the last Jhon of Lorn
Pursevit the hund the sleuth had Icrne.
A sure way of stopping the dog was to spill blood upon
the track, which destroyed the discriminating fineness of
his scent. A captive was sometimes sacrificed on such
occasions. Henry the Minstrel tells a romantic story of
Wallace, founded on this circumstance. The hero's little
band had been joined by an Irishman named Fawdon, or
Fadzean, a dark, savage, and suspicious character. After
a sharp skirmish at Black Erne Side, Wallace was forced
to retreat with only sixteen followers. The English
pursued with a Border sleuthbratch or bloodhound.
In Gelderland there was that bratchel bred,
Siker of scent to follow them that fled ;
So was he used in Eske and Liddisdael ;
While [i.e. when] she gat blood no fleeing might avail.
In the retreat, Fawdon tired, or affecting to be so,
would go no farther. Wallace, having in vain argued
with him, in hasty anger struck off his head, and con-
tinued the retreat. When the English came up, their
hound stayed upon the dead body.
The slouth stopped at Fawdoun ; still she stood ;
Nor farther wold, fra time she fund the blood.
The bloodhound is the subject of an interesting leaf
of Charles Knight's " National Cyclopaedia of Useful
Knowledge. " Here is the first paragraph of the descrip-
tion : — " The name of a hound celebrated for its exquisite
scent and unwearied perseverance ; qualities which were
taken advantage of, by training it, not only to the pursuit
of game, but to the pursuit of man. A true bloodhound
(and the pure blood is rare) stands about 2Sin. in height,
and is muscular, compact, and powerful. The forehead
is broad ; the muzzle is long and deep, with pendulous
lips. The nostrils are wide and well-developed ; the ears
are ample and pendulous ; the aspect is serene and
sagacious. The tail is long, with an upward curve when
January)
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
37
in pursuit ; at which time the hound opens with a voice
deep and sonorous, that may be heard down the wind for
a very long distance." Reference is made by the writer
in the encyclopaedia, further on, to the statement of Sir
Walter Scott, that the breed of bloodhounds was kept up
by the Buccleuch family on their Border estates till within
the eighteenth century.
Those who are familiar with Border story will remember
the raid of 1528. Its record is to be read on various pages.
The late Dr. Charlton's " Memorials of North Tynedale "
quote it from the State Papers. On a Monday morning in
January, William Charlton and Archibald Dodd, with two
Scots, Harry Noble and Roger Armstrong, rode a foray,
with several others, into the Bishopric ; seized the parson
of Muggleswick, and bore him away ; plundering the in-
habitants as they went, The country rose in pursuit, led
by Edward Horsley, bailiff of Hexham. Thomas Erring-
ton, " with a sleueth hounde," was among the pursuers;
and by him was Charlton of Shotlyngton Hall slain as he
fled. Noble met the same fate. Dodd and Armstrong
were captured and executed, and hung in chains at
Alnwick and Newcastle ; the other two being gibbeted at
Hexham and Haydon Bridge. There is, perhaps, no more
graphic picture of Border life in the time of the Tudors
than was penned by the Earl of Northumberland, after
the event, for the eye of Henry VIII., and his great
Minister, Cardinal Wolsey, when Englishman and
Scot Ivad descended hand in hand upon the Bishopric,
and suffered death. The capture of the priest ; the chase
by Wolsey's bailiff of Hexham ; the impassable flood and
the barricaded bridge ; the hunt with the bloodhound by
the swollen waters of the Tyne ; two of the fugitives
slain, two captured ; and all four hanged in chains : a
foray which, as Dr. Charlton remarks, "confirms the say-
ine of a writer of the day, that these Border thieves
would be Englishmen when they will, and Scotsmen when
it suited them," being ever ready for a raid on either or
both sides of the Tweed.
North and south of the Border stream, the bloodhound
was in use for centuries ; and in the old town of New-
castle he makes his mark in the Municipal Accounts.
When the reign of Queen Elizabeth had yet more than
ten years to run, there was some one "wanted" by the
Council of the North at York, over whose deliberations
the Earl of Huntingdon then presided. What the man had
done that he should be in such urgent request, does not
appear. He must have greatly offended, or there would
hardly have been such running to and fro to lay hold of
him. Horsemen and pedestrians, and also a bloodhound,
were sent in hot pursuit; and as the burgesses of New-
castle had to bear some portion at least of the cost, and
the Chamberlains made a note of the corporate disburse-
ments, we catch a glimpse of the chase after the fugitive.
In the mayoralty of 1592, there was "paide for the
chairges of 3 horses 2 daies, and riding to Darneton and
Sheiles, to make enquirie for James Watson, commanded
by Mr. Maior, 6s. 6d." Not only were horsemen abroad
in quest of him, but man and dog were intent on his trail :
" Paide for a sloo-hound, and a man who led him, to goe
make enquirie for James Watson, 5s." A third item
heightens our curiosity to know more of a man whom
Lord Huntingdon and his colleagues were so eager to run
down: — "Paide for the charges of 3 men, one sent to
Anwicke, the 2 " (the second) "to Stockton, and the 3"
(the third) "to Seaton Dallywell, with my Lord Presi-
dentes letters, to make search for Watson, 5s." All the
payments occur in the month of April, and " Watson "
was evidently familiar enough to the corporate officer;
but he is only a name to us — no more.
In the days when Watson was pursued by horse and
hound, such chase of man was an accustomed thing. In
the latter years of Elizabeth, we meet with mention of the
immemorial employment of the bloodhound in Weardale.
The institution was a public charge, though persons not a
few would gladly escape from the burden. Thus much we
learn from a presentment of May 26, 1601, to be found in
Watkins's "Treatise on Copyholds," under the head of
"Customs, &c,, of Weardale, in Durham." The passage
relating to the bloodhound is this :—
We find that there is a slough-hound, which now is,
and heretofore hath been, kept and maintained within the
said park and forest of Weardale ; which said hound, or
some other, is to be kept and maintained, from time to
time, as need requireth.
Whereas we have given our charge for the maintaining
of a slough-hound ; so it is that we have had and already
have hail of keepers upon the costs and charges of the park
and forest only.
Now there is sundry that would withdraw themselves
from bearing and maintaining the said slough-hound, and
some of them do deny any payment for the maintaining
of the said slough-hound.
Therefore we do humbly crave your lawful favour, that
we be not separated, but continue in maintenance in the
said slough-hound, as ever heretofore it hath been used
and continued.
Such was the presentation made, and such its prayer, in
the time of that most pleasant of prelates, Tobie Mathew,
who "could as well not be, as not be merry." The blood-
hound of his park and forest of Weardale was not, appa-
rently, in perpetual keeping. A hound was there ; and
it, "or some other, was to be kept and maintained, from
time to time, as need required."
The volume from which we make the quotation has a
remark, with a reference to Sir John Skene as the autho-
rity, that "the slough-hound was to trace the Scots,
who stole cattle in the night." When the owners missed
them, " the dog was turned out to hunt their footsteps in
the morning."
At the time of the presentation, in the year 1601,
the Tudors were near the end of their reign. They came
in with the battle of Bosworth Field, and their going out
was to be marked by the peaceful union of England and
Scotland under one Crown. Border raids had gone ; a
Scottish king was coming in ; and there were tenants in
Weardale who chafed under the charge of keeping up a
blood-hound. Perchance they had come to the conclusion
38
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
j January
\ 1889.
that co-operation in such a cause was no longer necessary,
but that every man bereft of his beeves might be left to
look after the reivers himself. Quite as likely, however,
they belonged to the order of men who, in all ages,
whatever be the public needs, have been "impatient of
taxation."
Thirty years, or thereabouts, from the time of the in-
quiry into the customs of Weardale, the blood-hound was
in requisition in the county palatine ; and now, it is not
the Corporation of Newcastle, but the Churchwardens of
Darlington, who make the payment. In 1630 they have
an item in their accounts running thus : — "For fetching
of aslee-dogg, 6d." The historian of Darlington, Mr. W.
H. D. Longstaffe, observes in a note : — "The use of the
sleuth or blood -hound was then much in vogue ; and Den-
ton, in Northumberland, and Chester-le-Street, appear to
have been the places where the owners, and probably
breeders, of these animals lived."
How much such animals were prized in former times
may be inferred from one of the entries of the Calendar
of State Papers. A couple had been lost by a, Baron of
France in the reign of Elizabeth ; and it was to her great
Minister that application was made for assistance in their
restoration. On the 21st of September, 1573, Adrian de
Gomiecourt, writing to Lord Burleigh from Rochester in
French, " solicits him to assist the Baron de Berlaymont
in the recovery of a pair of bloodhounds. " Burleigh was
besieged on all sides for his good offices ; he must befriend
a host of suitors in matters small and great ; and when
two hounds were lost the chief adviser to England's Queen
must lend a hand for their restoration !
Stamtm
j|Nr the arrival of the Romans in this country,
the physical aspect of Britain was very
different from what it is now. The uplands
were covered with heather and whins, or
shaded by dense forests, while the banks of the rivers
formed impenetrable jungles, and a great part of the
low-lying grounds was overspread with marshes, as were
the bleak -barren table-lands with bogs. One of the first
requisites of the invaders, if they meant to keep perma-
nent possession of the island, was to construct practicable
high roads through the interior, affording ready means of
inter-communication. The Britons had, doubtless, long
before formed track-ways through the woods, by means
of which the several independent or allied tribes could
have intercourse with each other occasionally ; but these
rude paths were more like those which the natives of
New Zealand or New Guinea used before the advent of
Europeans, or still use, than anything we now associate
with the name of a made road. They were neither
levelled, raised, nor paved ; nor were they always
straight, but "worked with sinuosities along," like Col-
man's Toby Tosspot, so as to avoid the natural obstacles
that lay in their way, or to touch at the scattered settle-
ments with which the country was more or less sparsely
dotted.
If these British track-ways, however, suited their
purposes, the Romans naturally adopted them ; if not,
they constructed others ; and their engineering work
proceeded until they had covered South Britain, and
Scotland as far as the Grampians, with a complete net-
work of national highways, scientifically formed, and
rather to be compared with our modern railroads than
with those narrow lanes and horse tracks which sufficed
for our easy-going ancestors down till within less than
two centuries since. These roads were raised some
height above the ground which they traversed, and pro-
ceeded in as straight a line as possible between the several
termini, running over hill and dale with very little re-
gard to natural inequalities. Being constructed in an age
when the laws of property, if they might be said to exist
at all, were superseded by the rights of conquest, they
did not require to be diverted, like most of our modern
country roads, from the direct line, and thrown into vexa-
tious angles and obliquities by the bias of private interest.
And so, except where some natural barrier made it im-
possible, the Roman roads almost invariably pursued a
straight course. It was only the interposition of a hill
which could not be directly ascended, the interruption of
a river which was unfordable, or the intervention of an
impassable morass, like the Chat Moss, the Lochar Moss,
or the Dogden Moss, that turned the Roman military
engineers out of the precise route they had laid down for
themselves.
The road itself consisted of three distinct layers of ma-
terials— the lowest, stones, mixed with cement (statumenj;
the middle, gravel or small stones ( rudera}, to prepare a
level and unyielding surface (without the least rugged-
ness, " sine salebris-"), whereon to receive the upper and
most important part of the structure, which consisted of
large blocks of stone accurately fitted together. In the
neighbourhood of towns, they usually had raised footways
(margincs) on both sides (convmerginaria), which defined
the extent of the central part (agger) for carriages, which
was paved with large stones, and was usually about
eighteen feet wide. The road was accurately barrelled,
so that no water might lie upon it ; and where the nature
of the ground permitted, the soil was wholly removed
before the first layer was placed, so as to ensure perfect
solidity. The roads were thus said to be made "by
delving and building beneath " (fodiendo ae tubstruendoj.
The expense of their construction was enormous, but
they were built to last for ever ; and many of them con-
tinued, under all the injuries of predatory barbarians,
January 1
1889. I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
39
Vandalio landholders, agricultural improvers, and inclem-
encies of climate, wonderfully perfect, down to a recent
period. Having the whole power of the country at their
command, and tribes and nations innumerable to be their
labourers, the Romans were not frugal of the toil of
others. The poor natives had to do all the drudgery,
from quarrying the stones out of the rock and squaring
them to serve as flags, to carrying them up craggy preci-
pices where no carriages could go ; and where little or no
road metal was to be found near at hand (as was not often
the case, however, in the North), the unhappy drudges
were forced to bring gravel, sand, or lime, occasionally
from seven or eight miles off, either on their own backs
or on those of their beasts of burden, arbitrarily requisi-
tioned for the purpose. The Caledonian chief Galgacus
is represented by Tacitus as telling his followers that the
Romans wore out the bodies and hands of every people
they subjected, in clearing and draining woods and
marshes, with floggings and insults (corpora ipsa ac manus
Sylvia ac paludibis emuniendis, vevbera inter et contu-
melias, contereunt) ; and there can be no doubt but that
he spoke the truth.
The Romans, as is well known, were great bridge-
builders, as well as masterful road-makers, their
commanders usually taking the title of pontifex among
their other high honours. Yet it is remarkable that only
three bridges are mentioned by the writers of the Itiner-
aries as occurring in Britain, and one of them is Pons
JE\i\, or jfElius's Bridge, which is well known to have
spanned the Tyne opposite Newcastle. Most of the roads
in this country crossed the rivers they encountered, not
at bridges, but at shallows or fords, for some time at
least after they were constructed ; so that unless resort
was had to rafts or bridges of boats, the travelling on
these must have been very precarious, having to be regu-
lated by the rains and controlled by the floods. At every
thousand paces along the route there were mile-stones
placed, and some of these still remain in situ, while the
pedestals of others are to be seen in many places, with
holes in them to receive the pillars.
Of many of the Roman roads, not only in England, but
in the greater part of the Roman empire, an account has
been preserved under the name of the Itinerary of
Antoninus, which specifies the towns or stations on each
road, and shows the distance between them — usually a
day's march. This record was long supposed to be a pub-
lic directory or guide for the use of the soldiers ; but if
this were the case, it is extremely confused and imper-
fect. It often omits in one iter or journey towns which
are directly in its course, and yet specifies them in
another ; it likewise traces the same road more than once,
and passes unnoticed some of the most remarkable roads
in the island. History is silent as to the tune and the
compiler of this register ; but the most likely conjecture
is that it is merely the heads of a journey formed by some
traveller or officer, who visited the different parts of the
empire from business or duty, during the reign of the
Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, and that it was
supplemented in some parts so late as the reign of Diocle-
tian. Besides this Itinerary, we have the " Description of
Britain, " attributed to Richard of Cirencester, and taken
from ancient (if not contemporary) records now lost.
From these two sources we learn that there were four
great trunk roads in Britain, viz., the Watling Street, the
Erming or Ermine Street, the Ikenild Street, and the
Fosse Way; and modern researches have revealed the
existence of a great many more, connecting the principal
towns with each other and with the coast. For purposes
of direct communication from sea to sea, as well as inter-
nal intercourse, these roads were infinitely better fitted
than any that existed in the island down to the compara-
tively recent days of Marshal Wade, Thomas Telford,
and John London Macadam.
Of the four great lines of intercommunication above
named, we have only to do with the two first, as the
Ikenild Street and the Fosse Way ran through the
southern part of the country — the former from the Land's
End to the coast of Suffolk, and the latter from Exmouth,
in Devonshire, or Lyme Regis, in Dorsetshire, to the
Humber, about Saltfleet, in Lincolnshire. The Watling
Street, on the other hand, traversed England and Scot-
land throughout almost their whole length, or at least
as far north as the Grampians and the Moray Firth, and
sent out branches in all directions, connecting the princi-
pal towns, which numbered some hundreds, and affording
the troops ready access to all the main points, whether
inland or on the coast. The term Ermine, Ermyn, or
Herman Street, again, though primarily applied to a
great road leading from Southampton (Clausentum) and
Chichester (Regnum), where the Emperor Vespasian
fixed his head-quarters when in Britain, through London
(Londinium) to Yarmouth or Colchester (Camalodunum),
coinciding, for a great part of the way, with the line of
the South-Western and Eastern Counties Railways, is
also applied to other great consular or military roads — one
of them at least in our district. It is to be observed that
none of the road-names are those given by the Romans
who constructed them ; they are only those affixed by the
semi-barbarous Anglo-Saxons and Jutes who came
in after the Romans left. The term Watling (some-
times written Waecling) most probably is only a corrup-
tion of the word " wathol," a road or way ; and street is
the Latin "stratum," a pavement, which was applied to
such great trunk roads as were regularly paved or flagged
(viae strata). The term Ermyn, again, which was ap-
plied to a number of lines in various parts of the country,
not otherwise connected with each other, but all usually
taking the shortest cut between their terminal points,
may either signify that the roads so designated were the
quickest marching routes (itinera eelerrima), and, there-
fore, specially dedicated to Hermes, the messenger of the
gods, known to the Saxons as Eormen, or it may merely
40
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/January
I 1889
mean that they were chiefly used as military roads (Ger-
man, Heerstrassen).
Descriptions of the roads themselves will be given in
succeeding articles. WILLIAM BROCKIE.
|NDER date June 15, 1757, the "Local
Historian's Table Book " records the inter-
ment of Robert Clover, "a young man
of uncommon parts and application," who had ac
quired "nice skill in music,'' could draw, sketch,
and paint, and had made "considerable progress " in
modern languages, astronomy, and mathematics. When
only fifteen years of age, we are told, he wrote two
poetic pieces in imitation of Milton's "L'Allegro, " which
William Hilton, of Gateshead, "published with his own
poems"; but "by intense labour he injured a delicate
constitution, and died when approaching to manhood, be-
loved and esteemed by all who knew him."
Turning now to Hilton's "Poetical Works," which
form two thick octavo volumes, published in 1776 by
Thomas Saint, Newcastle, we 6nd the two pieces referred
to. They are entitled "IlGiorno" and "LaNotte" —
in English, "Day "and "Night." " Day" commences : —
Thirsis ! why will ye lose
That precious part of day, the morning's prime,
And foolish spend that time
When ev'ry balmy sweet of nature flows
In sleep's unmeaning joy ?
Come, rise, receive the tribute of the morn,
Morpheus and his visions scorn,
Resist the drowsy god, command him hence,
Immers'd in indolence,
And taste of pleasures that will never cloy.
There are over a dozen pages, written in this high-
pitched tone, evincing most remarkable gifts in a lad of
fifteen. Accompanying them are an " Elegy on Clover ''
and a "Memoir "of the youth, by Hilton himself, who
appears to have been a companion of the precocious boy,
and to have regarded his decease as a public calamity.
R. W.
^ SFteto of J3urftant.
||HE accompanying view of Durham, taken
from the north-east, is strikingly romantic
and picturesque. The original drawing was
made by Thomas Allom more than half a century ago.
Many changes have of course been made in the city and
its surroundings since the sketch was taken. The pre-
dominating feature of the landscape depicted by Allom
is the grand old cathedral which rears its majestic form
against the sky. Other cathedrals may present more
graceful outlines, but few can compare with it for situa-
tion. The city appears to be scattered over a number
of irregular hills, the ground by which it is approached
oeing thrown up into circular mounts. From the north-
east the cathedral appears to great advantage, its northern
and eastern fronts, " like the mitre which binds the
temple of its prelate, giving the noblest supreme orna-
January 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
41
ment to the capital of the principality." To the right of
the cathedral are the battlements and tower of the castle,
and to the left is shown the ancient church of St.
Nicholas. In the middle distance is Elvet Bridge, built
by Bishop Pudsey about the year 1170, and afterwards
repaired by Bishop Fox, who granted an indulgence of
the Church to all who contributed towards defraying the
expense of the undertaking.
Hill, Newcastle, was so named by Mr. Isaac Cookson,
the owner of the property, after his son Arthur ! We
may add to Dr. Bruce's statement that the name given to
the place originally was Arthur Hill. Other children of
Mr. Cookson were honoured in the same manner. And
so it comes that we have streets close at hand, and form-
ing part of the old estate of the Cooksons, named John,
Edward, William, and Mary.
Htwjj gtrtftttr
it iff it aSri
the meeting of the British Association at
Newcastle in 1863, an eminent antiquary,
not connected with the district, delivered a
most interesting address on Arthurian Legends. He
pointed to the legends regarding the mythic king in so
many parts of the country and on the Continent.
Coming nearer home, he said Arthur's Seat, at Edin-
burgh, had its name undoubtedly from the British
hero; there was the Arthurian legend — very widely
spread — which connected King Arthur with Sewing-
shields on the Roman Wall, and which will be found in
Dr. Bruce's "Wallet Book of the Roman Wall"; and
there was still another legend which located King Arthur
on the Derwent. Even in Newcastle, the antiquary said,
he understood they had an Arthur's Hill,, and he had
no doubt it could be traced to the all-pervading
monarch. In the discussion which followed, Dr. Bruce,
who was present at the sectional meeting, to the great
amusement of the audience, and the discomfiture of the
enthusiastic King Arthurite, quietly stated that Arthur's
I ANY subjects engage the attention of the
antiquary and the painter in the neighbour-
hood of Almvick. The Castle, of course,
stands first in importance, and it is this venerable struc-
ture which is delineated in our sketch, the standpoint
being the Lion Bridge, itself a most picturesque object.
From the battlements of the bridge a fairly comprehen-
sive view of the castle may be obtained. Those who
wish to include the bridge and castle in one grand scene
will have to walk a short distance along the river bank.
It is here that the artist may frequently be seen with
busy pencil. The bridge figures prominently in Turner's
srreat picture of AInwick by moonlight. An incident in
connection with it is described by Oliver Wendell Holmes
in his "Autocrat of the Breakfast Table," as an illustra-
tion of the strange fact that trivial things are often re-
membered when more important ones are forgotten. " I
remember," he says, "the Percy Lion on the bridge over
the little river at AInwick— the leaden lion— with its tail
42
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
\
January
stretched out straight like a pump handle — and why?
Because of the story of the village boy who would fain
bestride the leaden tail, standing out over the water—
which breaking, he dropped into the stream far below,
and was taken out an idiot for the rest of his life."
antr €ainnuntavit$.
BURYING THE COLOURS OF A REGIMENT IN
NEWCASTLE.
In 1763, on peace being declared, after a war of
many years between this country and France, a singular
and exciting incident was witnessed in Newcastle — the
public burial, with military honours, of the old colours of
the 25th Regiment of Foot, then commanded by Lord
Lenox. What were the exact proceedings cannot now be
stated, the records of the event being very scant indeed.
These records merely state " that on Tuesday, May 31st,
1763, the old colours of the 25th Regiment, being so much
wounded in Germany, and particularly at the glorious
and ever memorable battle of Minden (August 1, 1759),
were buried at Newcastle with military honours." Pro-
bably, however, the old flags, as they were borne along
the streets of the town, in their tattered and torn condi-
tion, to the place of burial, would be demonstratively
greeted by the townsmen. Doubtless, also, the soldiers
forming the remnant of the regiment, as they preceded
and followed the emblems, would be welcomed in a
manner worthy of their countrymen. The place of inter-
ment is not stated ; but possibly it was one of the church-
yards of the town. With the burial of the flags an impor-
tant war period may be regarded as having closed, and it is
worthy of note that, on the following day, the people
had their minds diverted to religion and peace ; for on
Wednesday, June 1, 1763, the Rev. John Wesley arrived
at Newcastle from Scotland, and on that and several fol-
lowing days spoke to immense audiences.
J. S. Y.. Hull.
A YORKSHIRE ROBBERY AND ITS DETECTION.
The following curious story is copied from " Annals
of Yorkshire": — "Samuel Sunderland, Esq., who flour-
ished in the reign of Charles I. and in the Common-
wealth, resided at Arthing Hill, not far from Bingley.
He was one of the richest men of his age, and had accumu-
lated an immense quantity of gold coin, which he
preserved in bags placed on two shelves in a private
part of his house. Two individuals, who resided at
Oollineham, determined to rob Mr. Sunderland -of the
whole, or, at any rate, a considerable quantity, of his gold ;
and in order to prevent the chance of successful pursuit,
they persuaded a blacksmith at Collingham to put shoes
on their horses' feet backward way. They arrived at
Arthing Hall according to their purpose, took away as
much gold in bags as they could carry off, and, notwith-
standing the communication of an alarm to the family
before they left the house, succeeded in accomplishing their
retreat. The weight of the gold they took away was too
heavy for their jaded horses, and they were compelled to
leave part of it on Blackmoor, where it was afterwards
found by some persons of Chapeltown. It so happened
that the robbers had taken a dog with them on their ex-
pedition, and this animal, in the hurry of their retreat,
they left behind them, fastened up in the place from
which they had taken the gold. The friends and neigh-
bours of Mr. Sunderland, who had determined upon pur-
suit, immediately saw in this dog the means of detecting
the offenders. Having broken one of its legs, to prevent
its running too fast for their horses, they turned it loose.
It proceeded, notwithstanding its excruciating pain, to
Collingham, and went directly to the house of its owners.
The pursuers arrived, burst open the door, and found
the thieves in the very act of counting the money. They
were sent to York, tried, condemned to die, and their
own apprentice was compelled to act the part of execu-
tioner. This young man, though innocent of any
capital participation in the robbery, was so horror-struck
by the deed he had been compelled to perform, that he
criminated himself and followed the fate of his masters."
NIGEL, York.
A CHILD'S REASON.
A six-year-old little boy, residing in Jesmond, was
joked one night lately about falling asleep in the tram-
car. "Oh," he answered, "I went to sleep when I
wasn't looking !"
CAMELS AND ASSES.
Tommy Atkins : " Look here ! I have known lots of
camels work hard, a whole week, without drinking,
when we were on the march." Jack Docker : " Git
oot, man ! that's nowt ! Aa knaa lots o' asses whe
drink hard a whole fortneet, wivoot warkin', and then
march te the kitty. Yor camels cuddent de that, could
they, noo ?"
A PITMAN'S APOLOGY.
One of the directors of a local colliery recently visited
the scene of his investment. Observing one of the work-
men leaning on his shovel, and thus apparently idling his
time away, he addressed him with some pomposity as
follows : " My man, can't you find something else to do ? "
This query somewhat staggered the workman, who replied :
" Wey, what the deuce have ye te de wi't? Gan te Jarrico,
ye fyul ! " The director reported the matter to the foreman,
who with the alacrity of an official who knowi who
"butters his bread," hurried off to the delinquent and
exclaimed : " Hi, come here, ye slavering cull ! Did ye
Ja.'J£?r!' 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
43
not knaa who that wes whe wes heor just noo ? " "Hoo
should aa knaa ? Onny way, whe is he ? " was the reply.
" Oh, ye'll knaa varry syun. Yell hev te 'pologise, or
gan hyem." "Weel," said the man, "aa divvent want
te gan hyem, se aa'll 'pologise." Off he went. Mean-
while, the director had reached a group of officals to whom
he told the story. The man approached the director and
asked: "Arn't ye the chep whe aa tell't te gan te
Jarrico just noo? Aa's come te 'pologise, se aa'll just say,
divvent gan noo ! "
PORTABLE ENGINE.
An engineman at Jarrow, referring to his son who had
been out of work, said to an inquirer : — " He's making a
varry canny living noo ; he hes a portigal engine ! "
A MILITIAMAN'S RELIGION.
More than twenty years ago, when the work of restor-
ing the ancient church of St. Michael, Alnwick, was
going on, the Northumberland Light Infantry Militia
was quartered in the same town for the annual training.
In consequence of the sacred edifice being closed pending
the restoration, the Corn Exchange was opened in its
stead as a place of worship for those of the regiment who
attended the Church of England. One Sunday morning,
when the gallant corps was on church parade, a bold
Novocastrian inadvertently strayed into the ranks of the
Catholic party. Being perceived by the captain in com-
mand, he was asked by that officer : " What religion
are you, my man ?" Whereupon the straggler, with a look
of bewilderment, answered : "If you please, sor, aa's a
Corn Exchange man !"
On the 13th of November, Alderman Thomas Gray
died at his residence, Spital Hill, near Morpeth. About
six weeks previously, he had received an apparently
Mr. John Blagdon, one of the oldest shipowners of
North Shields, died on the 6th of November, 1888.
On the 6th of November, the remains of Mr. William
Isaac Cookson, who had died at Worksop Manor, Not-
tingham, on the 1st, were interred in the family vault at
Benwell Churchyard, Newcastle. The deceased gentle-
man, who was 76 years of age, was head of the firm of
Messrs. Cookson and Co., coalowners and lead manufac-
turers, Newcastle, and formerly lived at Benwell Tower,
now the residence of the Bishop of Newcastle.
Mr. J. W. George, printing overseer, who had been
forty years in the service of the proprietors of the New-
castle Journal, died on the 9th of November, aged 60.
On the llth of November, Mrs. Oliver, wife of Dr.
Thomas Oliver, one of the principal physicians at the
Newcastle Infirmary, died at the residence of her father,
Mr. W. Jenkins, J.P., at Consett.
Mr. John Telfer, of the firm of Messrs. John Telfer
and Son, wholesale and retail tobacconists, Newcastle,
died on the 12th of November, at the age of 65 years.
The Rev. Mr. Stepney, who had been in the Wesleyan
ministry over fifty years, died at Houghton-le-Spring on
the 13th of November, his age being 77 years.
///'//
f//;///!
II II f l!'
>'•'///-''
'- Thos Grsy.
Pied t/ci;i3-ll$8
slight injury to his foot in alighting from his trap, and
this was the origin of the illnuss which, unfortunately,
terminated fatally. A native of York, where, for a time,
he had been in the employment of the North-Eastern
Railway Company, Mr. Gray came to Newcastle in 1851.
He entered upon possession of the Alexandra Hotel,
which he conducted for several years ; and he also became
the lessee of the advertising stations on the North-
Eastern and other leading railways in the kingdom. A
few years ago, he commenced, with others, the issue of
Gray's Time Tables for Scotland, and he was head of the
firm of Gray and Co., printers, Edinburgh. In the course
of a very active life, deceased had.been connected with all
sorts of financial undertakings, and in most of them he
had achieved very considerable success. Mr. Gray was
elected to the Newcastle Council as one of the representa-
tives of Elswick Ward on the 1st of November, 1871.
In 1884-85, he served the office of Sheriff, and in 1886 he
was raised to the position of alderman. He was one of
the guarantors in securing Elswick Park for the use of
the public, previous toils acquisition by the Corporation ;
and he took a prominent part in the arrangements con-
nected wilh the Royal Jubilee Exhibition in 1887. The
deceased gentleman, who was married, was 64 years of
age.
Colonel Duncan, C.B., Royal Artillery, and member
for the Holborn Division of Finsbury, died on the 16th of
November. He was a native of Aberdeen, and was 52
years of age. He unsuccessfully contested Morpeth against
Mr. T. Burt, and afterwards, with a like result, the city
of Durham. The deceased gentleman was a D.C.L. of
Durham University. (See vol. ii., p. 144.)
44
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f January
Mr. George Gamsby, who took a very prominent part
in the Chartist movement, along with Mr. Binns, Mr.
James Williams, Dr. Gammage, and others, died at Sun-
derland on the 21st of November, in his 82nd year.
Dr. Edward Headlam Greenhow, of Reigate, Surrey,
formerly of Tynemouth, died suddenly in London on the
22nd of November, aged 74. The deceased gentleman
belonged to a family of doctors. The first who settled on
Tyneside was Dr. Edward Martin Greenhow, a native of
Stirling, who had been an army surgeon and served with
General Elliot at the siege of Gibraltar, who was married
at Tynemouth in 1786, and who died in Dockwray
Square, North Shields, in 1835. A son of his, Dr.
Edward Greenhow, followed the profession of his father,
also in Dockwray Square, and was mentioned in connec-
tion with the Margetts mystery. (See vol. i., page 58.)
Another son of the old army surgeon was Dr. T. M.
Greenhow, a well-known practitioner in Newcastle, who
married a sister of Harriet Martineau, and whose sister,
Sarah Greenhow, married Harriet Martineau's brother
George, at Christ Church, Tynemouth, on the 26th of
July, 1836 It was Dr. T. M. Greenhow, then surgeon to
the Newcastle Infirmary, who recommended Harriet
Martineau to try the effects of mesmerism for the cure of
her ailments. (See vol. i., page 415.)
The death was announced, on the 24th of November,
of Mr. Morgan Robinson, mining engineer, Newcastle,
and late manager of Wardley Colliery, from which he
drew the first tub of coals to bank.
Mrs. Leslie, wife of Mr. Andrew Leslie, the well-known
Tyne shipbuilder, died at Coxlodge Hall, near Newcastle,
on the 28th of November.
Air. Adam Patterson, a member of the editorial staff of
the Newcastle Chronicle, died after a short but severe
illness, on the 29th of November. Though only a little
over thirty years of ape, the deceased gentleman had had
considerable experience as a journalist. After a short
service on the now defunct Northern Daily Express he
joined the literary department of the Chronicle, and for
some time was in the London office of that paper. Re-
turning to Newcastle, he resumed his position as reporter
on the Daily Chronicle; and on the establishment of the
Evening Chronicle, he was appointed to the post, which
he held till his death, of its responsible editor. Mr.
Patterson's frank and genial demeanour, combined with
his honourable and upright conduct, had endeared him to
all with whom he came in contact.
Mr. William Daggett, of the firm of Messrs. Ingledew
and Daggett, solicitors, Newcastle, died on the 6th of
December. He was the eldest son of the late Mr. Alder-
man Ingledew, but, for family reasons, he took the maiden
name of his mother, who belonged to Pickhill, Yorkshire.
The deceased gentleman was 63 years of age, and was
born in Dean Street, over the offices he occupied up to his
death. He served his articles as a solicitor with his
father, and was admitted a practitioner in 1848. He
represented St. Nicholas' Ward in the Town Council for
twelve years, and acted as Under-Sheriff during his
father's Shrievalty in the year 1852-53 ; while he was
Sheriff himself in 1870-71. He retired from the Council
in consequence of the pressure of professional duties and
delicate health, and has since devoted himself exclusively
to his avocations as a solicitor. He was Deputy-Registrar
of the Newcastle County Court under the late Mr. Brook
Mortimer, then joint Registrar with Mr. Mortimer, and
on the death of that gentleman he became Registrar in
conjunction with his brother, Mr. James H. Ingledew.
On the creation of the Newcastle Bishopric, Mr. Daggett
was appointed secretary to the bishop.
On the 5th of December, Mr. George Dodds, ex-Mayor
of Tynemouth, and a well-known temperance advocate,
died at the residence of Mr. F. Gascoigne, his son-in-law,
in Newcastle. For many years a resident at Cullercoats,
the deceased gentleman was elected a member of the Tyne-
mouth Town Council in 1877, and had thus served eleven
years as an efficient and useful member of that body.
He had been a Guardian of the Poor in the Tynemouth
MB. GF.OUGE DOnilS.
Union for fifteen years, and was connected with most of
the philanthropic and benevolent institutions in the
borough. Born in the neighbourhood of the Ouseburn,
Newcastle, on the 19th of November, 1810, he had entered
upon the seventy-ninth year of his age. To the last he
retained bis connection with his native town, in which
for a long period he carried on, successfully, a coffee-
roasting business. Mr. Dodds first signed the temperance
pledge on the 24th of September, 1836. He was the last
surviving member of the original committee of the New-
castle Temperance Society ; and on the occasion of his
jubilee as an abstainer, two years ago, he received the
congratulations of that body, as well as of the Tynemouth
Council, and of his numerous other friends in the district.
The deceased gentleman was also a keen politician, and
took an active part in the agitation which preceded the
Reform Bill of 1832.
On the 5th of December, Mr. Joseph Jordon died at
his residence, Burney Villa, James Street, Gateshead.
For the last quarter of a century he took an active interest
in the Gateshead Dispensary, and for the last few years
acted as secretary. The deceased gentleman was about
60 years of age.
Mr. H. J. Trotter, M.P. for Colchester, son of the
late William Trotter, of Bishop Auckland, died on the
6th of December, at the age of 52 years.
On the same day, Mr. W. Havelock, land agent and
timber valuer, died at his residence in Hencote Street.
January 1
1889. j
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
45
Hexham, in the 69th year of his age. The office of
forester to the Greenwich Hospital Commissioners had
been held by deceased and his fore-elders for three gen-
erations.
born at Matfen, Northumberland, on the 2nd of January,
18W, and has been a member of the Council since 1876,
while in 1880-81 he occupied the position of Sheriff.
XUorrtt at
©ecumncesf.
NOVEMBER, 1888.
6. — It was reported that some interesting experiments
had been conducted at the works of Messrs. Bell, near
Middlesbrough, with a new blasting material, named
"Bellite, " the invention of a Swedish chemist.
7. — It was announced that Sir Lowthian Bell had been
appointed by the Prince of Wales vice-chairman of the
Organising Committee of the Imperial Institute.
8. — Mr. Joseph Baxter Ellis, on the eve of the termina-
tion of his year of office as Sheriff, was entertained to
JOSEPH BAXTER ELLIS.
dinner by the members of the Newcastle Corporation, at
the Duuglas Hotel, the chair being occupied by Mr.
Alderman Newton.
— Dr. F. R. Lees, of Leeds, delivered a lecture on
"The Philosophy of Temperance," in the hall of the
Young Men's Christian Association, Newcastle.
9.— The election of Mayors and other municipal officers
for the ensuing year took place throughout the North of
England. In accordance with an arrangement previously
arrived at, the choice of Mayor, in the case of Newcastle,
fell unanimously upon Mr. Thomas Richardson, who was
proposed by Mr. Alderman Hamond, and seconded by
Mr. J. G. Youll. Mr. Richardson, corn merchant, was
Equally unanimous to the shrievalty, on this occasion,
was the election of Mr. William Suttun, draper, who is t\
native of Langholm, Dumfriesshire, where he was born
0:1 the 19th of December, 1837. He entered the Council
46
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{January
1889
as a representative of Jesmond Ward on the 1st of No-
vember, 1878. At Gateshead, Mr. Alderman John Lucas
was, without opposition, elected chief -magistrate. About
fifty years of age, Mr. Lucas is a native of Eighton Banks,
and was first elected a member of the Town Council,
Gateshead, in 1868. The mayoral elections in the other
local towns were — South Shields, Mr. Alderman Scott :
Stockton, Mr. Alderman Nelson ; Darlington, Mr. W.
Harding ; Tynemouth. Mr. R. Collins ; Jarrow, Mr.
Alderman Berkley ; Morpeth, Mr. William Clarkson ;
Sunderland, Mr. Alderman Barnes ; Durham, Mr. Alder-
man Boyd ; Middlesbrough, Mr. Raylton Dixon ; Hartle-
pool, Mr. R. C. Black ; West Hartlepool, Mr. Alderman
Pyman ; and Berwick, Commander Norman, R.N.
10. — The usual winter series of People's Concerts com-
menced in the Town Hall, Newcastle.
— As President of the Durham College of Science in
Newcastle, Dr. Lake, Dean of Durham and Warden of
the University, issued an appeal for subscriptions on
behalf of the College, a sum of not less than £20,000
being required to place it in a sound financial position.
12.— The Rev. Dr. Dallinger, the well-known Wesleyan
minister and scientist, lectured on a scientific topic in
Newcastle.
13.— The brig Granite, of West Hartlepool, was
wrecked at the mouth of the Tees, all hands, eight in
number, being drowned. Miss Strover, sister of the
registrar of Hartlepool County Court, while witnessing
the ineflectual attempts of the lifeboat to save the men,
fell dead from excitement.
— Benjamin Dunnell, 36 years of age, was committed
for trial by the Newcastle magistrates, on a charge of
attempting to murder Margaret Cooper. On the 24th,
he was sentenced to five years' penal servitude by Mr.
Baron Pollock.
14-. — In the House of Commons, in answer to a question
by Mr. Milvain, Mr. Matthews, Home Secretary, stated
that there had been a careful inquiry and report on the
subject of the burglary at Edlingham Vicarage, near
Alnwick, in Northumberland, for which offence two men
were convicted in 1879, and had since been in penal ser-
vitude. The circumstances elicited were most singular
and unprecedented. After careful consideration, he had
directed criminal proceedings to be taken against two
others, and he had ordered the two men who were con-
victed in 1879 to be released on license. Michael Bran-
nagan and Peter Murphy, the two prisoners set at liberty,
arrived at Alnwick from Dartmoor on the 16th, and met
with a most enthusiastic reception from their relatives
and the inhabitants generally. On the previous day the
other two men, George Edgell, 46, and Charles Richard-
son, 55 years of age, were apprehended by the Aluwick
police, and remanded on the charge of having, on their
own confession, been implicated in the burglary. The
gentlemen who had been chiefly instrumental in bringing
to light the true circumstances of the extraordinary case
were the Rev. J. J. M. Perry, vicar of St. Paul's, Aln-
wick, and Mr. C. Percy, solicitor, of the same town. Eg-
dell and Richardson were committed for trial on the 21st;
and on being brought before Mr. Baron Pollock, at the
Northumberland Assizes, on the 24th, they pleaded guilty
to the burglary, and were each sentenced to five years'
penal servitude. In the House of Commons, on the 3rd
of December, in answer to Mr. Milvain, the Home
Secretary stated that a "free pardon " had been granted
to Murphy and Brannagan, and that he had obtained the
sanction of the Treasury, under the exceptional circum-
stances of the case, to offer £800 to each man as pecuniary
compensation.
15. — A coroner's jury in London returned a verdict of
unsound mind in the case of Mr. William Snowden Robin-
son, one of the senior solicitors practising in Sunderland,
who had committed suicide by shooting himself at High-
bury, whither he had gone on a visit.
— At a meeting of delegates of the Northumberland
Miners' Union, it was decided to ask for an advance of
wages to the extent of 15 per cent. The owners decided
to offer an advance of 5 per cent, at hard coal collieries,
and 2i per cent, at soft coal collieries. These terms were
eventually accepted by the men.
16. — It was announced that Mrs. McGrady, of Monk-
wearmouth, who had given birth to four children, had
received £4, the Queen's bounty. (See vol. ii., page 574.)
This, according to the Newcastle Daily Chronicle, was
the only authenticated instance in England of a woman
having borne four children at a birth.
— During a violent storm of wind, a little girl named
Ethel Pender, six years of age, was blown into the middle
of the street at Gateshead, and was killed by a passing
vehicle. A good deal of damage was done to property in
Newcastle and district. The gale was renewed with great
violence on the 22nd, when a boy named Young, six years
old, was killed by the fall of the chimney connected with
the school at Stargate Colliery Village, in the parish of
Ryton.
18. — George Macdonald, a cartman, died at Blaydon,
from the effects of injuries to his head, inflicted by
Edward Tench, during a quarrel, on the 16th. The man
January |
1889.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
47
\
Tench pleaded guilty to the charge of manslaughter,
before Mr. Baron Pollock, at Durham Assizes, and was
sentenced to ten months' hard labour.
19.— The result of the triennial election of the Gates-
head School Board was announced, the Rev. W. Moore
Ede, Rector, being at the head of the poll. The consti-
tution of the Board remained practically unchanged.
— A handcuffed prisoner, named William Singleton, 33
years of age, who had been conveyed to Wallsend Rail-
way Station for removal to Tynemouth, suddenly threw
himself upon the line, and was run over by a passing
train, his injuries being such that he died in a few hours
at the Newcastle Infirmary.
— Dr. R, S. Watson sat as arbitrator in reference to an
application for an advance of Is. per ton in connection
with the North of England Iron Trade. As the result of
the arbitration, he awarded an advance of 5 per cent, on
tonnage rates, and 6d. per ton on puddling. The men's
claim was 10 per cent.
21. — A new Wesleyan Methodist Chapel was opened in
Newport Road, Middlesbrough.
— Earl Spencer, formerly Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland,
addressed a political meeting in the Assembly Rooms,
North Shields.
22. — The steamship Vauxhall, of London, was sunk by
collision with the steamer Prudhoe Castle, in Shields
Harbour, but, happily, no lives were lost.
23. — Lord Armstrong, who had come forward as a can-
didate for the representation of the Rothbury Division on
the Northumberland County Council, addressed a public
meeting at Rothbury, giving some interesting reminis-
cences of his early connection with Cragside.
24.— At the Newcastle Assizes, Edward Tait, 21, fitter,
was sentenced to four months' imprisonment for the man-
slaughter of his brother, David Tait, in Newcastle.
— John Dove and Elizabeth Dove, husband and wife,
who had been committed for trial on the charge of the
manslaughter of their daughter, Minnie Dove, were ac-
quitted at Newcastle Assizes, before Mr. Baron Pollock.
26. — Mr. J. G. Youll, solicitor, was elected an alder-
man of the Newcastle City Council.
27. — During the prevalence of a severe storm, a fishing
boat from Alnmouth, belonging to George Richardson,
was capsised, and Robert Richardson, one of three bro-
thers, was drowned.
— At a conference, held in Newcastle, of representatives
of the medical charities and others, it was decided that a
subscription be opened to found an institution to be de-
signated the North of England Samaritan Society, with
the object of supplying medical and surgical appliances,
&c., to the deserving poor.
29. — At the Durham Assizes, William Waddle was
sentenced to death by Mr. Baron Pollock, for the murder
of Jane Beetmoor, or Savage, at Birtley Fell, on the
22nd of September. (See vol. ii., page 526.)
— Mr. Gainsford Bruce, Q.C., son of the Rev. Dr.
Bruce, of Newcastle, author of " The Roman Wall," was
returned to Parliament, as member for the Holborn
Division of Finsbury, in succession to the late Colonel
Duncan.
— Sir William Vernon Harcourt presided at the annual
dinner of the Newcastle Liberal Club, and in the evening
addressed a meeting in the Town Hall. The right hon.
gentleman spoke on the following evening at a meeting
at Darlington.
30.— Voting papers, to the number of 85,000, were
issued to the owners of property and ratepayers in New-
castle for the purpose of ascertaining whether a majority
were in favour of triennial instead of annual elections of
Guardians. On the papers being examined, it was found
that 9,428 voted in favour of triennial, and 5,921 for
annual elections.
DECEMBER.
1.— The Durham Salt Company was registered at
Somerset House, with a capital of £200,000.
3.— Mrs. Ashton W. Dilke, widow of a former member
for Newcastle, was present and spoke at the annual
meeting of the Newcastle and Gateshead Women's
Liberal Association.
4. — A Jewish Young Men's Improvement Association
was inaugurated in Newcastle.
—It was announced that Mr. J. Baxter Ellis had ac-
cepted the office of chairman of the Botanical and Hor-
ticultural Society of Newcastle, Northumberland, and
Durham.
—The first launch took place from the new shipbuilding
yard of Messrs. W. Gray and Co., West Hartlepool.
5. —The shareholders of the High Gosforth Park Com-
pany, at an extraordinary meeting, resolved to reduce the
capital from £100,000 to £60,000, the shares in future to
rank as of £30 instead of £50.
48
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
6. — It was announced that, in view of the demand for
higher education at a reasonable coat, the managers of the
Wesleyan Orphan House Elementary Day School, New-
castle, had decided to replace it by a Science and Art
School, under the regulations of the Science and Art
Department, with Mr. J. S. Chippindale as head master.
4.— Mr. and Mrs. F. J. W. Collingwood, of Glanton
Pike, Northumberland, celebrated their golden wedding.
6. — The magistrates at Bedlington, on the application
of Mr. Richard Fynes, as lessee, granted a full license to
the new Theatre Royal at Blyth.
7.— At a special meeting of the Cowpen Local Board, it
was unanimously decided to light Cowpen township with
electricity, at a cost of £575 per annum.
8.— Mr. R. S. Donkin, M.P., opened a new Church
of England Working Men's Club, in Tyne Street, North
Shields.
9. — In the Tyne Theatre, Newcastle, Mr. Arthur
Nicols, F.G.S., lectured, under the auspices of the Tyne-
side Sunday Lecture Society, on " How did the World
liepin. and how will it end ? Ancient Beliefs and Modern
Science." There was a crowded audience, the chair
being occupied by Mr. Alderman Barkas.
General ©entrances.
NOVEMBER, 1888.
14. — Thirty miners were killed by an explosion of fire-
damp in the Frederick Pit, Dour, Belgium.
— Information was received that Mr. Jasper Douglas
Pyne, M.P. for Waterford West, had been drowned
whilst crossing in a steamer from Dublin to Holyhead.
15. — The marriage of Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, M.P.,
with Miss Mary Endicott, daughter of the American
Secretary for War, was solemnized at St. John's Church,
Washington, United States.
19. — The Empress Frederick of Prussia, with her
daughters, arrived in England on a visit to her mother,
Queen Victoria.
21. — Another outrage was reported from the East End
of London. An intoxicated woman was attacked by a
man in a lodging-house with a knife. He only succeeded
in inflicting a slight wound in the throat before she gave
the alarm. Though followed for a distance, the criminal
managed to get away.
About this time storms were frequent on the East
Coast, many shipwrecks and much loss of life being re-
ported.
23. — A farmer named Dennis Daly was murdered near
Gloun-na-Geentlay, near Tralee, county Kerry, Ireland.
23. — Death of Major Purcell O'Gorman, who sat in the
House of Commons for several years, and enjoyed the
distinction of being the biggest man in the House. He
was one of the supporters of Dr. Kenealy when that mem-
ber applied for a Royal Commission to inquire into the
Tichborne case.
24. — O'Connor beat Teemer in a sculling match on the
Potomac River, United States. On the 26th, Beach
defeated Hanlan on the Paramatta River, Australia.
26. — At Betley, Staffordshire, a pointsman named
James Jervis murdered his wife and two children, and
took his own life.
— A boy named Serle, aged 13, was murdered at
Havaut. Suspicion fell upon a lad named Husband, who
was arrested and charged with the crime.
30. — Several sittings of the Parnell Commission were
held during November, and much important evidence
was given concerning outrages and murders in Ireland.
DECEMBER,
2. — Mr. Cunninghame Graham, M.P., was ordered to
withdraw from the House of Commons by the Speaker,
in consequence of having characterised the refusal of
Mr. W. H. Smith to give a day for the discussion of a
certain motion as " a dishonourable trick."
— A demonstration took place in Paris, under the
auspices of the Municipal Council, in honour of M.
Baudin, a deputy who was killed at the time of the Coup
d'etat, December 2, 1852.
3. — Prompt measures were taken by the British
Government for the relief of Suakim, on the Red Sea,
that town having been besieged for a considerable time by
Arabs.
7. — Richard Wake, an artist for the Graphic, was killed
by an Arab bullet whilst making sketches at Suakim.
9. — A daring attempt to carry out lynch law took place
in the mining town of Birmingham, Alabama, United
States. A mob demanded the officers of the gaol to give
up a prisoner who had murdered his wife and children.
This was refused. Firing was at once commenced, and
about twenty of the mob were killed or wounded. During
the encounter the sheriff turned a Galling gun on the
crowd.
Printed by WALTER SCOTT, Felling-on-Tyne.
ITbe
Chronicle
OF
NORTH-COUNTRY*LORE*AND*LEGEND
VOL. III.— No. 24.
FEBRUARY, 1889.
PRICE CD.
<£vtittct milts 3mmaI0 tit the
ILTHOUGH at the present time this country,
from its increased population and the waste
lands being brought under cultivation, is
entirely free from the large and more
dangerous forms of ferae natura?, yet in days gone
by the Northern Counties of England, which were one
vast range of forest and fell, teemed with animals living in
a state of nature.
Long after the Roman occupation wolves were so
numerous in the North that in the 10th century, during
Athelstan's reign, roadside retreats were erected in York-
shire for the protection of travellers from the attacks of
the savage brutes. For some centuries later the wolds
of Yorkshire and the great forests of Lancashire
were over-run with these animals. Even down
to the 15th century, during the reign of Henry VI.,
Robert Umfraville held the castle of Herboteil
and manor of Otterburn, in Northumberland, of the
King by the service of keeping the valley and liberty of
Kiddesdale free from the ravages of wolves which infested
the great Northumbrian forests. It is supposed the
last of these animals in England was slain during
the reign of Henry VII.
A few years ago Mr. James Backhouse, ot York,
assisted by his sons, discovered in a limestone cave,
situated on a ridge of hills separating Weardale and
Teesdale, in the county of Durham, and about 500 feet
above the valley of the Tees, a perfect skeleton of a wolf,
with bones of other members of this species, besides bones
of the lynx, wild cat, yellow-breasted martin, wild boar,
red and roe deer, and other animals still living in the
district ; but no remains of pre-historic animals were
found in this cave. Quite recently bones of the wolf,
•wild boar, bear, wild cat, and Boi primigenms have
been discovered in the peat moss and the limestone caves
of Cumberland and Westmoreland, thus undoubtedly
proving that these animals were distributed throughout
the Northern Counties in former times.
The wild boar, which was one of the beasts of the chase
of the ancient Britons, who had it represented on
their coins, roamed contemporaneously with the wolf, as
the numerous skulls and other bones found in the peat
mosses of Northumberland, Cumberland, and Westmore-
land, and the many relics of these animals discovered in
Teesdale caves and other similar limestone caves, bear
testimony. Some immense boars' tusks, now preserved in
Middletou Hall, near Wooler, were discovered in Cress-
well Moss, Northumberland ; and, on the discovery of the
Roman Station at the La we, South Shields, several perfect
tusks of the boar, with broken antlers and bones of red
deer, roebuck, oxen, and other animals were found and
transferred to the Public Library Museum of that town.
In the parish church of Stanhope, in the county of Dur-
ham, is preserved a Roman altar found on Bollihope Com-
mon, bearing the inscription that it was dedicated to the
god Silvanus, by Caius Tetius, Veturius Micianus, com-
mander of a wing of cavalry, in consequence of his having
taken a wild boar of extraordinary size which many of his
predecessors had in vain endeavoured to capture. A
similar altar has been discovered in Northumberland
dedicated to the same deity by the hunters of Banna.
The village of Brancepeth, about five miles south-west of
Durham, is supposed to have taken its name from Brawns-
path, the path of an enormous boar, which for years was
the terror of the surrounding district. Ultimately it was
beguiled into a pit fall, and slain by Roger de Ferie with
his sword. An old grey stone, supposed to be the remnant
of a cross in the township of Feery (now Ferry Hill) is said
50
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
to commemorate the successful adventure of Roger de
Ferie, whose posterity occur in the freehold records as late
as 1617. The village of Brandon, near Brancepeth, is
said to derive its name from Brawnsden or Boarsden.
The last positive information we have regarding these
animals in the above-named county are from the accounts
of the bursar of the Monastry of Durham, for payments
made for bringing in wild boars, dating from 1531 to 1533.
We have no authentic records when these animals were
finally extirpated from English soil ; but that they existed
in the great forests of Lancashire and Westmoreland well
into the 17th century, we have historic evidence to show.
Previous to the introduction of firearms many a swarthy
tusker flourished in the vast oak forests and reedy coverts
of these Northern Counties.
The stag, or red deer, now only met with in all its freedom
among the wild scenery of the Highlands of Scotland and
some of the Western Isles, was formerly numerous through-
out the extensive forests of the North-Country. They
must have been relatively plentiful in Northumberland
and Durham, for on the discovery of the Roman station at
South Shields, as I have already stated, quantities of broken
antlers and other remains were found. Thus it would
appear that venison had been largely used as food by the
Roman conquerors. A great many perfect antlers of red
deer have been, from time to time, brought up from
the bed of the Tyne by the dredgers. Some that I have
seen were in a very perfect condition, and, judging from
their partially-fossilised state, must have lain long in the
river bed. Red deer must have lingered longer in the
North-West Counties after their disappearance from the
Northern Counties, for it is recorded that the last of these
animals were destroyed in the great forest of Bowland in
Lancashire in 1805.
The roe buck, like the red deer, is unknown in a wild
state south of the Firth of Forth at the present day.
Yet it lived coetaneous with its larger relative, its bones
and antlers having been found in the same caves and peat
mosses with those of the red deer.
During the post-glacial age, reindeer roamed throughout
the length and breadth of the British Isles, and they
have left their remains in the peat mosses and river
deposits of the North, as well as in other districts of the
country. Their disappearance would seem to be due to
climatic changes, as several attempts have been made to
introduce them into the Highlands of Scotland ; but in
every instance they have failed. Even at the present day
the reindeer of Swedish and Norwegian Lapland are
gradually retreating further north within the Arctic
circle.
Antlers of the European elk (Cervus alecs), an animal
at present confined to northern Europe, were found in
Chirden Burn, North Tyne. They are now preserved in
the pal;eon tological department of the Museum of Natural
History, Newcastle-on-Tyne. Other remains of Cerna
alecs have been met with in the neighbouring counties,
and a skull with the antlers attached was found in
Whitrig Bog, Berwickshire. This find is now in the
museum of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in
Edinburgh.
Going back to prehistoric times, we find that the
gigantic Irish deer (Cervus megaceris giganteus), so
named from the abundance of its remains found in the
shell marl and peat bogs of Ireland, once ranged through
the forests of the Northern Counties. Its bones have been
discovered in Northumberland and Durham, at the
mouth of the Tees, and at South Shields. The jaws and
other bones of this beast unearthed at Shields were
deposited on the boulder-clay, beneath the peat and brick
earth. They are now in the Newcastle Museum.
Bos primigeniui (the Urus of Ceesar) must once have
been plentiful from the number of its remains found in the
peat mosses of the North. Two skulls of this gigantic
extinct ox, with their horn cores attached, in the
possession of Mr. Robert Blair, South Shields, were dug
out of Jarrow Slake near that town. Skulls of the extinct
Bos longifrons, in the Public Library Museum, South
Shields, were found amongst other animal remains at the
Roman station at the Lawe.
We have it in evidence that the European lynx had its
habitation in these Northern Counties, from its well-pre-
served bones found in conjunction with the bones of wolf,
wild boar, wild cat, and others in the Teesdale cave.
Upwards of a century ago, the wild cat was not uncommon
in the North of England, but, at the present time, it is con-
fined to the Northern Highlands of Scotland. The last
recorded instance of its capture in Northumberland was of
one being killed on the Eslington estate, belonging to the
Earl of Ravensworth, nearly fifty years ago.
The yellow-breasted marten, now restricted to the
Highland forests of Scotland and Wales, and the woods of
Lincolnshire, with a few individuals which still linger
among the mountainous crags of Cumberland, formerly
inhabited these parts. Its remains have been found
in Teesdale cave, and in the more recently discovered
sea cave at Whitburn Lizards, near Marsden. A yellow-
breasted martin was caught in the grounds of West
Chirton House, near North Shields, on May 23, 1883. In
the following week another animal of this species was
taken in a trap at Harehope, near Alnwick, North-
umberland. Doubtless these two animals, a male and
female, caught within a week of each other, had strayed
away from their haunts in the Cumberland hills. The
one taken at Chirton came into my possession a few days
after its capture. It was fierce and intractable, burying
itself in the hay of its bed, and refusing all food
when looked at. Although it lived nearly two
years in confinement, it never lost its savage wildness.
Previous to these captures the last instance on record of
the yellow-breasted marten seen in Northumberland was
one which had taken up its abode in a crow's nest near
Rothbury about 60 years ago.
February I
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
51
The foumart or pole oat is now almost, if not already,
extirpated from out the counties of Durham and North-
umberland. A few yet remain among the crags of Cum-
berland and Westmoreland.
The European bear (Ursus aretoi) and the beaver
existed in this country within historic times, and many of
the first-named animals were imported into Imperial
Rome for the gladiatorial shows. Few remains of either
of these animals have been discovered in the Northern
Counties. A perfect skull and some bones of the
Caledonian bear found in the peat at Shaws, Dumfries-
shire, are now in the museum of the Society of
Antiquaries, Edinburgh. The jaws of the beaver found
in the marl in Loch Maree, near Cupar-Angus, are
deposited in the same museum. Other remains of the
beaver have been found in Dumfriesshire, Roxburghshire,
Berwickshire, and in Sedbergh and other places in
Yorkshire. WM. YELLOWLT.
llcrm«-m
STIje
£lreet.
IATLING STREET began, on the coast of
Kent, with three short branches converging
on Canterbury, those from Dover (Dubris),
Richborough (Rutupium), and Limpnie (Por-
tus Lemanus) respectively, and then it went on to London
(Ijondinium), from which, as now, a number of distinct
lines of road diverged. Then by way of St. Albans,
Dunstable, Wroxeter, and other towns, sixteen or seven-
teen in all, the Watling Street arrived at Abergwyngregyn
(now simply Aber), once the residence of the native
princes of North Wales, and Bangor, on the banks of the
Menai Strait, whence there were ferries across to the Isle
of Angelsey (Mona), the chief seat of the Druids. This
line coincided for a considerable part of the way with the
old Irish mail route from London to Holyhead. At a
place which the Romans called Etiocetum, now Wall, in
Staffordshire, a branch called the Via Devana, left the
Holyhead line, and proceeded westward to Chester
(Deva), then a much more important place than it now is.
From Chester the Watling Street came on by Northwich,
where the Romans made good use of the copious brine
springs, and passed Knutsford and Altringham, nearly
on the line of the Cheshire Railways, to Manchester
(Mancunium), where it crossed the Mersey ; thence over
the moors by Ilkley (Olicana), Masham, Hornby, and
Catterick (Cataractonum) to a ford over the river Tees
near Piercebridge (Ad Tisam), where it entered the county
of Durham.
From Piercebridge, the Watling Street passed away
nearly north, through a rich and interesting country, in
the direction of Auckland, almost on the line of the old
highway, to Binchester (Vinovium or Vinovia), then a
town of same extent, said to have been the site of a pot-
tery which produced ware equal, if not superior, to any
made in Britain, and popularly famous for the numerous
coins of the higher and lower empire found there, called
Binchester pennies. The Wear was crossed in the neigh-
bourhood of Willington, from whence the road stretched
due north past Brandon Hill to the Dearness, and so on
to Lanchester (Epiacum), where the Roman town occu-
pied a lofty brow on a tongue of land formed by the
junction of two small streams on the west side of the
modern village. This was a very important place four-
teen hundred years ago, as evidenced by the numerous
antiquities dug up on its site.* It had a court-house
(basilica), aqueducts, and public baths, and likewise an
arsenal and commodious barracks, which latter, we are
told, were rebuilt by the Emperor Gordiauus when they
had fallen into decay. After leaving this noble station,
the road ran past Leadgate, and to the westward of
Pontop Pike, to Ebchester (Vindomora), where it crossed
the Derwent into Northumberland, and where the re-
mains of it are still plainly to be seen, both near the
modern village, and as it ascends the hill opposite, lead-
ing to the Corstopitum, now Corchester, close beside Cor-
bridge, where the Tyne was crossed.
Corstopitum was one of the most important towns on
the banks of the Tyne, not only during the Roman period,
but for several ages afterwards, even down to the terrible
times of the Scottish wars. From it the Watling Street
ran, in a generally straight line, nearly north-north-west,
through Northumberland, over the Cheviots, into Scot-
land ; and during the Middle Ages and down till last
century, when other roads were made, it continued to be
the great central route of communication between Eng-
land and Scotland. On this account it is probable that
the great fair for live stock held at Stagshawbank, near
Corbridge, immediately south of the Roman Wall, at
stated periods through the year, has come down to us
from the time of the Roman occupation.
The Roman Wall was crossed at a place called Portgate,
near Halton Chesters (Hunnum) ; and then the Watling
Street stretched away, almost as straight as the crow flies,
to Risingham (Habitancum), near Woodburn, on the
Reed. This famous place, the name of which signifies
the home of the giant, is mentioned by Sir Walter Scott
in the notes to " Rokeby, " as it had previously been by
Warburton in his account of Northumberland, published
in 1726, as distinguished by the possession of the celebra-
ted "antic figure" of Robin of Reedsdale, who is sup-
posed to have been a great Roman hunter in the primeval
British forest, t The river Reed was here crossed over
to the right bank, along which the road proceeded for six
or seven miles, mostly in the line of the old turnpike,
past Troughend, till it crossed the river once more at
Ellishaw.
* See Monthly Chroniclt, vol. it, page 73.
t For Robin of Risineham gee Monthly Chronicle, vol. ii., p. 63.
52
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f February
The next station was Bremenium, now High Rochester,
or Riechester, near Burnhope Craig, placed on the brow
of a steep rugged hill, with walls seven feet in thickness,
chequered with ashlar work, and defended by triple ram-
parts of earth. It was the strongest fortress the Romans
possessed in Northumberland, commanding, as it did, the
pass over the Cheviots into Reedsdale ; and before they
took possession of it, it was the chief fortress of that tribe
of the Brigantes known as the Ottadini, whose couutry is
believed to have extended from the Tyne to the Forth,
along the sea coaat, and for some distance inland, where
they bordered on another British tribe, inhabiting Jed
Forest and Teviotdaie — the Gadeni.
After leaving Rochester, the road ran straight north,
and made for the border line between England and Scot-
land at the head of Coquet, following the course of the
Sills Burn, crossing the wide waste of Thillmoor, by
way of Gemmelscleugh, or Gemmelspath, reaching Chew
Green, the Ad Fines of the Itinerary, at the foot of the
Brown Hart Law, on a gently sloping hill, at the base of
which the two heads of the Coquet have their rise.
This is a most wonderful place, almost bewildering in the
intricacy of its fortifications.
Beyond Ad Fines the road bends round Brown Hart
Law ; and while doing so it crosses the border line, and
from thence proceeds northward, on the back of the range
of hills which send down their streams into the Cayle,
near the Hindhopes, on the west of Blackball Hill and
Resby Fell ; thence by the head of Skerrysburghope, and
onwards for Wodenlaw, the eastern base of which it
skirts, and descends the mountains to the Cayle, which
it passes at Towford. On the top of Wodenlaw there have
been two forts, defended on the south-east by triple ram-
parts for the purpose of guarding the mountain pass.
This elevated station commands a magnificent prospect
on the west, north, and east. Westward the whole
northern slopes of the Cheviot range are exposed to view.
On the north, the lofty range of the Lammermoors limits
the vision, while eastward the German Ocean is visible.
Between Wodenlaw and the summit of Soltra lies a beau-
tiful country, encircled by alpine summits, extending to
nearly forty miles in diameter. Almost in the middle of
the magnificent scene the three-peaked Eildons are
seen from base to crest.
The Watling Street, leaving the valley of the Cayle
and traversing that of the Oxnam, past Street House and
Pennymuir, reaches the Jed, near its junction with the
Teviot, at Bonjedward (Gadanica), where there was
another great central station. Then, crossing the Teviot,
it runs over Lilliard's Edge, the scene of the battle of
Ancrurn Moor,* to a station in the neighbourhood of the
Eildon Hills (the Trimontium of the Romans). This
station is understood to have been at Eildon, where the
headquarters of the troops were established; and at
* See vol. ii., page 245.
Newstead, a mile or BO further on, immediately below
Melrose, the numerous Roman antiquities which are
found demonstrate it to have been a large town at least
down till the close of the fifth century, when the Romans
abandoned Britain. The Tweed was here crossed, it is
thought, by a stone bridge of which the abutments were
once traceable on both sides of the river.
Thence the Watling Street proceeded northwards up
the west bank of the Leader, past Chester Lee and Black
Chester to Channelkirk, situated on the southern slopes
of the Lammermoors. From Channelkirk, where the re-
mains of the Roman camp are still to be seen, the great
road pursued its way over Soutra Hill across Midlothian
to the site of the modern city of Edinburgh.
In many parts of its course, both northwards and south
wards, the Watling Street is still open. During the last
three-quarters of the eighteenth century, and the first
quarter of this, the cattle trade from Scotland mostly
passed along it; and the traffic at some times of the year —
as after the Doune and Falkirk Trysts, the largest fairs in
Britain — was enormous, the herds of black Highland
kyloes following one another, without intermission, for
days, on their long, weary way southwards to the great
fair at Chipping-Barnet, near St. Albans, if not disposed
of elsewhere on the route. One need not wonder to find
the road much out up in many places, considering for
what a length of time it continued to be thus used with-
out the least pains being taken to keep it in order : con-
sidering also that every farmer in the vicinity felt no
manner of scruple in carting off stones from it, and that
the county surveyors used the same freedom when form-
ing new statute-labour or turnpike roads.
WILLIAM BKOOKIE.
CSftcreto at
j]ANY long years ago, before there were any
ironworks in or near the pleasant village
of Tudhoe, or any paper manufactory in
the neighbourhood, or ladies' seminary,
or gentlemen's boarding school, or even a public-house —
when the township was entirely rural, and the principal
inhabitants besides the vicar were the farmers who occu-
pied the eight farms of Tudhoe Hall, Tudhoe North
Farm, High Butcher Race, Black Horse, York Hill,
Coldstream, Tudhoe Moor, and Tudhoe Mill — a company
of reapers assembled at the last named place, in the
farmer's kitchen, to regale themselves on the evening of
the concluding reaping day with a " mell supper " — the
North Country term for the feast of harvest home. The
mell dolly or kirn babby, made of the last cuts of corn
reaped, gaily decorated with ribbons, had been carried
home in triumph by the women from the harvest field.
February 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
with merry shouting, singing, and dancing, and duly
fixed up above the dresser, to remain there till the next
year ; and the farmer's wife had had her week's ohurnins'
hat forenoon, so as to have plenty of fresh butter to
regale the company with, and there was a whole pile of
barmy fadges, of beef and mutton and pork and home-
made cheese — everything, in short to constitute a hearty
hearty, wholesome, substantial supper — while the good-
man had laid in what he deemed an adequate supply of
liquids to cheer the hearts and raise the spirits of the
assembled company. But either the party was larger
than had been expected, or they drank more freely than
their host had anticipated, for the liquor was exhausted
before the thirst of some of the older hands had been fully
satisfied ; so it was agreed that each of them should con-
tribute a small sum, and that one of the company should
be despatched forthwith to the nearest public house for a
fresh supply. The mission was entrusted to a poor
fellow, a sort of half-wit, who was always ready to go
on anybody's chance errands. He was directed to go to
Sunderland Bridge, which was about a mile and a half
distant, and get a couple of quart bottles of whisky filled
at the public house, and come back as fast as his legs
could carry him. But when he had been absent nearly
three hours, the thirsty souls naturally began to be very
impatient. As he seemed likely to be loitering by the
way, one of the men at length swore, with a deep oath,
that he would go and bring him back by " the lug and
the horn," but, on second thoughts, he resolved to
give him such a fright that he would run
straight to the mill-house, without once daring
to look over his shoulder. Accordingly he procured
a sheet,' drew it round him, and stalked out to meet
"Simple Simey." His thirsty compotators waited long,
but neither the messenger nor the man in search of him
appeared. Some of the company went home disgusted,
but a good many sat still in expectation. At last day
began to break, and they could sit no longer. But just
when they were on the point of departing the poor half-
wit rushed in among them, pale and trembling ; and when
they asked him why he had stayed so long, and whether
he had seen anything uncanny, he replied, " Aye, that aa
have I As aa was coming past the Nicky-Nack Field, a
white ghost came out upon me, and aa was sair freeten'd ;
but when aa looked aa saw a black ghost ahint it ; so aa
yowled as loud as aa could to the black ghost to catch the
white ghost ; and the white ghost leukt about, and when
it saw the black yen, it screamed cot amain and tried to
run away ; but blackey was ower clivvor for't, and ran
like a hatter, till it gat haud o' whitey, and ran away wiv
him aalltogether !" When day dawned, and the men
ventured forth to seek their companion, they discovered
in the Nicky-Nack Field a few fragments of the sheet in
which he had been wrapped, but what had become of the
man himself could never be ascertained.
Another Tudhoe tradition relates to an incident that
happened to the occupier of Tudhoe Mill about the end
of the last century. He is represented to have been a
quiet, steady man, who always came home sober from
Durham, Bishop Auckland, or elsewhere on market
days. On one occasion he had been at Durham on business,
and had been detained till night-fall. He was returning
home on foot, and had reached Sunderland Bridge, when,
looking up the bank before him, he espied, at the distance
of about twenty paces, a stiff-built man trudging along
the road. As the place was lonely, he felt glad that he
was likely to get a companion to walk home with,
although he wondered that he had not observed the per-
son before, as the road was quite straight at the place.
The stranger seemed to be a tallish man, wearing a broad-
brimmed hat, which made the farmer suspect he must be
a Qnaker. While this increased his wonder that a
member of that respectable society should be travelling
alone there at that time at night, he quickened his steps
so ae to overtake him. It was very strange, however ; the
quicker he walked, so much the quicker glided on the
person in advance, and yet without appearing to exert
himself in the least. They kept at about the same
distance from each other, while both accelerated their
pace, until they arrived at Nicky-Nack Bridge, and the
miller was about to turn off to the gate on the right hand.
In doing so he withdrew his eyes from the object before
him, it might be just for a moment, and when he looked
again there was nothing on the bridge, nor on the slight
ascent beyond it, nor yet in the lane further away.
Astonished at this, and determined to solve the mystery,
he turned and examined every place where it was possible
the man might have concealed himself. But it was in
vain that he did so. A suspicion now for the first time
flashed through the miller's mind, that it might possibly
be an apparition ; but, as he had never knowingly harmed
anybody, he had no apprehension that any "ill thing"
could have been sent to haunt or frighten him ; and so,
without feeling in the least nervous, but much puzzled
what to think of the affair, he went straight home, where
he told his wife what he had seen. He got little satisfac-
tion, however, from the good dame, who was a very matter-
of-fact woman, and who assured him that he must have
been dreamingwith his eyes open. Till the day of his death,
however, the miller remained unconvinced. It was some-
thing supernatural he had seen ; there could be no doubt
about it. But why it should have been sent to him, at
that particular time and place, he knew no more than
the man in the moon. And so the matter had to
rest. Nevertheless, if we might venture to suggest
an explanation, we should be inclined to say
that the honest man had only seen his own shadow
thrown upon the road right in front of him by that
mighty mother of enchantments, the moon, who had
coyly popped in behind a cloud at the moment when the
Eidolon disappeared.
Many similar legends (some of which are mentioned in
54
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I February
\ 1889.
Charles Waterton's Autobiography, quoted on p. 450 of
this volume of the Monthly Chronicle), lingered long
among the old inhabitants of Tudhoe, but with the spread
of education, and the great influx of strangers into the
district to carry on the coal-mining and iron industries,
they have now mostly faded out of recollection, and are
beyond hope of recovery.
jfaatball in tft* J!0rtft,
HE cannot pretend to determine at what
period the game of football originated.
That of hand-ball, as we learn from the
" Iliad," was practised in Ionia and the
Troad before the days of Homer. We also find it alluded
to in many passages of the Latin classics. Thus Plautus
says: "The gods have men for their balls to play with."
Seneca speaks of "skilfully and diligently catching
the ball, and aptly and quickly sending it on."
And *' the ball is mine " (Mea pila est) was pro-
verbial among the Romans for " I've won ! " In this
country football has been a favourite winter game
from a very remote date — how far back neither Strutt
nor any other writer on sports and pastimes can tell
us. King Edward III. prohibited it by public edici
in 1349, because it was supposed to impede the pro-
gress of archery, then all-important as a branch of
national defence ; and King James I., in his "Basilicon
Doron," fulminated against the game, as he did against
the use of tobacco, in the following strain : — " From this
court I debar all rough and violent exercises as the
football, meeter for lameing than making able the users
thereof." But, notwithstanding this interdict, con-
firmed as it was under the Commonwealth, merry-
makers continued to play at .the heroic old game, even
in the narrow and crooked streets of London,
which, as Sir William Davenant wrote, was "not
very conveniently civil." One of Hone's correspondents,
writing in the "Every Day Book," says that when he
was a boy football was commonly played on the Sunday
mornings before church time in a village in the West
of England ; and he adds that, at the time when he wrote,
it was played during fine weather every Sunday after-
noon by a number of Irishmen in some fields near
Islington.
There is a short description of a country wake in the
Spectator, wherein the writer, believed to be Addison, says
that, after findine a ring of cudgel-players, " who were
breaking one another's heads in order to make some im-
pression on their mistresses' hearts," he came to a football
match, and afterwards to a ring of wrestlers, and also a
group engaged in pitching the bar. And he concludes
by saying that the squire of the parish always treated
the company every year with a hogshead of ale.
Football was very common on the Borders during the
long wars between England and Scotland. Whenever a
foray was contemplated, as it often was, in time of truce,
a match would be got up, under cover of which great num-
bers would assemble without exciting suspicion, and
concert a plan for making a raid over to the English or
Scotch side, as the case might be. At other times,
persons not friendly to the existing Government would
meet at football, and there talk treason without being
suspected. Each district had rules of its own; but in
almost every parish, and in every town or village,
some particular saint's day was set apart for
"playing a gole " at camp-ball, field-ball, or foot-
ball, as the game was variously named. The usual
time was at Shrovetide, when sports and feast-
ing were in full vogue all over, previous to the
commencement of Lent. The regular custom was to have
a cockfight as well as a football match on Shrove or Pan-
cake Tuesday. At some places every man in the parish,
gentry not excepted, was obliged to turn out and support
the side to which he belonged, and any person who neg-
lected to do so was fined ; but this custom, being attended
with inconvenience, has long since been abolished.
At Inveresk, in Midlothian, there used to be a standing
match at football en Shrove Tuesday, there called
Fastern's Een, between the married and unmarried
women, and the former, it is said, were always victorious.
This was a peculiar case, however.
In most places the contest was between the bachelors
and the married men. In towns where there was a
market cross, the parties drew themselves up on opposite
sides at a certain hour, say two o'clock p.m., when the
ball was thrown up and the play went on till sunset or
later, fast and furious, the combatants kicking each
others' shins without the least ceremony, though it might
be against the rules.
At Scone, the old residence of the Kings of Scotland,
handball and not football was the favourite game pre-
ferred ; and there, though no person was allowed by the
conventional law to kick the ball, but only to run away
with it, and throw it from him when stopped, there was
generally some scene of violence before the game was
won, which caused it to be proverbial in that part of the
country — " All was fair at the Ball of Scone."
The conqueror at a handball match was entitled to
keep the ball till the next year, when he had the much
coveted honour of being the first to throw it up. A man
belonging to Hawick, named, if we mistake not, Glen-
dinning — being a crack runner, who had often come off
victor in his native town in the matches there, where the
opposing players are the residents east and west of the
Slitrig, locally known as the Eastla' and Westla' Water
Men — was in the habit of crossing the Border every
year about Shrovetide, and taking a part in the ball
quisition during the day, together, of course, with lashings
of drink.
Such are some of the historic features of a pastime
February 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
55
play, sometimes in Northumberland, and at other
times in Cumberland ; and he generally managed to
bring home the ball with him in triumph. In some
places the prize for the victor was a new beaver hat, and
when Glendinning knew that to be the case, he always
went away with as shabby an old head-covering as he
could find, confident that he would come back with a
much better one after a new victory.
Brand tell* us that it was once customary among the
colliers and others in the North of England for a party
to watch at a wedding for the bridegroom's coming out
of church, after the ceremony, in order to demand money
for a football — a claim that admitted of no refusal, for, if
it was not complied with, the newly-married couple were
liable to be grossly insulted, with loud hootings at least,
if not getting bespattered with mud.
In several places, it was the custom to carry the foot-
ball from door to door, and beg money to be spent in
refreshments ; and here likewise it was dangerous to
refuse, because the recusants' windows were very likely
to be broken by the lads as soon as it was dark. Where
the game was played in the High Street, people generally
took the precaution to shut their shops and barricade
their front windows in the course of the forenoon. The
scene, when the players got fully heated, would baffle
description, old and young contending as keenly as if the
prize had been a kingdom. Sometimes, where a river
intervened, as it does, say, at Hawick, Jedburgh,
Alnwick, Wooler, Chester-le-Street, and other places, the
players considered it no obstacle whatever, but rather
thought it the best of the fun to plunge in tumultuously,
be the water deep or shallow, and rather risk being half-
drowned than interrupt the game.
On Shrove Tuesday there was always a great game at
football in many parishes in the North of England.
Chester-le-Street, Rothbury, Alnwick, Wooler, and other
towns, were particularly famous. The game is still
played with great vigour in the former place between the
up-towners and the down-towners. Brand describes the
ceremonial as observed at Alnwick in the year 1762. The
waits belonging to the town came playing to the castle at
2 p.m., when a football was thrown over the wall to the
populace congregated before the gates. Then came forth
the tall and stately porter dressed in the Percy livery,
blue and yellow, plentifully decorated with silver lace,
and gave the ball its first kick, sending it bounding out
of the barbican of the castle into Bailiffgate ; and then
the young and vigorous kicked it through the principal
street* of the town, and afterwards into the pasture,
which had been used from time immemorial for such
enjoyments. Here it was kicked about until the great
struggle came for the honour of making capture of the
ball itself. The more vigorous combatants kicked it away
from the multitude, and at last some one, stronger and
fleeter than the rest, seized upon it and fled away pursued
by others. To escape with the ball, the river Aln was
waded through or swam across, and walls were scaled and
hedges broken down. The victor was the hero of the day,
and proud of his trophy.
When Lord John Russell, in the year 1835, introduced
the Municipal Reform Bill into the House of Commons,
its provisions created much excitement throughout the
country, and numerous meetings were held all over Eng-
land, either in support of or in opposition to the measure.
The Duke of Northumberland, jealous of any interference
with his manorial rights, gave the most determined
opposition to the bill, and left no stone unturned to pre-
vent Alnwick from being included within its scope. As
one cheap and ready means of effecting his object, he gave
the sum of £10 that year to the ball players to be spent in
seasonable refreshments. A man named Joe Ramsay
was running down the street proclaiming the glad news,
when an old woman cried aloud that it would have
been wiser like if his Grace had given the money to
the poor. "Damn the poor ! they want everything,"
was Joe's sharp rejoinder. There were a good
many Chartists at that time in Alnwick, and they
managed to get up a petition in favour of the bill ; but
the bulk of the freemen, either of their own spontaneous
accord, or seeking to curry favour with the duke and his
agents, sent up petitions, much more numerously signed,
for the withdrawal of the borough from the bill; and
Alnwick was accordingly erased in the House of Lords,
and remains to this day outside the area of reformed muni-
cipal corporations. With the money given by the duke,
several barrels of strong ale were purchased, and a regular
jollification took place in the Town Hall, after the ball
play was over. There was " dancing and deray" to the
heart's content of the lads and lasses, and "guttling and
guzzling" among the elders, till the small hours of the
morning ; and the solid and liquid stuffs left over were
consumed next day by all who felt inclined to come. An
unlucky Chartist, who had the temerity to intrude him-
self into the jovial company, thinking there was
no reason why he should not have his share of
the good things that were going, was detected
as soon as he showed his face, laid violent hands upon,
and would have been tossed over the outside stone stair
of the hall, if some of the more sober guests had not inter-
fered. The venturesome Chartist's name was Will
Hardy.
At Wooler, the game was played between the married
and unmarried men ; »nd after kicking the ball through the
town, one party endeavoured to kick it into the hopper
of Earl Mill, and the other over a tree which stood at the
"crook of the Till." In the days of yore, this contest
sometimes continued for three days.
In many of the villages in North Northumberland, as
well as in Yetholm, Morebattle, and other places on the
Scottish Border, there was always a dance after the ball
play, and a general feasting on currant dumplings, to
cook which most of the kail pots were put In re-
56
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
February
which has in our own day become more popular in all
parts of the country than any other winter amuse-
ment. W. B.
[ EXHAM, with its historic associations, affords
a fair field for the antiquary and archaeologist,
and the lover of nature is delighted with its
picturesque surroundings. Few parts of Northumberland
can compare with it for delightful walks, not the least
attractive being that from the old town to Swallowship.
This is the name of a small promontory round which the
Devil's Water peacefully flows in marked contrast to its
previous noisy career. On both sides of the stream, for a
short distance, vertical cliffs, clothed with verdure, add
dignity to the scene. The place is much frequented by
holiday parties and is a favourite subject with local artists
and photographers. Our drawing is reproduced from .a
photograph by Mr. J. P. Gibson, the well-known land-
scape photographer of Hexhana.
February \
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
57
fiidttntf tit tfte
j]T is now more than eighteen years since
Charles Dickens, " the most popular
novelist of the century, and one of the
greatest humourists that England has pro-
duced," passed away, amidst the deep sorrow and regret
of the whole English nation, and indeed of almost every
civilized people. Turning over the leaves of Forster's
life of the great writer the other day, I was struck with
his evident liking for Newcastle and Newcastle people.
That this liking was genuine, and not assumed to
please his friend Forster,* seems plain enough, for he
gives many eood reasons why he was so fond of North-
Country men.
But first a word about Dickens's birthplace, and the
house in which he died at Gad's Hill. The great novelist
was born in the end house at Mile End Terrace (a short
terrace of six houses) in Commercial Road, Landport,
Portsmouth. Curiously enough, the house was owned and
Bir/A f/ace
if CAtr/ls DtcJrens.
occupied by a Newcastle gentleman, as he himself lately
stated in the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle, for about
fifteen years. It is now in the same state, and has the
same appearance, as when Dickens first saw the light
within its walls. Gad's Hill Place, where Dickens died
suddenly on the 9th of June, 1870, is famous also for
* For some account of John Forster, see vol. ii., page 49.
its association with the exploits of Shakspeare's Sir John
Falstaff. Indeed, there is an inn near it bearing the
name of the redoubtable knight. It was at this inn that a
waiter lamented the death of Charles Dickens because
"he used to have all his beer there." The dining-room
of Gad's Hill Place is depicted in Fildes's celebrated
picture, "The Empty Chair. " Here it was that Dickens
died. Seized with a fit during dinner, he was laid on a
couch in a corner of the room, and never rose more.
The first time Charles Dickens visited Newcastle was
at the end of August, 1852. Some little while before that
it was proposed that a series of amateur dramatic per-
formances should be given by the most eminent authors
and artists in behalf of the "Guild of Literature and
Art," which had just been established for the benefit
of poor members of those crafts who had been over-
taken by sickness, old age, or misfortune. Sir Bulwer
Lytton had written a comedy — "Not so Bad as we
Seem " — for the amateurs, and this was first played at
Devonshire House, her Majesty and the Prince Consort
being present. Amongst the actors were Mark Lemon,
John Forster, Wilkie Collins, Douglas Jerrold, Charles
Knight, John Tenniel, Augustus Egg, &c. Stanfield,
Maclise, Grieve, Telbin, and other eminent artists
painted the scenery, and the distinguished company — the
most remarkable company of actors that ever "starred"
through the provinces — set out on their tour through the
large provincial towns. Everywhere the enterprise was
a big success. Whether the room was large or small—
they did not perform in a licensed theatre— it was always
packed from floor to ceiling.
Before the company arrived at Newcastle, John Forster
had to return to London on some important business
or other. This was a disappointment, and so was
the absence of Douglas Jerrold, who, from some cause
which I cannot make out, did not appear in Newcastle.
The comedy was performed in the Assembly Rooms on
the 27th August, 1852. "Into the room," writes Dickens,
"where Lord Carlisle was, by-the-bye, they squeezed 600
people at 12s. 6d. into a space reasonably capable of holding
300." Of the performance as a whole, the Newcattle
58
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
\
February
Chronicle has a well-written criticism. After lamenting
the absence of Forster and Jerrold, that paper goes on to
say : — "The play itself is loosely hung together, the plot
is insufficient and meagre, and does not furnish adequate
motives for the development of the conclusion ; but with
the aid of fine music, costly costumes, magnificent
scenery, and really respectable acting, it went off exceed-
ingly well, and was most enthusiastically applauded."
The Chronicle speaks very highly of the acting of Charles
Dickens, especially in the farce, where, along with Mark
Lemon, he kept the audience in a continual roar of
laughter. The farce, I believe, was a new one,
entitled " Mr. Nightingale's Diary, " and was played for
the first time at Newcastle. An unfortunate accident
had occurred at the Central Station on the arrival of the
company, a pair of runaway horses upsetting one of the
vans containing the scenery, every atom of which was
turned over. By good luck, however, there was no
damage done.
The Guild of Literature and Art Company were at
Sunderland, August 28, the night after the Newcastle
performance. Writing from the Wear borough to
Forster, Dickens says : — " Last night, in a hall built like
a theatre, with pit, boxes, and gallery, we had about 1,200
people — I dare say more. They began with a round of
applause when Coote's white waistcoat appeared in the
orchestra, and wound up the farce with three deafening
cheers. I never saw such good fellows. Stanny (Stan-
field) is their fellow-townsman, was born here, and they
applauded his scenes as if it was himself." Dickens had
walked from Newcastle to Sunderland that morning.
The hall engaged by the amateurs at Sunderland
was a perfectly new one, having, in fact, had the slates
put on only overnight. As Dickens was manager of
the company, and responsible for everything before and
behind the curtain, his anxiety and " worrit " lest the
place should prove unsafe, and an accident should
happen to the immense audience assembled within its
walls, nearly made him ill, and all but caused him to stop
the performance. But Dickens always got fun out of the
most serious difficulties, and we cannot help smiling at his
own description of his dilemma, " I asked W.," he says,
"what he thought, and he consolingly observed that his
digestion was so bad that death had no terrors for him ! "
"The only comfort I had," he continued, "was in stum-
bling at length on the builder, and finding him a plain, prac-
tical North- Country man, with a foot rule in his pocket.
I took him aside, and asked him should we, or could we,
prop up any weak part of the place. He told me there
wasn't a stronger building in the world ; that they had
opened it on Thursday night to thousands of the working
people, and induced them to sing and make every possible
trial of the vibration. " This somewhat pacified Dickens ;
the performance took place, and, as we have seen, was a
great success.
Mr. Dickens's earliest public readings were given at
Birmingham on behalf of a new literary institute there,
and his services were of course gratuitous. This was in
the middle of December, 1853. Although he insisted
that a number of seats should be reserved for working
men at threepence each, the institution was bene-
fited by these readings to the extent of between £400
and £500. In the following year, for a similar
purpose, he read at Bradford in a carpenter's shop,
with equally satisfactory results, the price of admission
being 5s., though he again stipulated that a number of
threepenny seats should be reserved for workmen. The
natural result of Dickens's kindness was to over-
whelm him with applications from all parts of the king-
dom to read (without pay, we may be sure) for all sorts of
institutions and objects, which in self-defence he was
obliged to decline. From the great interest taken in his
readings, however, and the enthusiasm with which they
were always received, he conceived the idea of paid read-
ings for the benefit of Charles Dickens himself. It was
not till after much doubt and hesitation that he came to
this resolution ; indeed, it took him years of anxious
thought before he finally decided. In April, 1858, how-
ever, he began with a series of sixteen readings in Lon-
don, and in August of the same year he took his first
provincial tour.
He visited Newcastle in its turn on the 24th and 25th
September, 1859, and gave three readings in the Tcwn
Hall. The first evening he read his "Christmas Carol.'
On the following afternoon he read "Little Dombey,"
and the " Trial " from "Pickwick"; and at night, the
"Poor Traveller," "Boots at the Holly Tree," and
"Mrs. Gamp." I was present at the first reading, when
the room was full, but by no means crowded. Dickens
did not read from the orchestra platform, but from his
own table, constructed for the purpose, which was placed
on the floor at the organ end of the hall. Afterwards he
expressed himself as being much pleased with his visit,
both as regards the audience and the hearty way in
which he was received.
In 1861 Dickens was again in Newcastle, and gave three
readings in the Music Hall, Nelson Street, on the 21st,
22nd, and 23rd November, "before an audience (said the
Daily Chronicle) which any author, however distin-
guished, might feel proud to appear. " The people were
packed as close almost as apples in a barrel, and the
hall, which had just been enlarged and decorated, looked
brilliant, fully one half of the audience being eaily dressed
ladies. The readings were from "David Copperfield,"
"Nicholas Nickleby," "Little Dombey," and the
"Trial" from "Pickwick." I cannot forbear quoting
Dickens's opinion of a Newcastle audience, which he
gives in a letter to Forster : — " At Newcastle, against
the very heavy expenses, I made more than a hundred
guineas profit. A finer audience there is not in England,
and I suppose them to be a specially earnest people ; for,
while they can laugh till they shake the roof, they have a
February }
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
69
very unusual sympathy with what is pathetic or passion-
ate."
Bravo ! Charles Dickens. I was myself present on the
"Dombey" night, and could not help remarking how
deeply affected the late Mr. Lockey Harle seemed to be
when the reader came to the death of little Paul. He
could not conceal his emotion, and indeed made no effort
to do so. He was affected in quite another fashion how-
ever, when the " Trial " from " Pickwick " came to be
read. No schoolboy at a pantomime could laugh more
heartily at the eccentricities of clown or the mishaps of
pantaloon than did Mr. Harle at the rich humour of the
trial scene, and his merriment at times rose to a perfect
shout at the turgid eloquence of Serjeant Buzfuz.
An accident, which might have been very serious,
occurred on the second night, an account of which
Dickens wrote, not only to Forster, but to his
friends at home. I will give his own words :— " An
extraordinary thing occurred on the second night.
The room was tremendously crowded, and my gas
apparatus fell down. There was a terrible wave among
the people for an instant, and God knows what destruc-
tion of life a rush to the stairs would have caused. Fortu-
nately a lady in the front of the stalls ran out towards
me, exactly in a place where I knew that the whole hall
could see her. So I addressed her, laughing, and half
asked and half ordered her to sit down again ; and in
a moment it was all over. It took five minutes to mend,
and I looked on with my hands in my pockets."
Early in March, 1867, Dickens was once more in
Newcastle, and gave three readings in the Music
Hall, which was again densely crowded. Writ-
ing to his friend Forster, he pays another high compli-
ment to Newcastle people, which I think is worth
giving : — "The readings have made an universal effect in
this place, and it is remarkable that, although the people
are individually rough, collectively they are an unusually
tender and sympathetic audience ; while their comic
perception is quite up to the high London standard."
As far as I can discover, this was Charles Dickens's fourth
and last visit to Newcastle, and as I have only undertaken
to give a brief account of his visits to the North of England,
his future career, however interesting, has no place here.
Everybody knows now that, although these readings
were a splendid success, they undoubtedly shortened the
life of the great novelist. There has been nothing like
them, as regards their financial results, either before or
since. Including America, the readings yielded him, in
two years, the magnificent sum of thirty thousand
.pounds ; but the earning of that large sum of money cost
us the life of the most genial and popular writer that
England has yet seen, or in all probability ever will see.
W. W. W.
OTarrf of $0i*tftttnt&rta.
ii.
THE LAST OF THE ROMANS.
j|FTER Severus had completed his astounding
defensive works in the North, there was a
long interval of profound peace. Not a few
of the native tribes embraced the religious
faith of their masters, and the entire country displayed
unmistakable signs of progress. Many noble towns
sprang into existence on the five great highways that the
Romans had constructed ; and as these important settle-
ments contained spacious baths, handsome theatres, and
highly ornamented seats of learning, the condition of the
people was vastly improved. On the death of Constan-
tino the Great, however, in 337, there was a renewal of
the warlike troubles, though this time they originated
from a somewhat different source. Frank and Saxon
were ravaging the unprotected coasts, and the Picts and
Scots — a rapidly rising power — were continually coveting
possession of the Tyneside wall. After allying them-
selves with the Ottadini, they broke through in 367, and
carried devastation far south of the barrier. Theodosius
repulsed them, strengthened his positions, and for a time
restored order. But the power of Rome was now de-
cidedly on the wane. A critical state of affairs on the
Continent led to the withdrawal of many of her garrisons
in 403, and the Southern Britons— having been weakened
by frequent drafts of their finest men to the foreign wars
of their conquerors — were left to shift pretty much for
themselves. In 426, the legions of the Empire, under the
command of Gallic, came to their assistance for the last
time, and endeavoured, though fruitlessly, to repair the
grand works of Hadrian and Severus. On their final
retirement, in 436, the attacks of the Northern allies were
renewed more fiercely than ever ; and as they were now
able to swarm over the wall, or outflank it by boating
expeditions across the Solway, its use for defensive pur-
poses was no longer worth a thought. The flourishing
settlements along its course were deserted, the hunted
natives fled in despair, and hundreds of them perished of
hunger, in the caves, hills, and woodlands to which they
turned for shelter. Further south, the aspect of affairs
was not less desponding. Instead of uniting against the
allies of the Borderland, the Britons made bad worse by
quarrelling and fighting amongst themselves. Driven at
last to despair, Vortigern, their leader, addressed an
abject prayer to Rome for help. "The barbarians," he
pitifully wrote, "chase us into the sea. The sea throws
us back upon the barbarians, and we have only the hard
choice left us of perishing by the sword or the wave*."
Rome, however, was now powerless to help, and hence
followed that cry for assistance to another land which
60
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
( February
led to the Saxon invasion and the gradual effacement of
the British race.
ADVENT OP THE ANGLES.
The invitation to these hardy rovers is said to have been
given to Hengist and Horsa — a couple of chieftains who
were on a piratical cruise in the English Channel — and
they were allowed to land in Kent, about the year 470, as
a recompense for the aid they were expected to render.
It would be a long story to describe how they treacher-
ously turned upon their British allies, sent them flying
into the interior, and then, having brought over large
numbers of their Jutish and Anglian friends, gradually
established themselves along the entire eastern seaboard
to Lincoln. It is only necessary for our purpose to refer
to these invasions as the forerunner of others that speedily
took place to the north of the Humber, and kept the
natives constantly on the war path. The Brigantes and
the Ottadini were still the most formidable races along
that portion of the coast which stretches from Spurn
Head to the estuary ;of the Forth ; while the Gadeni
occupied the hilly west country from the Clyde to the
Mersey. When the Ottadini, about the year 470, began
to be seriously molested by the Angles, they were readily
joined by their neighbours in an effort to repel the
invaders. So successful were they in this enterprise, that
they retained their independence long after the more
southerly tribes had succumbed. There is much con-
fusion amongst historians as to the points that were
first attacked, and as to the dates of the rapidly repeated
inroads. The only thing clear is that for a century
after the Roman departure the inhabitants of this
northern land were assailed by foes who were quite as
valiant as their predecessors, and that the condition of
the people sadly deteriorated. The new comers possessed
an abundance of good arms. Every warrior had his spear,
his battle-axe, and his sword — all of sound and well-
tempered metal. Some had bows and arrows for distant
conflict; some were protected by a species of leathern
armour; and most of the leaders wielded ponderous
clubs, pointed with spikes of iron, that were as effective
in a melee as the better-known mace of the middle aces.
Their helmets, too, were far in advance of anything pre-
viously seen. They were elaborately ornamented, mainly
constructed of hard metal, and seem to have supplied a
pattern for the nose-piece, or face-protector, that was
afterwards so generally adopted.
IDA WINS A KINGDOM.
With such aids, and with a constant augmentation of
recruits, there could be little doubt as the ultimate suc-
cess of the strangers. They do not appear to have known
the meaning of a reverse, and one horde followed another
in ever increasing numbers. Landing at Flamborough
Head, in 547, the famous Ida marched a well-disciplined
force of warlike Angles towards the North. They
passed, with difficulty, through the wild woodlands that
covered the surface of our present Durham, and, after
gaining a secure footing across the Tyne, began systema-
tically to make themselves masters of the land. Either
by sword or by torch, Ida swept away every British and
Roman settlement he discovered, and earned for him-
self the terribly significant title of the "Flame-bearer."
His career was many times checked, though only for
brief periods. Urien, the hero of so many stirring
legends, is said to have offered a strenuous resistance and
to have wreaked vengeance on many a raiding band ; but
the foreign invaders, fighting with the utmost steadiness
and bravery, and strengthened by vast reinforcements
from Jutland, gradually won their way to a kingdom. It
occupied a belt of country — about forty miles wide —
extending from the Tyne to the Forth, and was after-
wards known by the name of Bernicia. To overawe the
natives and to secure his own possessions, the new ruler
at once erected a strong castle on the cliffs at Barn-
borough, and from this commanding altitude, for over a
dozen years, launched his thunderbolts at all who dared
to question his supremacy.
THE FOUNDATION OF DEIRA.
While Ida was busily engaged in establishing his autho-
rity in Bernicia, Ella, another of the Angles, also effected
a landing on the Yorkshire coast. The Brigantes, in
many skirmishes, disputed his passage from the sea; but,
though they harried and impeded him, he drove them
right back to the Pennine chain of hills, and eventually
brought under his influence all the territory that lies
between the Humber and the Tees. The new possession
was called Deira, and included in its area the most im-
portant city that the Romans ever held in this country.
At this period, the desolate district between the Tees and
Tyne does not appear to have belonged to either of the
Anglian conquerors. It had been studded by the camps
and stations of the Ceesars ; but, whether from design or
accident, it now remained as a neutral zone between the
armies of two powerful chieftains. With the death of Ida,
in 559, Ella lost no time in seizing the hitherto neglected
land, and when the frontiers of the rapidly growing states
thus lost their buffer, and became contiguous, warlike
operations were not long delayed.
February \
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
61
BIVAL FACTIONS AND THEIB BAIDB.
For some years Ella is said to have waged a fierce fight
against the twelve sons of Ida, and with very fluctuating
results. Professor Veitch, in his "Border History,"
asserts that the southern leader was ultimately successful,
and a large portion of Bernicia was added to the kingdom
of Deira. Whether this was really the case or not — and
most authorities are against him — it is quite evident that
the Angles of the two principalities formed the aggressive
•element in the country, and were either constantly in con-
flict with each other or with the Britons to the west of
them. In 567, Hussa, of Bernicia, took advantage of the
sadly disorganized condition of the native tribes, and
made several highly profitable forays into their settle-
ments. The losses thus caused had the effect of bringing
the different races to their senses. They seemed to realise,
.at last, that they were powerless while divided ; and,
therefore, as a great tribal battle near Carlisle, in 573,
had established the supremacy of the hardy Gadeni, the
leaders of that people succeeded in bringing about a union
for mutual defence. The Britons of Lancashire, Cumbria,
and the whole of the western lowlands were included in
this new confederacy, and it was thenceforth known as
the Kingdom of Strathclyde. It was separated from
Angle-land on the north-west by the great forest of
Ettrick ; and by that formidable earthen rampart, called
the Cattrail, which runs from near Galashiels, through
the county of Selkirk, to Peel Fell on the south side of
Liddesdale. Every available hill was at once strength-
ened by earthen terraces ; stores were accumulated for
the men who had to defend them; and the passes all
along the frontier were placed in readiness for the deci-
sive struggle that was so speedily to ensue.
THE BATTLE OK THE CATTRAIL.
If the men of Strathclyde had boldly assumed the
offensive, it is probable that a march into Coquetdale, or
a determined dash down the valley of the North Tyne,
would have enabled them to wrest much of their lost ter-
ritory from the Anglian holders. But though secretly
preparing for a great battle, they could not restrain their
ardour, and a series of small but annoying raids served to
acquaint their enemies with what was going forward. It
thus happened that, while the Britons were gradually
concentrating for an attack that should be irresistible, the
Angles were made acquainted with all their movements,
and were in that way enabled to take precautions against
the expected onslaught. It was not until the autumn of
580 that the native allies decided upon a general advance.
The harvest season had just concluded when they began
to assemble in the vicinity of the Cattrail, and every
British tribe was represented by its most trusty "braves."
The combined force was under the command of Urien — a
chivalrous old chieftain from the foot of Helvellyn— who
had oft before taken the initiative against the Angles.
He is reputed to have been a nephew of the Southern
Arthur, and to have performed deeds that even the
Knights of the Round Table had never surpassed. When
he took charge of his followers in the present instance,
he found a mighty array of warriors around him. They
had an abundance of provisions ; a numerous camp fol-
lowing; and made merry, over their bright and pleasantly
tasted mead, in many a torchlight glen. But " the yel-
low beverage, though sweet, was ensnaring." It made
the reapers sing of war — war with the shining wing — but
it was as fatal as poison in the action they were preparing
to fight. It raised their courage and enthusiasm to the
utmost ; but it dulled the cunning of their brain. And
yet they never needed their acuteness more than in the
enterprise before them. The antagonist they were about
to meet was the wily Theodoric, one of the most powerful
sons of Ida, and a man who never lost a chance. Like
his father, he also had gained an unenviable reputation
as the Flamddwyn, or Flame-bearer, and his acts afforded
ample justification for the title. No sooner did he learn
that the Britons were leaving their homes for the ren-
dezvous in the Cheviots, than he sent his emissaries to
plunder the deserted settlements, and to destroy all that
could not be carried away. But while numerous bands of
his savage adherents were thus employed, he did not
forget the danger which threatened his own frontier.
Many of the abandoned hill retreats were quietly occu-
pied, and, having greatly improved their defensive works,
^
strong garrisons were left in charge of them. Sloping
entrenchments became in this way very noticeable fea-
tures on every piece of rising ground, and serious ob-
stacles they must have proved to any assailants. Having
thus provided places that would check the pursuers — in
case of an unexpected reverse to his arms — Theodoric
headed his finely equipped forces in the direction of his
carousing adversaries. He found them gathered near the
fort of Guinion— which was the key to the kingdom of
Bernicia on the north-west — and around this spot the
clang of battle resounded for an entire week. The posi-
tion of the stronghold is not very clearly defined. Some
writers give the locality as on the side of Peel Hill, near
the source of the Liddel ; others near the head of
Stanhope Burn ; and others, again, at a secluded spot
near the junction of the Tweed and Gala water. A few,
without much evidence to sustain their contention, have
asserted that the scene of the conflict was at Ewart, on
the south-east corner of Millfield Plain, and that it took
62
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I February
place "against Ida in 570." A battle may very likely
have been (ought against the Britons in Glendale ; but aa
the digging up of bronze swords appears to be the principal
evidence, it is nearly certain that the date of such a
struggle must be fixed a century or a century and a half
earlier than the period under notice. Contact with
Rome had quickly proved the inutility of bronze as a
material for defensive weapons, and the Britons, even
before the Saxon advance, were nearly as well armed as
their piratical invaders. But there is another, and
Turnpike Ijoai
equally strong, objection to the Ewart theory. There
could be no battle with the famous Ida in 570, as that
ruler died after a reign of only twelve years, and had
been succeeded by Hussa and other of his sons before the
advent of Theodoric. It is not wise, however, to dogma-
tise about an era so remote. All that can be fairly said
is that the probabilities seem to favour 580 as the date of
this eventful campaign, and that it was continued to its
bitter end amid the splendidly fortified slopes of the
Cheviots. Many of the ancient bards have dealt with its
stirring incidents, and have conjured up ghastly pictures
of the scenes that were enacted. Their accounts do
not always harmonize — especially as to the name of
the British leader — but if we accept the version of
Taliessin, who was a friend of Urien, there can
be little doubt that this fierce old warrior was chief
among the heroes who struggled so long, and so
tenaciously, for supremacy at the deep war ditch. He
was the " guledig " around whom the Britons gathered
at the rosy dawn, and who saw so many of them
cold in death before sundown. We are told that there
was a "brow covered with rage" on Urien, when he
furiously attacked his foes at the White Stone of Galy-
stein; and that many men were "gory-tinted" in front
of the slanting mounds they strove to win. Both
leader and lieutenants were conspicuous for heroic deeds ;
but it was for the grand old chief that the highest appro-
bation of the chroniclers was reserved. Exultingly they
ask—
If there is a cry on the hill,
IB it not Urien that terrifies ?
If there is a cry in the valley,
Is it not Urien that pierces ?
If there is a cry in the mountain,
IB it not Urien that conquers ?
If there is a cry in the slope,
IB it not Urien that wounds ?
But prodigies of valour are powerless against a well dis-
ciplined foe. There were doubless many Saxons who,
"with hair white- washed and a bier their destiny," would
stand shivering and trembling with a bloody face. They
were not alone, however, in their grief. Hundreds of
stalwart Britons bad dropped beside them, and were
already wailing on the gravel bank of Garanwynyon,
when the noble Urien fell. One of the old bards tells us
how the truncated body of this hero was buried on the
slope of Fennock, and how the head, with "its mouth
foaming with blood," was carried in sorrow from the field.
Owain, the son of this Cumbrian Bayard, also met hia
death at the hand of the Flamddwyn, and, when he did
so, "there was not one greater than he sleeping." But
the fate of the old chieftain and his son was shared by
many other mighty warriors. Of the 363 tribal leaders
who followed him so furiously to the onslaught, there
were only two who came safely from the " funeral fosse."
Though they had gone forth "flushed with mirth and
hope, " and had dashed repeatedly through the Anglian
throng,
None from Cattraeth's vale returned,
Save Aeron brave, and Conan strong.
Their golden torques, and their chains of regal honour,
were collected from the dead
warriors as trophies of the
hardly-won victory, and their
valuable stores were plundered
or destroyed. The poorer fight-
ing men had little but their
weapons to lose, and these,
together with the lifeless hands
that had wielded them, lay for many a long day after-
wards amid the " sweet flickering play of sunshine on the
grass." The survivors, utterly dispirited and demorlized,
fled again to the dreary hills and moors of the west, and,
for a generation at least, never again ventured to question
the conquerors' sway. Like thousands of their brethren
in the South, they were compelled to seek a means of sub-
sistence far from their old homes, and leave to the
stranger the wooded lands they loved so well, and for
which they had " fought with such sublime tenacity."
WILLIAM LONGSTATF.
The fortified hill, as shown above, is from a sketch
in Roy's "Military Antiquities." It is known as the
White Cather Thun, and is situated in Strathmore.
Though not directly referred to in our article, it furnishes
an admirable illustration of the class of defences which
the Britons constructed so largely in all parts of the
North-Country.
We are indebted for our ground plan of an entrenched
hill to the "Local Historian's Table Book," by Mr. M.
A. Richardson. It represents a defensive work of the
Saxons— constructed probably on a site from which the
Britons had been ejected— and must have been of con-
siderable strength and importance. It is situated on the
Coquet, a little below Harbottle, and doubtless played a
prominent part in many of the early campaigns on the
Northumbrian frontier. In addition to the splendid
protection afforded by the river and its tributaries, the
February 1
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
63.
triple rampires are all very formidable objects — being
nine feet at the bottom and six at the top, and having a
fifteen feet ditch in front of each of them. On the
weakest, or west side, there is a fourth line of entrench-
ments ; but on the north-east the face of the hill is inac-
cessible. The interior length of the fortress is 130 yards,
and its breadth 90 yards, so that it was capable of accom-
modating a large number of fighting men.
The drawing of the torque is taken from a sculptured
monument. The outer ring is only an enlarged view of
the ornament round the neck of the figure, and it shows
very clearly how the flexible bars of bronze, silver, or
gold were twisted into the requisite form.
||T was customary in the last century for the
men of the village of Ford, every Shrove
Tuesday evening, to play a football match,
married versus single. The village at that time stood
much nearer the church than it does now — in fact.
under the very shadow of Ford Castle— and, we are
told, the married men played towards the church, and
the unmarried from it. Before commencing the match,
all the men who had been married during the previous
year were compelled to jump over, or wade through,
the Gaudy Loup ; otherwise they were not allowed
to join in the game. The custom long ago fell into
abeyance, and now is entirely forgotten; but another
custom connected with the Gaudy Loup is yet remem-
bered, and possibly had its origin in that connected
with football, as Brand speaks of the custom in the
North of England of demanding money from newly-
married couples, at the church doors, for footballs.
The Gaudy Loup was a pit filled with water, and
generally full of rushes, that stood somewhere on the site
of the plantation known as Neville's Plantin', and in close
proximity to the Delavals' cock-pit. The Castle Quarry
in this plantation — so-called from its supplying the stone
for the rebuilding of Ford Castle by Sir J. H. Delaval —
eventually swallowed up this pit, and another and the
last "gaudy loup" was found in a field on Ford Hill
Farm, which field is now glebe land, on the south of
Ford Rectory. Some years ago, the custom having died
out, and the pit being a nuisance, Mr. Ralph Chisholm,
the tenant of the farm, had it filled up. Within the recol-
lection of old people still living, the bridegroom was
required, on the occasion of a wedding at Ford Church,
to jump over, or wade through, the Gaudy Loup, or forfeit
money to be expended in drinking to the health of the
newly-married couple.
A little picture, "Going to the Gaudy Loup," repre-
senting Lord Delaval on one of hia two favourite white
ponies, Abraham and Isaac, was long a memento of the
custom to the villagers of Ford. When Lord Delaval
returned to Ford Castle in 1803 from Seaton Delaval,
where he had been married, in his old days, to his second
wife, Miss Knight, some one was bold enough to remind
him of the Gaudy Loup, and his lordship, taking the hint
in good part, rode up the hill to view the hole ; but, it is
needless to say, preferred paying the forfeit, which he
did in a very handsome manner. The little picture, in its
black frame, hung for years over the fireplace in the
cottage of Molly Swan, at Ford, until, it is said, it was
presented to the Marchioness of Waterford when she
went to reside at Ford Castle.
The Gaudy Loup being some distance from the church,
the paten stick seems to have been eventually found more
convenient. This stick was placed before the church door
when a newly-married couple was leaving the sacred
edifice, and the bride as well as the bridegroom was re-
quired to leap it, or forfeit the usual money. This
practice not being in conformity with the ideas of the
rector, he tried to discourage it. Other influence was
also brought to bear, and the villagers, not wishing to
give up old " rights, " abandoned the churchyard for the
outside of the churchyard gates. Here, on the king's
highway (close to the old mounting steps for pillion
riders), fearing no interruption, they tried the paten
stick again ; but, the stick not being long enough, a rope
was substituted, either end being held at one of the gate
piers. Although difference of opinion exists in the
parish as to the desirability of discontinuing this custom,
the young people who scramble for "coppers" on such
occasions do not appear inclined to let it drop. Nor is it
altogether certain that the bridal parties are averse to
it, for not long since, on the occasion of a double
wedding, the brides and bridegrooms seemed to enjoy
the fun as much as any of those present.
CUTHBERT HOME TKASLAW.
A " Gaudy," or " Gaady day," as it is called, is a high
day or holiday familiar to the pitmen of Northumberland,
as to the authorities of the University of Oxford. At the
latter, the term is applied to the day when the governors
dine together in their hall. This dinner happens only on
the " gaudies," or feast days. Charles Lamb, in his " Re-
collections of Christ's Hospital," tells us how the lads
there saved up for a "gaudy day." In Northumberland,
a day devoted to holiday, festivals, or revelry is known
by the same name.
When the pitman heard the notes of the cuckoo for the
first time, there was no work that day, for all hands kept
it as a "gaudy." And so the observances of Shrove
Tuesday, or the festivities of a great wedding, were
equally made the occasion for a "gaudy day."
The origin of the word is plainly from the Latin
gaudium, joy. So we have " to gaud," to sport, to keep
festival; "gaudery," the finery worn on such occasions ;
and the " gaudy loup," or leap compulsory on the festive
day.
The custom of obstructing the exit of a newly-married
64
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
( February
couple from the church until payment is made to the
clamouring villagers is a very common one. In Cumber-
land, the gates of the churchyard are all locked, and the
bridal party remain prisoners till ransom can be arranged.
At Bamborough and at Holy Island, there is what is
called " the petting stone, " over which the bride is lifted
as she leaves the church. The ceremony is said to be a
specific against her "taking the pet"; but, like the
" paten " or " petting stick " at Ford, the object of the
obstruction is to obtain a money equivalent for com-
muting the ordeal. R. OLIVER HESLOP.
JCtocr jfamcrutf
ilnircrrc airtf
K Lake District is celebrated for its beau-
tiful waterfalls. Two of them are pictured
in the accompanying engravings, one of
which— the Falls of Lodore— is copied from
a photograph by Mr. Alfred Pettitt, the Art Gallery,
Keswick.
Lodore is situate near the
head of Derwentwater, and
about three miles from Kes-
wick on the road leading to
Borrowdale. The locality is
strikingly picturesque, and by
some writers has been com-
pared to the Trossachs in
Scotland. The approach to
the fall is from the rear of
an hotel, past fish preserves,
over a foot bridge, to a wide
chasm filled with huge boul-
ders. Above tower the rocky
heights of Gowder Crag and
Shepherd's Crag, both adorned
with many varieties of foliage.
The view of the chasm with
its buttresses of rocks is the
real sight of the place, and
not the stream which courses
through it. Seen on a sum-
mer evening, when the lights
are rich and the shadows deep,
the scene is grandly imposing,
whatever may be the state of
the stream. Lodore is oftenest
visited when the water is low,
and much disappointment is
then experienced. To see it
in its full glory the fall
should be viewed immediately after a storm, when the
water comes down with a thundering sound that may be
heard as far away as the Friar's Crag, near Keswick.
Lodore cannot be called a cascade, being an intricate
series of little falls, not continuous as a cataract, but split
and disjointed by rocks. It is not an easy matter to
arrive at the exact height, but in the aggregate it may be
about 150 feet. The instrinsic merits of the waterfall are
granted by all, but it undoubtedly owes much of its popu-
larity to the rhyming description of it by Southey, which,
extravagant as it may be in language, is not far from a
true description. Here is the poem : —
How does the water come down at Lodore ?
My little boy asked me thus, once on a time.
Moreover, he tasked me to tell him in rhyme ;
Anon at the word there first came one daughter,
And then came another to second and third
The request of their brother, and hear how the water
Comes down at Lodore, with its rush and its roar,
As many a time they had seen it before.
So I told them in rhyme, for of rhymes I had store.
And 'twas in my vocation that thus I should sing,
Because I was Laureate to them and the King.
From its sources which well
In the tarn on the fell,
From its fountain in the mountain,
Its rills and its gills,
Through moss and through brake,
THE FALLS OP LODORE, LAKE DISTRICT.
February I
1889. [
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
65
It runs and it creeps,
For a while till it sleeps
In its own little lake,
And thence at departing.
Awakening and starting,
It runs through the reeds,
And away it proceeds,
Though meadow and glade,
In sun and in shade,
And through the wood shelter.
Among crags and its flurry,
Helter-skelter — hurry -skurry.
How does the water come down at Lodore?
Here it conies sparkling,
And there it lies darkling :
Here smoking and frothing,
Its tumult and wrath in,
It hastens along, conflicting and strong,
Now striking and raging.
As if a war waging
Its caverns and rocks among.
Rising and leaping.
Sinking and creeping,
Swelling and flinging.
Showering and springing,
Eddying and whisking,
Spouting and frisking,
Twining and twisting,
Around and around,
Collecting, disjecting,
With endless rebound ;
Smiting and fighting,
A sight to delight in ;
Confounding, astounding,
Dizzing and deafening the ear with its sound.
Reeding and speeding.
And shocking and rocking,
And darting and parting,
And threading and spreading,
And whizzing and hissing,
And dripping and skipping,
And whitening and brightening.
And quivering and shivering,
And hitting and splitting.
And shining and twining,
And rattling and battling
And shaking and quaking.
And pouring and roaring,
And waving and raving,
And tossing and crossing,
And flowing and growing,
And running and stunning,
And hurrying and skurrying,
And glittering and frittering,
And gathering and feathering,
And dinning and spinning,
And foaming and roaming,
And dropping and hopping,
And working and jerking,
And heaving and cleaving,
And thundering and floundering ;
And falling and crawling and sprawling.
And driving and riving and striving,
And sprinkling and twinkling and wrinkling,
And sounding and bounding and rounding,
And bubbling and troubling and doubling,
Dividing and gliding and sliding,
And grumbling and rumbling and tumbling,
And clattering and battering and shattering ;
And gleaming and steaming and streaming and beaming
And rushing and flushing and brushing and gushing,
And flapping and rapping and clapping and slapping,
And curling and whirling and purling and twirling,
Retreating and beating and meeting and sheeting, '
Delaying and straying and playing and spraying,
Advancing and prancing and glancing and dancing
Recoiling turmoiling and toiling and boiling.
And thumping and Humping and bumping and jumping,
And dashing and Hashing and splashing and clashing,—
COLWITH FORCE, LAKE DISTRICT.
And this way the water comes down at Lodore.
Colwith force is a waterfall or series of cascades, on
the Little Langdale River, situate about five miles west-
south-west of Ambleside. The stream is broken by pro-
jecting rocks, rushing amongst them in four falls and
intermediate cataracts to the aggregate depth of 152 feet,
the last fall being about 70 feet. It is hardly possible to
see the whole of the cascade from one
point of view : hence the artist has been
able to give only a sketch of the last fall.
The view from below is very grand, the
mountain known as the Wetherlam rising
grandly above. Colwith force is much
visited by tourists during the summer
months, and a guide who keeps the key
of the door leading to it generally calls
attention to the remains of a bridge which
was thrown across the chasm for the conve-
nience of visitors at the suggestion of Mr.
Ruskin, who regards Colwith Force as one
of the finest of its kind in the Lake District.
The bridge, however, was not allowed to
remain intact very long, as it was thought
that tourists would commit depredations
in the woods on the opposite bank of the
chasm : so that portion immediately
adjoining the south side was destroyed.
Sufficient, however, remains to afford a
standpoint from which a fine view can be
obtained.
66
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{February
1889.
at JHarft 'artoijrt
Ctoeett*
antr
!lid).u-t) SMelforb.
tr Robert
MAYOR OP NEWCASTLE, KNIGHT, AND M.P.
Like as the brand doth flame and burn,
So we from death to life must turn.
— Ancient Brandling Epitaph.
j]F we could trust one of those " fables and
endless genealogies," against which St. Paul
warned Timothy, it would appear that the
Brandlings of Gosforth enjoyed " the claims
of long descent." For, according to an elaborate family
tree, compiled by some veracious flatterer, they could be
traced back, through seven English kings, three Scot-
tish monarchs, an emperor of Germany, and a noble
assortment of dukes and marquises, earls and baronets,
not to mention knights and esquires, to William the
Conqueror and Malcolm the Third of Scotland ! But,
whencesoever they came, or whatsoever may have been
their relationship to the high and mighty personages
above noted, the Brandlings were undoubtedly a race of
strong-minded and courageous men, who, from the
beginning of the sixteenth century down to our own day,
helped to make local history, and to impress their works
and ways upon successive generations of North-Country
people. In the old times they were distinguished by
strength of will, tenacity of purpose, and a kind of
blustering independence which sometimes mounted to
heroism and at other times degenerated into obstinacy.
At a later period they were leaders in political warfare,
pioneers in coal-mining and railroad enterprise, dis-
pensers of unstinted hospitality, and either promoters or
supporters of nearly every scheme that promised to bring
substantial benefit to the industries of Tyneside.
Robert Brandling, who may be said to have laid the
foundation of the family fortune, was one of the sons of
John Brandling, Sheriff of Newcastle in 1505-6, Mayor
during the first year of Henry VIII., and thrice after-
wards. He commenced the active business of life as a
merchant adventurer, and, interesting himself in muni-
cipal matters under the auspices of his father, was
elected to the Shrievalty on Michaelmas Monday, 1524-.
The office of Mayor was conferred upon him in 1531, and
he was chosen to occupy the same high position (being
also Governor of the Merchants' Company) for the
municipal year 1536-7— the year which saw the beginning
of the Reformation in England, and the end, as well as
the beginning, of a rebellion against it, known through-
out the Northern Counties as the " Pilgrimage of Grace."
At a muster of the whole population of Newcastle
capable of bearing arms, taken in 1539, he appears as an
alderman of four wards— Ficket Tower, Monboucher
Tower, the New Gate, and Andrew Tower— able to offer
for the king's service (besides himself) eight servants well
furnished in all points with bows, halberts, and harness,
"and more if need be." He was Mayor for the third
time in 15434, when the Earl of Hertford, coming to
Newcastle with an army for the invasion of Scotland,
reported the town to be "utterly disfurnished, and un-
provided of all manner of grain " suitable for the victual-
ling of troops. About this time, too, he obtained from
the master and brethren of the Mary Magdalene Hospital
a long lease of their lands at the north end of the town,
including a coal mine in "St. James's Close," with
liberty to sink pits at "Spittel Tongs" and Jesmond
Fields, and became the purchaser of the tract of land
belonging at the Suppression to the Nunnery of St.
Bartholomew, known as the Nun's Moor.
Occupying the important position which repeated
occupancy of office and gradual acquisitions of property
indicate, Robert Brandling was able to entertain at his
mansion in the Bigg Market, called "The Great Inn,"
Lord Protector Somerset, who, upon the accession of
Edward VI., brought another army to Newcastle to
chastise the Scots. Somerset marched away to the
victory of Pinkie Cleuch (or Musselburgh), and when
in honour of that achievement he was conferring knight
hoods upon the chief men of his army, he remembered
his Newcastle host, and made him a knight also. On
the day that the troops, facing homewards, crossed the
Teviot, Sir Robert Brandling became for the fourth
time Mayor of Newcastle, and shortly afterwards one
of the town's representatives in the House of Commons.
It was the first Parliament of King Edward VI. to
which Sir Robert Brandling was elected — a Parliament
which, following the policy of the previous reign,
placed at the disposal of the Crown the chantries,
chapels, and lay guilds of the kingdom. Commissioners
were appointed in the various counties by royal letters
patent to survey and value them, and Sir Robert Brand-
ling was one of those who acted for a part of the
bishopric of Durham. The closing days of this Parlia-
ment (April, 1552) were marked by a proceeding which
long afterwards was cited as an illustration of the power
of the House of Commons to punish offences against
its members. Sir Robert Brandling charged Sir John
Widdrington, Henry Widdrington, and Ralph Ellerker
with an assault, and Henry Widdrington confessing that
he "began the fray upon Mr. Brandling," was committed
to the Tower, his alleged accomplices being released
Before the year was out Sir Robert Brandling, in a con-
test of a different character, received a vast addition
to his already considerable territorial possessions. To
understand the matter aright, it is necessary to turn
back the pages of local history for the better part of half
a century.
On the 26th November, 1510, Thomas Surtees, the
February 1
1889. j
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
67
last of a long line of his name who had held the manors
of North Gosforth, Felling, and Middletou-in-Teesdale,
died. His father had been twice married. Thomas and
a sister named Catherine were the children of the first
marriage; from the second union came a half brother
named Marmaduke. On the death of Thomas, his sister
Catherine, who had married John Place, of Halnaby,
claimed the estates as heir (of the whole blood) to her
brother, and Marmaduke claimed them as heir (of the
half blood) to his father. While these claims were
pending, Robert Brandling married Catherine Place's
daughter Anne, and became, in right of his wife, a
party to the contention. Forty years passed away,
and then, on the 5th October, 1552, the suit ended in
Sir Robert Brandling's favour.
The acquisition of these fruitful estates, while they
added to his wealth and importance, did not improve Sir
Robert Brandling's position at Court. He was not a Refor-
mer, or a friend of Reformers, and when, in the begin-
ning of 1553, a new Parliament was ordered to assemble,
and the King's Council "recommended " suitable persons
to the constituencies, Robert Levvin and Bertram Ander-
son were elected members for Newcastle. Their tenure of
office was not of long continuance, though it was marked
by the annexation of Gateshead to Newcastle, and the
division of the bishopric of Durham. Queen Mary came
in during the summer, and the Reformers went out. Her
Council, adopting the tactics of their predecessors,
" recommended " their nominees so strongly that "very
few Protestants were chosen," and Sir Robert Brandling
regained his seat.
Twice more — in 1555, under Queen Mary, and in 1563,
under Queen Elizabeth — the lord of Gosforth and Felling
was sent to represent bib native town of Newcastle in the
House of Commons ; once more — in the municipal year
1564-5 — he was elected Mayor of the town and Governor of
the Merchants' Company. Between whiles he served on
commissions and inquisitions, and discharged the various
duties attaching 'oo his office as an alderman and magis-
trate. From a complaint made against him at the Privy
Council by Cuthbert Bewicke, it would appear that in
March, 1562, he was accused of treason ; if so, the charge
must have broken down, for it was in the following
December that he received the honour of election for the
last time to Parliament.
Shortly after the feast of Pentecost, 1568, when his
younger brother, Henry, was Mayor of Newcastle, Sir
Robert Brandling died. He left no lawful issue, and he
had made no proper will. A paper writing, purporting to
be a testamentary deed, but apparently a forgery, was ex-
hibited by the Mayor at the Consistory Court of Durham,
and the examination which followed led to some remark-
able and not very creditable disclosures respecting family
affairs, all of which may be read in "Depositions and other
Ecclesiastical Proceedings from the Courts of Durham, "
published by the Surtees Society. William Brandling.
nephew of Sir Robert, who was away at the time, having
" suddenly, upon a displeasure, departed into Flanders, "
was declared to be the true and undoubted heir to his
extensive possessions, and he obtained them, and held
them in spite of the efforts of his relatives to dislodge
him. About this somewhat obtrusive member of the
Brandling family, his drunken brawl in St. Andrew's
Churchyard, and other immoralties, there is enough, and
more than enough, in the same Surtees Society's volume.
Robert
THE TCHBULENT SQUIB E.
Luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful,
Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin
That has a name. i>h,akspearc.
William, son of Thomas Brandling, who, as we have
seen, succeeded in 1569 in establishing his claim to the
estates of his uncle, Sir Robert, did not long outlive
his victory. Having sown his wild oats, and married
a daughter of the Newcastle family of Holey, he settled
down to enjoy his fortune. But he had been no more
than six years lord of Gosforth and Felling when he
died. On the 2nd October, 1575, he was buried at
Jarrow, leaving a wife with two infants, a girl and a boy,
to succeed him. The younger born of the two children, a
boy aged nine months at the date of his father's death,
inherited the property, and, unfortunately, he inherited
at the same time a large share of his father's quarrel-
some disposition, " Robert Brandling, heire of Felling,''
as the baptismal register of Jarrow names him, grew
up to be an exceedingly headstrong, wilful, and turbulent
personage — a man who terrified the clergy, astonished
the populace, and disturbed everything and everybody
that came within the range of his influence.
When he was about thirty years of age, Robert
Brandling did homage for his manor of Felling to the
Dean and Chapter of Durham. In 1610 he obtained
from King James I. a grant of the site of the Abbey of
Newminster; six years afterwards he added the ancient
patrimony of the Lisles in South Gosforth to his North
Gosforth manor, and about the same time obtained the
fertile lands of Alnwick Abbey. The shrievalty of
Northumberland came to him in 1617 ; he was elected
M.P. for Morpeth in 1620 ; from which date his public
life and noisy career may be said to have begun.
One of his early manifestations involved the Corpora-
tion of Newcastle. The journals of the House of
Commons report that on the 26th March, 1621, he moved
that the patent of Newcastle coals might be brought in
"whereby they have received £500,000, and the hostmen
impose 2d. upon a chaldron, whereby they have raised
£200,000." This was a hostile movement against a local
monopoly. It did not succeed at the moment, but
within a month the Commons had included the *(coal
monopoly by Newcastle " in a list of grievances which
they sought to have redressed. Meanwhile, the Mayor
68
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{February
1889.
and Aldermen revenged themselves by reporting, as con-
servators of the Tyne, that they had failed to obtain
reformation of abuses at Felling Wharf, which was in a
state of decay, and had had soil thrown upon it, some of
which had fallen into and obstructed the river. Then he
set the Government at defiance, for, being appointed in
1629 for the second time High Sheriff of Northumberland,
he refused to serve, and fled into Scotland. From thence
he returned, and, making his peace with the Privy
Council, accepted the office, in order, as was believed, to
annoy the burgesses of Alnwick and the ecclesiastical
authorities, with whom he had been for some time at
variance. Among other high-handed proceedings, being
lay impropriator of the parish of Alnwick, he claimed the
pews on the north side of the chancel of Alnwick Church,
and went and occupied the seats of the Duke of North-
umberland— defying both the duke and the church-
wardens to remove him. For this and similar offences he
was excommunicated — a penalty which he held in
contempt and openly disregarded. Then he dragged
sixteen burgesses of Alnwick before the Star Chamber,
and they in return went the length of petitioning the
Privy Council to take him in hand, alleging that not only
did he abuse the Church and Churchmen, but had
" several times laboured to take the life of his own
children." He had become, in fact, unmanageable and
unbearable, and the whole county rang with his offences
and misdemeanours.
What these were may be gathered from the " Acts of
the High Commission Court at Durham" (Surtees Society,
vol. 34. ) He was cited to appear before the Court on
the 9th of August, 1633, charged with various offences.
Remarkable evidence was given against him. For
example, at Shilbottle Church, one Sunday after prayers,
he called the vicar a "scabt scounderell, priest, or
fellow.'' To Alnwick Church he took a Scotchman,
and insisted upon his preaching there, and when the
curate remonstrated he called him " base rascall, idle,
druncken rogue," and did " jumpe him on the breast with
a little staffe," and struck him over the shoulder.
Another clergyman of Alnwick he abused in the street,
telling him he was a " druncken rogue, rascall, hedg-
rogue, and the sonne of a hedg-rogue, " and that he would
draw both him and his father "at horse tayies and
banish them the countrie." To Lesbury Church, where
venerable Patrick Makilvian (who lived to be a cen-
tenarian) was vicar, he went on a Sunday afternoon, and
laying claim to the chancel, ordered the clerk's stall to
be pulled down. The vicar told him that no one had
a right to displace the clerk but the Bishop and his
court, to which Brandling answered that the proudest
bishop in England durst not meddle with his inheritance,
and if the vicar interfered he would pull down his seat
and reading pew, and as for the " usurping bishops " and
their courts they were but "bawdy" courts to oppress
people and get money for themselves, while the High
Commission Court at Durham was "the most wicked
court in England. " He further abused him, calling him
a "Gallaway rogue," and threatening to "ly him in
prisonn till he sterved and stincked." The Dean of
Durham he called "Mr. Devill of Durham," and so on.
All the evidence went to show that this degenerate
descendant of Sir Robert Brandling was a most quarrel-
some, abusive, and immoral man.
It does not appear that the delinquent paid much atten-
tion to the proceed ines of the Commission. He appeared at
one or two of the early sittings, and, being contumacious,
was committed to gaol ; but he broke the prison, and set
subsequent citations at defiance. So witnesses were
examined, and the judgment of the Court was pro-
nounced in 1634- in his absence. The Commissioners
sentenced him to imprisonment during the king's pleasure,
to be excommunicated, to make public submission in the
church of Alnwick, and in St. Nicholas', Newcastle, on
several Sundays, and to pay a fine of £3,000 and costs.
Whether Robert Brandling paid the fine, or whether
he remained contumacious to the last, are questions that
cannot be answered. Crown and Church had soon more
serious matters on their hands than the punishment of a
reprobate Northumbrian, and it is possible that, in the
troubled times which followed, the delinquent and his
delinquencies were overlooked and forgotten. The date
of his death is also unknown. One "Robert Branling "
was buried in St. Nicholas' Church, Newcastle, in 1636,
but there is no evidence to identify him as the turbulent
squire, and conjectures are useless. All that can be said
for certain is that, having been twice married, first to
Jane, daughter of Francis Wortley, of Wortley, and
secondly to Mary, daughter of Thomas, Baron of Hilton,
he left six sons, the eldest of whom, afterwards Sit
Francis Brandling, of Alnwick Abbey, succeeded him,
and that none of them inherited, in any marked degree,
their father's propensities.
M.P., AND FOUNDEK OF THE N.N.V.C.
Brandling for ever and Ridley for aye,
Brandling and Ridley carries the day :
Brandling for ever and Ridley for aye.
There's plenty of coals on our waggon way.
—Pitman's Sony.
Sir Francis Brandling, eldest of the six sons born of
the marriages of the quarrelsome Alnwick squire, was
elected M.P. for Northumberland during his father's
lifetime. He sat in the last Parliament of King James
I., and the first Parliament of King Charles I. (Feb.,
1624, to Aug., 1625), and in 1627 was High Sheriff of the
county. Like his father, he was twice married. Like
him, als», he had six sons. There was no immediate
fear, therefore, of the race dying out. His heir, Charles
Brandling (1) wedded Annie Pudsey, of Plessy — an
heiress, whose mother was a Widdrington. The third
son of this marriage, Ralph Brandling, sold Alnwick
February
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
69
Abbey to John Doubleday, a Quaker, and brought (by
marriage) the estate of Middleton, near Leeds, into
the family. Dying without progeny, as two elder
brothers had done before him, he left Middleton to the
next heir — his brother Charles Brandling (2), who had
married Margaret, daughter of John Grey, of Howick,
ancestor of Earl Grey. Ralph Brandling (2) the only SOD
•of Charles Brandling (2) inherited Felling, Gosforth, and
Middleton, and transmitted them to his second son,
Charles Brandling number three.
A considerable interval of abstinence from public
affairs on the part of the Brandling family had occurred
since Sir Francis held high office in the county of
Northumberland. Charles Brandling the third was
destined to end it. He was united on the 1st September,
1756, to Elizabeth, heiress of John Thompson, of
Shotton, and shortly afterwards, finding the old seat
of the Brandlings at Felling inadequate to his ideas
of a family residence, he erected Gosforth House, and
took up his permanent abode there. During twenty
years, surrendering most of his time to local business,
and making himself useful and popular in town and
county, he prepared himself for more responsible duties.
In 1784, having a couple of years earlier filled the office
of High Sheriff of Northumberland, he was elected with
Sir Matthew White Ridley to represent Newcastle in
Parliament. Opposition to his return had been threat-
ened by Stoney Bowes, the profligate husband of Lady
Strathmore, who had represented the town in the
previous Parliament, but it did not reach the polling
booth. Such was the influence of the united names of
Ridley and Brandling in Newcastle, that for many
years no one ventured upon a hostile candidature. When
Mr. Brandling retired, at the close of 1797, the seat
was taken, as a matter of course, by his son, Charles
John, born February 4, 1769.
Charles John Brandling entered public life with every
possible advantage in his favour. The family influence
was far-reaching ; the family relationships were wide-
spreading. Four of his sisters were married — Eleanor to
William Ord, of Fenham ; Margaret to Rowland Burdon,
of Castle Eden, the builder of Wearmouth Bridee ; Eliza-
beth to Ralph William Grey, of Backworth ; Sarah to
Matthew Bell, of Woolsington. He himself had been
united, four years previous to his election, to a daughter
of the ancient house of Hawksworth, of Hawksworth in
Yorkshire. His wealth, too, if not profuse, was abund-
ant. Improved methods of cultivating the soil and a
growing demand for mineral fuel were increasing the
revenues of his inheritance; and Gosforth and Felling
were taking their place among the most profitable estates
upon Tyneside. Riches, county influence, and the un-
bounded confidence of a powerful borough constituency
form admirable stepping stones to a useful and prosperous
career. Possessing all these, young Mr. Brandling be-
'Came the rising hope of the Tory party in this district ;
justifying their expectations, he was returned unopposed
to three successive Parliaments— those of 1802, 1806, and
1807. It does not appear that he made any great figure
Chas Jni Brandling.
in the House ; but he kept his party well together in
Newcastle, and became a recognised leader of Conserva-
tive thought and feeling in Southern Northumberland.
At the dissolution in 1812, when he had been fifteen
years M.P. for Newcastle, Mr. Brandling withdrew from
Parliament. Not that he was tired of political life, for he
continued to inspire the local adherents of his party, and
to guide them by his counsel as before. But other and
equally important matters demanded his attention. All
over the North of Engrland men's minds were occupied
by the growing power of steam — perplexed by problems,
and sustained by possibilities, of applying that subtle and
potent agent to purposes of locomotion, both by land and
water. At the Yorkshire collieries of the Brandlings
John Blenkinsopp was already, as we have seen, working
his patent " iron horse"; nearer home George Stephenson
and William Hedley were experimenting in the same
direction. It was evident that with every fresh appli-
cation of steam to engineering more coal would be
required, and Mr. Brandling found it necessary to
curtail his Parliamentary course in order to watch over
his great mining enterprises, and prepare for their exten-
sion and development.
George Stephenson lived at this time, and for many
years afterwards, at the village of West Moor, adjoining
the eastern entrance to Gosforth House. Mr. Brandling
was a watchful observer of his proceedings, and became
one of his earliest friends and supporters. A disastrous
explosion at Mr. Brandling's Felling Colliery, in 1812,
led to the invention of the safety lamp, and when the
rival claims of Sir Humphrey Davy and George Stephen-
70
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
February
son to the honour of that invention were being discussed,
Mr. Brandling took the side of his humble neighbour. A
sum of £2,000 had been presented to Sir Humphrey, and
one hundred guineas to Stephenson — a distinction which
gave the friends of the latter offence. Mr. Brandling
was consulted, and advised Stephenson to publish a
statement of the facts upon which his claim was founded.
The latter, with the aid of his son Robert, drew up a
narrative, and when it was finished, after many correc-
tions, and fairly copied out, father and son, Dr. Smiles
tells us, set out to put the joint production before Mr.
Brandling at Gosforth House. Glancing over the letter,
Mr. Brandling said, "George, this will never do." "It
is all true, sir," was the reply. " That may be, but it is
badly written," and, taking up his pen, the squire revised
the letter and fitted it for publication in the local news-
papers. He took the chair at a public meeting which
followed, and when a subscription for Stephenson,
amounting to £1,000, had been raised — towards which
he and his various partners contributed 275 guineas — he
presided and made the presentation. The Newcastle
Chronicle, reporting the proceedings, adds : — " The
cheerful and convivial spirit displayed by the chairman
soon infused itself into the company, and rendered this
meeting, from its commencement till its close, a scene of
festivity and good-humour seldom witnessed."
The " convivial spirit displayed by the chairman" was
a characteristic of the English gentleman in those
roystering days of the Prince Regent. People dined
together, not wisely perhaps, but well and often ; and
there were public gatherings and patriotic demonstra-
trations, which always meant unlimited health-drinking
and song-singing — the "feast of reason and the flow of
soul." In this way every year, by organizations called
Pitt Clubs, "the immortal memory of William Pitt"
was revered. Of the Northumberland and Newcastle
Pitt Club, started in 1813, Mr. Brandling was a founder
and the first President.
The martial ardour that found expression at these
convivial clubs was consolidated shortly after their
formation by commercial depression and general dis-
content. Riot and tumult broke out all over the
country, and the moneyed classes feared a general in-
surrection. To allay these fears and prepare for eventu-
alities in the North of England, there was formed in
December, 1819, under Mr. Brandling's command, " The
Northumberland and Newcastle Volunteer Cavalry,"
to which was attached a troop of dismounted
yeomanry raised in Newcastle. Before, however, the
movement could be made effective the death of
George III. involved a dissolution of Parliament,
and Mr. Brandling's military aspirations were engrossed
in political warfare. At the previous general election
(1818) Mr. Thomaa Wentworth Beaumont had been re-
turned, in succession to his father, as the colleague of Sir
C. M. L. Monck, in the representation of the county, and
his conduct in Parliament had given his Conservative
supporters good ground for dissatisfaction, for, as ex-
plained in the sketch of that ardent politician (Monthly
Chronicle, vol. ii., p. 194), Mr. Beaumont, instead of sup-
porting the Conservative Government, voted frequently
with the Whigs. It was determined, therefore, that a
candidate whose views and votes could be trusted should
be brought out to oppose him. No one was considered so
capable of overcoming the territorial influence of the Beau-
mont family as Mr. Brandling, and he was induced to
come out of his retirement and fight for his principles and
his party. Preparations were made for a severe con tes
but the call to battle had barely become audible when
Sir Charles Monck declined to renew his candidature,
and Mr. Brandling was returned to Parliament as the
colleague of the man whom he had intended to exclude.
On the 13th of December, 1823, the Town Moor of
Newcastle was the scene of an interesting event. The
Volunteer Cavalry assembled there at an extraordinary
parade, and with admiring ladies and civilian friends
massed around, Major Sir Charles Loraine, presented
"the lieutenant - colonel commanding, Charles John
Brandling, M.P.," with a copy of "the celebrated
Warwick vase, found in Herculaneum, " weighing " up-
wards of three hundred ounces," and, adds the chronicler,
with visions of conviviality flitting through his brain,
capable of holding "about eight quarts"! This was
almost his last public appearance. In little more than
two years afterwards, within three days of his fifyy-
seventh birthday, he was summoned to a higher court
than the High Court of Parliament, and a few days
later his remains were buried at Gosforth.
Summarising Mr. Brandling's political and social life,
the editor of the Newcastle Magazine for June, 1826, states
that, although he never made any pretensions to literary
power, his conversation was that of a man of cultivated
taste, and of an enlarged and well-informed mind. He
was remarkably quick in his perception of genius in
the fine arts, and equally eager to patronise it. To
William Nicholson he gave commissions to paint groups
of old servants, portraits of friends, and pictures of
favourite animals. He purchased Henry Perlee Parker's
painting of celebrated characters in Newcastle, and em-
ployed him to paint a companion picture of a merry-
making in the servants' hall at Gosforth House, intro-
ducing portraits of the domestics. In private life, his
hospitality and his urbane and generous disposition were
proverbial. " His manly and candid manner, his cour-
teous behaviour to his friends and acquaintances, and
his affable demeanour to all ranks were such as it would
be difficult to parallel amongst men of similar wealth and,
connexions. His was the unostentatious and expansive
and all-embracing hospitality of an ancient English
Baron. He carried you back to the welcome and the-
cheer of feudal times, without reminding you of their
servility. "
February!
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
71
Mr. Brandling left three brothers, the eldest of whom,
the E«v. Ralph Henry, succeeded to the property. To
this clerical representative of the Brandlings came the
misfortune of seeing the estates, which his family had
held for 300 years, pass into the hands of strangers. He
outlived his younger brother, Robert William, projector
of the Brandling Junction Railway, chairman of the coal
trade, and one of the receivers of Greenwich Hospital ;
outlived also his brother John, Sheriff of Newcastle in
1828-29, and Mayor in 1832-33 ; and died in Newcastle on
the 26th of August, 1853, at the venerable age of 81 years
— " the last of the long roll of Brandlings " of Gosforth
and Felling.
Cftalltrfartr.
j]HOLLERFORD is a hamlet in the township
of Humshaugh and parish of Simonburn
thirteen minutes' ride by rail N.W. from
Hexham, on the Waverley Routa to Edin-
burgh. It stands on the west side of the North Tyne, in
the midst of lovely scenery. The village itself has
nothing particular about it, but it is much frequented
by anglers, and the inn, which is a conspicuous object
in our engraving, is one of the most comforable in
Northumberland. Moreover, Chollerford is a capital
starting point for tourists bent on surveying the Roman
Wall, and particularly the neighbouring station of
Cilurnum, or Walwick Chesters, the proprietor of
which, Mr. John Clayton, has unearthed a "rowth" of
Roman antiquities such as is scarcely to be met with
anywhere else.
The modern name Chollerford is a mere modification of
the ancient British appellative of the place— Coill-uirin,
"wood and water," corrupted by the Romans into
Cilurnum— and with the Anglian " ford " added. In
long-past, pre-historic times, sun and moon worship must
have been prevalent here, for the Romans, whose usual
practice it was to incorporate in their theology and place
in their pantheon the gods whom they found worshipped
in the lands they conquered, raised altars at Cilurnum to
the Moon goddess, known to the Britons as Comh-bhan-
teinne, Latinized Coventina, " the lady companion of the
God of Fire," the Sun.
As the Tyne is subject to sudden floods, which come
down almost like a wall of water, with little or no warn-
ing, when there has been heavy rain up among the fells,
the fords and stepping-stones by which it could ordinarily
be crossed must have been always unsafe ; and so the pro-
vident Romans would lose no time in setting about the
building of a bridge, by which to keep open their com-
munications east and west in all seasons and weathers.
It had long been known that the vestiges of a Roman
bridge were to be seen in the river opposite to Cilurnum,
and within a short distance south of the modern village ;
but the land abutment on the eastern side, which is by
far the most striking feature of the work, was not dis-
covered till the year 1860. Successive beds of sand and
gravel had for ages encumbered it ; and at the time of its
discovery a fir plantation grew upon this deposit, which
had the fallacious appearance of a moraine, or glacier-
debris heap. The river, too, which runs very rapidly,
and is subject, as already observed, to great floods, for-
saking for some distance at this place its ancient bed, had
left the abutment dry, completely submerging the corres-
ponding work on the opposite side. Dr. Bruce tells us
that it was at the suggestion of Mr. William Coulson, of
Corbridge, that Mr. Clayton engaged in the explorations
which revealed to archaeologists this fine specimen of the
engineering skill of the Romans. Alexander Gordon, in
his "Itinerarium Septentrionale," published in 172b,
describes the bridge as he saw it in the beginning of last
century ; and a plan of the whole structure, and a
bird's-eye view of the eastern abutment, is given in Dr.
Bruce's great work on the Roman Wall. There were
three water piers, the foundations of two of which are
still easily discerned when the water is low ; and the
third, lying under the east bank of the stream, was some
time ago partly exposed ; but to prevent the river from
encroaching upon the erections immediately behind it, it
was found necessary to restore the bank to its original
state.
Agricola is believed to have first formed the adjoining
station, and also to have thrown some sort of bridge
across the Tyne ; but the works were certainly recon-
structed or partly repaired by the Emperor Lucius Sep-
timus Severus and his undutiful sons, in the beginning of
the third century. The Notitia place the prefect of the
second wing (ala) of the Astures at Cilurnum ; and these
" Sons of Somebody " (hidalgos) from the skirts of the
bleak snow-clad Vinnian Mountains, in Northern Spain,
would find here, though in a latitude twelve degrees
nearer the Pole, a climate milder than their native air,
and scenery unsurpassed for beauty by any to be found in
their native valleys. That it was an important station
plainly appears from the number of Roman roads that
converged upon it, and the great variety of inscribed
stones, altars, votive tablets, &c., dug up on its site.
Some have conjectured that it was here the Emperor
Alexander Severus was murdered by the mutinous
soldiers in the year 235, and that Elfwald, King of
Northumbria, called by Simeon of Durham " a pious and
upright king," was slain in A.D. 788 ; the locality, at any
rate, was "near the Wall," and Elfwald was buried at
Hexham.
During the troublous times that succeeded the fall of
the Roman Empire, the bridge over the Tyne at Cilur-
num must have been destroyed ; and, when better days at
length dawned on Nortumberland, another bridge on
another site was erected. In the reign of Richard II.,
Bishop Skirlaw granted a release from penance, for thir-
72
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
( February
O
B
February \
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
73
r-^-n^^ |- ^-^=£-^^-^i
^ ^jt ^J!jr_:
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
teen days, to all who would contribute by labour or
money to the repair of this bridge, which had fallen into
decay "by the inundation of the waters," " whereby the
inhabitants of the neighbourhood" were "in great dan-
ger. " It would seem that an appeal had been made on
behalf of the bridge three years before, but that it had
nought availed. Repaired, however, it now must have
been ; and it continued to be serviceable down till the
year 1771, when the ever-memorable great flood carried it
away, along with most of the other bridges on the Tyne.
Four years afterwards, the present structure was raised.
It consists of five arches, four of which are seen in our
view.
23irritarTy Castle.
I HIS ancient seat of the proud Norman family
of the Baliols is finely situated on the
north or Durham bank of the river Tees.
The ruins occupy more than six and a
half acres. The rock on which the keep of this superb
relic of feudal grandeur stands is eighty feet perpendicu-
lar from the bed of the river. From the highest part of
the ruins the visitor enjoys a commanding, beautiful,
and most extensive prospect in every direction. Imme-
diately adjacent to the river the banks are thickly
wooded ; at a little distance they are more open and cul-
tivated ; but, being interspersed with hedge-rows and
isolated trees of great sire and age, they still retain the
richness of woodland scenery. The river itself flows in a
deep trench of solid rock, chiefly limestone and marble.
The oldest part of the ruins is believed to date from at
least the eleventh century ; and tradition ascribes the
erection of the castle to Count Bernard, son of Guy
Baliol, who came into England in the train of William
the Conqueror. He is said to have been famous for feats
of arms against the Saracens, and was the ancestor of the
short and unfortunate Baliol dynasty, which succeeded
to the Scottish throne at two different epochs, under the
patronage of the first and third Edwards, kings of Eng-
land. The castle often changed masters during the
Middle Ages. Upon the forfeiture of the unfortunate
John Baliol, Edward I. seized the place, as well as the
other English estates of his refractory vassal. Bishop
Bek laid claim to it, as belonging to the regalia of his
Palatinate ; but Edward, instead of allowing the validity
of his pretensions, seized upon the Palatinate itself, with
all its pertinents, and bestowed Barnard Castle upon
Guy Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, in whose family it
continued for five generations, till it passed into the
hands of the Nevilles, on the marriage of Anne of War-
wick to Richard Neville, the King-Maker. Warwick's
daughter Anne brought the castle once more into the
hands of the Crown, through her marriage with the Duke
of Gloucester, afterwards Richard III. This over-ambi-
tious prince made it his chief residence, and strengthened
its fortifications for the purpose of bridling and suppress-
ing the Lancastrian faction in the Northern Counties.
Richard's cognizance of the " bloody and devouring boar"
still appears, not only on the walls of the castle, but in
several parts of the adjoining town.
During the reign of Henry VII., an Act of Parliament
was passed enacting that " Barney Castelle, " which was
"in theKyng'senheritaunce,"but was "a lawless place,"
in consequence of the disputed jurisdiction which the
bishopric of Durham and the counties of York and North-
umberland claimed over it, should in future be deemed to
be within the county of York only, "that ys to sey par-
cell of the Northryddyne of the same countie, any use,
custom, privilege, or other matter or thynge to the con-
trarie notwithstandynge. " This Act, however, does not
appear in any of the statute books, but a copy of it oa
parchment is preserved in the Harleian Collection in the
British Museum. How long it remained in force does
not appear.
In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the castle waa
amongst the wide possessions of Charles Earl of West-
moreland ; and on the rumour of his and the Earl of
Northumberland's rebellion, known as " the Rising of the
North," Sir George Bowes, of Streatlam, possessed him-
self of the fortress, and resisted the whole power of the
insurgents for eleven days, surrendering at length on
honourable terms. The bridge over the Tees leading to
Startforth, which consisted in Leland's time of three
arches, is said to have been broken down during the
siege, and the present bridge, consisting of two arches
only, was subsequently built, dating from 1569. The
castle was afterwards leased to Sir George Bowes ; but
James I. granted it, on the expiry of the lease, to his
guilty and unhappy favourite, Robert Viscount Brans-
peth and Earl of Somerset, on whose attainder it again
reverted to the Crown, and was appropriated for the main-
tenance of the Prince of Wales's household. For this
purpose it was demised to Sir Francis Bacon, attorney-
general (the celebrated Lord Bacon), and others, for a
term of ninety-nine years, in trust, to empower them to
grant leases of the lordship or manor for twenty-seven
years, or three lives, under certain rents, for the prince's
benefit ; and the survivors of these grantees afterwards
assigned their rights to Sir Henry Vane, cofferer to the
king, who obtained, in the year 1635, from Charles I., a
grant of free warren, with the offices of Master-Forester
and Chief Warden of all Forests and Chases within the
demesne of Barnard Castle, for him and his heirs. Four
years later, he had sundry additional privileges conferred.
William III., in 1699, created Barnard Castle a barony,
and it now supplies one of the titles of its holder, the
Duke of Cleveland, who, besides being Earl of Dar-
lington and Baron Raby of Raby of Castle, is likewise
Viscount and Baron Barnard of Barnard Castle.
February }
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
During the Civil Wars, the castle was held for King
Charles, but Oliver Cromwell forced the garrison
to surrender, having, by the advice of a deserter
from the royal army, erected batteries on a command-
ing eminence on the Yorkshire side of the Tees, called
Towler Hill, whence he levelled the engines of destruc-
tion with such effect as to render a prolonged resistance
out of the question.
The ruins now show the remains of four courts, enclos-
« ing the space stated above, a considerable portion of
which is occupied by the gardens of a neighbouring hotel,
laid out with great taste, so as not to interfere with the
characteristic features of the place. The west or strongest
side of the castle, crowning the lofty cliff, seems to
have contained the state chambers. The south court is
cut off from the others by a deep moat, and a wall forty
feet high. The second or north-east court is in like manner
separated by a moat and wall from the two smaller courts
which lie on its west side. The third court, entered by a
bridge from the second, lies on the east side of the castle,
between the south court and the fourth court or citadel,
from which it is also separated by a moat. A small oriel
window, overlooking the Tees, still bears the boar of
Richard III., carved within ; and at the north-east angle
of this court is a great round tower, known as Baliol's
Tower, about fifty feet high, and one hundred and fifty
feet above the river, forming the principal feature in
almost every view of the castle. It bears every mark of
great antiquity, and is remarkable for the curious con-
struction of the vaulted roof. It is said to have been
greatly injured during the last French war by the opera-
tions of some persons to whom it had been leased for the
purpose of making patent shot. The area of the castle
contains Brackeubury's Tower, formerly
used as a dungeon. It has a large arched
vault, with cells, and an opening at the
top for letting down provisions to the
wretches immersed therein. The inner
and outer moats, with the sluices, and
the situation of the drawbridges, may
still be traced. In the adjoining
grounds, called the Flatts, a large
reservoir, called the Ever, was formed,
and the water collected in it was con-
veyed thence in pipes for the purpose of
supplying the garrison, as well as the
cattle enclosed within the walls of the
outer areas, in times of public danger,
for which protection the adjacent lands
paid a rent, called Castle-guard-rent.
The ruinous state in which the great
fortress now exists is said to be mainly
due, apart from the natural decay
through time and neglect, to that Sir
Harry Vane from whom Cromwell
prayed the Lord to deliver him.
ILartmgton.
Lartington, which is one of the prettiest villages in
Britain, or indeed anywhere else, and which enjoys the
rare privilege of not having a single public-house within
its bounds, is situated on the south side of the Tees, about
a mile from Barnard Castle. It is fortunate, likewise,
on account of the adjoining hall being the property and
residence of a family which may be said to have been for
several generations exceptionally considerate of the
highest interests of the people within the scope of their
influence. The Withams, of Lartington Hall, originally
from Lincolnshire, but settled for about two centuries in
the North, and adhering, like so many of the County
Palatine and Northumbrian gentry, to the Catholic
religion, have intermarried with the Howards, Staple-
tons, Silvertops, Salvins, Dunns, &c., but are chiefly re-
markable as having been, many of them, very warm
friends of popular education, and patrons as well as cul-
tivators of science. To Henry Thornton Maire Witham,
who died in 1844-, the town of Barnard Castle is indebted
for its Mechanics1 Institute, as well as its first Infant
School ; and previous to the erection of the incomparable
Bowes Museum, one of the chief attractions to intelligent
visitors was the Witham Testimonial Hall, in the Market
Place, raised as a memorial to that gentleman, who had
been president of the institute and a liberal contributor
to its funds. Mr. Witham, who was distinguished for his
love of scientific research, laid the foundation stone, in
1831, of a building attached to Lartington Hall, intended
for a museum, which he furnished with an extensive
collection of geological and mineralogical specimens, as
well as a valuable collection of paintings by the most
— j esteemed masters of
the Italian and Flem-
ish schools, with others
of more modern date.
This museum, which
is freely open to pub-
lic inspection at all
tunes, has been en-
BARNARD CASTLE, FROM THE TEES.
76
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
J February
_\ 1839
entirely remodelled under the euperintendenoe of the
Rev. Thomas Witham, who has spared no expense to
make it one of the most attractive and interesting institu-
tions of the kind to be found in England. The building
shown in our sketch is the school-house of the village.
&Otl)tr0tOtU.
The village of Cotherstone is not far from Lartington.
Near it, on a steep, verdant knoll called the Hagg, over-
looking the junction of the Balder and the Tees, is
a fragment of the mouldering wall representing the
old castle of the Fitzhughs, Lords of Romaldkirk,
the last of whom is said to have been killed by
falling, with his horse, over a stupendous rock
rising from the riverside high above the encircling
trees, and known as Percy Myre Castle, as he was re-
turning at night from hunting in Marwood Chase. This
is only one of the traditions and legends with which
the neighbourhood of Cotherstone abounds. Indeed, it is
the very centre of a rich folk-lore district. Another tra-
dition relates to a solitary rock on the adjoining moor,
called "the Butterstone," at which it is told that during
the Plague of 1636, when the fairs in the district were all
" cried down," and the grass grew in Newcastle streets, a
kind of market was held, the country people, who were
afraid of visiting Barnard Castle for fear of catching the
infection, bringing their butter, eggs, and so forth to
this stone, leaving them there, and retiring, whereupon
the townspeople came in their turn and took away the
articles, leaving the purchase money in a bowl of water,
its passage through which liquid was supposed to do
away with the risk of contagion. Down to quite a recent
date Cotherstone formed part of the parish of Romaldkirk,
but it is now constituted into a separate ecclesiastical
district, with a fine church, of which we give a view.
The village is most noted, however, for its being one of
the last places in the country where the old custom, once
general, of christening the young cattle and horses sur-
vived ; so that at one time, when its name was men-
tioned, you would hear it said, as if proverbially — " O,
aye, that's Cotherstone where they kirsen cauves."
Cotherstone cheese rivals that of Stilton in flavour. The
village is largely colonised by members of the Society of
Friends.
iternmrtt CaetU
RHE ancient town of Barnard Castle has been
the scene of several dark tragedies, one of
which, shrouded in hitherto unpenetrable
mystery, stands as a notable exception to
the popular belief that "Murder will out."
Sixty years ago, the youths and maidens of the
(town and neighbourhood were in the habit of
making frequent pilgrimages to the parish church-
yard at Startforth, on the Yorkshire side of the Tees,
to visit the grave of the hapless Hannah Latham.
This poor girl belonged to Lartington. She was an
orphan, nineteen years of age, and lived as farm servant
in the immediate vicinity. Being induced to visit
Barnard Castle, she got into a dancing-room in
a public-house, where she remained till a late hour.
A villain volunteered to see her home, and on
the way thither, at a lonely part of the road, he
took advantage of the poor girl's helplessness, committed
a brutal outrage, and, maddened by her stout resistance,
maltreated her in such a way as to cause her death. -In
the morning her dead body was found at the road side.
Singular to say, the miscreant was never discovered. In
memory of a tragedy so shocking and so mysterious, a
pretty obelisk was erected. The traveller from Barnard
Castle to Bowes, Stainmoor, or Brough may see it from
the road as he passes. There is an inscription on the
stone to this effect —
This pedestal is raised by voluntary donations to the
memory of Hannah Latham, who fell the victim of a
sanguinary villain on the Brignall Road, within a mile of
this place, on the 1st of January, 1813, and in the 19th
year of her age.
Ill-fated orphan, though no parent's tear
Was fondly shed in anguish o'er thy bier.
Yet shall thy murderer, while on earth, remain
The victim of remorse, despair, and shame.
A much older story of crime is recorded in "The
Barnard Castle Tragedy" of local collectors, Joseph
Ritson having giving it that title in his "Bishopric Gar-
land," from whence the ballad has been copied into the
legendary division of Richardson's "Local Historians
Table Book." This ballad shows how one John Atkin-
son, of Murten, near Appleby, servant to Thomas How-
son, miller, at Barnard Castle Bridge End, courted How-
son's sister Elizabeth ; how, after he had gained her
affections, he paid court to another ; how he married
this other by the treacherous advice of one Thomas
Skelton, who, to save the priest's fees, performed the
ceremony himself ; and how Elizabeth, upon hearing the
news, broke her heart, and bled to death on the spot.
The writer of the ballad, after relating Atkinson's deceit,
proceeds thus : —
Then he made all alike, Betty's no more his dear ;
Drinking was his delight, his senses to doze,
Keeping lewd company, when be should repose ;
Her money being spent, and they would tick no more,
Then with a face of brass he asked poor Betty for more.
He at length met with one, a serving maid in town ;
She for good ale and beer oft time would pawn her gown,
And at all-fours did play, as many people know —
A fairer gamester no man could ever bhow.
Tom Skelton, ostler, at the King's Arms does dwell,
Who this false Atkinson did all his secrets tell;
He let him understand of a new love he'd got,
And with an oath he swore she'd keep full the pot.
Then for the girl they sent, Betty Hardy was her name,
Who to her mistress soon an excuse did frame :
" Mistress, I have a friend at the King's Arms doth stay,
Which I desire to see before he goes away."
February \
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
77
Then she goes to her friend, who she finds ready there,
Who catch'd her in his arms — " How does my only dear?"
She says, "Boys, drink about, and fear no reckoning large,"
For she had pawned her smock to defray the charge.
They did carouse it off till they began to warm ;
Says Skelton : " Make a match ! I pray where's the harm?"
Then with a loving kiss they straightway did agree.
But they no money had to pay the priest a fee.
Quoth Skelton, seriously : "The priest's fee is large ;
I'll marry you myself, and save all the charge. "
Then they plight them both unto each other there,
Went two miles from the town, and goes to bed, we hear.
Then, when the morning came, by breaking of the day,
He had some corn to grind, he could no longer stay ;
" My business is in haste, which I to thee do tell " —
So took a gentle kiss, and bid his love farewell.
Now when he was come home, and at his business there.
His master's sister came, who was his former dear ;
" Betty," he said, " I'm wed, certainly 1 protest,"
Then she smiled in his face — " Sure you do but jest."
Then within few day's space his wife unto him went,
And to the sign o' the East, there she for him sent.
The people of the house, finding what was in hand,
Stept out immediately, let Betty understand.
This surprising news caus'd Betty fall in a trance,
Like as if she was dead ; no limbs she could advance.
Then her dear brother came ; her from the ground he took :
And she spake up and said :— " O my poor heart is broke !"
Then with all speed they went for to undo her lace,
Whilst at her nose and mouth her heart's blood ran apace ;
Some stood half-dead by her, others for help inquire ;
But, in a moment's time, her life it did expire.
"This story," says Ritson, "being both true and
tragical, 'tis hop'd 'twill be a warning to all lovers."
Barnard Castle was the scene of a more authentic
tragedy in 1845. On the 9th of August, in that year,
a tailor, named Joseph Yates, who had been drinking
the whole day, fell in the evening into the company
of three young men, named George Barker, Thomas
Routledge Raine, and John Breckon. These youths,
having discovered that Yates had some money in his
possession, determined to rob him of it. So, about
midnight, when he was in company with a woman
named Catherine Raine, the three lads, with a girl
named Ann Humphreys, followed him to a place on
the banks of the Tees known as the Sills. There,
after a short scuffle, they took his money, and then
threw him into the river, where he was drowned.
Returning over the bridge into the town, the men urged
the women to swear to secrecy ; but as Raine would not
accede to their request, she was seized, thrown over the
parapet, and was drowned also. Humphreys then swore
to keep the matter a secret, and was permitted to go
home. The bodies were found a few days afterwards.
Humphreys kept her oath inviolate for nearly a year,
and it was not till near the end of July, 1846, that
any arrests were made. Barker was apprehended at
Shildon ; Raine at Ecclefechan, in Dumfriesshire ;
and Breckon in Durham Gaol, where he was confined on
another charge. All three denied any knowledge of the
affair.
The case against them came on for trial at the York
Assizes, August, 1846, when Ann Humphreys gave
evidence to the above effect, fully inculpating the three
prisoners with the double murder ; but, inasmuch as her
testimony was not supported by other witnesses, there
was some doubt in the minds of the jury as to the pri-
soners having actually committed the capital crime, and.
a verdict of " Not Guilty " was consequently returned.
Further evidence was, however, afterwards obtained to
corroborate that of Humphreys, and the three prisoners
were arraigned on April 7, 1847, before Mr. Baron Rolfe,
for robbery only. The grand jury having brought in a
true bill, counsel for the defence put in a special plea of
autrefois acquit, which, however, was disallowed. The
trial, consequently, proceeded.
Several witnesses testified to seeing Yates in an.
intoxicated condition in the streets of Barnard Castle,
to seeing Yates with Raine, and to seeing Yates and
Ruine afterwards with the prisoners. But the evidence
of Ann Humphreys was of the most remarkable character.
As summarised in the statement of Mr. Bliss, the
counsel for the prosecution, it was to the following
effect :—
She went to bed, she stated, between twelve and one
o'clock, her sister, her father, and her child being then
asleep. Being restless and uneasy, from some unaccount-
able cause, she, without disturbing the rest of the family,
dressed herself again, and went downstairs. While
standing at the door, she saw Yates and Catherine
Raine together. Then the three prisoners joined
them, as did Humphreys herself. All six crossed the
bridge over the Tees to the Yorkshire side of the river.
Yates and the girl Raine walked before, followed by
Ann Humphreys and Thomas Raine, Barker and
Breckon bringing up the rear. As they were going along
Raine said to Humphreys: — "Yates has some money.
How must we do to get it from him ?" She replied : —
" Poor little fellow ! do not meddle with him. He will
spend it all among you." When they had proceeded
about two hundred yards along the Sills, Barker began
to quarrel with Yates relative to a coat which the
former had been charged with stealing on informa-
tion given by the latter. Barker asked Yates if he was
going to appear against him on account of the coaf
Yates answered that be was. Barker then struck
Yates several times, whereupon all three of the pri-
soners pounced upon him, rifled his pockets, and threw
him into the Tees, which was in high flood at the
time. The two girls, naturally horrified, ran back to-
wards the bridge, shouting " Murder ! " The prisoners
ran after them, stopped them, and silenced their
outcries. They threatened that they would murder
them likewise, if they would not swear secrecy.
Raine refused to keep silence, and said she would
tell the police ; and so she was seized and thrown over the
parapet of the bridge. Humphreys begged for her own
life, which was spared on her swearing most solemnly
never to divulge what she had seen.
78
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
\
February
1889.
The jury, at the close of the second trial, returned
with a verdict of " Guilty," and Mr. Baron Rolfe, in
passing sentence, used the following emphatic language :—
It is impossible for any one who has witnessed the pro-
ceedings of this trial, not to feel that you have been
guilty of two of the most barbarous murders that
perhaps the annals of crime ever furnished. You have
succeeded, undoubtedly, in defeating the ends of justice
hitherto ; and I presume that, upon the first trial,
material circumstances that have now come out in
evidence were not brought forward, either because they
had not come to light, or were not known to exist ;
for I am perfectly certain any jury which has heard
what has been detailed on this occasion could not have
the remotest doubt but that you barbarously, and not
merely, as I suspect, for objects of plunder, but from
some motives of revenge, murdered that young man,
and followed up that with equal barbarity' in murdering
the young woman ; and 1 see enough to convince me that
•ou formed the desperate plan of murdering Ann
umphreys also. I confess I feel somewhat ashamed
that the law is not able to reach you further than it is.
But this I will say to you, that whether your lives shall,
by the pleasure of God, be terminated early or protracted
late, you will live the objects of abhorrence and detesta-
tion even among your guiltv associates amongst whom
you will be placed, who will be ashamed aud contami-
nated at being with you. The severest sentence which
the law allows me I shall pass upon you, and it is that
you be severally transported across the seas, to such
place as her Majesty, by the advice of her Privy Council,
shall direct, for the space of fifteen years.
And with the expatriation of the three prisoners this
singular case closed, so far as the British public was con-
cerned. The two trials, Latimer tells us in his continua-
tion of Sykes, cost the county of York £1,309.
air, and is from an old -MS. book dated 1764, now in the
possession of the Antiquarian Society of Newcastle.
I
JJ0rtft=€crimtrt>
ljtt £tokoe.
THE DE'IL STICK THE MINISTER.
pROM the earliest ages, satire has been one of
the most powerful instruments in the hands
of poet or writer to lash those against whom
they owed a grudge, or who afforded a sub-
ject on which to exercise their talents ; and priests and
ministers of religion have been perhaps more than any
•other class the butts at which the bolts of sarcasm or
raillery have been launched.
"The De'il Stick the Minister" is a tune which has
enticed the fancy of more than one rhymster to fit it with
appropriate verse ; but the song which is here given, and
which, we believe, was composed by Mr. John Farrer, of
Netherwitton, was very popular about sixty years ago in
Northumberland. It is, too, a felicitous example of that
class of song which, pourtraying the characteristics of
some well-known individual, and wedded to an air which
everyone knew, was readily adopted and sung by the
community. The tune is a well-known Northumbrian
Our wile she keeps baith beef and yell Aud
tea to treat the Slin - is • ter; There's
nowt for me but sup the kale. The
*^=2=£=f=f
beef's for the Min - is - ter.
Be-
sides, a hot - tie keeps in by To
warm his breast when he's no drv ; While
r|=pz
De'il
ter !
Our Minister he's now fawn sick :
Waes me, the Minister !
Wha'll save us now fra Auld Nick,
Gin the Lord tak' the Minister!
Left to oursels, we ken fu' weel
The brent upstairs we canua spiel :
We'll just turn back and meet the De il,
Gin the Lord tak' the Minister.
Our Minister he has nae pride,
Ne'er a bit. the Minister ;
He just sits by our fireside,
Kin' he war no' the Minister.
He taks the gudewife by the hand,
Says, " John, man, sit : what uiaks ye stand ? "
Has a' the bairns at his command —
He's a holy man, the Minister.
The covenant he can explain —
He's a wise man, the Minister ;
Thinks na religion like his ain —
We maun think like the Minister.
The Papists are a wicked sect,
They no belang the Lord's elect ;
Gin Parliament their claims accept,
May the De'il stick the Minister 1
Our Minister, he's aft in want ;
He's a puir man, the Minister;
Whate'er he wants we a' inun grant,
We maun supply the Minister.
And aft to him a horse we lend ;
His wife and bairns on us depend,
Tho' our ainsels can hardly fend.
May the De'il stick the Minister !
Yet still he's useful in his place ;
He's a braw man, the Minister ;
At ilka feast he says the grace,
Naue fitter than the Minister ;
February
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
79
And when the glasses come in view,
He says, " We'll drink, but no Ret fou',
Sic deeds the Lord does not allow."
Yet fou' gets the Minister.
He preaches loud ; he saf t does pray ;
This says the Minister —
"Ye need no fear your dying day,
Gin ye be like your Minister.
Ye'll get abune, ye needna fear ;
Be sure that after me ye speer. "
But faith we doubt, when we get there,
We'll no see the Minister.
ir CStorge
jjN the evening of the 21st December, 1888, in
the Cottage Hospital at Hawick, at the age of
sixty-one, there passed away a man (he was a
wood-turner by trade) whose name is probably by no
means generally known throughout his native county. I
have good authority — that of one, himself a professional
man of letters, who knows the Colonies well — for stating
that in Canada, Australia, and probably the United
States, the name of James Thomson and his poems of
"Hairst" and the "Wee Croodlin Doo " are household
words. A certain amount of local reputation Thomson
did, no doubt, enjoy ; still it is difficult, in his case, to
avoid recurring once more to the hard saying concerning
a prophet in his own country. This is perhaps scarcely
the time or the place to enter upon a critical estimate of
Thomson's poetry. As a poet he has no breadth of range,
little originality in his choice of a subject, and perhaps,
in a general way, as little in his method of treating one.
Yet, in spite of all these disadvantages, the fact remains
that much of his book — "Doric Lays and Lyrics," pub-
lished by Dunn and Wright, of Glasgow — is what another
local poet in my hearing described it to be, " real poetry."
In proof of this assertion, note in particular the passages
which speak of children and the life of children. Again,
if they be not "real poetry," by what means have
Thomson's lyrics succeeded in winning their way to vast
numbers of hearts in which exile has perhaps only ren-
dered more acute the sentiment of home? It is, of
course, undeniable that a poet must be born, and cannot
be made ; but it is no less certain that a man who has
been born a poet may be made a much better one. James
Thomson of Hawick— with reverence and regret let his
name be spoken — owed all his poetry to his birth.
"Should any of these simple rhymes," he wrote in the
preface to his book, "be the means of touching a chord
in the heart, or kindling a smile of happiness or enjoy-
ment at the fireside of the sons of toil, the author will
be amply rewarded." Such was the end which he pro-
posed to himself ; and he attained it. Below is reprinted
one of the best known of his poems : —
HOGMANAY.
Up fra their cosie beds
Afore the break o' day,
Skippin' round the corner,
Brattlin' down the brae ;
Hearts a' sae happy,
Faces blithe and gay,
A merry band o' bairnies
Seek their Hogmanay.
Careless o' the blast sae bleak,
Snawy drift or shower,
Though the roses on their cheek
Turn like the blaewort flower —
Frae ilka door they're jinkin'
To hail the happy day ;
And they a' gang a linkin
To seek their Hogmanay.
Bonny bairnies, come awa'.
It's little I've to gie,
But ye shall ha'e my blessing a',
And ae babee.
When manhood's care comes o'er ye,
Ye'll mind the merry day
When, happy-hearted bairnies,
Ye sought yer Hogmanay.
at ifoto castle.
(Srainger jptreet.
architect.
J1GAIN we find ourselves at the Grey Monu-
ment, but this time we mean to saunter
along the noble street to which has been
assigned the name of Newcastle's greatest
We are within a stone's throw of Richard
Grainger's birth-place in High Friar Street, just behind
the present Dispensary. We have gazed on the mag-
nificent work of the poor widow's son — fortunate enough
to win a rich wife, though — as we have strolled down
Grey Street. Let us see now what there is to interest
us in its worthy companion and rival — Grainger Street.
Grainger Street, like Grey Street, is emphatically one of
shops, and very handsome shops too. But our readers
would scarcely thank us if we were to make an inventory
of them. We are at the principal entrance to the Central
Exchange Art Gallery and Reading Room. Shame upon
us if we pass its door indifferently, for it is one of the
sights of Newcastle.
The history of the room is interesting. Grey Street
had been laid out ; Grainger Street planned out also ;
what was to be done with this considerable triangle of
waste land left between them ? Grainger's first idea was
to erect a Corn Exchange, which, being covered, should
enable merchants and their customers to transact their
business in greater comfort than before. For at that
time the corn market was held in the open air in St.
Nicholas' Square (where the cabs now stand) on Tuesdays
and Saturdays. At eleven o'clock on these days, a man
80
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
( February
\ 1889.
who lived in Drury Lane stationed himself at the head of
it as the " Major " proclaimed the hour, and rani; his bell,
whereupon the merchants opened their sacks, and the
business began. Grainier, then, built the Exchange with
this object in view. But the Corporation of that day
would not fall in with it. They listened to the protests
of the shopkeepers in the neighbourhood of St. Nicholas'
Square ; moreover, the occupants who were beginning to
settle in Market Street declared that corn-laden carts
would be unsightly before their doors.
Well, in consequence of opposition of this sort, the Corn
Exchange project had to be abandoned. It occurred then
to Grainger that a place where the purposes of a news room
could be combined with those of a commercial exchange
was one much needed in Newcastle. Accordingly, in
1839, this building was opened as an Exchange and News
Room. Subscribers to the number of 1,132 had been
obtained ; there was, of course, the inevitable dinner, to
which some four hundred sat down, and thereat the
Mayor, Mr. John Fife, presided ; and so the scheme was
continued until December, 1869.
In that year it was found impossible to keep open the
institution any longer. The rent was too heavy ; the
support accorded was inadequate. With an enterprise
and a courage worthy of the highest praise, Messrs. T. P.
Barkas and W. Tweedy — the reputation of the latter as a
wood car.cr was then at its height in this North-Country
— came gallantly to the rescue. They determined to
carry on the News Room and the Exchange, but to add
attractions in the shape of an Art Gallery and occasional
Industrial Exhibitions. There was a general feeling of
relief when these public-spirited townsmen announced
their intention ; for it was felt that the conversion of so
noble a building into a vulgar casino, or anything of that
sort, would have been a downright calamity. Messrs.
Barkas and Tweedy re-opened the building on the first
of June, 1870, commencing with about 700 subscribers,
which have since, under the management of Mr. Barkas
(now Mr. Alderman Barkas) and his son — Mr. Tweedy
having retired — very largely increased.
The interior of the Exchange (see page 82) is striking
enough. Twelve massive pillars, arranged in semi-circular
order, mark the limits of the news room proper ; all else is
open to the general public at a fixed charge per head.
Here are the pictures, curiosities, articles of vertu, and so
forth ; here, too, are held the concerts, &c. The exterior
is in architectural harmony with the rest of Grainger's-
buildings in the neighbourhood. The corners are rounded
oil, and surmounted by domes, beneath which are massive
Corinthian columns. Few places of mere business can
boast of more elaborate embellishments than can the
shops in this part of the town.
We may now leave the Exchange. Opposite us i»
Nelson Street, chiefly notable for its Lecture Room,
which has been the scene of many animated political and
theological meetings. So far back as the year 184-3, in the
February
\
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
81
month of January, Robert Owen expounded his peculiar
system here at great length. An Irishman present at-
tempted to reply to the lecturer, but was at once uncere-
moniously ejected. He speedily returned, reinforced by
a large number of his countrymen, who were indignant at
the roughness displayed towards him. The doors being
barred against the mob, they were attacked with sticks,
broken bed-posts, chair legs, &c., until at length an
entrance was forced, when the audience beat a hasty
retreat by means of the doors and windows. Fortu-
nately, no serious personal injury was done to anyone
concerned in this foolish affray. Then, in the month of
July of that same year, John Bright addressed a crowded
meeting here on the then burning question of the Corn
Laws. In May, 1857, John Frost, the Chartist, was pre-
sented in this room with an address of congratulation
from a number of sympathising supporters of his views.
But it would be impossible to go at length through the
list of public men who have stood on the platform of the
Lecture Room, without writing, substantially, a history
of the Radical Reform party in Newcastle for the last
half-century, and that would be foreign to the purpose of
these papers. Here, amongst others, Charles Attwood
proclaimed his sturdy Radicalism, and David Urquhart
aired his characteristic views on the diplomacy of Tx>rd
Palmerston. Here Charles Larkin often thundered
against the Tories, and George Thompson brought an
indictment against other forms of slavery than that
which befel the negro, whose constant friend he was.
Mr. Joseph Cowen was a familiar figure on these boards
from his early years ; and, later on, he was in the chair
when Mr. Joseph Chamberlain first addressed a New-
castle public meeting here. Sir Charles Dilke delivered
from this platform the speech on the Monarchy which
created so much stir at the time. Mr. James Watson,
bookseller, Mr. James Gilmour, photographer, and Mr.
Thomas Gregson, watchmaker, represented the more
purely local Radicalism of Newcastle in this room on
many and many an occasion ; all three have passed into
the silent land. Theological opinion of all sorts has
found expression here, from that of Father Ignatius and
Thomas Cooper to that of Mrs. Annie Besant and Mr.
Charles Bradlaugh.
Above this room is another, formerly known as the
THE BUTCHER MARKET, NEWCASTLB-ON-TYNE.
6
82
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
'ebruary
Music Hall. Here Gavazzi has more than once declaimed
against the teachings of Rome ; here, too, Charles
Dickens came, on his second visit to Newcastle, to give
some of his popular readings from his own works. He
would not go back to the Town Hall on any account ;
indeed, he is said have denounced its internal arrange-
ments with Saxon force and emphasis. A little further
along is a Primitive Methodist Chapel, the foundation
stone of which was laid by the Rev. W. Clowes, of Hull,
on November 21st, 1837. It was finished in the following
spring, and will accommodate about a thousand persons.
A little further along still is the Cordwainers' Hall,
whose motto was that " oppression's iron hand should ever
be legally resisted." The opposite side of the way is
devoted to satisfying bodily wants in the eating and
drinking line. Here also is located the Working Men's
Club — a very deserving and creditably managed institu-
tion. The corner shop at
the Grainger Street end was
long known as "Barlow's
shop," occupied for many
years by the late Joseph
Barlow, bookseller and news-
agent.* We are now at the
corner also of what is always
called emphatically, The Mar-
ket ; and thereby hangs a
tale.
We have seen already how
Grainger made a clean sweep
of the old markets of our
town when he took in hand
the formation of Grey Street.
We may now see what he
built in the place of what he
had knocked down. In a
sense, the architect was an
iconoclast; but he was not
one altogether. He pulled
down only that he might
rebuild and restore ; and
this market building — cer-
tainly one of the finest in Erjgland, perhaps the very
finest, all things considered — is an excellent instance in
point. It was finished and ready for its purposes on the
22nd of October, 1835. Great were the rejoicings of the
public on that great day. A grand dinner was held in
the Vegetable (division of the) Market, and the then
Mayor, Mr. J. L. Hood, occupied the chair. Nearly two
thousand persons sat down ; many more would have
liked to have kept them company. It was very sensibly
resolved by the organisers of the feast that the charges
should be moderate on such an occasion ; and, accord-
* Mr. Barlow, whose cheerfulness of temper was not affected in
any way by the loss ot his eyesight, died in Northumberland
Street, on October 15, 1886, in his seventy-eighth year. (See next
paste.)
ingly, the guests at the lower part of the avenue were
only charged a couple of shillings a-head, whilst those
who sat at the upper or north-east end were required to
pay five. So great was the demand for tickets, however,
especially of the latter class, that many of them were sold
for ten and even fifteen shillings a-piece. Altogether
nine hundred tickets were thus disposed of.
Whilst the lords of creation were thus feeding, the fair
ladies, according to our amiable insular custom, were
graciously permitted to look down upon them from a
gallery specially erected for the purpose. About three
hundred took advantage of these seats. Dinner over, the
speech-making began, and some appropriate addresses
were given by Mr. Ord, M.P., Mr. John Clayton (Town
Clerk), and Mr. John Dobson. But the hero of the day,
of course, was Richard Grainger himself, who, on rising
to say a few words, was received with round after round
CENTRAL EXCHANGE AP.T GALLERY, NEWCASTLE.
of enthusiastic cheering. Of this famous dinner in our
modern local history, Mr. John Adamson, the learned
biographer of the poet Camoens, is reported to have said,
maybe with some pardonable enthusiasm : — " Nothing
was like it since the days of Belshazzar ; but instead of
a prophet predicting impending destruction, we had a
Mayor and Corporation that made the welkin ring with
shouts of coming prosperity." The banquet was held on
the 22nd ; the Market, in its various departments, was
opened for business on the following 24th.
Figures are not, as a rule, very attractive reading ; yet
we fancy that two or three here may prove interesting to
the good people who throng from all parts of the town,
and from the surrounding country-side also, to "The
February >
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
83
Market." Let it be set down, then, that this temple of
trade comprises an area of 13,906 square yards, or
about two acres. Its length is 338 feet 3 inches ; its
breadth, 2*1 feet 7 inches. In the Butcher Market
proper there are four avenues, which contain 183 shops,
*ome of them, however, devoted now-a-days to the sale of
other wares. Of these shops, no less than 157 were taken
by butchers before the building was opened — a strong
proof of their confidence in the stability of the enter-
prise. There are 360 vertical windows, and 60 skylights
in the eastern avenue alone. The original Vegetable
Market is now mainly given up to the vendors of second-
hand books. In this hall, as it was originally called, there
were 55 shops and 104- windows. It is 318 feet long and
57 feet wide.
The Corporation paid £36,290 for the Markets ; but, as
a, set-off, they received £15,000 on account of the old
market which had been demolished ; so that the net cost
of the building to the ratepapers came to £21,290. On
the opening day, the meat offered for sale exceeded any-
thing previously known in the North of England ; whilst
the Green Market (for so was the Vegetable Market gen-
erally called) was distinguished by an " almost boundless
profusion " of exhibits.
Of course so notable an event in the history of our
town did not escape the local poets of the time. It
may amuse the reader to transcribe one of their
"screeds" — to use one of their own favourite words. It
runs as follows : —
THE NEW MARKETS.
(Tune — "Canny Newcassel.")
Wey. hinnies, but this is a wundorful scene,
Like some change that yen's seen in a playhoose ;
Wlie ever wad thowt that the awd Major's dean
Wad hev myed sic a capital weighhoose?
Where the brass hez a' cum f rae nebody can tell,
Some says yen thing and some says anuthor ;
But whe ever lent Grainger 't aa knaa varry well
That they mun hev, at least, had a fother.
About Lunneu, then, divvent ye myek sic a rout,
For there's nowt there ma winkers te dazzel ;
For a bell or a market, there issent a doot,
We can bang them at canny Newcassel.
Wor gratitude Grainger or sumbody's arl'd,
Yet still, mun, it myeks ye a! shuther,
Te see sic a crowd luiking eftpr this warld
Where the Nuns used te luik for the tuther.
But te yor awn interest dinna be blind,
Tyek a shop there, whatever yor trade is ;
Genteeler company, where can ye find,
Than wor butchers, green wives, and tripe ladies?
Ye see the wives naggle aboot tripe and sheep heeds,
Or washing their greens at a fountain,
Where the young Nuns used to be telling their beads,
And had nowt but thor sins te be countin' ;
There the talented lords o' the cleaver and steel
May be heard on that classicull srrund, sor,
Loudly chanting the praise o' their mutton an' veal,
Though they're losm' a happ'ny a pund, sor.
When them queer Cockney folk cum stravagin this way,
(Though aa've lang thowt we're gettin aboon them),
They'll certainly noo hae the mense just to say,
That we've clapt an extinguisher on them ;
It's ne use contending, they just may shut up,
For it's us can astonish the stranger ;
They may brag o' their lords and their aad king te boot,
What's the use on't?— they hevent a Grainger!
To the student of character, the Saturday scenes in the
Market are often full of interest. Thousands pass and
repass ; buxom heusewives and rosy lasses jostle against
sisters who have only too clearly the wearing marks of
poverty. Each tradesman, every saleswoman is on the
alert for customers, particularly if the goods are perish-
able. One class of visitors always attract attention
when they perambulate the Market, namely, the brides,
bridegrooms, and bridesmaids from the outlying country
villages. With these it seems to be the rule to "leuk
JOSEPH BARLOW.
throo the Mairkit." On their appearance they are the
observed of all observers. Nor do they seem to care
a button for the good-humoured chaff which is occasion-
ally addressed to them, especially if any of the party
are recognised as acquaintances or customers. Indeed,
they rather seem to like the obtrusive attention thus
paid them. What wonder? Why should they be angry
or we surprised? Was there ever woman yet that
wouldn't turn her head to look at a bride, and then to
criticise the husband?
Returning to Grainger Street, we notice on our lett
Market Street, with its huge drapery establishments,
where you may buy anything you want in that line,
from a pennyworth of tape to a bishop's lawn sleeves or
a duchess's sables. Shop after shop of more or less hand-
some dimensions are passed till we come to West
Grainger Street. Near the end of this substantial addi-
tion to Newcastle streets, we find ourselves between
St. John's Church and graveyard on our left, and the
Savings Bank on our right. Of the latter it is only
necessary to record here that it was founded in January,
1818. The business was at first conducted in the Mayor's
84
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
P'SS!"*
Chamber (or Parlour) in the Guildhall ; then at the
end of the Tyne Bridge ; then in the Arcade ; and now
where we see it. Crossing Westgate Road, we pass by
the Douglas Hotel, an imposing architectural pile, and,
on the other side, the County Hotel, which is an enlarge-
ment of an earlier (but substantially the same) building,
and find ourselves in front of the Central Station.
So come we to the end of this street of shops. But
we must not forget to remind the reader that the part of
the street we have just left is the palatial successor to a
narrow and not particularly inviting thoroughfare,
known as St. John's Lane, sometimes Copper Alley,
because wages were there often paid in coppers.
Mitiev 0f tfitttan.
BOUT the middle of last century, one of the
most familiar figures at Barnard Castle and
Richmond markets was John Wardell, or
Weardale, then tenant of Ketton, a farm in the town-
whip of Braffertou, two or three miles south from
Aycliffe, on the left bank of the Skerne. He was com-
monly known by the nickname of the Miser of Ketton.
There being no market at Darlington for corn in those
days, Johnny, as he was called, had to take his wheat
and other grain further afield ; and as the roads were
very bad — for the most part mere horse tracks,
and for carts quite impassable — the produce had to
be carried on the backs of pack horses, each of which bore
something like a couple of bolls. With six or eight such
horses, Johnny was wont to march in procession, riding
upon the foremost, with a very primitive saddle, made of
coarse sack-cloth, stuffed with straw, and known as Sods-
and-Sunks ; and the rest of the cavalcade followed close
behind, tied in tandem fashion, with a lad similarly
mounted on the hindmost horse. Wardell thus travelled,
as occasion served, to Barnard Castle on the Wednesdays,
or Richmond on the Saturdays, leaving home some time
the night before, so as to be ready when the market
opened. As soon as the horses had been divested of
their loads, they were taken back to the nearest
convenient place outside the town, and left
there in charge of the lad, till his master had
pot his marketing made. In this way Johnny was saved
the expense of stabling and baiting his steeds, and no
Boniface in either town ever saw a penny of Johnny's
money, for both the lad and he carried thick slices of
home-made "inaslin" bread (a mixture of wheat and
rye), and "kitchen" to it, in the shape of skim-milk
cheese, which they could moisten at their discretion with
a drink of water.
On these occasions Johnny was clad in a homespun
grey coat, manufactured from the wool of his own sheep
by his wife and daughters, the whole of whose leisure
time was filled up with spinning on the long wheel, and
woven by one or other of the country weavers who were
then to be found in every village. His feet were covered
with rough tacketed or hobnailed shoes, and his legs
with coarse woollen hoggers, which came up to above his.
knees. His knee breeches had been worn by his father
and grandfather before him. They were made of well
tanned or tawed sheepskin, and, having descended with
other heirlooms te> himself, they had become, in the service
of three generations, so thickly engrained with grease and
dirt, that, with the assistance of an old rusty nail, they
served at market the purpose of a Roman wax tablet for
the calculation of Johnny's accounts.
It was in this queer trim that Mr. Wardell appeared at
the sale of Stickabitch, a property situated between the
road from Blackwell to Croft and the Eiver Tees, and
began to make biddings for it, in competition with some
of the big-wigs from Darlington and Durham, who
were there expressly to be buyers. These gentry
eyed Johnny with supreme contempt, and rudely
questioned his ability to pay even the arles, or earnest
money, for confirming the bargain, in case the property
were knocked down to him. But Johnny, to the astonish-
ment of all, drew forth from his ample coat pocket an
old stocking foot filled with guineas, many of which
had King Charles the Second's head on the obverse
and an elephant on the reverse, showing that they were
of the original mint. The result was that the property
was knocked down to Mr. Wardell, who tabled, there and
then, not merely the arles, but the whole price, and re-
ceived a receipt in full, with an obligation by the agent of
the vendor to complete and hand over to him the neces-
sary deeds within a given time.
But Stickabitch was not the only one of Mr. Wardell's
purchases. He also owned High Beaumont Hill, in the
township of Whessoe, Aycliffe Wood, and Chapel House,
opposite Gainford. Ketton belonged to Sir Ralph
Milbanke, and Johnny, as one of his chief tenants, had a
place of honour assigned to liim at the half-yearly rent
dinners at Halnaby, when it was his habit to give the
toast of his landlord's health in the following terms : —
"I'll gie ye a worthy and respectable gentleman, Mr.
Sir Ralph Milbanke, Esquire, Knight and Baron-Knight.
I'm certain showr ye'll all drink it heartily, with all the
honours, as we're all in duty bound. Lang may he leeve,
and be a blessing to every yin connected wi' him, and
when he's called upon at length to his last account may
he get a full quittance for ony mistyeaks he may have
made, and get a front seat i' heevin."
But Johnny's ideas of another world were somewhat
gross and earthy. He was once heard to say : — " They
may talk of heevin as they will, but gie me Ketton
Greens, on which a man can grow seven crops o' yits i'
seven years, all good gift, corn and straw, and I'd be-
content to stay here for ever, if it were God's will, for I've
February 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
85
always held that a bird i' the hand is worth two in the
bush, and I never was a good hand at sinking. "
A friend once suggested to Johnny that he was merely
gathering money for his heire to spend, and hinted
that he would be a much wiser man if he sat still
and enjoyed himself in his old age, now that he had far
more than he could ever get through in any reasonable
way ; but Johnny replied with an air of complete content-
ment, " Beins, man, if they have as much pleasure in
spendin' Jt as I have in gatherin' 't, e'en let them be deinV
Yet, though he thus professed indifference with regard to
what his heirs might do after he was dead and gone, he
could not bear the idea of waste in any department occur-
ing under his eyes, nor had he the least grain of toleration
for the expensive follies of his more fashionable con-
temporaries. His neighbour, Mr. Stephenson of Braf-
ferton, kept a pack of harriers, and one day, when he
heard the hounds passing through that gentleman's
estate, he said to those about him, "Beins, lads, de ye
hear them jowlers yonder? Dinnot ye hear they're cryin'
esh and yak?" meaning ash and oak; for he foresaw
that the cost of the pack would by-and-by have to be met
by the sale of the timber on the estate. And when some
time afterwards he heard a new Lincolnshire pack, of a
deeper and louder tone, going past, he exclaimed. " Beins,
lads, de ye but hear 'em? They're roarin' out land and
all, land and all !" And, sure enough, Stephenson's folly
before long made complete havoc of timber, land, and all
he had.
Mr. Warden's grandsons, if all tales be true, verified
the old saying, "Gear hardly won is lightly spent," for,
instead of following their grandfather's example, they
spirited his estates through the air as soon as they had
got them into their own hands ; and as, according
to the French proverb, " Play (gaming) is the offspring of
avarice," so they became keen betting men, and are even
said to have associated with George the Fourth when he
was the leading man of the day on the turf, and the
" First Gentleman in Europe. " The result may easily be
imagined.
We have heard that, vhen farmers in South Durham
want a handful of straw to stop a hole in a corn sack, one
may still occasionally hear them say, " Run away, lad,
run away, and bring me one of Johnny Wardell's clouts,"
or varying the metaphor, "Bring me here a Barney-
Cassel wisp."
Mr. Wardell was succeeded at Ketton by the cele-
brated Mr. Charles Colling, who first introduced the
improved Durham shorthorn breed of cattle into the
district.
W. B.
R. GEORGE ROUTLEDGE, founder of the
great publishing firm which is associated with
his name, who died on December 13, 1888,
will always be remembered as one of the pioneers of
cheap literature in this country.
Born at Brampton, Cumberland, so long ago as 1812,
Mr. Routledge had reached the advanced age of 76. His
first step in business was in Carlisle, where he was ap-
prenticed to Mr. Charles Thurnam, bookseller. On the
termination of his indentures, he went to London, where
he entered into the service of Messrs. Baldwin and Cra-
dock, a firm of booksellers of the old type. Three years
afterwards he started in business on his own account,
though in a very modest way, in Ryder's Court, Leicester
Square. It was not till 1836 that he attempted publishing
upon an extended scale. His first attempt was with
"The Beauties of Gilsland Spa," but it was a failure.
He was more successful in 1843, when he published
"Barnes's Notes on the Old and New Testament," in 21
volumes. Five years later appeared the first of the great
series of "The Railway Library," of which more than a
thousand volumes have been issued. This was the com-
mencement of the era of cheap literature. Then came
Fenimore Cooper's works, followed by the novels of
Bulwer Lytton, for the copyright of which Mr. Routledge
and his partner (for he had taken a partner) paid the
86
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I February
author £20,000. Altogether the novelist received no less
than £40,000 from this firm alone. Another of Mr. Rout-
ledge's successes was with Mrs. Beecher Stowe's "Uncle
Tom's Cabin, " of which his company sent out ten thou-
sand copies in a single day, the total sale by this one firm
being upwards of half a million copies.
Retiring from business in January, 1888, Mr. Rout-
ledge was entertained at dinner by his numerous friends.
In the course of a speech on the occasion, he related some
of his business experiences. The following extract will be
found interesting : —
In 1855 we published a beautiful edition of Longfellow's
poetical wurks, with one hundred illustrations from draw-
ings by Sir John Gilbert, engraved on wood by the
Brothers Dalziel, with a portrait on steel by Samuel
Lawrence. We spent over £1,000 on these illustrations,
and £283 more on future editions. We published similar
books to this for several years after aa Christmas books,
but the novelty having gone off, they became less remu-
nerative ; the production being so costly, we had to dis-
continue them. In 1857 we commenced publishing
Shakspearo in 50 Is. monthly parts, under the editorship
of Howard Staunton, for which he was paid £1,000; the
drawings on wood, about one thousand in number, were
made by Sir John Gilbert, and engraved by the Brothers
Dalziel. The plant of this work cost £10,000. This is
without the cost of printing and binding. In February,
1859, we brought out Part I. of an extensive work on
Natural History, in five large volumes, by the Rev. J. G.
Wood, the drawings on wood by Wolfe. Zwecker, Har-
rison Weir, and other well-known artists on natural
history subjects ; the drawings were engraved by Dal-
ziel Brothers. The plant of this work has cost £16,000,
and has paid us very well. From this date we have pub-
lished a great number of juvenile books, and several hun-
dred novels and other standard works. In 1368 Longfellow
visited this country, bringing with him an unpublished
work, "The Xew England Tragedies." Wo gave him
£1,000 for this small volume, and £500 for the translation
of Dante, and with other poetical works published at
intervals, he has received about £3,000 for copyrights in
this country. In April, 1883, we commenced the Universal
Library, edited by Professor Henry Morley, in Is.
monthly volumes, bound in cloth, comprising standard
works of the best old authors, such as Sheridan, Dante,
Emerson, Homnr, and others. Fifty-eight volumes of
this series have been published up to this time, and the
sale has exceeded our expectations. In 1836 one book
only was published, but at this date the number exceeds
over 5,000 ; so that for fifty years I can say that I have
published 100 books each year, or two a week.
The later years of Mr. Routledge's life were in part de-
voted to the acquisition of certain estates in Cumberland
which had at one time belonged to his ancestors. Every
year he went to reside at Cumrenton, where these estates
were situated. As a matter of fact, he never lost his
interest in the place of his birth. He was made a Justice
of the Peace for Cumberland in 1877, and was afterwards
appointed Deputy Lieutenant. In the year 1882-3 he
served the office of High Sheriff.
Mr. Routledge was twice married, his first wife being
Miss Warne, by whom he had three sons and three
daughters ; his second wife was Miss Mary Bell, sister of
Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell, by whom he leaves one son and
one daughter.
We are indebted to the London Stereoscopic Company,
54, Cheapside, for permission to publish the portrait
which accompanies this notice.
antr tfte
||HE house sparrow (Passer domesticus), even,
more so than the pert and confiding robin,
is familiar to the residents of town and
country alike. Like the poor, they are "always with us,"
especially if the weather be extra severe, when they
gather, with other small birds, at our doors and in back
yards in search of food. At such times a party of say
half-a-dozen sparrows are often bullied by a single robin,
and driven away from the food, only to return again a
minute or so afterwards. The cock and hen sparrow,
even the young, are handsome, well-marked birds when
they reside in the country ; but in towns, owing to the
dust and smoke, they always look draggled and dingy,
though in all conditions they are invariably pert, cheerful,
and pugnacious. The latter peculiarity is most observ-
able in the pairing season (Mr. Duncan's drawing shows a
cock sparrow in its nuptial plumage), when a dozen birds
may sometimes be seen fighting together at once, even
in the middle of a busy road or street. But at all times
of the year, except in cold, wintry weather, they may
be found quarrelling.
From time out of mind the cheery and cheeky sparrow
has been hotly persecuted by agriculturists and horti-
culturists as a destroyer of grain and fruit. But, where
not unduly numerous, these familiar and omnipresent
birds, despite what has so often been said to the con-
trary, do a vast amount of good in fields and gardens by
destroying the grubs and insects which prey on the pro-
duce. In summer, when sparrows are rearing their
young— though in mild weather I believe some of them
breed nearly all the year round— they may be seen in
numbers in gardens hawking after and catching butter-
flies almost as nimbly and successfully as the spotted fly-
catcher. Mr. John Hancock, the eminent Northern
ornithologist, has a good word for these birds. As Mr.
February >
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
87
Hancock remarks, undoubtedly the sparrow takes grain
when he can get it, which is only during the time of har-
vesting, but "our sociable little friend ought to be cre-
dited with devouring also the seeds of weeds, and thus
materially assisting in keeping the land clean."
Our little friend has a wide European range, and latterly
he has established himself in America and Australia.
Moreover, I have seen him at Simla, in India, close to
the Himalayas.
The hedge sparrow (Accentor modularis) is not really a
sparrow. Though resident with us, it is a member of the
warbler family, and it may often be heard in song very
early in the year, and even in severe weather, if the
warm rays of the sun enliven the wintry scene. It has
many common names in various parts of the country ;
but its most descriptive and appropriate name is the
hedge warbler. It is also known as the shuffle-wing,
winter fauvette, hedge creeper, hedge chanter, dunnock,
hempie, bluey, and hedgie. The latter, so far as I know,
are the most common names of the bird in the North of
England and South of Scotland. This modest, nnns-
suming, and highly useful bird feeds almost exclusively
on worms and insects, and is of great service to gardeners
and agriculturists. It is an all-the-year-round resident
with us, and in very severe winters many perish through
cold and lack of food.
The bird figured in our second engraving is found over
the most parts of Europe, from Italy to the Scandinavian
countries, as also in Asia and AsiaMinor. Its song is sweet
and cheery, and almost as loud as the more self-assertive
robin. It is an early- breeding bird, and when the hedge-
rows are just commencing to bud, its nest is only too
easily detected by the marauding schoolboy, who too fre-
quently cannot resist the temptation of appropriating its
beautiful greenish-blue eggs.
The cuckoo not unfrequently selects the nest of the
hedge sparrow (but more frequently that of the meadow
pipet) in which to deposit her egg. When the eggs are
hatched, the greedy young cuckoo hustles the legitimate
nestlings out of the nest. The old " hedgies " feed the
young gourmand as if it was their own offspring, and even
carefully tend and feed it after it has left the nest, and
till it can procure its own food. Aristotle, who was em-
ployed by Alexander the Great as a naturalist during his
protracted campaigns, asserted that the young cuckoos
eventually destroyed their foster parents ; and the fool in
Shakspeare's " King Lear " seemed to be of the same
opinion when he referred to the poor old monarch's un-
filial daughters : —
The hedge sparrow fed the cuckoo so lone
That she had her head bit off by her young.
As the young cuckoo has a very large gape — I have heard
a Northern boy say "the beggor was aall gob " — it may
occasionally kill its foster parents, when feeding it, but
not intentionally, I think.
The nest of the hedge sparrow is usually found in
hedges, hedge bottoms, or detached thorn bushes ; but
occasionally I have found its nest in low trees, and even
amongst the rafters of a lonely cattle shed in the fields. It
has also been known to build in a disused garden roller,
and in other rather eccentric and unusual situations.
The nest is generally well-built and symmetrical, the
inside warmly lined with grass, wool, or hairs. Two
broods, except where accidents or robberies occur, are
usually reared in the season, the first occasionally as soon
as the middle or end of March. Sometimes, however,
three broods may be reared in an early and favourable
season. The young birds are lighter in plumage than the
old ones, until the moult takes place about August. The
nest plumage is much mottled, and tufts of down may be
seen adhering to the young birds, especially about the
head, for some time after they leave the nest and are
fairly strong on the wing. The male bird is from five to
six inches in length. The female in plumage closely
resembles the male, but is rather smaller, and the lower
part of the back is slightly more olive-coloured.
HEXRT KEEE.
j]X interesting exhibition of toys, contributed
for poor and sick children by the members
and friends of the Dicky Bird Society, in
response to an appeal made by Uncle Toby,
conductor of the Children's Corner in the Newcastle
Weekly Chronicle, was opened in the Academy of Arts,
Blackett Street, Newcastle, on Monday, December 24-,
1888. The collection, which was admirably arranged by
a number of volunteer assistants, and presented an ex-
ceedingly varied and attractive display, consisted of 7,615
articles, in this total being included 2,500 packets of
sweets presented by Uncle Toby himself.
The inaugural ceremony was performed by the Mayor
of Newcastle (Mr. Thomas Kichardson), who alluded
88
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
[February 1889.
,\\ x i i *, '. ^ssJ-^&^fc 32 ^gr £^ .-/art
\\\ \ = j» -^ »i »*f SfS^BP rsl^WV
ix 5zr:
February 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
89
to the origin and growth of the Dicky Bird Society,
which at present had an aggregate of 164,000 members.
Addresses expressive of sympathy with the objects of the
movement were also delivered by the Sheriff (Mr.
William Button), the Rev. Dr. Bruce, the ex-Mayor of
Newcastle (Mr. W. D. Stephens), the Rev. Canon Lloyd,
vicar of Newcastle, Dr. Rutherford, the Rev. Canon
Franklin, and the Mayor of Gateshead (Mr. Alderman
Lucas).
The articles again remained on view on the 26th, and
on the evening of that day the closing address was de-
livered by Mr. Alderman Barkas, who expressed a hope
that the company would all be ready to co-operate with
Uncle Toby and his coadjutors in a similar undertaking
next year. The exhibition, during the two days, was
visited by nearly 20,000 persons, and, so far as the man-
agement knew, not one article was destroyed or removed.
The presents were despatched to the various institutions
on the following day.
The sketch of the interior of the Academy of Arcs
which accompanies this article was taken before it was
found necessary to construct additional tables, running
the entire length of the room, to accommodate the whole
of the contributions Uncle Toby had received. Our
drawing, however, gives some idea of the interesting
spectacle.
90
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I February
I 18S9
Slje llta&emg of $,rtjs.
Half a century ago, Thomas Miles Kichardson, the
celebrated local artist, established an annual exhibition of
pictures by British artists, first carried on under the title
of the "Northumberland Institution," in Brunswick
Place, Newcastle, and afterwards (in conjunction with
Mr. H. P. Parker, another distinguished local painter) in
the Academy of Arts, Blackett Street.
The building which is shown in our view, and in which
Uncle Toby's exhibition of toys was held, was designed
by Mr. John Dobson, and erected by the well-known
builder, Mr. Richard Grainger. Building operations com-
menced on September 15th, 1827, and the edifice was
opened to the public on June llth, 1828, the occasion
being an exhibition of works of art, including costly
models of St. Paul's, London, and St. Peter's, Rome,
which were lent from the museum at Ravensworth Castle.
The total number of oil paintings and water-colour draw-
ings on view was 315 ; there were a dozen models, busts,
and studies, and eleven pencil drawings ; making a total
of 338 objects of art. The principal exhibitors were T.
M. Richardson, who sent 15 pictures ; and H. P. Parker,
who was represented by no less than 23. Among the
other local artists who sent pictures were : — G. Balmer,
Jun., J. W. Carmichael, E. Landells, G. B. Richard-
son, (brother of T. M. Richardson), T. M. Richard-
son, Jun., C. TeiTot, J. R. Ryott, R. S. Scott, J. Bouet,
and W. Wailes. The following non-residents were also
represented :-— J. M. W. Turner, A. W. Calcott, F.
Danby, John Wilson Ewbank, Copley Fielding, G.
Lance, J. Linnel, W. Mulready, and R. Pickersgill.
The exhibition closed on the 13th of September the same
year.
The building was again opened on October 6th follow-
ing for the "exhibition of pictures by the most celebrated
ancient and deceased masters, selected from the best col-
lections," and an exhibition of water colours was held on
the 31st October, 1831.
Under date September 3, 1832, we find the following in
Sykes's Local Records: — "The Northern Academy of
Arts in Blackett Street, Newcastle, having been disposed
of in shares of twenty-five pounds each, and its title
changed, the following notice of its opening was given to
the public: — 'The Newcastle-upon-Tyne Institution for
the General Promotion of the Fine Arts.— The share-
holders and the public in general are respectfully in-
formed that the above institution for the exhibition of
pictures and sculpture, &c., will open for the first season
on Monday, the 3rd day of September. — By order of the
committee of management, KEENLTSIDE and WALTON,
secretaries. ' "
The next event of any importance in connection with
this building was the Polytechnic Exhibition, held on
April 6, 1840. We gather from Mr. Latimer's continua-
tion of Sykes's Local Records that the affair was intended
for the benefit of the Mechanics' Institutes of Newcastle
and Gateshead, and the North of England Fine Arts
Society. The exhibition, which was of the most extensive
character, was entered by the Academy of Arts, Blackett
Street, where a number of beautiful paintings were ex-
hibited. The Joiners' Hall, entered from the last-named
apartment, was fitted up for the exhibition of a large
microscope and other optical instruments. A temporary
gallery thrown across High Friar Street connected the
rooms in Blackett Street with others in Grainger Street
and Nelson Street. In the Victoria Room (now the
Northumberland Hall) the articles displayed were so
numerous and splendid as almost to defy description ;
but Mr. Orde's racing trophies, won by Beeswing, a mar-
vellous collection of English manufactures in porcelain,
bronze, steel, silver, and glass, a series of beautiful coats
of mail, and a great variety of ornithological specimens
by Mr. Hancock, may be particularly enumerated. A
short staircase led from the Victoria Room to the Music
Hall, which was almost entirely devoted to machinery
and manufactures, and to which the continual movement
of so many articles imparted great animation. This
brilliant exhibition was finally closed by a soiree on
Wednesday, September 2, when the receipts were found
to have reached £4,458 15s. Id., leaving a clear surplus,
for the benefit of the three institutions, of upwards of
£1,500.
On April 24, 1848, another Polytechnic Exhibition was
held in the building, when the arrangements were almost
precisely similar to those made for the previous exhibition
in 1840.
The Academy of Arts was afterwards let to an auc-
tioneer, the late Mr. Charles Brough, who found its large
space eminently suited to the display of his customers'
goods. It is now occupied by Messrs. Davison and Son,
auctioneers, having been acquired by purchase in 1874 by
the junior member of the firm, Mr. Joseph Davison, Jun.
aittr Cffntumttarwo.
THE MARGETTS MYSTERY.
Mr. Conrad Haverkam Greenhow, writing to Robin
Goodfellow, the conductor of the local gossip depart-
ment of the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle, has thrown some
fresh light on the mysterious disappearance at North
Shields which was described in the first volume of the
Monthly Chronicle, page 58. Mr. Greenhow says : —
The facts are these :— John Margetts was a paid
assistant of my father's. At five o'clock one morning
in February, 1826, he went out with some medicine to
deliver to a Mrs. Gaunt's in Tyne Street, and never
was heard of again. I happened to be at home at the
time, and in company with the Rev. Mr. Neal, of South.
Shields, tried to find a clue to the mystery. We found
that a Mr. Profit, a mason, who lived opposite the end
of Church Street, heard, early in the morning, a scuffle-
February 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
91
in Tyne Street, and someone cried, "What are you
doing with me ?" The parties passed along Tyne Street,
and the watchman at Chapman's Bank in Howard Street
saw two men leading another down Union Street. The
watchman thought the third man was drunk, and so
took no notice. We next found that Mrs. Cornforth,
of the Whitby Arms, in the Low Street, near the New
Quay, hearing a cry of murder between five and six
o'clock, looked out, and saw two men dragging another
along. Now, they never got on to the New Quay, as
a watchman at the Northumberland Arms saw nothing
of them: so we concluded that they had gone down
the lane leading to Brown's flour mill. We got a war-
rant to search, and, in a dilapidated attic, found a leather
neck collar, torn, evidently in a scuffle. A man known
by the name of Joney Aird, who had a stall on the
New Quay, kept his things there. Aird disappeared
soon after, and on the arrest of Burke and Hare at
Edinburgh for the murder of the Italian boy, my father
sent Mr. Park, who had a painter's shop near, and
knew Aird, down to Edinburgh, to see if Aird and
Hare were the same man. Mr. Park at once identified
Hare as Aird. And I have not the slightest doubt that
Aird (or Hare) had made away with Margetts, and sold
his body at Edinburgh to be dissected, as Burke, before
execution, confessed to having killed many for that
purpose.
The following letter in reply to Mr. Greenhow's state-
ment was subsequently addressed to Robin Goodfellow: —
Grosvenor Place, North Shields, Dec. 27, 1883.
Dear Robin, — Having read in your issue of last week
Mr. Greenhow's letter, in which he mentions Mr. Park,
painter, going down to Edinburgh to identify Hare or
Aird as being concerned in the disappearance of Mar-
getts, I beg to offer some corrections in the matter.
From correspondence belonging to my deceased father,
in reference to my grandfather's visit to Edinburgh,
I find that this Aird, who was a great bird fancier,
and had a stall in the old fish market, North Shields,
disappeared about the same time as Margetts. My
grandfather, who took a great interest in birds, was on
very friendly terms with Aird, who often paid a visit
to his place of business in Olive Street. On the arrest
of Burke and Hare in Edinburgh, as mentioned in Mr.
Greenhow's letter, my grandfather did go to Edinburgh
to see if Hare was the said Aird, but did not identify
him, as he had been liberated two days before he arrived,
his delay being by the coach in which he travelled either
happening on accident or by storm. Burke was executed
the morning of my grandfather's arrival. As, however,
he had travelled so far, the warder in charge of the body
asked him if he would like a piece of the murderer. My
grandfather assenting, he cut off one of Burke's ears !
The memento is still in possession of the family. — I am,
&c., WILLIAM HABLE PARK.
THE INVENTOR OF THE STEAM PLOUGH.
The Rev. William Fisken, minister of the Presbyterian
Church of England at Stamfordham, Northumberland,
died in the early part of 1884-. Mr Fisken was a septua-
genarian, and had laboured for 37 years a few miles from
Wylam, on the banks of the Tyne, where George Stephen-
son was born. Mr. Fisken, who was a native of Perthshire,
alongside the study of theology, diligently pursued
mechanics. In this latter science his brothers, Thomas
and David, were equally proficient. Mr. Fisken will be
remembered by posterity, as he well deserves to be, and
especially by agriculturists, as having been one of the two
inventors of the steam plough, the other being his brother
Thomas, a schoolmaster at Stockton.
Several years ago an important trial came off at Westmin-
ster upon the merits of the invention. The parties were
the Messrs. Fiskeu and the Messrs. Fowler, the eminent
implement makers at Leeds, and the finding of the jury
was that the Presbyterian minister at Stamfordham and
the schoolmaster at Stockton-on-Tees were the original
discoverers. It is somewhat singular that the appliance
which perfects the plan of the brothers, who had been
working together at the steam plough, suggested itself to
each of them independently and simultaneously. The
late Mr. William Chartres, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, the
solicitor employed by the Fiskens, used to tell how the
two brothers wrote to him on the same day about the final
discovery, but that he received William's letter first.
Mr. Fisken also invented a potato sowing machine, an
apparatus for heating churches, and the "steam tackle"
which has helped to render the steam plough of so much
practical use.
The foregoing, from one of my note-books, may be
worthy of insertion in your pages. NIGEL, York,
A HIGHWAYMAN TRAGEDY.
The notice of Drummond, the Sunderland highwayman,
in the Monthly Chronicle (vol. ii., p. 317), reminds me
of the following incident : — My great-uncle, Joseph
Revell, Miulras Civil Service, was crossing Bagshut
Heath in a post-chaise, or carriage, with a friend, Mr.
Mellish, when they were stopped by two mounted men,
who deprived them of their purses and watches, and then
rode away. After passing, one of the highwaymen fired
his pistol into the back of the carriage. Mr. Revell aU-
dressed some observation to Mr. Mellish, but, receiving
no answer, looked at him, and found he was dead ! The
ball had passed through the woodwork of the chaise, and
entered the back of Mr. Mellish's neck.
BLACKETT KEVELL, London.
CHRISTENING THE CALVES AT COTHERSTONE.
Two tourists from Durham were lately approaching the
village of Cotherstone in Teesdale (which both knew very
well), when they met a native, out of whom one of them
decided to "take a rise." The following exchange took
place between them :— Tourist : "Hey, my man, what
village is that there ?" Native: "That be Cotherstone,
sor." Tourist: "Isn't that where they christen the calves?"
Native : "Aye, sor, but it's eftor fower o'clock on Friday
efternuin, an' they doant chrissen on Satorday nor Sun-
day ; thoo'll hae te wait till Monday morn for thy torn !"
A PITMAN'S DEEAM.
A pitman residing at Windy Nook takes pleasure in
repeating his dreams. One evening, some quarrymen,
desirous of having a joke with him, asked Geordy
to tell them a good one. After some little persuasion,
he complied as follows:— "Wey, lads, aa dreamt the
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I February
\ 1889.
other neet aa wes deed, an' wes tyaken doon belaa — ye
knaa whor aa mean. When aa gets te the gates, the
little imp that ininds them says :— ' What's yor
trade ? ' 'A pitman, ' says aa. ' Whor de ye come frae?'
'Windy Nyuk,' aa tells him. 'Come in, lad,' he says,
'thoo's the forst pitman frae thor, but we're swarming
wi' quarrymen ! ' "
SEEING IS BELIEVIKO.
In one of our neighbouring villages lives a miner, who
is much addicted to strong liquor. His wife and children
often suffer great privations through his drunken and
impecunious habits, although he can generally manage to
bring some dainty morsel from the "toon" for his own
supper. One Saturday night he returned in a merry
mood with a pound of sausage, which he ordered his wife
to fry. As the cooking proceeded, Geordy slept ; and
the poor woman, to whom necessity knew no law, shared
the treat with her children, and liberally besmeared the
mouth of her sleeping spouse with the fat. Presently he
awoke, and demanded his sausage. "Wey, thoo's
eaten't," said his wife, and as a proof showed him his
greasy face in a looking-glass. "Beggor, aa must hev,"
said Geordy, "seein's believin ! "
EQUAL TO THE OCCASION.
The other day, a hawker, plying his vocation in
Gosforth, knocked at the door of a cottage ; the lady of
the house came, and, discerning that he was about to
offer some article of common use for sale, tartly re-
marked : " Aa nivvor buy owt at the door I'1 "Ah,
weel, " said the hawker, " then aa'll sell ye summat at the
winder ! "
THE ACTOR AND THE BUZZER.
Some time ago, a company of travelling actors were
playing Macbeth at a colliery village within the prover-
bial hundred miles from Newcastle. All went well until
the last scene, where Macbeth was being pursued by
Macduff. Macbeth enters breathless with excitement,
and in a tragic manner places his hand to his ear in a
listening attitude, exclaiming, " Hark ! what noise is that
I hear? Enemies are on my track!" Just then the
buzzer at the colliery was blowing, notifying that the
pit would be idle the next day. A pitman in the back
seats shouted out at the top of his voice: "It's the buz-
zor, ye beggor ! The pit's off the morn ! "
BROWN EOLL.
A house painter being asked by his employer if he had
ever worked in London, replied : " No, aa nivvor think o'
gannin' thor ; wey, ye cannot git broon rowl in London —
it's aall shag ! "
TWINS.
The other day a young man, who has a twin brother,
went with his mother into a certain butcher's shop in
Shieldfield. Seeing himself in a looking-glass, the young
man exclaimed : " Muthor, thor's wor Tommy in the
shop." The good lady looked for Tommy, but failed to
find him. At last the truth dawned upon her, and she
said to her son : " Wey, it's yorsel' ; ye divvent knaa
yor aan fyce from Tommy's ! "
fJjcrrtft-Cjiiwtrg
Mr. Matthew Young, a gentleman prominently con-
nected with several local bodies at Berwick, died in that
town on the 10th of December, 1888, at the age of about
66 years.
On the llth of December, Mr. Matthew Carter, for-
merly builder, farmer, and manager of Smith's Charity,
died at Hartlepool, at the advanced age of 76.
On the 13th of December, Mr. William Hedley, J.P.,
colliery owner, died at Burnhopeside Hall, Lanchester, in
the 81st year of his age. He was the last survivor of the
four sons of the late Mr. William Hedley, who it is claimed
was the inventor of the locomotive engine. The father
became connected with collieries in the county of Dur-
ham, and was assisted by some of his sons, who eventually
succeeded him. They were partners in the firm of
Thomas Hedley and Brothers, Quayside, Newcastle, and
owned South Moor, Craghead, and Holmside collieries.
The second son, Thomas, brought the name of the family
prominently before the public some years ago by his
munificent legacy towards the fund for the establishment
of the Bishopric of Newcastle, of which he was thus
practically the founder. Mr. William Hedley, like his
relatives, was also distinguished for many works of charity
and philanthropy. The deceased gentleman, among
several other local bequests, left £1,000 to the Newcastle
Royal Infirmary.
On the same day, the Rev. Dr. Maclennan, vicar of
Brampton-in-Cleveland, and formerly assistant chaplain
of St. Thomas's, Newcastle, died at the age of 60.
Colonel the Hon. Augustus Liddell, late Deputy-
Ranger of Windsor Forest, and uncle to the present Earl
of Ravensworth, died on the 14th December, at his resi-
dence at Eaton, aged 76 years.
Dr. Horan, a well-known medical practitioner at Sun-
derland, died there on the 18th of December, at the age
of 64 years.
On the 19th of December, Mr. George Young, senior
member of the firm of Messrs. Young and Sons, con-
tractors, Monkwearmouth. and a familiar figure in Sun-
derland, died at Bishopwearmouth. He was 69 years of
age.
On the 20th of December, it was announced that Mr.
John Sewell, a native of Bishop Auckland, and formerly
master of the Herrington Wesleyan School, Sunderland,
had been killed by coming in contact with a rock while
bathing at Gatton, Queensland, on the 28th of October.
He was only 30 years of age.
About the same date was reported the death of the
Rev. John Broadbent, a Wesleyan minister formerly
identified with Sunderland, but who had latterly been re-
moved to Richmond, in Yorkshire.
Mr. Jonathan Priestman, J.P., a well-known coal-
owner, died at his residence at Derwent Lodge, Shotley
Bridge, on the 21st of December. He was the youngest
son of the late Jonathan Priestman, of Benwell House,
near Newcastle, and his father was a very influential
citizen of Newcastle, being engaged in the tannery busi-
February I
1889. r
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
ness, and specially in the production of morocco and other
fancy leathers — a calling which he followed with consider-
able success. This gentleman was the first president of
the Newcastle Temperance Society. The deceased filled
the position of manager of the Consett Iron Works with
much ability for some time, being succeeded by Mr.
Jenkins, the present manager. Mr. Priestman after-
wards devoted more attention to the coal trade, and he
had been for a number of years prominently connected
with the commercial life of Newcastle. He was managing
owner of Ashington Colliery, Northumberland, and
through his instrumentality many improvements were
effected at that place. He was also head of the firm
which owned the Victoria Garestield, near Winlaton.
Mr. Priestman was a member of the Society of Friends,
and was brother-in-law to Mr. John Bright, M.P., his
eldest sister having been married to that distinguished
statesman ; but she died in 1841, and Mr. Bright married
a second time in 1847. The deceased gentleman took an
active part in the promotion and management of the
Newcastle Royal Jubilee Exhibition, and he was a mem-
ber of the Finance Committee of the local Coal Trade
Association. Mr. Priestman was chairman of the Lan-
chester and Consett bench of magistrates, and was 63
years of age.
On the 31st of December, Mr. Michael Spencer, a mem-
ber of the firm of John Spencer and Sons, Newburn
Steel Works, died at his residence, Walbottle Hall, near
Newcastle.
The Rev, Mother Mary Aloysius O'Connell died, in her
73rd year, in the St. Bede's Convent of Mercy, Simder-
land, on the 31st of December. The deceased lady was a
cousin of the great Daniel O'Connell.
Mrs. Lough, widow of John Graham Lough, the
eminent sculptor, died at her residence, 42, Harewood
Square, London, on the 29th of December. She was
upwards of seventy years of age, and had survived her
distinguished husband eighteen years. She was a daugh-
ter of the Rev. Henry North, domestic chaplain to the
Duke of Kent, father of Queen Victoria, and she was
married to Mr. Lough in 1832. The deceased lady, in
compliance with the oft-expressed wish of her husband in
his lifetime, presented the original models of his principal
works to Newcastle, and they were afterwards placed in
Elswick Hall, the collection having been inaugurated by
Mr. Joseph Cowen, then senior member for the borough,
on the 24th of October, 1877. Mr. Lough was a native of
Greenhead, near Minsteracres, Northumberland, where
he was brought up as a working mason.
On the 3rd of January, 1889, the Rev. Thomas Russell,
one of the co-workers with Hugh and James Bourne in
founding the Primitive Methodist Connexion, died at
Dover, in the 83rd year of his age. The rev. gentleman
travelled in the Stockton circuit during the last severe
visitation of cholera, and in 1853 he was stationed at
Darlington.
Mrs. Clark, wife of Mr. Edward Clark, solicitor, died
suddenly at Portland House, Benton, on the 5th of
January. The deceased lady was a daughter of Mr.
George Stanley, formerly lessee of the Tyne Theatre, and
during the brief period she spent as an actress she gave
proof of considerable talent.
Mr, Robert Newlands, a gentleman largely interested
in business matters in Jarrow and South Shields, and
father of Messrs. Newlands, solicitors, died in the former
town on the 8th of January.
Mr. Leopold Charles Martin, the only surviving son
of John Martin, the famous painter, who was a native of
Haydon Bridge, Northumberland, died in London on the
8th of January. His life had been spent, for the most
part, in the public service. Through the interest,
it is stated, of Sir Robert Peel — a warm admirer of
the artist — Mr. Leopold Martin obtained a post in a
Government office, and was thus furnished with a
career congenial and suitable to him, though he still kept
up his relations with the world of art, science, and litera-
ture. Mr. Martin married a sister of Mr. John Tenriel,
the inimitable Punch, "cartoonist," and some of his
leisure Vas devoted to literary labours. " Illustrations of
British Costume from William I. to George III.," " Gold
and Silver Coins of all Nations," and "The Literature of
the Civil Service," are among the works published by him
at various times. There had just been commenced in the
Newcastle Weekly Chronicle, {rom the pen of the deceased
gentleman, the publication of a series of personal remin-
iscences of his distinguished father. The articles having
been completed before the author's death, their publica-
tion was continued from week to week. For accounts of
the different members of the Martin family — John,
William, and Jonathan — see vol. i., pp. 343, 418, 434 ;
vol. ii., p. 43.
A Cambridge University correspondent, on the 10th of
January, recorded the death of Mr. Ernest Temperley,
bursar and assistant-tutor of Queen's College, who was
born in 1849, and was educated at Newcastle Grammar
School.
On the 13th of January, Mr. John Charlton, licensed
victualler, Drury Lane, Newcastle, died at his residence,
in Northumberland Street, in the 71st year of his age. He
had carried on business in the town for the long period of
about forty years, and was much respected by the very
large number of people who knew him. The deceased
gentleman was a brother of Mr. James Charlton, of
Chicago, a well-known authority in the railway world of
America.
at
Occurrences.
DECEMBER, 1888.
10.— The Senate of Durham University decided to
admit evening students of the College of Science in New-
castle to the titles and degrees of the university.
At the Durham Convocation, Mr. Edwin Codling,
the first artizan who had obtained that distinction, re-
ceived the degree of Bachelor of Science in the University
of Durham.
Mr. G. T. France was elected chairman, and the
Rev. A. F. Riley vice-chairman, of the Gateshead School
Board.
—The committee of the Bedlington Mechanics' Insti-
tute celebrated the 38th anniversary, by planting a num-
ber of trees in the ground in front of the large building in
Front Street.
11. — The first marriage waa solemnized in St. George's
Church, Newcastle, the bride being Miss Elizabeth Ada
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I February
I 18S).
Swan, daughter of the late Mr. William Swan, of Walker,
and the bridegroom Dr. Arthur Brumell, of Morpeth.
—Mr. Thomas Cooke, of the firm of Messrs. Hedley,
Turnbull, and Cooke, was elected representative of St.
John's Ward in the Newcastle City Council, in the room
of Mr. J. G. Youll, recently elevated to the position
of alderman.
12.— Mr. Richard Fynes, of the Theatre Royal, Blyth,
was presented with an iDuminated address and an album
by his friends of Newsham and New Delaval.
13. — The Rev. Robert Brown, of Erskine Presbyterian
Church, and for upwards of thirty years a minister in
Newcastle, announced his acceptance of a call to Bramp-
ton, in the Presbytery of Carlisle. Previous to his
departure, the rev. gentleman was presented with an
illuminated address, two oil paintings, and a purse of
gold by members of his old congregation and friends. He
was inducted into his new charge on the 1st of January
1889.
—The Rev. A. L. Laird, M.A., was inducted to the
pastorate of Arthur's Hill Presbyterian Church, New-
castle.
—A destructive fire occurred at Messrs. Graham and
Co.'s saw mill and timber yard, at the west side of Tyne
Dock, South Shields, the damage being estimated at
several thousand pounds.
14.— A scheme of amended and extended representation
was adopted by the Newcastle Board of Guardians.
—Mr. Joseph Dodds, accepting the Chiltern Hundreds,
retired from the representation of Stockton-on-Tees, for
which he was the first member, and for which he had sat
in the House of Commons since 1868. There came for-
ward as candidates Sir Horace Davey, Q.C. (Liberal),
and Mr. Thomas Wrightson (Conservative). The election
took place on the 21st, the result being— Davey, 3,889;
Wrightson, 3,494. Sir Horace Davey was consequently
returned.
16. — A woman, named Jane Rigg, died in Victor
Street, Monkwearmouth, from the effects of injuries
alleged to have been inflicted by her husband, William
Uigg, on the 9th.
—The chancel of St. Nicholas' Cathedral, Newcastle,
was re-opened by the Bishop of Derry.
17.— The new Theatre Royal, Blyth, erected for Mr.
Richard Fynes, was opened in the presence of a large
nudience.
—It was announced that, during some ploughing opera-
tions, a circular-built grave, supposed to be of Roman
origin, had been unearthed on the farm of Unthank, near
Berwick.
18.— William Waddle, who murdered Jane Beadmore.
at Birtley Fell on the 22nd of September, 1888, was
•executed in Durham Gaol, Berry being the executioner.
(See vol. ii., pages 526, 573.) The convict had, a day or
two previously, confessed his guilt of the crime to Dr. •
Lake, Dean of Durham.
19. — The Tees shipbuilders gave notice for an advance
of 12i per cent, in their wages.
— A new Surgical Home, in connection with the Throat
and Ear Hospital, was opened at the corner of Brighton
Grove and Stanhope Street, Newcastle.
—The inaugural address was delivered by Mr. George
E. Shotton, president, to the members of the National
Association of Draughtsmen in Newcastle.
20.— It was announced that the Rev. S. E. Pennefather,
vicar of St. George's Church, Newcastle, and the Rev.
Christopher Bird, vicar of Chollerton, had been installed
as honorary canons of the diocese of Newcastle.
21.— A home for waifs and stray children was opened
at Gosforth by Mr. W. D. Stephens, J.P.
22.— John Boulton, a man well known in aquatic circles,
and 36 years of age, committed suicide by hanging him-
self, at Gateshead.
—The Christmas pantomime of "Sindbad the Sailor,"
the libretto being by Mr. W. Morgan and Mrs. Howard,
was produced for the first time at the Theatre Royal,
Newcastle. The subject of the pantomime at the Tyne
Theatre, in the same city, was "Puss in Boots," which
was presented for the first occasion on the 26th.
24.— A theatrical license for twelve months was granted
to St. George's Hall, Newcastle.
26.— Twenty-two men, forming part of the crew of the
screw-steamer Storm Queen, of Newcastle, which had
been wrecked in the Bay of Biscay, on the 22nd, were
landed at Dover by the Norwegian barque Gulnare, by
which they had been rescued. The captain (Mr. Jaques)
and other five hands were drowned.
28.— Sir Edward Grey, M.P., presided at the annual
dinner of the North of England Commercial Travellers'
Association, held in the Assembly Rooms, Newcastle.
—Mrs. Lowrey, residing at 12, City Road, Newcastle,
gave birth to three children— two males and one female.
This was the second case of triplets which had occurred in
the same city within a few weeks.
31. — A boy named James Moore, aared 15, was fatally
stabbed in Railway Street, Sunderland; and John
Me. Donald, another lad, 14 years of age, who was sus-
pected of having inflicted the injuries, was arrested on the
charge. The coroner's jury returned a verdict of wilful
murder against him.
JANUARY, 1889.
1. — New Year's Day was ushered in by the customary
interchange of good wishes and other observances ; but in
Newcastle remarkable quietness prevailed, and during
the night only six persons had been taken into custody.
—Park Terrace Presbyterian Church, Windmill Hills,
Gateshead, of which the Rev. J. Anderson Watt is
minister, was opened by the Rev. J. B. Meharry, B.A.,
of London.
—Notice was issued by the Iron Shipbuilders' Society
to the Employers' Association on the Tyne and Wear,
asking that, at the expiration of January, an advance of
12^ per cent, in wages should be granted. A similar
notice had been served on the masters in the Tees district,
which includes the Hartlepools. On the 8th, the em-
ployers, in the latter case, decided to close the yards after
the 16th, such men as might be retained being engaged
from day to day. The men of the Tyne and Wear
eventually agreed to accept the offer made by the masters
of an advance of 5 per cent, on piece prices and Is. per
week on time wages, dating from the first week of Feb-
ruary, and another like advance dating from the first
pay in July.
2.— An inquiry on behalf of the Local Government
Board was held at South Shields by Mr. Thomas
Codrington, in reference to an application by the Cor-
poration to borrow £3,375 for public improvements and
other purposes.
February |
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
95
— A fog of great density prevailed on the Tyne and
along the Northumberland and Durham coasts, consider-
ably impeding the navigation and traffic.
3. — Mainly through the instrumentality of Mr. Thomas
Stamp Alder, about 3,000 poor children were fed in New-
castle.
—Nominations were officially received for the New-
castle School Board, the triennial term of which was
about to expire. Forty-one gentlemen, in all, including
the fifteen retiring members, were nominated. As no
important question affecting the past policy of the Board
was involved, an effort was made to avoid a contest by a
friendly arrangement. With this view, a meeting was
held in the Council Chamber on the 5th, under the pre-
sidency of the Mayor (Mr. Thomas Richardson), and
another, by adjournment, on the 6th ; but on neither
occasion was a compromise arrived at. With the
exceptions of Messrs. William Hill, John Laidler,
and Alexander Stewart, working men, the whole of
the persons nominated, apart from the retiring mem-
bers, eventually withdrew. The three persons above
named, however, refused to retire, so that an election was
rendered inevitable. The election took place on the Hth,
and the result was declared next day as follows :—
John Robert Wood (Catholic ) 15, 740
Thomas Keenan (Catholic) 14,743
Alexander Stewart (Workman) 13,784
John Laidler (Workman) 13,683
William Hill (Workman) 13,604
J. H. Rutherford (Unsectarian) 11,496
A. T. Lloyd (Churchman) 10.654
G. Luekley (Unsectarian) 9,045
R. S. Watson (Unsectarian) 8,478
J. C. Laird (Unsectarian) 8,462
W. R. Plummer (Churchman) 8,413
S. E. Pennefather (Churchman ) 8, 368
R. G. Hoare (Churchman) 7,883
W. H. Stephenson (Unsectarian) 7,867
John Thompson (Unsectarian) 7,828
Benjamin Barkus (Churchman) 7,569
George Bell. Jun. (Unsectarian) 7,104
J. Shepherdson (Unsectarian) 6,570
The first fifteen on the list were declared to have been
elected.
— A handsome organ erected in Jesmond Baptist
Church, Newcastle, and presented by Mrs. Potts, was
opened by a concert of sacred music.
4.— A deputation, headed by Lord Armstrong, and
representing the local committees appointed to consider
the proposals of the Admiralty and the War Office for the
defence of the Clyde, the Forth, the Mersey, the Tyne,
and the Tees, had an interview with the Marquis of
Salisbury, at the Foreign Office, to urge upon him that
the protection of British ports and commerce connected
with them was a national duty, and not a work which
localities could or ought to undertake.
5.— From the final official list of the Hospital Sunday
.and Saturday collections made in Newcastle in October
last, it appeared that the total sum realised was £3,614
3s. Id. ; places of worship contributing £1,810 Is. 2d., and
manufactories £1,804 Is. lid. In the previous year the
relative amounts were — from churches and chapels £1,971
Os. 5d., and from works £1,545 15s. 2d., making together
£3,516 15s. 7d.
— The quarterly certificates of the accountants in the
Cleveland iron trade showed the price to be 33s. 3-58d.
per ton, making the tonnage rate of 9'41d., or an advance
of '13d. per ton.
— The result of the election for Tynemouth School
Board was made known, the eleven members returned
being— the Rev. Father Stark, Mr. L. M. Johnson, Mr.
Ellis, the Rev. T. Brutton, Mr. Isaac Black, Mr. R. D.
Scott, the Rev. David Tasker, Mr. Joseph Garrick, the
Rev. Mr. Horton, Mr. Grant, and Dr. J. M. Robson.
— An offhand match was rowed on the Tyne, from
the High Level to the Redheugh Bridge, between George
Bubear, of Putney, the English professional champion,
and George Norvell, of Swalwell. The stakes were £20
a-side, and the Swalwell oarsman eventually won by a
length and a half.
7.— The new Hall and Sunday School for St. Philip's
Parish was opened in Longley Street, Newcastle.
—The Rev. Dr. Joseph Parker, of the City Temple,
London, preached in the Town Hall, Hexham, that town
having been the place of his birth. On the following
evening, he lectured at Sunderland on '• Clocks and
Watches."
— An international draughts match — James Smith, of
Spennymoor, against Charles F. Barker, of America —
was brought to a close at Spennymoor, in the county of
Durham, and ended in a decisive win for Barker, who
scored five games against one by his opponent, with 23
draws.
8. — Mr. Gainsford Bruce, Q.C., M.P., was entertained
to a banquet, given by the Newcastle Conservative Asso-
ciation and the local Conservatives, in the County Hotel,
Newcastle, in honour of his return to Parliament for the
Holborn Division of Finsbury. The chair on the occasion
\vas occupied by Sir M. W. Ridley, M. P.
— Strangers were brought to fill the places of sailors
and firemen who had struck work at Seaham Harbour,
the point in dispute being the mode of shipping and
unshipping crews. The strike was settled on the llth,
and the men resumed work next day.
9. — The election of members of the Sunderland Schoo
Board took place, with the result that the state of the
parties remained unchanged, the fifteen seats being filled
by eight Unsectanans, six Churchmen, and one Roman
Catholic.
—Mr. T. Milvain, M.P., formally opened the new pre-
mises of the East End Working Men's Conservative
Association, in High Street, Sunderland.
— Clarghyll Hall, situated about two miles from Alston,
was partly destroyed by fire, and the Rev. Octavius
James, the occupant of the house, perished in the flames.
The reverend gentleman was 71 years of age, held the
living of Kirkhaugh, and had been a justice of the peace
for the county for about 40 years.
10. — It was announced that the will of Mr. William
Isaac Cookson, of Worsop Manor, Notts, and Newcastle-
on-Tyne, had been proved, the value of the personal
estate being sworn to exceed £585,000.
—The wife of Mr. R. B. Crow, butcher, Hylton Road,
Sunderland, gave birth to three children, all girls. On
the 12th of the same month, the wife of Mr. Finlay, 3,
Hammond Street, Newcastle, was delivered of three
children at a birth.
—Mr. Brewis Elsdon, of the firm of Elsdon and Drans-
field, solicitors, Newcastle, acting on instructions received
from the Secretary of State, proceeded to AInwick, and
made application before the Rev. Canon Trotter for four
summonses against four persons for conspiracy in the
famous Edlingham burglary case, when Brannagan and
Murphy, who have since been released, were sentenced
96
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
j February
\ 1889.
to penal servitude for life at the Northumberland Assizes
in 1879.
12. — Messrs. Bell Brothers, Limited, ironmasters and
salt manufacturers, Fort Clarence, Middlesbrough, issued
a circular, announcing that they had disposed of their
salt property to the Salt Union, Limited.
13. — Mr. T. Humphry Ward, husband of the author of
"Robert Elsmere," and himself attached to the literary
staff of the Times, delivered a lecture this evening, in the
Tyne Theatre, on "Matthew Arnold."
14. — It was announced that the Rev. Theodore Charles
Chapman, M.A., of St. John's, Lowestoft, had accepted
the living of Jesmond Church, in Newcastle.
©etteral ©ccnrrcntt?.
DECEMBER,
14. — An election took place at Maidstone in consequence
of the death of Major Ross. The result was as follows : —
Fiennes Stanley Wycham Cornwallis (Conservative),
2,050 ; John Barker (Gladstonian), 1,865 ; majority, 185.
16. — Death of Prince Alexander of Hesse, aged 64, at
Darmstadt.
18. — Much anxiety was felt about this time on account
of the reported capture of Mr. H. M. Stanley and Emin
Pasha by the Madhi ; but subsequent information was to
the effect that two other whites had fallen into the
Madhi's hands, and this led to the error.
— The result of an election at Colchester of a member of
Parliament, in the room of Mr. H. J. Trotter, deceased,
was declared as follows : — Lord Brooke (Conservative),
2,126; Sir William Brampton Gurdon (Gladstonian),
1,687 ; majority, 439.
20. — A force of 4,000 men, composed of British and
Egyptian soldiers, attacked a body of Arabs who had for
some time been threatening Suakim, on the Red Sea.
The Arabs were driven from their trenches with a loss of
about 400 killed and wounded. The British loss was very
slight.
21.— In consequence of the violent and abusive language
used by Dr. Tanner, M.P., during the sitting of the
House of Commons on the Appropriation Bill, he was
suspended from the service of the House.
— The body of a woman was found in Poplar, Lon-
don, under circumstances which led to the belief that she
had been strangled, She was afterwards identified as
Lizzie Davis, an unfortunate. No clue was obtained to
the person or persons supposed to have committed the
crime.
— Death of Mr. Laurence Oliphant, aged 60, well
known as a diplomatist and author.
24. — The House of Lords and House of Commons were
this day prorogued.
—Death of the Rev. Charles Cuthbert Southey, vicar
of Askham, near Penrith, son of the poet Southey, aged
70 years; also of Mr. Philip Henry Muntz, formerly
M.P. for Birmingham, aged 78 years.
26. — Death of General Louis Melikoff, a famous Russian
soldier, aged 65 years.
27. — A Native Indian Congress was held at Allahabad.
28.— Death of Elizabeth Pritchard, Newport, aged 104
years ; also of Lord Eversley, who was Speaker of the
House of Commons from 1839 to 1857, aged 93 years.
— Execution of a desperate character, Prado, in Paris,
for the murder of a woman named Marie Aguetant.
31. — A boy named John Gill, eight years of age, was
found dead within a stone's throw of his parents' house
in Bradford. The body was horribly mutilated. No
clue could be found to the mystery. A milkman was
arrested and charged with the murder, but was subse-
quently liberated.
— An extraordinary hoax was perpetrated in Mexico.
A report was sent to all quarters of the globe giving par-
ticulars of a rising in Mexico, in which seventy -two priests
were killed by the Government forces, and two hundred
others ordered to be executed. This was afterwards
proved to be a stupid joke.
JANUARY, 1889.
6.— A young man named Jenkins, an artist, enticed his
sweetheart, Emily Joy, into his studio, at Godalming,
Surrey, where he violated and murdered her. Jenkins
afterwards gave himself up, and confessed the crime.
7.— A British force routed a force of Red Karens in
Burmah.
—Terrible storms occurred in the United States, many
persons being killed and injured.
12. — The British steamer Priam was wrecked off the
Lisargas Isles, Spain, when over one hundred persons
were drowned.
14.— William II. opened the Prussian Diet. There
was, he said, a great improvement in the economic situa-
tion, in industry, and in the position of the working
classes.
Printed by WALTER SCOTT, Fellmg-on-Tyne.
Gbronicle
OF
NORTH<:OUNTRY*LORE*AND*LEGEND
VOL. III.— No. 25.
MARCH. 1889.
PRICE GD.
tfictarta
J1TANDING on the terrace in front of the
Winter Garden, Sunderland, the spectator
will note that one of the most striking build-
ings in sight is the Victoria Hall. It was
here that the sad and never-to-be-forgotten calamity
occurred on the 16th of June, 1883, when no fewer than
183 unfortunate children lost their lives.
A public performer named Fay had issued notices in
the early part of the week to the effect that he would
give a grand juvenile entertainment at the hall on the
Saturday afternoon ; and, as a means of securing a good
attendance, he circulated tickets admitting children at
the reduced price of one penny each to the gallery. He
likewise announced that prizes, in the shape of books,
playthings, etc., would be distributed at the close
of the performance. The entertainment commenced
at three o'clock, when there were about eight hun-
dred children in the body of the hall, eleven hundred
in the gallery, and a few in the dress circle, which was
otherwise empty. There were scarcely any adults
Victoria "Nail. Sunderland.
from He Park.
98
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/March
1889.
present besides Mr. Fay and his assistants, only a few
nursemaids accompanying such of the children as had
Kcfa-ia Hall.
I a ura STreeJ Kent
paid the full price of admission and got accommodated
in the better parts of the house.
All went on well until the close of the proceedings,
when the entertainers began to distribute prizes to the
children downstairs. But as soon as those who were
crowded together in the gallery, without any grown-up
person to keep them in order, saw that the presents were
being scattered about down below, they naturally became
excited, and began to fear that none would be left for
them. In an instant a number of the children rose to
their feet, and made their way to the folding doors lead-
ing to the staircase, their intention being to run down
into the body of the hall and share in the distribution of
the toys.
About three parts of the way down the winding
staircase was a door which opened inwards. This door
had for some unexplained reason, or perhaps quite acci-
dentally, been fastened partly open by a bolt in the floor,
leaving for egress a width of about two feet only — barely
sufficient for one person to pass at a time. The foremost
of the eager youngsters dashed impetuously through the-
folding doors, and swept in a living torrent down the first
twoflightsof stairs. So long as the way waslighted and clear
they passed on safely enough, until, streaming down from,
landing to landing, and passing the doors and windows of
the dress circle into the corridor, they approached the-
doorway above mentioned. The winding stair prevented
those who were rushing down, with all the eagerness of
children in a hurry to participate in the fun, from seeing
what was actually happening in their immediate front.
Those who were in advance were pushed forwards to the-
.1 li..d4Mlfillll Mil HlllliriH»*HtriJllllllllil.l44J mill
\Y> I -^w^
_2=S H-aSi H ilKl H — fj-f "ft.'?
'==• y/rterior ofKctiriitlsIl
SunJfrhnd.
March I
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
99
door by the crowd behind them, without the possibility of
resisting the pressure. The narrow exit between the half-
open door and the door-frame was speedily choked up,
one spectator averring that he saw nearly twenty of the
poor little creatures one above another struggling to get
out ; and as the rush was still coming incessantly down
like an avalanche from a mountain side, the children in
front had not the least chance of escape. Some fell
against the door ; others were forced upon them by the
pressure behind ; and the lower part of the staircase was
filled in an instant of time with a heap of helpless children
whom it was physically impossible to rescue or relieve.
Those who were still rushing down the stairs in tumul-
tuous haste, cheering as they came on, and struggling who
should be foremost, had na idea of what was going on
X / / V N-^=^ 1 1 N>^
wjTTn^^
Scene of tip Catastfnkt.
below. So, quicker than one can tell, a dense pile of
bodies was crushed in the fatal trap, between the door
and the wall, such being the amount of pressure to
which the frames of the hapless little ones were subjected
that the strong wrought-iron bolt, whose presence did the
mischief, was bent by the force of the compact of the
shrieking and struggling mass of humanity, literally
heaped up in tiers.
It was evident that before the life was crushed out of
them they struggled desperately; for when the death-bolt
was at length raised, after the bodies of the dead and the
dying had been extricated, and the living had been hurried
away from the appalling scene, the landing and the flight
of stairs leading down to it were seen to be covered with
pitiful evidences of the tragedy. Little caps and bonnets,
torn and trampled, were lying all over the place ; buttons
and fragments of clothing littered the floor ; here lay the
fragment of blue ribbon which had tied up some little girl's
hair; there lay a child's garter ; on another spot the sole
of a little boy's boot torn from the "uppers," furnishing
mute but significant evidence of the violence of the death-
struggle.
The caretaker of the hall, Mr. Frederick Graham, was
the first who became aware that something dreadful had
happened. When he got to the lobby, at the foot of the
gallery stairs, he found a number of children lying there.
After he had got them cleared out with no small diffi-
culty, he proceeded from the outside towards the fatal
door, being attracted thither by the groans and cries of
such of the sufferers as were still alive. Mr. Graham
at once perceived that the bolt had caught in such a way
that the door could neither be opened nor shut entirely,
and through the aperture, about two feet wide, thus
formed, he caught sight of a writhing
mass of human forms. He made one
frenzied but futile effort to force back
the door, and then rushed upstairs
by another way into the dress circle,
from which position by strenuous
efforts he succeeded in stopping the
further flow of children to the stair-
case. He then hurried back to the
door, when he saw at once that the
only means of rescue was to pull the
bodies one by one through the aperture.
With the assistance of a gentleman
named Raine, a railway clerk named
Thompson, and a police -cons table
named Bewick, he commenced the
ghastly task. Further help fortunately
soon arrived in the person of Dr.
Waterston and others. As soon as a
body was pulled out, it was rapidly
examined, and, if dead, laid out in the
area or dress circle ; while if the little
sufferer still lived (and the signs of
100
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/March
\ 1889.
vitality were of ten very difficult to detect), the child was
at once conveyed to the Palatine Hotel, the Infirmary,
or some other house in the neighbourhood, where Drs.
Beattie, Dixon, Murphy, Welford, Lambert, Harris,
and other medical men, who were promptly on the spot,
devoted themselves ungrudgingly to the work of mercy.
The conduct of the cabmen of the town was also beyond
all praise. They flocked to the hall with their vehicles,
and rendered valuable help in conveying the injured to
che Infirmary and elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the dreadful news had spread like wild-
fire through the town, and the hall was soon besieged by
thousands. The excitement was indescribable — mothers
screaming for their children, and fathers fiercely striving
to force their way into the building. It was, however,
deemed prudent not to admit anyone until the work of
rescue had been completed ; but the gentlemen, all of
them full of sympathy and compassion, who volunteered
to assist in the necessary but thankless work of keeping
back the excited crowds, found it a most difficult task.
When, at length, those claiming to be the parents of
missing children were admitted in batches to the area and
dress circle, the scene inside baffled all description. The
children were laid out in rows, terrible to behold, many
with blackened faces, swollen cheeks, and parched
lipe. As parents identified their children, their shrieks
were most distressing. In some cases they fell upon
their dead children, clasped them in their arms, and
cried aloud over their dear ones. In many instances
the mothers swooned away, and had to be carried to one
side, where others, whose children had escaped, sought to
restore and console them. One affecting case was that of
a poor woman whom Mr. Errington, a member of the
Town Council, was sympathetically assisting in her search.
As she accidentally touched a corpse with her dress, a
man said to her, perhaps somewhat roughly, "Don't
stand upon them," when she replied, "Good God ! I have
too many of my own to stand upon them." The unfor-
tunate woman, a few minutes afterwards, discovered
three of her own children amongst the dead ! Another
instance is related of a man who, with his wife, pushed
his way into the hall, and eagerly scanned the faces of the
dead. Without betraying any emotion, he said, with his
finger pointed and with face blanched, "That's one."
Passing on a few yards further between the rows of little
ones, he said, still pointing with his finger, "That's
another." Then, continuing his walk till he came to the
last child in the row, he exclaimed, as he recognised the
third little one, " My God ! all my family gone."
Among the many distressing features in connection
with the affair, that of mistaken identity was not the
least agonising. A number of children taken away in the
excitement of the moment were afterwards returned to
the hall, the poor people having been misled as to the
identity of the shapeless little masses of humanity. IP
March 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
101
one case, a parent took home a little boy by mistake,
and after arriving there found it was the body of a
neighbour's child. Meantime, his own boy had been
recovered alive, and was treated with all skill and
care possible, though the little fellow died subsequently
from his injuries.
The victims of the disaster comprised 69 girls and 114
boys. It was found by analysis that the greatest number
were between the ages of 7 and 8 years. The following
shows the numbers and ages : —
Ages. 11 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
Victims... 1 1 613262337351914 5 2
In some families the whole of the children were swept
away, and there are known cases where the broken-
hearted parents have gone to their last home, never
having recovered from the shock.
The disaster was the subject of talk and comment in
every household in the land for more than the proverbial
nine days ; and for many and many a year to come it will
remain in the memories of fathers and mothers as the
most lamentable event in their lives. But it evoked, too,
a spontaneous and noble outburst of humane senti-
ment, as is always the case when the heart of
the community is touched. Money poured in from all
sides, and a sum was subscribed for which there was
no immediate direct need, as no bread-winners had been
lost. Out of the amount promised, nearly £5,000 was
received, and with this the expenses of most of the funerals
were paid ; but unfortunate dissensions hindered the re-
mainder from being put to use for building and endowing
a Convalescent Home for Children, as at first intended ;
and, with the exception of the sum paid for the statue in
commemoration of the event, which has now found a
resting-place in the People's Park, it still remains un-
appropriated.
The view of the exterior of Victoria Hall is taken from
a photograph by Mr. Paul Stabler, of Sunderland ; that
of the interior is from a sketch by our own artist. The
sketch of the staircase where the disaster occurred is from
a drawing by Mr. Robert Jobling. Our other sketches
show the Laura Street entrance to the hall, and the fatal
door with the bolt in the socket. We also give sketches
of the memorial group, and of the group in its glass case,
erected in Sunderland Park.
SLcrtterg
in
first public lottery in England occurred
in the year 1569, and the profits were
devoted to the useful purpose of making
harbours, repairs of public works, &c. It is generally
believed to have been the Genoese Government that con-
ceived the idea of using lotteries as a means of adding
to its revenue, and the example was soon followed by
other nations, England amongst the rest. Little more
than sixty years ago, the State lottery was one of the
regular institutions of this country, the profits yield-
ing the national exchequer more than a million a year.
Every newspaper, London and provincial, teemed with
advertisements appealing to the gambling instincts of
the people. The usual number of tickets in a lottery was
20,000, each of the value of £10. These tickets were first
thrown open to the competition of contractors, which
brought an advance of £5 or £6 each. After the contrac-
tors were supplied, they in turn offered them to the
public at a profit of £4 or £5, or fairly double the price of
the first issue. Of course the poorer class of the people —
always the vast majority — had no such sum as £20 to risk
in a game of chance; and, to accommodate this class, the
tickets were divided into halves, quarters, eighths, and
sixteenths, the usual price of a sixteenth being £1 lls. 6d.,
BO that the agent must have pocketed a big profit, as the
sixteenth of £10 is only 12s. 6d. Lotteries were finally
abolished in England by Act of Parliament in 1826.
We have recently met with a number of advertisements,
songs, fly sheets, fee., issued by the lottery agents in
Newcastle seventy or eighty years ago. E. Humble
& Son, Mosley Street, and Watson & Sons, Edinburgh
Tea Warehouse, Newcastle, appear to have done a great
business in lottery tickets, and their numerous and
tempting inducements to gamble, which they issued
profusely, are even now very amusing to read. Herp
u an enticing advertisement, printed in 1810 : —
All in one day — 8th June, 1810. Grand State Lottery—
4 of £20,000, 4 of £5,000, 12 of £1,000, 20 of £500, &c., &c.
Four Extra Prizes of 100 Tickets each, to be drawn next
Friday, 8th June, 1810. £200,000 in Prizes. Only 5,000
Numbers, a single Ticket may gain £100,000. Tickets
and Shares are Selling by Messrs. Watson & Sons, Edin-
burgh Tea Warehouse, Newcastle-on-Tyne. By the above
salutary measure, every doubt is removed respecting Lot-
teries being injurious to the morals of the people, and the
principle placed beyond the reach of censure.
We can scarcely understand where "the salutary mea-
sure" comes in, unless it be the one-day drawing, which
places everything " beyond the reach of censure."
Like Silas Wegg, the agent not seldom dropped into
poetry, and of this we give a specimen culled from a new
song to the tune of " Derry Down " : —
To those who want riches this song is address'd,
For of all plans to get them, sure this is the best,
To try in the Lott'ry, now pray do attend.
And 111 teach you the way how your fortunes to mend.
Derry down, down, &c.
The drawing begins twenty-eighth day of June,
Which you all must allow will be here very soon ;
Then purchase with speed, if you take my advice,
For tickets will certainly get up in price.
Derry down, down, &c.
Here is the last verse of another "New Lottery Song,'
to the tune of " Chapter of Kings ": —
On the eighth day of March Dame Fortune intends
To distribute a part of her gifts to her friends ;
Ye who wish to partake, don't a moment delay,
But to Humble's famed office pray hasten away.
Yet barring pother of this, that, or t'other,
You afl must get prizes in turn.
102
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I March
We quote next from a tiny little bill (five inches by
three), the calm, convincing logic of which would satisfy
the most sceptical as to the great advantage of specu-
lating in a lottery ticket : —
One Fact is worth a hundred arguments, and one Lottery
Ticket may be worth a Thousand Prizes in the ensuing Lot-
tery, if purchased before the 12th of April next, for the
first drawn Prize above £15 must gain 1,000 whole tickets
whose worth is incalculable !
Exceedingly tempting, too, is another little hand-bill,
which runs to this effect :—
The dawn of old England's good fortune by sea, in
the American war, began 12th April, 1782, a day to be
held in grateful remembrance by every lover of this happy
country ; but with what gratitude will the fortunate pos-
sessor of the first-drawn prize above £15 be impressed, the
12th of April next, when 1,000 whole tickets are presented
to him, which may gain upwards of £100,000 !
Sometimes the hesitating speculator is stirred up by a
warning or threat like the following : —
In a few hours, the unsold Tickets or Shares now remain-
ing in this town must be returned to London ; and
amongst them, perhaps, several of the large Prizes.
If you wish to make your Fortune, you must be quick —
there is No Time to be Lost !
Emphasis is always given to the statement that "the
State Lottery is all drawn in one day," which seems
to have been considered a great advantage. "Therefore
(says one of Messrs. Humble's advertisements) Expedition
is necessary in your application at the truly Lucky Office
of Edward Humble £ Son, Mosley Street, Newcastle,
where the only Prize of 40,000 pounds ever known was
sold. Both the Five Thousands in the last Lottery were
sold at the above office, to which you must quickly repair
if you wish for a chance in the present Grand Scheme,
it being limited to one Day's Drawing. God Save
the King ! "
But all this is not enough, it would seem, to induce the
weak, the foolish, and the mercenary to embark in the
scheme ; so, like Mrs. Jarley, the agents seek the aid of
comic songs, interspersed here and there with " spoken "
between the lines. We will quote a small sample of one
of these effusions, "spoken " and all : —
There were Four and Twenty Lotteries all in a row.
There were Four and Twenty Lotteries all in a row.
Spoken — There was five thousand all in one day. Five
thousand what, sir ? Tickets, sir; to be sure ; not one blank
among them, and a Prize four times over, every time the
wheel turns round, to make the poor rich, and raise the
humble from the bottom to the top of the ladder of For
tune, where they may sit
And look so proud
Above the crowd
That's down below.
For it's a lucky lottery, and therefore well be merry.
Who could withstand all this wit and humour, these
coaxings and blandishments? E. Humble & Son tried
every means by which to tempt the cupidity of the public —
poetry and prose, pictures, epigrams, conundrums. Indeed,
the extent and variety of the printed matter which they
threw out at this time were amazing. Here's something
to make a speculator's mouth water : —
A person sprung up in this town who predicted that the
only Prize of Forty Thousand Pounds ever known was
then on Sale at E. Humble & Son's truly lucky office, in
Mosley Street. Wonderful to relate, this was the case !
The golden opportunity was embraced by a lady [a lady
worth embracing !] who is now enjoying the fruits of her
speculation. The same wiseacre who predicted that the
Forty Thousand would be sold by Humble £ Son, now
foretels that one, at least, of the Twenty Thousand in the
next Lottery will be added to the Lists of Capitals sold by
them.
Coloured pictures, and not badly done either, were also
pressed into the service of the lottery dealers. The
following, we suppose, was considered very funny by our
grandfathers seventy years ago: — Two swells of the period,
strolling along, wholly ignore a poor fellow out at elbows,
who is trying to attract their attention. "Come along,
Jack, "says one, "or we shall be bored to death. That
fellow has no gratitude. When he had money, I took in-
finite pains to teach him to spend it like a gentleman —
now it's gone, he is always teasing me with his
wants— it annoys me exceedingly." On the other side we
find that things have changed, a lucky lottery ticket
enabling Jack to give his quondam friend a Roland for his
Oliver. Jack, fashionably attired, is again met by Tom
and his friend, who courteously salutes him with "Jack,
my dear fellow, won't you stop and let me congratulate you
upon your good fortune ? I heard you had obtained a Prize
in the Lottery, and it gave me much pleasure." Jack
replies—" Did you speak to me ? I don't recollect — I'm
in haste, and to be bored thus annoys me exceedingly I "
W. W. W.
lilackett
anb Jlero
J»tttet.
J1LACKETT STREET, to which we now turn
our attention, is one of the modern thorough-
fares of Newcastle. It is associated in the
local mind with the earlier results of the
architectural genius of our great townsman, Richard
Grainger, who built thirty-one of its houses, and the fine
quadrangle of Eldon Square into the bargain. Of his
many undertakings, this of Blackett Street was one of the
first, though it ought to be added, on the authority of
Mackenzie, that the "commodious and elegant plan " of
the street was "furnished by Mr. Dobson, architect."
To both these men of mark, indeed, Newcastle is indebted
for much of its present architectural beauty.
The street was constructed in the year 1824. Prior to
that date the locality was an unwholesome one indeed.
Along its south side, now occupied by substantial houses,
ran the town wall, close beside which were pigstyes,
stables, sheds, and a few straggling houses. On the other
March 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
103
side were gardens, so called ; but such gardens ! It would
be more correct to call them a pestilent waste, devoted to
the reception of all kinds of garbage and rubbish. And
hereby hangs an amusing tale.
On one occasion, when the place was in this desolate
condition, some countrymen, engaged in carting manure
from it, made a terrible discovery. Amongst the rubbish
v,
V
RICHARDSON'S SHOP, CORNER OK ULACKETT STREET, 1839.
they found the body of a child. Information was con-
veyed to the coroner, and a jury was summoned forthwith.
Solemn "crowuer's quest" was held, in the course of
which one sapient juryman, after touching the corpse,
observed that it was very putrid — as well it might be,
considering the place it came from ! The coroner, how-
ever, chanced to be a surgeon. He examined the body,
and found it to be no other than a wooden doll ! But how
came it to found where it was ? Well, the explanation
was simple enough. This said doll was Alonzo's child,
carried by Rollo in Kotzebue's play of "Pizarro," at
that time a very popular piece ; and when Stephen
Kemble retired from the management of the theatre,
this "property," amongst other things, had been sent
from his house in Newgate Street and thrown into the
common receptacle. Thus was spoilt one sensational
mystery.
Such, then, was the condition of Blackett Street
"before it was made," to parody the humorous saying
concerning the Highland roads of old. But in 1824- the
town wall in the neighbourhood was removed, with its
J7 unsavoury surroundings, and the street formed. It ob-
. tained its name from Alderman John Krasmus Blackett,
-- father of Lady Collingwood, and was of course regarded
as a great improvement. The street runs from the head
of Pilgrim Street to the foot of Gallowgate ; let us stroll
along it in that direction.
But first let us note the shop at the corner on our left,
with some of its windows in Pilgrim Street and others in
Blackett Street, occupied of late years by an enterprising
city councillor — the first Scotchman, it is said, that has
held the office of Sheriff of Newcastle— Mr. William
Sutton. Half a century ago this was the printing and
publishing office of M. A. Richardson and his giftud son,
George Bouchier Richardson. From it issued in parts
and sections most of that rich collection of local history
and biography, tradition and legend, which bears the
name of "The Local Historian's Table Book." There,
also, Mr. Richardson sold State Lottery Tickets, an an-
nouncement of which was painted upon the board which,
in the annexed engraving, is seen running the length of
the premises. It was a notable place at that time ; it is
i busy corner still.
On the same side, about midway between Pilgrim
Street and the Monument, is the new building whicli
occupies the site of the old Mechanics' Institute, and
nearly opposite is the scene of that dreadful tragedy
El don. Syuare.
104
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f March
which, on the 1st October, 1861, deprived Mark Frater of
his life, and robbed Newcastle of a useful citizen. There,
too, for many years, was the famous book shop of George
Rutland — a market for local literature the like of which
has never been adequately provided in Newcastle since
his retirement.
We pass the Monument and come to the building
known until recently as St. James's Chapel, but now in
the possession of the Young Men's Christian Association.
It was built in 1826, and had at one time a massive por-
tico of four columns, supporting a simple pediment, as is
dimly seen in the foregoing sketch. This was removed,
and a front more in the Grecian style was adopted. It
may be remembered that the St. James's people originally
worshipped in Silver Street as Scotch Presbyterians ;
when they came to the chapel now before us — which, by
the way, had Mr. John Dobson for its architect — they
adopted by degrees the Congregational form. They now
assemble in another and much larger church in Bath
Road, erected a few years ago.
On the opposite side of the way is the United Presby-
terian Church. A brick edifice was erected on the sitw
in 1821. But on the formation of Blackett Street, the
building was discovered to be not in line with it ; and the
Corporation offered the congregation £100, on condition
that they would build a new front, which was done. In
1858, however, the whole edifice was pullod down, and
the present oue, which is an ornament to the street, and
boasts of a lofty spire, was put up according to the plans
of Mr. Thompson. Nearly forty years ago, the then
minister (the Rev. D. C. Browning) and his congregation
pot to loggerheads, with the result that the former bade
good-bye not only to his people, but to this connection,
and took orders in the Church of England.
The Academy of Arts next engages our attention. But
a history of this building, accompanied by a couple of
sketches, was given in the Monthly Chronicle for Feb-
ruary. (See page 89. )
Crossing the street, we arrive at Eldon Square, the
domestic paradise of some of our eminent doctors.
Towering above the other houses in the quadrangle
(allowing Blackett Street itself to represent the fourth
side) is the centre one on the north side — the Northern
Counties Club. The middle of the square has now been
formed into a pleasant little pleasure ground. But why
Eldon Square ? The reason for the name is that it was
originally intended to erect a figure of Lord Eldon within
the enclosure. That has never been done ; nor does it
seem likely that the work will now be taken in hand.
Retracing our steps to the head of Pilgrim Street, we
see before us, stretching away to the east, the thorough-
fare of New Bridge Street. The street was constructed
in 1812, and was intended to answer the purpose of an
alternative road to Shields by way of the Red Barns and
Elwick's Lane. As we start on our saunter from Pilgrim
Street, we note, first of all, on our left Trinity Presby-
terian Church, a neat building in the Early English style
of architecture, erected from designs by Mr. Dobson.
Next to it is the Church of the Divine Unity, built in the
Decorated style of Gothic architecture, also from designs
by Mr. Dobson.
On the opposite side of the way is Erick Street, a short
cut to the gaol. The street obtains its name from the
circumstance that formerly a small stream, the Erick
Burn, ran down the bank here to Carliol Croft. Carliol
Street, which runs parallel with Erick Street on the
same side, is so named from the ancient family of the
Carlels or Carliols.
Opposite Carliol Street stands the Public Library.
The western part of the building (adjoining the Unitarian
Church), the foundation stone of which was laid by Sir
CARLIOL TOWER, NEWCASTLE, 1875.
George Grey in 1865, was the home of the Mechanics'
Institute, removed thither, the following year, from
Blackett Street, and now amalgamated with the Library.
Over this said Library there were many searchings of
heart a few years ago. There were earnest partizans on
both sides ; and keen was the controversy as to whether
Newcastle needed such an institution. There were also
difficulties as to a proper site. Several were suggested,
but in 1878 the present site was definitively fixed upon,
and Mr. Alfred M. Fowler, then the borough engineer,
was directed to prepare plans and proceed with the
building without further delay. But here came another
difficulty. To make way for the new structure it was or-
dained that an ancient relic of the old town, in good pre-
March 1
/
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
105
servation, too, should be levelled with the ground. This
was the Carliol Tower, which was finally pulled down in
1880. The building, which was also known as the
Weavers' Tower, stood at the north-east corner of the
town wall, which ran from it down Croft Street to the
Plummer Tower, still standing. Between Carliol Tower
and Pilgrim Street were, at one time, three smaller
turrets, one of which was called the Waits' Tower,
because it was formerly the meeting-place of a band of
musicians maintained by the town. But all this part of
the wall was pulled down in 1811. So far back as 1682,
Carliol Tower had been fitted up by the Weavers' Com-
pany as their meeting-place — hence the second name.
The old structure had been a silent witness of rough
work in its day. In 1824-, some workmen found on its
north side a cannon ball, weighing more than twenty-
three pounds. It had penetrated about two feet into the
wall, and was probably fired when the town was stormed
by the Scots in 1644.
Over the way again we pass by Croft Street, in which
stands the Plummer Tower already mentioned. Next,
and on the same side, we come to the Lying-in Hospital.
an excellent institution. It has been in existence since
1760, being at first located in Rosemary Lane, near St.
John's Church; and has been in its present premises since
1826. The inmates are required to show that they are
poor married women ; and the motto of the institution
explains their presence there. It is the short and expres-
sive one : — " Because there is no room for her in the inn."
The elevation, details, and specifications of the several
works of this hospital were all gratuitously supplied by
Mr. Dobson. The style of the building is that which
prevailed about the end of the reign of Henry VIII.
Its cost was about £1,500, and amongst the subscribers
were the Corporation, the Bishop Durham, the Trinity
House, and various congregations who responded to
pulpit appeals.
On the opposite side of the road is Higham Place, BO
named by its first proprietor, William Batson, from his
estate in Ponteland parish. Not far from Higham Place,
and on the same side of the way, stands the handsome
little residence of the late John Dobson, architect. It
was designed and erected by himself, and bears all the
marks of the dignified style he gave to so many of the
streets of Newcastle. For, be it understood, though the
credit of reconstructing Newcastle is too often given to
Grainger alone, it was Mr. Dobson who supplied the
architectural features and details. Mr. Grainger was
without doubt a great man in his day ; but he was
mainly a builder and speculator. It was Mr. Dobson
who was the architect and artist of the new town. Even
the Butcher and Vegetable Markets, described on page
82 of the present volume, were designed by Mr. Dobson,
who was employed by the Corporation as the architect of
the new buildings. The house in New Bridge Street is
still occupied by Mr. Dobson's daughter, Miss Margaret
Jane Dobson, who proved her devotion to her father's
memory by publishing, a few years ago, a valuable
memoir of the greatest architect the North of England
lias produced.
Of Oxford Street and Picton Place, a little further
along, there is nothing particular to be said, save that
St. Peter's Church stands at the head of the former.
This is a modern building, and was intended originally
PUBLIC LIBRARY, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, 1885.
106
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I March
1 1889.
as a chapel of ease to St. Andrew's. The Rev. C. A.
Raines still remains its first vicar.
Proceeding, we pass on our right a building originally
intended to serve as a Baptist chapel, which was erected
in 1839. The building has had very varying fortunes,
being at one time an auctioneer's mart, at another a shop
for the sale of busts and figures, and so forth. Opposite
are the offices of the Blyth and Tyne branch railway, at
one time a substantial private dwelling-house.
We now come to the " New Bridge " itself, from which
this street is named. It was erected in 1812, to span
what was then a wide, deep dene running from Pandon
to the Ban-as Bridge. At that time this dene was
emphatically a bonny place. As one stood on the new
bridge and looked northward, gardens lined the ravine.
Instead of the shriek of railway whistles, the sweet songs
of birds filled the air in the Rummer months with their
joyous melody from every twig and tree ; an old mill,
with its ancient water-wheel, lent picturesqueness to the
scene; the workman, freed fora while from his toil at
the bench or the forge, cultivated his little garden plot in
the pure fresh air ; lads and lasses strolled along in pairs,
according to the old, old fashion ; and, when tired, re-
freshed themselves in fruit and tea gardens. All is gone
now.
Crossing the bridge, we are at the corner of the Shield-
field, and accordingly at our journey's end, so far as the
street proper is concerned. And yet we are some distance
from the Red Barns and Ehvick's Lane. The explana-
tion is, that when New Bridge Street was constructed
there was open country between the Shieldfield and the
Red Barns. This has now all been built upon, and the
street continued right along to the Byker Bridge. Yet,
although running on in the same straight line, its name
has changed. As we pass the entrance to the Shieldfield,
we find ourselves in Ridley Villas ; yet for all practical
purposes the street is still one and the same. The villas,
semi-detached residences, are held by a lease of sixty-
three years, or three lives, of Sir M. W. Ridley, Bart,,
subject to an annual ground-rent of £5 each per annum.
On the opposite side of the road the houses, called Regent
Terrace, are leased in a similar manner. They are built
on land once the property of Lord Stowell. At the end
of Ridley Villas is the Dominican (Roman Catholic)
Church, a very fine and substantial building. Its founda-
tion stone was laid by the late Bishop Chadwick, the ser-
mon on the occasion being delivered by Father Rodolph
Suffield, whose subsequent secession to Unitarianism
created much distress of mind to his colleagues and co-
religionists. And so we are at this journey's end.
<£ avlj>
at Hm-tftuwtimff.
in.
THE DAWN OP A GBEAT KINGDOM.
j|OR some years after the dispersal of the
Britons at the Cattrail — the battle described
in our last article—the Angles of Bernicia
and Deira were at war amongst themselves.
The district between Tyne and Tees not unfrequently
changed hands during this period, and raids even to
the north and south of these rivers were by no means
rare. There was no decided victory so long as the hardy
Theodoric lived; but, on his death, in 587, the forces
of Ella secured a succession of triumphs, and the now
patriarchal king of Deira ruled for the first time over
"a united Jforthumbria." The distinction, however, was
of no great duration. Ella died in 589, and, as he left
only a young boy to succeed him, the Bernicians got
another chance. In those days, the first quality of a
king was his prowess in the field, and none but hardy
fighting men could reign. To no one was this fact
better known than to Kthelric, the last son of Ida.
Gathering his friends together, and boldly taking the
initiative, he soon regained possession of Bernicia.
Acting with great tact and judgment, he lost not a
moment in following up his advantage, and found him-
self, almost without a struggle, master of Deira also.
But Northumbria was not yet the powerful State it was
destined to become, though events were rapidly tending
in that direction. After a reign of only three or four
years, Ethelric, in 593, was succeeded by his son Ethel-
frith, and thenceforward there was a striking alteration
in the condition and prospects of the kingdom. The
new ruler — who was surnamed " the Fierce " — was a
brave, ambitious, and capable soldier. Withdrawing,
apparently, from the doubtful position he held in Deira,
he turned his energies to the north. Scot, Pict, and
Cumbrian had been showing signs of reviving activity,
and Ethelfrith assailed them with all the vigour of
his fiery nature He attacked in many quarters — some-
times in two or three simultaneously — and is reputed to
have been the greatest aggressor on the Oymri that is
known to history. The result of his early operations,
as recorded by Bede, was that he made part of them
tributary, seized further slices of their territory, and
almost exterminated many of the smaller tribes.
THE BATTLE OF DAEGSASTAN.
It was at this juncture, in 603, that Aidan, the first
consecrated King of Scotland, entered a very emphatic
protest against the plunder and destruction that was
going on. He had watched the harrying of his allies
with sorrow and misgiving, and resolved to make ft bold
stroke for their protection. Gathering up a numerous
and- powerful army, Aidan marched with all haste
Murch 1
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
107
towards the Bernician frontier. Ethelfrith waR not
slow to accept the challenge ; and, after a rapid move-
ment across country, the two forces were brought face
to face at Daegsastan, on the Jed— a site that is now
generally fixed at Dawston. There are not many details
of the conflict; but, seeing the cause in which the
North Britons were fighting, one may readily imagine
the desperate resolution with which they went into
action. At the commencement of the onset, the Scots
and their friends carried all before them. A brother
of the Bernician king was borne down by the fury of
the attack, and with him perished a whole division of
the Angles. In the end, however, discipline demonstrated
its unfailing efficacy. Recovering their ground with
marvellous rapidity, Ethelfrith's soldiers swooped down
on the now scattered allies, and literally cut them to
pieces. Aidan, with a few devoted attendants, managed
to effect an escape ; but the bulk of the gallant tribes-
men, who had stepped out so gaily in the early morning,
remained in agony or death upon the beautiful slopes
of the lowland dale.
FLIGHT AND EXILE OF EDWIN.
After their successful exploit against Aidan, the Ber-
nicians — having allowed themselves a brief space for rest
and recruiting — took the war path once more. This
time, however, it was to renew and consolidate their
relationship with Deira. Ethelfrith had never intended
to sever his connection with that state permanently ;
and, as a consequence, no sooner was his own land safe
from the assaults of the North Britons, than he began
to devise schemes for re asserting his old sway beyond
the Tees. Ella's son— the world-famed Edwin — was still
too young to govern, and Ethelfrith recognised the
importance of making his own attack while the lad was
comparatively useless and unknown. His object was to
get possession of the young prince, if possible, and to
build up a strong Anglian kingdom over which he him-
self might be lord and master. Everything seemed
favourable for the full realisation of his hopes, when,
in 605, he headed his fine army in the direction of
York. Taken at a disadvantage, the men of Deira
could offer but small resistance, and Edwin and his
counsellors were compelled to seek safety by a hasty
flight. Having been so far successful, Ethelfrith
espoused the young prince's sister, and from that time —
with the gentle Acca as his consort— he directed the
destinies of all the land between the Humber and the
Forth.
THE FOUNDATION OF THE HEPTARCHY.
While a great power had thus been rising in the
North, many other parts of the British territory had
experienced similarly eventful changes. The Jutes had
fought their way to a kingdom in Kent; the Saxons
had formed two states to the south and one to the
north of the Thames ; while the Angles, in two powerful
confederacies, ruled the bulk of the Midlands. These
results were not accomplished without much bloodshed
and many fluctuations of fortune. But the half-civilized
natives, after years of valorous resistance, had either
been "massacred with savage ruthlessness, " enslaved
by their conquerors, or driven for refuge into the wilds of
Wales or Devon. The invaders, like their Northumbrian
brethren, were Pagan worshippers of Thor and Woden,
and they not only "stamped out Christianity with fire
and sword, "but overturned and destroyed every vestige
of the grandeur which Rome had created. Starting as
colonisers on the coast, they gradually became conquerers
and settlers in the central plateau, and finished by the
different communities warring amongst themselves.
First one state and then another was in the ascendant,
and its chief, or king, claimed supreme power over the
whole of his neighbours ; but whether the Bretwalda,
or Emperor — as this ambitious functionary was desig-
nated—had any real authority over the other rulers, is
a question open to very considerable doubt. It is quite
certain that all the monarchs of the Heptarchy engaged
in warlike enterprises whenever the spirit moved them ;
and it is equally clear that, for many generations after
the Anglo-Saxon domination, there was no single man
strong enough to over-lord the entire land.
OVERTHROW OF THE BKITONS AT CHESTER.
It was towards the close of this systematic apportion-
ment of the country that Ethelfrith made himself master
of Bernicia and Deira, and the union thus brought about
had a very perceptible bearing on our history. With his
vastly augmented power, the unscrupulous king was cap-
able of great deeds. Suspecting that the young Edwin
had found shelter among the Christianised tribesmen of
108
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/M»
\ IK
lower Strathclyde, the Northumbrians again crossed the
hills to the westward, overran the whole territory
between the Lake District and the Dee, and thus broke
for ever the continuity that had hitherto existed between
the Britons of Oumbria and Wales. This campaign is
remarkable for the illustration it furnishes of the savage
justice of these early kings. In his attack on Chester,
in 607, Ethelfrith gave an order which has earned him
much condemnation from modern scribes. "Hard by
the city," says Mr. Green in his admirable History of
the English People, " two thousand monks were gathered
in the monastery of Baneor, and after imploring, in a
three days' fast, the help of Heaven for their country,
a crowd of these ascetics followed the British army to
the field. Ethelfrith watched the wild gestures and
outstretched arms of the strange company as it stood
apart, intent on prayer, and took the monks for en-
chanters. ' Bear they arms or no, ' said the king, ' they
war against us when they cry against us to their God,'
and, in the surprise and rout which followed, the monks
were the first to fall." Of the whole number, only some
50 were saved. The effect of the slaughter was marvel-
lous. Instead of being filled with indignation at the
sacrifice of their spiritual guides, the Welshmen were
so completely horror-stricken as to lose tbeir nerve.
First they wavered, then they ran, and Ethelfrith gained
one of the easiest victories of his career.
NOUTHUMBHIA'S DEFEAT ON THE IDLE.
In spite of the carnage, the young Edwin was neither
found amongst the captured nor the slain. He had been
wandering in many places, and obtained hospitality in
not a few ; but it was not until he reached the Court of
Redwald, King of the East Angles, that he secured a
refuge from the storm which had so long threatened him.
When Ethelfrith was made acquainted with the lost
youth's whereabouts, he
endeavoured in many
ways to get possession of
his person. Failing in
these attempts, he sought
to bribe Redwald to mur-
der his unhappy guest ;
and because here, again,
he was baulked, he had
recourse to intimidation
of the most terrible de-
scription. The southern
king nobly declined to
listen to either threats or
entreaties. After thus resolving to defy his warlike
and formidable neighbour, Redwald — being assured
that a serious quarrel must follow — put himself at the
head of a numerous army, and determined to carry the
war into bis enemy's country. Ethelfrith was equally
active. Before Redwald had given his final response,
indeed, the Northumbrian leader had been concentrating
his forces, and now hoped, by a sudden advance, to catch
his rival on disadvantageous terms. There was mutual
surprise, therefore, when the hostile bodies came suddenly
together on the banks of the Idle, in 617, at a point not
far from the Nottinghamshire border. Though the
Northumbrians were outnumbered, they were not dis-
couraged. They had long been inured to hardships, were
splendidly trained in the use of their weapons, and were
as well disciplined as a long experience of battle grounds
could make them. The impetuosity of their attack led
very speedily to the discomfiture of a strong division,
under one of Redwald's sons, and fortune seemed likely
to smile upon them once more. But the East Anglians,
fighting with remarkable steadiness, offered an impene-
trable front to all subsequent onslaughts, and defied the
power of the Northmen to pierce their ranks. Impatient
at such resistance, and growing anxious about his own
small force, Ethelfrith and a devoted band of warriors
made a resolute dash at the enemy's centre. It was
splendidly checked, and, in the fierce struggle that
ensued, the dauntless king met a hero's death. Dis-
heartened by the fall of their veteran chieftain, the
Northumbrians slowly gave way. Being threatened on
the flank, however, their orderly retreat was turned into
a shameless stampede, and they fell by hundreds as they
rushed madly in the direction of York. On hearing of
thia overthrow, the sons of Ethelfrith fled to the Scots,
by whom they were hospitably treated, and the forsaken
country thus lay at the mercy of its long lost prince.
GREATNESS OF THE NORTH UNDER EDWIN.
Supported by the victorious army of his well-proved
friend and counsellor, Edwin at once continued his
triumphant progress. It soon became apparent that the
resistance to him would not be serious. Hundreds of his
countrymen hastened to join the young prince in his long
deferred home-coming, and by the time he reached the
royal ville, at Malton, an absolutely peaceful succession
was assured. Then began a reign of the most momentous
description. Northward, his conquests extended beyond
the Forth ; and Edwinsburgh — the stronghold by which
his new acquisitions were safeguarded — is still recognis-
able in the name of the present beautiful capital of
Scotland. Southward, his aggressive career was equally
irresistible ; and, with the aid of a newly-formed fleet,
the Isles of Anglesea and Man were added to his
dominions. So successful was he — both in his wars and
his politics — that, in spite of attempted assassination and
secret conspiracy, he gained for his territory a supremacy
over all the other kingdoms of the Heptarchy, and for
himself he earned the proud dignity of Bretwalda. It
was now that the greatness of Northumbria reached its
height. In addition to undoubted military skill, Edwin
displayed a genius for civil government, and soon evolved
something like order out of the existing chaos. So
marvellously quick was the betterness, indeed, that "a
woman with her babe might have walked scatheless from
March I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
109
sea to sea." Peaceful communication was everywhere
revived along the deserted highways, and the springs by
the roadside were not only clearly indicated, but had
brass cups attached to them for the travellers' use. It
was an agreeable change for the people. For the king,
too, a rest from the toils of war must have possessed an
undoubted charm. Some faint traditions of the Roman
past seemed to be flinging their glory round this new
"empire of the English," or, "at any rate," says Mr.
Green, "some of its majesty had come back with its long
lost peace. A royal standard of purple and gold now
floated before Edwin as he rode through the villages ;
a feather-tuft, attached to a spear, preceded him as he
walked through the streets. The Northumbrian king
was, in fact, supreme over Britain as no king of English
blood had ever been before. "
BATTLE WITH THE MERCIANS AT HATFIELD CHASE.
It was while in the fulness of this splendour and power
that Edwin was converted to Christianity, and witnessed
the extraordinary fervour with which thousands of the
Anglian people accepted the new faith. It is un-
necessary in this place to explain how the superstitious
king was induced to listen to the teaching of Paulinus;
bow the heathen gods were overthrown ; or how, in the
brooks and water-courses of every Northern valley, the
settlers gathered to be baptised. Our purpose is more
with the causes that disturbed the popular security, and
these, in the olden time, were never long in coming. Not
satisfied with the progress made in his own kingdom,
Edwin sought to secure converts amongst the subjects of
his rivals. This was too much for the adherents of the
old religion, and the worshippers of Thor and Woden
rose to arms against Northumbria's interference with the
rights of conscience. It was at this time that Mercia
sprang into notoriety as the champion of the heathen
gods. Penda, its savage old king, was acute enough to
see that such a struggle might enable him to not only
win back his independence, but to snatch the over-
lordship for himself. Not strong enough for a single-
handed attack, however, he negotiated an alliance with
Cadwalla, the Welsh king, and thus brought the Britons
once more into antagonism with the Northumbrian ruler.
The allies were speedily in the field ; but before they
could penetrate far into the Northern kingdom, they
found themselves opposed to Edwin's forces. This
meeting took place at Hatfield Chase, some few miles
north of Doncaster, in the autumn of 633, and led to a
terrible disaster for the North. During the resolute and
determined battle that ensued, Edwin yielded up his
useful life in the midst of the furious combatants.
Around him fell his gallant son, Osfrid, and the bulk of
his most honoured chieftains. In the face of such a
calamity, the Northumbrians seemed powerless, and, in
the rout that ensued, they were scattered far and wide
across the plain. Heaps of slain were left as relics of the
heathen triumph, and as indications of the fate that was
soon to befall so many other bands of the faithful.
THE BRITONS AS MASTERS.
Cadwalla at once moved northward, and took posses-
sion of the fortress at York ; while Penda directed his
exertions against the converts of the Southern kingdoms.
Success attended the allies in both directions. Among
the valleys and hills of Yorkshire, as well as in the
fenlauds of East Anglia, their arms were borne in
triumph. The march routes were broadly marked by
ruined dwellings and mutilated corpses. The weakness
of womanhood and the innocence of childhood were no
protection. Neither age nor sex were spared, and "the
barbarity of torture too frequently added bitterness to
death." Paulinus fled the land, his chosen ministers
dispersed, and the followers of the new doctrine hid
themselves in sore tribulation. In the months of
tyranny that succeeded, the so-called Christian king was,
if possible, more savagely cruel than his Pagan ally.
Nothing seemed to diminish his outrageous vindictive-
ness. The Northumbrians, strangely enough, made no
attempt to exert themselves as a nation. The loss of
their king had so completely demoralised them that
they witnessed the division of their land without a
protest. Osric, a cousin of Edwin, snatched a very
doubtful position as lord of Deira ; and Eanfrid, a
faint-hearted son of Ethelfrith, hastened from Scotland
to mount the throne of Bernicia. Both were professing
Christians when they began their sovereignty ; but both
quickly apostatised in the hope that Penda's wrath
would thereby be appeased. The expectation, however,
was not realised. The King of the Mercians was far
too busy to interfere, and Cadwalla's animosity was far
too keen to allow of any thought of forgiveness. Seeing
the utter futility of pleading, Osric, in 634, assailed the
Welshmen in their stronghold on the Ouse, and paid the
penalty of his rashness with his life. Eanfrid tried more
gentle means, but was equally unfortunate. Taking with
him a dozen stalwart soldiers, he entered the presence
of Cadwalla, with all humility, to sue for union and
peace. Here again there was bloodshed. The foolishly
trustful stranger had scarcely made himself known before
he was murdered, and Northumbria was once more
dominated by a branch of the ancient race.
The divisions of the Heptarchy are shnwn on our map.
1 and 2 were Bernicia and Deira (better known as North-
umbria) ; 3, Mercia ; 4, East Anglia ; 5, Wessex ; 6,
South Saxony ; 7, East Saxony ; 8, Kent. The first four
were occupied by the Angles, the next three by the
Saxons, and Kent by the Jutes. The whole of the West
Coast, lettered B, was occupied by the Britons at the
close of the sixth century.
The smaller map illustrates the site of two eventful
battles, which, as will be seen, were both fought along
the line of the old Roman road. Doncaster was an
important station of the Caesars even in the earliest days
of our history, and it became later a favourite seat of the
Northumbrian kings, Coningsborough, too, contained
the strongest of their Southern citadels, and formed a
110
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
secure retreat in times of national danger or popular dis-
content. Near it is a mound that is supposed to contain
the remains of Hengist the Saxon ; and not far away is
Tickhill Castle, a fortress that played a not unimportant
part in the wars of the Commonwealth.
. ^turo l\rrbro'o
j]R. SIMS REEVES having recently published
his autobiography, we are able to give an
extract therefrom which confirms the state-
ment made in the Monthly Chronicle, vol. ii., page 234.
Mr. Reeves says : —
I was born October 21, 1821, at Shooter's Hill, in Kent.
My father was a musician, and it was said that at an
early age I used my voice with no little skill. When
fourteen years old I performed the duties of organist at
North Cray Church, where I likewise had charge of the
MR. SIMS REEVES.
local choir. " Doctors differ," it is said ; so, top, do sing-
ing masters. The professor under whom I studied treated
me as a baritone ; yes, and as a baritone I came
upon the stage, and succeeded. While studying harmony
and counterpoint under Mr. H. Calcott I practised the
piano with John Cramer. I also learned to play more
than one musical instrument, including the violin, violon-
cello, oboe, and bassoon ; in fact, so proficient did I
become as a violinist, that at the beginning of my career
I not seldom undertook the duties of orchestral
leader. In 1839, being then in my eighteenth year, I
made my d&ut at the Newcastle-on-Tyne Theatre, as the
Gipsy Boy in "Guy Mannering," for the benefit of the
late tenor George Barker.
Shortly afterwards Mr. Reeves secured an engage-
ment at the Grecian Theatre, London, under the name
of "Mr. Johnson," followed by an engagement with
Macready at Drury Lane. In 1843, he studied in Paris,
proceeding to Milan, where he made his cUbut at La
Scala.
fleto
NEW and handsome Town Hall, to which
are added an entire series of municipal
buildings, was opened at Middlesbrough-on-
Tees on January 23, 1889, by the Prince
and Princess of Wales. Such was the interest taken in
the proceedings that 150,000 people lined the route of the
royal procession. The Prince and Princess during their
visit to the North were the guests of the Earl of Zetland
at Aske Hall.
Our sketch of the Town Hall, taken from a photograph
by Mr. R. W. Gibbs, gives a complete view of this splen-
did pile of buildings. The Corporation, anxious to meet
the growing requirements of the borough, offered prizes
for the best designs, and appointed as umpire Mr. Water-
house, of London. The first prize was awarded to Mr.
George Gordon Hoskins, of Darlington, and the selection
of Mr. Hoskins's design was readily endorsed by the Cor-
poration. Mr. Hoskins evidently aimed at raising a
structure which should be externally expressive of the
purposes for which it is intended. His treatment is
dignified and effective. He would probably describe the
style as thirteenth century Gothic, suffused with the
feeding and spirit of the present time. It is much the
same as that adopted with marked success in the Man-
chester Town Hall and the Manchester Assize Courts.
The foundation stone of the New Town Hall and
Municipal Buildings, which will cost about £120,000, was
laid by the Mayor of the borough, Mr. Alderman
Fiddler, on October 24, 1883, and the work of erection
has been carried out by Mr. Ephraim Atkinson, builder,
of Bradford.
<«fl)e
of
The Mayor of Middlesbrough, Raylton Dixon, Esq., of
the Cleveland Dockyard Company and Gunnergate Hall,
Marton, was unanimously elected to the office of chief
magistrate, although not a member of the Corporation,
as the most suitable citizen for such a post in antici-
pation of the Royal visit to the town. Mr. Dixon was
born at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1838, being the son
of the late Mr. J. Dixon, of Wray, near Ambleside.
Educated at private schools, he launched into life under
the eye of Mr. Coutts, one of the earliest shipbuilders on
March I
ISS9. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
Ill
the Tyne. Afterwards he was with Messrs. C. Mitchell
and Co. In 1859, Mr. Dixon went to Middlesbrough as
manager of a branch establishment of Messrs. Richard-
son and Duck, of Stockton, and from that time till
the present his record has been one of indomitable
energy, grappling with and finally conquering the diffi-
culties that beset the path to success. In 1863, as partner
with Mr. Backhouse, he became a principal in the firm of
Backhouse and Dixon, whose name was at one time a
household word in the town. On the retirement of Mr.
Backhouse, the interest centred entirely in Mr. Dixon,
who with his brother, Mr. Waynman Dixon, now carries
on the important works as Messrs. Raylton Dixon
and Co. Mr. Dixon's connection with municipal life
dates from the year which saw the opening of the Albert
Park — the gift of Mr. Bolckow — by Prince Arthur, in
1868. When Mr. Dixon retired from the Town
Council last year, he was the oldest member of that
body. In politics, Mr. Dixon is a staunch Conservative,
and as such he stood against the sitting member in 1885.
, gucljtteet.
Mr. George Gordon Hoskins, of Thornbeck Hill,
Darlington, the architect of the handsome Gothic pile
comprising the Town Hall and Municipal Buildings at
Middlesbrough, is a gentleman well known in all the
leading architectural circles of the United Kingdom.
Mr. Hoskins is the eldest son of the late Captain
Francis Hoskins, of the 1st Royals, his mother being
Julia, second daughter of Mr. William Hill, of
Temple House, near Portsmouth. His paternal grand-
father was Mr. Abraham Hoskins, of Newton Park and
Bladon Castle, near Burton-on -Trent, whose sister
married Mr. Bass, the father of the late Mr. Michael
Thomas Bass, who was for many years M.P. for Derby,
and whose eldest son is now Lord Burton. Mr.
Hoskins first engaged in practice in London, but subse-
quently removed to Darlington in the year 1864-, where
bis abilities found early recognition. A large number of
public and private buildings in Durham and North
Yorkshire have been erected from his designs. Mr.
Hoskins is the author of several works connected with
architecture, some of which have obtained wide circula-
tion. Our portrait is copied from a photograph by Mr.
James Cooper, of Darlington.
Jttr. JUtlliam /allow*, ?.?.
William Fallows, one of the oldest and most respected
citizens of Middlesbrough, was born at the picturesque
village of Sleights, near Whitby, on December 10, 1797—
so that he is now in his 92nd year. Whilst an infant, his
parents settled in Linthorpe, the native place of his
mother. Subsequently they moved to Stockton, where Mr.
Fallows's father became a schoolmaster. Young Fallows
was sent to the Blue Coat School in that town. In 1811
he was apprenticed to a firm of iron and timber merchants
for seven years. After completing his term, he remained
in their service for several years. In 1829 he was ap-
pointed shipping agent at Stockton for the Stockton
and Darlington Railway Company, and in the following
year, when the railway was extended to Middlesbrough,
he was promoted to the office of superintendent of the
. Fallows .
Railway Company's shipping of coals. As Middlesbrough
developed, the Railway Company constructed a dock,
which has since been several times enlarged, and Mr.
Fallows, notwithstanding his great age, still holds his
position as superintendent. The venerable gentleman
has been a member of the Tees Conservancy Commission
since its formation, and has taken a prominent part in
its proceedings. He was also a member of the Middles-
brough Corporation for many years, and in 1859 he was
Mayor of the borough. For a long time he was one of
the Guardians of the Poor, and he devoted a great deal
of his active life to public work. Mr. Fallows has now
and then from the rich store of his own recollections
contributed scraps of antiquarian information to the
columns of the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle.
112
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
(March
March )
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
113
at WaUrf fltitr tfte
CfttUtttgftffiit 25ttll.
j]HE boar, the bear, and the wolf may still be
hunted in continental countries ; but, in
England, there remain nothing more ter-
rible than the herds of white cattle, which roam
through the well-wooded dells of Chillingham Park.
They are said to be remnants of the stock that ran
wild amid the forests and hills of ancient Northum-
bria, and their shaggy appearance even now is both
picturesque and formidable. It is very little more.
There are occasions, of course, when they forget the
civilizing tendencies of artificial feeding, and resort to the
headlong charges of the olden time. An incident of the
kind has been depicted by no less a master than Landseer,
and the large painting occupies a prominent place in the
dining hall of Chillingham. It appears that the present
Earl of Tankerville, when a young man, was attacked
while riding across the cattle enclosure, and would have
sustained serious injury if a watchful gillie had not
opportunely shot his incensed assailant. But in spite of
this occurrence, the character of the breed is hardly bad
enough to justify extreme precautions against them. The
Prince of Wales paid a visit to Chillingham in the month
of October, 1872, when it was announced that he would
signalise the occasion by shooting the noblest specimen of
the herd. His Royal Highness allowed himself to be
stowed away in a hay cart that was carrying the pooi
creatures their breakfast, and was thus able, from the
hungry and unsuspecting herd that followed him, to
exterminate the king bull at leisure. The plan, no doubt,
was in accordance with courtly notions of safety, and
was eminently calculated to secure the object in view ;
but it was scarcely a feat to warrant any unusual iubi-
Ik Priocfl ofc-Walos Mta Chiiiing^ara Bull, o.ctn.isfe;
8
114
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/M«rch
\ 1889.
lation. Yet, as the sequel shows, the feat was highly
appreciated in very distinguished circles. A few hours
after the tragedy, the carcase wad brought from the
scene of slaughter, and carefully deposited on the castle
lawn. The photographer was ready, the Prince not un-
willing, and the result as shown in our sketch.
llcmtfd.
£tmt, pltoU'is Caaistroag, Jleektn
Jttaibm Wag, &c.
j|HE only Ermyn Street (Eormen Street) with
which we have to do was that direct route
which ran from Pevensey (Anderida), on the
coast of Sussex, through London, and across
the counties of Middlesex, Herts, Cambridge, and Hunt-
ingdon, to Lincoln (Lindum), and thence to the Humber
at Ferriby, crossing that river thereabouts, converging on
the central city of York, and sending out branches
through the East and North Ridings, to Aldborough in
Holderness (the country of the Parish), to Malton (Der-
ventio), Pickering (Delgovitia), Filey Bay (Portus Salu-
taris), Flamborough (Ocellum Promontorium), and Duns-
ley Bay, near Whitby (the Dunum Sinus of Ptolemy),
where a terminal station is believed to have been situated.
From York northwards the main line seems to have gone
on by Easingwold, Thirsk, and Northallerton— at wbich
latter place there are indubitable traces of the Roman
occupation — to the Tees, where it probably ran into the
Watling Street between Stanwick and Croft, so as to
cross at Piercebridge. But, if so, it shortly afterwards
diverged easterly, and went on towards Durham and
Newcastle, by Aycliffe, Rushyford, Chilton, Ferryhill,
Sunderlaud Bridge, Chester-le-Street (Condercum), Birt-
ley, and over Gateshead Fell to Gateshead (Gabrosentum)
and the bridge across the Tyne (Pons j3Slii). From New-
castle it may possibly have continued in the same direc-
tion, in the line afterwards taken by the Great North
Road, by Morpeth, Aluwick, Belford, and Tweedmouth,
to Berwick-upon-Tweed, where there was a principal
station, on the site of which the remains of the castle now
stand. But, if it pursued this route, all trace of it seems
to have been obliterated long ago.
The Devil's Causeway is a name that was given by our
ancestors to a road, likewise known as Ermyn Street,
which ran across Northumberland (the country of the
Ottodini), from Halton Chesters (Richard of Cirencester's
Ad Murum), passing on the east side of Kirk Heaton,
and thence over the Wansbeck, near the point where the
Wansbeck Valley Railway crosses that river, by Thornton
(Roger Thornton's birthplace), a short way to the east
of Hartburn Church, in a straight course between
Nether Witton and Witton Shields, to where the
ruins of Brinkburn Priory now stand. It crossed the
Coquet a little below the priory, at a place where the
remains of the piers of the Roman bridge were perfectly
distinct some years ago (and perhaps still are), "par-
ticularly the ashlar work on the north side, covered with
elm trees," as a learned correspondent wrote to Mackenzie
in 1824-. There were likewise on the hill above the priory
evident traces of a Roman villa, a few yards from the
military way, the rampart and ditch across the neck of
land being very apparent, likewise the foundations of
houses and lines of the street ; but the stones had un-
doubtedly been all used for building the priory. After
passing Brinkburn the Causeway proceeded over Rimside
Moor, crossed the Aln below Whittingham, passed Shaw-
don and Glanton (where it was locally known as the
Deor or Deer Street), to the Till, near Fowberry, then by
Horton Castle, Lowick, and Ancroft, to the Tweed,
which it crossed, according to some authorities, at a
place called the Corn Mills, near West Ord, a little
above Berwick; but, according to others, crossing the
river at Tweedmouth, and thence passing by Ayton and
Cockburnspath over the Lammermoors into East and
Mid Lothian, where several Chesters, as near Spott,
Drem, &c., would seem to mark its route, though there
are no other existing traces. The Devil's Causeway was
constructed, like the other Roman roads, ' with large
stones in the centre and smaller ones at/ the sides. It was
fully eight yards broad and two yards high, with four
ditches, owing to there being a carriage road in the
middle, and a narrow road on each side for foot passen-
gers ; and so solidly was it constructed, that the great
original ridge still in several places remains unbroken, as
stated in Maclauchlan's survey, executed at the cost of
the Duke of Northumberland. The road was connected
with the Watling Street by two branches at least. One of
these started from Bremenium, and went off in a north-
westerly direction by the Dudlees, Branshaw, and Yard-
hope to Campville, close to Holystone, where Paulinus,
as recorded by the Venerable Bede, converted and bap-
tised several thousand Pagans. Then, passing the Coquet
near Sharperton, it went past the Trewitts to Lorbottle,
Callaly, and Eslington to Barton, where it joined the
Devil's Causeway before it crossed the river Aln, to the
north of which stands Crawley Tower, built upon the
east angle of a Roman station on an eminence near the
road, which has been considered to be the Alauna Amnis
of Richard of Cirencester. It is probable that this road
was continued from Barton, by Alnwick, down to the
port of Alnmouth, during the Lower Empire, since great
quantities of grain were shipped from Britain to supply
the Roman armies and garrisons on the Rhine. The
second branch seems to have been formed to connect a
chain of forts running round from the Watling Street,
near Troughend, by Elsdon, Hepple, Tosson, Whitton,
&c., with the Devil's Causeway.
The Recken Dyke, or Wrecken Dyke— so called in
March!
19. /
1889.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
115
North Durham— is supposed to be the north-eastern
portion of the Rycknild Street, described in Drayton's
"Polyolbion," as well as by Ralph Higden, as stretching
obliquely quite across the island, from St. David's
(Menapia), the most westerly point of South Wales, " to
the fall of Tyne into the German Sea." Beginning at
this end, Horsley, who was reckoned in his day " the
prince of antiquaries," says : — "It seems to have come
from the station (at South Shields), and to have crossed
the marsh, then possibly a branch of the river, not far
from the station. Thence it has passed most probably
through, or a little to the east of, a house called Lay
Gate ; from thence it seems to have gone near a house
called the Barns, the garden wall probably standing on
it ; and so on to the Draw Bridge close by Jarrow Slike.
For this space, the traces of this way are very obscure and
uncertain. In the 6eld beyond this bridge, the track of it
is plain, and for near the full breadth of the enclosure
sensibly raised above the level of the rest of the ground,
though it runs cross the ridges. On the west side of
this field or enclosure there is a small descent, and in the
bottom a lane, which is the highway leading from Bowdon
to Shields, and a small ascent on the other side in the field
joining to this lane. As the military way descends on the
one side and ascends on the other, it is bent into a curve,
and then falls into the right line, in which it seems to be
continued all the way to Gateshead Fell, for the space of
five or six miles ; from thence it goes towards Lamesley
and Kibblesworth, which it leaves a little to the south.
It was very visible all the way, not many years ago,
before Sir Henry Liddall inclosed and improved these
grounds ; and the gardener at Cousin's House, who had
formerly wrought on Gateshead Fell, assured me he had
seen and helped to dig up some stones out of Wreken
Dyke, which he called Bracken Dyke, so that he was
altogether of opinion that this part of it had been paved.
This way passes on towards Beamish, and I make no doubt
has gone forward to Lanchester. It is indeed lost on the
moor beyond Beamish ; nor is it any great wonder that it
should be so, considering how soft and mossy it is. ...
There is a remarkable tumulus near this way, not far
from Ravensworth, besides which I observed another
very considerable one, about a mile from Lanchester,
called the Maiden Law, and probably the military
way has not been far from this tumulus." In another
place Horsley eays : — " It consists of firm gravel and
sand, and is hard and compact, so as to make a very
good way at this time, at all seasons of the year. I also
believe it has a mixture of stones, or somewhat of pave-
ment."
Horsley thinks the road must have terminated at Lan-
chester ; but John Cade, of Durham, in a paper drawn
up by him, and addressed to the Dean of Lincoln (Dr.
Kaye), on the Roman roads in the County of Durham,
traces the Rycknild Street from St. David's, past Old
Derby and Chesterfield (Lutudarum), to York, and from
thence by Thornton-le-Street, near Thirsk, to Sockburn-
on-Tees, where the river was crossed by a ford, thence by
Sadberge, Stainton-le-Street, Bradbury, and Mainsforth,
to Old Durham, where the Romans certainly had a sta-
tion, over against which, on a tall cliff now known as the
Maiden Scar, stood a fortification which has received the
name of Maiden Castle. From Durham the road went
over Chester Common to Chester-le-Street, and thence by
the Black Fell, Usworth, Fellonby, Simonside, and Lay-
gate, to South Shields station on the Lawe. That such a
road was carried by the Romans through the central parts
of the County Palatine, on the line here indicated, or near
to it, the existing names of the places would not permit
us to doubt, even were there no vestiges remaining on the
surface at this day. The obvious similarity of name
between Reckon and Rycknild disposes us to think that
there was but one great transverse line of road leading
from the south-west coast to the mouth of the Tyne
which received this appellation ; but the authorities are
so confused and contradictory, and the positive informa-
tion they convey so meagre, that it is impossible to coine
to any satisfactory conclusion on the point.
The etymologies of Rycknild and Wrekin, given by
Horsley, Hutchinson, Bertram, and other antiquaries, are
quite conjectural, and of no value. Burton, in his com-
mentary on Antoninus's Itinerary through Britain, reads
Icknel instead of Rycknild, and derives the word from
the Iceni, who inhabited Norfolk and Suffolk ; others
point to the Wrekin in Shropshire, over or near which the
Watling Street passed, as possibly affording some clue
to the meaning of the name. For our own part we con-
ceive that the original term must have been Reken or
Recken Dyke, meaning the "Giant's Dyke." In
Icelandic " regin " is used in the Eddaic poems for the
gods, as in " blith regin " the blythe gods ; "uppregin,"
the powers above, the celestial gods; "ragnarock, " the
twilight of the gods, the last day. And in Hugo von
Togenberg's "Runner," a curious German poem of tha
fourteenth century, we are told : —
How Master Dietrick fought with Ecken,
And how of old the stalwart Recken
Were all by woman's craft betrayed.
The Maiden Way was the name given by the natives to
a great causeway which turned off from the Watling
Street, a little beyond Catterick, and went by Greta
Bridge, where there is a small but very distinctly marked
Roman camp, situated in the field close behind the
Morritt Arms Inn, to the more important camp of Bowes
(Lavatree) and Roy, Rey, or Rere Cross, the Cross of the
Kings, on Stainmoor, at the summit of the pass from
Yorkshire into Westmoreland. The cross standing there
marks the spot (so tradition says) where William the
Conqueror and Malcolm Canmore met in arms, but
wisely resolved to settle their dispute amicably, and
accordingly set up a stone to mark the boundary of the
two kingdoms. Holinshed thus states the conditions on
116
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{
March
which the kings concluded peace : — " That Malcolm
should enjoy that part of Northumberland which lies
between Tweed, Cumberland, and Stainrnoor, and do
homage to the King of England for the same ; and that
in the midst of Stainmoor there should a cross be set up,
with the King of England's image on the one side, and
the King of Scotland's on the other, to signify that one is
to march to England and the other to Scotland. " From
thence the way went on to Brough (Vertere or Verteris),
Appleby (Galacum), Kirkby Thore (Brovonacae), Temple
Sowerby, Brougham Castle (Brocavium), Penrith (Vo-
reda), and Carlisle (Luguvallum), where it fell into the
great north-western line leading into Scotland, by
Netherby, Middleby, Castleover, Lanark, &c., to Paisley
and Dumbarton (Theodosia).
Prom Kirkby Thore, the Maiden Way struck off in a
different direction from what it had previously followed,
over the skirt of Cross Fell into the valley of the South
Tyne, near Alston, to the station at Whitley Castle
(Alione), the site of which is nearly opposite Kirkhaugh
Church, and on the north side of Gilderdale Burn. Froir.
that place it proceeded eastwards to Whittonstall, be-
tween Ebchester and Corbridge. where it ran into the
Watling Street. There was most likely an easterly con-
tinuation of it, by way of Hedley, Coalburns, Winlaton,
&c., connecting it with the Reken Dyke, which ran to
Jarrow and South Shields, and also with the road
leading to Gabrosentum and Pons ^-Elii. Local tradition
bears this out ; but all trace of the road seems now to be
obliterated.
The north portion of the Maiden Way struck off from
the line of the Roman Wall at the station of Birdoswald
(Amboglanna), a little to the westward of the place where
the Wall crosses the Irthing ; and it proceeded nearly
direct north, crossing the summit of the mountain ridge
called Side Fell, and descending into the vale of Bew-
castle, passing that place to the east of the station, the
Roman name of which is matter of dispute (like that, we
may remark cursorily, of many other stations), Horsley
believing it to have been Apiatorium, Hodgson Banna,
and Maughan Galava. From Bewcastle, it ascended the
rising ground on the north side of the Kirk Beck, to a
place called Raestown. Between this place and the
Scottish Border the line is not easily traced, owing to
parts of the way being covered with moss, and in other
places through the occupants of the ground having car-
ried away the stones to build fences. But after crossing
the White Lyne, a tributary of the Esk, it ran past the
Grey Crag, keeping to the right of Christenbury Crags,
to a camp at Cross. It then crossed the Black Lyne,
near its junction with another small stream, where there
has been a strong position. Next it crossed the Skelton
Pike, forded the Kershope Water, and entered Scottish
ground. The Maiden Way between the Wall and Bew-
castle is descri))ed as being above twenty -one feet broad,
and made with sandstone. The stones are laid on their
edges, and generally in the centre; on the sides they
are found lying flat. Where streams of water cross the
path, they are carried below it by means of culverts,
covered with large flags.
There are several other Maiden Ways in different parts
of England, all so called, we fancy, from their being
"made," that is, raised or elevated above the surface of
the grounds through which they ran.
After crossing the Border, the Maiden Way received
another name — the Wheel Causeway— doubtless from its
being the only road in the district it ran through that was
practicable for wheeled carriages. Proceeding northward
a little to the west of Muirdykes, now a station on the
Waverley route, it passed one of the sources of the Lid-
dell, at a place called Bagrawford, and then went on past
the Peel and the Wheel Church to the table land which
divides Liddesdale from Teviotdale, crossing between
Wheeling Head on the right and Needs Law on the left.
Then it bends away to the northward, a little to the west
of Ravenburn, and makes for the eastern slope of Wolflee-
hill, thence by the west side of Mackside to Bonchester
Hill, on the Rule, where there was a principal station.
From this point there are but few traces left of the road,
which seems, however, to have branched out into several
ways, and in particular towards and past Jedburgh, in the
direction of Crailing and Eckford, and also of the Wat-
ling Street at Street House, as indicated by a chain of
forts or strengths running eastward from Bonchester,
including Chesters, Camptown, and Cunziertown, near
the station at Street House, and thence probably by
Chesterhouse, near Hownam Law, Morebattle, Linton,
and Lempitlaw, to Kerchesters, in the parish of Sprous-
ton, where it would run into the road skirting the south
bank of the Tweed from Cornhill, opposite Coldstream
where there are very extensive earthworks — the most
remarkable possibly north of the Wall — past Wark, Car-
ham, and Maxwellheugh, to Roxburgh, at the junction
between the Tweed and the Teviot, and so on to the
Watling Street at Lilliard's Edge. But it would be end-
less to pursue further the problematical ramifications of
these Wheel Causeways, which seem to have permeated
the whole country immediately north of the Cheviots, but
of which the traces now remain only in the names of such
places as Chesters, Blackchesters, Rowchesters, Chester-
halls, &c.
A name applied to several parts of the Watling Street
running from York and Catterick to Corchester was the
Learning Lane, an appellation the memory of which is
still preserved in the names of many places along the
line, in Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumberland, such
as Learning, Leamside, the Learns, Ac. In all probability
the word is just a corruption of the Latin "limes," a
boundary.
Another name current in sundry localities is the Stane
Street, about the interpretation of which there is no
doubt. One of these Stane Streets or Stanegates afforded
March \
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
117
a direct line of communication between Cilurnum (Ches-
ters) and Magna (Caervoran), for the accommodation,
doubtless, of those whose business did not require them
to call at any intermediate point. It passed near the
modern village of Newbrough, and skirted the north gate
of the station at Vindolana (Chester Holm).
WILLIAM BKOCKIE.
^atal asallfffftt Ss'ctnt tvam
fleto cattle.
|JN the evening of Monday, August 15, 1859,
an immense number of people were assembled
in the old Cricket Ground, Bath Road,
Newcastle, to witness a balloon ascent, the aeronaut
being a man named William Henry Hall, better known
as "Captain Hall," who had a great reputation as a
gymnast. The entertainment, or "grand gala" as it
was called, was a speculation of Mr. Smith, the first
lessee of the Victoria Music Hall, Grey Street, and
as regards attendance the affair was certainly a suc-
cess. Special trains were run to Newcastle, not only from
many places in the locality, but from even as far as
Berwick. As the evening was very fine, everything pro-
mised to pass off pleasantly. It took three hours to
inflate the balloon ; but at ten minutes to seven the
ascent was made amidst the crash of music and the loud
cheers of the spectators.
When at the height of about a thousand feet, Hall got
out of the car, and began a series of most extraordinary
jjyrations on a trapeze, holding on first by his hands
and then by his feet, while he performed his sickening
exploits. Women screamed, and even strong men averted
their faces in terror, so that it was quite a relief when the
acrobat again took his seat in the car. Shortly after this,
attention was called to the apparent eccentricities of the
balloon, which at times descended quite low, and again
shot up suddenly to a great height, until it appeared no
larger than an ordinary hat. Finally, it passed out of
sight, and the people in the grounds became interested in
the music of the bands and other entertainments provided
for them.
Soon after ten o'clock, the cab which had been en-
gaged to follow the balloon and its occupant arrived
at the Cricket Ground. The driver had a sad story
to tell. He reported that the poor "captain" had
fallen from the car, and was then lying in a critical con-
dition at the residence of Mr. Hugh Lee Pattinson,
Scots House, near the Felling. Mr. Smith, accompanied
by a surgeon, immediately drove to the scene of the
accident. Some men who were working in a field when
the balloon descended, stated that it came down slowly
and steadily, and that Mr. Hall was just in the act of
stepping out when it rose again with great velocity.
Hall's feet became entagled in the ropes, and for some
seconds he hung suspended head downwards, and
then fell a distance of fully 120 feet. He was taken np
unconscious, placed upon a couple of corn "stooks,"and
carried into Mr. Pattinson's house. That gentleman did
all he could for the sufferer ; and on the arrival of Mr.
Smith with medical assistance, it was found that no
bones were broken, nor were there wounds of any
kind to be seen. Mr. Pattinson provided a spring cart,
which was made as comfortable as possible with
cushions, &c., and the injured man was conveyed to
Newcastle. On his admission into the Infirmary, he was
attended chiefly by Dr. Gibb, who from the first did
not take a very cheerful view of the case, and it soon
appeared that the doctor was right in his diagnosis.
Poor Hall lingered until Thursday, 18th August, when he
succumbed to the effects of his terrible fall. The funeral
took place on the following Sunday, at Elswick Cemetery,
an immense crowd being present at the ceremony.
Two or three incidents in this fatal balloon ascent are
worth recording. When Hall fell from the car, the
ground was deeply indented in two places ; and yet his
watch was quite uninjured, and continued to "go" until
it had run down. A favourite little dog, of great intelli-
gence, was in the car with his master, and was at his heels
ready to jump when the balloon escaped from the grapp-
lings. Much pity was felt for the poor dumb animal.
which was never seen afterwards. Nor was the balloon
itself ever re-captured.
JIANGLEY CASTLE, the capital seat of the
barony of Tynedale in the feudal times, can
be approached either from Haydon Bridge.
distant about a mile and a half, or from
Hexham, eight and a half miles off, by the Hexham and
Allendale Railway. It is described in Turner's "Domestic
Architecture of the Middle Ages " as a fine example of a
tower-built house of the latter half of the fourteenth cen-
tury. Built about 1360 by Sir Thomas de Lucy, probably
on the site of an older residence of the Tindales, it was
destroyed in 1+05 by Henry IV., as he advanced into
Northumberland to put down Archbishop Scrope's rebel-
lion, which the Earl of Northumberland had joined.
"Its ashlar stone work," says Mr. W. J. Palmer, in his
"Tyne and its Tributaries," published in 1882, "appears
as sharp and good as though it had only just been put
up ; but neglect and abandonment have deprived its
upper parts, windows, and openings of some of the
masonry, the interior, with its fittings, having been de-
stroyed by fire at some remote period." " On approach-
ing it for the first time," he adds, "we seem to see the old
stronghold very much as it must have appeared when it
118
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I March
\ 1889.
was the habitable seat of the barony of Tynedale. It has
a strong tower or turret at each of the four corners, and
immensely thick walls. Its position is not much raised
above the plain, and there has been no moat round it,
or external defence, the founders having relied on the
strength of its walls and the garrison behind them. " In
Hodgson's "Topographical and Historical Description
of the County of Northumberland," contributed to that
standard work of reference, "The Beauties of England
and Wales," we find the following description of Langley
Castle :—
It is well situated on the south bank of the Tyne, and
though it has of late years been barbarously handled, it is
by far the most perfect ruin of the kind in the county. It
is in the form of the letter H, its walls near seven feet
thick, its inside twenty-four feet by eighty, and the
towers, one at each corner, about sixty-six feet high. The
rooms remaining are all arched with stone ; those in the
towers are fourteen feet square, and the four small fire
rooms on the east each eleven feet by thirteen. The
ground rooms, on the east and west, four on each side,
have been much injured by being used as farm offices.
The windows which have lighted the great hall, kitchens,
&c., are large; those in the chambers mostly small, and
built at an angle that would prevent the entrance of an
enemy's arrow. The stone of which this fabric is built
is yet so remarkably fresh as to exhibit in their primitive
sharpness the characters of the masons. The whole of
the inside is red with marks of fire.
What here has been said of the old stronghold must be
understood to apply to its condition a few years ago ; for
Mr. Cadwallader J. Bates, its present proprietor, has since
made such changes and restorations as have rendered the
place habitable.
The manor and barony of Langley were held by Adam
de Tindale, qf King Henry I., by the service of one
knight's fee ; and his grandson, of the same name, had
livery of them in the sixth year of King Henry III. (A.D.
1222), by paying a hundred shillings for a relief, accord-
ing to the tariff then established, which was at the rate of
centum solidi for every knight's fee. This Adam left only
two daughters, his co-heirs, one of whom, named Philippa,
became the wife of Richard de Bolteby, who, upon the
division of his father-in-law's estate, obtained the barony,
which continued for some generations in his family. But
male issue failing, it passed by marriage to Thomas, son
of Adam de Multon, who had assumed the name of Lucy,
from his mother, one of the co-heirs of Richard Lucy, of
Egremont. This Thomas Lord Lucy (so designated by
Wallis, copying an inquisition in the* Tower of London,
of the 33rd year of King Edward I.), became the husband
of Isabel, daughter and one of the co-heirs of the last
Adam de Bolteby, and therefore acquired the Langley
lordship. A stirring event in the history of one of his
immediate successors is thus related : — In the year 1323,
by order of King Edward II., Anthony Lord Lucy
seized Andrew de Hercla or Herkley, Earl and Governor
of Carlisle, for high treason, in the castle of Carlisle. He
was assisted in the affair by Sir Richard Denton, Sir
Hugh Lowther, and Sir Hugh Moriceby, knights, and
four esquires. Sir Richard killed the porter of the inner
gate who attempted to shut it against the party; but
one of the earl's servants escaped to the Peel, a castle at
Heihead, High Head, or as it was anciently written Pela
de Hivehead, the seat of his lordship's brother, Michael
Hercla, who by that means was informed of the disaster,
and fled into Scotland with Sir William Blount, a Scot-
tish knight, and others of his faction. In reward for his
service, Lord Lucy was made governor of the castles of
Carlisle, Appleby, and Egremont ; and, in the following
year, he obtained a grant in fee of the castle and honour
of Cockermouth, for which, as also for the manor of Lang-
ley, he procured the privileges of free warren, " for the
preservation of hares, conies, partridges, and pheasants,
or any of them."
The hero of this adventure left Langley to his son
Thomas, who in his turn left it to his son Anthony ; and
he, dying without male issue, and his daughter and heir
Johanna surviving him only five years and three-quarters,
and dying unmarried, was succeeded in his baronial
honours and estates by his sister Matilda, wife of Sir
Gilbert de Umfraville, Earl of Angus, after whose death
she married Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, upon
whom and his heirs male she settled her whole fortune,
under the easy condition that, as their hearts were, so the
arms of the two noble families might be united, for a
memorial of her affection.
Langley Castle and estate continued in the Percy
family until the attainder of Henry Earl of Northumber-
land by King Edward IV., after the battle of Towtou,
in which he fell, leading the van of the Lancastrians,
sword in hand. They then came into the possession of
John Nevil, Marquis of Montacute, who held them six
years, and he resigned them to Sir Henry Percy, Lord
Poynings, on the latter being restored to his position and
dignity, on subscribing an oath of allegiance to the
Yorkist king in his palace at Westminster. The Percies
kept possession of the castle and manor for about two
centuries, but lost it in the reign of Queen Elizabeth,
when Thomas Percy, seventh Earl of Northumberland,
being involved in some of the intrigues for restoring
Mary Queen of Scots, was driven into rebellion in 1569,
and forced to fly into Scotland, whence he was, for a sum
of money, betrayed to death in the hands of the Lord
Huusdon, by the Regent, James Douglas, Earl of Mor-
ton, who had formerly, during his exile in England, been
much indebted to Percy's friendship. Langley afterwards
became the property of the Ratcliffes, with whom it con-
tinued till it was forfeited by James, the last Earl of Der-
wentwater, in 1745, when it was transferred, with the rest
of his valuable estates, by Act of Parliament, to the
Commissioners of Greenwich Hospital, by whom it was
sold, in October, 1882, to Mr. C. J. Bates, the present
proprietor.
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NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
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jjHIS famous old fortalice is distant about nine
and a half miles north -north-west from Hex-
ham, four miles north-west from Chollertoni
and one mile or thereabouts from Wark, which lies on
the opposite side of the North Tyne. Leland calls
" Chipchase a praty towne and castle, hard on the easte
parte of the arme of Northe Tyne. " Sir Ralph Sadler,
in a letter to Secretary Cecil, says, "The most apte and
convenyent places for the keeper of Tindale to reside in
on all the frontiers are Hawgston, Langley, or Chipchase,
in one of which iij placis men of service have alwayes
been placed, and especially for the well executing of that
office of Tyndale." "The old tower," says Hodgson,
" still remains. Its roof is built on corbels, and has open-
ings through which to throw down stones or scalding
water upon an enemy. The grooves of the portcullis, the
porter's chamber above it, and tattered fragments of
Gothic painting on the walls, are exceedingly curious."
The following more detailed description is by the Rev.
C. H. Hawthorne, in his " Feudal and Military Antiqui-
ties":— "The pele, properly so called, is a massive and
lofty building as large as some Norman keeps. It has an
enriched appearance given to it by its double-notched
corbelling round the summit, which further serves the
purpose of machicolation. The round bartisans at the
angles add to its beauty, and are set in with considerable
skill. Over the low winding entrance door on the base-
ment are the remains of the original portcullis, the like
of which the most experienced archaeologist will in vain
seek for elsewhere. The grooves are also visible, and the
chamber where the machinery was fixed for raising it is
to be met with, even as at Goodrich, where the holes in
which the axle worked, and the oilway that served to ease
its revolutions, may be seen ; but at Chipchase there is
the little cross-grated portcullis itself, which was simply
lifted by the leverage of a wooden bar above the entrance,
and let down in the same manner. "
Chipchase was anciently a member of the manor of
Prudhoe ; and in the reign of King Henry II. it was the
property of Odonel de Umfraville, who gave the chapel
there to the Canons of Hexham, but the manor to his son
and heir, in whose family it remained for several genera-
tions. The Umfravilles, however, it would appear, had
only a little fort on the present site. Godwin, in his
"English Archaeologist's Guide," says the tower was
built by Peter de Insula about the year 1250. This
Peter is supposed to have been the ancestor of the Delisle
family, or at least of a sept of that name. It came after-
wards into the hands of a branch of the noble family of
the Herons of Ford Castle. One of those Herons, Sir
George, was slain in the Raid of the Redeswire ; another
was seven years High Sheriff in succession ; and to a third,
Cuthbert Heron, we owe the modern structure, it having
been built for him in 1621, as testified by the initials of
his name, C. H., cut in stone on each side of his coat of
arms, with the date, above the south entrance.
The last of the Chipchase Herons sold the estate to
George Allgood, Esq., who, in his turn, disposed of it
to a cadet of the Troughend family, John Reed, Esq.,
who was High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1732. At
this gentleman's decease, in 1754, the property was
inherited by his nephew, Christopher Soulsby, who
assumed the name of Reed, and married the eldest
daughter of Francis Blake, Esq., of Twizell. It after-
wards, in consequence of the failure of the Northum-
berland Bank, with which the Reeds were concerned,
came into the possession of Ralph William Grey, Esq.,
sometime member for Tynemoutb, and subsequently
(1861) passed into the .hands of Hugh Taylor, Esq.,
who represented the same borough for several years.
The Rev. George Rome Hall, F.S.A., contributed to
the Transactions of the Natural History Society in 1877
a "Memoir on the History and Architecture of Chip-
chase Castle," from which we take the following ex-
tracts : —
The name of Chipchase takes us back to ancient times,
when a village of Chipchase already existed on the south
side of the present park, close to the bridge that leads to
the mill and the ancient ford of the river. Scarcely a
vestige now remains of it, but we can trace the founda-
tions of two or three dwellings on each side of the hollow
track-way. The ancient village of Chipchase was, no
doubt, much earlier than the great pele-tower, and would
be occupied in Saxon times. Its name is derived directly
fron the Old -English word Cheap, a market; Anglo-
Saxon, ceapian, to buy ; cypan, to sell ; and cheap, price
or sale, which occur in Cheapside and East-Cheap, the
old market-places of London, and in the numerous
fihippings scattered throughout England, denoting
ancient market-places and early seats of commercial
activity.
The second part of the name of Chipchase comes from
the Norman-French chasse ; French chasser, to hunt,
signifying a place of hunting, ground abounding in game,
such as the various species of deer, the wild boar, bears,
wolves, and smaller objects of the chase. The "forest,"
like William the Conqueror's New Forest in Hampshire,
seems to have been the most extensive kind of huntintr
ground; next to this came the "chase," like Hatfield
Chase, in Yorkshire ; then the "hunt," like Cheshunt, in
Hertfordshire ; and last, and smallest of all, the enclosed
" park."
Thus the meaning of Chipchase is the "market " within
the "chase " or hunting-ground of the Lords of Prudhoe,
the great family of the Umfravilles, who held it as a de-
tached manor of that important barony when the light of
history first dawns upon Chipchase.
It might be thought that many traditions, super-
natural and otherwise, connected with the old historic
tower at Chipchase, ought to cluster around the grey
time-worn building, which bore the brunt of Border foray
the treasure she took so much pains to hide in her life-
time ; yet there is one legendary story at least connected
with the ruinous pele-tower, similar to that of the Mother
and Child of Chillingham Castle. It tells of an unfor-
tunate knight. Sir Reginald Fitz-Urse, who, being for-
gotten by the lord of the castle and his retainers,
perhaps intentionally, as was not uncommon in those
barbarous times, perished by starvation in one of the
dark prison-chambers of the great keep. For hundreds
of years, it is said, the ill-fated Sir Reginald has " re-
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1 1889
visited the glimpses of the moon," and the scenes of his
own miserable end ; revenging himself first on his cruel
captors, and then on their successors, by haunting the
old pele, where the startled passer-by may yet sometimes
hear the clang of armour mingled with groanings of a
dying man, issuing from its dreary recesses at the weird
midnight hour.
As with most of the ancient Border towers and abbeys,
there is here a popular tradition of an underground passage,
or secret mode of egress from the castle, which, in this
case, seems to be founded on fact. A low subterranean
way has been traced from the level of the present cellar
for a considerable distance southward, beneath the car-
riage drive at the front, and leading towards the site of
the ancient village of Chipchase. This is the traditional
direction which recent research has quite lately verified.
In case of siege (though the pele-tower is said to have
been twice besieged, but never taken), such a mode of
egress would be most desirable, and would certainly be re-
sorted to on extreme occasions.
It may be added that Edward I. (the greatest of the
Plantaeenets, perhaps of all our kings), on one of his
journeys into Scotland, is traditionally said to have
remained at Chipchase Castle for one or two nights. If
he did so, it must have been on his way northwards into
Scotland, on the same occasion as that on which he heard
mass at the head of the vale of North Tyne, above
Keilder, in the "Bell Chapel," which is now entirely
demolished.
The scene of the popular story of the "Long Pack"
is, by tradition, laid at Chipchase, although Lee Hall,
near Bellingham, is also supposed to have been the place
where the tragical incident happened which James
Hogg, the famous Ettrick Shepherd, took for the founda-
tion of his tale.
fff
'3Ttot>'t ftgttt attlf
ICtoceir.
proton $.p.,
VICAK OP NEWCASTLE, POET, AND MAN OP LETTERS.
Fanciful as was the genius of Warburton, it delighted
too much in its eccentric motions, and in its own solitary
greatness, amid abstract and recondite topics, to have
strongly attracted the public attention, had not a party
been formed around him, at the head of which stood the
active and subtle Hurd ; and amid the gradations of the
votive brotherhood, the profound Balguy, the spirited
Brown, ^till we descend,— "To his tame jackal, parson
Towne. " Isaac Disraeli : "Quarrels of Authors. "
JHE "spirited Brown" of the foregoing ex-
tract was one of the most celebrated, and at
the same time one of the most unfortunate,
of the many divines who have held the
chief cure of souls in Newcastle. He was born, in 1715,
at Bothbury, where his father (afterwards Vicar of
Wigton) was curate. He was educated at Wigton
public school, and in May, 1732, was sent to St. John's
College, Cambridge. After taking his bachelor's degree,
in 1735, he was ordained by the Bishop of Carlisle, and
four years later, obtaining his degree of M.A., was
admitted into priest's orders, and received a minor
canonry and lectureship in Carlisle Cathedral. Being
reproved for omitting to read the Athanasian Creed, he
threw up his preferment, and remained in comparative
obscurity till the rebellion of 1745. During the siege of
Carlisle, he acted as a volunteer, and when, a few months
later, some of the rebels were tried there, he preached
two notable sermons "On the Mutual Connection between
Religious Truth and Civil Freedom, and between
Superstition, Tyranny, Irreligion, and Licentiousness."
These discourses brought him under the notice of Dr.
Osbaldiston, who induced the Dean and Chapter to give
him the living of Moreland, in the adjoining county, and
in 1747, when Dr. Osbaldiston was raised to the see of
Carlisle, he made him one of his chaplains.
Mr. Brown had ventured into print in 1743 with a poem
on " Honour," which did not attract much notice ; but his
next effort, an "Essay on Satire, occasioned by the death
of Mr. Pope," drew the world of letters around him. The
essay "breathed the very soul of Pope," and gave so much
delight to Warburton, the literary colossus of his day,
that he prefixed it to the second volume of his edition of
Pope's Works. "Liberty, a Poem," followed, and added
to his reputation. Warburton, writing to Hurd (30th
January, 1749-50), says :—
Mr. Brown has fine parts ; he has a genius for poetry,
and has acquired a force of versification very uncommon.
I recommended to him a thing I once thought of myself
— it had been recommended to me by Mr. Pope — an
examination of all Lord Shaf tesbury says against religion.
Mr. Brown now is busy upon this work.
Warburton's suggestion bore fruit in "Essays on the
'Characteristics' of the Earl of Shaf tesbury "—a clear
and vivacious book, in which the author maintained the
impropriety of applying ridicule to the investigation of
religious truth, asserted the religious principle to be the
only uniform and permanent motive to virtue, and
defended the credibility of Gospel history and Scripture
March
I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
123
miracles. The volume was issued by Bowyer in 1751, and
the following year his faithful friend Bishop Osbaldiston
presented him to the vicarage of Lazonby. There he
began to woo the muse afresh, and produced " Barbarossa,
a Tragedy," which was acted in London on the 17th
December, 1754. Garrick wrote both prologue and
epilogue, and spoke the prologue himself in the character
of a Cumberland chaw-bacon, supposed to be the author's
servant. In this play occur the oft-quoted lines : —
Now let us thank the Eternal Power ; convinced
Thai Heaven but tries our virtue by affliction, —
That oft the cloud which wraps the preflent hour
Serves but to brighten all our future days.
And in the prologue is the equally well known couplet,
put into the mouth of the Cumberland lad seeking his
master : —
He must be there among you — look about ;
A weezen, pale-faced man ; do find him out !
The play was a success, and with the plaudits of the
theatre ringing in his ears the author took his doctor's
degree, and wrote another tragedy — "Athelstan" —
which, however, waa not so successful. In 1757 appeared
his most famous work—" An Estimate of the Manners
and Principles of the Times. " It was a strong philippic
against national vices, and created a great clamour.
Cowper, in the "Table Talk,"says that it "rose like a
paper kite and charmed the town." Seven editions in
little more than a year marked the height of public
excitement, and testified to the power and genius of the
writer. A second volume followed, but failed to attract
the same amount of attention, and "An Explanatory
Defence of the Estimate," &c., which the author put
forth later, exhausted public interest in the subject.
Just before the publication of the " Estimate," through
the influence of Warburton, Lord Royston conferred
upon Dr. Brown the living of Great Horkesley, near
Colchester. Resigning his Cumberland preferments, he
took up his residence at Horkesley, and republished
Walker's "Narrative of the Siege of Londonderry, a
Useful Lesson to the Present Times." There, also, he
wrote a "Dialogue of the Dead, between Pericles and
Aristides, being a sequel to a Dialogue of Lord Lyttel-
ton's between Pericles and Cosmo," "The Curse of Saul
— a Sacred Ode," set to music, and performed as an
oratorio, and " A Dissertation on the Rise, Union, and
Power, the Progressions, Separations, and Corruptions of
Poetry and Music." His ministry at Horkesley was not
a long one. He managed to offend his patron, and to
create a coolness with Warburton, who, in the meantime,
had been consecrated Bishop of Gloucester. While
matters were in a state of tension, on the first of June,
1760, tKe Rev. Thos. Turnor, vicar of Newcastle, died,
and his good friend the Bishop of Carlisle placed the
living at Dr. Brown's disposal. Soured by his troubles
at Horkesley, disappointed at receiving no higher reward
from the Whig party, whose faithful servant he had
been, he hesitated about accepting the offer. It was not
until after six months of vacillation that he finally made
up his mind, and it was not until the 7th of January,
1761, that he was formally inducted at St. Nicholas' by
the Rev. Mr. Dockwray, and entered into residence as
vicar of the chief town in his native county.
Local history has little to tell about Dr. Brown's career
in Newcastle. He was absorbed in literary pursuits, and
took but faint interest in public life and work. He had
hoped for better things, and was, therefore, a discon-
tented, reserved, and, at times, a melancholy man. His
only diversion was music, and he certainly tried to assist
his friend Charles Avison — whose essay on " Musical
Expression " he had probably prepared for the press —
in raising the standard of musical taste in the town.
Adding a room to the old vicarage, he and Avison started
a series of Sunday evening concerts there, which Dr.
Rotherham, Ralph Eeilby, Mrs. Ord of Fenham, and
other amateurs helped to make popular and useful.
Baillie, the Nonconformist historian of Newcastle,
states that Dr. Brown was " passionately fond of music,"
and a "very considerable master in that enchanting
science." But to all his acquirements were joined
"uncommon pride and weakness." "He was a High
Churchman, and, of consequence, intolerant to Dis-
senters, and rigorous in the exaction of his dues.
Though aspiring to a mitre, yet could he not avoid
treating his inferiors with contempt, and his superiors
with insolence." William Hilton, a local poet ("Works,"
vol. i., 218), defending the doctor from some public
lampoon, declared, on the other hand, that —
Approv'd, his early numbers rose,
All own his pure, his nervous prose ;
All own the heighth his sense can reach ;
All own how justly he can preach.
Even some who prize not truth or song
Have felt the magic of his tongue.
Dr. Brown published in Newcastle the following
works : — " The History of the Rise and Progress of
Poetry through its Several Species," being the portion
relating to poetry in the "Dissertation" previously
quoted (J. White and T. Saint, 1764); "Thoughts on
Civil Liberty, on Licentiousness, and Faction " (White
and Saint, 1765); a sermon "On the Natural Duty of
a Personal Service in Defence of Ourselves and Country,"
preached at St. Nicholas' on the occasion of a riot at
Hexham (I. Thompson, 1761), and another " On Female
Character and Education," preached before the guardians
of the Asylum for deserted female Orphans, May 16,
1765; "Twelve Sermons on Various Subjects" (White
and Saint, 1764); and a "Letter to Dr. Lowth" in reply
to an attack which Lowth had made upon him as a
creature and sycophantic admirer of Warburton. In
these latter works he announced the intended publication
of "Principles of Christian Legislation, in Eight Books,
being an Analysis of the Various Religions, Manners, and
Politics of Mankind, &c., the Obstructions thence arising
to the General Progress and Proper Effects of Christi-
124
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f March
I 1889.
anity, and the Most Practicable Remedies to these
Obstructions " ; but this design, though begun, was never
realised.
The closing scene of his life ill corresponded with its
brilliant beginning. Dr. Dumaresque, a former chaplain
to the English factory at St. Petersburg, had been asked
by the Empress of Russia to assist in preparing regula-
tions for some schools she was about to establish, and he,
hearing through a friend in England that Dr. Brown was
a proper person to consult, wrote to him on the subjectt
and the correspondence being communicated to the Prime
Minister at St. Petersburg, led to an invitation for Dr.
Brown to join the ex-chaplain on the banks of the Neva_
The doctor accepted, and receiving an answer from the
Minister signifying that the Empress was greatly pleased
with his decision, and had sent £1,000 to defray the ex-
penses of his journey, he prepared for his departure^
He left Newcastle in high spirits, made all his arrange-
ments in London, and was on the eve of embarkation,
when he fell ill with a sharp attack of rheumatic gout — a
disorder to which he had been frequently subject.
Whether it was this illness, as some have asserted, or
whether it was a polite intimation that his services
were not required, that prevented the fulfilment of
his intentions, may never be accurately known. In
either case his disappointment was intense. He
fell into one of those melancholy moods which had
so often afflicted him, and could not rally.
Bequeathing the property in his books and MSS.
to the Rev. William Hall, M.A., of Newcastle, and
arming his right hand with a razor, at his lodgings in Pall
Mall, September 23, 1766, he terminated his existence.
Our portrait of Dr. Brown is copied, by permission of
Canon Lloyd, from an oil painting in St. Nicholas'
vestry, placed there probably by the doctor's executors
—the Rev. Nathaniel Clayton and Mr. George Ord.
Lancelot proton,
LANDSCAPE GAKDEXER AND ARCHITECT.
Him too, the living leader of thy pow'rs.
Great Nature ! Him the Muse shall hail in notes
Which antedate the praise true Genius claims
From just posterity. Bards yet unborn
Shall pay to BROWN that tribute, fitliest paid
In strains the beauty his own scenes inspire.
Mason's "English Garden."
Lancelot Brown, the most eminent landscape gardener
of his day, who, from his constant use of the phrase " this
spot has great capabilities," became known as "Capa-
bility Brown," was a native of Northumberland. He
was descended from the Browns of Ravenscleugh, near
EUdon, and was born at Kirkharle, the ancestral home
of the Loraine family, where he was baptised on the 30th
of August, 1716. At Cambo School he received the
rudiments of his education, and while yet a boy, develop-
ing a taste for gardening, he was taken into the employ-
ment of Sir William Loraine, who, at the time, was
making extensive improvements in the surroundings of
his mansion. From Kirkharle he went to Benwell, as
gardener to Mr. Robert Shafto, and in 1739, or soon
after, he entered the service of Lord Cobham, as one of
the gardeners at his princely residence of Stowe, near
Buckingham. There he had the opportunity of studying
the improvements that, just before, had been effected by
William Kent, painter, sculptor, and architect, and there
it was that he married, and commenced his career as an
artist gardener, architectural designer, and improver of
pleasure grounds.
Upon the death of Lord Cobham, in 1749, Mr Brown
settled at Hammersmith, and became the oracle of taste
in all matters relating to his profession. The owners of
ancestral piles, and the possessors of wide-spreading
estates, sought his advice and carried out his plans o
improvement. Under his supervision some of the great
houses of the kingdom were renovated, or rebuilt, with
tasteful regard to comfort and convenience, and their
environments of wood and water, garden and pasture,
were thoroughly transformed. Straight walks and sullen
ditches gave place to winding ways and glittering
cascades ; rectangular flower plots and clipped arcades
were replaced by stately terraces and undulating
shrubberies ; everywhere that which had been common-
place and formal was supplanted by something novel,
something unexpected. His reputation brought him
under the notice of George II., who, although no
special friend of art in any shape— for he liked neither
"boetry"nor "bainting" — had sufficient taste to recog-
nise the improvements which " Capability Brown " was
effecting, and made him his head gardener, with a resi-
March I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
125
dence at Hampton Court. This post, being one of honour
rather than of servitude, did not require the holder to
curtail his professional work, and he continued to plan,
deyise, and superintend extensive schemes of building and
planting as before. For thirty years he reigned supreme
as the arbiter of fashion in landscape gardening, and,
adding to genius graceful manners and good sense, was
honoured and trusted, admitted to confidence and
friendship by men of distinction in the highest ranks of
society.
Like every other innovator, Mr. Brown had to face
criticism and to suffer reproach. Old-fashioned people
saw with regret the trim Dutch gardening to which they
had been accustomed ruthlessly replaced by clumps and
belts and mazy walks, and they shook their venerable
heads at the reckless expense which seemed to be
involved in the change. Cowper expressed the feelings
of many others when, in the third book of the "Task,"
he thus satirised the all-powerful gardener :—
Improvement too, the idol of the age,
Is fed with many a victim. Lo ! he comes —
The omnipotent magician, Brown, appears.
Down falls the venerable pile, the abode
Of our forefathers, a grave whiskerd race,
But tasteless. Springs a palace in its stead.
He speaks. The lake in front becomes a lawn,
Woods vanish, hills subside, and valleys rise,
And streams, as if created for his use.
Pursue the track of his directing wand,
Sinuous or straight, now rapid and now slow,
Now murmuring soft, now roaring in cascades,
E'en as he bids. Th' enraptured owner smiles.
Tis finish'd ! and yet, finish'd as it seems.
Still wants a grace, the loveliest it could show,
A mine to satisfy th' enormous cost.
Against Cowper's detraction may be set an anecdote
related to the Rev. John Hodgson by one of Mr. Brown's
disciples : —
A young nobleman sent for him to give him a plan for
improving the scenery about his house. After noticing
that his employer had a numerous family, for whom he
showed great affection, and walking with him over his
grounds, he observed, " My lord, your place has high
capabilities, but your lordship must pardon me for saying
that I cannot promise to effect as much as is wished,
without requiring a sum which I am sure, from the
great parental affection your children have bestowed
upon them, your lordship on their account will not be
inclined to expend." The hint was received with kind-
ness and gratitude, and Mr. Brown went away unem-
ployed.
Lord Orford, in the supplement to " Pilkington's
Dictionary," describes Mr. Brown as the " restorer of
the science of architecture," the "father of modern
gardening," and "the inventor of an art that realises
painting and improves Nature." Repton states that
Brown's fame as an architect was eclipsed by his cele-
brity as a landscape gardener, and that " if he was
superior to all in what related to his own peculiar
profession, he was inferior to none in what related to
the comfort, convenience, taste, and propriety of design
in the several mansions and other buildings which he
planned." Nearer home, Hodgson, describing Kirk-
harle in his " History of Northumberland," adds : —
" The situation is low, and shaded by a hill to the
south ; but the magic hand of Brown contrived to
throw the sweetest charms into the fields of the place
of his nativity, and to convert the landscape around
the mansion of their lord into a woody theatre of
stateliest view."
Mr. Brown was appointed High Sheriff for the
counties of Huntingdon and Cambridge in 1770, and
filled the office with dignity and credit. His friend-
ship with the noblemen who had employed him in
renovating their family houses and country seats con-
tinued till his death. One evening in 1783, as he was
returning from an evening party at Lord Coventry's,
he fell in the street, and died. Lord Coventry raised
a monument to his memory at Croome, and Mason, the
poet, wrote his epitaph, with this ending : —
But know that more than Genius slumbers here,
Virtues were his which Art's best pow'rs transcend ;
Come, ye superior train, who these revere,
And weep the Christian, Husband, Father, Friend.
Jttidjael
FINE AKT CONNOISSEUR AND AUTHOR.
Michael Bryan, an eminent dealer in pictures, and the
compiler of a well-known dictionary of painters and
engravers, was born in Newcastle on the 9th April,
1757, and received his education at the Royal Free
Grammar School, under its great head-master, the Rev.
Hugh Moises. Arrived at man's estate, he went to
London, and devoted himself to the study of the fine
arts. In pursuit of this object he accompanied one of
his brothers to Flanders, where he met the Hon. Juliana
Talbot, one of the numerous siiters of Charles, sixteenth
Earl of Shrewsbury, to whom, on the 7th June, 1784, he
was united in marriage.
Mr. Byran resided in Flanders till 1790, and spent
most of his time in visiting and studying the masterpieces
of art which were somewhat profusely scattered among
the chief towns of that province. Returning to England,
he settled in London, paying occasional visits to his
native town, it would appear, for Thomas Bewick, in bis
autobiography, mentions that, when he was preparing
his "History of British Birds," Mr. Bryan lent him a
book of Button's to read. But his fervid admiration of
art soon sent him back to the Continent. Being in
Holland when an order came from the French Govern-
ment to stop all the English residents, he was detained at
Rotterdam. While there, he made the acquaintance of
M. L'Abord, who, a little later, negotiated through his
influence a sale of the Italian portion of what was known
as the Orleans collection of pictures to the Duke of
Bridgewater, Lord Gower, and the Earl of Carlisle, for
£43,500. Eneas Mackenzie, in his "History of New-
castle, " states that "his judgment of pictures was of the
126
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
(March
1889.
first order, bis information extensive, and his enthusiasm
for the sublime and beautiful in works of art of boundless
fervour. His opinion was consequently looked up to as
decisive of the merit or demerit of paintings, whether
derived from the ancient masters or from the easels of
modern genius."
Through the influence of the Duke of Bridgewater
Mr. Bryan was sent to Paris in 1801, by royal authority,
to buy such pictures from the cabinet of a celebrated
collector, M. Robit, as he should consider worthy to be
brought into England. Amongst his purchases on this
MICHAEL BRYAN.
occasion were two well-known pictures by Murillo—
"The Infant Jesus as the Good Shepherd," and "The
Infant St. John with a Lamb." Three years later he
left the metropolis, and, as was supposed, finally settled
down with a brother in Yorkshire. But the fine art fever
again claimed him, and in 1812 he went back to London
and resumed his place in the world of pictures. This
time he launched out into literature, and, between 1813
and 1816, published in two volumes quarto, the
" Biographical and Critical Dictionary of Painters and
Engravers" with which it is identified. Soon after it
was completed Mr. Bryan entered into a fine art specula-
tion which proved disastrous, and threw a cloud over the
sunset of his life. He died at his house in Portman
Place, London, from an attack of paralysis, on the 28th of
March, 1821.
SCHOOLMASTER.
At the beginning of the century, few places were
better supplied than Newcastle with private schools for
the education of the middle and lower sections of the
community. At the Barras Bridge the Rev. William
Turner, and in Pilgrim Street the Rev. Edward Prowitt,
had flourishing boarding-schools for boys ; in Saville Row,
in Westgate Street, and in Pilgrim Street, again, were
half a dozen for girls ; while of day schools for boys
(taught by men with the familiar names of Tinwell,
Somerville, Askew, Murray, &c.), there were a score, and
for girls about half that number. Thirty-six private
academies in Newcastle, besides the Royal Free Gram-
mar School and the charity schools of the various
parishes, at a time when the population of the town was
little over 28,000, testify to the earnestness of our fore-
fathers in the matter of education.
Adding to the number of teachers, and increasing the
efficiency of the instruction given, there came to New-
castle from Alnwick two young men — Edward and John,
sons of Edward Bruce, of that town, mason. As youths,
they had taught a school at the foot of Pottergate, not
far from the paternal home, where one of their pupils
was a boy who afterwards became a famous Methodist
Reformer and antiquary — the Rev. James Everett.
But Newcastle offered a wider field for enterprise, and
in the year 1793, when Edward was nineteen and John
eighteen years of age, they migrated from the banks of
the Aln to the shores of the Tyne. So far as can be
learned, they engaged themselves chiefly in private
tuition — giving lessons at the great houses in the neigh-
bourhood. Gradually they made friends among the local
gentry, and were employed by such well known families
as those of Bigge, Ibbetson, Collingwood, Rowe, and
Ingham. When a sufficient connection had been formed,
they opened a school at West House, Byker.
Under the Act of Uniformity every schoolmaster who
was not a member of the Church of England was re-
quired to take the oath of allegiance. Edward, being the
elder brother, made the usual declarations, and received
the customary permit ; John devoted himself more
particularly to the out-door connection, and taught in
schools and families. In one of the schools which the
latter attended — that of Mrs. Wilson, in Saville Place
(now the home of the Young Women's Christian Associa-
tion)—he found a wife. The object of his affections was
Mary, daughter of Mr. John Jack, of Golden Square,
London, to whom he was united at St. Andrew's Church,
on the 14th of June, 1804. The marriage proved to be a
happy one in every respect. Amiable and clever, Mrs.
Bruce was admirably fitted to be a helpmate to an
earnest and accomplished man. The pair settled down in
Newcastle with bright prospects, for John Brace's in-
dustry and enterprise had already procured for him the
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
127
respect and approval of prominent people in the town,
who were able and willing to render him good service.
He had become a member of the Newcastle Loyal
Associated Volunteer Infantry, and was learning to serve
his country at an important crisis ; he was a frequent con-
tributor to the Gentlemen's and Ladies' Diaries, and was
gaining reputation as a skilled mathematician at a time
when martial ardour gave additional interest and value to
mathematical studies.
When John Bruce had been married a couple of
years, his brother Edward died, and he proceeded to
carry out an idea which he had long cherished. He
determined to expand his school into an establishment
which should provide for sons of the local gentry and
commercial community of Tyneside an education ap-
proaching to that which was given at Winchester and
Eton, Westminster and Harrow. Mrs. Bruce entered
heartily into the project, and on the 18th of June, 1806,
a circular was issued announcing the commencement of
a new Academy in Newcastle, in " that large and airy
house in Percy Street, at present occupied by Mr.
Fish wick."
Mr. Bruce, although, so to speak, a born school-
master, united to skill in teaching an uncommon capa-
bility for business. While, therefore, happy tact and
gentle firmness secured the goodwill of the pupils, dili-
gence and punctuality won the confidence of parents.
In no great while Brace's School became one of the
best known, because one of the most successful, educa-
tional institutions in the town. There " county people, "
wealthy merchants, and successful tradesmen placed
their sons, and there the lads received an education
which fitted them for college, the Quayside, or the
counter. Among them, at Midsummer, 1815, George
Stephenson, engineman at Killingworth Colliery, placed
his son Robert, then about twelve years old, and in
after life the great engineer was accustomed to say
that to Mr. Bruce's tuition and methods of modelling
the mind he owed much of his success, for from him
he derived his taste for mathematical pursuits, and the
faculty of applying it to practical purposes.
Not only was Mr. Bruce a skilful teacher and sound
man of business. He had another quality which helped
his fortunes. He was an educational enthusiast. About
the time that Percy Street Academy began to prosper,
public interest in the matter of popular education was
riding upon the crest of a long and wide-rolling wave,
which (if the simile will bear it) Lancaster and Bell may
be said to have set in motion. Every movement which
tended to reduce intc practical shape the crusade against
ignorance had his earnest support. When, as a mark of
gratitude and loyalty, it was determined to commemorate
the fiftieth year of the reign of George III. in Newcastle
by providing for the unsectarian instruction of " the
lower orders of youth, " he acted as co-secretary with the
Rev. William Turner in the arrangements out of which
the Royal Jubilee School reared its massive pediment
above the New Road. He officiated in the same capacity
to the committee of management of the school, sub-
scribed to its funds, and in the second year of its existence
made the handsome proposal to admit into his academy
for twelve months the boy who most distinguished
himself in the school each year— showing thereby that
his zeal in the cause of intellectual progress was of
that practical sort which involves sacrifice. Another
educational institution with which he identified himself
was the Literary and Philosophical Society, then in the
height of its fame and usefulness. He read few papers,
and delivered no lectures, but he was an active member
of the committee, and by his experience of teaching, and
his knowledge of books, helped to make the institution
the centre of intellectual life in Newcastle. In con-
junction with his brother, he wrote an admirable school-
book, entitled "An Introduction to Geography and
Astronomy, by the Use of Globes and Maps ; to which
are added, the Construction of Maps, and a Table of
Latitudes and Longitudes." Other publications of his
were an "Historical and Biographical Atlas," and a
life of his friend Dr. Charles Button. If time had per-
mitted, he would probably have made other contribu-
tions to local literature ; but, devoted to his profession,
Mr. Bruce rarely sought change or relaxation outside
the special work which fell within its scope. He became
a member of the Society of Antiquaries, but took no
prominent part in its management or in its deliberations.
He was an elder of Clavering Place Chapel, but abstained
from participation in the religious controversies of the
time. Although an ardent advocate of the abolition of
slavery in the West Indies, he kept aloof from political
128
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
fMarch
conflict. To educate youth was his mission ; to that
object he devoted all bis time azd all his energies.
Mr. Bruce died on the 31st October, 1334, at the age of
59, and was buried in the Nonconformist cemetery at the
top of Westgate Hill, which, a year or two before, he had
helped to establish, and of which he was a trustee. The
Newcastle Chronicle of the 8th November following paid
this striking tribute to his genius, his piety, and his
success:—
The deceased possessed an enlarged and cultivated
understanding, and had the comparatively rare faculty
of communicating every variety of learning to every
variety of intellect, in a manner which at once secured
the respect and affection of the pupil ; and so eminently
successful has he been as a public instructor, that a
considerable portion of those persons who are now filling
influential and respectable situations in this district of
the country have been his pupils, and acknowledge with
gratitude their obligations to their departed preceptor.
In private life he was eminently distinguished for the
sincerity and constancy of his friendships, and for the
exhibition of those charities which adorn and sweeten the
family circle ; and whether we contemplate him in the
character of a husband, a lather, or a master, he affords
an example which few reach, but which it is desirable
all should follow.
A few days after his interment j. public meeting of
friends and pupils was held in Newcastle, at which it
was resolved to perpetuate his memory by the erection
of a monument, which should "express the loss society
has sustained by his death, and stimulate posterity to
follow his bright example." Upon the committee
appointed to carry the resolution into effect were such
well-known men as the Revs. William Hawks, James
Pringle, Richard Pengilly, and James Everett, Dr.
Wightman, Messrs. Thomas and James Annandale,
Thomas Cargill, R. R. Dees, John Fenwick, James
Finlay, William Kell, William Nesharu,
and Joseph Watson. Their delibera-
tions ended in the beautiful monument
which, from a commanding position in
Westgate Hill Cemetery, overlooks the
eastern end of Elswick Road, and re-
cords the successful labours of a man
who, "possessing an unquenchable
ardour in the pursuit of knowledge,
stored his capacious mind with the
learning which could expand the in-
tellect, invigorate the character, and
promote the happiness of mankind,"
enjoyed " the satisfaction of seeing
many of his pupils occupying dignified
stations in the professional and com-
mercial sections of the community."
The fame of Percy Street Academy
was upheld and widely expanded for
nearly a half century after Mr. Brace's
death by his illustrious son and suc-
cessor, now the venerable Dr. John
Collingwood Bruce, historian of the
Roman Wall, fellow of various learned
societies, and promoter of innumerable schemes of phil-
anthropy and benevolence. No small portion of the
father's genius fell also upon a younger son, George
Barclay Bruce, who, having learned the profession of
an engineer under Robert Stephenson, and filled high
positions among great undertakings, has recently re-
ceived the honour of knighthood.
ISUa <Tam.
|i 1 1 ERE are three mountain lakxlets of this name
in the English Lake District. One is at the
head of the Watendlath valley, and another is
in Patterdale ; but it is that which nestles in a deep rocky
hollow at the head of Little Langdale to which attention
is now drawn. It is the Blea Tarn par excellence — the
others being in no way comparable to it either for scenery
or poetic associations. The name i« derived from "blaae, "
a Danish word meaning blue ; or the Swedish word "bla,"
having the same signification. The view from the road
looking towards great Langdale, is most impressive, the
Langdale Pikes forming a background hardly excelled in
any other part of England. The highest peak is known
as Harrison Stickle, next is the Pike o' Stickle, whilst
the small cone to the left of the mountain group is the
Gimmer Crag, having an almost unbroken descent of
over 2,000 feet. The immediate surroundings of Blea
Tarn were formerly destitute of foliage. This would
seem to have been the condition of the district even as
late as the time of Wordsworth. Now, however, a num-
ber of larches are flourishing near the tarn, and on the
BLEA TARN.
March 1
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
hill side, near a small farmhouse, are tnany trees, though
somewhat stunted in growth. The house is certainly in a
desolate spot. How the dwellers therein fare in the
depth of winter can only be imagined. Wordsworth
looked at the scene with a poet's eye, and selected it as
the home of the Solitary in his " Excursion." His stand-
point—not the same as that selected by the photographer
of the accompanying view, Mr. Alfred Pettitt, of Keswick
— is supposed to have been on a ridge to the north of the
road. It is known as "Wordsworth's seat," and is
pointed out to visitors by the farmer who occupies the
cottage. The view hence is scarcely less striking than
that depicted in our engraving, including, as it does, a
fine prospect of Bow Fell, and its frowning neighbours —
that is providing the weather be propitious, which is not
always the case in these higher latitudes, as the traveller
often finds to his cost. The tarn itself presents no feature
of interest. It is a still, solemn pool of oval shape, which
has been described as " reflecting nothing but crags and
clouds by day, and crags and stars by night." Here is
Wordsworth's description of the scene in the "Excur-
sion " : —
Behold !
Beneath our feet a little lowly vale,
A lowly vale, and yet uplighted high
Among the mountains ; even as if the spot
Had been, from earliest time, by wish of theirs,
So placed, to be shut out from all the world.
Urn-like it was in shape, deep as an urn ;
With rocks encompassed, save that co the south
Was one small opening, where a heath-clad ridge
Supplies a boundary less abrupt and close ;
A quiet, treeless nook, with two green fields,
A liquid pool that glittered in the sun.
And one bare Dwelling ; one Abode, no more !
It seemed the home of poverty and toil,
Though not of want : the little fields, made green
By husbandry of many thrifty years,
Paid cheerful tribute to the moorland house.
— There crows the cock, single in his domain :
The small birds find in spring no thicket there
To shroud them, only from the neighbouring vales
The cuckoo, straggling up to the hill tops,
Shouted faint tidings of some gladder place.
jjNE of our best, earliest, and most persistent
songsters, the skylark (Alauda afvensis}, is
almost as great a favourite of poets and
naturalists as the nightingale. It commences to sing
quite early in the season, and can be heard in late
autumn, when other birds are mute, and when the
migrants have departed for the South. Some years ago I
heard a lark in song at half -past one o'clock on a fine
moonlight summer's morning, fully an hour before the
song thrushes and blackbirds commenced to tune up.
Unlike many of our favourite birds, the lark has but
few common names. In England it is known as the lark
and skylark ; in Scotland it is the laverock of the common
people and the poets. Scottish schoolboys propound a
kind of "guess," or conundrum, as to the dual names of
the lark, cuckoo, and snipe, thus : —
The cuckoo and the gowk, the laverock and the lark
that? mire-snipe, how many birds is
Although six names are given, only three birds are indi-
cated— cuckoo, lark, and snipe.
The lark is a resident, or rather partial resident, in the
Northern Counties. When severe weather sets in, many
of them retreat southwards, and their places are occupied
by birds of the same species from more Northern locali-
ties, or from the Scandinavian countries on the other side
of the North Sea.
The bird is a native of the whole of Europe. It does
not seem to penetrate as far north as the Faroe Islands,
Iceland, and Greenland, but it is found in Asia Minor
and North Africa. In winter, the migratory larks are
snared in vast numbers along the North, North-East, and
East Coasts, as also inland, and in the large towns they
are sold by thousands for the wretched mouthful of food
they furnish. Some time ago a large poultry and game
dealer informed me that the bulk of his winter lark sup-
plies were from the Yorkshire, West Lancashire, and
Lincolnshire coasts, though both Northumberland and
Durham contributed no small quota of slaughtered song-
sters to tickle the palates of epicures. Many thousands
also come from Ireland and the Continent.
The "manners and customs" of the skylark, with its
finely brownish-mottled plumage, are well known to most
country residents, and its song in summer's prime is a
"joy for ever." Mr. Duncan's drawing is a most life-like
representation. In early spring the birds separate into
pairs, and are soon looking out for suitable nesting places
in the meadows and pastures. Two broods are usually
reared in the year — the first about the middle of June, or
earlier if the weather be favourable ; the second brood in
late July or August. The male is rather larger and
longer than the female, and is distinguished from its mate
by the well-known crest on the top of the head, which is
raised and depressed at will. As most schoolboys know.
130
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
(March
the simple nest — not, however, so easily discovered — is
placed in a hollow of the ground, usually in a, grass field,
and on the moorlands amidst the tawny bent grass. The
nest is composed of dry grasses, the finer inside, the
coarser outside. The eggs, usually four in number, vary
much in form, size, and markings. Some, especially in
the rich lowlands, are of a greyish white colour, with a
tinge of purple, freckled all over with brownish spots, the
darker colour being mostly concentrated at the larger
end ; but in moorland districts they are almost invariably
dark-coloured, and marked very like those of the meadow
pipit, which, like the lark, nests amidst the dry bent
grass.
Skylarks manifest great attachment to their nests and
young, and, when incubation is in full swing, the hen
will almost allow herself to be lifted from the nest rather
than fly off. The bird never rises from or descends on to
its nest. When the nest is found, there may generally be
seen a narrow beaten track, extending often a good way
from it, by which the birds leave and return.
Professor Wilson (genial Christopher North) gives the
subjoined delicious word picture of the skylark and its
associations: — "Higher and higher than ever rose the
tower of Belus, soars and sings the lark, the lyrical poet
of the sky. Listen, listen ! and the more remote the
bird, the louder is his hymn in heaven. He seems, in his
loftiness, to have left the earth for ever, and to have for-
gotten his lowly nest. The primroses and the daisies,
and all the sweet hill flowers, must be remembered in the
lofty hill region of light. But just as the lark is lost— he
and his song together — both are again seen and heard
wavering down the sky, and in a little while he is walk-
ing, contented, along the furrows of the braided corn, or
on the clover lea that has not felt the ploughshare for
half a century." HENRY KERB.
jIFTER the failure of the Roman Republic
JfOTM of 1849, in whose service he had performed
prodigies of valour, General Garibaldi betook
himself to America, where he worked as a
journeyman for some time in the candle manufactory of
Signor Meucci, at Staten Island. He afterwards joined a
few of his countrymen and went to Panama. Five or six
times he crossed the isthmus between the Atlantic and
the Pacific, but found nothing to do. Then he departed
for Lima, where he got the command of a vessel, in which
he made some voyages — to Hong Kong, the Sandwich
Islands, and to Australia, and then round from Val-
paraiso to Baltimore, where he obtained the command of
another ship, the Commonwealth, a fine American clipper
vessel of above one thousand tons burthen, carrying the
American flag, and registered in New York, but owned
by Italians. In this ship he sailed for Burope in the
month of February, 1854, and in the course of the voyage
he put into Shields Harbour, where the Commonwealth
lay moored for a considerable time, taking in a cargo of
coals for Genoa.
Garibaldi having declined any public demonstration —
for, like all heroes, he was as modest as he was brave — it
was resolved, at a meeting held in the Lecture Room,
Newcastle, on Tuesday, March 28th, to present him with
an address of welcome and sympathy, accompanied with
a sword and telescope, to be purchased by a penny
subscription. The proposal, when made public, was re-
ceived with great enthusiasm, demands for subscription
lists coming from all parts of Tyneside. The presentation
took place on board the Commonwealth, at Shields, on
Tuesday, April llth, the day before she sailed. The fol-
lowing gentlemen attended as a deputation : — From New-
castle, Thomas Pringle, Martin Jude, Joseph Cowen,
jun., James Watson, James Charlton, John Kane, Josiah
Thomas, Angus McLeod, William Newton, William
Hedley ; from South Shields, Soloman Sutherland,
Robert Miller ; from North Shields, Robert Sutherland,
Thomas Hudson ; from London, G. Julian Harney ; also
Constantine Lewkaski, Polish exile. Mr. Pearson, the
general's broker, likewise accompanied the deputation.
The sword was a handsome weapon, with a gold hilt, on
which this inscription was engraved: — "Presented to
General Garibaldi by the people of Tyneside, friends of
European Freedom. Newcastle-on-Tyne, April, 1854."
The telescope — made by Mr. Joseph English, Grey
Street, Newcastle — bore the same inscription.
The deputation being introduced by Mr. Joseph Cowen,
jun., that gentleman said : —
General, — We are herea deputation appointed by a meet-
ing of the friends of European Freedom in Newcastle, to
express to you the gratification we have experienced at see-
ing you amongst us, and to assure you of our profound sym-
pathy for that noble cause with which you have cast the
fortunes of your life. It is as distasteful for us to indulge
in any complimentary ajxjlogies as I am sure it is for you
to listen to them, yet we feel it necessary to offer a word
or two in explanation of our proceedings. As soon as it
became known that you were to visit the Tyne, an
unanimous and enthusiastic desire was expressed by those
who sympathised with the heroic struggles of your
countrymen for their nationality and independence, to
give you a welcome worthy of your great and well-won
reputation as a soldier of freedom, and befitting this
important district to offer. Your modesty would not
permit you to accept such a demonstration. We could
well understand your personal dislike to such a display,
yet we would have rejoiced at having had such an oppor-
tunity as the occasion would have afforded of urging our
Government to regard the insurgent peoples, and not the
absolutist and reactionary potentates of Europe, as theii
most legitimate and faithful allies in the coming conflict,
and of demonstrating to these said sovereigns the little
regard entertained by Englishmen for their characters and
calling ; yet we felt that in such a matter you were first
and alone to be consulted, and at your request the propo-
sition was abandoned. But, being unwilling to permit you
to leave without some memorial of your visit, we have
chosen this private and more acceptable, but we trust no
less significant, mode of expressing to you the deep and
earnest sympathy entertained by the people of Tyneside
for your country and cause.
March!
1889. I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
I
Mr. Cowen then read the following address :—
General, — Your presence in Newcastle affords an occa-
sion for a pleasure and a duty. It is indeed a pleasure for
us to welcome to our town the glorious defender of the
Eternal City, the Italian patriot and hero, the friend and
worthy helpmate of Mazzini in the holy work of Italian
emancipation. We do welcome you right heartily. And
in offering you with this welcome, the assurance of our
most profound respect, we do not pretend to be conferring
any honour upon you. The hero always honours the
place of his sojourn. Neither do we care, by any enumer-
ation of your gallant deeds, to justify our estimate of your
worth. Your life and character are well known to
Europe, and the mere name of Garibaldi is sufficient
passport to the admiration of his contemporaries and the
undying praise of history. Your example may also keep
us in mind of our duty, the never-ceasing duty of at least
encouraging by sympathetic words, if we cannot help by
deeds, all who, like yourself and your compatriots, are
ably engaged in the struggle for the Right. We pray
you to believe that the heart of England is with your
Italy. We, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, may take upon us
to say so much. Whatever bargains may be made by
Cabinets, whatever may be the unhappy complications of
diplomacy, whatever may be our popular ignorance of
foreign affairs, the people of England can never willingly
be a party to any policy which would sacrifice the Italian
nation to imperial or kingly interests. We would not so
give the lie to our own worship of freedom. You, ( Jeneral,
have not to be told that even a people which is free from
foreign mastery may yet not be so much its own master
as to always rule its course in the way its feelings and its
conscience point. Yet be sure of this : England hopes
for Italian independence. England may yet help it,
when our hope ripens into earnest will. And when they
who drive out the Austrian build up again a Republican
capital upon the Seven Hills, the heirs of Milton and
Cromwell will not be the last to say, even from their
deepest heart, God speed your work !
After reading the address, Mr. Cowen went on to say :
General, — Along with this address I have tn ask you to
receive this sword and this telescope. The intrinsic
value of these articles is but small, and to a Republican
chieftain who is accustomed to animate his compatriots
by deeds of personal prowess such a sword my be more
ornamental than useful. But when I tell you that it is
purchased by the pennies of some hundreds of working
men, contributed not only voluntarily, but with enthusi-
asm, and that each penny reprepresents a heart which beats
true to European freedom, it will not, 1 think, be un-
worthy of your acceptance and preservation. We are not
versed in the polite phraseology of diplomacy ; of the
refined conventionalisms of courts we are ignorant ; re-
presentatives of the people, we have no costly presents to
offer for your acceptance ; but with that simplicity which
best befits Republicans, we ask you to receive as a token
of our esteem the articles before us.
Garibaldi, who was much moved by this spontaneous
expression of good-will, replied as follows :—
Getitlfcinen, — I am very weak in the English language,
and can but imperfectly express my acknowledgments for
your over great kindness. You honour me beyond my
deserts. My services are not worthy of all the favours
you have shown me. You more than reward me for any
sacrifices I may have made in the cause of freedom. One
of the people — a workman like yourself — I value very
highly these expressions of your esteem — the more so
because you testify thereby your sympathy for my poor,
oppressed, and down-trodden country. Speaking in a
strange tongue, I feel most painfully my inability to thank
you in terms sufficiently warm. The future will alone
show how soon it will be before I am called on to un-
sheath the noble gift I have just received, and again
battle in behalf of that which lies nearest my heart — the
freedom of my native land. But be sure of this — Italy
will one day be a nation, and its free citizens will know
how to acknowledge all the kindness shown her exiled sons
in the days of their darkest troubles. Gentlemen, I
would say more, but my bad English prevents me Yon
can appreciate my feelings and understand my hesitation
Again I thank you from my heart of hearts, and be con-
fident of this— that whatever vicissitudes of fortune I may
hereafter pass through, this handsome sword shall never
3 drawn by me except in the cause of liberty.
An interesting conversation on the aspect of affairs in
Europe then took place between Garibaldi and his
visitors. Subsequently, Mr. Cowen proposed the health
of " General Garibaldi, and may the next time he visits
the Tyne be as the citizen of an united Italian Republic,"
Mr. Lewkaski adding that he hoped the next time he
met him would be on the banks of the Tiber, and not the
Tyne— a wish which the General very warmly recipro-
cated. Mr. Harney proposed in fitting terms the health
of "Joseph Mazzini, the illustrious compatriot of Gari-
baldi," which was drunk with great enthusiasm. The
deputation then survejed the vessel, exchanged friendly
greetings with the patriot crew, and left for South
Shields, three hearty cheers being given for Garibaldi and
the good ship Commonwealth as the boat passed under
her bows.
The crew of the Commonwealth were all exiles— most
of them Italians who had fought under their captain in
Rome and the Banda Oriental. Though they sailed under
the star-spangled banner, none were American citizens.
The following letter was penned just as the writer left
the Tyne :—
Ship Commonwealth, April 12th, 1854.
My dear Cowen,— The generous manifestation of sym-
pathy with which I have been honoured by you and your
fellow-citizens is of itself more than sufficient to recom-
pense a life of the greatest merit. Born and educated as
I have been in the cause of humanity, my heart is en-
tirely devoted to liberty — universal liberty — national
and world-wide — 'ora e sempre' (now and for ever).
England is a great and powerful nation — independent of
auiliary aid — foremost in human progress — enemy to des-
potism— the only safe refuge of the exile — friend of the
oppressed ; but if ever England, your native country,
should be so circumstanced as to require the help of an
ally, cursed be that Italian who would not step forward
with me in her defence. Your Government has given the
Autocrat a check and the Austrians a lesson. The des-
pots of Europe are against you in consequence. Should
England at any time in a just cause need my arm, I am
ready to unsheath in her defence the noble and splendid
sword received at your hands. Be the interpreter of my
gratitude to your good and generous countrymen. I
regret, deeply regret, to leave without again grasping
hands with you. Farewell, my dear friend, but not
adieu ! Make room for mo in your heart. — Yours always
and everywhere, G. GARIBALDI.
P.S. — At Rio de la Plata I fought in favour of the
English against the tyrant Rosas.
The Rev. H. R. Haweis, writing of the Battle of the
Volturno, and quoting the words of an actor in that
conflict, speaks of Garibaldi " drawing his famous Eng-
lish sword and leading the decisive charge which turned
the fortunes of the day." This was the sword which was
presented to the patriot by his friends on Tyneside. An
old Garibaldian, one of the famous Thousand of Marsala
who effected the conquest of Sicily, states that his great
chief in all his Italian battles constantly carried the
weapon whose history we have here related.
132
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I Marctt
1 1889
f0v
|JOT many years ago it was a popular belief
that a stone brought from Ireland possessed
the virtue of curing cattle that had the
misfortune to have been envenomed by the
bite of an adder or similar reptile. Not only were Irish
stones held in high estimation as charms, but Irish sticks
were alike prized. The farmer who dwelt in a valley in-
fested with adders was fortunate if he possessed an Irish
horse or an Irish cow ; a tooth of the former would as
effectually neutralise a sting as an Irish stone or stick,
and a touch from the cow was equally as efficacious. If a
native of Ireland made a circle with his finger around a
reptile, it died. According to Pliny, a serpent cannot
escape out of a circle drawn around it with an ash rod, a
belief held in Devonshire. In Germany the sap
of the ash tree is drunk as a remedy for serpent
bites, whilst in Sweden the touch of a hazel-rod
deprives serpents of their venom. The Irish charm-
stone, however, was the most popular reptile remedy
throughout the North of England and in Scotland, and
the belief in its virtue may be said to yet linger in the
secluded dales north of the Humber.
The following evidence of the belief in the virtue of the
Irish charm in the North of England has been gathered
by the writer, and may be considered the remnants of a
deeply rooted superstition in the localities referred to.
In the month of October, 1884, I handled a once famous
Irish stone which was in the custody of a good dame,
residing beneath the shadow of the Old Abbey of Blanch-
land, in Northumberland. On inquiry being made for
the charm, a search was made in the corner of a drawer,
and a bag, yellow with age, was carefully brought out,
unfolded, and its contents — the Irish stone — exhibited.
The good lady was seventy-eight years of age, and the
charm was in the house when she married into it, forty-
nine years before. It was the property of her husband,
who died about twenty -nine years since, and she had heard
him say that the stone belonged to his father. During her
time it had been lent "all up and down " to individuals
who had got envenomed, or had cattle so suffering, and
she could testify that its application stopped inflamma-
tion, as she remembered effectually rubbing the face of
her husband, who had been stuns; by a bee. The charm
which, as she had heard them tell, came from Conuaught,
is a water worn flint, lentiform, of a dark colour, blotched
with white. This Blanchland charm had not been used
for several years, but within the good lady's remembrance
it was of considerable repute, it being the only Irish stone
in the district. According to popular belief, there is
probably no place north of the Humber where a " charm
for venom" could be of more use than at Blanchland.
The banks of the river, the Derwent, a tributary of
the Tyne, are said to be greatly infested with adders.
They are curiously enough called the "Earl of Derwent-
water's adders," and thereby hangs a tale, which, if not
so poetical as the legend of St. Patrick and the reptiles,
is interesting in its way. Previous to the unfortunate
earl suffering death no adders or other reptiles, so
the story goes, haunted the banks of the Derwent.
However, immediately the head of the earl rolled from
the block in 1715, adders appeared in abundance on
the river's banks almost from the source of the stream to
where it enters the Tyne. The Derwent partly bounds
some of the Derwentwater estates, and here adders are
at the present day particularly numerous. Hence the
Blanchland charm was held in very high estimation,
numerous applications being formerly made for it.
An " oldest inhabitant " at the head of the Wear valley,
in the County of Durham, once informed me that he had
had his arm rubbed with an Irish stone. When a boy
and helping his father to build a stone wall in the
fields, he had his thumb envenomed by some kind of
a reptile. His father, a shrewd Scotchman, had
previously procured a stone brought from the Emerald
Isle by a wandering native. This charm stone was
brought out and applied, commencing at the shoulder
from whence the rubbing with the stone was gradually
brought down the arm, until the pain was driven
out. My informant was an intelligent resident who
died five or six years ago at the age of 92 years. At
Stanhope, in Weardale, a similar charm was kept by
a Mrs. Clarke, who applied it to all comers with en-
venomed limbs. The Stanhope stone, as described to
me by a person who once had his hand rubbed with it to
cure a sting, was about two inches square and about an
inch thick. A few years ago a friend informed me that
an Irish stone existed in a house on the banks of the
Tees, near the town of Middlelon-in-Teesdale, and was
kept expressly for the purpose of curing venom.
Both of these charms have their history of wonderful
cures.
Irish sticks were also held in high estimation for
their healing powers in the Northern dales. Seventy
years ago Weardale possessed one owned by a per-
son named Morley. An elderly woman, now dead,
gave me the following particulars respecting herself and
this wonderful stick : — When a scholar at the village
school she had a ring- worm on her arm, and the mistress of
the school rubbed the part affected with her gold wedding
ring, a supposed remedy ; but the wedding ring charm
failed, and the scholar was despatched to Morley's. The
famed stick, which had a great reputation in the valley,
was brought into operation and as far as my informant
could remember a cure was affected. Sixty odd years
ago an innkeeper's daughter, at St. John's Chapel,
got stung in the hand, whilst working in the garden.
The hand was cured by the application of an Irish
stick, which was about five inches long and an inch
March!
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
133
thick. It was well polished, through repeated operations,
and the charm remained at the public-house for many
years, having almost as much practice as the village
doctor. My informant, who died a few months
ago, was eye witness to the operation, and was a brother
of the young woman who was thus cured.
The teeth of an Irish horse were evidently as efficacious
as stones and sticks. Seventy odd years ago peats
were largely used as a fuel by the dwellers in the
higher reaches of the Wear valley. A Weardale resi-
dent informed me that he remembered a lead miner's
wife, who, whilst stacking peats, or in local parlance,
mooing peats, in the yard, had her hand envenomed .by
some reptile which had been amongst the peats when
brought in from the moors. A neighbour, hearing of the
good woman's misfortune, sent an Irish horse tooth with
instructions to rub it over the envenomed hand. The
order was obeyed, a cure was effected, and the tooth,
having added to its reputation as a charm, was kept as
such for many long years afterwards. A farmer in the
same district informed me that an Irish horse tooth was
for many years kept on his premises as a charm for
venom.
An Irish cow possesses the hidden virtue accord-
ing to the following: — A friend in Teesdale informs
me of a person who was envenomed by the bite of an
ether. His hand and arm swelled to such a degree that
he could not get his ncif through his great coat sleeve but
with difficulty. Though this was alarming, a remedy
was looming in the distance. In Holwick village, on the
Yorkshire side of the Tees, a farmer kept an Irish cow
reputed to be of the right kind for working a cure.
Thither posted the suffering man. On the patient nearing
the farmstead, the sympathising animal trotted to meet
him, and energetically licked his hand. The cure was
miraculous. A relation of mine witnessed some sixty
years ago an extraordinary result of this virtue in Irish
cattle. Large herds of these animals are driven through
Northumberland to the Southern markets. They
were frequently depastured for a night at Redesdale
in one particular pasture which was infested with
adders. One morning, after a drove of Irish cattle had
departed, hundreds of dead adders, as witnessed by my
friend, were found on the ground. The belief is that if
an adder gets on to where an Irish cow has been lying it
cannot get off, but dies. As previously stated, adders
abound on the banks of the Derwent in North-
umberland. At a place called Ackton, close to this
stream, cows frequently get envenomed in the pastures.
A dweller, having a cattlegate on a neighbouring farm,
called Winnoshill, bought an Irish cow, and, fortunately
for the owner, no reptile would touch it. My informant
was an observing man. He had seen eight young adders
bolt into the mouth of their parent and disappear on
being suddenly surprised \
WILLIAM MOHLKT EGGLESTONK.
j]R. JOHN KOBINSON, a tradesman of New-
castle, was fortunate enough, in the course of
the year 1838, to rescue from destruction a
large mass of documents which throw more or less light
on the history and doings of the famous Northumbrian
family of the Delavals. Some account of this family has
already been given in the Monthly Chronicle (see vol. i.,
p. 4-37) : but we are concerned now with what we may
fairly describe as the Delaval Find.
The finder himself has explained to the Society of
Antiquaries the nature of the documents he has saved
from oblivion. The late Dr. Charlton, about twenty
years ago, made mention, in an interesting lecture on
"Society in Northumberland in the 17th Century," of
the thousands of papers belonging to the Delaval family
which were preserved at Ford Castle, among which
were letters from nearly all the principal families of the
North of England, as well as from the leading literary
men of the last century. Ever since the delivery of Dr.
Charlton's lecture, said Mr. Robinson, local historians
had longed to have an opportunity of inspecting the
collection at Ford. Yet during all these years there had
been a vast pile of letters, despatches, and old records
lying in a roofless warehouse at Old Hartley, not a dozen
miles from Newcastle. Some few of these had been
reduced to a decomposed mass of pulp, through the
action of the winters' snows and summers' rains of
more than fifty years. It was only by a portion of the
roof falling upon the old papers that any of them had
been preserved. Among these were the great seal of
Henry VII., the privy seal of James I., an autograph
of Queen Anne, and an autograph of the ill-fated Earl of
Derwentwater.
It was through the courtesy of Mr. Lumsden, agent to
the Marchioness of Waterford, that Mr. Robinson was
allowed to collect what he thought would be of any
interest. He began his labours among a vast collection of
ledgers, tabulating the wages paid to the various work-
men engaged in constructing Seaton Sluice a hundred
years ago ; but, as he turned over ledger after ledger and
countless piles of vouchers, he began to pick up packets
of private letters of the Delavals, Irish State papers, and
Admiralty despatches to Capt. Delaval, with innumer-
able receipts for legacies and annuities paid to almost
every family in Northumberland of any importance,
together with the cost of cows bought at Hexham and
Morpeth in the year 1590, as well as receipts for the
daily articles used in castle and cot from time im-
memorial.
The following is an extract from one of the family
letters written by Mrs. Astley (Rhoda Delaval), probably
in 1751 :—
Yesterday se'nnight we were all at Newcastle assembly.
134
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
(March
\ 18«9.
There was a great deal of good company. It was the
day of the Mayor's feast. Ridley is Mayor. My Lady
Blackett was there, and made many inquiries after you.
My Lord Ravensworth dined here the other day. We
have pitched the tent by the sea-side. It is placed in the
Ijreat oval in the garden, all the warm weather, where we
drink tea every afternoon. I imagine you have heard
that Mr. Bailey is dead. Mrs. Symms says he left ten
thousand pounds. He died of a fever. It is surprising
to know what great cures have been done by Dr. James's
powders. Here a sad fever has gone round the country.
All who have taken it have recovered. I believe I told
Sm that Sir John Grey is quite well, and seven more at
artley that have taken the powders are cured of very
sad fever after they had been light-headed some daya.
The same lady writes again : —
Tinmouth and Cullercoates are much in fashion ; not a
room empty. My Lady Kavensworth and my Lady
Clavering were a month at Cullercoates bathing. My
Lady (Swinburne and Miss Swinburne are gone to live at
York. I must leave off, as it is chappie Sunday, though
I am in a very scribbling humour. We shall have a very
thin congregation to-day. It is the first Sunday divine
service has been performed at Mr. .Ridley's chappie at
Blyth, and curiosity will carry most of the people thither.
The old letters abundantly confirm the popular stories
about the amusements at Seaton Delaval. George
Delaval, writing to his brother Thomas in February,
1753, says: — "It was in the Daily Advertiser that
upwards of four thousand gentlemen and ladies had been
assembled at Seaton Delaval to see the rope dancers."
Mrs. Astley writes in December : — " Bob has undertaken
to entertain us with a pantomime entertainment of his
own composing these Christmas holidays. He has taken
in most all the people in the house as performers. I
fancy it will be a very curious sight." Later, she informs
her correspondent how the affair had gone off : — " Bob
has performed his pantomime entertainment before a
great number of county folk, who showed their approba-
tion by great fits of laughter."
Much theatrical and other gossip of the time is con-
tained in the following letter from Foote, the actor and
dramatist of Dr. Johnson's day : —
London, March 13.
In the North. What d'ye do in the North when you
are wanted in the West? On the 24th instant appears a
Farce of your H'ble Servant, which without the power-
ful aid of such Freinds as Mr. Delaval will I fear en-
counter a most disastrous Destiny.
The Recorder of your Town of Newcastle has lately oc-
casiund a small inflammation at Court. About four months
since he dind with Ld. Kavensworth, and takeing up a
newspaper which mentiond the Bishop of Glouscester as
the Bishop of Chichesters successor in the Prince of Wals's
family, declard that was the seccjd great officer about
the Prince whom he had formerly known to drink
treasonable Healths, Andrew Stone being the other.
Ld Ravensworth made a Report of this to the Cabinet
Council, which the two delinquents with the Solicitor-
General, he being equally culpable, were ordered to
attend ; sundry examinations were had, of what nature
has not transpird ; the result of all is that the sub-
sequent loyal attachment of these Gentlemen should
obliterate the stain of their former principles, and the
prosecution be branded with the ignominious titles of
groundless, trifling, and vexatious.
There is no news but what the papers will bring you,
but we have long and pompous accounts of the Tilts,
tournements, tumblings, and Bull-baitings at Seaton.
Your Uncle Price says Mr. Pelham has hired the two
danceing Bears to transmitt to your Brother by way of
keeping him in the country till the Parliament is up, and
Chitty swears that the coliers ac Billinsgate imploy all
their Leizure hours in flinging of Somersets. You must
expect the Wits to be arch, but I dont know how to take
your calling me one, in your last, as I know in what light
you men of Bussness regard that Character, but I give you
leave to think of me as you please in every other respect,
provided you do me Justice in one Article, that I am &
ever shall be Dear Mr Delaval's
Most obligd & obedt Servt
SAML. FOOTE.
Another letter of Foote's, as ill-spelt as the one just
quoted, is addressed to Mr. John Delaval. It will be
seen that the dramatist mixes up some scandal with his
theatrical small talk : —
Pal Mai, Jany. 17th.
I am sorry Dear Mr. Delaval should suppose he wanta
a subject to interest and entertain me, whilst he has it in.
his power to communicate his own happiness, &c., and
that of his family. To the latter you have this morning a
collateral addition by the birth of a Son to Miss Roach.*
The Theatres have each producd a pantomime. That
of Covent Garden is the Sorcerer, revivd with a new
piece of Machinery that is elegantly designed and happily
executed. The subject is a Fountain. The Genii of
Drury Lane has some pretty contrivances, but the
Inspector complains of its being barren of Incidents,
defective in the plan, and improbable in the Denoue-
ment. We have had no new Comedys but one given by
Mr. Weymondsel and his Lady, Jo. Child is gone to
France, the frail fair one turnd outof Doors,and a suit for
a Divorce commencd. Francis's Tragedy called Con-
stantiu is to be acted at Covent Garden. A Comedy
called the Gamester is soon to be played at Drury Lane.
1 am writing the English Man at Paris for Macklyn's
benefit. The Attorney General is to be made a Peer, the
Solicitor Attorney, and York Solicitor General.
This is all the news I have now to offer, and, indeed,
all that I have to say, except that
I am most sincerely yours,
SAML. FOOTE.
The scale and magnificence of the private theatricals
given by the Delavals can be best understood by the cost
of one of the entertainments at Seaton Delaval. Here is
a financial record which Mr. Robinson haa discovered
among the wreckage at Hartley : —
ESTIMATE OF EXPENCE ATTENDn PLAY AT SEATON DELAVAL,
FEBR. 1, 179a
Ibs. £ B. D
6 Hams Ornamented, at a mean 2011). each, 120 at 7d. . . 3 10 0
2 Do. Swarm and Boar's Head,201lj. ea. 10 at 7d. . . 1 3 4
6 Turkey pyes, calculated at 12s. each 3 12 0
6 Ox tongues ornamented, 2s. 6d. p 0 15 0
2 Do. plain. Do. 0 5 0
2 Fillets Veal, 51hs. each, lOlbs. at 6d 050
SPlatesof Collard Beef, at l/6p 0 12 a
4 Aspeaks, contg 40 smelts io strong sauce, 3s. p 0 12 0
52 Fowls includg Baisting, &c., compd 1/6 p 318 0
12 Ibs. Butter, estimated for ornamentg Hams, &C, 012 0
6 Ibs. Hog:s lard for Swann, &c., 8d 0 4 6
12 Lobsters, at 9d. p. 090
16 Plates of Jellys, 2/6 200
14 Do. Blomonge, 2s 180
7 Large and small Savoy Cakes, at 5s. p. 1 15 0-
10 Apple Tarts, 1/6 0 15 0
80 Cneese Cakes. Id. 068
30 Apricot Tartletts, 3d. p 076
24 Strawberry do. 2(1. p. 040
40 Raspberry do. 2d. p. 0 6 8
Confectionery acct. for cakes and Sundry sweet- V 4 0 ft
meats, mottos, &c., &c f
Cakes charged by Mr. Nuthwaite 0 17 6
200 Golden pippins, 9s. , and 89 oranges, 10s. 6d. 0 19 6
10 Plates of Blanched Almonds and Raisins, Is. 6d. p. . 0 15 0
24 do. of Figs. French Plumbs, &c., at 4d p. 080
White Bread used and crumbled away, &c,,
2d.p.forl20 100
31 0 2
See Monthly Chronicle, 1888, p. 283.
March
1889.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
135
1 Pye left nearly whole .. .0100 & "" "' ?fter havj"? Perused it lately (for 'twas by mere accident
1 large Savoy Cake ................ 070 i recover d it) two or three times, I cannot find out what
1 Tongue .......................... 0 2 6 I aim'd at by such a reverie.
!h?n? atn,'J,Bo<?r's,H^ nea,r'y wk°;e 1 0 0 J.have read the GoosequiU twice since I have seen you
kit Confectioner's Articles with very great satisfaction, and ajjree with Dr Hill
Jellys', none of consequence.' ..... - 3 4 0 *r± 'her,M°Tnody '* as fine? Pief of "dicule as ha, lately
27 16 2 appeared. I am to spend a classical hour or two with
Beef for Gentlemen's servts., drivers, &c., Dlm tnis week, and we both wish you wou'd be so kind
abt. 112 Ibs. at 4d ......................... 117 4 as to give us the favor of yr company. If you shou'd
nhtoTn y d°' d°" come t° Vauxhall any night this week, yr chariot must of
abt. 4 loaves 2s. p. ........................ OJ 0 necessity pass by My lodgings which Ire at Mr. Bob"
Hay for abt. 80 horses, computed 80. p. 2 13 4 ' Larsan s, burgeon in Lambeth, where I shou'd be obliged
Oats for do., 3d. p 100 to you for a Bow as you go by the window. I am already
- 3 13 4 ln. 2reat Imputation, from having been seen to walk
4 Ibs. Wax Candles for Dining Table extra, privately with you in the Gardens
2s. Wd ................................... Oil 4 lamSr
51b& Sperm, for Chandellicrs, &a, 2s. 6d. ____ 0 12 6 Yr mnst nhliVrl ft, nlWI* « f
Jibs. do. for Side Tables, &c. . 076 * r most oblig rt & obedt bert.
1 11 4 THOMAS SWITZEB.
12 Ibs. Mold Candles for stage Candlesticks, HINT TAKEN FROM THE GOOSEQUILL
^.Tano^or^;^::::::::::::::::: c°108 8 ^MStS38£»»
Musicians supd. wages ............ 4 14 6 As a -!• air-one commanded he came at the word
Painter and Horse hire, about ...... 1 11 6 And did the grand ofh'ce in tyewig and sword.
Chaise Hire for Musicians, about. ... 0 15 0 The atfair being ended so sweet and so nice
- — 710 He held out his hand with— a— you know M'era my price •
Woman In kitchen, meat 4 wages, 6 days, Is. Yr price? says my Lady-why Sr 'tis a brother
Da in house 3 days',' 'da'.: :::'.::: : 0 4 I And Dootors must nevet take feesof each other.
3 Joiners, 1 Day, each" 2s ..................... 060
3Labrs. takinecare Horses, &c., Is. 6d. p. ..046
2 Turners Waiters supd. will have £1 Is. p. ..220
^Sr3davVassistinginHouse,ls:6ip: 3Jji
2 Fidlers for the dance after supper ................... 110
47 17 0
Sundry Wines, Spts ,& Ale, &c ................... 17 4 9
65 1 9 - _ __
j Ibs. Tea, 10s .............................. 0 7 6
2 Ibs. Coffee, 4s ............................. 080 C A.PT \I\ BOVFR
5 Ibs. Sugar for Mull'd Wine, at 13d .......... 0 5 5 ==,
Bibs' Da forNea''us0lM.'>SC"UPStoir8'16id' 0 * ^ ^^SSjURING the greater portion of the eighteenth
12 Lemonsfor Do.riid....:.':::::::.'.'.'.'::::: 0 1 6 IB K^il II century, when all the nations of Europe
0Quarts0Cretla9p.rCOaee:^d'.'.'.'.'.'.'.-.'.'.'.'.'. 0 | I IRU WCre " ^^ ^'^ ^ "* °ther'
2* ESK8 .................................... 016 \£*^*^S&\ conscription enabled the Continental Powers
^^—— ^ 2 2 9A
__ to provide soldiers for their armies, while the English
6 Ibs. Com. Cands. Extra for House, Stables, &c ......... % 3 8* Government had in turn to resort to the "Law of
Impress " to procure seamen to man their ships of war,
14 Own Ffamy. Supr. 14s. & Tea 7s. dedt .............. 1 1 0 the Royal Navy being then, as now, the right arm of
neatExpence £55 7 2* England. This oppressive and unpopular law, when
„,,..,,, , „. T, , . brought into operation, naturally created an uneasy
The last letter from Mr. Robinson's collection it is
., .. ... , sense of individual danger amongst the sailors, keelmen,
necessary to quote here was evidently written by a poor
Gu c* *. u i n'u o -i. "j 11- and all workers on Tyneside whose avocations partook
rub Street hack. Thomas Switzer s grovelling appeal
for the honour of a bow from the wealthy Mr. Belaval is of a nautical cha!-aotCT' and were made sti» more hateful
of a piece wrth his boast that he is already in great ^ the arbltrary and cruel aots of the officlals to whom
reputation from having been seen to walk with him in had been entrusted the <=^ymg out of these laws.
Vauxhall Determined resistance, resulting in rioting and blood-
13th May. shed, often followed the arrival of a vessel of war in the
Sr,— I have brought two of my Friend's, Collins and T ,.0n His Majesty's Service" on the commence-
honest master Randolph, to wait on you. I hope you will
find something in the former as a Lyric ; and (if I have a ment of a press.
right notion of your taste) am confident that, notwith- Only a few songs expressive of the popular feeling on
standing the nuaintness of the times, in which Donne and
others his contemporaries hew'd out every line they wrote, the dolnSs of the Press Kane have survived the days of
you will desire a better acquaintance with the latter. A their interest, and these are nearly all in an incomplete
good critic in beauty can discover many fine features ... ,,.,,, , i n ^ • r> • *
under the monstrous ruffs and farthingales with which all form • but the short ballad of CaPtam Bover 18 one of
our old pictures are crouded and disgraced, the best.
and if you can have the patience to read a morceau of
mine written when 1 was a mere boy, under a love dis-
appointment, I shall be glad to know whether you can
find any drift or meaning in it, for 1 seriously declare,
.
chief, by Mr. Richard Welford, appeared not long since
^ th Nemastle Weeklv chronicle :-
The first commission for the impressment of seamen
136
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
March
was issued in the reign of Edward III. (1355), and upon
occasions of emergency the practice continued down to
recent times. Upon the Tyne, where the oversea coal
trade furnished an excellent training ground for seamen,
the system of forced service fell with remarkable
severity. Local annals teem with records of riot and
violence occasioned by the proceedings of the press gang
at Shields and Newcastle. Performing obnoxious duties,
aided by spies and informers, the officers and men of the
impress service were hated by the seafaring and riverside
people with an intensity of abhorrence that knew no
limit. "Retaining a vivid recollection of the scenes of
impressment which I have witnessed in my youth in
the streets of this very town," writes Mr. Salmon
("South Shields: Its Past, Present, and Future"), "the
screams of the women and the shouts and imprecations
ot the men, and the curses of the press gang who were
tracking like bloodhounds the flying steps of some un-
happy sailor, just returning perhaps in joy and expecta-
tion to his wife and children after an absence of years,
I cannot wonder at the abhorrence of the impress
service which always prevailed among the North-
Country seamen." To drub the gang, to outwit it, to
escape from its clutches, to tar and feather its minions,
were considered highly meritorious achievements, which
often found expression in stirring rhyme and thrilling
narrative.
During the war with America, the Regulating Captain
of the port of Newcastle, as the head of the impress
service here was officially designated, was John Bover.
He had been a captain in the Royal Navy, had seen
service, and was a brave and gallant officer. While he
remained in office, the barbarous system over which he
presided was carried out with tact and discretion. Aided
by his lieutenant, Cuthbert Adatnson, father of John
Adamson the antiquary, he made the forces under his
command respected as well as dreaded, for, although he
could not at all times restrain the eagerness of his sub-
ordinates to rescue men, he did his spiriting gently, and
accompanied by as little hardship as the nature of the
service permitted. With the one exception of the song,
no ill-feeling towards Captain Bover displays itself in
Tyneside literature ; no local annalist associates his name
with discreditable incidents ; no local poet perpetuates
disagreeable episodes of his life in scathing rhyme.
Among the official classes, the municipal authorities, and
the leading people in Newcastle, he was held in high
estimation.
When he died (May 20, 1782), aged 68 years, he was
honoured by a public funeral, "as a testimony of his
meritorious services to his king and country." Sykes
informs us that the East York and Westmorland
Militias, with their bands joined, marched from the
parade to the house of the deceased in the Bigg Market,
where the rank and file divided and lined the street to St.
Nicholas' Church. First came Grenadiers with reversed
muskets ; the beadles of St. John's and St. Nicholas'
with covered staves ; bands playing the "Dead March,"
with covered drums ; the boatswain and crew of the
deceased's barge; then the corpse, the pall borne by eight
naval officers; Lieut. Adamson, R.N., chief mourner, and
other mourners ; the ensigns of the militia, and of the
26th Regiment from Tynemouth ; lieutenants, captains,
and colonels, General Beckwith and Lord Adam Gordon ;
the Sheriff, Aldermen, and Recorder of Newcastle ; the
Mayor, with his attendants, and a battalion. In the
churchyard the Grenadiers fired three volleys, "and
thus, " adds Sykes, "did navy, military, and civil, with
many thousands of people of all ranks, with the most
minute decorum, pay the last tribute to the remains of a
good and gallant officer, and a worthy man."
Captain Bover was Regulating Captain of the Port of
Tyne for twenty-four years at least. There is in Mr.
Joseph Crawhall's possession a letter from the War
Office to the Commander of the Land Forces at New-
castle, as follows : —
War Office, 19tt May, 1759.
Sir,— The Right Honble. the Lords of the Admiralty
having represented to me that Capt. Bover, who is em-
ployed in raising men at Newcastle, will soon have a
sufficient number of Men to send round, and their Lord-
ships having desired tha» he may have a Party of Soldiers,
consisting of a Sergeant and twelve Men to go up with
them, in case the Men should be mutinous, I desire you
will be pleased to comply with their Lordships' request,
when applied to by Capt. Bover for that purpose. — I have
the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient humble servant,
BAKKINQTON.
To Major-General Whitmore, Newcastle.
The Rev. Dr. Bruce informed the writer some years
ago that he had heard Captain Bover was of French
extraction, and that the family name was "Bouvier."
The tune was taken down by the late Mr. Thomas
Doubleday from the singing of a street musician, but he
was unable to recover more than one verse of the ballad.
In his opinion the melody was undoubtedly Northum-
brian, and he thought could be traced back as far as the
latter part of Queen Anne's time or the accession of the
Hanover family. It is a tender and beautiful air,
enough to deserve the best elforta of a Burns to fit it
with appropriate verse.
Where he3 f been, maw can - ny hin - ny?
Where hes ti' be«n, maw win - some man?
Aw been ti' the nor-'ard cruis - ing back and for-'ard,
i \ m . s =^ ^
— -m—m-f JV :r~l V m 2 fJI i
Aw been ti' the nor-'ard cruis - ing sair and lang,
-jfr-fr-+--\t-=£s= =q^=
•ffrr1 • It ~ V &^ — t —
Aw been
the
'ard
-«-•-
Cruis - ing back and for - 'ard,
But
daur - na come a - shore for Bov-er and his gang.
, ilirtftljttrg*
HITTON TOWER, anciently Whetton, which
has long been the residence of the Rectors of
Rothbury, stands at a short distance west
from the small but pleasant village of Whitton, about
half a mile south from Rothbury. Like several other
parsonage-houses in Northumberland, it was formerly
a very strong castlet, »nd formed part of a range of
March!
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
137
towers whicb extended from Hepple, about five miles
further west, to Warkworth at the mouth of the Coquet.
These towers are now all in ruins except Whitton, which
has always been inhabited. In 1381, Earl Gilbert
Humfranville or Umfraville died possessed of the manor
in which it is situated, and which his widow conveyed in
t a
marriage to the first Lord Percy, by one of whose
descendants it was given in exchange to the Rectory of
Rothbury for the old hall and glebe of that benefice,
" which lay intermixed through the demesne of Rothbury."
The walls of the tower, at the foundation, are eleven feet
thick ; in the kitchen, nine ; in the bed-chambers, six.
A vaulted cellar beneath is supposed to have been used as
a refuge for the cattle in the event of a Scottish inroad or
border raid previous to the Union of the Crowns. In this
cellar there is a deep well, which supplied the inmates
with water when the place was besieged or blockaded.
The tower has been frequently repaired and beautified,
and is now an elegant and commodious edifice. The Rev.
John Thomlinson, Dr. Thomas Sharp, the Rev. William
Birdmore, and the Rev. Dr. Drummond, who successively
held the living during the last century, expended many
thousands of pounds in enlarging the buildingandbeautify-
ing the surrounding grounds ; and the two Vernon-Har-
courts, sons of Edward, Lord Archbishop of York, made
many improvements about the place during their incum-
bencies, at a cost, it is said, of something like four thousand
pounds. The Rector of Rothbury (now the Rev. A. O.
Medd) is lord of the manor of Whitton by virtue of his
office, and entitled by ancient custom to "command the
freeholders to work for him so many days in the year at
the hay and corn harvest."
l VISIT to Sunderland Church cannot fail to
recall the memories of half a century back,
j wnen the Rev. Robert Gray, M.A., was
interred in the old churchyard. Mr. Gray had held
the rectory of Sunderland for eighteen years, during
which time he was indefatigable in his pastoral
labours, so as to merit and obtain the most sincere
respect of the whole body of his parishioners, whether
they belonged to the Established Church or not.
During the terrible cholera visitation, he showed an
example which only few of his clerical brethren were
brave enough to follow, visiting the filthy slums where
the plague prevailed most fatally, and ministering
to the material as well as the spiritual wants of the
poor patients to whose bedsides he came without
shrinking. No wonder that the common people, who
found in him a warm friend, ever ready to sacrifice his
own ease and comfort for their special welfare, looked
up to him with feelings surpassing common reverence,
and that the name of Rector Gray is still current
138
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/Mnrch
i IS
1889.
amongst them as designating one who was a model of
sacerdotal excellence.
Mr. Gray's father was a jeweller in London, into whose
debt the Duke of York ran deeply, and who at
length got his bill settled out of a Parliamentary
grant voted to that illustrious scapegrace. Mr. Gray
himself camo to the North in 1816, as evening lecturer to
his uncle, Dr. Gray, Rector of Bishopwearmouth ; and he
acquitted himself so well in this comparatively humble
capacity that when he got the presentation to Sunderland
parish, from Bishop Barrington, in 1819, on the death of
the Rev. John Hatnpson, the people all congratulated
themselves on having so earnest and diligent a man as he
was to labour amongst them, " in season and out of
season," as they felt sure he would do. And they were
not disappointed. An old lady (now ninety-three years
of age), relates that she has seen him carrying a
lantern and a basket, on a round of visits to
the poor families at night, when few people could
have faced the stormy and inclement weather ; and
many an aged person, who may have been cheered by
these kindly visits, or whose relatives may have bene-
fited by them, could, doubtless, tell the same tale. Mr.
Gray married a lady belonging to Sunderland, daughter
of Mr. Rowland Webster, of the Deptford Patent
Rojwry, and sister of Mr. Christopher Mating Webster,
of Pallion Hall.
This benevolent and popular clergyman died of a
fever, caught in visiting the sick, on the llt'n of February,
1838, aged forty-eight years. His funeral took place on
the 20th, and old residents say that "there never was
such a funeral in the town as Rector Gray's." The
Sunderland Beacon wrote of it as follows : — "There could
not be less than between twenty and thirty thousand
individuals assembled on the solemn occasion. The
working classes appeared in their best apparel ; and all
classes and degrees seemed impressed with feelings of
deep emotion, as the solemn and sublime spectacle moved
slowly along." The funeral train was composed of up-
wards of seven hundred of the principal inhabitants of
the town, a great number of carriages of the neighbouring
gentry, and a detachment of the 30th Regiment then
quartered in the barracks. Both Jews and Catholics
marched amongst the mourners. A subscription was
commenced shortly afterwards for erecting a memorial to
the deceased, and the sum received amounted to nearly
£800. One-third of the fund was expended on the erection
of a statue of Carrara marble, which was placed in
the church entrance, under the tower, in March, 1840.
The remainder of the fund was invested as an endow-
ment for the Sunderland Parochial Schools, situated
round by the Moor, which were thenceforth called the
"Gray Schools."
The sketch which accompanies this article is copied
from a portrait (the only one we have seen) made by a
wandering artist at the time the Rector was living. It
originally belonged to Mrs. Burton, one of the aged
inmates of the old Almshouses, Church Street, Sunder-
land.
atttr
THE GREENHOW AND MARTINEAU
FAMILIES.
In the January number of your interesting Monthly
Chronicle, I observe, on page 44, an error in the paragraph
regarding the Greenhow family. As the daughter of
Dr. Thomas Michael Greenhow, perhaps you will permit
me to state that his youngest sister, Sarah, became the
wife, not of a brother, but of a cousin, of Mrs. T. M.
Greenhow and Harriet Martineau. Mr. George Mar-
tineau was a son of David ; the two ladies were daughters
of Thomas Martineau. David and Thomas were, respec-
tively, the second and the youngest sons of David Mar-
tineau, of Norwich, a physician of Huguenot descent.
FRANCES ELIZABETH LUPTON, Leeds.
THE WATCHMAN'S RATTLE.
The need of the watchman's rattle which is shown in
the accompanying sketch is well enough illustrated
in the following lines taken from an old bacchanalian
song :—
We'll break windows, we'll break doors,
The watrh knock down by threes and fours,
Then let the doctors work their cures,
And tinker up their bruises ;
We'll beut the bailiffs out of fun,
We'll make the mayor and sheriffs ran ;
We are the boys no man dares dun,
If he regards a whole skin.
The sound of the rattle, harsh and loud, could hardly
fail to bring assistance if law-abiding folks were within
hearing.
The particular instrument figured above has been pre-
sented to the Sunderland Museum by Mr. John Moore,
of Beckenham. Some "old Charley" of the year 1820 had
been obliged to give it up during a row at the foot of
George Street (in High Street), Sunderland. A watch-
March I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
139
man's box was placed somewhere near the present
Exchange, and more than once it was found turned on its
face, with the tenant underneath. The number of " the
watch " was but small, and the men employed were old, and
sometimes portly, thus giving special ad vantages to young
fellows "out for a lark." J. G. B., Sunderland.
ALNWICK CORPORATION.
A correspondent calls my attention to a misstate-
11 ii 'lit which occurs in the paper on "football in the
North," p. 55, as to the borough of Alnwick being
still unreformed. I confess that I must have been
"oblivious," like Dominie Sampson, when I wrote to
that effect. For Alnwick was one of the places to which
the Commissioners, appointed in 1876 to inquire into
such municipal corporations as were not subject to the
Municipal Corporation Acts then in force, considered
that these Acts should be applied. In pursuance of this
recommendation an Act was passed (46 and 47 Viet.,
c. 18), cited as the Municipal Corporations Act, 1883 ;
and in accordance with its provisions " the chamberlains,
common council, and freemen " of Alnwick were recon-
stituted as a corporate body, in the same way as if they
had been mentioned in schedule B of the Municipal
Corporations Act, 1835. But this corporate body pos-
sesses no magisterial authority, the town being still
within the jurisdiction of the county magistrates.
W. B.
ttwffttr.
A TEERIBLE FRIGHT.
A boiler explosion occurred recently in the neighbour-
hood of Dunston, happily unattended by injury to any
of the workmen. A man who happened to be very near
the scene of the accident got a terrible fright. Rushing
up to one of his mates, he exclaimed in his terror : — " Is
aa onny warse? " to which his mate replied : " No, thoo's
aall reet." Whereupon he added : "Man, aa thowt aa
wesdeed!"
FLIGHTING PIGEONS.
A pitman was about to " flight " a favourite pigeon
near the Central Station, Newcastle, when a policeman
came up and told him no pigeon had to be flighted there,
because of blocking the road up. The miner, pulling out
his watch to see the time to a second, said to his pet bird,
as he threw it on the flags, "Mind, Bessy, ma bonny
bairn, thoo hes not to flee : se waak hyem, and say it's
aall Bobby if thoo dissent win !"
SHAMPOOING.
A few days ago, in Blyth, two or three young ladies
met while out shoppinor, and the conversation turned on
the all-important event, to them, of the annual full and
fancy dress ball. Said one young lady to another : " I sup-
pose you and your sister will be going ?" " Oh ! yes," was
the reply. " Who is going to chaperone you ?" "I beg your
pardon?" " Who is going to chaperone you ?" A pause
—then, suddenly seeing it, as she thought— "Oh ! we
always do our own hair !"
SLOW LOCOMOTION.
An express train in a fog is, of course, anything but an
expeditious vehicle of travel. The other day, a market
woman, with her basket of butter and eggs, was heard
grumbling aloud to herself, as the train cautiously felt
its way on the line from South Shields to Newcastle.
" Stopping agyen ! A bonny express ! It's waaking noo ;
onnyway, aa could waak as fast !" As tlie train
approached Gateshead, it jolted over the points, where-
upon she laughed and said : "It's trotting noo !"
THE MARTYRED UNCLE.
An old lady, known as Jenny Latimer, resides not a
hundred miles from Newcastle. One day a friend,
referring to her name, asked her if she was any relation to
Latimer the martyr, who was burnt at the stake.
"Wey," said she, "aa's not sartin aboot it ; but aa had
an uncle whe wes aythor scaaded or bornt !"
Mr. John James Clay, a prominent member of the
Masonic body at Sunderland, died on the 16th January,
at Ventnor, Isle of Wight, whither he had removed for
the benefit of his health. The deceased, who was 48 years
of age, was a son of Mr. John Clay, of Herrington Hall.
On the 20th of January, Mr. Benjamin Carr Lawton,
at one time an extensive contractor, died at his residence,
Fern Avenue, Newcastle, at the age of upwards of 70
years. A native of Uewsbury, he came to this district
when a young man, as a member of the firm of Rush and
Lawton, who constructed part of the Newcastle and Ber-
wick Railway. Subsequently he obtained the contract
for the masonry work in connection with the High Level
Bridge and its approaches, and afterwards was engaged
in making the branch railway between Haltwhistle and
Alston. The most important undertaking with which
Mr. Lawton was associated, however, was the construc-
tion of the piers at the mouth of the Tyne ; but after the
works had been in progress for several years, differences
arose, and the Commissioners assumed the control them-
selves. These disputes led to a long and most costly
arbitration, resulting in a verdict for Mr. Lawton for a
large sum. The last contract upon which the deceased gen-
tleman was engaged was that for the construction of the
Team Valley Railway between Gateshead and Durham.
Mr. Thomas Kay, who had been a member of the Mid-
dlesbrough Town Council since 1872, and an alderman
from 1886, died at Linthorpe on the 20th of January.
On the 24th of January, Mr. Alderman Edward Lucas
Pease, of Mowden, Darlington, died from the effects of
injuries received by an accident in the hunting field about
a week previously. The deceased, who was 50 years of
age, was a son of Mr. John Beaumont Pease, of North
140
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
(March
\ 1889.
Lodge, Darlington, and was a member of the Society of
Friends. He had been a member of the Darlington Cor-
poration since its formation ; he had also held the office
of Mayor, and had for a long time been chairman of the
Waterworks Committee. He was a magistrate of Dur-
ham, and of Radnorshire, of which latter county he was
High Sheriff some years ago. Mr. Pease had come for-
ward as a candidate for the Durham County Council ;
and on receipt of information of his death, the poll in the
Darlington (4th) Division, in which there was a contest,
waa closed after it had proceeded two or three hours. A
fnsh election was thus rendered necessary.
On the 26th January, there died at his residence,
Weitern Hill, Durham, Mr. John Reed Appleton, a
member of several local learned bodies. He belonged
to khe Surtees and nearly every other antiquarian and
archaeological society in the North, and was a fellow
of the Society of Antiquaries of England. He possessed
considerable literary ability, and was the author of a
number of poems, which were collected and published,
with other works, by Mr. Tweddell, of Stokesley. Mr.
Appleton was 64 years of age.
On the same day, died in Newcastle, Mr. James Mac-
donald, who was well known in the theatrical profession
as actor and manager in the North. During his career,
he was manager for the famous Sam Roxby at Shields,
Scarborough, and Hartlepool. He was one of the prin-
cipals in the direction of Drury Lane Theatre in the time
of Chatterton, and played one of the Dromios on the
clamic boards of "Old Drury " in the great production of
" The Comedy of Krrors." The deceased was a native of
Newcastle, and was 60 years of age.
Mr. Archibald Singers, of the firm of Singers and Co.,
vinegar manufacturers, Newcastle, died on the 31st of
January, at an advanced age.
On the 20th of January, Mr. Henry Philip Archibald
Buchanan Riddell, C.S.I., late of the Bengal Civil Ser-
vic«, died in London, at the age of 69 years ; and on the
30A, in the same city, died his sister, Jane Buchanan
Riddell, aged 77. Both were members of one of the oldest
and most respected families in the North of England.
Mr. James Stott, nurseryman, died at Alnwick, at the
advanced age of 90 years, on ihe 31st of January. He
wa« a pupil and friend of the late Rev. William Turner,
tht eminent Unitarian minister, of Newcastle, and for
nearly half a century he acted as pastor of the Unitarian
Church at Alnwick.
On the 1st of February, there were interred in Earsdon
Churchyard the remains of Mr. William Short, for fifty
ye»r» foreman engineer at East Holywell Colliery, who
had died at the age of 85 years.
Mr. Robert Utterson, cashier and court-keeper at the
Newcastle County Court, died on the 4th of February, at
the age of about 33 years.
On the 5th of February, Mr. James Outterside, a lead-
ing shipowner in the palmy days of wooden vessels, and a
prominent member of the Manchester Uuity of Odd-
fellows, died at South Hylton, in the 78th year of his age.
On the 5th of February was announced the death, as
having taken place at Chicago, U.S., on January 12, of
Mr. Andrew Paxton, formerly of Blaydon-on-Tyne, in
the county of Durham.
Dr. John Coatsworth Watson, a well-known medical
practitioner at Sunderland, died in that town on the 5th
of February.
In the Newcastle Daily Chronicle of February 7 was an-
nounced the death, which had taken place a few days pre-
viously in America, of Mr. George Searle Phillips, a
genleman at one time resident in this district. Better
known by his pseudonym of "January Searle," he was
born at Peterborough, Northamptonshire, in January,
1815, or 1816. Mr. Phillips took the degree of B.A. at
Cambridge. When he left the University, he gave him-
self up to literary pursuits, and, proceeding to America,
he wrote occasional articles for magazines and newspapers.
He did not, however, stay there long. Returning to this
country, he was, for a short time, connected with the
Leeds Times. But about the year 1845, he was appointed
secretary to the Huddersfield Mechanics' Institution,
which was then one of the most prosperous societies of the
kind in England. Under Mr. Phillips's energetic direc-
tions it achieved still greater success. When he was at
Huddersfield he associated himself with Dr. F. R. Lees
in the editorship of The Truth Seeker, and some of his
best writing is to be found in that magazine. After
leaving Huddersfield, he lectured in connection with the
Yorkshire Union of Mechanics' Institutions, and after-
wards as agent for the Northern Union of Mechanics
Institutions. A notable feature of his appearance was
the presence of a big black dog, which be had christened
"Satan," and which invariably accompanied him on the
platform. His first visit to Tyneside was about the-
year 1848, but it was only a short one. He came back
again afterwards, and resided two or three years, lectur-
ing at many of the Mechanics' Institutes, and writing
for various publications, local and national. Some
special contributions as to the social condition of the
people were written by him for the Newcastle Chronicle.
When he left Newcastle he joined for a season a gang
of gipsies. He embodied his impressions of them in an in-
teresting volume entitled "The Gipsies of the Dane's
Dyke." A favourable offer having been made to him by
some of his American acquaintances, he returned to the
States, and held a variety of appointments in connection
with the press there. About 1870, however, he had a severe
affliction, from the effects of which he never recovered.
In 1873, he was taken to Trenton Asylum for the Insane ;
but his case being declared to be hopeless, he was trans-
ferred, three years afterwards, to the Morristown Lunatic
Asylum, in New Jersey, where he ultimately died.
Dr. Matthew Brumell, who for a long time had been at
the h«ad of the medical profession at Morpeth, died, at
the age of 77, on the 8th of February.
On the 9th of February, Mr. Jasper Stephenson, who
was widely known throughout the North of England for
his breeding and feeding of black-faced sheep, died at the
residence of his son, Mr. Thomas A. Stephenson, Mill
Hills Farm, near Haydon Bridge. He was about 70
years of age.
at
©ccnrrentejs.
JANUARY.
14. — A sculling match was decided on the Tyne be-
tween George Phillips Telford, of Newcastle, and Henry
Follett, of Richmond, London, for £50 a-side, the course
being from Dunston Gangway to Scotswood Suspension
Marchl
1SSO. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
141
Bridge. The Metropolitan rower ultimately won by
half-a-length.
— At the final meeting of the executive committee of the
Bishop of Durham's Special Church Building Fund, at
Durham, it was stated that the sum raised in con-
nection with the fund had reached the grand total of
£134,915 15s. 6d.
15.— Mr. F. W. Wyndham, co-lessee of the Theatre
Royal, Newcastle, was entertained to a dinner, previous
to his departure on a visit to Australia. Accompanied
by Mrs. Wyndham, he left Newcastle on the 30th.
— A widow, named Louisa Gillespie, 32 years of age,
committed suicide by drowning herself in a vat of beer in
a brewery at Gateshead.
16. — The polling in connection with the election of
members of the Northumberland County Council took
place. The following is a complete list of the sixty
gentlemen composing the first Board : —
Mr. Adam Robertson, AInwick
Mr. Albert Grey, Embleton
Earl Percy, Lesbury
Rev. J. Bowron, Warkworth
Mr. R. H. Taylor, Hamburgh
Mr. G. D. A. Clark, Belford
Mr. W. O. Charlton, Bellinjrham
Mr. R. B. Sanderson, Otterburn
Aid. A. Darling, Berwick
Captain Forbes, Berwick
Mr. James Gilroy, Tweedmouth
and Spittal
Mr. J. R. Black, Islandshire
Mr. R. Nicholson, Norhamshire
Mr. H. N. Middleton, Belsay
Mr. S H. Farrer, Gosforth
Sir M. W. Ridley, Ponteland
Mr. J. W. Spencer, VValljottle
Mr. Jacob Wilson, Chatton
Mr. Watson Askew, Crookham
Mr. George Rea, Wooler
Mr. W. Hudspeth, Haltwhistle
Mr. J. Thompson, Plenmellor
Mr. T. Carnck, Alleudale and
Haydon Bridge
Mr. Hugh Fenwick, Corbridge
Mr. R. Stainthorpe, Hexham
Mr. J. M. Ridley, Humshaugh
Mr. G. A. Fenwick, Bywell
Mr. M. Liddell, Prudhoe
Mr. S. Stobbs, Slaley
Mr. R. Nicholson, Morpeth
Dr. James Trotter, Bedlington
Mr. And. Fairbairn, Bedlington
Mr. Geo. Grocock, Longhirst
Mr. J. B. Cookson, Netherwitton
Mr. W. Millons, Widdrington
Mr. W. Forster, Harbottle
Lord Armstrong, Rothbury
Mr. J. W. Pease, Benwell
Mr. R. M. Tate, Tynemouth
Mr. J. T. Davison, Tynemouth •
Mr. J. P. Spencer, Tynemouth
Mr. J. L. Gracie, Tynemouth
Mr. J. M. Winter, Tynemouth
Mr. Aaron Watson, Tynemouth
Mr. S. Morrison, Tynemouth
Mr. J. Eskdale, Tynemouth
Mr. R. Walton, Tynemouth
Mr. H. Richardson, Backworth
Mr. G. B. Forster, Blyth
Dr. Alex. Trotter, Cowpen
Mr. James Routledge, Cowpen
Mr. R. O. Lamb, Cramlington
Mr. M. Dodd, Longbenton, Weet-
slade, and Willington (,juay
Mr. J. Simmons, Longbenton,
Weetslade, and Willington
Quay
Mr. Jos. Snowball, Longbenton,
Weetslade, & Willington Quay
Mr. R. E. Ornesby, Seghill
Mr. J. W. Richai-dson, Walker
Col. H. F. Swan, Walker
Mr. H. H. Aitchison, \Vallsend
Mr. L. W. Adamson, Whitlcy
The first meeting of the Council was held in the Moot
Hall, Newcastle, on the 24th of January, when Sir
Matthew White Ridley, M.P., was unanimously elected
Provisional Chairman. The twenty gentlemen elected as
aldermen were : —
Sir M. W. Ridley
Mr. J. M. Winter
Mr. A. Darling
Mr. R. M. Tate
Mr. J. L. Gracie
Rev. Dixon- Brown
Mr. L. W. Adamson
Mr. George Rea
Mr. John Craster
Mr. Watson Askew
Mr. J. R. Carr-Ellison
Sir Edward Blackett
Mr. John Carr
Mr. James Black
Mr. Adam Robertson
Mr. George Anderson
Mr. L. C. Chrisp
Mr. H. H. Scott
Mr. R. Stainthorpe
Mr. W. O. Charlton
The second meeting of the Council was held in the Nisi
Priua Court at the Moot Hall, Newcastle, on the 14th of
February, when, on the motion '.of Earl Percy, seconded
by Lord Armstrong, Sir Matthew White Ridley, M.P.,
was unanimously elected chairman for the first year.
— Efforts to bring about a compromise having failed, the
shipyard workmen at Stockton and the Hartlepools
ceased work. On the 5th of February, however, an
amicable settlement was effected, the masters conceding
an advance of ?i per cent, in wages on all piece work, and
Is. 6d. per week on time wages. Work was recommenced
next day.
17. — A new water supply for Hexham, drawn from the
Ladle Well Springs, ten miles distant from the town, and
provided at an estimated cost of £10,000, was turned on
at the source by Mr. J. T. Robb, chairman of the Local
Board.
18. — The Durham Salt Company, Limited, was regis-
tered at Somerset House, with a capital of £80,000,
the field of operations being 63 acres of freehold land
adjoining Haverton Hill,
— It was officially announced that St. Mary's School,
Ryehill, Newcastle had been closed, under a recent local
Act of Parliament.
19.— A deputation of the Northumberland miners made
formal application for an advance of 10 per cent, in
wages ; and a joint committee, representing masters and
men, was appointed to deal with the question. The
masters subsequently offered a sliding scale, but this was
rejected by the men. The owners, on the 12th of Feb-
ruary, offered an advance of 7£ per cent, and another
advance of 2 per cent, on the standard in a month's time.
This proposal was submitted to the vote of tho men by
ballot.
— At an aggregate meeting of the Amalgamated Society
of Engineers in Newcastle, a resolution was unanimously
passed approving of the action of the Grand Committee
in applying for an advance of 2s. per week in wages, to
ccme into operation on the 4th of February. An amicable
compromise was arrived at between masters and men.
20. — Damage, to the extent of nearly £8,000, was
caused by a fire which broke- out in the grocery depart-
ment of the Co-operative Stores, Newgate Street, New-
castle.
— Mr. Charles Bradlaugh, M.P., lectured to an im-
mense audience in the Tyne Theatre, Newcastle, on tho
British Government of India.
21. — Fifteen persons were injured by a railway collision
at Carlisle.
— On this and the following day, Mr. J. H. Black-
burne, the famous chess-player, gave exhibitions of his
skill in the Art Gallery, Newcastle.
22. — Lady Eleanor Lambton, sister of the Earl of
Durham, was married to Lord Robert Cecil, third son of
the Marquis of Salisbury, the ceremony taking place in
St. George's Church, Hanover Square, London.
23. — Arrangements were concluded for the installation
of the electric light at Cowpen.
— The Prince and Princess of Wales visited Middles-
brough for the purpose of opening the new Town Hall
and Municipal Buildings. (See page 111.)
24. — It was announced in the Newcastle Daily Chronicle
that a communication had been received from the rela-
tives of Mrs. Lough, widow of the eminent sculptor, in-
timating that, in accordance with the last wishes of the
deceased lady, the whole of the remaining models and
statuary forming her private collection would be pre-
sented to the city of Newcastle, for addition to the Lough
Models in Elswick Hall.
24.— A terrible tragedy was enacted at Wrekenton, a vil-
lage at the extreme boundary of the borough of Gateshead.
The victim was John Graham, a member of the Gateshead
police force stationed at that place, who was suddenly sefc
upon by Edward Wilkinson, a butcher, who first stabbed
him, and then beat him to death with his own truncheon.
142
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/March
X 1889.
On the morning of the same day, the man Wilkinson had
been fined at Gateshead for disorderly conduct, on evi-
dence given by the unfortunate officer. The perpetrator
of the shocking crime was arrested at a late hour in the
«vening at South Hylton. On the 30th a verdict of wilful
murder was returned by the coroner's jury against Wil-
kinson, whom the magistrates, on the 1st of February,
committed for trial on that charge.
— The 130th anniversary of the birth of the Scottish
poet Robert Burns was celebrated by a dinner, held
under the auspices of the Newcastle and Tyneside Burns
Club, at the County Hotel, the chair being occupied by
Mr. Councillor Adam Carse.
25. — The election of members for the Durham County
Council took place, there being 72 divisions, each return-
ing one councillor. The following gentlemen were re-
turned : —
Mr. Theodore Fry, Darlington
Mr. Ed. D. Walker, Darlington
Mr. Arthur Pease, Darlington
Mr. J. L. Wharton.M.P., Durham
Mr. Francis Greenwell. Durham
Mr. T. Richardson, Hartlepool
Mr. John Horsley, Hartlepool
Major Gray, West Hartlepool
Mr. Jonathan Samuel, Stockton
Mr. J. A. I'ease, Crook
Earl of Durham, Lamhton
Lt.-Col. Sheppee, Birtley
Mr. C. E. Hunter, Edmondsley
Mr. John Feetham, Ayeliffe
Mr. Wm. Robinson, Sherburn
Mr. G. 11. Wraith, Tudhoe
Marquis of Londonderry, Seaham
Mr. Wm. Armstrong, Thornley
Mr. W. F. Hall, llaswell
Lt.-Col. A. S. Palmer, Felling
Mr. W. W. Pattinson, Felling
Mr. J. B. Simpson, Kyton
Earl of Ravensworth, Whickham
Mr. Jas Annandale, Benfieldside
Mr. J. A. Curry, Collierly
Mr. W. J. Joicey, Tanfleld
Mr. C. F. Former, Hebburn
Mr. Thos. W. Stewart. Hebburn
Mr. E. ,1. J. Browell, Wustoe
Mr. J, W. Page- Page, Norton
Mr. Robt Thompson, Southwick
Mr. W. T. Soarth, Teesdale
Mr. W. H. Richardson, Jarrow
Mr. Richd. Handvsirle, Jarrow
Mr. A. M. Palmer, Jarrow
Mr. C. Furncss, West Hartlepool
Mr. W. H. Fisher, W. Hartlepool
Mr. Thos. Nelson, Stockton
Mr Jos. Richardson, Stockton
Mr. Timothy Crosby, Stockton
Mr. J. Lingford, Bp. Auckland
Mr. George Pears, Shildon
Rev. E. A. Wilkinson, Spenny-
moor
Mr. W. Lishman, West Auckland
Mr. W. R. I. Hopkins, Witton-
le-Wear
Mr. Thos. Douglas, Hunwick
Mr. Ralph Peverell, Eldon
Mr. N. R Lamb, Coundon
Mr. James Lisle, Washington
Mr. T. Koliaon, Chester-le-Street
Mr. S. Galbraith, Brandon
Mr. A. W. Elliott, Willington
Mr. John Shiel, Elvet
Mr. R. Armstrong, Easington
Col. J. A. Cowen, Blaydon
Major R, Burdon, Greatham
Mr. Frank Stobart, Houghton
Mr. John Wilson, Herrington
Mr. Lindsav Wood, Hetton
Mr. V. C. S.'W. Corbett, Rainton
Mr. Wm. Jenkins, Consett
Mr. George Nicholson, Leadgate
Mr. Utri<-k A. Ritson, Manchester
Col. Leadbitter, Esh
Mr. William Morson, Ferryhill
Mr. E. G. Marshall, Sedge'tidd
Mr. W. Palmer, Bishopwearui'th.
Mr. L. A. Gregson, Ryhope
Mr. W. Watson, Barnard Castle
Mr. Thos. Livingstone, Stanhope
Mr Joseph Ridley, Wolsintrhara
Mr. W. J. Oliver, Darlington.*
The first meeting of the Council was held on the 7th of
February, in the Court Buildings, at Durham. Mr. John
Lloyd Wharcon was unanimously elected Provisional
Chairman. The Council then proceeded to the election of
the 24- aldermen, the result being as follows : —
Sir 11 llavelork-Allan
Mr. H. J. Beckwith
Mr. Thomas Bell
Colonel John A. Cowen
Mr. Wm. Crawford, M.P.
Mr. David Dale
Earl of Durham
Mr. Theodore Fry, M.P.
Mr. Wm. Jenkins
Mr. W. J. Joice.v
Mr. James Laing
Marquis of Londonderry
Mr. R. Old
Mr. Arthur Pease
Earl of Ravensworth
Mr. Joseph Richardson
Mr. Ralph Richardson
Mr. W. H. Richardson.
Mr. U. A. Ritson
Rev. A. D. Shaftoe
Mr. John Shields
Mr. John Lloyd Wharton
Sir H. Williamson
Rev. O. P. Wilkinson
26. — It was found that an advance of 1£ per cent, in
the wages of the Durham miners had accrued under the
sliding scale arrangement.
27.— Under the auspices of the Tyneside Sunday Lec-
* This gentleman was eventually declared by the Local Govern-
ment Board to have been duly elected for the South Ward, Dar-
lington, the announcement of the death of Mr. Aid. Lucas Pease,
the other candidate, having been received shortly after the poll
bad been opened.
ture Society, Mr John Augustus O'Shea, a well-known
newspaper correspondent, delivered a lecture in the Tyne
Theatre, on "Explorers I have Known." The chair was
occupied by Mr. Alderman M'Dermott, of Gateshead.
— Late at night, a serious fire broke out at the works of
the North of England School Furnishing Company,
Limited, Darlington. The premises were almost com-
pletely destroyed. About half-past ten, a section of a
gable end, which the fire had not reached, fell upon the
crowd standing below, killing two persons on the spot — a
man named Hogg and another called Thomas Boddy,
while a third man, named Thompson, died shortly after-
wards. Robert Wilson, a workman in the company's
establishment, died from the effects of injuries on the fol-
lowing day ; while Lionel Stainsby, a fifth victim, suc-
cumbed on the 30th. On the 4th of February, a lad,
named James Ham, died. The accident also led to a fatal
result in the case of Ralph Smith, on the 7th, and in that
of Robert Hall on the 9th, making in all eight deaths
from the sad occurrence.
— At Alnwick Police Court, four policemen, named
Harrison, Chambers, Sprott, and Gair, were charged
with conspiring to give false evidence at the trial of Bran-
nagan and Murphy, in connection with the Edlingham
Burglary, in 1879. The hearing concluded on the 1st of
February, when Harrison, Sprott, and Gair were com-
mitted to the assizes for trial, Chambers being discharged
30. — The lifeless body of Mr. William Robinson, rate
collector, Jarrow, was found in the Felling Pit Pond.
31. — It was announced that the personalty of the late
Colonel H. J. Trotter, M.P., who died on the 6th of
December last, had been sworn at £66,176 19s. lOd.
FEBRUARY.
1. — On this and the following day, Lord George Hamil-
ton, First Lord of the Admiralty, paid a visit to New-
castle, and officially inspected the Elswick Works of Sir
W. G. Armstrong and Co.
— Mr. Fred L. Moir, manager of the African Lakes
Trading Company, lectured in Newcastle, under the
auspices of the Tyneside Geographical Society, on "The
Slave Trade of Nyassaland," the chair being occupied by
the Mayor (Mr. Thomas Richardson).
March!
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
143
2. — On this and the following day, a severe gale of wind
and rain raged in Newcastle and district, and on the 3rd,
the schooner Alert, of Montrose, ran ashore at Blyth,
the captain, Mr. James Carr, being drowned.
3. — Professor John Stuart Blackie, of Edinburgh, de-
livered a lecture in the Tyne Theatre, Newcastle, on
"Burns," in connection with the Tyneside Sunday
Lecture Society. Mr. Joseph Baxter Ellis, ex-SheriiF,
presided.
— A collision took place in the English Channel, be-
tween the steamer Nereid, of Newcastle, and the Scot-
tish ship Killochan, both vessels sinking within a few
minutes of the crash. Of the 17 men composing the crew
of the former, 11 were rescued. The crew of the other
vessel consisted of 25 hands, of whom nine were saved, but
one man— John Stephen, a negro — died shortly after-
wards of exhaustion.
4. — The Right Hon. John Morley, M.P., and Mr. James
Craig, M.P., addressed their constituents in the Town
Hall, Newcastle, and received a vote of confidence.
5. — In the London Gazette was printed the text of
an Order in Council constituting a new parish of Jes-
mond, Newcastle, to be called the District Chapelry of
St. George's. On the evening of the 10th, the Bishop of
Newcastle instituted the Rev. Canon Pennefather as vicar
of the new parish. On the same occasion his lordship
dedicated the ring of eight bells which had been presented
by Mr. Charles Mitchell, of Jesmond Towers, the donor
of the church. They had been manufactured by Messrs.
John Taylor and Co., of Loughborough, Leicestershire.
— A report was presented at the fifth annual meeting of
the Bishop Newcastle's Fund, under the presidency of
Mr. Albert Grey, showing that something like £70,000
had been subscribed ; and it was resolved, on the motion
of Mr. James Joicey, M.P., to continue the effort, and
add the other £30,000 to complete the scheme of church
extension.
— Mrs. Fulton, wife of a labourer at Sunderland, gave
birth to three children— two boys and a girl. One of the
boys was, however, still-born, and the girl shortly after-
wards died.
6. — A verdict of "wilful murder" was returned by a
coroner's jury at Sunderland, against a young girl named
Mary Elizabeth Stockdale, whose child, Robert Stock-
dale, 14- months old, had been found drowned in a pond
in that town.
7. — The annual dinner of the Bewick Club was held in
the large room of the Exhibition, Pilgrim Street, New-
castle, under the presidency of Mr. H. H. Emmerson.
On the following evening the Exhibition was opened by
the Mayor of Newcastle.
— The Rev. Frank Smith was welcomed as the first
minister of the Jesmond Baptist Church, Newcastle.
8. — A terrific gale prevailed over Newcastle and the
North of England.
9. — A society, to be called the United Tyne District
Labourers' Association, was formed in Newcastle.
10. — The premises of Messrs. Heclley and Co., drapers
and outfitters, Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, were de-
stroyed by fire, the damage being estimated at £30,000.
—At the Tyne Theatre, Mr. Henry Blackburn, editor
of " Academy Notes," lectured under the auspices of the
Tyneside Sunday Lecture Society, on "Pictures of the
Year : the Royal Academy and the Paris Salon, " the
chair being occupied by Mr. R. Jobling, vice-president of
the Bewick Club.
— James Robinson, a boy 14 years of age, was drowned
while endeavouring to rescue another lad, named John
Elliott, who, on the ice giving way, had fallen into a pond
at Spen Colliery, Elliott being afterwards saved by some
men.
144
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/March
I 188'J.
11. — The Claimant in the celebrated Tichborne case
appeared and delivered an address in the Gaiety Theatre,
Newcastle.
(general ©crarreneejs.
JANUARY.
16. — A German mission station at Tuga, Zanzibar, was
attacked by Arabs. Many missionaries were killed and
barbarously mutilated.
18. — An explosion occurred at Hyde Colliery, near
Chester, when nearly thirty men lost their lives.
— An election of a Parliamentary representative in
the place of Sir William Pearce (Liberal Unionist)
took place at Govan. The result was as follows : — John
Wilson (Gladstonian), 4,420 ; Sir John Fender (Liberal
Unionist), 3,349 ; majority, 1,071.
24.— Mr. William O'Brien, M.P., was to be tried at
Carrick-on-Suir, Ireland, for offences under the Crimes
Act. Owing to a disturbance, the magistrates ordered
the court to be cleared. A disorderly scene ensued, in
the course of which Mr. O'Brien left the court, despite
the efforts of the police to prevent him. Mr. O'Brien
eluded capture till the 29th, when he was arrested in Man-
chester, and thence transferred to an Irish prison.
25. — A telegram announced that an English missionary
and sixteen followers had been murdered near Tan-
ganyika, East Africa, by Arabs.
26. — General Boulanger was elected for the Department
of the Seine, France, by a majority of 81,550.
—Death of Archduke Rudolph, Crown Prince of
Austria. At first it was reported that death arose from
apoplexy, but it was afterwards revealed that he had
FEBRUARY.
2.— Miss Susan Cobbett died at Farnham Villa,
Wilmslow, near Macclesfield, at the age of 81. The
deceased lady was the youngest daughter of the late
William Cobbett, the editor of The Political Register.
Mr. Cobbett had four sons, and three, if not more,
daughters. Mr. William Cobbett, the eldest son, was
well-known for his long quarrel with the law courts.
He was imprisoned for contempt, and he and his wife
made repeated and ingenious attempts to secure his
release without complying with the stipulation of the
judges. Mr. James Paul Cobbett, the second son, was
a barrister. It was to him his father wrote the
famous letters that constituted "Cobbett's Grammar."
The third son, Mr. John Morgan Cobbett, married a
daughter of Mr. Fielden, the well-known supporter of
the Ten Hours Bill, and was for several years member
for Oldham. Mr. Richard B. B. Cobbett was a solicitor
in large practice in Manchester. The two youngest
daughters, Susan and her sister, for several years lived,
in modest competency, at Wilmslow. The elder of the
two sisters still survives. (For an account of Cobbett's
visits to the Northern Counties, see vol. i., p. 467.)
3.— During the arrest of Father McFadden, at Gwee-
dore, Ireland, Inspector Martin, of the Irish police, was
beaten to death by a mob. Several arrests were after-
wards made.
5-13.— Evidence of a startling character was given before
the Parnell Commission by Major Le Caron, otherwise
taken his own life. The most remarkable rumours were
current for a time, and the rash act was ascribed to an
improper alliance with a lady.
Thomas Willis Beach, who had been in intimate associa-
tion with the Irish secret societies in America, but had
had all the time been in communication with the British
Government.
Printed by WALTER SCOTT, Felling-on-Tyne.
tlbe
Chronicle
OF
NORTH-COUNTRY*LORE*AND*LEGEND
VOL. III.— No. 26.
APRIL, 1889.
PRICE GD.
at 23itflric& antt tfte
at
j|HE battle of Culloden decided finally and
fatally the fortunes of the young Pretender.
Amongst the families of the Scottish
nobility who took part in this great last
attempt to restore the house of Stuart to the throne of
Britain was that of Drummond, Earls of Perth. This
family was at that time represented by James Drummond,
the sixth earl. His grandfather, the fourth earl, had been
created Duke of Perth by James II. ; but this was done
after that monarch's abdicatiou. So our hero was sixth
earl, or, if you have Jacobite sympathies, third Duke of
Perth.
At the battle of Prestonpans, and at the sieges of
Carlisle and Stirling, Drummond commanded a detach-
ment of the rebel army, and at Culloden he is said to
have led the left wing of the Pretender's forces, which
was principally formed of the clan of Macdonald. When
swords were drawn and guns fired, the right wing, led by
Lord George Murray, rushed to the onslaught. The
Macdonalds considered themselves insulted by this mili-
tary movement, and, in their vexation, hacked the turf
beneath their feet with their swords. Drummond endea-
voured to soothe their wrath, telling them that, if they
fought with the bravery of their clan, they would make
their left wing the right wing, and, in honour of their
'deeds, he would ever after call himself a Macdonald.
But the fortunes of the day were against the rebel prince.
The clans led by Gordon rushed forward to be slaughtered.
The battle was brief, but bloody. And when, at last, the
rebel ranks turned and fled, the Macdonalds and their
leader fled also.
The Earl of Perth fled from the field on horseback.
He rode on till the darkness of night covered the land,
and then sought a hiding-place amongst friends. For a
time he remained in concealment in Scotland. It is said
that he even returned to Drummond Castle, where his
widowed mother then resided. The castle itself was less
safe than the neighbouring woods, in which he spent most
of his time, always disguised, and often strangely so. He
was sometimes seen, by persons who recognised him, in
female dress, barefooted and bareheaded. Meantime, he
and his brother, and other rebel lords of Scotland, were
attainted of high treason by Act of Parliament. One day
a search party came to the castle, expecting to find the
earl there. Their arrival was unexpected, and he had no-
time to escape. At length they came to the room where
he was. When he heard them at the door, he stepped
into a closet in the wall, before which a domestic planted
herself and stood motionless until the searchers had gone
elsewhere. Drummond then came from his hiding-
place, clambered through the window, and gained the
trackless woods.
This and other adventures convinced him of the
necessity of leaving his native land. He succeeded in
reaching a vessel bound for the Tyne, and landed at
South Shields. From Shields he went to Sunderland,
where he remained for a time, but at length removed to
South Biddick, a village on the Wear — an abode principally
of pitmen, but a place noted in traditions of the past for
its smuggling propensities, and for its unlicensed manu-
facture of spirituous liquors.
All this had occurred in less than a year from the fatal
10
146
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
day of Culloden. The earl's only brother, John Drum-
mood, involved like himself in tha young Pretender's
rebellion, and included in the same Act of attainder, had
fled to France, and was now at Boulogne. From thence
he addressed a letter to his brother at Biddick, dated the
16th of April, 1747 — exactly a year after the battle of
Culloden — in which he said: — "I think you had better
come to France, and you would be out of danger, as I
find you are living in obscurity at Hough ton-le-Spring."
(Biddick was then in the parish of Houghton.) "I doubt
that is a dangerous place yet. . . . You say it is
reported you died on your passage to France. I
hope and trust you will still live in obscurity." The
brothers continued to correspond for a time, but
John Drummond died at Antwerp in the same year, 1747,
having never been married.
When the Earl of Perth settled at Biddick, he took up
his abode in the family of one John Armstrong, "persons
in a very humble situation, but of reputable character."
Armstrong was a pitman, and the motives which led
Drummond to seek a residence in his family are believed
to have been, first, to allay suspicion of his rank by the
humble character of his surroundings ; and, second, the
consideration of the facilities a pitman might afford him,
in case of need, to find a secure hiding-place in the
recesses of a coal mine.
Drummond, with a view to sustain his slender finances,
now turned his attention to trade, and became a vendor of
shoes. In this enterprise he did not succeed. Between
the importunity of his creditors and the impecuniosity of
his debtors, he found himself fast going to the wall, and,
to avoid complete ruin, gave up his small business.
Between the Earl of Perth and the humble people
with whom he dwelt a cordial and sincere friendship
sprung up. To John Armstrong and his wife Drum-
mond had entrusted the secret of his rank, and in conse-
quence they took the most vivid interest in his forlorn
fortunes. But this was not all. They had a daughter,
Elizabeth, named after her mother. She is described as
a girl " of exquisite beauty, and amiable disposition and
manners." She had only reached about her fourteenth
summer when Drummond entered her father's household.
He conceived a strong affection for the girl, which she as
ardently returned — a result to which her lover's romantic
career no doubt contributed not a little. On the 6th of
November, 1749, there was a wedding in the church of
Houghton-le-Spring, and the Earl of Perth was married
to the pretty daughter of the pitman of Biddick. The
earl was thirty-six and the countess seventeen.
For a time the newly-married couple still continued to
live in Armstrong's house ; but by and bye a baby was
born, and Nicholas Lambton, of Biddick Hall, who
seems to have learned the story of Drummond's
life, gave the unfortunate earl the Boat House of
Biddick for a residence. The occupant of this
house had charge of the ferry-boat which here plied
across the Wear. The earl became a ferryman, and in
the Boat House he established in a limited way the busi-
ness of a country shopkeeper — one of those modest mer-
cantile establishments where almost everything of small
cost, in every branch of mercery, grocery, and mongery,
can be purchased. With the combined profits of the shop
and the ferry he brought up, in a humble but respectable
way, a family of six or seven children, 'all born within a
dozen years after his marriage. So far as the father's
time permitted he diligently endeavoured to educate his
offspring, and even at one time formed the ambitious
project that his eldest son, James, should become a clergy-
man. He had not, however, the means to afford him the
requisite scholastic training, but was compelled to send
him to work in the coal pits.
The second son, William, was sent to sea, and, in time
became mate, and afterwards master of a vessel, of
which latterly he was also part owner. During a pas-
sage to London, he had the misfortune to be run down by
another ship. The master and all hands were lost. The
collision was characterised by details of most horrible
character. The vessel which ran into Drummond's ship
appears to have been practically uninjured, and might
have rescued most, if not all, of the shipwrecked crew.
Some of these unfortunate men swam to the surviving
vessel and clambered up its sides, but were beaten off by
its sailors, who, for this murderous purpose, had armed
themselves with handspikes and other weapons. This
worse than barbarous inhumanity was perpetrated by the
crew at the command of the master, whose carelessness
had occasioned the calamity, in order that no one from
the wrecked ship should live to tell the story. These
facts were afterwards made known by a boy who was on
the vessel that escaped. Steps were taken to bring the
murderers to justice; but the lapse of time and the ab-
sence of sufficient evidence rendered this impracticable.
It has been said that at thetimeofWilliam Drummond's
death at sea, he had with him a number of family papers
and other documents which related to his father's
title and claims to the earldom of Perth. If this was
actually the case, they were irrecoverably lost.
The earl had been the occupant of Biddick Boat House
a little more than twenty years, when a most disastrous
flood occurred throughout the North of England. This
was during the night of the 17th of November, 1771. The
boat-house was carried away by the torrent. The lives
of its occupants even were in the greatest danger. But
the ferry-boat, which had been so long a means of adding
to their income, stood them in good stead now. By its
means Drummond carried his family to a place of
safety, and their little homestead was left to its
fate. When the flood had subsided, it was found
that scarcely a single article of furniture had been
saved. Amongst all the treasures, however, which they
had lost, that which they chiefly regretted was a chest
This chest contained " a tanned leather pouch, or bag.
April 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
H7
or paper case, with three pockets, wherein were con-
tained his (Drummond's) memorandm book, various
family papers, letters, documents, &c. ; amongst which was
a Ducal Patent of Nobility, as it was called when spoken
of by him to the family, and also a favourite diamond
ring, all which things had belonged to the Drummond
family." The loss of these articles was deeply regretted,
for it seems to have been at all times a hope amongst
Drummond's family that the day would come when they
might claim the lands of their ancient inheritance, and
when these documents would be of the greatest value as
evidence of their title. The " Ducal Patent of Nobility "
is supposed to have been the original patent granted by
James II. when he created James Drummond, the fourth
earl, the Duke of Perth. So anxious was the sixth earl
to recover this document that he spent many days in
wandering along the shores of the Wear, hoping to find
it. He was doomed to disappointment.
More than once after the earl took up his abode at
Biddick, he returned in disguise to his native land, and
visited the scenes of his early life. On one occasion he
went to Drummond Castle, and asked the housekeeper to
conduct him through the apartments. She complied with
his request, humming as she went from room to room,
"The Duke of Perth's Lament." When he reached the
apartment which once was his own, he cried out, " This
is the duke's own room," and burst into tears. At
another time, when he was disguised as a beggar, ne
entered the house of a garrulous weaver, probably to
gather up the traditions and gossip of the district. The
clock struck. " What do you think of a machine like that
in a poor weaver's house ?" exclaimed the man of warp
and woof. To which the earl, taking out his massive
ancestral gold watch, replied, "What do you think of a
thing like that in a poor beggar's pocket ?"
Towards the close of his life Drummoud was seized by a
strone desire once more to visit the home of his fathers.
To effect a full disguise a soldier's old red coat was pur-
chased at Newcastle by his wife. Attired in this, he set
out. In the neighbourhood of Drummond Castle he made
himself known to various persons in whom he had confi-
dence, and, amongst others, to a Mr. Graeme. His friend
induced him to lay aside, at least whilst his guest, the
soldier's coat, and lent him one in its place which better
befitted his true rank. Throughout his career he seems
to have maintained the bearing of a nobleman ; for, no
sooner was the beggar's disguise put off and the dress of
a gentleman assumed, than a lady who was present in-
voluntarily exclaimed, "the duke looks like himself
again." It was no doubt his distinguished figure which
led General Lambton, the relative of. Nicholas Lambtaa,
Drummond's benefactor, to exclaim one day on meeting
him, far more in jest than in earnest, " Ah, you are the
rebel Drummond ; 111 have you beheaded." Nicholas
himself is said to have employed a similar but milder form
of greeting. " I know you well enough ; you are one of the
Drummonds, the rebels, but the Boat House and garden
are yours for all that." .
The inevitable lot of humanity <jame at length to the
fallen Earl of Perth. He died at Biddick early in June,
1782, in his seventieth year, and was buried at Painshaw
Church.
Two years after the death of James Drummond, sixth
Earl of Perth, the Act of attainder passed soon after the
young Pretender's rebellion was repealed, and another
Act was passed to enable George III. to restore forfeited
estates to the heirs of attainted persons. The Act itself,
in most cases, states who these heirs were, but the heirs
of the Earl of Perth had not been ascertained. It, there-
fore, declares only "That it shall and may be lawful
to his Majesty, his Heirs and Successors, to give, grant,
and dispose to the Heirs Male of the said John
Drummond all and every the lands.
lordships, baronies, fisheries, tithes, patronages, and other
heritages and estates, which became forfeited ....
by the attainder of the said John Drummond." The Act
was evidently framed under the belief that James Drum-
mond, the sixth earl, had died before his younger brother
John.
If, at this point in the story, the sixth earl's eldest son,
James Drummond, then a pitman at Biddick, had come
forward and asserted his claims, the subsequent course of
events might have been very different from what it was.
But he did not. He is represented as being deterred
from doing this by several reasons. He was, in the first
place, to a large extent, unacquainted with passing
events. In addition to this he was extremely poor, and
scarcely able to afford a shilling for any purpose except
the maintenance of his family. But he appears princi-
pally to have been deterred from making any claim by a
timidity of disposition which was probably fostered by
the secluded life which his father had necessarily led.
He lived to the age of 70 years, and died at Biddick on
the 7th February, 1823, and was buried near his father at
Painshaw Church.
During this long period, however, other claimants had
not been idle. Soon after the repeal of the Act of at-
tainder, one Captain James Drummond came forward,
and represented himself as the direct lineal descendant
and nearest heir male of James, fourth Earl of Perth.
At this time the sixth earl and his brother were both be-
lieved to have died shortly after the battle of Culloden,
and the descendants of their grandfather were, in conse-
quence, regarded as their heirs-at-law. This Captain
Drummond appears to "have been able to bring forward
evidence which satisfied the Court of Session that he was
heir to the earldom ef Perth, and on payment of a fine of
£52,547 Is. 6id., the estates of the Drummonds were
granted to him by the king.
It has been asserted that this Captain Drummond
attained the estates by personating an individual
who died at Lisbon four or five years before
148
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I April
the claim was made, and who was the real heir
of the fourth Earl of Perth. But as this question does
not affect the claim of the pitman's family of Biddick, we
need not stay to discuss it. Tbis Captain James Drum-
mond, whoever he might be in reality, was afterwards
created Lord Perth, and died in 1800, leaving an only
daughter, who afterwards married Lord Gwydyr.
The second James Drummond of Biddick left a family,
of whom the eldest son was Thomas Drummond, a man
of very different disposition from that of his father. He
inherited the traditions of his family, and, soon after his
father's death, devoted himself diligently to the accumu-
lation of evidence of his heirshlp to the earldom of Perth.
The first Lord Durham is known to have believed in
Drumniond's claim, and to have aided him in collecting
evidence and pursuing his cause. In June, 1831, the case
came on for hearing at the Cannongate Court Room,
Edinburgh, when the jury unanimously decided that
Thomas Drummond, of Biddick, was "nearest and lawful
heir male of his deceased great-granduncle, Lord Edward
Drummond," and so had every legitimate claim to the
earldom of Perth and the estates of the Drummonds.
The time was now approaching when the case was to
come before the House of Lords. The Earl of Durham
was ready to exert himself in every way in the claimant's
favour. Unfortunately, however, at this point, Drum-
mond incurred his patron's displeasure. The pitman was
"a tolerable performer on the violin," which he used to
carry with him into public-houses, and entertain his
friends with stories of his family history, interspersed
with musical performances. The company freely paid
for his liquor, and he ceased to be a sober man. He used
to tell them that, when he came to his estates, "worth
eighty thousand a year," he would set them all right.
But this was not all. Drummond must be prepared to
appear at the bar of the House of Lords;
so a dress suit was procured for him. Anxious
to impress the villagers of Biddick with his finery,
he displayed himself in the lane dressed as he in-
tended to appear before the Lords in London. Alas !
the roughs of Biddick assailed him, and tore his swallow-
tailed coat to shreds. The night before he was to appear
at the House of Lords, the Earl of Durham's butler, in a
mischievous lark, plied him with as much wine as he
could induce him to swallow. The consequence was that,
when he was summoned into the earl's room, he was
"drunk and incapable." Lord Durham was disgusted, and
refused to have anything further to do with the claimant.
The case was at length heard in the House of Lords,
but the decision of the peers was against the pitman.
The claimant died on the 18th November, 1873, at the
age of 81 years. Some of his descendants still live in the
neighbourhood of Biddick, but have wisely refrained from
reviving their claims, except perhaps in the fireside gossip
of the village.
I have told the story of the Earldom of Perth as it was
told by the Drummonds, pitmen of Biddick. There it,
of course, another version. The printed genealogies of
the family state that James Drummond, the sixth earl,
died on board the vessel in which he and his brother had
embarked for France, shortly after the battle of Oulloden.
There seems, in the case printed on behalf of the Biddick
claimant, to be strong evidence against thi» state-
ment. On the other hand, Robert Chambers, in his
"History of the Rebellion," mentions that in the chapel
of the English Nuns at Antwerp, where John Drummond,
the sixth earl's brother, was buried, there are elegantly
expressed Latin epitaphs on both brothers. The epitaph
on James Drummond, the sixth earl, is strong evidence
that he was actually dead at the time when it was
inscribed, which was, I take it, shortly after the death of
his brother. If this be granted, there is no ground left on
which to call in question the award of the Drummond
estates made in 1785, unless, indeed, it be contended that
the Captain James Drummond who then claimed and
had his claim allowed, was a personator. But, if this
even were assumed, it would in no way affect the case of
the pitmen of Biddick. J. R. BOYLE, F.S.A.
Chartidt
I HE illustration of a Chartist spear, copied
from a sketch kindly made by Mr. W. H.
Knowles, architect, recalls to memory the
political turmoil that accompanied the agitation for
reform in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. In
the North of England especially the " physical force "
part of the movement is associated with the hardy
blacksmith community which had grown up at Win-
laton. The organization of the great Crowley
establishment at that village* was originally carried
out on lines upholding Church and King in a
highly orthodox fashion. Even the celebration of
the North-Country "bonefire" was altered from
Midsummer Day, and made an annual festival in loyal
commemoration of Royal Oak Day. But the com-
munistic principles which had been fostered under the
system of working grew apace in latter days ; and
"Crowley's Crew" developed a school of independent
and unorthodox political thought in striking contrast
with the ways of the older time.
It was thus that the movement for reform in Parlia-
ment found staunch adherents in the Blacksmith
City. The Winlaton men had indeed "thews and
sinews like their ancestors," and as they were
also the cunningest of craftsmen in ironwork they
naturally expressed their feelings and prepared to
* For »n account of Growler's Crew, see Monthly Chronicle,
vol. ii.,' page 97.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
149
enforce their claims
weapons made by
at the point of formidable
their own hands. These
home-made arms were turned out in hundreds.
Fowling-pieces were craftily acquired.
Pattereeriet (the survival of the ancient
paterero, or ship's cannon) were also
obtained, and no less than fourteen of
them were ready for use. Hand-gren-
ades were ingeniously constructed from
the strong stoneware material of empty
blacking bottles. These were wrapped
in stout canvas bags, filled with cuttings
of nailrods and gunpowder, and then
fitted with a fuse passing through the
cork. But the characteristic weapons
were those forged on the anvil by the
Winlaton men themselves, and these
were of three kinds. The " craa's foot "
(the caltrop of the military strategist)
was produced in large quantities. It
was like a spur made with four sharp
points arranged in triangular form, so
that when thrown on the ground three
points formed the base, and left a single
deadly point upright. These contri-
vances were intended to be sown thickly
on the roads to impede the passage of
cavalry. There was also the " pike," a
light iron head, made like a halbert in
shape, with a sharp thrusting point at
the end. It had two edges, with an axe
on one face, and a sharp, bent, knife-
edged spur on the other. The pike had
a short handle, and it could be concealed
on the person. Its use was intended to
be that of cutting the bridle of a cavalry
soldier with the knife-like projection,
and of either thrusting with the point,
or giving a blow with the axe-faced
side. The third weapon fabricated was
the formidable arm here illustrated. It
was a spear-head, and was socketed on
a staff about eight or nine feet loner.
The one here shown was forged by Mr.
George Marshall, of Winlaton, who emi-
grated to the United States in March,
1840. It is a really fine specimen
of smith- work "off the hammer," no
finish having been put upon it after it left the anvil. For
fifty years this weapon has been preserved in the possession
of the family from whom it was obtained for presentation
to the Black Gate Museum, Newcastle, where it now rests.
It is at once an evidence of the skilful handicraft of the
smith who wrought it, and a vivid memento of a turbulent
time gone by.
It will occur to anyone that these arms of the " physical
force Chartists " were, after all, not weapons of offence,
but of defence. Pike, and crowfoot, and spear were chiefly
intended for protection from a charge of cavalry, and,
happily, the history of the movement does not record the
use of these weapons in actual conflict. That the men
who bore them were resolute admits of little question,
notwithstanding the many stories current to the contrary.
It has, for instance, bean alleged that on slight occasion
panic prevailed, and that they were then in the condition
of Falstaff and his army-
Scattered and possessed with fear
So strongly that they dare not meet each other ;
Each takes his fellow for an officer.
But the men of Winlaton were no such cowards when
they appeared as a community in arms. Their prepara-
tions were made with the calmest care, and were planned
with all the forethought of a well disciplined organiza-
tion. Every man had his post, knew his instructions,
and was exercised in the use of his means of defence.
That this was the case is shown by an episode in which
the agitation may be said to have culminated. It has
been described as "A Memorable Night at Winlaton,"
and has been so graphically told by one who was there
that it must be given in his own words.
The narrator is Mr. Isaac Jeavons, the respected secre-
tary of the Blacksmiths' Friendly Society. "Late at
night, or at early morning," Mr. Jeavons relates, "two
of the Newcastle Chartists arrived at Winlaton.
They brought news that cavalry were coming to
search the village for arms. The fife and drum
immediately went round the town to arouse the inhabit-
ants. The patereeries, fourteen in number, were fired
with blank cartridge, then loaded with grape shot, and
planted on the Sandhill ready for action. Men were told
off, in twos and threes, to all the roads leading into the
village. Each party had a gun, and their orders were
that, if they should see or hear the approaching cavalry,
the gun had to be fired. This was the signal for all out-
lying sentinels to fall back and take up their places
in the town. Two of the Winlaton leaders being
marked by the authorities, were advised to keep out of
the way. One of them
was Edward Summer-
side, who had been in-
carcerated for selling
unstamped newspapers;
the other was Ellison
Clark. Men with fowl-
ing-pieces loaded with
ball took up allotted
positions, each man in
his place. Hand gren-
ades and crow feet were
all planted ready for action. All pikes and spear
heads not required for immediate use, were stowed
away and hidden. The places of the two leading
Chartists, who had been urged away, were taken
"A OEAA poor."
150
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I April
I 1989.
by earnest men who were seen going about from place
to place conversing in undertones with the men at
their various posts. Happily, the news brought from
Newcastle proved to be a false alarm, and the excitement
subsided as daylight appeared. The episode, however,
formed a turning point in the history of the movement at
Winlaton, for after this some of the Chartists there began
to lose faith in the Newcastle branch, and the agitation
gradually began to subside. "
Mr. Jeavons well remembers two of the general
leaders of the Chartist movement. "During the agi-
tation," he says, " Mr. George Julian Harney used
to stop in Winlaton for weeks together. Mr. Harney
was well known and greatly respected among the men for
his genial conversation and manners. His buoyant youth,
his hearty laugh, his favourite song, and the very tone
and accent of his voice are recollected. The great
Chartist lecturer, Dr. Taylor, was for some time concealed
here, when there was a warrant out for his apprehension ;
L~t it began to be suspected that he was in Winlaton, and
he was in consequence sent away to Alston or its neigh-
bourhood, where soon after he was apprehended and im-
prisoned."
This narrative of an eye-witness enables ns to realize
vividly how near to our own days and to our own doors
the peril of a civil war was laid, and it gives a reality to
the memento of the times preserved in this Chartist
spear. RICHARD OLIVER HESLOP.
(Svfftttf Hufte iJuftrrlffd at
ilHEN the allied sovereigns visited England
after the overthrow of Napoleon, Alexander
I., the Emperor of Russia, was accompanied
by his brother Nicholas, afterwards destined to become
Emperor himself. The Grand Duke Nicholas (for such
was his then rank), anxious to see something of the
method of working coals in this country, came down
to the North to acquire the knowledge he needed.
Among the prominent people to whom he was furnished
with letter? of introduction was the Rev. Dr. Gray, then
Rector of Bishopwearmouth, afterwards Bishop of Bris-
tol. Dr. Gray introduced him to Dr. Clanny, showed him
the bridge over the Wear, and entertained him to
lunch in the Rectory. Subsequently, the Grand Duke,
in company with his suite, which consisted of Sir William
Congreve, the inventor of the Congreve rocket, and
some half dozen Russian noblemen in military uniform,
set out for Newcastle. Here he visited the Royal
Jubilee School, through which he was shown by the
Rev. William Turner, the celebrated Unitarian minister.
Here likewise he inspected, with much curiosity and
interest, several beautiful specimens of wood engraving
laid before him by Mr. Thomas Bewick. The Grand
Duke was invited by the Mayor (Sir Thomas Burdon) to
partake of the hospitalities of the town, but these were
courteously declined on the plea of other engagements.
Afterwards he paid a visit to Alnwick Castle.
The "illustrious stranger" arrived at Wallsend on
December 16, 1816. Mr. John Buddie, the viewer of the
colliery, had received instructions to show his Highness
all that was to be seen, both above and below ground,
and make him fully acquainted with the mode of winning
and working the coal, ventilating the pits, &c. He was
taken to Mr. Buddie's residence, which was situated
in the immediate vicinity of the principal pit ; and there
he was politely asked to take off his glittering uniform
and orders, and put on the dress worn by a deputy-over-
man, consisting of thick flannel trousers and a jacket of
the same. This metamorphosis he accordingly under-
went, and was then escorted to the mouth of the pit
down which he was to be lowered.
As almost all our readers doubtless know, the pits are
round holes, of about 10 feet in diameter, sunk into the
earth to the depth in some cases of 300 fathoms, nearly
one-third of a mile, and divided by a wooden partition or
brattice the whole way down, so as to form two shafts,
one known as the upcast and the other the downcast.
Before the general adoption of Fourdrinier's apparatus,
the mode of descending a shaft was either by entering a
large basket or corve used for hauling up the coals, or by
putting one leg through a large iron hook at the end of
the rope and clinging by the hands to the chain to which
it was appended. The latter mode, contrary to what
might be imagined, was the best and safest, and for this
reason, that the basket was liable to catch the sides of the
pit, and be thus turned upside down. Each person was
provided with a short stick to keep himself from grazing
the black and dripping walls as he proceeded downwards,
and the rapidity of the descent was such as to render this
precaution highly expedient.
Wallsend pit was at that period in the full enjoyment
of its fame as sending up the finest coals in the world, and
on this account it had been selected to give the Russian
prince the best possible idea of what a coal pit was like,
and how it was worked so profitably as to nett its owners
an annual income of fifty or sixty thousand pounds.
There were no coal mines of any consequence then
in Russia, and Nicholas had never seen one in his
life. What idea he had formed in his own mind
of a coal pit it is impossible to say ; but it is to be pre-
sumed that he had either thought little about the matter
or been very wrongly informed on the subject. For when
Mr. Buddie escorted him up the ladder leading to the
platform of the pit-mouth, and introduced him to the
scene of operations, he stopped suddenly short, and
asked with alarm whether that was really the place to
which he had been recommended to come. Upon being
assured that such was actually the case, he went forward
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
151
to the very edge of the pit, and attempted to look down
into the Tartarean abyss, up which a blinding smoke was
rising ; then, stepping precipitately back, and holdincr up
his hands in horrified amazement, he exclaimed in
French, "Ah! my God, it is the mouth of hell! — none
but a madman would venture into it ! " After uttering
these words, he hastily retreated, made his way back to
Mr. Buddie's house, and there, slipping off his coarse,
vulgar flannels as quickly as he could, again assumed his
splendid uniform of a Russian general, with the badges
of half the military orders in Europe hung about him.
Then, without a minute's delay, he left Wallsend Colliery
far behind him, never to attempt the exploration of
another coal mine.
(JAMES HOGG, the Ettrick Shepherd, though
not a native of the district, was more
familiar with every part of the Border
country south of the Cheviots than any person to the
manner born. His capital story of "The Long Pack,"
which is re-printed in the Monthly Chronicle, vol. i., p.
250, is enough to entitle him to rank among the literary
lions of Northumberland. Hogg was in the habit of
singing the following song to the tune of "The Laird o'
Cockpen, " when on a visit to his friends in Reedsdale : —
O the de'il's in the lasses, they taigle us sae,
They're sweet as the hawthorn— they're sour as the slae ;
Though their souls seem as pure as the down on the swan,
They would gan to auld Nick for a gallant young man.
There were three bonny lasses that wonn'd in a glen,
They wanted for naething but gallant young men ;
They had gowd in their coffers, and dwelt in a ha',
But they'd nae ane to lie between them and the wa'.
Now the brown leaves were strewn upon Otterburn lea,
And the robin was pourin' his plaint fra the tree ;
And the wood flowers that late were sae blopmin'and gay,
Drooped lowly and breathed their sweet spirits away,
While these three dainty dames sat alone in their ha',
Wi' their cheek on their hand, like arose 'mang the snaw ;
O there's fifty braw fallows would hae mounted and run
Had they ken'd what thae lasses were thinkin' upon.
Then out spoke wee Annie, the youngest of a' —
Like the dew frae young rosebuds her accents did fa' —
" Charlie says that he loves me, but does na he ken
That I've seen the bud blossom these aught years and ten?"
Then Marion whisper'd— I ne'er could tell what,
Twas something 'bout Sandy, the Laird o' Dunlat ;
And Jean shook down a shower o' loose ringlets like gowd,
And said Robin was free, baith to them and the snood.*
Thae lasses were mad each to hae a gudeman,
Their aiths they hae pledged— they hae plighted their
hand,
They have trysted to meet at the mirk hour o' twar,
And to learn the hail truth— tho' they wrench'd it frae
hell!
They met, and their deevilish cantrips they tried,
Wi' each a lang rowan treet wand by her side ;
* The snood, or snudge, was a fillet or ribbon, the wearing of
which was the mark of maidenhood.
t The rowan, roun, roan, or royne-tree, the mountain ash, was
believed to be a sure preservative against witchcraft
They shiver'd, and summon'd the spirits below
To say gin they e'er sud be wedded or no.
When, dreadfu" to sing o', three demons appear,
Wi' a black hairy hide frae their hoof to their ear,
And a tail playin' plisk their rough hurdies between,
As deevils o' credit hae always been seen !
" We ken what ye're seekin'," ae deevil did say,
But Jeanie and Annie had clean swarf'd away,
When twa o' the demons sprang out wi' a yell,
And caught the poor things to their breasts ere they fell.
O wha ever heard o' sic deevils as mine ?
They leapt frae their hides in a moment o' time ;
Each mounted his bride on a braw mettled steed,
And awa' for the Border at top o' their speed.
Now at Gretna thae damies awoke the next morn,
What had passed in the mirk hours I never could learn ;
But when Phcebus keek'd into their chamber, he saw
That they'd somebody laid between them an' the wa' !
Castlt.
j]MMORTALISED by Scott in the stirring
rhythm of "Marmion," depicted with
wondrous beauty and effect by Turner's
magic touch, and filling many a page of
history with all the charm of romance, "Norham's
castled steep," as it stands beetling over "Tweed's fair
river broad and deep," is an ideal scene of the Borderland.
Its stern, embattled front tells the story of much strife
and trouble, and still we see the " loophole grates " where
captives were wont to weep ; but times have changed
since the real Marmion with his golden helm rode
single-handed into a throng of hostile Scots, "all
for the love of his ladye." Norham was then
deemed " the daungerest place in England " ; it is now a
peaceful pastoral scene, and, under the softening hand of
Time, the old keep attracts no more attention than as a
monument of a martial period.
Even since Turner painted his famous picture of
"Norham Castle," in which in imagination we can
see the turrets shining "in yellow lustre," the aspect of
the keep has altered, for trees are gradually spreading up
the slope of the hill, and, viewed from the Village
Cross, half a mile away, the square tower is half
hidden by its umbrageous robes. Into one of the
flanking walls, too, a gardener's cottage has been
built, and visitors from far and near— by road, rail,
or river — can bear testimony to the excellence of the
gardener's fruit, and the choice flavour of his goodwife's
tea, when served in the romantic shelter of the Marmion
Arch. Through this archway, it is supposed, Sir William
Marmion rode full tilt at his enemies ; and through this
archway also, in ascending the hill, the visitor obtains a
pretty glimpse in perspective of the keep within. Our
view given in the larger illustration — taken from a water-
colour drawing by Mr. C. X. Sykes— is that selected by
Landseer for his painting of the Castle, his standpoint
being on a mound a little to the right of the Marmion
152
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
Arch. The smaller illustration presents the southern
view of the keep, and the door to be seen at the bottom
of the building affords access to the dungeon.
The Castle grounds are now kept with great care.
Thanks to the artistic taste of Mr. H. E. H. Jerningham
— Mrs. Jerningham, of Longridge Towers, being the
proprietrix — rustic gates have been fixed in various por-
tions of the ruins, and advantage has been taken of an
outstanding portion of the works on the northern side to
erect a grassy platform which commands a view of
th» interior of the keep as well as of the valley
of the Tweed. In the gardener's cottage will be
found a visitors' book, which bears many notable
signatures, including the caligraphy of Count
Herbert von Bismarck and M. Gambetta. The
latter, however, wrote an assumed name. Mr. Jerning-
ham, we need hardly say, is the author of the most reliable
work to be had on Norham Castle. The book, which also
deals with early Christianity in the North, is written in a
graceful and picturesque style, and is published in a
tasteful form by Mr. William Paterson, of Edinburgh.
Camden describes the Castle as having " an outer wall
of great compass, with many little towers in the angle
next the river, and, within, another circular wall much
stronger, in the centre whereof rises a loftier tower."
Part of the ruins have been undermined by the
river, and little remains except the great keep
tower, 70ft. high, and the double gateway, which led to
the bridge over the ancient moat, now a green hollow.
The Castle was originally built by Ralph Flambard in
1121, but was taken and partially destroyed by David,
King of Scots, in 1138. It was subsequently restored by
Bishop Pudsey, who built the great tower in 1154. King '
John had three conferences here with William the Lion of
Scotland — one in 1203, another in 1209, and yet another
two years later. That in 1209 was respecting a castle
at Tweedmouth, which John had twice tried to build,
and William had as often pulled down ; and at the
meeting in 1211 peace was ratified by the interven-
tion of Queen Ermengard of Scotland. In 1215 King
John besieged Norham to revenge the homage paid
by the Northumbrian barons to Alexander of Scotland ;
but, being unsuccessful, he was obliged to raise the siege
in 40 days. In 1286 Edward I. met the Scottish noblea
at Norham, and afterwards called a parliament at
Upsetlington, on the other side of the Tweed, to settle
his claims to the throne of Scotland. John Baliol swore
fealty in Norham. In 1318 the Castle, then governed by
Sir Thomas Gray, was besieged by the Scots, but without
effect, in spite of two forts which they raised against it
at Norham and Upsetlington. In 1322 it was taken by
the Scots, but retaken by Edward after a ten days' siege.
On the night of Edward III. 'a coronation, the Scots
again besieged it, and took it in the following year. In
CastU from Thi WcsT. SK-r^-^-Jv—S—SL— -_---rr-_-J^-.^ r--~~~-~-.~-^-—^=~~==^:~~-
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
153
1355 it was again taken and plundered. In the time of
Henry VII. it was besieged, but was relieved by Fox,
Bishop of Durham, and the Earl of Surrey. It was
finally assaulted just before the battle of Flodden Field,
and was taken through the advice of a traitor, who urged
the Scots to descend from Ladykirk Bank to Gin Haugh,
a flat ground by the river, and thence to throw down the
north-east corner of the wall with their cannon : —
So when the Scots the walls had won,
And rifled every nook and place.
The traitor came to the king anon,
But for reward met with disgrace.
"Therefore for this thy traitorous trick
Thou shalt be tried in a trice ;
Hangman," therefore quoth he, "be quick ;
The groom shall have no better price."
—Ballad oj Flodden.
In 1603 Bishop Mathew devised the Castle to the
Crown. Dr. George Carleton, the biographer of Bernard
Gilpin, was born here, while his father was keeper of the
Castle. "It were a wonderful processe," says Leland,
" to declare what mischefes cam by hungre and asseges
by the space of eleven yeres in Northumbreiand ; for the
Scottes became so proude after they got Berwick, that
they nothing esteemid the Enelischmen. "
An incident occurred at Norham which was not only
woven by Bishop Percy into his ballad of the " Hermit of
Warkworth," but also, perhaps, guided Sir Walter Scott
in the choice of Marmion as his hero. Leland tells that
in the time of Edward II. a great feast was made in
Lincolnshire, at which a maiden brought a helm of gold
to Sir William Marmion, "with a letter of commaunde-
ment of her lady, that he should go into the daungerest
place in England, and there let his heualme to be aeene
and knowne as famous." " So," continues Leland, "he
went to Norham, whither, withyn four dayes of cumming,
cam Philip Moubray, Gardian of Berwike, having in his
band 140 men of armes, the very flowr of men of the
Scottisch marches. Thomas Gray, Capitayne of Norham,
seying this, brought his garison afore the bariers of the
castel, behynd whom cam William Marmion, richely
arrayed, as all glittering in golde, and wearing the
heualme as his lady's present. Then said T. Gray to
Marmion, ' Sir Knight, ye be cum hither to fame your
heualme : mount upon yor horse, and ride like a valiant
man to yon army, even here at hand, and I forsake God
if I rescue not thy body, deade or alyve, or I myself wyl
dye for it.' Whereupon he took his cursore, and rode
among the throng of enemyes : the which layd sore stripes
on him, and pullid hym at the last oute of his sadel to the
ground. Then T. Gray, with the whole garrison, lette
pryk yn emong the Scottes, and so wonded them and
their horses that they were overthrowen, and Marmion,
sore beten, was horsid agayn, and with Gray perseuid
the Scottes in chase. There was taken 50 horses of price ;
and the women of Norham brought them to the footemen
to follow the chase."
Though several villas have sprung up of late, the village
of Norham consists chiefly of a single wide street, with a
green, in the centre of which stands a queer pyramidal
cross. It was anciently called Ubbanford, and, being the
capital of the district of Norhamshire, was the place
where the bishops of Durham exercised justice and held
their exchequer. The Culdees, missionaries from lona,
are said to have first preached the gospel in Northumber-
land in this place. Gospatrick, Earl of Northumberland,
died here, and was buried in the church porch.
A church was built here by Egfrid, Bishop of Lindis-
farue, and dedicated to St. Peter, St. Cuthbert, ind St.
Ceolwulf, and hither Egfrid caused the remains of the
Royal Ceolwulf (to whom Bede dedicated his church
history) to be brought from Lindisfarne. Ceolwulf's feast
was kept with much solemnity, and the country people
used to come on that day to make offerings at his shrine.
The feast of the translation of St. Cuthbert's body was
also observed here with great splendour on the first
Sunday and Monday after the 4th of September. A
stone discovered in Norham bears the effigies of
St. Peter, Cuthbert, and Ceolwulf. The present Church of
St. Cuthbert is a handsome building, having a massive
tower, with Norman zigzag arches. It was modernized
1846-52, and restored at the instance of the Rev. Canon
Waite about five years ago. The nave has a Norman
arcade of five bays. The church is Norman, but the east
end is Early Decorated. It contains the figure of a knight
under a bold Decorated canopy ; also the effigy by Lough
11857) of a former rector, Dr. Gilly, author of the " His-
tory of the Waldenses." The stained glass is by Ballan-
tine. The church had formerly three chantries, and pos-
sessed the privilege of 37 days' sanctuary.
There is a pleasant walk by the riverside. On the oppo-
154
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
site bank are the woods of Ladykirk, with the church,
dedicated by Jamea IV. to the Virgin in gratitude for
having been preserved from drowning in a dangerous
passage of the Tweed.
j]R. THOMAS SOPWITH, M.A., F.R.S., was
born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, on January 3rd,
1803, his father being a large cabinetmaker
and joiner in the town. To this trade he was first
apprenticed ; but the bent of his mind was altogether in
the direction of literary and scientific pursuits, and he
soon gave up the practical part of his father's business.
When he had finished his apprenticeship, he left the
cabinetmaker's bench, and studied land and mining sur-
veying under Mr. Dickinson at Alston Moor. In these
branches he became so competent and useful that Mr.
Dickinson took him into partnership. He remained at
Alston four years, and prepared, in conjunction with his
partner, all the plans and sections of the lead mines in
Alston belonging to the Greenwich Hospital. About the
same time, also, he was employed in similar work for
the Corporation of Newcastle and others. He found
time, too, to publish an account with plans of the interior
of All Saints' Church, Newcastle-on-Tyne. The etched
plans and sections of the great Hudgill Burn Lead Mine,
having been seen by the learned Dr. Buckland, professor
of geology, led to an intimacy between the two gentlemen
which ended only with the doctor's death. It was during
his residence at Alston that he made the friendship of
Mr. Hugh Lee Pattinson. Mr. Sopwith, though still a
young man, was now beginning to make a reputation in
the profession he had adopted ; and in 1830 we find him
established in Newcastle as a civil and mining engineer,
where he soon formed an excellent and lucrative business.
Amongst other important matters, he surveyed and
levelled a new road between Newcastle and Otterburn,
and he began to be consulted by many of the leading
county gentry on matters affecting their estates. In
1832, Mr. Sopwith entered upon offices in the then newly-
built Royal Arcade, where he continued until the year
1845, in which year he received the valuable appointment
of agent to the W.B. Lead Mines of Northumberland
and Durham.
During the thirteen years preceding his entrance upon
this most important post, Mr. Sopwith was concerned in
very many great undertakings. He made and prepared
sections and surveys of the Forest of Dean, and showed the
beds of coal and workings therein, afterwards reporting to
the Woods and Forests Department of the Government.
He was also occupied professionally with many great rail-
ways—the Newcastle and Berwick, London and Brighton,
Newcastle and Carlisle, and the Sambre and Mouse in
Belgium; likewise with works connected with the im-
provement of the River Tyne, &c. Whilst thus
engaged he could scarcely help coming in contact
with many eminent engineers, and he thus formed
friendships with Brunei, Rendel, Buddie, the Ste-
phensons, Nicholas Wood, and several other gentle-
men of position in the engineering and scientific
world. Besides these, he numbered among his intimate
friends such men as Professors Sedgwick and Faraday,
Sir Roderick Murchison, the Brothers Chambers, of
Edinburgh, and indeed nearly all the more celebrated
men of science of the last fifty years. When the British
Association first met in Newcastle in 1838, Mr. Sopwith
contributed no less than six papers on various subjects ;
and on the second visit, in 1863, he was one of the
secretaries of the Geological Section, besides contributing
papers.
For the first years of his appointment as Mr.
Beaumont's agent, Mr. Sopwith resided at Allenheads,
taking great interest in the welfare of his workpeople,
and especially in the education of the children. About
1857, he went to reside in London, and in the year 1871
he resigned the office of chief-agent of the W.B. Mines,
which he had held for the long period of 26 years. He at
the same time retired from the engineering profession, in
which he had been engaged for fully half-a-century.
^-J
The many honours Mr. Sopwith gained in science and
art must not be forgotten. He was a Fellow of the
Royal Society, a Fellow of the Society of Arts, and a
member of the Institute of Civil Engineers. His largest
work, that on "Isometrical Drawing," went through
several editions. "An Account of the Mining Districts
of Alston Moor, Weardale, and Teesdale," had also a
large sale. He was a frequent contributor to newspapers
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
155
and magazines, and wrote several educational works,
books of travel, &e.
Mr. Sopwith died at his residence in London, 16th
January, 1879, aged 76 years. Up to within a short time
of his death, he had always enjoyed the best of health. A
writer to whom we have been much indebted for a great
deal of the information here given says of him : — "With
his natural flow of high spirits, conversational powers, and
well-stored and retentive memory, he was a genial com-
panion and a good friend, and will be long remembered
with feelings of satisfaction by those whose advantage it
was to have the pleasure of his acquaintance." The
same authority gives us this interesting piece of informa-
tion : — "He was a ready and precise writer, as is proved
by his journal, which consists of 168 volumes, containing
descriptions of places and people, and numerous and
amusing pen and ink sketches, which would do credit to
a professional artist. This journal was begun when he
was eighteen years of age, and continued to within a fort-
night of his death, a period of fifty-eight years."
ililltllt.-uir SFntrft, C0b«tatttn-
atttr JFxvnuv.
JIT is simply a record of history that James
I. of England, his son, and his two grand-
sons, laboured assiduously to overturn the
Presbyterian government of the Scottish
Church. Charles II., when he had sought refuge with
the Scots, signed the famous Covenant which bound all
subscribers to defend the true religion, to oppose all
errors and corruptions, to unite for the defence of the
king and his authority, and for the preservation
of the religion, laws, and liberty of his kingdom.
But, with that want of sincerity which was a prominent
feature of the Stuart kings, he used to observe that
" Presbyteriauism was not a religion for a gentleman."
The religious persecution which ensued as a natural result
of the king's determination to establish Episcopacy by
force led to a-serious insurrection. The people, following
their own pastors, celebrated divine worship in the fields
or glens of their native country ; while, on the other side,
severe penalties were enacted against all who attended
these meetings or conventicles.
Many ministers, distinguished for real courage and
sincere piety, sacrificed their interests to their religious
principles ; and amongst the most persecuted of these
was William Veitch, the subject of this sketch. His
father, John Veitch, was minister of Roberton, near
Lanark, for 45 years, and William was born there in
1640. John, the second son, was'minister of Westruther,
in Berwickshire, for 54 years; James was ordained
minister of Mauchline in 1656 ; and David was minister
of Govan.
William took his degrees at Glasgow University in 1650.
Owing to appearances that Episcopacy was apparently
to be the established religion of the kingdom, he resolved
to pursue the practice of physic. This, however, he was
dissuaded from following, through the advice of Mr.
Livingstone, minister of Ancrum, who, showing the great
esteem in which his brothers were held in the Church,
besought him to follow in their steps. In 1663 he became
chaplain to Sir Hugh Campbell, of Calder, in Moray-
shire, but was forced to leave about September, 1664,
for, according to law, none were permitted to be
chaplains in families, to teach any public school,
or to be tutors to the children of persons of quality
without the license of the Episcopal Bishop of the
diocese. He, therefore, returned home to his father, who
had been ejected from his living, and had taken up his
residence at Lanark, and while staying under the parental
roof he became acquainted with Marion Fairlie (born
1638), whom he made his wife in November, 1664.
Scarcely had two years of married life passed over their
heads when the first blast of persecution fell upon them.
He was persuaded by the Rev. John Welch, minister of
Irongray, to join that party of Covenanters which, after
having raised 1,500 men, fell upon Sir James Turner's
western forces, and made their commander prisoner.
Their spirits having by this enterprise been con-
siderably elevated, the Covenanters resolved to march
on to Edinburgh for the purpose of obtaining
reinforcements and provisions. From Bathgate they
went to Collington, where Veitch, who was a
daring man, was selected to enter Edinburgh to
consult with Sir James Stuart respecting the assistance
and supplies they stood so much in need of. He was
captured and conveyed to Lord Kingston. Policy
prompted him to offer himself as a volunteer in King-
ston's front rank to march against the Covenanters, and
thus he found an opportunity to escape. Not easily
turned from his purpose, he now entered the city, where
his errand proved fruitless, and, after being nearly cap-
tured by Dalziel's horse, he returned to Collington.
An encounter in which the Covenanters were defeated
by Dalziel took place on Wednesday, the 28th November,
1666, at Rullion Green, near the Pentland Hills, and here
Veitch had another narrow escape from being captured.
Falling in with a company of the enemy's horse, he was
carried along with them — they not knowing who he was.
While descending a hill he made his escape, and found
refuge in a shepherd's cottage on Dunsyre Common, not
far from his own house. Here he remained in hiding
for some days, when he managed to escape to Newcastle,
where he took the name of William Johnstone.
At Newcastle he contracted a dangerous illness, after
recovering from which he returned at great risk to Scot-
land to see his wife, whom he advised to retire to Edin-
burgh, in order to avoid the annoyance she was subjected
to by the soldiery who were in quest of him. During
156
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
this visit to the West Hills of Dunsyre, he had another
narrow escape, but contrived to return safely to New-
castle.
Proceeding soon afterwards to London, he preached
frequently there, and was on one occasion only saved
from an exasperated audience by the intervention of
Colonel Blood, of crown-jewel fame. He returned to
Northumberland and settled at Fallowlees, in Rothbury
parish, in 1671. Here he combined farming with his
religious labours ; and, indeed, it was absolutely neces-
sary that something should be done for the support of his
family, as the fifth child made its appearance on the
19th of July, 1672.
The persecution he suffered here induced him to retire
to Harnham Hall, where many attended his preach-
ings. The mansion house of Major Eabington was given
him as a residence, and part of it was used as a place of
worship. The township of Harnham is about one and a
half miles south-west of Bolam, in which parish it is
situated. The village stands on the summit of a huge
sandstone ridge, which in ancient times was crowned by
a small fort. The manor was held in capite by Bernard
de Babingtou in 1272, but the antiquity of this family in
Britain may be traced back as far as the Conquest. Major
Philip Babington was owner of the estate during Veitch's
residence there. His wife, Catherine, was the widow of
Colonel George Fenwick, of Brinkburn, some time
Governor of Berwick-on-Tweed, and eldest daughter of
Sir Arthur Heselrigg, of Nosely, in Leicestershire. On
her death at Harnham, which took place some time after
June, 1670, she was refused Christian burial, because she
had died under sentence of excommunication for not
giving due regard to ecclesiastical rule. This uncharit-
able treatment perhaps embittered the soul of Major
Babington against Episcopacy, and may, in a great
measure, explain the hospitality he displayed towards
the persecuted Covenanter.
Veitch was, however, not suffered even here to reside
in peace, for the clergy persuaded one Justice Lorraine,
of the Kirkharle family, to issue warrants for his appre-
hension. Previous to putting this into effect, the justice
broke his leg in a drunken fit, and was deterred from his
purpose. For four years Veitch resided at Harnham
Hall, but, the estate having fallen into other hands
through the death of his patron, the new landlord refused
to continue Veitch as a tenant.
Pvemoving now to Stanton Hall, in Longhorsley parish,
in May, 1676, he fell under more persecution, especially
from Thomas Bell— a Scotchman — who had been educated
out of charity by the brother of Veitch. This ungrateful
countryman now occupied the curacy of Allinton, and,
in revenge for an affront put upon him by the minister of
Westruther, he omitted no chance of destroying the
prospects of William Veitch, until, at his instigation,
Major Oglethorpe apprehended Veitch on Sunday,
January 19, 1679, and carried him prisoner to the town
of Morpeth, where he was detained twelve days.
During the eleventh day of his imprisonment he wrote a
letter to his wife, stating amid the few comforting assur-
ances he could (rive her, that an order from Council com-
manded him to proceed to Edinburgh for examination as
to his alleged misdemeanours. On receipt of this letter
his heroic wife set out with a man-servant through a
storm of snow, for perhaps a last look on her hus-
band, and had but a short interview with him before the
drums summoned the guard which was to escort him to
Edinburgh. The townspeople in Morpeth, Alnwick,
Belford, and Berwick, we are told, " from curiosity ran
after him to gaze."
On the fifth day after Veitch left Morpeth, Thomas
Bell met his death in a peculiar manner. He had
been at Newcastle, and called at the residence of the
curate of Ponteland while on his road home. The
night was dark, the river Pont was swollen, yet
Bell was not to be turned from his resolve to reach
Allinton that night. Two days afterwards he was found,
shoulder deep, frozen in the river Pont, his boots and
gloves much cut by struggling in the ice.
The examination of Veitch took place before the Council
on February 22, and, although nothing criminal could
be proven against him, he was kept in prison. Shortly
afterwards an order came from the king ordering him to be
handed over to the Criminal Court which met in July,
in order that sentence of death upon the old charge of
treason might be passed upon him. Through influence at
Court, he obtained his liberation, with banishment into
England.
For some time afterwards he continued to conduct ser-
vices through the western parts of Northumberland. In
December, 1681, he was at Berwick, but the town was in
great uproar through the news of the Earl of Argyle's
escape from Edinburgh Castle, and Veitch deemed it ad-
visable to retire to Bowsden, near Lowick, where lived
his friend Luke Ogle, the ejected minister of Berwick.
While there he dreamed that his house at Stanton Hall
was on fire, and awoke in great consternation, with
the resolve to go home in the morning. Falling
asleep, he dreamed the same again ; and so im-
pressed was he that all at home was not right, that
he immediately set off. When within two miles of his
own house he was met by his man-servant, who told him
that search had been made for him for two days, as a
stranger had made his appearance seeking shelter. The
stranger was Argyle !
After consultation with Argyle, the two set off for Lon-
don, the earl travelling as Mr. Hope. They reached
Millburn Grange, eleven miles north-west of Newcastle,
where Veitch was to preach that Sabbath, and on
the Monday they proceeded to a friend's house near
Newburn, where Veitch left Argyle in order to go to
Newcastle, where he bought three horses for the journey
at his own expense. After reaching London, Argyle went
April 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
157
to join Monmouth and other friends in Holland, where
they were shortly afterwards joined by Veitch himself,
who was " wanted " in England for the share he had
taken in Argyle's escape.
The English and Scotch refugees in Holland, having
received offers of support from England and Scotland,
determined to attempt the overthrow of the Government
of James II., and, for this purpose, the Duke of Mon-
mouth was to invade England, while the Earl of Argyle
landed in Scotland. Veitch was deputed by the refugees
to instruct their friends on the borders of England and
Scotland of their intentions ; but he was obliged to hide
in the Reedsdale district till after the execution of Mon-
mouth and Argyle, whose scheme had utterly failed. In
a wood near Newcastle, he remained in concealment for
some time, and then ventured into the town to see his
wife, who had removed thither.
Veitch's career until the king's indemnity was pub-
lished was full of narrow escapes. He then ministered
at Beverley for a short time ; but, receiving a call to
Peebles, he preached there from September, 1690, to 1694-,
when he removed to Dumfries. Here he continued to
minister till his death, which occurred May 8, 1722, at
the age of eighty-two. The partner of all his joys and
sorrows, the mother of his five sons and five daughters,
died the day before him, aged eighty-four years. They
had been married fifty-eight years, and were both in-
terred in the same grave in the old church at Dumfries.
E. J. WILSON.
jjNE of the few spas in the county of Durham—
that of Dinsdale-on-Tees — reaches the cen-
tenary of its existence this year. It was
quite by accident that the spa was first discovered.
Some workmen were excavating in search of coal in
1789. When at a depth of 72 feet in the whinstone rock,
they came upon a spring, which burst forth with a strong
smell of sulphur, accompanied with a great deal of
smoke. This unexpected flow of water, as might be
expected, compelled the men to relinquish their boring
operations. However, they dug a hole in the channel
made by the rushing water, so as to form a sort of bath —
a very primitive one as we may easily imagine. Never-
theless, it answered its purpose, and the bath was, down
to 1797, greatly appreciated by the neighbouring
villagers. Then a bathing house was constructed for the
use of visitors, the majority of whom lodged in the
village of Middleton near at hand.
When it became known that sulphur water was good
for rheumatic complaints and similar maladies, the fame
of Dinsdale soon spread throughout the district. The
first to receive relief in this respect was a man who, it is
said, had been afflicted for many years with chronic
rheumatism. After judiciously drinking the water from
the spring, and using the bath, he began gradually to get
renewed power in his limbs, and, finally, was completely
restored. So we are told.
The claims of the sulphur spring at Dinsdale were
brought to the notice of the general public at the beginning
of the present century by Dr. John Peacock, of Darlington,
and Dr. Thomas Walker, of Hurworth. Dr. Peacock,
who published his Observations in 1805, thought that
the sulphur water was most beneficial in chronic affections,
particularly of a rheumatic and dyspeptic character,
diseases of the liver and spleen, and "a whole host of
cutaneous disorders."
Although, however, Dinsdale Spa has many advan
tages, very few people visit the place now. Indeed, it
was more appreciated half a century ago than it is at the
present day, notwithstanding the apparent inclination of
well-to-do folks to seek rest and quietness in the vicinity
of sulphur springs.
An interesting article in Diet and Hygiene gives
some information anent the village of Dinsdale itself,
including the owners of the estate. From this periodical
we make the following extract : — " Very extensive
Roman remains have been unearthed in the imme-
diate vicinity of the manor house, and it is not
improbable that, nearly eighteen centuries ago, Roman
warriors availed themselves of the facilities for bathing in
the water derived from the Dinsdale sulphur springs. At
the side of the road leading toward the manor house,
there is an ancient elm tree, said to be 700 years old,
the survivor of two which formerly stood in that position,
known as the Abbot's elms. The church of Dinsdale
is very ancient, and has of late years undergone com-
plete restoration. The church and lands connected with
it were given by one Ralph Surtees and his wife to
provide lights for the altar of St. Cuthbert. The manor
and estate of Dinsdale are still in the hands of the
Surtees family, who have been connected with Dinsdale
since the Norman period. The family name is itself
derived from the banks of the river on which the estate
is situated. In old chronicles, we find the name of
Ralph Dittensdale, also described in the bad Latin of
that date as Ralph de Super-Teysam— Ralph of On-Tees ;
otherwise, in Norman French, Surteys, which has
become modernised into Surtees."
Dinsdale Hall, which was erected fifty years ago, or
thereabouts, by the first Earl of Durham, at a cost of
£35,000, is a large mansion, and was formerly used as
an hotel, when it numbered among its distinguished
patrons the Duke of Wellington and the Baroness
Burdett Coutts.
An amusing story, printed in the magazine quoted
above, shows the effect of the sulphur vapour upon
metals, especially gold and silver. A gentleman, so
the story runs, divesting himself of his clothing for the
158
MONTHL Y CHRONICLE.
f April
purpose of taking a sulphur bath, hung his silver watch
on a peg in the bath-room of the Spa Hotel. After
dressing, he went away in the direction of his lodgings,
but, discovering that he had left his watch behind,
quickly retraced his steps. Upon the attendant fetching
the watch and chain from the bath-room, the gentleman
indignantly declared thaf they were not his property,
strongly asserting that his were made of silver. It was
only when he was shown the maker's name on the watch,
and the uncommon pattern of the chain attached to it,
that he could be convinced of his error. E. W. A.
Jptrcettf at
/lortl)ttmberlanb jstmt ant) ttjs
JORTHUMBERLAXD STREET is, prac-
tically, a continuation of Pilgrim Street ;
but the difference in the name is easily
^^-" enough accounted for when we remember
tliat the ancient Gate (figured in vol. ii., page 81) frowned
equally on both in former days. We take our start from
the point where the old Gate once stood.
And first we are detained for a moment on our left
hand by Northumberland Court. This small court has
little to stay our progress to-day ; and yet it has its item
of interest all the same. Some thirty-seven years ago,
one William Glover occupied the upper room in a tene-
ment house here. He missed articles from his room, and
these disappearances waxed frequent. So he devised a
plan by which all unauthorised intrusion on his premises
should be stopped for the future. And this was his plan.
He obtained a large horse-pistol, loaded it with slugs, and
then attached the trigger to the door of his room in
such a way that anyone entering would cause the pistol
to explode, not, of course, to the intruder's benefit. But
how did he protect himself ? Well, he was able to (tain
admission safely enough by previously pulling a string
which passed through the frame of the door. Unfor-
tunately, on the evening of December 6th, 1852, he
entered his guarded room without observing this neces-
sary precaution. Result : the pistol went off, and its
contents killed him instantaneously.
On the same side of the way is Brunswick Place, at the
end of which is the Wesleyan Chapel of that name.
This building may be considered the headquarters of the
Wesleyan body in Newcastle. It was opened for public
service in February, 1821, when the preachers were the
Revs. Messrs. Newton, Atherton, and Wood. Its ex-
terior is plain even to barrenness ; its interior commo-
dious enough to accommodate two thousand persons.
Some notable men have held forth here now and again.
Dr. Morley Punshon won his rhetorical spurs in his
early years as a stationed -minister in Newcastle, and in
after years few towns were visited by him with greater
pleasure. Other Presidents of the Wesleyan Conference
besides Dr. Punshon have occupied the pulpit of Bruns-
wick Place. More than once the Conference itself has
met in Newcastle. One of these meetings was held in
the summer of 1840, when Robert Newton was president,
and Dr. Hannah secretary. Two Ashantee princes were
present on that occasion ; but the local interest attaching
to this particular meeting comes to this, that Mr. H. P.
Parker, one of the foremost local artists of his day, pre-
sented the body with a large picture representing the
rescue of Wesley from the fire of his father's rectory.
The painting was afterwards engraved, and became
widely known.
Passing on, let us pause for a moment at the Orphan
House Wesleyan School. The stranger may note the
date on che front of the building — 1857. Right : and
wrong. Right, for it was in that year that the schools of
to-day were opened for educational purposes. But wrong
in this wise : they stand on the site of the old Orphan House
founded by John Wesley, the foundation stone of which
he laid on the 20th December, 1742. (Monthly Chronicle,
vol. ii., pages 504, 570.) The Methodists occupied this
building until Brunswick Place Chapel was finished.
On this same side of the street we come, next to Mack-
ford's Entry, so named after its builder. Across the road
is a small, quiet place, called Lisle Street, and then, a
little higher up, we come to Saville Row, so named in
honour of Sir George Saville, Baronet, who, during the
years 1776 and 1777, resided here as colonel of the West
York Militia. Ellison Place is a continuation of this
street ; and here we find the modern Mansion House —
more precisely, the Judges' Lodgings at assize time.
Singleton House we arrive at next, formerly the resi-
dence of the Rev. Richard Clayton, by virtue of his
position as Master of the Mary Magdalen Hospital ; sub-
sequently occupied by Sir John Fife ; then transformed
into an academy ; and now the photographic studio of
Mr. Lydell Sawyer, and the centre of a series of tem-
porary shops.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
159
We are now opposite Prudhoe Street. On that side of
the street, a step takes us to the doors of the Victoria
Blind Asylum. Pause we a moment here, for a more
deserving charitable institution there is not in Newcastle ;
and that, remember, is saying a good deal. Victoria ?
Why the name? The explanation is simple enough.
The Asylum was built in honour of the Queen's corona-
tion, in lieu of squandering money over illuminations and
the like ; and surely none can say that our city fathers were
wrong in that idea. The determination to establish an
James's Chapel, St. George's Hall, Cambridge Hall,
and the College of Medicine.
St George's Hall has been erected for the purposes of
local volunteers, as has also its neighbour, Cambridge
Hall.
Dame Allan's charity is attached to the parishes of St.
Nicholas and St. John. The school was founded by
Eleanor Allan, of Newcastle, who, in 1705, assigned for
its support a farmhold and tenant-right in Wallsend
parish. The farm, held of the Dean and Chapter of
institution of this sort was formed in the month of Feb-
ruary, 1838 ; bufr in the first instance premises were
obtained in the Spital, whence the establishment was
removed to the existing building in 1841. Behind the
asylum there was once a Bowling Green, after the Forth
had disappeared.
Across the road, again, we have Bath Road, so named
by reason of its association with the Northumberland
Baths. These baths owe their origin to a meeting con-
vened on November 3, 1836, by the Mayor (Mr. C. J.
Bigge), whereat Dr. Head lam and others supported the
proposal that a lease should be obtained of about twelve
acres of ground lying to the north of Saville Row, and
that a company to consist of three hundred shareholders,
at £20 each, should be established for carrying out the
undertaking. The proposal was warmly taken up, and
on June 24, 1839, the baths were formally opened. They
were built from a design by Mr. Dobson, and the cost
of their erection and fitting up was nearly £8,000.
Contiguous to the baths was a once rather favourite
cricket ground, now the site of Dame Allan's Schools, St.
Durham, contained about 131 acres ; and when first
assigned it brought in an annual rental of £61 19s. 5d.
In 1708 this good lady died ; and in the next year the
school was opened in trust for forty boys and twenty girls,
the parishioners agreeing to subscribe annually for the
clothing of the scholars. Other donations towards in-
creasing the benefits of the charity came in afterwards.
In 1723, Gilbert Campel, "innholder," left it £20, and
Samuel Nicholas, organist, £10. Mrs. Chisholm, a clergy-
man's widow, of Wooler, contributed £500 later on ;
and in 1733, Mrs. Elizabeth Rogers, of Newcastle, left it
£50. In 1738, £250 was left by John Hewitt, or Huet,
goldsmith, also of Newcastle. A good, sound, useful
education is understood to be given to the scholars of
Dame Allan's School. The new building is ornamented
with a medallion of the benevolent founder.
A view of the College of Medicine, the foundation stone
of which was laid by the Duke of Northumberland on
November 5, 1887, appears on page 46, vol. ii.
St. James's Chapel, a spacious building, has sometimes
been called by its supporters the Cathedral of theCongre-
gationalists of the North. We have spoken of this body
when dealing with Blackett Street, and need not repeat
the story here.
We may now return to Northumberland Street by way
of Ridley Place, a quiet street running parallel to Bath
Road. Of Ridley Place there is nothing particular to be
said, save that it was built by one Mr. Grey, and by that
Mr. Maskford whose name we have already found asso-
ciated with an entry a little way from the present spot.
Next to Ridley Place is Vine Lane, at the end of which
stand St. Thomas's Schools. Some good work has been
160
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I Ap
1 •&
done here. Amongst old scholars in the boys' depart-
ment may be mentioned Mr. J. J. Pace, the borough
treasurer of Newcastle ; Mr. Ralph Willoughby, the
energetic superintendent of the Ragged and Industrial
Schools in the New Road; Mr. T. Albion Alderson,
organist and composer : the late Mr. William Mitche-
son, for many years the head master of St. Andrew's
School ; Mr. Andrew Beat, long the Workhouse school-
master ; and others that might easily be named. These
were all pupils of the late Mr. Henry Page, for more than
twenty years the master of the boys' school, and a self-
made mau. Commencing life as a working joiner, he
became a certificated master by dint of hard private
study. Even his recreations were intellectual. He took
to the solution of mathematical posers as the duck takes
to water ; in a game of chess he was a formidable oppo-
nent ; and music was the solace of his lighter moments.
He ended his days in Newcastle as the pensioned ex-
master of the Victoria Blind Asylum. At St. Thomas's
School he was succeeded by Mr. John Coulson, another
self-made man, who from St. Thomas's went to Durham
University, with the object of entering the ministry of the
Church of England. In due course he was ordained ; he
was further successful enough to win the prize of a fellow-
ship of his University, and became afterwards the vicar of
Holy Trinity, South Shields.
We are now nearly at the end of Northumberland
Street, so far as our right hand is concerned. We are
quite at the end of it when we come to St. Mary's Place.
But before quitting it for good, let us record one
of its traditions. Seventy years ago, one Alexander
Adams, who lived in Northumberland Street, bequeathed
a fortune amassed in commerce to his natural son, then a
resident in India. The devisee soon after died in Cal-
cutta, a bachelor, and left all he had to his cousin,
Thomas Naters, who was set-
tled in New York, in the
United States. In October,
1836, Naters died in Switzer-
land, and left his fortune,
amounting to between £200,000
and £300,000, to a respectable
builder in Newcastle, named
William Mather. The Swiss
authorities were very loth to
part with it, and claimed
£50,000 as legacy duty. The
British Government remonstra-
ted, arguing that Naters was not
a naturalised subject of Switzer-
land. The controversy went on
for some time; but eventually
the claim was settled by Mather
consenting to pay the Swiss
£12,000.
One more note we ought to
make also, namely, that the houses terminating the
north-west side of Northumberland Street were for-
merly called Pedlar, or Pether Row, as having been
built by one who laid the foundation of his fortune by
hawking or peddling.
Before us we have now the beautiful church of St.
Thomas the Martyr. An old chapel of the same name
stood for nearly six hundred years at the Newcastle end
of Tyne Bridge. In the ninth year of the reign of James
I. (June 12, 1611), this old foundation was, by Royal
Charter, annexed to another venerable institution — the
Leper Hospital, dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen. The
time came when the ancient chapel, obstructing the traffic
over the Bridge and blocking up the end of the Sandhill,
had to be removed. It was pulled down, and in 1829 the
present edifice, from designs by Mr. John Dobson, was
erected in the Magdalen Field — the place whereon the
Magdalen Hospital formerly stood. Our drawing, which
originally appeared in Richardson's "Table Book," repre-
sents the church as it appeared about 1840. The ministers
of St. Thomas's are Masters of the Hospital. One of the
most popular of them was the Rev. Richard Clayton, and
at his death, in 1856, it was considered that the time had
come when the institution should be re-organized. Many
were the heartburnings and squabbles over the matter,
and needless is it to recall them now. Suffice it that a
majority of the Corporation appointed as Mr. Clayton's
successor the Rev. Clement Moody, Vicar of Newcastle,
on the understanding that he was to accept such altera-
tions in the constitution of the charity as might be
adopted. The minority wanted an investigation into the
state of the hospital by the Charity Commissioners ; the
congregation desired the appointment of the Rev. T. D.
Halsted, Mr. Clayton's assistant, whose Evangelicalism
had made him popular. A split was the result of the
ST. THOMAS'S CHURCH, NEWCASTLK-ON-TTNE, 18W.
April 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
161
appointment, with the consequence that the Clayton
Memorial (now usually called Jesmond) Church was
built by the dissatisfied members.
ILantBtmr
JlAMBTON CASTLE, the seat of the Earl of
Durham, situate upon an imposing eminence
rising boldly on the north bank of the Wear,
about two miles from Chester-le-Street, in the county of
Durham, occupies the site of Harraton Hall, formerly the
seat of the D'Arcys. The original building was in the
style of a manor house of the date of 1600. Considerable
additions have since been made. The exterior presents a
singular mixture of styles, the north front being Norman,
and the other parts of the building, including the original
portion, being Tudor and castellated, with ornamental
turrets and embrasures. A terrace wall of considerable
length and height faces the south. The whole is of varied
outline, and produces, with its flag tower, an imposing
and picturesque effect.
The principal part of the interior has been fitted up in
the Italian style. The drawing-room, library, and other
apartments are richly decorated, whilst the walls are
adorned with the choicest specimens of ancient and
modern art. Many of the more important pictures were
on view at the Newcastle Exhibition in 1887. Amongst
these were a portrait of Lady Hamilton, by Sir Joshua
Reynolds ; a portrait of Master Lambton, by Sir Thomas
Lawrence, P.R.A. ; and portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Gar
rick, by J. Zoffany, R.A.
In 1854, the greatest fear and alarm were entertained
as to the safety of this costly and magnificent mansion.
The coal underneath the site of the building was ex-
tracted as early as 1600. The old mode of working coal
was by narrow drifts, leaving small pillars to support the
roof, and these were sufficient at the time to bear the
weight of the building above : but the upper seams, it
appears, had only a covering of fire-clay, which, in course
of time, decomposed. This, together with the additional
weight put upon the surface by the enlargement of the
mansion, caused the building, in 1854, to crack and shrink
in several parts, rendering it unsafe and dangerous as a
residence. Mr. John Dobson, the well-known architect
of Newcastle, was consulted upon the subject. He im-
mediately introduced iron ties, so as to prevent the
building from further separating. The mines under-
neath were examined, and the old workings filled up with
LAMBTON CASTLE, DURHAM.
11
162
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
solid brickwork. These and other precautions have been
found effectual, and the mansion was afterwards put into
complete repair.
We are greatly indebted to Dr. Robert Hogg, proprietor
of the Journal of Horticulture, for the loan of the en-
graving of Lambton Castle.
at Jtftarfe
atttf
?n JUcijarb SiEelfort.
THE FIRST "MINING ENGINEER."
JOHN BUDDLE was born at Kyo, near
Tanfield, in the Durham coalfield, in the
year 1773. His father was a schoolmaster of
repute, a contributor to the Diaries, a corres-
pondent of Emerson, Hutton, and other eminent mathe-
maticians, and the editor and annotatorof a reprint of the
Marquis of Worcester's " Century of Inventions," with an
appendix "containing an historical account of the fire
engine for raising water.'' Living amongst men whose
chief pursuits were the winning and working of coal, the
elder Buddie became intimately acquainted with the
business. His colliery friends, most of whom worked
largely by " rule of thumb," found him of great assistance
in making their calculations, and thus he obtained a
knowledge of colliery operations which was afterwards
instrumental in raising him from the humble position of a
village dominie to the more exalted post of colliery
manager. His first appointment in that capacity was at
Greenside, near Ryton ; his next and last at Wallsend.
Buddie the elder died in 1806, and Buddie the younger,
having been his father's assistant for several years, was
unanimously appointed to the management of Wallsend
Colliery. He was then upwards of thirty years old, had
acquired considerable reputation, and was regarded as the
most promising viewer in the North-Country. He made
experiments and introduced improvements at which the
old viewers in the district shook their heads, as old men
always do when an innovator appears. But the un-
doubted success of his schemes extorted from them an
unwilling recognition of his wisdom, and admiration of
hi? skill. The owners of Wallsend allowed him free
scope for the exercise of his ingenuity, and he rewarded
them by making their colliery the most successful in the
kingdom.
One of his first improvements was the substitution of
cast iron tubbing in shafts for the old and inefficient
protection of wood. The heavy expense, and the fear
that iron tubbing could not be made water-tight, or, if
tight, that it would soon wear away by oxidisation, had
deterred the old viewers from using it ; but Mr. Buddie
and his father adopted the metal, and it answered their
fullest anticipations. There was one drawback to its
usefulness, however, which had to be overcome. The
tubbing was cast in large circular bands the size of the
shaft, and these banda were naturally of great weight,
and therefore difficult to deal with. To remedy this
defect Mr. Buddie suggested that the bands should be
cast in segments, and fitted together in the shaft. The
segments were tried and succeeded admirably. When
placed in position and properly wedged, they formed an
irresistible barrier to the passage of water.
In 1809 Mr. Buddie successfully wrought out an idea
to which he had devoted much anxious thought. His
practical mind had long chafed at the difficulties ex-
perienced in effecting thorough ventilation. He had
experimented in vain with steam, with heated cylinders,
and with the air pump, and now he turned his attention
to the furnace system, seeking to increase its efficiency
and minimise its dangers. Combined with this object
was another, namely, to prevent the loss of coal involved
in leaving huge pillars to support superincumbent strata,
and to stop the " creeps, " with their attendant crushing
and breakage, which followed attempts to reduce the size
of the pillars. He, therefore, divided the workings into
districts or panels, separated from each other by ribs or
barriers of solid coal, and ventilated by distinct currents
of air. By this means coal was obtained whole, the area
of waste to be aired and travelled was reduced, "creeps,"
were seen in time and stopped, accidental fires were
localised, and the workmen were supplied with purer air,
and thereby rendered less liable to disease, disablement,
and death.
Mr. Buddie contributed in no small degree to the
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
163
introduction and perfecting of the safety lamp. He had
had sad experience of the want of such an invention at
Wallsend, where, between the years 1782 and 1803, there
were no fewer than eight explosions, in which, altogether,
thirty-five persons lost their lives. At other collieries,
too, his services had been frequently called into requisition
by accidents of a similar nature. Year after year the
holocaust of the mine destroyed its victims, till 1812,
when public attention was roused into action by a
disastrous explosion at Felling Colliery, in which ninety-
two persons lost their lives. Out of that calamity rose a
"Society for Preventing Accidents in Coal Mines." Six-
teen days after the association was established, Mr.
Buddie indited a letter to Sir Ralph Milbanke, the
president, explaining the systems of ventilation then in
operation, asserting that the limit of mechanical agency
towards preventing explosions had been attained, and
declaring that it was to scientific men only that the trade
and the community must look for assistance in providing
a cheap and effectual remedy. Before the month was
out, Dr. Clanny, of Sunderland, had invented a "safety
lamp," and exhibited it to the society. In less than two
years from the publication of Mr. Buddie's letter the
inventions of Sir Humphre}- Davy and George Stephenran
were made known, and the objects of the society were
accomplished. Sir Humphrey was in constant communi-
cation with Mr. Buddie while his experiments on the
nature and properties of flame were in progress; and
when his lamp had been tested in some of the most fiery
mines of the Northern coal-field, it was to Mr. Buddie's
hands that Sir Humphrey committed it, as the best
medium of making its benefits known to the mining
community.
Mr. Buddie was one of the first, if not the first, coal-
viewer in the North of England who made any noticeable
addition to the literature of the coal trade. He was a
lucid and careful writer, and his pen made the driest
details attractive. When th« Natural History Society of
Newcastle was founded, Mr. Buddie was one of its
principal supporters, and to the proceedings of that
learned body he contributed several valuable papers.
One of the best of them is a "Synopsis of the Newcastle
Coalfield," written in 1830. On the visit of the British
Association to Newcastle, in 1838, Mr. Buddie read a
similar but extended paper, the sections and ingenious
model accompanying which were deposited in the New-
castle Museum. •
The importance of preserving mining records was
earnestly advocated by Mr. Buddie throughout his career.
He read an essay on this subject to the local Natural
History Society in 1834, brought the question before the
members of the British Association assembled in New-
• castle, and n:ade out so good a case that Parliament
authorised the establishment of the present Mining
Record Office, and the- Crown appointed him one of the
commissioners under the Dean Forest Mining Act.
The fan-.e of Mr. Buddie's achievements led to his being
employed largely as a consulting viewer. The third Mar-
quis of Londonderry rested entirely upon his judgment in
the management of his vast mineral property. It was he
who advised the marquis to make a seaport town on his
own estate, in order to facilitate the exportation of his
coals. On the 28th of November, 1828, his lordship laid
the foundation stone of the docks, with which the under-
taking was commenced ; and close by, his son, Lord
Seaham, performed a similar ceremony at the first house
of a town to be called Seaham Harbour. Beneath the
dock stone was deposited a plate bearing an inscription,
which, amongst other things, stated that "in this under-
taking the founder has been chiefly advised by the tried
experience and indefatigable industry of his valued friend
and agent, John Buddie, Esq., of Wallsend."
As an employer Mr. Buddie was very popular amongst
the pitmen. He paid the highest wages in the trade, and
was liberal in his assistance to old pit acquaintances and
deserving objects of charity. When an accident occurred
he descended the pit with the men, sharing their hard-
ships and encouraging them in their exertions. He
made great efforts to establish a fund to provide for the
widows and orphans of those who lost their lives in
collieries, and for the support of such as were maimed
and disabled, but did not succeed in realising the project.
The education of the colliery population was also an
object of his constant care. He contributed largely to the
support of schools in the villages attached to the pits
placed under his supervision, and was instrumental in
in inducing other coalowners or agents to follow his
example.
In politics Mr. Buddie was a Liberal — a supporter of
Earl Grey and the Reformers. His religious views were
of the same advanced character. He was a member of
the Unitarian congregation which worshipped in Hanover
Square under the personal superintendence of the Rev.
William Turner,, as were most of the leaders of thought
and opinion in Newcastle at, that time. But his sym-
pathies and his charities were not limited to this or
that particular denomination. He gave to all freely,
judiciously, and without ostentation. When his useful
and laborious life came somewhat suddenly to an end
(October 10th, 1843) it was in a churchyard which he had
himself presented to the suburb of Benwell that his
remains were buried.
Mr. Buddie was a magistrate, and commander of the
Wallsend Rifle Corps, enrolled on the 1st June, 1803, and
numbering 151 men. He died unmarried, and left no one
to inherit his name. But the inheritance of his example,
of his energy, his skill, and his boundless enterprise,
descending to men who caught their early inspirations at
his feet, has exalted the practice of mine engineering to
the foremost rank among scientific avocations. Whenever
the history of the Northumberland and Durham Coal
Trade shall be written by a qualified penman, a high
164
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
April
place must be assigned to the man who, converting the
old colliery viewer into the mining engineer, minimised .
the hazard of subterranean exploration, and introduced
comparative certainty and safety into the great mineral
industry of the United Kingdom.
A correspondent enables us to add to the foregoing
sketch a statement that Mr. Buddie, in his youth, was
an ardent student of the violin ; but, as his duties in the
mines increased, he gave it up, preferring to work out
problems for the benefit of the miners to the gratification
of his own private pleasure. After twenty years' holiday
he tried his violin again, but found that his hand had lost
its cunning. He therefore adopted a larger instrument,
a contra, or double bass, founded a musical party of
amateur gentlemen, and kept them together for many
years. This was about 1825, and the society continued
until 1840. The gentlemen who formed the party
were Mr. Atkinson, his nephew ; Mr. John Cockrill,
solicitor ; Mr. Burnip, solicitor ; Dr. Paul Glenton, an
excellent player and judge of violins ; Mr. Barnett,
ilautiat ; Mr. Robert Elliott Huntley, of Earsdon j his
lirother, Dr. G. H. Huntley, of Howdon Lodge; and
Mr. W. S. B. Woolhouse, now living. At the sale of his
instruments, some thirty years ago, a beautiful Guarnerius
and a viola were not sold. The late Mr. Moses Pye was
the auctioneer, and he was most particular to have them
kept out of the sale. A beautiful instrument was bought
by Mr. McQuade, of Fellside. A Ruggerius, for which it
was said Mr. Buddie paid £170, fell to Mr. Thomas
Hudson, South Preston, North Shields. The contra or
double bass mentioned before has quite a history of its
own locally. It was either made by, or more probably
bought from, Mr. Corsby, of London, a celebrated maker
and dealer. It passed to the late Mr. Morland, musical
instrument dealer, Collingwood Street, Newcastle, whose
shop is now occupied by Mr. Preston, hia successor. At
the sale of Mr. Morland's effects, the late Mr. Alfred
Fox, furrier, Northumberland Street, secured it, and it is
now ably performed upon, nightly, by Mr. Robert
Preston, in the orchestra of the Theatre Royal, Newcastle.
'pnlnter,
FOUNDER OF "THE SHAKSPEAKE PRESS."
The establishment of the Shakspeare Press was unques-
tionably an honour, both to the founders in particular,
and to the public at large. Our greatest poet, our greatest
painter, and two of our most respectable publishers and
printers, were all embarked in one common white-hot
crucible ; from which issued so pure and brilliant a flame,
<»r fusion, that ic gladdened all eyes and hearts, and threw
a new and revivifying lustre on the threefold arts of
1 ainting, engraving, and printing. — Dr. Dibdin.
In the middle of last century, several families of the
r.ame of Bulmer were citizens of Newcastle. Christopher,
Thomas, and Edward Bulmer were free butchers ; John
was a member of the Incorporated Company of Felt-
makers, Curriers, &e. ; while another Thomas and
another John belonged to the House Carpenters' Com-
pany. Into one of these two last-named families (the
house carpenters), were born Fenwick and William
Bulmer, whose happy lot it was to make the name known
and remembered far beyond the limits of their ancestral
home. Fenwick went to London, made a fortune in
trade, and became Sir Fenwick Bulmer, Knight ; William
went to London also, and attained to universal fame as a
reformer and improver of the art of typography.
William Bulmer was born in 1756. He served his
apprenticeship in John Thompson's printing-office, Burnt
House Entry, one of the narrow alleys extending from
the upper part of the Side towards St. Nicholas' Church-
yard. Thomas Bewick was serving articles at the same
time with Ralph Beilby, and the two lads, meeting at the
workshop of Gilbert Gray, bookbinder, struck up an
acquaintance which lasted through life. Bewick tells us
in his autobiography that Bulmer used to " prove " the
cuts he (Bewick) had executed, being countenanced
therein by his master, " who was himself extremely
curious and eager to see wood engraving succeed." The
writer of a biographical sketch of Mr. Bulmer in the
Gentleman's Magazine (from which much of what follows
is derived), adds that Bewick and Bulmer made it a
practice whilst youths to visit together every morning
a farmhouse at Elswick, and indulge in Goody Coxon's
hot rye-cake and buttermilk — dainties which that lady
prepared for all who were inclined to enjoy a walk from
the town before the business of the day commenced. It
was Bulmer who printed the engraving of the " Hunts-
man and Old Hound," which obtained for Bewick the
April
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
165
premium of the Society of Arts, and to him is attributed
the credit of suggesting to the rising engraver an im-
provement, which was afterwards adopted, namely, to
lower the surface of his blocks in places where distance
and the lighter parts of the cuts were to be effectively
represented.
Soon after he was out of his time Mr. Bulmer made his
way to London, and entered the employment of John
Bell, printer of "The Poets of Great Britain, from
Chaucer to Churchill "—a series of 84 (afterwards in-
creased to 109) illustrated 18mo vols. About 1787 he
made the acquaintance of George Nichol, bookseller to
the King, who was then considering, in conjunction with
Alderman Boydell, the best method of carrying into effect
a proposed national edition of Shakspeare, illustrated by
the first artists of the kingdom. Mr. Nichol found in
Mr. Bulmer the man he needed to accomplish his great
undertaking, and eventually the "Shakspeare Press'
was established under the name of " W. Bulmer and Co."
The first number of the " Shakspeare " appeared in
January, 1794-, and was pronounced to be equal to the
finest productions of Bodoni, Didot, or any other of the
great continental typographers. "The nation, " remarks
Dr. Dibdin, continuing the eulogy quoted at the head of
this sketch, "the nation appeared to be not less struck
than astonished, and our venerable monarch, George III.,
felt anxious, not only to give such a magnificent establish-
ment every degree of royal support, but, infected with
the matrix and puncheon mania, he had even contem-
plated the creation of a royal printing-office within the
walls of his own palace."
The following year, while the Shakspeare and a folio
edition of Milton were running through his press, Mr.
Bulmer printed the "Poems of Goldsmith and Parnell, "
in quarto. "The ornaments," he announced, "are all
engraved on blocks of wood by my earliest acquaintances,
Messrs. Bewick, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and London,
after designs from the most interesting passages of the
poems they embellish. They have been executed with great
care, and I may venture to say, without being supposed
to be influenced by ancient friendship, that they form the
most extraordinary effort of the art of engraving upon
wood that ever was produced in any age or any country.
Indeed, it seems almost impossible that such delicate
effects could be produced from blocks of wood " — an
expression of doubt which the king endorsed by ordering
Nichol to procure the blocks themselves from Mr. Bulmer
that he might convince himself of their reality.
Stimulated by the public reception of the "Poems,'1
Mr. Bulmer, in 1796, published a quarto edition of
Somervile's "Chase." All the engravings but one in this
beautiful volume were designed by John, and engraved
by Thomas, Bewick. Other beautiful books followed —
among them Dibdin 'a "Typographical Antiquities of
Great Britain," and "Bibliographical Decameron," the
"Antiquities of the Arabs in Spain," and the "Biblio-
theca Spenceriana." This last-named work was con-
sidered to be one of the most brilliant bibliographical
productions in existence, on the score of mere typo
graphical excellence. Similar praise was awarded to the
"Decameron. "It was acknowledged," says the Gentle-
man's Magazine, " to be the most eminently successful of
all the works executed at the Shakspeare Press, in the
development of the skill and beauty attached to the art
of printing. Never was such a variety of ornament, in
the way of woodcuts, and red and black ink, exhibited."
Mr. Bulmer's success was attributable to a rare com-
bination of qualities — taste, tact, judgment, and foresight,
aided by ceaseless industry and unremitting personal
attention. He was the first to test the power and
demonstrate the superiority of the Stanhope Press ; he
made his own ink, and thereby secured such uniformity
of colour that, although the " Shakspeare " was nine
years in passing through the press,, the same harmony of
tint and richness of colour prevailed throughout as if the
ink had been all made at one time and the last sheet
inked by the same hand in the same hour as the first ; his
paper was always most carefully tested ; his workmen
were the best the country could produce ; and he super-
intended every detail of his business himself. When he
retired in 1819, he had achieved an ample fortune, and
secured the friendship of the most eminent men of the
time.
While William Bulmer was building up the greatest
printing business in the kingdom, his elder brother,
Fenwick, was accumulating wealth as a druggist in the
Strand. Early in their commercial career, both the
brothers had been admitted members of the honourable
band of Gentlemsn Pensioners, now better known as her
Majesty's honourable corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms. Of
this band, William Gifford, editor of the Quarterly
Review, was for a time paymaster. He was accustomed
to send out every quarter circular letters to indicate that
salaries were in course of payment, and, being upon terms
of intimate friendship with the great printer, his notices
to him sometimes sported into rhyme. Thus :—
O thou who safely claim'st the right to stand
Before thy king, with dreaded axe in hand,
My trustiest Bulmer ! know, upon my board
A mighty heap of cash (O golden word !)
Now lies, for service done the bounteous meed ;
Haste, then, in Wisdom's name, and hither speed :
For if the truth old poets sing or say,
Riches straight make them wings and fly away !
In course of time Feuwick and William Bulmer became
the oldest representatives of the Gentlemen Pensioners at
Court. When George IV. ascended the throne Fenwick
Bulmer was the senior member, and in honour of the
occasion, and in recognition of his services, the new king
conferred upon him the honour of knighthood. There-
upon Gifford threw off the following effusion : —
TO WILLIAM BULMER, ESQ., BROTHER TO SIR FENWICK
BULMER, KNIGHT.
Dread sir, whose blood to knighthood near
Is sixpence now an ounce more dear
166
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/April
\ 1889.
Than when my summons issued last ;
With cap in hand I beg to say,
That I have money to defray,
The service of the quarter past.
It is gratifying to be able to record that both the
brothers Bulmer remembered in their retirement the
town in which they were born. William Bulmer, a
couple of years after he left business, made a valuable
present of books, printed at his own press, to the New-
castle Literary and Philosophical Society ; Sir Fenwick,
in April, 1824, a month before he died, sent the Incor-
porated Company of House Carpenters in Newcastle a
gift of a hundred guineas, the interest of which he de-
sired might be distributed annually at Christmas among
the poor widows of the company. The books are still to
be found upon the shelves of the Literary and Philoso-
phical Society's Library; the interest, it is to be hoped,
is still distributed among the poor women whom the
donor designed to benefit.
William Bulmer died without issue, at Clapham, on the
9th September, 1830, and was buried in St. Clement
Danes, Strand. There is a portrait of him as a young
man in the "Bibliographical Decameron," and one of a
later period in Hansard's " Ty pographia. " Ours is
taken from a likeness drawn on stone, in 1827, by James
Ramsay.
IJAMDEN calls Morpeth "a famous little
towne," but says little else about it. It had
for a long time a more than Northumbrian
notoriety on account of its being the seat of
a weekly market for live cattle, corn, and provisions, by
far the best frequented in the North of England. It was
held on the Wednesdays, when upwards of two hundred
oxen and two thousand five hundred sheep and lambs,
besides a considerable number of pigs, were usually sold
every week, principally for the consumption of Newcastle,
Shields, Sunderland, and other towns further south. The
development of the railway system, however, turned the
tide of fortune in this particular to the more important
central locality of Newcastle ; and Morpeth market is
now only a very moderate affair. In the olden time, still
within the memory of many aged persons, no weary tra-
veller who wished for a night's sound sleep would take
up his quarters in Morpeth on a Tuesday night, as the
market commenced early in the morning, and rest was
thenceforth impossible, on account of the tremendous
hubbub.
The Market Place is situated near the centre of the
town ; but it was not sufficiently capacious, in Morpeth's
palmy days, for the numerous droves of cattle, flocks of
sheep, herds of swine, &c., which were exposed for sale.
The sheep pens partly fronted the shops, leaving only a
narrow passage to the doors, and were partly set up in
the narrow lanes and courts adjoining. The corn was
sold by sample, which the live stock, of course, could not
be, and the lowing and bleating, shouting and bawling,
cursing and swearing, before every dealer got the place
he wanted, formed a medley which Donnybrook or Bar-
tlemy Fair could not well have outmatched.
The Market Cross was erected in 1699, at the joint
expense of the Hon. Philip Howard and Sir Henry
Belasyse, Knight. Near it, in Oldgate, stands an old
isolated tower, the lower part of which contains the
borough fire-engines, the next storey a clock, and above
the clock a fine peal of bells hung for parochial use.
" The Town Hall, " says an old writer, "affords on a small
scale the peculiarity of style which Vanburgh has ex-
hibited more at large at Seaton Delaval, ten miles to the
south-east, and at Castle Howard in Yorkshire." It was
built by that distingushed Flemish architect, Sir John
Vanburgh, in the year 1714, the cost of it being defrayed
by his liberal- patron, Charles, third Earl of Carlisle.
The manorial court of the Carlisle family was appointed
to be held in it. The building, however, was re-edified
in 1870, from plans drawn by Mr. R. J. Johnson, archi-
tect, Newcastle, the fajade being an exact reproduction,
of the former one.
Our view of the Market Place, showing the Market
Cross, the Town Hall, and the old tower in Oldgate, is
taken from Allom's Views in Westmoreland, Durham,
and Northumberland, published by Fisher in 1833.
Two engravings of old scenes in Morpeth are given in
Richardson's "Table Book." One shows an old mill by
the bridge over the Wansbeck, as seen in 1844 ; the other
the entrance to the old bridge itself from the north.
This latter structure was the scene of a curious coach
accident in the summer of 1828. Richardson records the
occurrence under date of July 23 : — " As the Wonder
coach, on its return from Alnwbk to Newcastle, was
passing along the bridge at Morpeth, it was met by some
carts, which caused delay, and one of the horses, eager to
get on, began to plunge, and drew the coach against one
of the guard stones on the east side : on which the wheel
rising, threw the coach upon the battlement of the oppo-
site side. Part of the battlement was knocked down,
and three of the outside passengers, two men and one
woman, trunks, coats, &c., were thrown over into the
water. One of the passengers, Mr. Elliott, Jun., of
Newcastle, whitesmith, had a very narrow escape from
drowning. Grea,t praise is due to Mr. Thew, currier,
John Stephenson, and Joseph Hedley, for their exertions
in rescuing the passengers from the water. Fortunately
no serious injury was sustained."
Morpeth Parish Church stands on an eminence called
the Kirk Hill, on the south side of the Wansbeck, on the
west side of the post road, about a quarter of a mile out
of the town, and not far from the castle. It is dedicated
to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and its style of architecture
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
167
shows it to have been erected about the middle of the
thirteenth century. Sidney Gibson, in his "Visits to
Northumbrian Castles and Churches," describes it as
follows : — " The nave is sixty feet in length by forty-six
in breadth, with north and south aisles, divided by five
arches. The chancel is forty-one feet in length by nine-
teen in breadth, and has four windows, each of one light,
ENTRANCE TO .MORPETH OLD BKIDGE FROM THE NORTH.
on the south side. The great east window has five lights,
with late decorated tracery, and is precisely in the style
of the fine west window of Houghton-le-Spring — one of
the most spacious and beautiful churches in the North of
England. The western end of the church is surmounted
by a tower, and there is a capacious porch. The edifice
contains many features of great interest to the ecclesio-
logist — amongst others, a curious aperture in the external
wall, which was probably appropriated to the hearing of
confessions."
Anthony de Beck, Bishop of Durham, appropri-
ated Morpeth Church to the chaplains officiating at
his chapel at Auckland ; but after his death, Ralph,
the son of William de Greystoke, recovered by law
the patronage thereof. The living is a rectory in tue
Rift of the Earl of Carlisle, valued in the king's
books at £32 16s. 8d. The rectory-house, which
stands on the east side of the post road, is a very
handsome building. It was rebuilt in the year 1768,
by Oliver Naylor, then rector.
The time-worn ruin of the ancient castle crowns
the eminence on the south side of the ravine which,
further on, widens into the valley in which the
town nestles. The old baronial fortress (the gate-
way to which is represented on page 170) occu-
pies the summit of a high ridge of land, and is re-
markable for the picturesque beauty of the view
it commands over the valley of the Wansbeck.
Wooded heights towards the west and higher ridges
towards the north, bound the view on these two sides ;
but in other directions a more open country, finely
diversified with woods and pastures, stretches away
south-eastward.
There is no evidence that the Romans ever occupied
the site, or that the place made any considerable figure
under the Angles and Danes ;
but it seems probable that it was
fortified, and that a " pele " or
castlet was erected there by Wil-
liam de Merlay, immediately
after the Norman Conquest.
John of Hexham expressly af-
firms that there was such a
fortress in existence in the year
1138, when he states that it was
at "the castle called Morpeth"
that Ranulph de Merlay, Lord
of Morpeth, entertained on the
nones of January in that year
eight monks of Fountains, who
built the monastery of Newmin-
ster. In 1215, the barons of
Northumberland had recourse to
Alexander II., King of Scots
for protection against King John,
who marched to the Borders,
destroying with fire and sword all that came within
his reach, as far as Berwick-upon-Tweed, where he
committed inhuman barbarities. Amongst, other places
he burnt the castles of Morpeth and Mitford, also
Ainwick and Wark ; but Camden says the people
of Morpeth burnt the town themselves, to prevent
John and his followers getting any resting-place there
on his infamous expedition. The castle was rebuilt,
it seems, by Roger de Merlay, the last of that
OLD MILL BY THE BRIDGE OK MORI'ETH, 1844.
168
MONTH L Y CHRONICLE
April
m
April I
1889. I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
169
170
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
April
illustrious house, who died in 1266. This nobleman
stood loyally to King Henry III. during the Barons'
War, and thereby "escaped the misfortune of seeing, as
his neighbour the baron of Mitford saw, his patrimonial
estate strewed like a wreck around him." As he had no
heir-male, however, his daughter Mary carried them at
his death into the family of her husband, William, Lord
of Greystoke, "a race recorded eminent in deathless
fame," one of whom, Lord Greystoke, who died at
Brancepeth in 1358, rebuilt Morpeth Castle on a grander
scale. Elizabeth, daughter and sole heir of the last of
the Greystokes, married Thomas Lord Dacre, of Gils-
land, called Lord Dacre of the North, in the possession of
whose descendants the barony continued down till the
reign of Elizabeth, when the honours and estates of
George Lord Dacre, who died under age, descended to his
two sisters, Ann and Elizabeth, of whom the latter
married Lord William Howard, "Belted Will." (See
vol. ii., page 532.) The grandson of " Belted Will " was
created Lord Dacre of Gilsland, Viscount Morpeth, and
Earl of Carlisle in 1661 ; and from him the present Earl
of Carlisle is lineally descended and inherits the barony
of Morpeth and its appurtenances.
Of the old stronghold of the Merlays, only some curtain
walls now remain, if these, indeed, can be determined to
date from so far back. A later fortified gate tower was
built by William, known as the Good Baron of Grey
stoke, who died in 1359, and who occasionally resided at
his castle of Morpeth. There are winding stairs to the top
of the tower, which is remarkable for strength and
beauty. It is embattled, and formerly had angular
speculating turrets at the north-east and south-east cor-
ners, with a communication by an open gallery, which
was supported on projecting corbels. In the centre of
the arched roof of the gateway is a square aperture,
calculated to annoy any such assailants as should get the
mastery of the outer gate. The building was repaired
some years ago, for offices of the agent of the owner,
Lord Carlisle.
The castle was still a place of strength in the reign of
Charles I. It was taken by the Scots, under General
Lesley, in January, 1644 ; but they were driven from it
in the following year, after a protracted siege of twenty
days, by the Marquis of Montrose, the General for the
King in Scotland. The trenches still visible to the west-
ward of the castle were probably raised by Montrose's-
army. Leland, in his Itinerary, written in Henry
VIII. 's time, says, "Morpith Castle standythe by Mor-
pith towne ; it is set on a highe hill, and about the hill
is moche wood. Towne and Castle belong to the Lordi
GATEWAY OF MORPETH CASTLE, 1888.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
171
Daores. It is well mayntayned." Hutchinson, whose
" View of Northumberland " wag published in 1778, says
he found little remaining of the castle but the old gate-
way, and some miserable shattered parts of the outward
wall, which enclosed the area and interior buildings. The
space within includes about an acre of ground, measuring
eighty-two yards from north to south, and fifty-three
from east to west. It was converted in modern times
into a garden, and no building of any kind now remains
within.
rf at Hmrtftunrtria.
THE COMING OF OSWALD.
j]OR a long period, in 634-5, the Britons were
in undisputed possession of the plain of
York. The Saxon "princelings" had been
killed, and Cadwalla, their vanquisher, ex-
perienced little opposition to his onward progress. Being
savage and cruel, he made periodic raids of vengeance
into the northern parts of the territory, and seldom re-
turned without a great haul of booty. It was during one
of these high-handed exploits that the marauder's career
was luckily checked. Oswald, the second son of Ethel-
frith, was now heir to the unhappy land, and he was
naturally anxious to regain possession of his own.
Though trained among the holy men of Scotland, and by
no means of a warlike disposition, the young prince was
eminently cool and clear-headed. Waiting until Pendn
was thoroughly involved with his southern foes, Oswald
suddenly entered Northumbria, consulted a few of his
adherents, and then retired to a safe hiding place in the
Cheviots. It was amid the secluded gorges of this moun-
tain range that the details of an eventful compaign were
settled. Though many hardy fighting men responded to
their chieftain's call, and swore to aid in the expulsion of
the domineering Welsh, they only constituted a small
army for the accomplishment of such a serious task as
lay before them. But though deficient in numbers, as
Bede says, they were strengthened with the faith of Christ.
When everything was in readiness for a move, Oswald
explained that all who followed him must cast aside their
idolatry, as he meant to fight for the reinstatement of
that holy religion which Edwin and his queen had so
auspiciously inaugurated. There being no dissentients to
either the object or the plan of operations, the order was
given for a general rendezvous in the beauteous valley of
the North Tyne, and it resulted, as may be supposed, in
a considerable acquisition of strength to the Anglian
army.
RIVAL PREPARATIONS FOR THE STRIFE.
But the movement served to warn Cadwalla of the
danger that threatened him. His savage hordes had
been sweeping across the country like an irresistible
tornado, and leaving in their wake long lines of smoulder-
ing homesteads and rotting carcases. They were resting
in the vicinity of Hexham when the news of Oswald's
advance reached them ; and, therefore, crossing the Tyne
with all speed, they secured a strong position on the
heights beyond. There is considerable doubt as to the
exact locality; but it is fair to infer that their camp,
stretched away to the rear of the present site of Beau-
front, and intercepted the Northumbrian advance by way
of Watling Street. If such was the case — and it appears
extremely likely — the position would be guarded on its
southern and western boundaries by the river, and on the
north by the still formidable Roman Wall. Being bold,
numerous, and well-equipped, the Welshmen had not the
remotest fear of a reverse. They settled round their fires,
shared their booty, and spent their leisure in revelry of
the wildest kind. Their system of watching, however,
must have been extremely defective. The Northumbrians
appear to have been close at hand when this halt was
called ; but not caring to attack with an inferior force,
they strongly entrenched themselves on a hill that over-
looked the bridge at Chollerford.
BATTLE OF HEAVENFIELD.
It was here, on classic ground, that they resolved to
await the onslaught which they knew their intrepid ad-
versary would not long defer. But though in readiness,
they were not idle. Bede — who wrote when the fight
was actually in men's recollections — tells us that Oswald
prepared a sign of the holy cross as the emblem under
which he would make his stand, and that he persisted in
rendering aid while his followers fixed it firmly in the
ground. Then ordering all present to kneel, he raised his
voice in the silence of this wild upland, and prayed for
the help of heaven in the just war that was about to be
waged against the haughty and fierce invaders. The
supplication having concluded, and the first ruddy gleam
of dawn having shown itself in the eastern sky, the ven-
172
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
April
erable chronicler goes on to say tbat the Northumbrians
" advanced towards the enemy, and obtained the victory
as their faith deserved.'' William of Malmsbury accepts
the same story, and would have us believe that the Angles
left their carefully planned entrenchments and risked an
encounter in the open field, for no other reason than that
it would be "highly disgraceful for them to meet the
Britons on unequal terms. " Such, of course, may have
been the chivalrous feeling of Oswald, but, to say the
least, it is very improbable. It is much more likely —
seeing that a kingdom was at stake — that he husbanded
lu's strength behind the earthworks that formed the first
line of his hill defence, and hoped his choice of place
would help to make amends for his lack of numbers.
And this it most assuredly did. Whether the Welsh
attack was delivered at early morn or dewy eve, it was
both fast and furious when it did come. Cadwalla, " the
fierce afflictor of his foes," fully sustained his reputation.
He led his daring followers towards the Northumbrian
position amid a shower of missiles, and tried to penetrate
the wall of spears that bristled behind their ramparts.
But his utmost efforts were unavailing. One contingent
after another endeavoured to overcome the steady throng
which gathered round the Northumbrian prince, and each
in turn was compelled to retire in eonfusion. Then came
the warlike Welshman, witli his best and bravest, and
the crucial point of the struggle was at once reached. As
the southern chief rushed at the obstacle before him —
probably, says a modern writer, constructed from the
debris from the Roman vallum itself — a fatal shaft pierced
his breast, and he dropped backwards in full view of the
combatants. Dismayed at the fate of their fallen leader,
the Welsh wavered, and the momentary hesitation threw
the rearmost contingent into some disorder. Seeing the
evident uncertainty of his assailants, and noting their
lack of fire and enthusiasm, Oswald judiciously let loose
his Angles, and, dashing headlong on the disheartensd
foe, turned a slight repulse into an irretrievable dis-
rv>ter. Flying in all directions, the Welshmen were cut
down in hundreds. The carnage became so horrible,
indeed, that "the heaps of slain were countless. " They
were thickest near that portion of the old wall which lay
between them and their late encampment. Throwing
away their arms, in order the more readily to scramble
over, they died there as so many thousands of the Otta-
dini had done two or three centuries before. "Never was
day more lamentable for the Britons, or more joyful for
the Angles." It completely dissipated all hope of the an-
cient stock ever becoming a permanent power in the land
again. It proved, beyond all question, that if the Anglians
had come as helpers, they meant to remain as rulers. It
was a victory so thorough and so complete that only few
of the invaders survived it, and led many of the monkish
writers to assert that nothing but the interposition of
celestial power could have so utterly confounded Oswald's
foe.
THE SCENE OF THE FRAY.
Whether it was a belief of this kind that led to the site
of the battle being called " Heavenfield, " it would be im-
possible to say ; but Bede vouches for the fact that, at a
later day, the brethren of the church at Hexham used to
make annual pilgrimages to the spot, and there watch
and pray for the repose of St. Oswald's soul. So largely
did this custom grow, even before Bede's time, that he
tells us " they have lately made the place more sacred
and honourable by building a church at it " — the first, in
all probability, that the followers of Christ ever reared in
Northumbria for memorial purposes. In its locality, in
later years, wooden crosses have frequently been found ;
and, if we believe Camden, a silver coin of Oswald's —
with his bust on one side and a cross on the reverse — was
brought to light during the progress of some repairs to
the structure in the time of Queen Elizabeth. These are
circumstances which must be taken into account in de-
termining the actual scene of the battle. The strongest
evidence, however, is to be found in the fact that the
position taken by Cad walla, after his move from Hexham,
is just what a skilful leader would have taken if his
object had been to intercept a hostile advance from the
north. It effectually covered both Watling Street and
the Devil's Dyke — a few miles south of their junction —
and had the ready made defence of the Roman Wall
between it and the expected enemy. That Cadwalla
failed to place sentinels on that rampart is inexplicable.
It may be, as historians tell us, that he misjudged the
capacity of the small force that was being led against
him, and felt sure he could oust them, at his own time,
from any position that the natural character of the
neighbourhood would enable them to select. He was
mistaken, as many a greater man has been since, and
yielded up his valiant life as the penalty.
WHAT'S is A NAME?
This decisive battle has been variously named. Some
have called it Heavenfield, from the circumstance of the
cross ; and some Haledown, or Holy Hill, from the fact
that a square entrenchment is still visible near the village
of Halton. But there have been so many centuries of
warfare in south Northumberland that the prevalence of
earthworks cannot be regarded as of much moment.
Bede, though he indicates the district clearly enough,
speaks of the fight as having taken place near Denises-
burn — doubtless a brook that flowed in the vicinity.
There is no stream so designated in the present day ; but
in the Erring burn — which enters the North Tyne a short
distance above Chollerford — we evidently have the water-
course referred to. As all these places are in a cluster, it
is of little consequence, perhaps, which name is used.
Their enumeration is mainly important as helping to
strengthen the belief that the centre of the fight was
between the Erring burn and the Wall — the site, in fact,
on which St. Oswald's Church still perpetuates the North-
umbrian triumph.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
173
CONSEQUENCES OF THE ANGLIAN VICTORY.
The happiest results followed the discomfiture of the
pagan host. Bernicia and Deira were again united under
one king, and, by his wise and merciful administration,
soon recovered some of their old prosperity. In the new
ruler, the Christians had a firm friend. No sooner was he
securely seated on the throne, we are told, than he began
to devise means for reclaiming such of his countrymen as
had lapsed into heathendom, and for the conversion of
those who had remained without the pale. To accomplish
his object, he sought aid from the monks of lona — the
holy men amongst whom so much of his own exile had
been spent. The request was granted, and in the summer
of 635, Aidan commenced his labours amongst the lowly
dwellers of the northern dales. Having established him-
self at Lindisfarne — now known as Holy Island — he com-
menced that marvellous mission which has since been the
admiration of the world. Though the language spoken
by the Angles was an unknown tongue to the kindly
monk, he was by no means discouraged. Accompanied by
Oswald in person, he began his exposition of the new
faith, and "it was a most touching spectacle," we read,
" to mark how patiently and carefully the king interpreted
the word of life as it fell from Aidan's lips, and made ic a
living reality to the listening throng." In seven days, if
the story can be credited, as many as 15,000 persons were
baptized in the rippling streams around the royal resi-
dence at Bamborough ; and similar scenes were oft re-
peated elsewhere. As an evidence of the earnestness of
the converts, and the munificence of the king, a noble
monastery soon rose above the cliffs of Lindisfarne.
Being occupied by earnest teachers from Scotland, the
new building at once became the centre of a grandly
civilizing system. Its offshoots were quickly seen at
Tynemouth, Hartlepool, Gateshead, and other distant
localities. Its missionaries spread over the heathen
realms far south of the Humber, and the reception of the
new faith generally marked the people's submission to
Oswald's authority. Slowly, but steadily, his power in-
creased. First Wessex, then East Anglia, and afterwards
the Picts and Scots, came to acknowledge his sway ; and
ere long the King of Northumbria was again chief among
the rulers of the Heptarchy.
OSWALD'S DOWNFALL AT MAESEHFIELD.
In his exalted capacity as Bretwalda, Oswald exer-
cised an influence over his kinsmen that was eminently
beneficial, and pursued a policy that augured well for the
national weal. He strove to imitate the wise administra-
tion of Edwin rather than to eclipse the warlike glory of
Ethelfrith, and in this path he would have been content
to labour if Fate had so willed. HH peaceful exertions,
however, were not to continue. After reigning eight
years, and when in the full floodtide of his prosperity, he
was suddenly called upon to battle once more with the
pagan hosts. Penda — who had watched with indifference
the priestly missions to Wessex — could not tolerate
Northern interference with the affairs of East Anglia.
Gathering his savage Mercians quietly together, he over-
ran that country, slew its religious ruler, and then an-
nexed it. To avenge this slaughter and release his
fellow-Christians from the pagan yoke, Oswald, in 642,
led an army of Northumbrians into the enemy's land. A
battle ensued at llaeserfield — a place adjacent, probably,
to the present town of Oswestry — and the Northern force
sustained a crushing defeat. Oswald, fighting bravely,
died with his soldiers ; and his body, when afterwards
found among the slain, was subjected to the grossest
indignity. After striking off the head and arms, Pendu
had them fixed upon stakes of wood, and reared above the
scene of conflict. In this manner, it is said, he hoped to
keep the monks away from his own land. The plan, for
a time, seemed fairly effective, but, in the end, the
disciples of Aidan carried off the relics to Lindisfarne,
and, with their stories of miraculous healing, soon made
the maimed limbs more powerful than the arms of the
living man.
MERCIAN EXCESSES — ATTACK ON BAMBOROCGH.
The condition at Northumbria, for some years after
the crushing defeat of Maeserfield, \vas by no means an
enviable one. The country— being distracted by civil
wars between rival claimants for its throne — lay at the
*-!'
^JtBgYv1^^
^v,,-«.^7^A-.cv,'A \ v s V>.*>1. ivA1
mercy of Penda, and he made desolate many of its richest
and fairest valleys. From the Humber to the Tyne, and
thence onward to the Cheviots, he everywhere showed his
victorious banners. Even the royal seat at Bamborough
—with its commanding fortress on the rock— was besieged
174
MONTHLY CHRONICLE. .
f April
by him ; but its splendid position rendered it impregnable
to all ordinary assaults. Disappointed by his repeated
failures, he pulled down all the adjacent cottages, and,
piling the wood against the outward walls of the strong-
hold, set the mass on fire — in the hope, apparently, that
he would destroy both building and garrison at one
swoop. But this disaster, as the old writers assure us,
was most providentially averted. The attempt was
witnessed from a hermit cell on the Fame Islands, and
Aidan thereupon raised his voice in prayer against the
iniquity of the deed. "Never was supplication more
efficacious. The wind that, at first, was blowing fair for
the pagan object, was instantly changed, and, instead of
the flames lapping the castle walls, they were driven
back to the discomfiture of those who had kindled
them." WILLIAM LONGSTAFF.
Though not marked on our map, Portgate — a notable
station on the Roman Wall — occupied a position a little to
the west of the spot at which Watling Street crosses it.
Two miles north of this point, the Devil's Dyke branched
away to the right, and, according to " Roy's Military
Antiquities," crossed the Wansbeck at Aggerton ; the
Coquet at Brinklmrn; the Aln near Whittingham ; the
Beamish below White House : the Till near Fowberry ;
and the Tweed in the neighbourhood of West Ord. Wat-
ling Street, which ran towards the north-west, passed
through the stations of Risingham and Rochester, in
Hedesdale ; and thence by the Golden Pots, onThirlmoor,
into Scotland.
Our first illustration gives a view of lona, " that illus-
trious island," as Dr. Johnson says, " whence the savage
clans and roving barbarians of Xorthumbria and Scotia
derived the benefits of knowledge, and the blessings of
religion." It need hardly be said that the monastic ruins
are not those which St. Columba founded. They are the
remains uf a later erection ; but they serve to identify a
spot, with its surrounding of wild waters, " where the
highest in rank came to bow before the greater eminence
of exalted piety."
The view of Bamborough is only part of a larger sketch
in Scott's " Border Antiquities." It is more than pro-
bable that not a particle of the existing building can be
traced back to the early period of which we write ; hut
while saying this, it is by no means certain that the whole
of the magnificent fortress should be credited to the Nor-
mans. The square keep, with its clo*e resemblance to
those of Rochester and Dover, was undoubtedly erected
;ifter the Conquest. As to the round towers, however —
which are seen on the landward side — many people believe
them to have been raised by the Saxons, although at a
riate something like three centuries later than Aidan or
IN nda.
Crrot at fjctocadtlc
a Ctittttri)
ILLIAM CRAMLINGTON, who was Sheriff
and twice Mayor of Newcastle during the
closing years of last century, left behind
him the following account) now published for the
first time) of the money he had spent in sustain-
ing the dignity of his office, the sums he had re-
ceived from the town, and the balance to his debit in
the end. It should be remembered that, at the time
named, the chief magistrate of Newcastle lived at the
Mansion House in the Close, and exercised unbounded
hospitality. Note may also be made of the fact that
during his second term of office Mr. Cramlington tried to
be economical, and did not spend much more than half
the sum that his. first Mayoralty cost him :—
1776. September 20. This day I was
chosen Sheriff of Newcastle. Cost £315 3 2i
Deduct Salary £140, Gown £18 168 0 0
157 3 24
1786. September 18. Chosen Alderman.
1788. Elected Mayor. Cost 2,051 13 94
Town's allowance 1,333 7 6
718 6 34
1795. September 20. Again elected
Mayor. Cost 1,083 210
Reduced expenses with town's
allowance 868 17 5A
214 5 44
Balance (Loss) £1,089 It 104
If at home, deduct two years' house-
keeping at £500 each 1,000 0 0
Vide Book of Accounts in the closet £89 14 104
The alderman who thus frankly admits us into his con-
fidence was descended from an ancient and honourable
Northumbrian family. He was a son of Lancelot Cram-
lington of Earsdon, and carried on the business of a host-
man, or coaltitter, having his offices, according to White-
head's Directory 1787, at the foot of the Broad Chare.
On the 18th May, 1752, he married, at All Saints' Church,
Anne Scott, half sister to Lords Eldon and Stowell, by
whom he had four children. Only one of them, Anne,
lived to maturity, and she married John (afterwards Sir
John) Chrichloe Turner, agent for the Greenwich Hos-
pital Estates in the North, and for over thirty years
owner of the leasehold estate of the Castle Garth, includ-
ing the Old Castle. Losing his wife on New Year's Day,
1764 (she was buried, with her children, at All Saints', near
the north wall), Alderman Cramlington married again.
He chose for his second wedding day, in 1772, the same
day of the month (May 18) as that upon which his first
marriage had been celebrated, and for his wife Anne,
daughter of William Lake, of Long Benton, half-sister of
Robert Lake, Commissary-General of America, and
widow of Lewis Hick, of Newcastle, hostman. By
Mr. Hick she had children, one of whom was married
to Robert Shaftoe Hedley, Mayor of Newcastle in 1799 ;
by Mr. Cramlington she had no issue.
The late Mr. James Clephau was accustomed to relate
a wonderful pun that the alderman made upon one of the
famous river excursions which the Corporation were
accustomed to take every Ascension Day. From some
cause or other the Mayor's barge sprune a leak, and there
was consternation on board. Nathaniel Punshon, the
Under-Sheriff, expressed considerable alarm upon the
occasion. "Don't you be afraid !" said Alderman Cram-
lingtou to him ; " you are safe enough even if the whole
Corporation go to the bottom." "How can that be?"
queried the frightened and puzzled official. "Why,"
replied the alderman, with a twinkle in his eye, "an
empty punshon always floats !"
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
175
Alderman Crainlington died at his house in Pilgrim
Street on Saturday, the 12th of May, 1810, at the good
old age of eighty-five. RICHABD WELFORD.
STfte
at
(garlatttr
£tokoe.
THE QUAYSIDE SHAVER.
il> our great-grandfathers' and even in our
grandfathers' days, every decent English-
man had his chin clean shaved once a
we>ik, or oftener. Whiskers were a mark
of swellism ; moustachios were unknown ; and the bar-
ber's vocation was in such a busy and flourishing con-
dition that even some of the opposite sex were tempted
to try their hands at the tonsorial art.
Sykes, in his "Local Records," under date 1794,
states : — " Formerly on the Sandhill, and at this time on
the Quay, near the Bridge, Newcastle, were people
(chiefly women) %vho in the open street, on market days,
performed the office of barber, at one-half the regular
price. "
Mr. William Stephenson, senior, the author of this
popular song, and probably the oldest known writer of
local ditties, was born in Gateshead in 1763. He was a
clock and watchmaker to trade, but spent the best part
of his life as a schoolmaster, on the Church Stairs, Gates-
head. In 1832 he collected and published his poems and
songs, in a thin octavo volume, dedicated, by permission,
to the Rev. John Collinson, the then rector of Gateshead.
The principal poem is entitled "The Retrospect," and
introduces and deals with the eccentric and well known
characters of Gateshead, as he knew it in his youth.
Among others he mentions an old soldier named Tom
Lough, whose wife was one of the Quayside Shavers, and
handled her razor as deftly as the best of them. Nothing
more is known of her, except that her manners and address
to her customers are faithfully represented in the song.
Mr. Stephenson died at Gateshead on the 12th day of
August, 1836, aged 73.
The song also appeared in John Bell's " Rhymes of the
Northern Bards," published 1812, and we are indebted
for the melody to the same indefatigable collector, whose
copy is now preserved in the archives of the Society of
Antiquaries, Newcastle.
each mar - ket day, Sir, The
X
v
^^
round a small grate, Sir, In
get them - selves shav'd in
folks
the
quay,
Sir,
Go
Gen -tie - men, who is the next to sit down?'
A medley this place is,
Of those who sell laces,
With fine shirt-neck buttons and good cabbage nets ;
Where match-men at meeting
Give each a kind greeting,
And ask one another how trade with them sets ;
Joined in with Tom Hoggars,
And little Bob Nackers,
Who wander the streets in their fuddling gills ;
And those folks with bags, Sir,
Who buy up old rags, Sir,
That deal in fly cages and paper windmills.
There pitmen with basket?
And 6ne posey waistcoats,
Discourse about nought but who puts and hews best ;
There keelmen, just landed,
Swear " May they be stranded,
176
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
If they're not shaved first, while their keel's at the/e«t ";
With face full of coal dust,
Would frighten one almost,
Throw off hat and wig while they usurp the chair ;
While others stand looking,
And think it provoking,
But, for the insult, to oppose them none dare.
When under the chin, Sir,
She tucks the cloth in, Sir,
Their old quid they'll pop in the pea-jacket cuff ;
And while they are sitting,
Do nought but keep spitting,
And looking around with an air fierce and bluff ;
Such tales as go round, Sir,
Would surely confound. Sir,
And puzzle the prolific brain of the wise ;
But when she prepares. Sir,
To take off the hairs, Sir,
With lather she whitens them up to the eyes.
No sooner the razor
Is laid on the face, Sir,
Than painful distortions is seen on the brow ;
But if they complain. Sir,
They find it in vain, Sir,
She'll tell them "There's nought but what patience can
do."
And a? she scrapes round 'em,
If she by chance wound 'em,
They'll cry out as thoueh she'd bereaved them of life ;
" Od smash your brain?, woman !
Aa find the blood's comin' !
Aa'd rather been shav'd wiv an aad gully knife."
For all they can say, Sir,
She still rasps away, Sir,
And sweeps round their jaw the chop-torturing tool ;
Till they in a pet, Sir,
Request her to whet, Sir,
But she gives them, for answer, "Sitstill, ye fond fool."
For all their repining-,
Their twisting and twining.
She forthwith proceeds till she's mown off the hair ;
When finished, cries "There, Sir,"
Then straight from the chair, Sir,
They jump, crying, "Daresay you've scraped the bone
bare. "
Eft* Crinitfi ftmtrfe,
HO the ordinary Novocastrian, the neigh-
bourhood with which we are about to con-
cern ourselves is mostly a terra incognita.
Certainly, no visitor passing along the
Quayside, or entering the city by the elevated railway
at the Manors, would guess that such an oasis as the
Trinity House could be found in that labyrinth of not
over fragrant lanes, entries, and chares, which intersect
and permeate the locality where Newcastle merchants
most do congregate.
The visitor may reach the Trinity House from the
Quay by way of Trinity Chare, or by going up the
Broad Chare, and entering by the "great gate" to
the left. This is the entrance gate referred to in the old
books of 1632, "For men paintyng and gildinge the
great yatte in the Brod Chair, 4s." The feeling of surprise
and pleasure on passing from ancient slum into an atmo-
sphere of affluent antiquity, is most marked, or felt, if the
first visit be paid after the hot glare of a mid-day sun on
the Quay has been experienced, and then the cool and
enjoyable shade of old Trinity, brave in its coating of
clean whitewash and paint, comes indeed as a grateful
change.
The Trinity House is the ancient abiding place of the
"Guild of Masters and Mariners," not one of the original
"Twelve Mysteries," but one of the "Fifteen Bye-
Trades," of the "Free Incorporated Companies" of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which in past centuries played
such important parts in building up and sustaining the
trade and commerce of the Northern centre of power and
April
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
177
wealth. The establishment of this ancient society reaches
far back into antiquity. A purely voluntary union for
mutual protection was doubtless its first origin.
The first trustworthy record of the Trinity Corporation
is the purchase of the site of its present house, January
4th, 1*92, of Ralph Hebborn, or Hebborne, of Hebborne,
by "The Guild or Fraternity of the Blessed Trinity of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne. " The transaction was really a
gift, as the consideration was to be "a red rose, if de-
manded, to be paid yearly, at midsummer, for ever. " It
is described as in "Dal ton Place," probably named after a
previous owner of the property, and by a resolution of the
house, in writing, still preserved, dated January 4th,
1505, " a hall, chapel, and lodgings for the brethren "
were ordered to be erected. Again, Robert or Thomas
Hebborne, son of the former benefactor, by a deed dated
September 9th, 1525, conveyed to the fraternity
some additional buildings on the north side of the
aforesaid Dalton Place, thus enlarging the site, for
which " a pottle of wine, if demanded," was to be
paid yearly, on the vigil of St. Peter and St. Paul. So
that for nearly four hundred years, through all the
changes in the stream of time, and in the course of start-
ling local historical vicissitudes, the brethren of the
Trinity House have enjoyed and retained their secluded
retreat. Both their privileges and their duties were
enlarged as time progressed. Henry VIII. granted a
new charter of incorporation, Oct. 5th, 1536, ''with a
common seal, to implead and be impleaded." They were
now first licensed "to build and imbattle" the High and
the Low Lights, in Shields Harbour, " for the support of
which they were empowered to receive 4d. for every
foreign ship, and 2d. for every English vessel, enter-
ing the port of Tyne." Subsequent confirmations and
extensions of the charter were granted in the reigns of
Edward VI., in 1548, Mary in 1555. "Elizabeth in 1584,
' '
178
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I April
[ iteii.
and James I. in 1606 and 1607. Queen Elizabeth re-
founded the society under the name of " The Masters'
Pilots, and Seamen of the Trinity House, of Newcastle-
upon-Tyne," and James I. constituted the society with a
master, twelve elder brethren, two elder wardens with
their two assistants, and two younger wardens with their
assistants, and a jurisdiction extending from Blyth to
Whitby, which was afterwards extended to Holy Island.
The rights of pilotage, primage, lightage, with buoying,
canning, marking, and beaconing the river, were con-
ferred and confirmed, and a list of rates chargeable by the
society were set forth in full detail.
The entries in the old books of the Trinity House,
dating from 1530, are a quaint record of the times
through which it has lived and flourished. It is clear
that this society has borne a more prominent share
(as from its character it might be expected to do)
than most of the other more purely trading guilds in
the trials and turmoils of Newcastle history. The item of
rent appears to be referred to in 1542 in the entry "Pd.
for one pottell of wine for house farme W," and again,
"July 29th, 1650, pd. for a pottle of brewed white wine
for Bertram Anderson, due at St. Peter's Eve last past,
2s. 7d." In 16W, when for the first time the Scots
occupied Newcastle, after the miserable affair at New-
burn, General Lesley appears to have occupied the house,
and " the great Bess the Scottish army inflicted upon us "
is mentioned on November 30, the same year. Four
years later, during the great siege when the town on behalf
of the king was so ably defended by its citizen garrison
under Sir John Marley, the Trinity brethren appear to
have had their share in the work ; and when the town fell
the house was plundered by the Scots. On January 5th,
the next year, very much against the grain apparently,
the Scottish Solemn League and Covenant was " adminis-
tered " " in the Trinity House Chappell," when a gratuity
of £1 10s. was given to the preacher.
Always, naturally, on the side of "law and order," the
Trinity House was ever to the fore on the occasion of
royal visits, of which in those days there was an abundance,
as well as on other State events. Charles L, in 1633,
was escorted to Tynemouth by the brethren. This was
just after the " great yatte" had been painted and gilded,
probably for the occasion of the visit. The brethren also
April!
1S89. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
179
loyally addressed Jamea II. on his accession, and again
in 1686 on the discovery of a plot against his life. The
same loyal attention was paid to Anne when she ascended
the throne, and to George I. During the troubled time
of the '4-5, when Prince Charles Edward startled the
whole kingdom, the Trinity House brethren manned
the large guns on the town fortifications, and offered
their services as well • in the defence of Carlisle
at the same period. In 1798, during the French war,
the Trinity House offered to form an artillery company,
to be attached to the "Newcastle Armed Association,"
and provided a erunboat for the defence of the harbour.
And again, in 1803, when Napoleon had raised the alarm
to fever height, the brethren arranged to enrol the pilots
and others into a corps of "Sea Fencibles" for defensive
purposes. The return of successful commanders was
generally signalized by the Trinity House. After the
fateful battle of Culloden, in 1746, the Duke of Cumber-
land was presented with the freedom of the society " in
a gold box.'' A more suitable occasion, however, was the
presentation of an address, "in a gold box," in 1306, to
the local hero, Admiral Lord Collingwood.
From the constitution of the society it may easily be
guessed that tho Trinity House to-day is a wealthy
corporation, and rather exclusive in its character ; but the
visitor will be treated by the officials with the greatest
courtesy and attention. Before entering by the "great
yatte," in the " Brod Chair," shown in our engraving, he
will observe, suspended from the wall outside, an old
rusted anchor, respecting which two legends are current,
viz., that it is a veritable relic from one of the wrecked
ships of the Spanish Armada of 1588, or that it originally
belonged to the ship of a pirate, named, or nicknamed,
Blackbeard, who, in the good old days, bothered these
Northern Coasts. Once within the precincts, the visitor
enters the "High Yard," and by a broad flight of steps
he will find his way into the charmed region. The
" Suminoner "is obliging and attentive, and the stranger
will not regret the time spent in inspecting the pictorial
treasures and curiosities of the Trinity House. In ad-
dition, he will find the charming carvings, fittings, and
general arrangements of the Board Room, vestibule,
secretary's office, library, Trinity Hall, and the
gem of a chapel, replete with interest and pleasure.
A handy descriptive catalogue is provided, in which a
brief account is given of the principal pictures, curiosities,
and works of art stored in the official apartments already
named.
Of late years, portions of the extensive premises
included in the High and Low Yards have been let
off into offices and warehouses, and what was formerly
the important "mathematical school," in the Low
Yard, has ceased its work during the present
generation. To middle-aged Novocastrians, and indeed
over a much wider area, it will be a matter
<Ji interest to know that the author of "TinweH'jf
Arithmetic, " a standard work in its day, was a master of
this school. The gallery on the roof, which was tha
180
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I April
1»S9.
"Observatory," ia still to be seen, and the visitor must
not omit to observe the oil painting, supposed to be a
portrait of Mr. Tinwell, hung in the master's room. The
alms houses for old mariners and their widows, in both
the High and Low Yards, are of course still fully occu-
pied. Hansel or Handsel Monday, the first Monday of
the year, when the officers are elected, is the ereat day at
the Trinity House. After business, the members are
liberally treated, as an ancient custom, to bread and
cheese and wine. The Church service is conducted in the
pretty little chapel every Monday morning, the present
chaplain being the Rev. W. L. Cunningham, of St.
Philip's.
Many of the old city Guilds, having long lost their
raison d'etre, are, of course, practically dying a natural
death, but the Trinity House has, as yet, no such cause
for decay. Though the important duty of lightage is now
transferred to the River Commissioners, the Trinity Cor-
poration is perhaps as virile to-day as at any previous
period in the whole course of its long and eventful history.
J. I. NICHOLSON.
at
jjHROVE TUESDAY, which this year fell
on March 5, witnessed the usual football
contests at Alnwick, Sedgefield, Chester-le-
Street, and other places in the North-
Country. Some historical records of the ancient game
will be found on page 54 of the present volume. Further
information about the manner in which the old custom is
observed in Chester-le-Street may be of interest. Here,
then, somewhat altered and abridged, is the report that
appeared in the Newcastle Daily Chronicle of March 6,
1889 :—
Mr. Joseph Murray, of Newcastle, as the representa-
tive of the Murray family, who have provided the ball
for sixty-five years, duly appeared at one o'clock, with the
ball in his hand. Immediately he threw out the ball the
fun became fast and furious, and, contrary to all the tra-
ditions of the game, the ball went rapidly up street, all
the efforts of the Down-Streeters failing to stay the
attack of the Up-Streeters, who seemed bent upon making
a strong bid for victory. Right away the ball went up-
wards, only to be checked opposite the Lambton Arms,
and atrain at the King's Head ; then it did not stop until
reaching Red Rose Hall. There a change took place ;
the Down-Streeters made a big effort, and, by the aid of
vigorous play on the part of a few fresh hands, conspicu-
ous among whom was a well-known "county back," the
ball was brought rapidly down street, and its progress
was not checksd until it was shot into the half -frozen river
Cone. Plunging in, through the ice and rushing waters,
several adventurous players succeeded in getting the ball
once more into play, at the expense of a thorough wetting.
In a few minutes' time the ball was again forced into the
river, and this time several youngsters got it upon the ice
and tried to play it there, only to drop through the ice at
very soft places and to lose the ball through the holes into
the water, all of which caused immense amusement to the
spectators. The ball again went up street after a terrific
struggle, and there it remained, in spite of the herculean
efforts put forth by the Down-Streeters. A few minutes
before six o'clock the ball was returned to Mr. Murray,
who addressed the multitude from the window of the
Crown Inn, congratulating them upon the magnificent
struggle there had been. An announcement was subse-
quently made that next year a cup would be given to be
held by some responsible person on behalf of the winners.
A Chester-le-Street contributor to the "Notes and
Queries " of the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle gave the fol-
lowing particulars in its issue for March 9, 1889 : —
For anything that is known to the contrary, the annual
Shrovetide football match may have been played here in
the time of the Romans ! There is nothing in the local
annals or in the parish records to fix the date of its
institution ; and there is not a time within living memory
when it was not played with just as much enthusiasm if
by less numbers than now. The grandfather of the
writer of these notes was a native of Rothbury, and
played in the annual Shrovetide match there as boy and
man. Coming to the neighbourhood of Chester-le-Street
about a century ago, he found the old custom of his
Northumbrian home in full swing in "the city of the
world," as it was then, as now, known and spoken of.
That is the earliest period the writer can find oral
tradition beginning.
How the ball for the game was provided, or by whom,
at that time, is not by any means so obvious as the fact
that the game was played. But at a later period, in living
memory, it can be made out that a Mr. Pybus, a saddler,
who was also parish clerk, provided the ball. The fact of
Mr. Pybus being parish clerk has doubtless led to the
idea that the ball was provided by the parish in virtue of
some covenant. There is nothing, however, in the parish
records and accounts to show that any expense has ever
been incurred, or moneys disbursed, for such a purpose.
After the death of Mr. Pybus, his foreman, Mr. Fair-
less, succeeded to his saddlery business, and also kept
up the annual and ancient football custom. He married
Mrs. Pybus, widow of the " late lamented, " and carried on
the saddlery buisness where Mrs. Gibson's spirit vaults
now stand, and where the divisionary line intersects and
marks the territories of the Up-Streeters and Down-
Streeters — those dwelling south of that point being the
Up-Streeters, and those to the north the Down-
Streeters. The game appears to have been always
played between those two distinctive portions of the
"city."
About sixty-three or sixty-five years »go — it is difficult
to fix the date definitely or with exactitude— Mr. Chris-
topher Ridley, now a very old man, but still hale and
hearty, met Mr. Fairless in "The Mains" one morning.
Mr. Fairless passed on his way towards the Ferry, and
Mr. Ridley into the town. That is the last that is known
of Mr. Fairless. From that day to this he has not been
seen or heard of in Chester-le-Street. The affair caused
the usual "nine days' talk," as Mr. Fairless was well
known and highly respected. So far as is known, too, it
was not even snegested that there were any domestic or
pecuniary troubles from which he had any reason to flee.
What may be called "The Murray Epoch " began witli
the disappearance of Mr. Fairless. Mr. George Mur-
ray, then carrying on an extensive business as chemist,
druggist, grocer, and provision dealer, besides conduct-
ing a farm or two, stepped into the breach caused by
the disappearance of Mr. Fairless. When Shrove Tues-
day came round he had a ball ready prepared, and
punctually at one o'clock appeared with it at the door
of his place of business at the north end of the
bridge which spans the river Cone, and at the entrance to
Pictree Lane. Before "throwing out" the ball, he ad-
dressed a few words to the assembled crowd, stating that
he had taken upon himself the duty of providing them with
a ball for their ancient and annual match, not only that
they might enjoy themselves, but that their ancient
custom might be preserved and maintained. If they
would accept the ball which he had provided, he would
promise them that, as long as he lived, they should
neither want a ball nor someone to " throw it out " every
Shrove Tuesday.
One word more about the general way in which the
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
181
game is conducted, or rather not conducted, for only the
players themselves have any control over it. The match
is played, as we have seen, between the people living
north and south of the Low Chare, the place
where Mr. Eairless's shop was situated, and where
the ball was then "thrown out." There is neither
limit nor restriction to the number of players.
Association, Rugby, and all other recognised codes are
set at defiance. There are no goals, and there is
but one object — that is, to have the ball north or south of
the Low Chare. At six o'clock, it is picked up and
returned to the donor, who at once announces from some
prominent place (generally an upstairs window of some
public-house) that the " tip" or " Down Streeters" have
won the game, according as the ball was above or below
the Low Chare at that hour. Everybody is expected by
everybody else to play " fairly"— i.e., to kick or throw the
ball as he chooses. Hiding the ball for some time and
then running away with it (not a very difficult trick to ac-
complish, and one which is sometimes practised) is put
down with strong hands, and without ceremony.
[JHE Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is usually due in
this country about the middle of April, sooner
or later according to the character of the sea-
son. It is common in summer from the Lizard Point to
the Orkney Islands. The bird is found throughout the
whole of the European Continent from south to north.
It occurs in Japan, Java, Kamschatka, Asia Minor, and
many other parts of the world, as also in Africa. Ac-
cording to Temminck and other naturalists, it is also
found in South Africa, but only as a winter migrant.
The birds are light and easy in their flight, and are
sometimes taken for hawks when on the wing. Their
mode of flight and change of plumage in autumn have no
doubt given rise to the alleged transformation of the bird
into a hawk. It is, of course, the notes of the male birds
•which are heard so frequently in spring in woods, fields,
and hedgerows. The only note of the female is a gentle
twitter, something resembling the syllables "Kwikwik-
wik," and this note is said to be generally heard when
the female is searching for a nest in which to deposit her
Of the nesting peculiarities of the cuckoo, and the
ejection of 'the legitimate young birds from the nest,
much has been written by naturalists and general ob-
servers. Perhaps the most minute and truthful accounts
of the manner in which the young cuckoos dispose of the
young birds in the nest are those given by Dr. Jenner
and Mr. John Hancock. The cuckoos deposit their eggs
in the nests of a variety of birds ; but, as Mr. Hancock
observes, the intruded egg will most frequently be found
in the nest of the meadow pipit, or titlark.- My own
experience is decidedly in favour of the meadow pipit.
I have found the eggs and young of cuckoos in, perhaps,
a score of instances, in widely separated parts of England
and Scotland, and, except in one instance, the eggs or
young of the cuckoo were in the nests of meadow pipits.
\ et the cuckoo's egg has often been found in the nest of
the robin, pied wagtail, bunting, hedge sparrow, and
many other birds.
A correspondent of Science Gossip asserts he has found
the egg of the cuckoo in the nest of the common wren — a
most rare and interesting occurrence, as it shows, what
is now generally believed, that the cuckoo usually lays her
egg on the ground and puts it into the nest selected either
with beak or claw. In the case of the egg found in the
wren's nest, it must have been protruded through the
small hole in the side of the nest. In several instances I
have found the eggs of the cuckoo in the nests of titlarks
which were so placed that they must have been deposited
by the beak or the claw of the female cuckoo.
It has often been asserted that the foster-parents eject
their own young from the nest after they are hatched, in
order to make room for the greedy nestling ; and it has
also been said that the female cuckoo returns to the nest
and ejects the young birds in favour of her own nestling.
But the close and interesting observations of Dr. Jenner
and Mr. Hancock go to show that the young of the foster-
parents are thrown out of the nest by the young cuckoo
soon after it is hatched.
The egg of the cuckoo is remarkably small, considering
the size of the bird. I have a clutch of titlarks' eggs,
with a cuckoo's egg taken from the same nest. The latter
egg, in shape, size, and colouring, closely resembles the
others, and few save experts can detect the difference.
HE.VKY KERK.
SC Hartft Ctftuttri)
jlF the many strange stories of imposture with
which the public have been made acquainted
of late years, perhaps the most generally
interesting, because of their romantic character, are those
in which, for varying motives, members of the gentle
sex have assumed the habiliments of men. Sometimes the
fair impostor has served with ability before the mast ;
at others has shouldered the rifle and fought through a
182
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{April
JUS).
campaign ; but almost invariably, after the lapse of a few
years, some untoward circumstance has stripped off the
disguise, and the impostor has stood confessed a woman.
A most remarkable instance of this kind, which
came under the writer's notice some few years ago,
differed from the ordinary run, not only in the length of
time (quite half a century) during which the imposture
was successfully maintained — the mask being only torn
away by the great discoverer, death — but also in the
singularity of some of the attendant circumstances, which
will probably seem to the reader to belong to the region
of romance.
Less than twenty years ago there lived in a miserable
cottage in Toft Hill— a small, half -mining, half -agricultural
village in South Din-ham — a solitary and decrepit
recluse, commonly known amongst the villagers as Joe
Piker, from the fact of his cottage adjoining a turnpike
eate. Joe, who claimed as his proper appellation the
more high-sounding name of Josiah Charles Stephenson,
was always somewhat of a mystery to his neighbours,
although he had dwelt amongst them for nearly fifty
years. He lived alone : the parish dole was his only
means of subsistence, but even out of that he always con-
trived to spare something for his customary drop of gin.
He had com" to one of the neighbouring collieries a mere
.youth early in the "twenties" of the century, and had
obtained work in the mine. At that time he kept
a;>art as much as possible from the rest of the work-
u.cn, and made no friends. In a year or two he wooed
and won Sally, the red-cheeked servant-maid at the Bull,
and the pair lived apparently a happy, uneventful life
for some thirty years. No olive branches graced their
household, but their mutual affection did not appear
diminished thereby, and, indeed, became almost proverbial
in the village.
During these many years Joe alternated between coal-
hewing in the winter and farm-work — at which he was
very expert — in the summer. Eventually he left the pits
altogether, and tnenceforward maintained Sally and him-
self by "data!" work on the neighbouring farms. In
those days, before the advent of the reaping machine, the
use of the sickle or reaping-hook was an indispensable
accomplishment of the agricultural labourer, and Joe
speedily became famous as the fastest "shearer" of
corn for miles round. After thirty years of wedded
bliss, Sally died, leaving her spouse seemingly incon-
solable at her loss. Joe vowed that naught would
ever tempt him to enter the conjugal state again.
The vow was soon forgotten, however, and in a year or
two he led to the altar a second spouse. With her, how-
ever, the course of true love ran anything but smooth,
and in the short space of a week or two she left him for
ever. To her friends and gossips she told the strangest
and most incredible stories about her lord and master —
stories, which although verified long after, were simply
scouted at the time, for everyone had known Joe
for so long, whilst the veracity of his second wife was.
rated at considerably below par. For nearly twenty
years after their separation Joe dwelt alone, soon
becoming a confirmed misogynist, and declining to allow
a woman to enter his miserable abode. Never noted for
much piety, he rapidly developed into a most blas-
phemous old reprobate, whose profanity, excited by the
most trivial annoyances, was truly blood-curdling.
When mellowed by an extra glass or two of his
customary drink, Joe would occasionally become mys-
teriously oracular, and once or twice even went so far as
to predict that his demise would make the greatest
sensation of any event which had occurred in the village
since he came into it. Little attention, however, was
paid to the old man's vapourings, as they were thought to
be. He invariably preserved a strict reticence as to his
antecedents and birthplace ; once, and only once, confiding
to the only crony he had, a small tradesman in the
village, the fact that he hailed from Berwick -upon-Tweed.
He stoutl^ resisted a proposal that he should return
thither, and waxed angry and indignant at an offer to
communicate with any of his relatives or friends in the
Border town.
In the early winter of 1869, Joe sickened, and soon it
became evident that he was dying. A female neighbour
volunteered to nurse him, but Joe drove her out of the
house with horrible imprecations. At last the end
came, and a couple of .kindly women went to the
miserable hovel to perform the last offices for' the
old recluse. Suddenly, in that mysterious manner in
which rumours are floated in small villages, it began to be
whispered that something extraordinary had occurred ;
the village doctor and the village constable were seen
hurrying to the cottage, round which a crowd speedily
gathered, and by and bye the truth leaked out. "Old
Joe, "who had been known and laughed at for so many
years, whose first wife rested in the neighbouring church-
yard, and whose second partner was jeered out of the
place for what were regarded as her absurd inventions —
blasphemous, hardened, suffering "old Joe " was no man
at all, but— how shall it be written ?— a woman. Daily
papers had not then penetrated to every village, and an
occurrence perhaps without parallel in recent times
received a brief half-column of space in the
local weekly paper, formed the subject of
sundry doggerel verses by local poets, and soon
was seldom mentioned. The burial was entered in the
parish church register at Etherley as that of "an un-
known woman, " who died November 23rd, 1869, and the
inquiries set on foot by the then rector failed to elicit any
information by which the entry could be amplified.
According to the best information which could be
obtained, it was in February, 1823, that Joe first
reached the place. A tradition was current in
the village for some time after bis death to the
effect that, during the winter of 1822-3, a young
April |
1889. |
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
183
shepherd left the neighbourhood of Berwick-upon-Tweed
in charge of a drove of sheep for Newcastle market ;
that a girl whom he had jilted disappeared about the
same time, and that neither the one nor the other had since
been heard of. The supposition was that the quondam
Joe was the girl in question, and that she had murdered
her faithless lover and assumed his attire. The
writer has been unable to verify this tradition in
any respect, although he believes that inquiries
were set on foot at the time by the rector of the parish in
which Joe died. The clergyman himself died a few years
later, having been, as he stated, unable to arrive at any
satisfactory solution of the mystery. Joe was supposed
to be about seventy years of age at the time of death.
ERIMUS.
"
WORD so familiar as to give the distinctive
character to "canny Newcassel" seems to
have little need of explanation. It is just one
of those words, however, which has made its home here,
but which is sadly misunderstood by outsiders. The
patient John Ray heard it not ; and we turn to look for
it in vain among the "English words proper to the
Northern Counties " in his little volume of 1691. It does
not appear in the collection of Nathan Bailey, the quaint
"Philologos" who thirty years later published his Dic-
tionary, in which were included "The Dialects of our
Different Countries." When Dr. Johnson followed, in
1755, with his English Dictionary, he did not record it.
We come down, therefore, to our own times before we
find the modest word included in an English dictionary.
If we turn up Dr. Ogilvie's great work, "The Imperial
Dictionary " of 1848, we do find the word. But this is
not our own "canny." It is "cautious; prudent; art-
ful; crafty; wary; frugal," &c. The Southern man
accepts this rendering, and believes that our "canny
man" means "cunning fellow." This may be explained
by the fact that " canny " does not appear in literature
before the seventeenth century— 1637 being the date of
the earliest quotation of its use in Dr. Murray's " New
English Dictionary." All the early references to it are
found north of the Tweed, and the trans-Tuedian usage
of the word justifies the Southern Enelishman in under-
standing it " to denote qualities considered characteristi-
cally Scotch."
In Northumberland, the word is of ancient currency, for
it is part of the mother-tongue of the people. But the
history, and the dialect which is part of the history, of
this northernmost English county, show us how a folk,
isolated at times from the rest of the kingdom have
grown up by themselves in word and work. It is especi-
ally shown in this word, which among the people of
Northumberland has developed a meaning far differing
from a rendering that ascribes to it mere cunning, or
craft, or wariness. Here "canny" is an embodiment
of all that is kindly, good, and gentle. The highest
compliment that can be paid to any person is to say that
he or she is "canny." As home expresses the English
love of the fireside, so in Tyneside and Northumberland
does " canny " express every home virtue. All that is
good and lovable in man or woman is covered by the ex-
pression, " Eh, what a canny body !" A child appealing
for help or protection always addresses his elder as
"canny man." "Please, canny man, gi's a lift i' yor
cairt." "O, canny man, O show me the way to Walling-
ton." What Northumberland bairn but has appealed,
when punishment impended, " Please, canny man, it
wesn't me!" The fishwife who wishes to compliment
her customer, says, "Noo, rmm^-hinney, see what yor
buyin'."
O, bonny Hobby Elliot,
O, cannu Hobby still,
O, bonny Hobby "Elliot,
Who lives at Harlow Hill.
The word, says the Rev. John Hodgson, "refers as
well to the beauty of form as of manners and morals, but
most particularly is used to describe those mild and affec
tionate dispositions which render a person agreeable in
the domestic state."
Wor canny houses, duffit theekM —
Wor canny wives within 'em,
Wor cannu bairns, se chubby cheek 'd,
And sweet and clean yell find 'em ;
Are a' decked put in Sunday trim,
To mense this great occasion.
—Thomas Wilson: " The OMn' o' Dicky's Wig," 1826.
Gan wi' me, like a cannu lad.
— T. Wilson: "Pitman's Pay," 1826, pt. 1, ver. 71.
It has also the significations following : —
Endeared —
How well we remember the canny bit shop !
— B. Gilchrist : "Sony of Improvements," 1835.
Modest —
To get us a canny bit leevin,
Aw kinds o' fine sweetmeets we'll sell.
— W. Midford : -'Pitman's Courtship." 1818.
What canny little wegges we used ta ha ta pay !
— Geo. Chatt: " Old Farmer," 1866.
Orderly, neat —
Eh, lads, but it's a bonny way !
But what myest pleased wor Nanny,
Was seeing fogies, awd and gray,
Paid just for keepin't cannu.
—T. Wilson: " The Oilin' o' Dicky's Wig."
Careful — "'Be canny wi' the sugar."
Canny is also used adverbially, as, "Canny, noo,
canny I" or " Gan canny! " — that is, Go gently.
A, IT, A, ma bonny bairn,
A, IT, A, upon ma airm,
A, U, A, thoo syun may lairn
To say dada se canny.
—B. Nunn: " Sandyate Wife's Nurse Song.'
This Northumberland word is just the simpler English
term for what we should otherwise have to style in grand-
184
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
iloquent language the highest human virtues. Benefi-
cence, benevolence, magnanimity are all summed up in
the plainer word canniness. So strong is this that to say
one is "no" canny" is to say that he is simply unhuraan.
When the traveller from the South experiences the
congestion of traffic by which the lines to the Central
Station at Newcastle are occasionally blocked, his train is
suddenly pulled up, and he finds himself waiting on a
viaduct. Below him there instantly gathers a promiscuous
crowd of ragged bairns. From a dozen young throats is
heard, in measured cadence, the chorus of a song, and
from the guttural verse there comes up a constant ower-
word. This, as it is heard over and over, is not an accusa-
tion of the Southern gentleman. He is not being called
"a cautious, crafty fellow." "Canny man" is really
intended to convey the most touching appeal that the
little hatless, shoeless, palpitating figure below can make
to the better nature of his auditor, as he chaunts —
Hey, canny man, hoy a ha'penny oot !
Ye'll see some fun, thor is ne doot ;
Whorivvor ye gans, ye'll heor 'em shoot,
Hey, canny man, hoy a ha'penny oot !
R. OLIVKR HESLOP.
££JastUmtcr antr tfte
j]O part of the English Lake District presents
a more perfect combination of grandeur and
wildness than Wastdale, with its gloomy
lake, Wastwater. The surroundings com-
prise some of the highest mountains in England, and
from certain points of the vale the views are most im-
pressive. It was Wordsworth's opinion that no part of
the country is more distinguished for sublimity.
Wastwater differs in many respects from other
lakes in the same district. It occupies the greater
part of the lower space of the valley, but in itself
presents no interesting features, being without islets,
promontory, baylet, or any diversity that might
attract attention, while the shore or margin is
straight, or only slightly curved. Its length is
about three and a half miles ; its breadth about half-
a-mile ; and it has the reputation of being the
deepest of the English lakes ; indeed, the natives
will tell you that it is unfathomable. The greatest
depth, however, is probably between 270 and 280
feet. There is no record of its having ever been
frozen over, even in the severest winter.
A mountain, called the Screes, overhangs almost
the whole of the south-east side of the lake. This
mountain is the most remarkable characteristic of
the valley. The upper part of it is a mass of huge
crags, the remainder consisting of loose stones,
fissures, and ravines. The mountain dips almost
perpendicularly into the water, and the journey
along the foot of it is not unattended with danger,
as there is always the possibility of some fragments of
rock falling from the heights above.
Hutchinson, in his history of Cumberland, published
about a century ago, says: — "Sometimes, when a more
than ordinary break or rent happens, it causes a pro-
digious noise, fire and smoke, which in the night time
appears like lightning to the inhabitants of Nether Wast-
dale, which lies opposite to the Screes, on the north side
of the lake. In some parts of the Screes is the finest red
ore, used for what is there called ' Emitting ' (rudding or
marking) the sheep. On the top of the Screes stood for
ages a very large stone, called 'Wilson's horse,' but
twenty years ago it fell down into the lake, when a cleft
was made about 100 yards long, four feet wide, and of
incredible depth." It is well known that huge boulders
have come rushing down into the lake during thunder-
storms, and this may account for the "fire and smoke."
In order to obtain the most favourable impression of
Wastwater it is necessary that the traveller should ap-
proach it from the foot, or south-west. The scene is most
striking about a mile and a half from the head. This
point has been selected by Mr. Alfred Pettitt, of the Art
Gallery, Keswick, for the photograph of the Screes from
which our engraving is copied. It is from nearly the
same point that the view of the lake shown in our other
engraving has been taken. The conical peak seen to the
left of this latter picture is Yewbarrow ; that in the ex-
treme distance is Great Gable ; the foot of Lingmell is
shown to the right. From the same point a fine view is
also obtained of Scawfell and Scawfell Pike, the latter
the highest mountain in England.
At the head of the lake is the hamlet known as Wast
dale Head. It is a very wild and lonely spot; but in the
summer hundreds of tourists visit it as a starting place
IL
WASTWATER, CUMBERLAND.
April 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
185
for an early climb to Scawfell Pike. Half-a-dozen farm-
houses, a primitive church, the vicarage, an inn, and a tem-
perance hotel nestle at the foot of huge mountain*. For
IT any years a public-house was here the only accommoda-
tion for visitors. A well-known dalesman, or statesman,
named William Ritson, was the landlord. "Old Will,"
as he is familiarly called (for he is still living), is quite a
character. He is close upon ninety years of age, stands
six feet two in his stockings, and was, when in his prime,
a noted wrestler. It is his proud boast that he overthrew
the doughty Christopher North (Professor Wilson) in a
wrestling match, though he admitted that he found his
antagonist a tough customer. "Old Will" has met
many prominent men in his time, and possesses an almost
inexhaustible fund of anecdote. He has, however, left
Wastdale Head, and now lives in a cottage in another
part of the district.
The church at Wastdale Head is one of the smallest in
England. It it lighted by two windows and a skylight
over the pulpit, and contains eight pews. It is probably
large enough for all purposes, as the maximum population
of the valley, during the last twenty-five years, has only
been about 42 adults. Hutchinson states that in his time
there were about 47 inhabitants, though the many ruins of
cottages thereabouts showed that previously the village
had been much mor« considerable. He also says that
one of the dalesmen of the name of Fletcher " derived his
possessions from a course of not less than 700 years."
Harriet Martineau, in her Guide to the Lakes, under
date 1855, referring to a peculiar superstition in Wastdale,
says : — "A young lady who kindly undertook to wash and
dress the infant of a sick woman, but who was not ex-
perienced in the process, exclaimed at the end: *O,
dear, 1 forgot its hands and arms. I must wash them.'
THE SCREES, WASTWATER, CUMBERLAND.
The mother expressed great horror, and said that 'if the
child's arms were washed before it was six months old, it
would be a thief ' ; and added pitifully, ' I would not
like that.' The hair and nails must not be cut for a
much longer time, for fear of a like result."
Though, as before stated, Wastwater should be ap-
proached from the south-west, it may also be visited by
way of the Sty Head Pass, the Black Sail Pass, and from
the direction of Eskdale. The inexperienced mountain
climber is not advised to undertake these journeys in
tempestuous weather. Fatal accidents have happened in
these passes through foolhardy attempts to penetrate
them at improper seasons. To be on the Sty Head Pass
in a thunderstorm is to experience sensations which will
not be forgotten for a lifetime. Black Sail Pass, under the
same conditions, is almost worse than Sty Head. Mrs.
Lynn Linton speaks of the latter as follows : — " If Honis-
ter is stern, Sty Head is violent ; if Kirkstone is desolate,
Sty Head is terrifying — in certain aspects, when the clouds
hang low over Wastwater, literally terrifying, as if the
road was going down into the home of Eternal Death."
There is a story that Baron Trenck once dashed down Sty
Head Pass on horseback, and that he arrived safely at
the bottom, having performed in one day a journey of
fifty-six miles, through steep and difficult roads, which
nearly killed his horse.
Some grand sights are to be seen in Wastdale. In the
winter, the icicles hang from the projecting crags of
Great Gable in strange profusion, and when illuminated
by the rays of the rising sun produce a most unusual
effect, sparks of light radiating in all directions as from
acrown of diamonds. Then there is a great ravine on
the north-west side of Lingmell, known as Peasgill, Pease
Gill, or Piers Gill. This is admittedly one of the most
stupendous gorges in
the Lake District,
and should on no
account be missed by
the tourist. Hawl
Gill, or Hollow Gill,
at the foot of the
lake, is also worth
inspection. Here the
granite rocks have
been worn into sharp
peaks, and will re-
mind the Swiss tra-
veller of the aiguittes
of Mont Blanc.
The inhabitants of
these remote parts
not unusually in-
dulge in a joke at
the expense of each
other. It has been
a long standing jest
186
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
that the dwellers in Borrowdale, like the wise men of
Gotham, built a wall across the valley to keep the
cuckoo amongst them all the year round. Another
jest is that Wastdale possessed the highest hill, the
deepest lake, the smallest church, the biggest liar, and
the most drunken parson in the Lake District. This
probably applied to a period some half century ago.
At any rate the witticism could not have referred to
the present vicar — the Rev. Thomas Perfect Bell — as a
more abstemious and amiable man does not exist.
antr
LIEUTENANT ADAMSON, R.N.
The memorial drinking fountain shown in the accom-
panying sketch has been erected at the village of Culler-
coats, Northumberland, to the memory of Lieutenant
Adiimson, son of Major William Aclamson. It bears the
Mem
following inscription : — " Erected oy a few friends in
memory of Bryan John Huthwaite Adamson, Lieut.,
R.N., commanding H.M.S. Wasp, who sailed from
Singapore, September, 1887, and was never heard of
after." EDITOR.
THE HELM WIND.
A scientific account of the curious wind which blows
around Crossfell, Cumberland, will be found in the
Monthly Chronicle, 1887, page 474. Almost every
inhabitant of Alston has either seen the Helm Bar or felt
the effects of the Helm Wind. The bar is a cloud which is
formed on the summit of Crossfell parallel to the wind
itself. As for the wind, people who have come within
its range describe it as a furious hurricane that overturns
carts and plays general havoc with all moveable things.
The phenomenon is uncertain in its visitations. Some
years it appears only at comparatively rare intervals,
but in others it appears on an average more than once a
week. Thus, according to the report of Mr. W. Murray
to the Meteorological Society, the Helm Bar was observed
on 41 occasions in 1885, on 63 occasions in 1886, but only
19 times in 1887. A.
PUDDING CHARE.
Bourne, the historian of Newcastle, took Pudding Chare
to be a corruption of Budding Chare. (See voL i, p. 225.)
But the name is spelt Pudding Chare, as at present, in a
deed dated 10 February, 8 Henry VII., when the
orthography throughout is so different to modern style.
Another deed, in Latin, referring to the same place,
notifies that James Delavale, Esq., grants to William.
Stevynson, a burgess of the town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
and a worker in soft leather, "aliutario," all his lands
and tenement in the said town, lying in the small street
"venello" called "Puddyngchar," adjoining the tene-
ment of the Chantry of the Holy Trinity, in the Church
of St. John, on the south ; the small street called
"Saynt Johnchar " on the north; the said small
street " venell " called *' Puddyngchar " on the east ;
and the land of Robert Mitford, gent., on the west.
The document is sealed on the 4th May, 3 Edward IV.,
that is 1463, in the presence of, amongst others, Alan
Bird, Mayor of Newcastle, Nicholas Wetwang, Sheriff,
and John Richardson, Robert Baxter, William Rothom,
and John Nicson, aldermen.
Having proof that the small street was called Pudding
Chare in the 15th century, we need not be surprised at
finding the name doing service as a surname two
centuries and a half earlier. In the " Rotuli Hundredo-
rum " of the time of Henry III. and Edward I., a
Matilda Pudding occurred, as holding, by what
authority was not known, a property in Newcastle of the
king, for which she returned twopence per annum. At a
little later date one Waltero Pudding witnessed a deed
of the Widdrington family. As neither of these persons
prefixed the Latin preposition "de" to their surname, as
was general at the time with those whose lands gave
them their cognomen, the idea is suggested that the
patronymic Pudding was given to the land rather
than derived from it, and that the twelve feet by six which
Matilda held, by an unknown authority, in the 13th cen-
tury, swelled to a quarter or division of a city, "ti'co,"
at a later period, known by the name of Puddyngchar
or Pudding's Chare. By reference to Mr. Heslop's
glossary, it will be seen that, like many of the gates and
towers of Newcastle, at least twelve of the twenty-eight
chares of the city mentioned therein were known by
April \
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
187
family names ; others were called after churches or reli-
gious houses, and a peculiarity connected with it gave a
name to each of the remainder.
I do not think it will be considered presumptuous, in
view of these facts, to suggest, as I now do, that Bourne,
the historian, erred when he said Pudding was a corrup-
tion of Budding.
CUTHBERT HOME TRASLAW, Cornhill-on-Tweed.
A LONG WORD.
Aristophanes, the Athenian playwright, who flourished
about 444 B.C., makes mention, in his comedy of the
" Ecclesiazusae, " or " Female Parliament, " of a banquet,
one of the items in the bill of fare at which was a dish
whose name is composed of upwards of seventy syllables.
A correspondent, under the signature of Delta, lately
asked, through the medium of the " Notes and Queries "
department of the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle, for the
reproduction of this extraordinary word, which he said he
had frequently heard the late Dr. Snape, head-master of
the Newcastle Royal Grammar School, enunciate ore
rotunda. The following answer was received from Mr.
J. F. Stout, South Shields :—
Lepado-temacho-sel&cho -gale's -kranio -lei psano-drim-
uprimmato-silphlo - karabo - melito - kfttakechfimeno - kiche-
eplkossupho-phatto-periater-alektruon-opto- kephallio- kig-
klo-pelefo-lag-6o-s(raio-bapho-traghano-ptCrugon. (Aris-
tophanes, Eccles., i., 169.)
This curious word may be rendered thus : —
Alimpet-saltfish-skate-shark-pungently-dressed-mess-of-
remainder - of - heads - assafetida- lobster- honey-sprinklecl-
thrush - blackbird - pigeon - dove- roasted-cock's-brains- wag-
tail-cushat-hare-stewed-in-new-wine-seasoned-with-groats-
shoulders-and-all-fricasse.
The compound thus formed by the weaving together of
the names of all kinds of dainties to make one huge dish,
consists of 171 letters and 79 syllables, in the following
order : —
Lep-ad-o-tem-ach-o-sel-ach-o-gal-e-o-kran-i-o-leips-an-o-
drim - up • o -primm -at - o- silph- i-o-kar-ab-o-mel-it-q-kat-a-
kech -urn-en -o-kiche-ep-i-koss-uph-o-phatt-o-per-i-ster-a
lektr-u-on-opt-o-keph-all-i-o-kigkl-o-pel-ei-o-lag-o-o-sir-ai-
o-baph-o-trag-han-o-pter-ug-on.
f!crrtft=Cfirtmtrt> 8Hit& ftummttr.
VENETIAN BUNDS.
"Come up and see us," shouted a pitman to his friend,
"we've moved to another hoose fitted wi' militia blinds !"
THE SIZE OF A BURN.
A little girl of twelve summers, who lived a good distance
to the west of Newcastle, was once staying with her uncle
in Jesmond. One day she was missed for some time.
When she returned, her uncle asked where she had been,
and she answered, " Doon the burn. " " Noo, " remarked
her uncle, "ye hevn't such a large burn where ye live."
"No, "replied the youngster, "butthor's a burgor yen
doon at Tynemouth ! "
FOREIGN BOOKS.
A book canvasser rapped at the door of a house in
Newcastle. On the appearance of the mistress, he said :
"Noo, missus, can aa show ye a nice byuk?" "Aa
divvent want onny byuks," was the reply. " Well," said
the man, "literature nivvor wes se cheap as it is noo !"
" Literature !" said the woman : " whativvor can wor
Jack de wiv foreign byuks ! He tyeks in the Evenin'j
Chronicle in ha'penny numbers, and reads hissel' te sleep
ivvory neet. That's aall the literature he wants !"
'WHAT TO PLANT.
Mr. Fenwick, a former agent of the Lambtons, was
consulting one of the tenants as to what he should plant
on some particular place, when the tenant replied, "Aa
think ye had bettor plant it wi' stewards. Nowt else
seems te thrive in this country ! ''
THE RESPIRATOR.
As a lady, wearing a respirator, was going down the
principal street of a small village not far from Newcastle,
a lad, standing at a corner, shouted to one of his com-
panions : — "Hey ! that wife hes a muzzle on ! Aa pity
hor man," he added reflectively, "when she's lowse ! "
RUNNING OUT.
A Gateshead family went to stay at Tynei:iouth last
year. Whilst one of the members was being put to bed
on the first night by its mother, the little girl heard the
rumbling of the sea, and inquired : — "What's that noise,
muthor ? " " Oh, thet's the sea," her parent replied. " Is
it rmning oot ? " asked the child.
MARRIAGE A FAILURE.
Magistrate : " \Tou must really get a judicial separation
from your husband ; the court cannot help you any
further." Angry wife : " Aa want nyen o' yor judicious
experations ; he's been Judas eneuf te ine, the villin ; aa
want ma eight shillings a week reg'lar, and then he may
gan back tiv his mother agyen !"
"GATE MONEY."
Some time ago a party of pedestrians met at a public-
house near Stocksfield-on-Tyne. The relative merits
of some absent chums as pedestrians was the topic
of discussion. A certain person's name having been men-
tioned, an old farmer-looking man, from the far end of the
room, eagerly asked : "Whe'sthat?" " Geordy Broon,"
answered the interrogated. " Is he a Methodist ?" queried
the old man. "Aye; aa believe he is." "Begox, aa
thowt se," ejaculated the old fellow, clapping his hands
together ; " aa thowt aa'd seen him tyekin the gate
money at the chepel !"
A DRAMATIC INTERRUPTON.
A certain young Tynesider, having joined a travelling
theatrical company, made his first appearance, in a local
town, as NorvaL, in Home's play of "Douglas." The
188
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/April
\ 1889.
aspiring tragedian succeeded pretty well in the character,
but when he came to the part where the hero declares,
"My name is Norval ; on yonder Grampian -hills my
father feeds his flocks," he was interrupted by a man in
the pit who knew him, and who fancied that our hero
was trying to impose upon the credulity of strangers.
" Divvent believe him, lads," he cried, "divvent believe
him. He belangs Shields ; his feythor's a hoose pyentor,
and his muthor sells tripe ! "
i?0rtft=Cfftttttrg Obituaries'.
On the 14-th of February, Mr. Joseph Davison, head of
the firm of Messrs. Davison and Son, auctioneers, New-
castle, died at his residence, Cheviot View Villa, Forest
Hall. The deceased, who was a native of Sunderland,
was 68 years of age. He commenced life in connection
with the press, but had long been identified with the
business of auctioneer, occupying latterly the Academy
of Arts, in Blackett Street, the use of which was so
generously granted for the Uncle Toby Toy Exhibition
of the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle. Mr. Davison, in his
spare moments, was much attached to microscopical and
horticultural pursuits.
Mr. John Stokoe, Registrar of the Hexham County
Court, died at Summerrods House, in that town, on the
16th of February, in the 85th year of his age.
On the 19th of February was announced the death of
Mr. Peter Digney, of Saltburn, a member of various local
bodies, at the age of 71. A native of Kirkcudbright, Mr.
Digney was in early life an ardent Chartist, and was one
of the most active supporters of Henry Vincent.
On the 21st of February, Mr. Lewis Thompson, a native
of Newcastle, died at his residence, Eldon Street, in that
city. He was a son of Mr. Thomas Thompson, who lived
for many years at Byker Bar. In his youth he was a
student of medicine in Newcastle and London ; but he
subsequently abandoned that pursuit, and became iden-
tified with some chemical works in London and Paris.
The deceased, who was a man of considerable scientific
attainments, was 78 years of age.
Mr. Thomas Archer, one of the oldest working printers
in Newcastle, died at his residence, Prudhoe Street, in
that city, on the 24th of February, at the age of 76.
Mr. John George Newton, for many years manager of
Messrs. Lambton and Company's Branch Bank, Quay-
side, Newcastle, died on the 25th of February, in the
fifty-first year of his age.
On the 26th of February, the death was announced of
Captain Donald Brotchie, formerly chaplain of the New-
castle Sailors' Mission, and the author of several little
works specially written for seamen.
On the same day, Mr. W. J. Johnston, solicitor, who
served his articles with his uncle, the late Mr. W. John-
ston, of Mosley Street, to whose practice he afterwards
succeeded, died at Harrogate, where he was temporarily
residing.
"Elfin," of the Newcastle Daily Chronicle, announced
on the 28th of February the death of Mr. Simon Robin-
son, chemist and druggist, of Chester-le-Street. The
deceased, who had reached the advanced age of 85 years,
had held many public offices.
Mr. Thomas Blain, who for many years had been
identified with the public life of Sunderland and its
various benevolent institutions, died suddenly in that
town on the 27th of February. Mr. Blain, who was con-
nected with the Society of Friends, and was also an
active member of the Board of Guardians, was about 70
years of age.
On the 28th of February, Dr. David McLeish, a well-
known medical practitioner, died at his residence at
Grange Road West, Jarrow, at the age of 65 years.
About midnight of the same day, died, at his residence
in Framlington Place, Newcastle, Mr. John Milling, head
of the well-known firm of John Milling and Co., whole-
sale and retail warehousemen, Grainger Street, in that
city. Mr. Milling was for some time a member of the
Newcastle Town Council ; and it was chiefly throueh his
instrumentality that the rent-roll of the Corporation pro-
perty was prepared and issued in the year 1878. The
remains of the deceased gentleman, who was 67 years of
age, were removed to Harrogate for interment.
Mr. Andrew Carr, accountant, who was for many years
associated with his brother, Mr. J. M. Carr, in the man-
agement and proprietorship of the Newcastle Journal,
died somewhat suddenly on the 1st of March, in the 65th
year of his age.
On the 2nd of March, as Mr. M. T. Culley, of Coup-
land Castle, near Wooler, Northumberland, was travelling
in a train from London, he suddenly expired. The de-
ceased gentleman was a magistrate for Northumberland,
and chairman of the Glendale Board of Guardians. He
was High Sheriff of the county in 1869. The deceased
gentleman had been to London to undergo an operation
in his throat.
On the same day, at the age of 51, died Mr. Robert
White, a well-known grocer in Sunderland, his death
being attributed to a fall which he had sustained in his
business about a fortnight previously.
Mr. William Summers, another Sunderland man, and
a somewhat important witness in the celebrated Abrath
case a few years ago, also died on the 2nd of March.
Mr. Matthew Coulson, proprietor of the Merrington
Lane Ironworks at Spennymoor, and well known as a
colliery engineer, died on the 9th of March, aged 58.
On the 9th of March, the remains of Mr. Joseph Tyson,
head master of St. Thomas's School, Newcastle, who had
died on the 5th, at the age of 41, were interred in St.
Andrew's Cemetery, Newcastle. Mr. Tyson, who had
held the office since October, 1874-, was a most successful
teacher, the passes of his pupils having reached the high
standard of 97 "45 per cent.
Mr. Jonathan Maddison, of Sidehead, Weardale, an
active public man, a staunch Primitive Methodist, and a
prominent Oddfellow, died on the 9th of March.
On the 9th of March, also, died, very suddenly, Mr.
G. H. Garrett, manager of Messrs. Stephenson and Co.'s
engine works, Forth Street, Newcastle. The deceased,
who was a native of Tamworth, his father being a clergy-
man, was only 34 years of age.
The death was announced on March 14 of Mr. John
Aydon, a native of Winlaton, and one of the oldest
tradesmen in Newcastle, in which he had been in busi-
ness as a tea-dealer for almost half a century.
On the same day was reported the death, at Newport,
South Wales, of Mr. George Wilkinson, a native of
Wylam, and manager, with Sir George Elliot, of the
April |
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
189
Monkwearmouth and other collieries in the North of
England till 1855, when he went to South Wales to take
sole charge of the collieries belonging to the firm of
Messrs. Powell and Sons, which subsequently became the
property of Sir George Elliot and others, under the name
of the Powell Duffryn Steam Coal Company, Limited.
Mr. Wilkinson was in the eightieth year of his age.
Salisbury as "only a black man," delivered a lecture in
the Tyne Theatre, under the auspices of the Tyneside
Sunday Lecture Society, under the title of "An Indian'*
rrf
^ortl)=(!lottntrg Occurrences!.
FEBRUARY.
12. — Earl Granville, as the guest of Sir Lowthian Bell,
at Rounton Grange, Northallerton, paid a visit to Mid-
dlesbrough.
13. — In the course of excavations being prosecuted in
the Back Row, Newcastle, a broken tombstone was dis-
covered, bearing the inscription "\V. B., May 26, Anno
Domini," but of the year only the figure 7 could be made
out.
14. — St. Valentine's Day was marked by a very large
decline in the number of missives sent by post, not more
than from 8,000 to 10,000 letters in excess of the usual
daily number having been received at the Newcastle Post
Office.
— A strike commenced among some shipwrights, at
Middlesbrough, for an immediate advance of 2s. per
week, but an advance of Is. 6d. was ultimately accepted,
and work was resumed on the 16th.
16. — It was announced that the Theatre Royal, Blyth,
had been sold to a company by the proprietor, Mr.
Richard Fynes.
— The Northumberland and Newcastle Winter Assizes
were opened before Mr. Justice Denman and Mr. Mea-
dows White, Q.C., as Commissioner.
— A special mission in connection with the Church of
England, and intended to extend over ten days, was
initiated in Newcastle. The missioners were received by
the Bishop of the diocese in the Cathedral in the evening,
and the work practically commenced on the following
day. In the morning, about 200 cabmen, car-drivers, and
others, were entertained to a breakfast in the Town Hall,
at the expense of Mr. John Hall. In several cases, the
mission was continued beyond the contemplated time ;
and every day, for nearly three weeks, the Rev. W. H.
M. Hay-Aitken delivered an address to business men in
St. Nicholas' Cathedral, which was crowded at each ser-
vice. On one of the days a sermon was also delivered by
the Bishop of the diocese to the prisoners in the Gaol.
The work was altogether regarded as very successful.
—A match in best-and-best boats took place from Dun-
ston Gangway to Hepplewhite's Cottage, on the Tyne,
distance one mile, between Thomas Purvis, of Walker.
and Thomas Reed, of Pelaw Main, for £25 a-side. The
latter won very easily.
— The last performance was given of the pantomime,
"Puss in Boots," at the Tyne Theatre ; and "Sindbad
the Sailor " was brought to a close at the Theatre Royal
on the 23rd.
17.— The Hon. Dadabhai Naoroji, the distinguished
Parsee, who had been characterised by the Marquis of
Naaraji.
View of British Rule in India." On the following morn-
ing, Mr. Naoroji was entertained to a public breakfast in
the hall of the Newcastle Liberal Club.
18. — A two days' special mission was commenced in,
connection with the Salvation Army at Sunderland, under
the direction of " General " Booth.
— In the Queen's Bench Division, the name of Mr.
Joseph Dodds, solicitor, Stockton, and ex-M. P. for that
borough, was struck of the roll of solicitors, on the ground
that he had embezzled the sum of £11,800 belonging to
an aged client, named Mrs. Meynell, and fraudulently
converted a cheque for £2,000 into a negotiable security,
appropriating the money. Mr. Dcdds, at the same time,
resigned his position as alderman in the Stockton Town
Council of which he had been a member since 1852. At
a meeting of the Tees Conservancy Commissioners, on the
4th of March, a letter was read from Mr. Matthew
Dodds, stating that he was authorised by his father to
tender his resignation of the office of Chief Clerk to that
body. It was afterwards resolved that the letter be
entered on the minutes, and that, in view of the circum-
stances connected with Mr. Dodds, his appointment
under the Commission be cancelled ; Mr. J. H. Amos,
secretary, being appointed acting Chief Clerk ad interim.
Mr. Dodds also tendered his resignation of the office of
clerk to to the South Stockton Local Board.
— At the Northumberland Assizes, at Newcastle, com-
menced the trial of Thomas Harrison, aged 70, late police
inspector, Isaac Gair, 42, police sergeant, and Robert
Sprott, 36, also a member of the Northumberland County
Constabulary, in connection with the burglary at Edling-
ham Vicarage. The charge against them was that,
between February 7 and April 24, 1879, they conspired
with George Harkes, superintendent of police, since
dead, to obstruct and prevent the due course of justice by
190
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
) April
I 1889.
giving false evidence against Michael Brannagan and
Peter Murphy, on certain charges of shooting, at Edling-
ham, with intent to commit a murder. Mr. Gainsford
Bruce, Q.C., M.P., Mr. D. F. Steavenson, and Mr. Hans
Hamilton, instructed by Mr. Brewis Elsdon, on behalf of
the Solicitor to the Treasury, were counsel for the prose-
cution ; while Mr. Besley and Mr. H. Boyd, instructed by
Mr. Middlemiss, of Alnwick, appeared for the defendants.
The case was continued de die in diem, and was brought
to a close about two o'clock on the afternoon of the 23rd,
when the jury, after an absence of 35 minutes, returned a
verdict of not guilty in each case. Mr. Justice Denman,
who, in summing up, had remarked that the case against
Brannagan and Murphy was, according to the evidence,
stronger than it was ten years ago, said, " A very right
verdict, gentlemen, if you will allow me to say so." The
defendants were then discharged. On the 2nd of March,
it was announced that the two liberated men, Braunagan
and Murphy, had received the amount of compensation
(£800 each) granted to them by the Government for
wrongful imprisonment in the matter of the burglary.
(See pp. 16, 95, and 142.) In the House of Commons, on
the 7th of March, Sir George Campbell asked the Secre-
tary of State for the Home Department whether he pro-
posed to make any further inquiry into the Edlingham
burglary case. The Home Secretary said he was unable
to see that any further inquiry could be made which would
throw light upon it or elicit any new facts. The North-
umberland magistrates, at a meeting on the same day,
authorised a sum of £413 5s. Id., the costs of the defence,
to be repaid to the Chief-Constable, but resolved at the
same time to urge that the expense of the defence should
fall upon the Treasury.
19. — As the result of a vote by ballot, it was found that
the miners of Northumberland had, by a large majority,
accepted the terms as to the advance of wages proposed
by the coalowners. Corresponding advances were after-
wards granted to the colliery enginemen and to the
deputies.
21.— The helpers employed in the thirteen shipyards on
the Wear, to the number of over 2,000. struck work, their
notice for an advance of Is. 6d. per week having expired.
The masters offered an increase of 6d. per week, and this
the men ultimately accepted.
22. — Some serious disturbances took place in connection
with the seizure of wreckage at Holy Island.
23. — The triennial election of a School Board for South
Stockton took place, the whole of the old members being
re-elected, with the exception of the Rev. H. Winsor,
whose seat fell to Mr. Isaac Lee.
24-. — The last of the winter series of lectures under the
auspices of the Tyneside Sunday Lecture Society was
delivered in theTyne Theatre, by the well-known Russian
revolutionist known as "Stepniak," his subject being
"Russian Democracy."
• — A destructive fire broke out in Printing Court Build-
ings, the Side, Newcastle, occupied by Mr. Andrew
Reid, printer. The fire engines were on the spot five
minutes after the alarm was given.
25. — At an influential gathering of shipowners at Hart-
lepool, Mr. F. Yeoman was presented with a cheque for
£500, a silver jardiniere for fruit, and a diamond ring for
Mrs. Yeoman, in recognition of his services in connection
with well-decked shipping.
26. — The members of the Gateshead Choral Society
gave their first invitation concert, in the Town Hall of
that borough, the piece performed being Gade's cantata,
"The Elf-King's Daughter."
— At Durham Assizes, before Mr. Justice Denman,
Edward Wilkinson, butcher, was, after a short trial,
found guilty of the murder of Police-Constable John
Graham, at Wrekenton, Gateshead, and was sentenced
to death. The prisoner interrupted the learned judge
while passing sentence, exclaiming "Oh! let's have it ;
it's no use bothering." Wilkinson was subsequently re-
prieved on the ground of insanity. (See page 141.)
—A marine store dealer, named John Scahill, of Jar-
row, in attempting to jump from the landing at North
Shields on to the ferryboat, fell into the river and was
drowned.
— Mr. R. E. Sprague Oram, travelling secretary to
Lord Dunraven's Committee on the Sweating System,
concluded a two days' inquiry in Newcastle.
— The iron manufacturers of the North of England and
Cleveland district connected with the Conciliation Board
made an advance of 2i per cent, in the wages of the iron-
workers.
27. — At Durham Assizes, trials arising out of three
Sunderland tragedies were heard. The first case was
that of John George Macdonald, 14, who was charged
with the wilful murder of James Moore, on the 31st of
December last. The jury returned a verdict of man-
slaughter, and his lordship next day sentenced him to a
month's imprisonment with hard labour, to be followed
by four years in a reformatory. Mary Elizabeth Stock-
dale, 25, domestic servant, was found guilty of the murder
of her illegitimate child by drowning it in a millpond.
The jury strongly recommended the accused to mercy on
account of her weak intellect. Sentence of death was
passed. Michael Smith, 20, labourer, was charged with
the manslaughter of Catherine Duff, on the 10th of
December last. A verdict of guilty was returned by the
jury, and the prisoner was sentenced to seven years'
penal servitude. On the 28th, William Rigg, 27, forge
roller, was indicted for the wilful murder of his wife,
Jane Rigg, at Sunderland, in December last, by beating
her with a poker and cutting her throat. The jury found
the prisoner guilty, and sentence of death was passed.
The sentences on Stockdale and Rigg were subsequently
cemmuted.
28.— About this time the last of the old "Crow Trees,"
which stood so long on the vacant space of ground oppo-
site St. Thomas's Church, Newcastle, was removed to
make way for a new building in course of erection upon
the site. (See vol. ii., page 335.)
MARCH.
1. — An official inspection of some old relics which had
been brought to light in Hanover Square, Newcastle, in
the course of excavations being prosecuted by the North-
Eastern Railway Company, was made by a number of
the members of the Society of Antiquaries. It was at
this point that Sir John Marley and his hardy Northum-
brians defended the town against the attack of General
Lesley and his Scottish host in 1640.
— The strike of 2,000 shipyard helpers at Sunderland
was settled by the men agreeing to accept an advance of
6d. per week, as offered by the masters, the increase which
they had asked for having been Is. 6d.
— A prospectus was issued of the conversion of the
Newcastle and Gosforth Tramways and Carriage Com-
pany into a limited liability undertaking, with a nominal
April I
1889,>
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
191
capital of £80,000, of which, however, only £50,000, in £10
shares, was called up at the outset, 3,000 snares being
taken by the vendors, and the remaining 2,000 offered to
public subscription.
— In the report presented at the fifteenth annual meet-
ing of the Newcastle Branch of the Royal Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, under the presidency
of the Mayor (Mr. Thomas Richardson), grateful reference
was, as usual, made to the efforts of Uncle Toby, through
the medium of the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle, to incul-
cate lessons of kindness upon the young. It was an-
nounced at the meeting that this was the last season
when hare and rabbit coursing would take place at Gos-
forth Park under the auspices of the company which owns
that estate.
2. — It was announced that there had been left as a
bequest to the Newcastle Public Libraries, by the late
Mr. Henry Philip Archibald Buchanan Riddell, C.S.I.,
of Whitefield House, Hepple, Northumberland, a library
of between 800 and 1,000 volumes of rare and valuable
books, dealing chiefly with the antiquities, archeology,
and history of India and our other Asiatic dominions.
(As to the death of the donor, see present volume, p. 14-0.)
Almost simultaneously with this gift, Mr. Walter Scott,
Felling, informed the Public Libraries Committee that it
was his intention to present to that institution a copy of
each of his publications which were already in print, and
also a copy of such books as he might afterwards publish
from time to time.
— After several days' trial, at Durham Assizes, the jury
returned a verdict for the plaintiff in an action brought
by Mr. H. F. Boyd, of Moor House, near Durham,
against a man named Rutter and others, for trespassing
on part of his land known as Mally Gill and Rainton
Park Woods, near Finchale Abbey, the defendants
having claimed a right of road over the ground in
question.
— A boys' brigade was brought into practical operation
in Gateshead, the founder being the Rev. R. T. Talbot,
who had for the past two years conducted most success-
fully a gymnasium for the poorer class of lads.
— Robert Nixon, one of four men who had been chal-
lenged to a boat race, was drowned from a boat in the
river Tyne, near Newcastle.
Z. — A mission church, dedicated to St. Mark, was con-
secrated by the Bishop of Newcastle at Shiremoor.
4.— The Durham County Council held its second statu-
tory meeting, and unanimously elected Mr. J. Lloyd
Wharton, chairman of Quarter Sessions, to be chairman
of the fully-constituted Council. Mr. Arthur Pease was
elected vice-chairman.
— It was resolved to form a federation of the Liberal
and Radical Associations in the county of Durham, Sir J.
W. Pease, M.P., being elected President.
— The first annual conference of the National Amalga-
mated Sailors' and Firemen's Union was held at Sunder-
land.
— As usual on Shrove-Tuesday, the annual football
match between "The Up-Streeters " and "The Down-
Streeters " was played at Chester-le-Street.
5.— The first service of praise by the choirs of the local
Presbyterian Churches was held in Trinity Church, New-
castle, under the presidency of the Rev. J. B. Hastings.
— An exhibition in connection with the Jarrow and
Hebburn Model Yacht Club was opened by Sir Charles
Palmer, M.P.
. —A proposal to change the name of South Stockton to
Thornaby-on-Tees was rejected by the South Stockton
Local Board.
6. — Mr. Ralph Hindmarsh, auctioneer, offered for sale
the fittings and furnishings of the Turf Hotel, Colling-
wood Street, Newcastle, previous to the erection on the
site of a Bank for Messrs. Hodgkin, Barnett, Pease,
Spence, and Co. A large company assembled, many
visitors embracing the opportunity of inspecting what for
many years was one of the leading hotels of the city. The
work of dismantling the old building, prior to the erec-
tion of the bank, was actively commenced on the 13th.
(Vol. ii., pp. 190, 327 and 573.)
8. — In the London Bankruptcy Court, an application
was made and granted for a receiving order under a peti-
tion presented on behalf of Mr. Matthew Bowser Dodds,
of Stoekton-on-Tees, solicitor.
9. — The rules of constitution and a programme for Par-
liamentary purposes were adopted by the Newcastle
Labour Association.
12. — At the Gateshead County Police Court, Henry
Nelson, about 60 years of age, and described as the
"King of the Beggars," was sentenced to 14- days' im-
prisonment, on a charge of vagrancy, in sleeping in a fire-
liole at Winlaton.
— A stained glass window to the memory of Mrs.
Streeter, and executed by Mr. Baguley, Newcastle, to
tlie order of the Rev. Charles Streeter, her husband, was
unveiled in Hedworth Church.
— While a man, named Joseph Harker, was fishing in
the Wear, near Binchester Hall Wood, he discovered in
the river the body of a woman, which was supposed to be
that of Margaret Huntley, 26, a single woman, who had
been reported missing from Drake Street, Spennymoor,
since the 28th of January.
10. — After undergoing restoration, the old church of St.
Abba, Beadnell, Northumberland, was re-opened by the
Bishop of Newcastle.
13. — A workman named James Tucker, of Newcastle,
was accidentally killed by the upsetting of a large steam
crane, at the new dock in course of construction for the
Blyth Shipbuilding Company, at Blyth.
14. — It was announced in a metropolitan journal that
Mr. R. S. Newall, of Ferndene, Gateshead, had made a
proposal to the University of Cambridge, to present that
body with his refracting telescope, which has a 25 in.
aperture and 30 ft. focal length, together with the dome
and instruments connected with it.
—The North Shields town Council, the South Shields
Town Council, and the River Tyne Commissioners having
each agreed to pay one-third of the necessary expense,
arrangements were concluded for the re-institution of the
Time-Gun at the mouth of the Tyne.
— The tower of the old windmill near Walker Railway
Station was removed by means of blasting.
(general ©entrances.
FEBRUARY.
18. — A boiler exploded in the basement of the Park
Central Hotel, Hartford, Connecticut, United States.
So terrific was the shock that the edifice was ruined.
The debrit caught fire, and a scene ensued of unexampled
horror. Fully fifty persons were killed.
19.— The result of an election in East Perthshire of a
192
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
Parliamentary representative in the room of Mr. R.
Stewart Menzies, was declared as follows : — Sir John
Kinloch (Gladstonian), 4,005; Mr. W. L. Boase
(Unionist), 2,289 ; majority, 1,716.
— The death was recorded of William Frederic
Tillotson, of Bolton, founder of an international bureau
for the supply of fiction and special literary articles for
simultaneous publication in the newspaper press. The
death was also announced of Joseph Gung"l, a well-known
composer of dance music.
26. — Death of Terance McArdle, of Liverpool, at the
age of 107.
MARCH.
4. — General Harrison was formally installed at Wash-
ington as President of the United States.
- At the Manchester City Police Court, Charles Parton
was committed for trial on a charge of robbing John
Fletcher, and causing his death by administering a drug.
A coroner's jury returned a verdict of wilful murder
against Parton.
— Death of the Rev. J. G. Wood, author of many well-
known works on natural history.
6. — King Milan of Servia abdicated his throne in favour
of his son, Alexander I., and appointed M. Jovan
Ristitch, General Protitch, and General Berlimarkovitch,
regents.
£.— Lord George Hamilton, First Lord of the Ad-
miralty, explained to the House of Commons a scheme by
which the navy will be augmented by 70 warships at a
cost of £21,500,000.
— About this time there were serious floods in the South
of England. The water in the streets of Taunton
was several feet deep, and hundreds of houses in
the north part of the town were inundated. Several
bridges were washed away. Enormous tracts of land
were flooded near Bath, and many cattle perished. At
Bristol, miles of streets were under water. The flooding
of shops and warehouses caused a loss in that town alone
estimated at £50,000. The churches and chapels in the
district were closed on the 10th (Sunday), the ministers
and leading members going about in carts relieving the
inhabitants of the inundated localities.
11. — Execution of Jessie King at Edinburgh for the
murder of her two children.
12.— The result of an election at Barnsley for a Parlia-
mentary representative in the room of Mr. C. S. Kenny,
was declared as follows : — Lord Compton (Gladstonian),
6,232; Mr. Bruce Wentworth (Conservative), 3,781;
majority, 2,451.
13. — A colliery explosion was reported at Brynmally
Colliery, Wrexham. About 20 lives were lost.
— The sittings of the Parnell Commission were ad-
journed to April 1. The proceedings have been of a
startling character. After some remarkable evidence had
been given on behalf of The Times, Richard Piggott was
called as a witness. He told
how he became possessed of the
letters which it was alleged in-
criminated Mr. Parnell and
other persons. The cross-ex-
amination of Pigott proved him
to be an utterly worthless
fellow. On the morning of the
27th 1'ebruary, when he ought
to have presented himself at
court for further examination,
it was found that he -was miss-
ing from the hotel where he
had been staying. The follow-
ing day a document, in the
handwriting of Pigott, being a
confession that he had fabri-
cated the letters, using genuine
letters of Mr. Parnell and Mr.
Egan in copying words, phrases, and the general char
acter of the handwriting, was read in court. Mr. Par-
nell, and his secretary, Mr. Campbell, afterwards went
into the witness box and denied the authenticity of the
letters. Criminal proceedings for forgery were com-
menced against Pigott, who, in the meantime, could not
be found. On March 1, however, a telegram was re
ceived from Madrid announcing that he had committed
suicide in an hotel in that city. On March 12 a witness
named Timothy J. Coffey, who admitted that he had
deliberately made false statements, was committed to
prison for contempt of court. After evidence by Mr.
Soaraes, solicitor for The Times, as to Coffey's evidence,
the Attorney-General announced that the case for The
Times was concluded.
RICHARD PIGOTT.
Printed by WALTER SCOTT, Felling-on-Tyne.
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Chronicle
OF
NORTH-COUNTRY*LORE*AND*LEGEND
VOL. III.— No. 27.
MAY, 1889.
PRICE GD.
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(to jFfftmtfn-0.
j|EVERAL art clubs, or associations for the
study of painting and drawing, have at
various times been formed in Newcastle.
They generally consisted of a few profes-
sional and amateur artists, who met together at stated
times principally for the purpose of studying from the
living model. The Newcastle Life School, which came
into existence some ten years ago, was one of these insti-
tutions. It included most of the best local artists of the
day ; but it was limited in its scope. A taste for art was
then manifesting itself in the North, the number of artists
and art students greatly increased, and it soon became
evident that an association more comprehensive in its
aims was necessary to meet the (trowing requirements.
This was recognised by all the members of the Life
School. It was some little time before any definite steps
were taken ; but eventually the Bewick Club was com-
menced, under circumstances recorded in our sketch of
Mr. Thomas Dickinson. It is sufficient to add here that
the club has realised the most sanguine expectations of
its promoters, that its membership continues to augment,
and that a long period of usefulness may be confidently
anticipated for it.
H. H. EMMERSON.
The career of Mr. H. H. Emmerson, the president of
the Bewick Club, is replete with interest to art students.
That he was born with a genius for painting admits of no
doubt. From his earliest years he could draw, and it is a
well known fact that he excelled as a draughtsman before
he could write.
Henry Hetherington Emmerson was born in 1831 at
Chester-le-Street in the county of Durham. He belongs
to the family of which Emerson the philosopher, and
Emerson the mathematician, were famous members.
Though the names are spelt differently, they all spring
from Hurworth-on-Tees. Excellence in art and pedes-
trianism is not a combination usually found in youths
of ten. Though devoting most of his time to draw-
ing, young Henry did not neglect athletic sports. He
became a very swift runner — in fact, the fastest runner
in the world of his age. The first time his name ap-
13
194
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
(Mar
1 1889
peared in public prints was in connection with this sport
—not with art, as might have been expected. A chal-
lenge from his backers was put into Sell's Life offering
to run any lad of his age. It was never ac-
cepted, but he ran several handicaps with professional
men, and never lost a race.
This by the way. All the while young Emmerson had
been prosecuting his studies with ardour. He recalls his
first oil painting to mind with much humour. He
possessed some oil colours, but no medium. " Ah," said a
youthful acquaintance, "I'll get you some oil." The lad
at once made a raid upon his sister's boudoir, and
stole her hair oil. With this medium young Emmerson
painted his first picture in oils. The result may be
imagined. The colours ran into one another — the eyes
into the mouth, the mouth into the chin, and so on. In
vain did young Emmerson turn it upside down in the
hope that the colours would run back again.
At this time his studies were somewhat desultory.
Having no regular instruction in art, he copied anything
that took his fancy. But when he was thirteen years of
age, it was thought that he should have the best avail-
able instruction to be obtained in the district. He,
therefore, went to Newcastle, where he studied under
Mr. W. B. Scott, principal of the Government School
of Art, then located in rooms above the shop now occu-
pied by Mr. H. A. Murton, in Market Street. Amongst
the students were the late Mr. John Campbell, father of
Mr. John Hodgson Campbell ; Mr. John Surtees, the
eminent landscape painter; Mr. Finney, now head
master of the Liverpool School of Art ; and many others
who have since risen to fame. Mr. Scott took a great
interest in Emmerson, and rendered him all the assistance
in his power. When he joined the school, it happened
that he was rather late to enter into a competition for a
prize. But Mr. Scott urged him to try for it, and
allowed him to take his work home. One night,
when he had nearly finished his drawing, he
was overcome with weariness, and fell asleep. When he
awuke he found that he had accidentally spoilt his
drawing. He at once commenced a new one, and
finished it in time for the competition. It won the prize,
which was presented to him by the Duke of Northum-
berland.
Emmerson continued his studies under Mr. Scott for
about two years and a half. His next step was an im-
portant one. A clergyman who had noticed the lad's
talent sent him to Paris for six months. There he occu-
pied his time in making copies of paintings in the
Louvre. At the termination of this period, he went to
London, and copied subjects in the National Academy.
Afterwards he succeeded in gaining admission to the
Royal Academy as a pupil. During the time he was
thus engaged in London, he had his living to make,
and the difficulty was how to prosecute his studies
at the same time. It is sufficient here to say that for
a time he knew what it was to want a dinner, for
the reason that he had not the wherewithal to pay
for it. It was only for a time. His introduction to
many patrons was through the intervention of the Hon.
Mrs. Oust.
Success was now the word. He had won a reputation
for painting children, and orders came in from every
hand. Fully occupied, his exchequer was flourishing.
Altogether he was doing very well. Another source of
congratulation was the acceptance at the Royal Academy
of a picture entitled " The Village Tailor," which was
honoured with a position on the line. Had he remained
in London, there is no knowing what letters might have
followed his name; but it was to be otherwise. The
influence of Mr. Ruskin was strong within him at
this time. The great critic and philosopher had
already noticed some of Emmerson's pictures very
favourably, and when Ruskin put forth his dictum that
every artist should live in the country, Emmerson accepted
the theory. In fact, it fell in with his views entirely, for
he had always had a love for active exercise and country
life.
Emmerson came back to the North, and went to live
at Ebchester, where he met the lady who was to be his
partner through life. The happy event took place soon
after he arrived at man's estate. The first ten years of
his married life were spent amid the sylvan beauties
which are to be found at Stocksfield-on-Tyne— a veri-
table home for an artist. Here he painted many impor-
tant works, several of which were exhibited at the Royal
Academy. "The Queen's Letter," depicting an incident
connected with dreadful disaster at Hartley Colliery,
caused a great sensation. "The Foreign Invasion" and
" The Branks" were bought by Lord (then Sir William)
Armstrong. "The Critics," a popular work, was en-
graved, and in that form commanded a large sale.
Emmerson soon found it convenient to remove to Tosson,
near Rothbury. Here he painted the portrait of Lord
Armstrong, which was exhibited at the Jubilee Exhibi-
tion ; "Johnny Armstrong's Return," now at Jesmond ;
"Faithful unto Death," telling the story of a dog that
was found licking the hands of a shepherd who had died
in a snowdrift ; and many other works. One of the
best of his pictures — " Johnny Armstrong's Farewell " —
was in 1888 reproduced in the Monthly Chronicle. (Sea
vol. ii., page 217.)
During recent years Mr. Emmerson has resided at
Cullercoats, where the picturesque fisherfolks have af-
forded him many subjects for his pencil.
ROBERT JOBLING.
Robert Jobling, vice-president of the Bewick Club,
was born at St. Lawrence, Newcastle, in the year
1841. He commenced to draw when he was about
six or seven years of age, finding his subjects in the
immediate neighbourhood of his home. His father
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
195
was a glassmaker to trade, and, after a limited term
at school, young Jobling went to work at the same
factory. Here he continued until he was about sixteen
years of age. All this time he had been devoting his
spare hours to drawing and painting. He soon became
convinced that it was his lot to become an artist. He had
never had any instruction, nor had he seen anyone
paint; nevertheless, he felt the inclination so strongly
that he determined, at some future time, to devote
himself to art. In the hope that he might gain
some knowledge that would be useful to him, he
obtained employment as a house painter ; but, of
course, the opportunities afforded to him were extremely
limited. His evenings, however, were spent at the School
of Art conducted by Mr. W. Cosens Way. Two ses-
sions of hard work in the elementary classes laid a firm
ground work. An exhibition of his paintings, which he
held in Newcastle some twenty years ago was so favour-
ably noticed by the Newcastle Chronicle and other local
newspapers that he determined to give up his employ-
ment (he was then a foreman painter in a shipyard), and
endeavour to earn a living by his brush and palette.
Progress has been slow, but sure, and Mr. Jobling's
position in the artistic world is in every sense grati-
fying, for bin works find acceptance at the Royal
Academy, and at most of the principal exhibitions in the
country.
Mr. Jobling is best known for his marine and river
subjects. Living as he does at Cullercoats, he finds
plenty of employment for the exercise of his talent. The
fishermen and fisherwives are depicted by him with rare
skill. In this department of art he has won his greatest
triumphs. In tragic scenes, showing the brave fisher-
folk fighting for life amidst the breakers, or in
representations of peaceful moonlight, he is equally
successful. Woodland scenery sometimes claims his
attention, but less so than the coast. In the depart-
ment of black and white he has done good work. The
Art Journal and other illustrated magazines occasionally
contain contributions by him, and acting as he does as
the local artist for the Graphic, the pages of that news-
paper are frequently adorned with his drawings.
JOHN SURTEES.
John Surtees, now the oldest artist in Newcastle, was
born at Ebchester, in the county of Durham. Through
the influence of the late Mr. Peter Annandale, he was ap-
prenticed to Messrs. Robert Stephenson and Co., the
well-known engineers. Shortly after he entered upon
his duties, he joined the local Art School in Market
Street, then under the charge of Mr. Frank Oliphant,
husband of the novelist. Young Surtees devoted as
much spare time as possible to his studies ; but the
nature of his duties at Stephenson's Works was such
that he was frequently employed there until ten o'clock
at night. Still he must have made (food use of his time,
as we find that, during the first year, he gained a prize
for a drawing from the antique.
At the end of his apprenticeship, Mr. Surtees would
196
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/Ma
have joined a large engineering firm ' in London ; but
Messrs. Stephenson and Co. were so desirous of retaining
his services that they gave him the appointment of fore-
man of the works. He remained with the firm for some
half-dozen years more, and then determined to win a
position as an artist. Long before he came to that
conclusion, he had engaged a studio in Grainger Street,
Newcastle, where he spent much of his spare time. One
of his neighbours was the artist Edward Train, then a
man of middle age.
Soon after the commencement of his new career,
Mr. Surtees sent two landscapes to the Royal
Academy. Both were hung, and both were bought
by David Roberts, R.A., a member of the Hang-
ing Committee. This was a great encouragement.
Hitherto, he had found difficulty in disposing of his
andscapes ; but he subsequently received commissions for
several scenes from nature. He soon gave up the painting
of portraits and figures, which had previously engaged
his attention, and devoted himself entirely to laud-
scape. In the course of his sketching excursions he
has visited over and over again the English Lake
District, Scotland, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and North
Wales. Extended sojourns have also been made in the
Riviera, Florence, Bologna, Rome, Pompeii, and other
parts of Italy.
Soon after the second visit to Italy, Mr. Surtees was
agreeably surprised to receive a letter from Sir Henry
Ponsonby, requesting that a folio of his Italian sketches
should be sent to Windsor for the Queen's inspection.
This command was speedily obeyed, and her Majesty
was graciously pleased to purchase two important
drawings — one of the Isola Bella, Lago Maggiore,
and the other of the Arch on the Cap Martin.
Mr. Surtees's drawings made in the region of
Rome found ready buyers ; Lady Armstrong alone
bought more than a dozen. Mr. Surtees's patrons are
not confined to England, and include Mr. Cyrus Field,
the American millionaire ; the Hon. G. C. Hawker, of
Adelaide ; and Sir William Clarke, of Melbourne — all of
whom have important collections.
The year 1888 was the twenty-fifth in which Mr.
Surtees exhibited at the Royal Academy, and thirty of
his pictures have been on view on the walls of that
institution.
Mr. Surtees is wedded to a lady in every way fitted to
perfect his happiness. An artist herself, and gifted with
no mean literary talent, she is a true helpmate. How
much of his success and happiness in this world is due to
her encouragement and assistance is only known to the
painter himself.
short time connected with one of the departments of the
Newcastle Chronicle. For two or three years he attended
the School of Art, then, as now, conducted by Mr. Cosens
Way, and before the age of 15 had secured medals for
model drawing, anatomy, and painting, as well as other
RALPH HEDLEY.
Ralph Hedley was born at Gilling, near Richmond,
Yorkshire, in the year 1850. He came to Newcastle at an
early age. After the usual period at school, he was for a
prizes. He was apprenticed to Mr. T. H. Tweedy, wood-
carver, of Newcastle, with whom he served his full time.
During his apprenticeship, he carved three of the panels
of the set of Tarn o' Shanter now at Chipchase Castle. At
the termination of his indentures, Mr. Hedley was for
a short time in the service of Mr. Gerard Robinson,
with whom Mr. Seymour Lucas, A.R.A., served his
apprenticeship as a wood-carver. This was only for a
few months, as Mr. Hedley and another young man
commenced business for themselves. The partnership
did not continue long, as his companion died shortly
afterwards. Since then he has carried on the business
with most gratifying success.
That Mr. Hedley is also a sculptor is not generally
known. Not many weeks ago, when he visited the
mansion of a local baronet, some marble alto-relievo
panels were shown to him as being very fine. No one waa
more surprised than himself when on examination he
found that they were his own work, executed some dozen
years previously.
The principal pictures that Mr. Hedley has painted
are " Northumberland Politicians " ; "The Sword
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
197
Dancers," a sketch of which will be found in vol. i., page
464; "The News Boy," "Proclaiming the Horse Fair
at Corbridge," "The Wedding Quilt," "Last in the
Market," "The Market Morning," "The Fishermen's
Sunday," and "Contraband," the latter, when exhibited
at the last exhibition of the Bewick Club, attracting more
attention than any other of his pictures. Several of Mr.
Hedley's works have been reproduced in chromo-litho-
graphy.
Mr. Hedley holds certain opinions of his own as to
the mission of the artist He thinks that there are plenty
of good subjects to be found in the North, and that it is
unnecessary to go further afield. Moreover, he contends
that an artist should give special study to events of our
own day in preference to those which took place say a
couple of centuries ago. This, he thinks, is the true ideal
of the historical painter. That he carries out his views is
proved by the subjects of his pictures.
THOMAS DICKINSON.
The history of the Bewick Club is so inseparably inter-
woven with the story of the latter part of Mr. Dickinson's
life that to recount the history of the one is practically to
record the main incidents connected with the other.
Thomas Dickinson was born some 34 years ago in
Allendale. After the usual period at school, he came to
Newcastle in 1872, and commenced to study at the Go-
vernment School of Art, presided over by Mr. W. C.
Way. His studies, however, were also partly under the
guidance of his cousin, the late Mr. John Dickinson, the
well-known portrait painter. At the examinations he
carried off several prizes. At one time he had intended
to follow the profession of an artist, but his health was so
precarious that he was obliged to give up the idea.
We now come to the inception of the Bewick Club.
About eight or nine years ago Mr. Dickinson joined the
Newcastle Life School — an institution for the study of
art which was then in existence. But it soon became
apparent to him that an art club to be worthy of the
name must be of a more comprehensive character. The
Life School was too narrow in its scope ; landscape
painters were not included, and there were defects in
its organisation which must be repaired. Mr. Dickinson
prepared the basis of a plan which ultimately resulted in
the establishment of the Bewick Club. On submitting
it to Mr. H. H. Emmerson, that gentleman heartily
approved of it. Mr. Robert Jobling also approved of the
scheme. Nothing further was done for a while. But one
night it happened that the model whom the Life School
had engaged did not put in an appearance. After sitting
for a while, Mr. Emmerson observed : "Well, it won't do
to waste time ; let us hold a meeting." " Agreed !" cried
everybody present Mr. Dickinson then gave details of
his plan. Finally, it was resolved to form a new society
which was to be named the Bewick Club. At the annual
meeting in January following the scheme was carried
into operation, Mr. Dickinson being appointed honorary
secretary.
The next point to consider was an exhibition of pictures
and an art union. It had struck Mr. Dickinson that as
art unions had been successful elsewhere the same plan
could be applied to Newcastle. No art union had been
formed in the town before. There had been lotteries, but
they were not legalized, and did not belong to the same
category. Mr. Dickinson visited various towns in Eng-
land and Scotland for the purpose of investigating tha
methods of conducting art unions, and submitted the re-
sult to the committee appointed to deal with the matter.
The plan was ordered to be carried out. Mr. Dickinson
next prepared for the first exhibition of pictures under the
auspices of the Bewick Club, held in 1884, when Mr.
James Noble and Mr. Faraday Spence were associated
with him as honorary secretaries. Altogether the exhibi-
tion was a success, the art union answered fairly well, and
the committee had cause to be satisfied. The balance
in hand, after paying all expenses, was £100.
Exhibitions, all more or less successful from an artistic
and most of them from a financial point of view, have
been held every year since, that of 1887 being connected
198
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
with the Jubilee Exhibition on the Town Moor. And
the main work of organising them all has devolved on
Mr. Dickinson.
STfte
at
goljn £tokoe.
THE OUTLANDISH KNIGHT.
j|HE following is the common stall copy of an
old Northumbrian ballad, of which there is
a variety of versions in all the languages of
Northern Europe. Ballads founded upon
similar incidents are to be found in Scottish collections
und*r the titles of "May Colvine " and "The Water of
Wearie's Well," and also in the Scandinavian, German,
and Slavic languages. The old Danish ballad of
"Marstig's" or "Marc Stig's Daughter," said to refer
to ' ' the exiled daughter of a Danish nobleman who was
executed for the murder of King Erick Glipping, A.D.
1286," tells an identical tale.
By the term "Outlandish" is signified an inhabitant
of that portion of the Border which was formerly known
by the name of " the Debateable Land," a district which,
though claimed by both England and Scotland, could
not be said to belong to either country. The people on
each side of the Border applied the term " Outlandish "
to the "Debateable" residents.
The tune was taken down by the writer from the
singing of Mrs. Andrews, of Claremont Place, New-
castle, sister of the late Mr. Robert White, an inde-
fatigable collector, and a learned authority upon our old
Northumbrian minstrelsy.
out - land • ish knight came
from the North lands, And
35
P
-p-
P
it\\
• p
he came a woo - in' to
He
f<rr'
• P
x<|>
K
v
tJ
told me
£= — • -S—
he'd take
me un-
w—
/) L
U
to the
J *
North lands
And
I/ J
p
V
, ,
f
c
there he would mar - ry
"Come, fetch me some of your father's gold
And some of your mother's fee ;
And two of the best nags out of the stable,
Where they stand thirty and three."
She fetched him some of her father's gold
And some of her mother's fee ;
And two of the best nags out of the stable,
Where they stood thirty and three.
She mounted her on her milk-white steed
And he on the dapple grey ;
They rode till they came unto the sea side
Three hours before it was day.
"Light off, light oS thy milk-white steed
And deliver it unto me ;
Six pretty maids have I drowned here,
And thou the seventh shall be.
" Pull off, pull off thy silken gown
And deliver it unto me ;
Methinks it looks too rich and gay
To rot in the salt sea.
" Pull off, pull off thy silken stays,
And deliver them unto me ;
Methinks they are too rich and gay
To rot in the salt sea.
" Pull-off, pull off thy Holland smock
And deliver it unto me ;
Methinks it looks too rich and gay
To rot in the salt sea. "
" If I must pull off my Holland smock,
Pray turn thy back to me,
For it is not fitting that such a ruffian
A naked woman should see. "
He turned his back towards her,
And viewed the leaves so green ;
She catched him by the middle so small,
And tumbled him into the stream.
He dropped high, he dropped low
Until he came to the side —
" Catch hold of my hand, my pretty maiden,
And I will make you my bride. "
" Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
Lie there instead of me ;
Six pretty maids have you drowned there,
But the seventh has drowned thee."
She mounted on her milk-white steed,
And led the dapple grey ;
She rode till she came to her own father's hall
Three hours before it was day.
The parrot being in the window so high,
Hearing the lady, did say :
" I'm afraid that some ruffian has led you astray,
That you've tarried so long away."
" Don't prittle or prattle, my pretty parrot,
Nor tell no tales of me ;
Thy cage shall be made of the glittering gold,
Though now it is made of a tree."
The king being in his chamber so high,
And hearing the parrot, did say :
" What ails you, what ails you, my pretty parrot,
That you prattle so long before day ?"
"It's no laughing matter," the parrot did say,
" But so loudly I call unto thee,
For the cats have got into the window so high,
And I'm afraid they will have me. "
" Well turned, well turned, my pretty parrot,
Well turned, well turned for me ;
Thy cage shall be made of the glittering gold.
And the door of the best ivory."
May I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
199
iUtter at tit*
at tft*
, $art.
j]N the issue of the Kelso Matt for April 13th,
1779, is printed a letter which purports to
have been written by James Thomson; the
author of "The Seasons," and which (if it
be, as it seems to be, genuine) deserves — as the production
of a man about whom too little is known, written at an
interesting period of his career, and containing a highly
characteristic passage — to be accorded a wider publicity.
Thomson's connection with the Kelso district is well
known. The letter, which is addressed to a certain Dr.
Cranston (who appears to have been the companion of
the poet's early youth, and who was the son of the then
minister of Ancrum), on the death of the recipient, fell
into the hands of a brother, and subsequently into those
of the brother's family. It then lay unnoticed among
lumber until it happened to be taken up by a servant for
the purpose of packing some candlesticks which were
sent to Kelso to be exchanged. The person into whose
hands it next fell fortunately discovered its value ; and
it so came to be printed in the Mail. Of course this
story, unless backed by strong internal evidence of the
authenticity of the letter, would be worth little ; but I
think it will be conceded that such evidence is forth-
coming. The letter is without date, and signed only
with the initials J. T. It appears to have been written
soon after the arrival of the poet in England — whither he
went after the death of his mother. It opens with a
somewhat diffuse statement of the writer's pecuniary
position, followed, with some circumlocution, by an ap-
plication for a loan, to be promptly repaid. It then
proceeds as follows — (the original spelling is retained) : —
Now, I imagine you seized wt. a fine, romantic kind of
melancholy, on the fading of the year, now I figure
you wandering philosophical, and pensive, amidst the
brown, wither'd groves ; while the leaves rustle under
your feet, the sun gives a farewell parting gleam and the
Stir the faint note, and but attempt to sing,
then again, when the heavens wear a more gloomy aspect,
the winds whistle, and the waters spout, I see you in the
well-known Cleugh, beneath the solemn arch of tall, thick,
embowering trees, listening to the amusing lull of the
many steep, moss-grown cascades ; while deep divine
contemplation, the genius of the place, prompts each
swelling awfull thought ; I'm sure, you would not resign
your part in that scene att an easy rate, none e'er enjoy 'd
it to the height you do, and you're worthy of it. ther I
walk in spirit, and disport in its beloved gloom, this
country, I am in, is not so very entertaining, no variety
but that of woods, and them we have in abundance, but
where is the living stream ? the airy mountain ? and the
hanging rock ? with twenty other things that elegantly
please the lover of nature ?— Nature delights me in every
form, I am just now painting her, in her most lugubrious
dress ; for my own amusement, describing winter as it
presents itself, after my first proposal of the subject,
I sing of winter, and his gelid reign ;
Nor let a rhyming insect of the spring,
Deem it a barren theme, to me 'tis full
Of manly charms ; to me, who court the shade,
Whom, the gay seasons suit not, and who shun
The glare of summer. Welcome ! kindred glooms !
Drear awfull wintry, horrors, Welcome all ! &c. *
After this introduction, 1 say, which insists for a few lines
further I prosecute the purport of the following ones
Nor can I o departing Summer ! choose
But consecrate one pitying line to you ;
Sing your last temper'd days, and sunny calms.
That chear the spirits, and serene the souL
The terrible floods, ajd high winds, that usually happen
about this time of year, and have already happen'd here,1~
(I wish you have not felt them too dreadfully) the first
produced the enclosed lines ; the last are not completed.
Mr. Rickleton's poem on Winter, which I still have, first
put the design into my head, in it are some masterly
strokes that awaken'd me — being only a present amuse-
ment, 'tis ten to one but I drop it in when e'er another
fancy comes cross.
The remainder of the letter, which is a somewhat
lengthy one, is occupied with matters of less interest. I
am indebted to Mr. John Smith, the present editor of the
Kelso Mail, who has recently reprinted the letter in his
columns, for permission to make this communication.
Ctttnfcirlanlr antr tftc J^rotttsft
JJOW often in history do we find the old
Kings of Scotland laying claim to the
Border lands, notably of Westmoreland
and Cumberland, as being possessions of theirs by
right of inheritance ! What foundation there was for
this claim, and how at length it was compromised,
is matter of history few are familiar with, though
much of the strife ensuing of old betwixt the English
and Scots originated in the rival claims to ancient
Cumberland. This being a subject-of special interest to
North-Country folk, a brief recital of the facts may not
be out of place.
According to Fordun, Constantine was the first of the
Scottish kings who made the heir-apparent to his crown
Prince of Cumberland. But there is reason to believe that
Cumbria was not connected with Scotland till the reign
of his successor, Malcolm I., the son of Donald IV.,
to whom it was ceded by the Saxon king Edmund (945).
The territory thus ceded to the Scots consisted of the
modern Cumberland and Westmoreland. It had con-
stituted an independent British Kingdom, under the name
of Reged, and had strenuously resisted the attempts of
the Saxon kings to destroy its independence. At length
Edmund the Elder, of England, succeeded in conquering
* These lines appear to have been cancelled in the sequel ; but,
in the address to the Earl of Wilmington at the opening of Winter,
the poet speaks of filling his ear
With bold description and with manly thought
t The editor of the Hail supposes the letter to have been
written at Barnet
200
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
this little kingdom, and put out the eyes of the five sons
of Dunmail, its last British king. He then bestowed his
new acquisition on Malcolm, on condition that he would
become his associate in war, or, as the terms are explained
by Matthew of Westminster, " that he would defend the
northern parts of England from the invasions of his
enemies, whether they came by sea or land." (Vide Dr.
Taylor's "History of Scotland," vol. i., p. 35.)
Early in the Conqueror's reign, the counties of West-
moreland and Cumberland were guaranteed to Malcolm
III. and his successors, for which he did homage. " Ac-
cording to Hector Boethius " [or circa about 1500] " the
limits," quotes Hutchinson, "were ascertained by a cross
erected on the heights of the desert of Stranmore, the
remains of which are yet [1784] to be seen in the midst
of a large entrenchment called Roy Cross."
In 1091, Malcolm resigned these counties to the crown
of England, and did homage to Ruf us on having confirmed
to his crown " twelve towns in England, and an annual
pension of twelve marks of gold," as arranged in the
previous reign. The following year, however, offended
at William for building a castle at Carlisle, and refusing
subsequently to do homage in the presence of the
English barons, the Scots King, in displeasure, in
1093, " assembled an army and burst into Northum-
berland, which he wasted with fire and sword." But
while besieging Alnwick Castle he was surprised and
slain by the Northumbrian earl, Robert de Mowbray.
Cumberland for oenturi.es seems to have been held by,
or withheld from, the Scots, much at the discretion or
caprice of the English kings. In 1173, we find Henry II.
promising to cede Northumberland and Cumberland to
Scotland on King William the Lion engaging to aid
him in suppressing the rebellion instigated by his son,
Prince Henry. In the 13th century Henry III. revived
the ancient claim of sovereignty over Scotland,
which provoked Alexander II., on the other hand,
to demand " delivery of the counties of Northum-
berland, Westmoreland, and Cumberland,
as his right by inheritance." This counter-
claim led to a royal conference in New-
castle, or, as Matthew Paris records, at
York, resulting in the Scottish King's
claims being compounded for by Henry
granting him lands to the value of eighty
marks yearly. Again, at the latter part
of the century, we find Edward I., in final
settlement of the Scots claim on the
Northern Counties, assigning lands in
Penrith and Sowerby in Cumberland to
the yearly value of £200.
The ancient Kingdom of the Cumbrians,
according to Smollett (1758), extended
from the walls of Severus as far as Dun-
britton, in the western part of Scotland,
and comprehended Galloway, Carrick,
Kyle, and Cunningham. The homage, he says, which
the Scottish kings paid to the English monarchs for
their territories "was in all probability the foundation
of the English claim to the sovereignty of all Scotland."
N. E. R.
airtj
jjN the rocky summit of Grindon Rigg, in the
township of Duddo, and district of Norham-
shire, are the remains of Duddo or Dudhowe
Tower. A vault, which has been a safe hold for
cattle, forms the principal remains ; but from the
elevated situation of the old fortlet, it is still a
conspicuous object all around. It was most likely
built by one of the Stryveling or Stirling family,
who anciently held the manor in dringage or drengage,
having, it seems, been among those Saxon franklins who-
DUDDO STONFS.
Mayl
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
201
were dispossessed of their estates at the Conquest, but
bad them given back again, because they did not oppose
William the Conqueror, either by their persons or their
counsels. The rent which was rendered by them to the
Crown was seven marks a year, which, if they were gold
marks, would be equivalent to £128 9s. to. in sterling
money. In 1391, the estate descended to William de
Clavering, in tail ; and from the Claverings it afterwards
passed into the hands of the Greys, part of whose extensive
possessions it now is. A little to the north-west of the
tower are six rude stones or pillars placed on the summit of
an eminence, in a circular order, forming an area of ten
yards diameter. The largest is about eight feet high.
They are known as the Duddo Stones, and some learned
archaeologists have set them down as Druidical ; but the
local tradition is that they were placed where they stand
in commemoration of a victory gained at Grindon, in the
year 1558, by the Earl of Northumberland and his brother
Sir Henry Percy, over a plundering and burning party of
Scottish horse, accompanied, as Ridpath tells us, by some
foot, who were either Frenchmen or trained and com-
manded by French officers, and who were driven in dis-
order across the Tweed. The accompanying sketch of the
stones, showing their appearance in 1836, was published in
Richardson's "Table Book," vol. iv., 1844.
Cartittgtrrtt Caotlc.
j]ARTINGTON, in old maps Cortington (pos-
sibly by mistake), lies between two and
three miles north-west by north of Roth-
Oury. The first recorded owner was
one Ralph Fitzmain, the King's fores-
ter of Northumberland, who held it
in 1154. It was afterwards possessed
by a family that bore the local name,
but which is now extinct. John de
Cartington was knight of the shire in
1428, 1*46, and 1472, during the troub-
lous reigns of Henry VI. and Edward
IV. He married Joanna, second
daughter and co-heir of Sir Robert
Claxton, Lord of Devylstoune, or Dil-
ston, by whom he had an only daugh-
ter. This lady married Sir Edward
Katcliffe, son of Sir Thomas Rat-
cliffe, of Derwentwater, county of
Cumberland. Cartington remained in
the Ratcliffe family for four or five
generations, after which it came by
marriage to the Widdringtons, the
last of whom, Sir Edward Widdring-
ton, of Cartington, who raised a troop
of horse for the service of King Charles
I., and whose estate was sequestered by the Parliament
in 1652, had several daughters, but no son. Lady Mary,
his eldest daughter and co-heir, married Edward Charl-
ton, Esq., of Hesleyside, who was created a baronet in
164-5, and got back the sequestered estates at the Resto-
ration. After Sir Edward's death, his relict founded an
almshouse at Cartington for four poor widows of the
Roman Catholic religion, endowing it with about £6 per
annum. Prom the Charltons the estate passed to the
Talbots, coming ultimately into the possession of the
CARTINGTON CASTLE, 184!.
202
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
present proprietor, Lord Armstrong. Little of the old
fortress remains; but that little will now be carefully
preserved, Mr. 0. 0. Hodges having been instructed by
Lord Armstrong to put it in such order as to resist, as far
as possible, the further assaults of time. Mr. Gibson's
photograph, taken two or three years ago, shows merely
a few fragments of wall standing ; but a woodcut in
Richardson's " Table Book," here reproduced, proves that
a very considerable portion of the old fortalice was in
existence in 1841.
attTr
"dug
CftararUvd in
R WALTER SCOTT'S novel of "Guy
Mannering" has always been one of the
most popular of the Waverley series of
fictions, and that not merely on account
of the exquisite skill with which the somewhat in-
credible story is told, but for the numerous well-defined
characters, some of them real, and others veiled under
fictitious names — the latter even more realistic than the
former — that are happily introduced in the course of
it. The scene is laid in Dumfriesshire and the neigh-
bouring county of Cumberland, and the eventB are sup-
posed to have taken place near the end of the American
War. The leading incidents in the life of Henry Bertram,
who is really the hero of the story, bear a strong re-
semblance to those of the unsuccessful claimant in the
famous Annesley Succession Case, tried in 1743, the names
of many of the witnesses who appeared on that trial
having been appropriated, with slight alterations, to
characters in the novel.
Ellaugowan, the supposed family seat of the Bertrams,
had in its grounds the old castle of the same name, which
had been in the possession of the family ever since
Cumbria was a separate principality. That castle is sup-
posed to have been Caerlaverock, an ancient fortalice,
situated on a level plain on the east side of the Nith,
about eight miles from Dumfries. After having under-
gone innumerable sieges, and been taken, re-taken,
dismantled, and restored several times, it was ulti-
mately sacked by Cromwell, subsequent to whose
time it ceased to be a tenable fortress, fell into
decay, and now presents only a massive and pic-
turesque ruin to the inspection of the tourist. Being
close to the sea, it could not fail to afford a rendezvous
and place of shelter to the smugglers who swarmed there-
abouts a hundred years ago, and a particular gang of
whom, in complicity with a tribe of gipsies, turn out
to be main agents in the plot of " Guy Mannering."
The Isle of Man was then, and for some time after-
wards continued to be, the chief mart in the British
Isles for contraband goods, such as Hollands gin, French
wines and brandies, tobacco, silk, &c. ; and the Scottish
shore of the Solway Firth formed a convenient landing-
place for them. Most of the petty tradesmen in Gallo-
way and Dumfriesshire, and not a few of the inferior
landed gentry, were more or less connected with the
smugglers, who were mostly desperadoes hailing from
French and Dutch ports.
These adventurers found very efficient allies in the
gipsies who roamed over the district during the summer
and autumn months, and found shelter during the winter
in rows of wretched huts in secluded places, generally in
the near neighbourhood of the sea, where they had been
allowed to squat down by some easy-going laird. The
Derncleuch of the story was one of those collections of
cottages, such as were to be found in out-of-the-way
corners on both sides of the Border less than a century
ago. Kirk Yethohn, the headquarters of the Roxburgh-
shire gipsies, is still to the fore as a very superior sample
of the kind of hamlet described.
Meg Merrilies, the queen of the Derncleuch gipsy
gang, who is the pivot of the whole story, had her proto-
type in the notorious Jean Gordon, of Yetholm, who was
quite a character in her day, and of whom innumerable
stories are told. A full account of Meg is given in the
Monthly Chronicle, vol. ii., page 123.
The real story of Dominie Sampson need not be
repeated here, as it is told by Sir Walter Scott himself
in the introduction ; but several traits in his character are
popularly believed to have been taken from the Rev.
George Thompson, son of the parish minister of Melrose,
who was a man equally fatuous in the district he lived in
for his profound scholastic attainments and his extraordi-
nary absence of mind. He was engaged, for some time,
as tutor to Sir Walter Scott's children at Abbotsford,
and occasionally employed by the author of "Waverley "
as his amanuensis. He was just such a person as Sir
Walter delighted to meet with and study ; but, of course,
the account of his acts and deeds in the novel is entirely
fictitious.
Dandie Dinmont is, to my way of thinking, beyond all
question the best portrait of a Scottish Border sheep far-
mer ever exhibited to the public — the most honourable
to that respectable class of men — the most creditable to
the heart as well as the genius of the artist — the truest to
nature — the most interesting and the most complete in
all its lineaments. Sir Walter got acquainted with the
man whom he christened Dandie during the first of
his seven annual raids into Liddesdale, which took
place in 1792. He started from Abbotrule, near Hawick,
along with Mr. Robert Shortreed, sheriff-substitute of
Roxburghshire, who knew the locality thoroughly ; and
the first farmhouse that the couple visited was Millburn-
holin, on the Hermitage Water, near the junction of the
Whitrope Burn with the Liddell. The primitive condi-
tion of the inhabitants of the district may be im-
agined from what Scott's biographer tells us was the
MI,
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
203
sensation this visit caused. When informed that
Scott was an advocate, the farmer received him with
great ceremony and insisted on himself leading his horse
to the stable. Shortreed accompanied the farmer, who,
after taking a deliberate peep at Scott, " out-by
the edge of the door-cheek," whispered, "Weel, Robin,
I say de'il hae me if I'se be the least feared for him noo ;
he's just a chield like outsells, I think." According to
Mr. Shortreed, this good man of Millburnholm, with
whom Scott and his companion lingered over the punch-
bowl till they were "half-glowrin," was the person who
first suggested the character of Dandie Dinmont to the
novelist.
The old farm-house at Millburnholm has now disap-
peared, having been replaced by a couple of new houses,
built for the farm servants on Hermitage Farm, to
which the place has been attached.
The name of Dandie's homestead of Oharlieshope
was probably suggested by Thorlieshope, a place which
stands on a small burn falling into the Liddell, near
its source, not far from Saughtree — formerly the
home of one of the sweetest of the Border minstrels,
James Telfer, author of " The Gloamyng Bucht,"
who spent the latter part of his life there in the capacity
of schoolmaster. The description of Charlieshope,
however, does not in any way correspond to that of
Thorlieshope; but Jock o' Dawston-CIeugh, Dandie's
litigious neighbour, no doubt got his Christian name and
cognomen from his being supposed to be located at Daw-
stone Rigg, or Daustone Burn, on Saughtree Farm, op-
posite to Thorlieshope.
Another original character, however, has been more
popularly identified with Dandie Dinmont — I mean
Mr. James Davidson, of Hyndlee, in the parish
of Hobkirk, in Teviotdale, who carried the name
of Dandie to his grave with him. Yet it seems certain
that Scott did not become acquainted with this gentle-
man till several years after the publication of the novel,
and that he was then first pointed out to him by Short-
reed himself, who had previously given him some account
of Mr. Davidson's now famous breed of pepper and
mustard terriers, as being such capital dogs for dealing
with "fumarts and tods," that is, polecats and foxes.
Mump's Ha', where Dandie first met Brown, alias Ber-
tram, was a hedge alehouse, still existing, near Gilsland,*
which once had a bad reputation for harbouring ban-
ditti, such as haunted the wild country known as
Bewcastle Waste, over which lay the route from Halt-
whistle into Liddesdale. Staneshiebank Fair, at which
Dandie said he had been, was of course the fair at Stag-
shawbank, held thrice a year, near Corbridge.
John Hay, who "catched a kipper" at the stream
below Hempseed Ford, as told by the Laird to Colonel
Mannering, was a most respectable man in the service of
* Bee Monthly Chronicle, voL ii., page 125.
the proprietors of the Kdso Mail newspaper, who went
round the district once a quarter to collect the accounts for
advertising. He was passionately fond of angling. He
died about sixty years ago. Hempseed Ford is in the
Tweed immediately below Kelso, in what is known as
the Hendersyde Park Water.
"Burning the water, " a favourite mode of fishing once
in the Border rivers, is now, we believe, prohibited by
law. Those who engaged in it employed a curious sort ot
double boat, called trows — Anglic^, troughs — formed of
two extremely light flat-bottomed boats united at the
stem, and diverging by an angular curve towards their
sterns, which were connected at the top by a piece of flat
board. There was usually two men in each — one to guide
the trows by means of a long pole, called a keut or bang,
and the other armed with a leister, or three-pronged fish-
spear, to spear the fish. He who guided the boat was
stationed towards the stern, while he who had the leis-
ter stood with one leg in each trow looking down into
the water between them to see if there were any
salmon. A dry splinter or branch of fir, wrapped in
rags, steeped in tar, supplied a light, to which the salmon
were attracted and thereupon speared.
Hazlewood House, the residence of the proud Nova
Scotia baronet, Sir Robert Hazlewood, is understood to
be represented by Liucluden House. It stands on the
banks of the river Cluden, at a short distance from
Dumfries, in the parish of Terregles, in Kirkcudbright
shire, close to the beautiful ruins of Lincludeu Abbey,
which was founded in the time of Malcolm IV., King of
Scots, and has had its praises sung by Burns.
Portanferry, where some of the most exciting of the
scenes in the novel are laid, is probably the small harbour
of Kelton, between three and four miles below Dum-
fries. The county gaol at the latter town, where
Glossin and Hatteraick came to such a dismal end, was,
till a comparatively recent date, one of those filthy
unventilated, old-fashioned dungeons, that were a dis-
grace to civilization.
To Gilbert Glossin we are first introduced as the Laird
of Ellangowan's agent, manufacturing votes upon his
needy patron's estate. Glossin afterwards manages to
acquire the estate for himself, with what result every
one knows. His prototype has been set down to be
a certain " writer " or attorney in Jed burgh, long since
deceased, who was noted for his perfect acquaintance
with all the quirks of the law.
Macmorlan, the sheriff-substitute, who is represented
to have been " a man o' character, and weel spoken o',"
was doubtless Sir Walter's travelling companion on his
early visits to Liddesdale — honest Robbie Shortreed.
The character of Mr. Paulus Pleydell, advocate, is
understood to have been drawn, with some little exag-
geration, after an eminent Scottish barrister, named
Andrew Crosbie, a native of Dumfries, and a man of
mark in his profession, who flourished in the latter
204
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
part of last century, and was well known to be a ban
I'irant of the purest water, after the fashion of the day,
as well as a trusty councillor and eloquent and successful
pleader. His presence on the Saturday evenings at Cleri-
beugh's Tavern, in Writers' Court, to indulge in innocent
non-professional relaxation, with "a select knot of his
friends, was quite an understood thing ; while his clerk
as regularly betook himself to Lucky Wood's in the
Cowgate, to have a game at high-jinks, in less formal
and expensive fashion, with his brother quill-drivers.
The group of Edinburgh celebrities to whom Pleydell
introduced Mannering in Cleriheugh's tavern comprised
a select knot of the most remarkable men that ever graced
the Modern Athens. It consisted of seven individuals,
every one of whom may be said to have justly
earned immortal fame. These were Adam Smith,
the father of economical philosophy ; David
Hume, the metaphysician, politico-economist, and
historian, who gave the first impulse to the Scottish
and German philosophers that have revolutionised men-
tal science; John Home, author of the tragedy of
"Douglas," by the publication of which he gav« mortal
offence to the " unco-guid " portion of his country-
men, who were horrified to think that a beneficed clergy-
man should not only frequent theatres, but write
stage-plays ; Henry Home, Lord Kaimes, author of the
famous "Essay on Criticism," wherein he gave philoso-
phical criticism the form of a science, by reducing it to
general principles, methodising its doctrines, and
supporting them everywhere by the most copious
and beautiful illustrations ; Dr. Hutton, the geologist,
who wrote "The Plutonic Theory of the Earth,"
to demonstrate the influence of the fire within,
in opposition to Werner, who held that the greater
part of the phenomena observable on the earth's
surface was due to the agency of water ; Dr. Adam
Ferguson, who wrote a history, long standard, of the
"Progress and Termination of the Roman Republic," as
well as a valuable text book on the "Principles of Moral
and Political Science " ; and last, but not least. Dr.
Joseph Black, who first established the doctrine of
latent heat.
Among the notes of introduction which Pleydell is re-
presented as thrusting into Colonel Mannering's hand,
were two addressed to John Clerk, Esq., of Eldin, and
Dr. Robertson, both men of mark in their several spheres.
Johnnie Clerk, as he was commonly called, was best
known to the outside public as a broad humourist. Innu-
merable were the queer stories circulated about him in the
purlieus of the Parliament House. He was the son and
namesake of the author of a famous essay " On Naval
Tactics, Systematical and Historical, with Explanatory
Plates," in which is embodied and explained the cele-
brated manoeuvre technically called " breaking the line, "
which was employed for the first time by Lord Rodney,
in 1782, and led to his decisive victory over the French,
under De Grasse, in the West Indies," and was adopted
with invariable success by Lord Howe, Nelson, and
others, during the war with France. Johnnie Clerk was
not only a wit, as has been said, but a distinguished
lawyer. He was for many years undisputed leader of
the Scottish bar, and his fame extended far beyond the
courts of law. Bold, able, and outspoken, he was known
as the man who, after Henry Erskine, was the most
earnest and energetic in the popular cause. When
he spoke in public, crowds gathered to hear him, and
it was rare that some piece of brilliant sarcasm or
strong humour did not reward them ; nor did his hearers
relish it the less that it was delivered in his native broad
Scotch, which he pronounced with the perfect purity of a
courtier of the days of Queen Mary or the Jameses. In
times when everyone was sociable in Edinburgh, he was a
favourite with the best society, shining with never-failing
humour and endless store of anecdote.
Dr. Robertson, whom Colonel Mannering was taken to
hear preach, was the celebrated historiographer. As one
of the ministers of Old Greyfriars' Church, Principal of
the University of Edinburgh, and leader of the so-called
Moderate party in the Church of Scotland, he was for
many years the possessor of something like supreme
power in ecclesiastical matters in Scotland. In politics,
he was a Whig of the Revolution, and had a great ad-
miration of General Washington, the American patriot.
On the first outbreak of the French Revolution, he
publicly exulted in the near prospect of seeing so many
millions in France freed from the fetters of arbitrary
government; but his policy as a churchman led to the
origination of three seceding communities, and at length
left the Established Church of Scotland with a mere min-
ority of the population within her pale.
Pleydell's old friend, James Burnett, Lord Monboddo,
who was such an ardent admirer of Greek and Roman
manners and customs, and whose entertainments, always
given in the evening, in imitation of the suppers of the
ancients, "when there was a circulation of excellent
Bourdeaux, in flasks garlanded with roses, which
were also strewed on the table after the manner of
Horace," were frequented by the best society in
Edinburgh whether in respect of rank or literary dis-
tinction, was a notable person in every way. Monboddo,
besides being an able lawyer and an eminent judge,
an excellent classical scholar, and a voluminous author,
was noted for the numberless paradoxes which he
stoutly maintained in his philological, ethnological, and
metaphysical writings. A Darwinian before Darwin,
he asserted that man at first walked on all fours —
that he then learned to walk upright, at first with
the aid of a stick, as might be seen in the
ourang-outang, which he declared to be closely
allied to the human race — that in due time he
made use of his hands, and acquired the art of swimming
— and that his having no tail now was due to its having
Ma;
1889.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
205
been nipped off immediately after his birth by the mid-
wife herself. Boswell, in his "Life of Johnson," gives
a graphic account of his lordship's reception of the great
lexicographer at his family seat in Kincardineshire.
WILLIAM BBOOKIZ.
marriage." It would seem, then, that the testimony of
the Delaval documents goes to show the use of the term
Miss for unmarried ladies at a much earlier period than
is generally supposed.
av
MONG the Delaval papers discovered by Mr.
John Robinson at Seaton Sluice was a card,
of which we give an engraving, and which has
been called Dorothy Foster's visiting card. It was found
amongst a bundle of letters relating to the period from
1715 to 1725. The editor of Notes and Queries, referring
to Mr. Robinson's find, wrote: — "This can scarcely
fttbiti
Vht
litrigftt at
have been the visiting card of Dorothy Foster, as before
the days of George the Third, and for some time during
his reign, the term Mistress is always applied to unmar-
ried women, and not Miss, as on this card. The term
Miss came into fashion in George the Third's time."
Mr. Robinsons, however, has thrown further light on the
subject, in a paper read before the Newcastle Literary
Club. The following is an extract from Mr. Robinson's
paper: — "George the Third came to the throne in 1760.
They could, therefore, have no dispute as to the date
fixed by Notes and Queries. This small piece of card
was not the only one on which the title of Miss was
applied in the Delaval papers. The question was one
which could, therefore, be easily decided by numerous
letters. From 1740 to 1750, the term Miss was regu-
larly used. Visiting cards were at that period playing
cards, and on the back of Dorothy Foster's was part of
the diamond. There was another visiting card ; it had
been a playing card, but the picture had been defaced.
It was inscribed : 'Miss Dalton's compliments to Mrs.
Potter, and shall be glad of her company to drink tea with
them this afternoon, Tuesday, 12 o'clock." Mrs. Potter
was married to Sir George Hussey Delaval ten years or
more before the reign of George the Third ; the card must,
therefore, have been written before Mrs. Potter's second
POULTS, an Edinburgh goldsmith,
working the lead mines in Lanarkshire about
1576, engaged one Bevis Bulmer to help him
in his operations. Bulmer, a man of marvellous ingenuity
and versatile gifts, was a native of Yorkshire, it may be
of Bulmer in that county, and had previously been em-
ployed in mining in the North of England. His mind
was crowded with ingenious projects, while his restless
disposition led him hither and thither in pursuit of things
new and strange. Ceasing to interest himself in the lead
mines, he received a commission from Queen Elizabeth,
and permission from King James, to search for gold and
silver in the Royal Mines.
A number of references in the State Papers of Queen
Elizabeth show us the reason why the English were inter-
ested in gold mining at this period. Towards the end of
1577, Captain Frobishers ships arrived at Bristol with
a cargo of gold ore. This was melted down by Jonas
Schutz, and a report was prepared concerning the amount
of gold contained in the ton of ore. Another refiner, Dr.
Burchard, gave different results, said Jonas was incom-
petent, and indignantly demanded " two cwt. more of
the ore, and that two honest men should be appointed to
see that it was roasted fairly, " while Jonas accused the
doctor of "evil manners and ignorance, and would have
no dealings with him." In 1579, Martin Frobisher set
out to the North-West for 2,000 tons of gold ore, and
then we read of the ill-success of that voyage through his
mismanagement of the assaying of the ore brought home,
of the "ill-usage of Mr. Lok and others," and of charges
against the gallant captain "of arrogance, obstinacy in
his government at sea, and unbearable insolence in all his
doings."
We find an adequate explanation of Bulmer's commis-
sion in the voyages of Master Martin Frobisher. The
disputes of the jealous refiners were settled by a reference
to the Royal Mines in Crawford Moor. Queen Elizabeth
determined to weigh the value of her newly-found posses-
sions by a careful inquiry into the resources of the "Trea-
sure House. " Bulmer was not slow in offering his services
to settle her Majesty's difficulties. Being a born specula-
tor, he seized his opportunity, and formed a joint stock
company. He got twenty-four gentlemen as shareholders,
who had each to be called ft Knight of the Golden Mine,
or a Golden Knight. Only one knight, however, was
206
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
made, and, strange to say, it was the originator of the
company himself to whom that honour fell.
Sir Bovis was not so successful in finding gold as be
was in floating his company. He was assiduous in his
search for the rustless metal. He got miners to work in
Wanlockhead, Leadhills, and in the district nearer Craw-
ford. The gold he obtained cost more than its weight in
gold ; and as he was obliged to keep up an expensive
establishment, probably to preserve the dignity of the
company, he built himself a large house in the village of
Leadhills, close to a hill still called by his name. There
he lived as a Golden Knight, " feasting all sorts of people
that thither came, wasting much himself and giving
liberally to many, for to be honoured, praised, and mag-
nified."
"Bulmer hoped," says K. W. Cochrane-Patrick, "to
find the quartz veins with the gold in site," but was not
successful. He got two large nuggets of gold, one weigh-
ing six ounces and the other more than five. At Long
Cleugh Head he got a piece of " sapper stone " (probably
quartz), from which an ounce of pure gold was obtained.
At this place he erected a stamping-mill and got much
"small mealy gold." His greatest success, however, was
in Henderland Moor, in Ettrick Forest, where, it is re-
lated, he got much gold, " the like to it in no other place
before of Scotland."
Bulmer was not long in returning to England, telling
the Queen the result of his researches, and bringing a
splendid golden porringer, made from Scottish ore, which
he gallantly presented to the Maiden Queen. He put
a poetical inscription, written by himself, on the Royal
porringer : —
I dare not give, nor yet present,
But render part of that's thy own ;
My mind and heart shall still invent
To seeke out treasure yet unknowns.
The Queen was charmed by this attention of her
Golden Knight, and gave him the privilege of farming
the duty on seaborne coals. This brought him to the
valley of the Tyne. He did not long stay in Newcastle,
however. The Tyne shippers and he soon quarrelled, and
he threw up or was deprived of his post. He then took
to lead-mining in Somersetshire, and silver-mining in
Devonshire. He presented a large standing cup of this
silver to the Lord Mayor of London. A verse of his own
poetry inscribed on the cup doubtless enhanced the value
of the gift.
Sir Bevis next interested himself in Irish mining
operations. In 1592 he organized a company to seek for
calamite stone. In 1594 he was interested in supplying
water to London "by one small pipe or string," from his
newly-erected engine or waterworks. In 1599 we find
him writing to the Queen concerning the clear profit she
could make out of the imposts on French and Rhenish
wines, and a month or two later he makes an offer for
the farming of tin.
In 1603, he received £200 from the English Exchequer
to help him in the search for gold in Scotland. In 1604,
the Scottish Privy Council issued a proclamation to pre-
vent people molesting him in his search for minerals.
After that, King James sent him to look after his silver
mines in Linlithgowshire.
The strange course of this spirited speculator came to
an end at Alston Moor, in Cumberland, where he died
in 1613, poor and neglected, because, with all his clever-
ness, he lacked stability of character. And so he went
down, "aye downe; and at last," says Atkinson, hU
biographer, "he died in my debt £340 sterling, to my
great hindrance. God forgive us all our sinnes."
WILLIAM FBASEB.
C0im«ti0n
tottft tfte
JOHN BRIGHT, the great orator and states-
man, who departed this life on March 27th,
1889, was connected with the North of
England by family ties and political events.
It was here that he got his first wife ; it was here that he
was threatened with personal violence ; and it was here
that he won his first seat in the House of Commons.
Mr. Bright's first wife was a daughter of Mr. Jonathan
Priestman, of Newcastle-on-Tyne. The marriage took
place in the Friends' Meeting House, Pilgrim Street,
Newcastle, on the 27th of November, 1839. It was thus
announced the week after in the Newcastle Chronicle : —
"At the Friends' Meeting House, on the 27th ult., John
Bright, Esq., of Rochdale, to Elizabeth, eldest daughter
of Jonathan Priestman, Esq., of this city." A short
paragraph in the same paper recorded the fact that on the
evening of the wedding " the workmen in the employ-
ment of Mr. Priestman, tanner, &c., were sumptuously
regaled at the house of Mr. Thomas Wilcke, Temperance
Hotel, Bigg Market." On the evening prior to the
marriage a deputation of workmen presented a silver
cream jug to " Elizabeth Priestman, as a token of respect
on her marriage."
A few years later, subsequent to the death of Mrs.
Bright, and when he had entered into the agitation for
the Repeal of the Corn Laws, Mr. Bright paid several
public visits to the North. The first of these visits
appears to have taken place on the 1st of December, 1842.
Mr. Bright was accompanied on the occasion by Mr.
Richard Raymond Richmond Moore, then a leading light
of the Anti-Corn Law League. The meeting was held in
the Primitive Methodist Chapel, Nelson Street, whicb
was crowded to the doors. Sir John Fife presided,
although there was at first some opposition to his taking
the chair. Both Mr. Bright and Mr. Moore addressed
the meeting at great length, their speeches being warmly
applauded. Mr. Bright was back in Newcastle in the
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
207
following month, this time accompanied by Mr. Cobden
and Colonel Thompson, when a great meeting was held in
the Music Hall, and when the following, among other
gentlemen of prominence, interested themselves in the
movement : —Christian Allhusen, W. H. Brockett, Joseph
Watson, W. Lockey Harle, and Captain Weatherley.
The Lecture Room was the scene of the next meeting Mr.
Bright addressed in Newcastle — held on July 10, 1843,
Dr. T. M. Greenhow in the chair. A fortnight later Mr.
Bright was elected for Durham, of which more presently.
Cobden and Bright, both members of Parliament by this
time, were once more in the Northern Counties in the
autumn of the same year, addressing meetings and being
entertained at public dinners at Alnwick and Durham.
An illustration of the rancorous spirit of the time was
afforded during Mr. Bright'a tour in July, 1843. Mr.
Archibald Prentice records in his "History of the
League" that he and Mr. Bright crossed the Border
country from Kelso to Alnwick, where they found "a
great audience, consisting principally of agriculturists,
many of them landowners and extensive farmers." An-
ticipating the visit to Alnwick, the Newcastle Journal,
then a fiery organ of the Tory party, printed the following
paragraph : —
It is stated that Bright, the Anti-Corn Law agitator, is
expected to visit the wool fair which will be held in Aln-
wick shortly, in order to scatter the seeds of disaffection
in that quarter. Should he make his appearance, which
is net improbable (for the person has impudence for any-
thing of this sort), it is to be hoped there may be found
some stalwart yeoman ready to treat the disaffected vaga-
bond as he deserves.
But the Newcastle Journal was by no means alone at
that period in entertaining strong prejudices against
the "disaffected vagabond." Soon after Mr. Bright was
elected member for Durham, the poet Wordsworth, paying
a visit to the Cathedral City, was in the Dean and Chapter
Library with its distinguished librarian, Mr. Raine,
when a verger handed a note to Wordsworth from Dr.
Waddington, the Dean of Durham, inviting him to dinner.
Wordsworth hastily penned a refusal, remarking to Mr.
Raine, "As if I would dine with a man that voted for
John Bright !" Another story illustrating the same
prejudice was lately told in the Athenceum : —
Some years after Mr. Bright had ceased his Parlia-
mentary connection with Durham, he announced a visit
to the Liberal member for the city, who, having some
engagement which made him unable to be at home in the
daytime, went to the cathedral to secure the services of
the best-informed verger. "A friend of mine is coming
to-morrow to see the cathedral," said he; "I want you
to show him round yourself, and pay him special
attention." "I'm very glad, I'm sure, sir, to
show any attention to any friend of yours."
"You will be sure he sees everything of inte-
rest." "He shall see everything, sir, everything."
Finding the verger so well disposed, the M.P. tried to
make him better disposed still, and said : "He is a very
important man, very ; you really must show him atten-
tion— in fact, it is Mr. John Bright." "Oh," said the
verger, who was of Wordsworth's way of thinking, " I'll
take good care that he doesn't steal anything away fra'
the church ! "
The event of most prominence in Mr. Bright's connec-
tion with the North was of course his electicn for Durham
in 1843. Twelve years before this the Cathedral City had
earned some honour and notoriety by sending to St.
Stephen's, in the room of Sir Roger Gresley, Mr. William
R. C. Chaytor, who drove post-haste to London, and
just reached the House of Commons in time to record his
vote in favour of Earl Grey's Reform Bill. On the 26th
of March, 1843, it was announced that Captain Fitzroy,
one of the members for Durham, had accepted a Govern-
ment appointment, and that a vacancy would be created
in consequence. Lord Dungannon, who had contested the
seat previously, at once came forward in the Conservative
interest. The Liberals determined to do their utmost
to bring forward a candidate, though they had very
slender chances of being able to return him. They put
out a placard on Tuesday, March 28th, asking the
electors to reserve their votes, as they had hopes of being
able to place at their command a candidate of undoubted
Liberal principles. The weekly papers on the Friday
following, however, broadly hinted that no Liberal candi-
date would appear in the field, and that Lord Dungannon
would score a walk over. The noble lord pushed forward
a personal canvass of the electors; red ribbons were dis-
tributed profusely, red flags were displayed all over the
city, and bands of music, preceded by red flags, perambu-
lated the streets in the evening of each day. It is now
known that one of the last persons to whom the Liberals
appealed — all previous efforts having failed to produce a
candidate — was John Bright. The nomination of candi-
dates was fixed for Monday, April 4th, on which day
the Spring Assize was fixed to be held.
Mr. Bright reached Durham at an early hour on the
morning of the nomination day. Long before the time
appointed for the proceedings to commence (mid-day) a
large crowd had assembled in front of the Town Hall.
Fronting that building a wooden erection had been run
up as the hustings, but it was miserably small, and
totally unequal to accommodate more than a fraction
of those accompanying the candidates. Prominent
in the crowd, and plentifully bedizened with red
ribbons, was a group of some twenty or thirty
miners, freemen of the borough, who were employed at
the Marquis of Londonderry's Rainton collieries. A
few minutes before eleven o'clock the sounds of music
from the direction of Saddler Street announced the
arrival of Lord Dungannon, and immediately afterwards
Mr. Bright and his friends arrived. The Rev. George
Townsend nominated Lord Dungannon, and Mr. William
Lloyd Wharton seconded the nomination. Mr. John
Bramwell, amid continued uproar, proposed Mr. Bright,
and Mr. John Hardinge Veitch seconded. Lord Dun-
gannon having addressed the crowd, Mr. Bright stood
forward and was received with a strong demonstration
and counter-demonstration, the latter being noisy enough
to prevent his remarks being heard until Lord Dun-
trannon and those immediately around him appealed
208
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
for a hearing for the " straneer within their gates."
The Mayor in due course took a show of hands, and de-
clared the choice of the electors to be in favour of Mr.
Bright. Thereupon Mr. William Lloyd Wharton de-
manded a poll in behalf of Lord Dungannon. The polling
took place on Tuesday, the 4th of April, the result
being : — Dungannon, 507 ; Bright, 405 ; majority for
Dungannon, 102.
The Liberal agents discovered that, after the declaration
of the poll, the voters for Lord Dungannon had been
invited to present themselves at the Wheat Sheaf Inn,
Claypath. There they had placed themselves, by in-
struction, at a certain window, situated in a dark
corner, and through this window each had received a
copy of the poll book and also a sovereign. Mr.
Coppock, a famous election agent on the Liberal side,
was despatched from London to inquire into the matter,
Messrs. Marshall soon placed before that gentleman a
number of witnesses, who de-
posed to bribery having been
repeatedly committed. A
petition was therefore pre-
sented against the return of
Lord Dungannon. Mr. John
Edwin Marshall took charge
of the petition in London,
whilst Mr. H. J. Marshall
and Mr. William Marshall
conducted affairs in Durham.
A shoal of witnesses attended
before the Parliamentary
Committee, which eventually
declared the election void on
the ground of bribery by Lord
Duneannon's agents.
Mr. Bright again became
a candidate. Assisted by
two members of the League,
Mr. Archibald Prentice and
Mr. R. R. R. Moore, he
made wonderful progress
with his canvass, all the
more so because a division
had broken out in the
opposite ranks. However,
Mr. Thomas Purvis, a Chan-
cery barrister in large prac-
tice, and a member of a
family that had resided for
some time in the district, was
selected as the Conservative
candidate. The nomination
took place on Monday, July
24th, and the show of hands
was declared to be largely in
favour of Mr. Bright, but
a poll was demanded for Mr. Purvis. The enthusiasm
and partizanship were intense from the first opening
of the poll at eight o'clock on the morning of Tuesday,
the 25th of July. Dean Waddington and Dr. Ogle
walked from the College, arm in arm, and polled
together. Aa they passed down S addler Street, the
cry, " You vote for a Quaker ! " wan directed to Dr.
Waddington, who retorted, "I vote for a Free-Trader, "
and Dr. Ogle, wheeling round to a group of citizens who
were witnesses of the scene, exclaimed, "What do you
think of that, lads ? Do you call that nowt?" The recapi-
tulation of the scenes which were enacted during the day
would fill a book, but we will only give one of them. Mr.
Bright had been at the head of the poll throughout.
Between three and four o'clock a group of ten freemen,
whose begrimed faces appeared to indicate that they had
recently been drawn out of some neighbouring colliery,
were seen passing down Gilesgate, and the word was
JOHN BRIGHT.
M,
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
209
quickly passed, "Here's some of the marquis's men at
last." Some doubt was entertained with reference to the
course the Marquis of Londonderry would take, and
. the action of this group of men was eagerly watched.
They wore no colour or badge. At length they reached
the polling place, and the first man stepped up to vote.
"For whom do you vote?" asked the presiding officer.
"For John Bright," replied the man. And then the
Liberal partizans set up a tremendous shout, and counted
victory as beyond a doubt. And it was. The final
declaration of the poll gave the numbers as follows :—
Bright, 488 ; Purvis, 410 ; majority for Bright, 78.
Thus ended the great election of 1843— the election
which first made John Bright a member of the British
Parliament. Mr. Bright declined to be " chaired, " and
was the first man to break through the old custom. Mr
Purvis darkly hinted at the action of some member of his
party, presumed to be the Marquis of Londonderry, whose
conduct had contributed to his defeat. John Bright
represented the City of Durham for four years, when he
accepted the invitation of the Manchester Liberals to
become one of their candidates.
IURROUNDED though they are by tali
chimneys and smoking factories, the ruins
of Kirkstall Abbey, near Leeds, are still
a picturesque remnant of monastic times.
The ruins were lately offered for sale, and there was some
fear that they might disappear altogether. Fortunately,
however, Colonel North, a native of Leeds who has made
a great fortune from the discovery and manufacture of
nitrate, purchased the property for £10,000, and handed
it over to the Corporation of Leeds, who will no doubt
take all proper means to preserve what remains.
Kirkstal! Abbey was an offshoot from the Abbey of
Fountains, the remains of which form one of the attrac
tions of the neighbourhood of Ripon. The foundation of
Kirkstall was indirectly due to a vow of Henry de Lacy,
Lord of Pontefract, who, whilst suffering from sickness,
determined to endow a monastery if he were restored to
health. On his recovery, he handed over the district of
Barnoldswick-in-Craven to the Church for the support of
a monastery of the Cistercian Order. This order of
KIRKSTALL ABBEY, NEAR LEEDS.
14
210
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
monks derived its name from Cisteaux, or Cistertium, in
Burgundy, France, and had been raised to great celebrity
through the talents, learning, and sanctity of Saint
Bernard, abbot of Claravallis, or Clarveaux, for which
reason it was also called the Bernardino Order.
Alexander, prior of Fountains, was in 1147 appointed
abbot of the new foundation, with an establishment of
twelve monks and ten lay brethren. Matters did not
prosper with this little band. Their crops at Barnolds-
wick proved a failure ; their buildings were destroyed by
6re ; and the Scots bore off their cattle and flocks. The
abbot, therefore, journeyed in search of a new settlement.
The valley of the Aire seemed to offer all the requisites
for a suitable home. The aid of Henry de Lacy was
again invoked, and a site at Kirkstall was obtained. On
the 19th May, 1152, the dejected company of monks
removed from Barnoldswick to Kirkstall. In the short
(space of thirty years they erected the abbey church and
monastic buildings, a fair idea of which may obtained
from the drawing of the ruins which accompanies this
article. The Cistercians were a strict body : hence the
general severity of the architectural design. Although
many additions and alterations were subsequently made,
Kirkstall has suffered fewer modifications of the original
plan than many other abbeys.
at JHarfe 'Etoivt fttme aittr
STtotttr.
cMtlforl).
ALDERMAN, SOLDIER, AND KNIGHT.
JIT a time when threats of invasion created
universal alarm, and the young men of
Northumberland and Durham took to the
study of arms, there was no more enthu-
siastic volunteer officer in Newcastle than Thomas
Burdon. Local biographers write scantily of this gallant
son of Mars, but generous assistance from the copious
resources of Mr. William Adamson, of Cullercoats, makes
it possible to present him " in his habit as he lived," with
s-ome approach to coherent narrative aud chronological
accuracy.
Thomas Burdon was a son of Richard Burdon, who, in
the middle of last century, owned some landed property
at Brunton, in the parish of Gosforth, and resided in the
house which, with its spacious garden, formed the
western end of the north side of Shieldfield Green,
Newcastle. The poll-book of Northumberland election,
October, 1774, enters him as " Richard Burdon, Shield-
field," and shows him voting, by right of his freehold at
East Brunton, for Sir William Middleton and Sir John
Hussey Delaval; Whitehead's Directory of Newcastle
for 1787 assigns to him the post of senior coroner of th«
borough, and that of leading partner in Bunion's
Brewery, Quayside. Hale and hearty, he lived till he
approached the age of ninety — riding across country, to
the last year or two of his life, with the fearlessness of
youth and much of its freshness and vigour.
At the house in the Shieldfield it is probable that,
about the year 1758, Thomas Burdon was born. Like so
many other Newcastle boys, he received his education at
the Royal Free Grammar School, under the Rev. Hugh
Moises; after it was completed, he appears to have
remained in the town with his father, without attempt-
ing, as so many other Grammar School boys had done, to
seek fortune elsewhere. In his twenty-ninth year (Sept.
llth, 1786) he married Jane, the thirteenth child of
William Scott, hostman, and sister of William and John
Scott, who afterwards became respectively Lord Stowell
and the Earl of Eldon. The family connection estab-
lished by this marriage gradually drew him into the
public life of the town, and on Tuesday, October 4, 1796,
he was elected a member of the Common Council.
Municipal electors in those days were partial to young
men of good position, and when they obtained one, it was
usual to put him into office with all convenient speed, in
order that he might have an early opportunity of exer-
cising the virtue of hospitality. The year after Mr.
Burdon was made a councillor he was elected Sheriff.
But this was an honour for which he had not been
prepared, and he refused to accept it. Persisting in his
refusal, the offended Council fined him a hundred marks,
and still his objections were not overcome. It was not
until 1807 that he could be prevailed upon to serve, and
then he served longer than had been anticipated, for
when his term of office expired nobody willing to relieve
him could be found. There was a suitable person —
George Shadforth — in reserve, but he was a few months
short of his majority. It was, therefore, arranged that)
Mr. Burdon should continue in office, and he discharged
the duties till Christmas. He was relieved at that date
by Benjamin Sorsbie, who filled up the gap to the end of
February, when George Shadforth came of age.
Upon his retirement from the shrievalty, Mr. Burdon
was invested with an alderman's gown. The higher
honour followed ; he was elected Mayor at Michaelmas,
1810. His year of office promised to be a quiet one ; a
great dispute between the magistrates and the burgesses
had been healed: everybody seemed pleased with the
unanimity and good understanding that prevailed. The
truce was broken by Major Anderson, who, as already
described, at a Guild meeting, over which Mr. Burdon
presided, pulled the Town Clerk's nose. With this
exception the year was uneventful. When the Mayor
went out of office, the Newcastle Chronicle reminded its
readers that they had seen in their chief magistrate
"every accomplishment which can adorn a public
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
211
character," among which were "universality of talent in
promoting every measure which could lead to the public
good," and "that condescension and affability which
never fail to endear persons in the highest situations to
those below them, and to draw forth from the public
in general the most cheering and reiterated plaudits."
About the time that he entered the Common Council
of Newcastle Mr. Burdon was distinguishing himself by
activity in volunteering. His name occurs as that of
captain of a troop of horse attached to the Newcastle
Armed Association in 1799, under the command of Sir
Matthew White Kidley. He also raised the South Tyne
Volunteer Legion of Cavalry and Infantry, and was for
some years their principal officer, with the rank of
lieutenant-colonel. From them he received in the Jubilee
year of George III. (1809) a silver cup, valued at £120,
which (with a sword of honour presented to him by the
Tyne Hussars) is now in the possession of his great-
grandson, Mr. Richard Burdon Sanderson. No one
seems to have held so many appointments in these
volunteer corps as he, or to have exerted himself more
earnestly to make them popular and effective.
The defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, the sudden
reduction of the navy which followed, and the arrival of
the local fleet of Greenland whalers in the autumn of
1815, to lie up for the winter, threw out of employment
large numbers of seamen. In order to provide them-
selves with the means of living, the men insisted that
every vessel should carry five men and a boy for every
hundred tons register ; and this outrageous demand being
resisted, they forcibly prevented the sailing of all ships
from Blyth, Shields, and Sunderland. So determined
and so successful were they that strong measures had to
be taken against them. Seven men-of-war were sent to
Shields, and numbers of troops, both infantry and
cavalry, followed. On the 21st of October, the magis-
trates of Newcastle and adjoining places went down to
the harbour, with the local volunteers, to assist the naval
and military forces in suppressing the riotous sailors,
and liberating the detained ships. Without loss of life or
serious injury they succeeded, and within a week a
hundred and fifty sail, many of which had been nine
weeks in port, proceeded to sea. For the services which
he rendered on this occasion, and for the zeal which he
had shown for so many years in volunteer movements,
Mr. Burdon was knighted. The honour was conferred
upon him by the Prince Regent on the 14th May, 1816, a
few days after the wedding of the Princess Charlotte with
Prince Leopold.
Upon Tyneside the knighthood was well received, for
Sir Thomas, being a Freemason, an Oddfellow, a leader
among the local Orangemen, and a jovial, generous,
hospitable man, was popular with all classes of his
fellow-townsmen. One of his first acts upon his return
from Court was to give a grand dinner in honour of the
King's birthday. There is a note of it in the Chronicle
for the 8th June, which, as illustrating the manner in
which the press of that day reported private festivities,
must be reprinted : —
The seventy-eighth anniversary of our Gracious Sove-
reign's birthday was celebrated with great eclat on
Tuesday last, at the Queen's Head Inn, Newcastle. We
were not present ourselves, but we have been favoured
by a friend with the following account of what passed,
which we insert under the idea that it may prove
interesting to our readers : — At half-past five o'clock
about fifty gentlemen sat down to a most elegant dinner,
Colonel Sir Thomas Burdon in the chair. ... In
reply to the toast of "The Chairman, and may he long
live to enjoy his new honours " (drunk with three times
three and great enthusiasm) the worthy knight offered his
warmest acknowledgments for the very kind and flatter-
ing mark of approbation conferred upon him by such a
numerous body of his friends. In what led him to the
proud notice of his Prince he should never forget how
much he was indebted for that honour to the able and
unwearied exertions of the body of military he com-
manded, both to the officers and the men, and as several
of the officers were then present, he thought it but partial
to state so much. It is unnecessary to add that in his
exertions to contribute to the hilarity of the afternoon the
chairman was indefatigable, hence the late hour at which
the party broke up, highly delighted with the treat they
had enjoyed.
At Michaelmas that year, the Council appointed him
for the second time Mayor, and again he had a very quiet
term. When his period of office was drawing to a close,
4se?&
/ViT/^Orm/.^
.'$ %
:i*,^. "*
i^'7. .^-TB!:'
the brewers and maltsters entertained him at dinner, and
presented him with a valuable gold snuff-box, in recog-
nition of the manner in which he had undertaken a
mission to the Treasury on the subject of drawback of
malt duty, and other services extending over twenty
years. His own banquet to the Corporation was a very
jovial affair. The reporter of the Chronicle (Oct. 4, 1817),
with a concluding apology for writing about a dinner
which he was not asked to attend, tells us that :—
At six o'clock the party, amounting to near 100, sat
down to an elegant dinner, at which the worthy knight
212
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
(May
presided with his wonted hospitality and polite attention
to his guests. . . . The pleasure of the evening was
greatly enhanced by many excellent songs and glees from
some of the company. It was late ere the party broke up,
when they separated highly delighted with the sump-
tuousness of their entertainment, and the hospitality and
conviviality of their host. It would, perhaps, be improper
to notice more particularly what passed on this festive
occasion ; buo we hope that in stating thus much we
shall not be considered as o'erstepping the bounds of
decorum.
Only twelve months after this festive scene Sir Thomas
threw off his gown and left the Council. Local annals
pive no clue to the reason for this decisive step ; but a
MS. volume of Thomas Bell's supplies it:— "There was
some dispute about precedence, he claiming, from his
knighthood, precedence over the other aldermen, which,
not being allowed him, after considerable dispute and no
little irritation, he resigned." John Bell's "Common
Place Book" confirms this version. Sir Thomas "con-
ceived himself entitled to walk at the bead of all
processions of the civic body to church and elsewhere —
and when told that he only stood in rotation with others
— according to the date of his election as an alderman, in
high dudgeon he resigned his gown.'1
At the great election of 1826, Sir Thomas worked hard
for the candidate of his choice— the Hon. H. T. Liddell.
The heat of the conflict and the heat of the weather
proved fatal to him. When the poll opened, on Tuesday,
the 20th June, he recorded his vote, and that was his last
public act. He returned to his home at West Jesmond
unwell, died there on the sixth day of the poll (June 26),
and was buried in Gosforth churchyard.
By his marriage with the sister of Lord Eldon, Sir
Thomas Burdon had three sons— William, Thomas, and
Richard. The two former died without issue, and the
bulk of the property descended to the survivor, who upon
his marriage (Feb. 7, 1815) with the only daughter and
heir of Sir James Sanderson, Bart., had assumed the
name of Richard Burdon Sanderson. He was a Fellow
of Oriel College, Oxford, and having studied architecture,
and finding the old house of his father at West Jesmond
dilapidated and insecure, he designed and erected, about
the year 1830, the handsome residence out of which Mr.
Charles Mitchell has created the magnificent abode of
Jesmond Towers.
William
THE HARTFORD HOUSE PHILOSOPHER.
About the time when Thomas Slack was arranging to
publish the first issue of the Newcastle Chronicle, George
Burdon, a country gentleman in Yorkshire, married a
lady named Wharton, who, besides being related to
various members of the peerage, and claiming descent
from the ducal house of Wharton, owned, or was heiress
expectant to, considerable landed estate in the counties of
Northumberland and Durham. Coming frequently to
Newcastle after his marriage, the Yorkshire squire, with
his wife's fortune at his back, entered into commercial
pursuits. He acquired an interest in the great mining
industry of the district, joined the famous coal ring
known as the Grand Allies, and eventually took up his
permanent residence in the locality as a landlord and
coalowner. While living in Newcastle, on the llth
September, 1764, a son was born to him — a son who
received the name which stands at the head of this
sketch, and lived to be one of the not too numerous
Northumbrians who have secured a permanent place in
English literature.
William Burdon received his elementary education at
the Royal Free Grammar School, under the direction of
the Rev. Hugh Moises. From thence he passed in 1781
to Emmanuel College, Cambridge. His course there was
brilliant, and realised to the full, if it did not exceed, Mr.
Moises' expectations. In 1786 he took up his bachelor's
degree, and two years later was unanimously elected to a
fellowship. The chief ambition of his parents was to see
him in holy orders. They had carefully reared him in
High Church and Tory principles, and they waited for
the fruition of their labours — waited in vain, it appears,
for the young man imbibed liberal principles, struck out
an independent course of his own, and would not be
turned aside by threats of displeasure, nor cajoled by
promises of preferment. Refusing to become the promul-
gator of opinions which he did not share, he resigned his
fellowship.
Mr. Burdon returned to the North in 1798 or 1799,
married, and fixed his home at Morpeth. In the six
years of comparative seclusion which he spent upon the
banks of the Wansbeck, his prolific brain and active pen
were busily employed. He had published, while at
Cambridge, a couple of pamphlets — one m 1795, con-
taining "Three Letters addressed to Dr. Watson, Bishop
of Llandaff,'' and the other in 1797, entitled, "A Few
Words of Plain Truth on the Subject of the Present
Negotiation for Peace." From Morpeth he issued —
1799. A Vindication of Pope and Grattan from the
Attack of an Anonymous Defamer.
1799. An Examination of the Merits and Tendency of
the Pursuits of Literature. Part 1. [Part 2 was
issued in 1800.]
1800. Various Thoughts on Politics, Morality, and
Literature.
1803. Materials for Thinking. (Twovols.)
1803. Unanimity in the Present Contest Recommended.
1803. Advice to the Lower Ranks of Society.
1804. The Life and Character of Buonaparte, from His
Birth to the 15th of August, 1804.
1805. Poetry for Children.
Losing his wife in 1806, he left Morpeth, and built
upon one of his mother's estates, overlooking the Blyth,
the handsome residence known as Hartford House.
There, with winter sojournings in the warmer atmo-
spheres of London and Brighton, he lived and wrote for
the rest of his days. Among the publications which he
put forth at Hartford House were : —
1809. Letters on the Affairs of Spain.
1810. An Introduction to the History of the Revolution
in Spain, from the Spanish of Estrada.
May
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
213
1810. A Constitution for the Spanish Nation, from
Estrada.
1810. A Treatise on the Privileges of the House of
Commons.
1811. An Impartial Examination of the Dispute between
Spain and her American Colonies, from Estrada.
1811. Letters to the Editor of the Tyne Mercury on
the Annual Subscription to the Sons of the
Clergy.
1813. Cobbett and the Reformers Impartially Examined.
Besides the books and pamphlets enumerated above, Mr.
Burdon contributed largely to the press on ancient
architecture, and a variety of other topics, local and
general. In the Tyne Mercury for August 9, 1812, there
is, for example, a letter of his ridiculing the battlements
that had been added to the keep of the old castle, and
"the placing of cannon upon a building which was
erected about 4-00 years before cannon were invented. "
Two biographies of Mr. Burdon have been published —
one by Eneas Mackenzie in his "History of Newcastle"
(afterwards issued separately), the other by George Ensor,
prefixed to the fifth edition of "Materials for Thinking."
Mackenzie, who knew him well, tells us that he had
"originally indulged in flattering notions of 'the un-
limited improvement of our nature,' which he reluctantly
renounced ; but he never declined in charity to the poor,
or generosity to men of talent in distress. In some
instances he was peculiarly unfortunate in selecting the
objects of his bounty. Conceiving a high opinion of
the abilities and merits of a young man named Hewson
Clarke, author of 'The Saunterer,' he befriended and
assisted him at the university. But this youth disgusted
by his vanity all to whom he was introduced, became
prodigal, incurred considerable debts, sunk into the vilest
debauchery, and frequently reviled his benefactor in
The Satirist. Yet, after all, Mr. Burdon twice dragged
him from a gaol, and tried in vain to reclaim him.
Another failure of a similar kind is unique for romantic
attachment on one side and hideous ingratitude on the
other. "
As a boy he had been delicately nurtured ; but when he
arrived at manhood he endeavoured to overcome the
weakness of youth by exercise and exposure. Mackenzie
had seen him mount his horse during a thunderstorm,
return dripping with wet, and sit thus in his study for
the rest of the evening. When suffering acutely from
the disorder which ended his life, he persisted in pre-
paring the fifth edition of "Materials for Thinking" for
the press. It was the last thing he did. The disorder
proved to be ossification of the thigh, amputation was
necessary, was performed, and a few months afterwards,
on the 30th May, 1818, he expired.
Mr. Burdon was twice married. By his first wife, a
daughter of Lieut. -General Dickson, and grand -daughter
of a Collingwood, he had a family of five ; his second
wife, to whom he was united in 1812, brought him two
children. To all these youngsters he was an attentive
parent ; he took delight in their company, wrote books
for their amusement, and personally superintended their
education. The eldest son, William Wharton Burdon,
who died in Newcastle on the 24th of June, 1870,
inherited his father's independence of character, and no
small share of his intellectual power. Our grandfathers
knew him as an active politician of the school of Lambton
and Grey, and some time member of Parliament for the
Borough of Weymoutb. To the present generation he
was better known as a coalowner and landed proprietor
who rarely dabbled in politics, but upon local matters
occasionally wrote with a trenchant pen in the columns of
the Newcastle press.
(Storge ffiarleton,
THE NORTHUMBRIAN BOY WHO BECAME A BISHOP.
One of the constables appointed by Queen Elizabeth to
assist in keeping watch and ward over Norham Castle,
was Guy, second son of Thomas Carleton, of Carleton
Hall, Cumberland. Soon after his appointment, in the
first year of Elizabeth's reign, a son was born to him, who
received in baptism the name of George. The Carletons
\vere related to another great Cumberland family — the
Gilpins ; and when the boy was old enough to be sent to
school he was received into the foundation of Houghton-
le-Spriner, which his father's cousin, Bernard Gilpin, had
established a few years earlier, and over which he was at
the time presiding. "The Apostle of the North" took :\
B/shop Carte Ton.
fatherly interest in his young relative, and when his
school days were over sent him to St. Edmund's Hall,
Oxford, where he was admitted in the beginning of the
year 1576. In the latter end of 1579 he took a degree in
arts, "and forthwith completed it by determination, his
disputes being then noted to exceed any of his fellows
that did their exercise in the same Lent." The following
year he was elected a probationer fellow of Merton Col-
lege.
214
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/May
1 1889
Carleton obtained his first preferment at Mayfield,
Sussex, of which place he was appointed vicar in 1589.
Mr. Robert Gibbs, in "The Worthies of Bucks," shows
that in 1605 he was presented by Sir Francis Goodwin to
the rectory of the third portion of Waddesdon, in the
church in which village is a tablet to the memory of Guy
Carleton, his father, who died in 1608, aged 9*. It is
supposed that he remained at Waddesdon till King
James I., who had made him one of his chaplains, raised
him to the see of Llandaff in 1618. He held Llandaff
little more than a year, for, being appointed one of the
English divines who were sent to the Synod of Dordt,
" he behaved himself so admirable well to the credit of
our nation, that upon his return he was elected to the
See of Chichester, confirmed by his Majesty, 20th Sep-
tember, 1619." The Dutch States not only paid the
expenses of the English deputation, but presented each
of its members with a gold medal, and sent a special
letter to King James, in which they commended Carleton
as the foremost man of the group, and a model of learn-
ing and piety.
Like many other clergymen of his time, Carletcn wrote
copiously on Church questions. Thirteen books and
tractates, besides sermons, issued from his pen. Amongst
them are, "Tithes examined and proved to be due to the
Clergy by a Divine Right " (1606) ; "Jurisdiction Regal,
Episcopal, Papal," an attack on the Papacy (1610) ;
"Short Directions to Know the True Church" (1615);
"Historical Collection of the Great and Merciful De-
liverances of the Church and State of England from the
beginning of Queen Elizabeth " (1624)— a book which ran
into four editions; "Testimony concerning the Presby"
terian Discipline in the Low Countries and Episcopal
Government in England," several times printed ; and
"Astrologimania, or the Madness of
Astrologers." But the work by which
he is best known is the "Life of
Bernard Gilpin." Upon that most
interesting book he was engaged for
some years. It was published in Latin
just before he died, was translated
into English soon afterwards, and after
passing through several editions was
re-issued in the early part of the pre-
sent century as volume iv. of Dr.
Wordsworth's "Ecclesiastical Biogra-
phy." Most of the quaint stories
about Gilpin which enliven the pages
of local history come from Carleton's
"Life," and it is the source from
which subsequent biographers of the
Northern apostle, down to the latest,
the Rev. C. S. Collingwood, rector of
Southwick, have derived the principal
part of their material, if not their
inspiration.
Bishop Carleton died at Chichester in May, 1628, and
was buried in the choir of the Cathedral. By his mar-
riage with Anne, daughter of Sir Henry Killigrew, and
widow of Sir Henry Nevill, he had a son, Henry Carleton,
who represented Arundel in the Long Parliament from
its commencement till his death a year later. Anthony
Wood, designating it "the unhappy Parliament," re-
marks with evident irony, that this son of a bishop,
having received a commission from the House to be a
captain, " showed himself an enemy to bishops."
ftfte
at $*to carftl*.
j&tmt.
|)HE New Gate of Newcastle is mentioned as
far back as the fourteenth century. From
its name, it may be surmised that it stood
on the site of an older structure. Mackenzie
surmises that this latter must have been the Berwick
Gate, through which the Bishop of Durham inarched to
join the English army that fought the Scots at Otter-
burn.
The south front was the most ancient part of Newgate.
Its architecture was of the same style as that of the inner
ward of Alnwick Castle. The north front was intended
as an outwork to the defences of the main gate, and had
a gallery on each side, wherefrom to attack assailants
who had passed the first entrance. On this front were
three ancient shields of arms : — St. George's cross ; the
arms of England, with the flcurs de Us scmee ; and those
of Newcastle. In later timus there was above the south
NEWGATE, ABOUT 1400.
May]
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
215
front a statue of Jamea I. It was placed under an arch,
had a crown and robes, a sceptre in the right hand, and a
globe in the left. It is now in the museum at the
Castle. (Our engravim? of Newgate, page 216, is copied
from Brand's " History of Newcastle," 1789.)
" The gaol ? " Yes ; the New Gate was long the com-
mon gaol of Newcastle. It was made to do duty in that
capacity for centuries. Formidable
as its bolts and bars were, escapes
were not uncommon. A remarkable
instance of the kind occurred in 1736.
On June 8th of that year one Thomas
Tate, a turnkey at Newgate, stole in
the night some cambric and other
things from a tradesman's shop. He
was lodged in his old quarters, but
on the wrong side of the door. On
the 15th of July, he and another
prisoner, Alexander Ogle, broke out
of the gaol, "where they were
chained to the wall," and made
their escape by a hole in the wall,
through a toll-shop where some con-
federates were concealed. They got
their heavy irons off, and left them
in a field some distance away. Then
came a crowning piece of impudence.
They returned and entered the
dwelling house of the keeper of the
gaol, forcing out two iron bars, and picking the lock
of the cellar door. This done, they went upstairs to the
room which Tate had occupied when turnkey, and where
a servant was lying sick in bed, and took out of the room
a large wooden chest containing Tate's wearing apparel.
They carried this chest down to the cellar, bolted the
door on the inside, dressed themselves in the best clothes
available, and got through the window again undis-
covered. All this ingenuity, however, availed them but
little, for they were taken near Bellingham, at the house
of Tate's sweetheart. The keeper was delighted to see
them again, and gave their captor ten guineas. Tate was
chained down in prison, but he told the gaoler it was to
no purpose, as he could break through all. Sure enough
DEMOLITION OF NEWGATE, 1823.
XEWRATE IN 1813.
he did, in the presence of two magistrates and a gaoler,
in less than a quarter of an hour. It was then thought
high time to set a guard over them. At the next Assizes
Tate and Ogle were transported for seven years. In
174-1, no less than eight felons made their escape in
their irons on the same night ; and a little later one
William Smith, a smuggler, was equally successful.
The march of improvement has
knocked down this strong New
Gate. In 1820, it was " presented "
at the Assizes by the grand jury "as
being out of repair and inconve-
nient, insufficient, and insecure."
This led to the building of the new
prison in Carliol Croft, to which the
felons were gradually removed,
whilst the debtors were transferred
to the Castle. In June, 1823, work-
men began to pull down the east
wing of Newgate, which was fol-
lowed by the removal of the west
wing ; and the north wing was then
demolished. The most ancient part
of the Gate still remained, and a
vigorous effort was made to save
it from destruction. It was pro-
posed to form a carriage-road and
216
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
jMay,
1 1889.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
217
footpath on each side of the old gateway, which
was to be converted into halls for such incorporated
companies as might need them. But the authorities
would not hear of this. They wanted the old stones for
the new prison ; and so, in September, part of the re-
maining walls were blown down with gunpowder. The
rest were more easily removed. The portcullis was found
in a perfect state ; it is now in Sir M. W. Ridley's
grounds at Blagdon. During the demolition, several
cannon-balls were found, deep sunk in the wall. Whilst
the work was going on, a jeu d'esprit was privately
circulated, which attracted some notice. We quote a few
verses : —
Alack ! and well-a-day !
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor,
We are all to grief a prey,
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor,
They are pulling Newgate down,
That structure of renown,
Which so long has graced the town,
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor.
Antiquarians think't a scandal,
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor,
It would shock a Goth or Vandal,
They declare ;
What, destroy the finest Lion
That ever man set eye on !
'Tis a deed all must cry fie on,
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor,
'Tis a pile of ancient standing,
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor,
Deep reverence commanding,
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor,
Men of note and estimation,
In their course of elevation
Have in it held a station.
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor.
Still, if Newgate's doomed to go,
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor,
To the Carliol Croft— heigh ho !
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor,
As sure as you're alive,
(And long, sir, may you thrive),
This shock we'll ne'er survive,
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor.
Then pity our condition,
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor,
And stop its demolition,
Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor ;
The commissioners restrain
From causing us such pain.
And we'll pay, and ne'er complain,
The gaol-cess, Mr. Mayor.
St. Andrew's Church, which is contiguous to the site of
the demolished gate, is generally reputed to be the oldest
in the town. Its erection has been attributed to David,
King of Scots, who died in 1153. Bourne, indeed, con-
jectures that it was built before King David was born.
But as little of the original structure now remains, it
seems unnecessary to discuss the question with any
GROINED ARCHWAY OF NEWGATE, 1823.
From Drawing by T. M. Richardson.']
218
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
minuteness. During the siege of 1644, it was so much
damaged that service was suspended for a year afterwards.
Says the parish register : — "Ther was no child bapt<J in
this parish for 1 year's tim after the town was taken, nor
sarmon in this church for 1 year's tim." Above the altar
is a picture representing the Last Supper, by the cele-
brated Giordano, which was given by Major Anderson
in 1804. Major Anderson also offered to give a clock, if
the parish would prepare the steeple for it; or to alter the
steeple if the pariah would provide the clock. The
handsome proposal was, however, declined with thanks.
Then the major offered, if the parish would build a new
tower eighty feet in height, to raise upon it an elegant
spire, equal in height to St. Nicholas' ; but " it was
judged unsafe to attempt any considerable alteration in
so old a building. " The bells were put up in 1726, and
one of them was cracked when ringing a funeral peal at
the interment of Lord Beaconsfield.
The vestry is built on the north side of the church. In
Brand's time, it had been "used not many years ago as
an ale-cellar to an adjoining ale-house." Atone time it
was the beadle's residence. As a vestry, it was first used
in 1789, upon which occasion chicken, ham, ale, wine,
&c., were provided by the churchwardens, and most of
the party dined in it. Other alterations took place in
1844. The accompanying sketch from Richardson's
"Table Book" shows the south transept and the south
porch of the chancel during the demolition of the former
in 1844.
DEMOLITION OF SOUTH TRANSEPT, ST, ANDREW'S OHUBOH.
The most notable monument in the church was that to
the memory of Sir Aymer de Athol and his wife, " ori-
ginally plated very curiously with brass." Sir Aymer
was taken prisoner on the eve of the battle of Otterburn.
He died in 1402, but his monument endured to our own
day. Within living memory it was almost unimpaired.
Then it began to disappear piecemeal. At last nothing
was left but the feet resting on a spotted leopard, and
this portion had been torn from its proper place for the
enlargement of a pew, or something of that sort. A
churchwarden saw its peril, and presented it to the
Society of Antiquaries.
The church register begins in 1597. We extract a few
entries, illustrative of the times : —
Feb. 13, 1634. — Baptised, Margaret, sup. daughter to
Richard Richardson. Sureties : Charles Robson, Mar-
garet Thompson, and Margaret Maddison. It was borne
under a wayne before Rich. Aplbyes dore in a morning in
a sore frost & snow it came of a Sudan to us or ells it had
p'ished & wee knew not whence it so whe had nothing.
Feb. 9, 1640. — Thomas Karr and Joan Lanton. marred
— one of the Skotes army, and wold pay nothing to the
church.
Feb. 22, 1640.— Andrew, supposed son of Rande Atkin-
son, workman, baptised — the 22d day — very base begote,
for he is the 4th bastor that he hath by that woman.
May, 1640. — 2 sogers for denying the Kynges pay, was
by a kownsell of war apoyted to be shot at, & a pare of
galos set up befor Tho. Malabers dore in the byg market.
They kust lotes wich should dy & the lotes did fall of one
Mr. Anthone Wiccers & he was set against a wall & shot
at by 6 lyght horsmen & was bured in owre church yard
the sam day May 16 day.
May 30, 1641. — Baptised Margret supposed daughter to
Capton William Abernathe one of the Skotes arme he
hath a wif of his owne in Skotland the mothers name is
Margret Powr.
Sep. 23, 1642.— Thomas Blacket [married] to his dame,
Marie Grene. She did love him in his master's time.
March 19, 1645.— Kudbart Wellsh, a blynd man, bured
— the kapton of the begars.
Apr. 27, 1643.— Baptised Thomas s. to Thoa. Whitfield
which was kaste away a littel before he was born in a
ship.
Feb. 11, 1645.— Baptised Marie d. to Mr. David John-
son, a lowe tennand of the Skotes arme. He kild the
Gunner Anson in the fleshmarket in the night being
drunk.
May 20, 1651. — Mari Dun buried, which was kounted
for a wich.
Oct. 1651.— Robard Fenwick, a child, bur. the 24 day,
which was drowend in the Bares myll dam, where he
went to swim on the Saboth day — bur. Oct. 1652.
This "Bares myll dam" was a large sheet of water for-
merly occupying the site of Eldon Place, which served a
mill beautifully embosomed among lofty trees, a few
yards to the west of Barras Bridge.
Opposite St. Andrew's Church we have High Friar
Street, or Chare, as our fathers were wont to call it.
Though now a dirty, uninviting lane, its name is suf-
ficient to remind us that formerly it had its associations
with the monastic splendours of old.
A little below High Friar Street we come to St.
Andrew's Street and the Vegetable Market, now reputed
to be one of the best in the kingdom. The street was for-
merly known as Green Court, aud was then a mean, in-
significant place. Now it is a thriving business thorough-
fare. Next to the market is a long bar, standing on the
site of what was known as the Chancellor's Head, from
the circumstance that a life-size portrait of Lord Eldon
served for the sign of the inn. The portrait is still to be
seen in one of the rooms.
On the opposite side, at the bottom of the churchyard,
is the little ancient street, long devoted to the tannery
business, known as Darn Crook. The name is a corrup-
tion of "the Darwent Crook." It ran westward to the
town wall, through which a passage was made into Gal-
18
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
219
lowgate in 1810. At right angles with Darn Crook is the
narrow lane known as the West Walla, for an obvious
reason — a portion of the veritable town wall still is to
be seen. Just at the corner it was that an old woman
was brutally murdered on the New Year's morning of
1863, after having first been otherwise shamefully mal-
treated, by a young miscreant of eighteen, George Vass
by name, who was hanged in Carliol Croft in the follow-
ing March. Opposite to Darn Crook there ran a little
stream of water, now arched over, into the Lort Burn.
Originally the Lam Burn, it acquired in later times the
name of Execution Dock, not by reason of any of those
grim associations which account for the name of Gallow-
gate, but because the debtors in New Gate — those whose
bodies had been taken " in execution " for non-payment
of their bills — if not in close confinement, had liljerty to
walk as far as that small brook.
From the foot of Darn Crook we proceed omvard to
Low Friar Street. This street was formerly known by
the name of Shod-Friar Chare, from its vicinity to the
monastery of the Black or Shod Friars.
At the corner of Low Friar Street is the Three Tuns
Inn, associated with the name of Edward Chicken, the
author of the "Collier's Wedding," who lived and kept
a school here, and who was parish clerk of St. John's
Church for a quarter of a century. Opposite his door
long stood the famous White Cross. It must have been
of great antiquity, for it is mentioned as early as the year
1410 in a document contained in the Bodleian Library ;
and the name of White Cross Street occurs in 1577.
Bourne tells us on the authority of the Milbank MS. :
"This cross was pulled down that very night after Sir
George Selby died, and King James of sacred memory,
March 24 [1625]." But as King James and Sir George
Selby did not die on the same day, and neither of them
died on the 24th of March, it is presumed that the Mil-
bank MS. is not very accurate in its chronology. Be-
sides, there is an order of Common Council in 1687 for
repairing it. Bourne adds : — "On the place where the
cross stood was a cistern for receiving the water which
was then called the New Water. This was lately pulled
down [1736] ; and there is now in the place where the
cross was, a pillar of stone work." In 1773, a milk
market was established at the White Cross. In 178<r
the Cross was rebuilt. It had a pretty little spire,
with a good clock, and was ornamented on the four
sides with the arms of the mayor, aldermen, and sheriff.
In form it was square, and supported by pillars. (Sen
Monthly Chronicle, 1887, p. 19.) A circle of stones in tho
roadway marks the exact site of the cross. Subsequently
it was pulled down, and its materials converted into a
canopy for the butter women in the old market. Annual
ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, 1889.
220
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/May
\1889.
fairs for horses and cattle are still held in this street ; and
very great nuisances they are now-a-days— far greater
than a dozen White Crosses !
Another matter we must mention. Between Execution
Dock and the White Cross stood a row of houses nearly
in the middle of the present street. In Bourne's plan of
Newcastle some or them are marked near the east side of
it. These were anciently styled " Cocksour or Cockstole
Bothes," and afterwards the " Hucksters' Booths " ; and
from them the religious orders and other inhabitants of
the town were supplied with provisions. They were
pulled down some years before Brand wrote, having been
repeatedly denounced as a nuisance to the street.
In the good old days Newgate Street possessed its
Pillory. It must have stood in this neighbourhood, most
probably beside the White Cross. "Twas not a play-
thing altogether, for Sykes records that on the llth of
April, 1758, one Susannah Fleming stood in the pillory at
the White Cross for one hour, pursuant to her sen-
tence, for fortune-telling. Though not molested by the
populace, she was nearly strangled before the time was
expired, occasioned either by fainting or shrinking down,
or from having too much about her neck, and being
thereby straitened in the hole. A sailor, out of charity,
brought her down the ladder on his back in a nearly
dying state.
"Great inns" were in this neighbourhood also. One
of them must have been the Crown, concerning which we
extract the following advertisement from a Newcastle
newspaper, dated Jan. 4-, 1770 : — "This is to acquaint the
Public that on Monday, the 1st inst., being the Lodge (or
Monthly Meeting) Night of the Free and Accepted
Masons of the 22nd Regiment, held at the Crown, near
Newgate, Mrs. Bell, the Landlady of the House, broke
open a Door (with a poker) that had not been opened for
some years, by which Means she got into an adjacentRoom,
made two Holes in the Wall, and by that Stratagem dis-
covered the Secrets of Masonry ; and she knowing herself
THE BLACK HORSE, NEWGATE STREET, 170!.
to be the first Woman in the World that ever found out that
Secret, is willing to make it known to all her Sex. So
any Lady that is desirous of learning the Secrets of Free-
masonry, by applying to that well-learned Woman (Mrs.
Bell, that lived fifteen years in and about Newgate) may
be instructed in all the Secrets of Masonry."
Another of the great inns was undoubtedly the Black
Horse. The pant still in this street stood nearly in front
of it, though a few years ago it was renewed ; but the
house itself had to come to the ground when Clayton
Street in that neighbourhood was projected. It was a
low, old-fashioned house, with dormer windows. With
this house is associated the tragedy described in the
Monthly Chronicle, 1887, page 18 — the murder of Ferdi-
nando Forster by John Fenwick of Rock.
Crossing Clayton Street, we find ourselves in the lower
part of Newgate Street, which is devoted mainly to the
refreshment of the inner man. Eating-bouses and inns
almost monopolise it. Many of these latter are modern-
ised editions of the old-fashioned hostelries. The princi-
pal of them is the Scotch Arms. The old house, which
most men of middle life will remember as a substantial
building — solid, yet unpretending — was pulled down
several years ago, and the present hotel erected in its
place. According to Bourne, the ancient building had a
large gate, which formerly had been a piece of stately
workmanship. The arch of this gate remained till the
year 1783. Bourne says : " Opposite the Nunnery on the
west side of the street is an ancient building with a large
gate, which has formerly been a piece of stately work-
manship. This, Sir Robert Shafto, recorder of this town,
was of opinion was the house of the Earls of Northumber-
land, and was called the Earl's Inn." (But we know now
that the Earl's Inn was in the Close.) Gray, in the
" Chorographia," says it was called the Scots Inn, be-
cause it was there that "the kings, nobility, and lords of
Scots lodged in time of truce or league with England."
Opposite the Scotch Arms is a narrow street known as
Nun's Lane. At the corner of this "inconveniently
narrow" lane, as Mackenzie calls it, and fronting
into Newgate Street, is a house built after the
modern Gothic fashion, which marks the site of
the grand entrance or gateway to the Nunnery of
St. Bartholomew. This house was built by Major
Anderson. When Brand wrote his History of
Newcastle, in 1789, he tells us that a portion of the
gateway " very lately remained. " In his opinion,
it was the grand entrance to the Nunnery ; and
here he is supported both by Mackenzie and by
Dr. Bruce. But, on the other hand, Bourne sup-
poses it to have be en only a back entrance. Baillie
also, writing in 1801, says : " This gate (which,
several years ago, was entirely taken down by
the Corporation) was not the great gate of the
Nunnery, but a sort of back passage to it ; for the
Nunnery was situated lower down, as may be seen
Ma;
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
221
by the ruins of some old walls in their garden, which
still go by the name of the Nun's Garden."
Be this as it may, the Nunnery is supposed to have
been the earliest conventual establishment in Newcastle.
Shortly after the Conquest, according to Simeon, three
Benedictine monks came to Tyneside to visit the ruined
churches here ; and it is stated that soon after their ar-
rival a small society of fair devotees was formed, of the
Benedictine order, and under the auspices of (that is, dedi-
cated to) St. Bartholomew the Apostle. In this view
Brand substantially agrees, stating on the authority of
the Scottish chronicler Fordun, that the Nunnery was in
existence as early as 1086, in which year Agatha, the
mother, and Christina, the sister, of Edgar Atheling,
took the veil in Newcastle: "but in this," Dr. Bruce
cautions us, "he is not borne out by his author. " Both
David King of Scotland and Henry I. of England have
been reputed the original founders of this Nunnery ; but
Dodsworth, collecting from original records, holds the
founder to have been one of the ancient barons of
Hylton.
As the years went on, the Nunnery prospered. Gifts
of land and money were being continually made ; some of
them of a rather curious kind. For instance, about the
beginniner of the thirteenth century, Marmaduke de
Teung and Margaret his wife bequeathed a house and
some land in Hartlepool, for the purpose " of purchasing
smocks for the nuns of this priory."
Yet in spite of its rent-charges and its possessions, the
Nunnery fell upon evil days. In 1355 its inmates ought
to have been contented enough ; for at that date, accord-
ing to Bourne, the Nun's Moor was their property, and
"there were wastes and houses in the Side, in Pilgrim
Street, the Flesh Market, Oat Market, Darn Crook, and
almost all the town over " belonging to them. Yet only
eleven years after we find Bishop Hatfield of Durham
appointing Hugh Arncliffe, celebrant of the divine office
in St. Nicholas", Newcastle, to have the care and custody
of the Nunnery, "whose miserable state, both spiritual
and temporal, has excited his lordship's pity."
Arncliffe was not long in finding out grave irregulari-
ties. He reported Amisia Belford, the prioress, as an
intruder, an incontinent, and allowing dilapidations in
the fabric. Two of the nuns had been expelled by her,
and these the bishop ordered her to receive again "freely
and peacefully," and to treat with due affection. What
became of Amisia history deponeth not. But in 1377
there was again trouble with the nuns, and Bishop Hat-
field had once more to interfere, this time on behalf of
the Lady Idoma Staunford, one of the sisters, who had
absented herself. The bishop thought she had resonable
grounds for her conduct ; the community thought other-
wise, and refused to receive her, "in manifest contempt
of us (says the indignant prelate) and to the great preju-
dice of the said Idoma." Wherefore the contumacious
nuns were threatened with the greater excommunication
if they further interfered with Idoma ; and a "commission
was at the same time granted to the bishop's suffragan
to proceed against the house."
MIL Tt iiE
SCOTCH ARMS, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, 1843.
222
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
The next interesting item in the history of the Nunnery
bears date 1489. In that year Joan Baxter, the prioress,
granted a lease for a hundred years of all that " parcel of
ground called the Nun's Moor, as it lieth betwixt the
fields called the Castle Moor, on the east and south parts,
the field of Fenham on the west part, and the fields of
Kenton on the north part," to the mayor and burgesses
at a rental of 23s. 4d per annum.
When Henry VIII. dissolved the lesser monasteries,
this Nunnery was refounded and preserved ; but in 154-0
it was suppressed. The establishment consisted then of a
prioress, a sub-prioress, and nine nuns. In 1535, accord-
ing to the Liber Valorum, the income of the nuns was
£36 Os. lOd. ; but at the date of the suppression of the
religious houses the value of the property was estimated at
£49 lls. lOd. per annum.
No traces now remain of this once important Bene-
dictine foundation. Brand conjectures that it stood near
the spot where the play-house was erected in 1748 ;
namely, beside the old Turk's Head. Mackenzie accepts
this theory as feasible, observing that it "seems sup-
ported by the part of the north wall of St. Bartholomew's
Church, in which the door-way, built up with stone,
is still observable ; so that where once these daughters of
celibacy and retirement heard their masses, Thalia and
Melpomene in after times laughed and wept by turns."
Dr. Bruce tells us where this play-house was with suffi-
cient distinctness. "This theatre," says he, writing in
1863, "afterwards known as the Turk's Head Long-
Room, was pulled down about thirty years since, to ob-
tain an opening to connect Grainger Street, which was
then in course of erection, with Newgate Street."
The house and grounds of the Nunnery were granted
by King Henry to William Barantyne and others. At a
later period the property passed into the possession of the
Blackett family, who were also the possessors of the site
of the adjacent house of the Grey Friars, and eventually
both properties were purchased by Mr. Grainger, as
already recorded,
There are those still living who remember the time
when Newgate Street terminated as the Nun's Gate and
the Sun Inn. It pleased our authorities, however, some
years ago, no doubt for good and sufficient reasons, to
to carry on the thoroughfare by the name of Newgate
Street as far as Grainger Street.
With this neighbourhood is associated the memory of
.T. P. Robson, "Bard of the Tyne and Minstrel of the
Wear," a popular writer in his day. True, he was born
in 1808 in Bailiffeate, which was behind the Postern,
which, in its turn, was behind the Back Bow (all these
places have now disappeared). When Robson was six
years of age, he was taken to live with his grand-
father in an old-fashioned house in Nun's Lane; when
sixteen, he was apprenticed in Newgate Street to a plane-
maker, and here it was that he commenced his flirtations
with the Muses. The poet of Newgate Street died in
August, 1870, and is buried in Jesmond Old Cemetery,
where the surroundings harmonise with his aspirations : —
Oh ! let me rest in some green mound
"here fragrance breathes around ;
Where smooth-leaved trees droop o'er my tomb ;
Where friends may wander forth at eve,
To ruminate and grieve
That love should die or friendship fade in gloom.
Cfftning atrtr c«i0t ng at tfte
j]OURTS OF ASSIZE have been held in
Newcastle from a very early period. At
an inquisition held at Tynemouth " on the
morrow after Easter," 1279, it was declared
"that the King of Scotland, the Archbishop of York,
the Prior of Tynemouth, the Bishop of Durham, and
Gilbert de Umfraville, or their bailiffs, in the coining of
the justices to all pleadings at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, if
they come from the parts of Yorkshire, ought to meet the
said justices at the head of the town of Gateshead, at a
certain well which is called Chille-well, and to petition
them for their liberties. And if it should happen that
they come from the parts of Cumberland, then they ought
to meet them at Fourstones, or elsewhere, at their
entrance into the county."
The assizes were held "in the hye Castell" in the
reign of Queen Mary, and in Elizabeth's charter, granted
to Newcastle in 1589, the Castle-keep is described as " the
prison or common gaol for our county of Northumber-
land, "and the old Moot Hall, which stood on the now
open space in front of the present Moot Hall, is called
"the Mouthall or Hall of Sessions of the same county."
From that tima the assizes continued to be held in the old
Moot Hall till 1810, when it was taken down. The
present county buildings were immediately commenced ;
but whilst they were being erected the assizes were held
in the nave of St. Nicholas' Church.
The custom of meeting the judges of assize "at the head
of the town of Gateshead " continued until the establish-
ment of railways. The whole ceremony was a piece of
gorgeous pageantry, of which some account may not prove
uninteresting.
So soon as the judges had arrived in York for the pur-
pose of holding the assizes there, the High Sheriff or
Under-Sheriff of Northumberland sent to them one or
more copies of the calendar of the cases to be tried in
Newcastle. About a month before the commencement of
the assizes at Newcastle, tho High Sheriff sent notes of
invitation to such of the county gentlemen as he wished to
join his procession to Sheriff Hill, to meet the judges
there. These invitations were couched in something like
the following terms : —
N., June 22, 1750.
Sir, — The favour of your company, on Monday, the
.... day of ... next, at the Moot Hall, to drink a
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
223
glass of wine, and from thence to the Sheriff Hill, to meet
the Judges of Assize, will greatly oblige.
Sir,
Your most obedient and humble servant,
A, C., Sheriff.
At a later period such notes of invitation were super-
seded by an advertisement in the Newcastle papers.
The one issued prior to the Summer Assizes of 1845 read
as follows : —
To the Gentlemen, Clergy, and Freeholders of the
County of Northumberland. —The favour of your
company on Wednesday, the 30th day of July inst.,
at the Moot Hall, and from thence to meet her
Majesty's Judges of Assize, will much oblige,
Your very obedient servant,
RALPH CAKR,
Hedgley, 17th July, 1845. Sheriff.
Sometimes, when the High Sheriff was a popular person,
these invitations were responded to by not fewer than
500 well-mounted gentlemen.
When the day of arrival came, the High Sheriff and
Tinder-Sheriff, attended by a few of their friends, pro-
ceeded about two o'clock, from the High Sheriff's hotel —
usually, in later times, the Turk's Head— to the Moot
Hall. Here two tables were set, each almost the length of
the room. The tables were "covered with carpets, and
furnished with candles, pipes and tobacco, with bread and
salt ; and within the usual space, one of another, on each
side of each table, a bottle of white wine, and another of
claret." The High Sheriff took his seat at the head of
one of the tables, and the Under-Sheriff at the foot of the
other. The High Sheriff then received the compliments
of the county gentlemen, who came into the room in
groups, each drinking a glass of wine, staying a little
while, smoking a pipe if he cared to do so, and then
withdrawing to make room for others.
By-and-by the procession started. This was its
order : —
The livery men, two and two.
The bailiffs with their rods, two and two.
Two trumpeters abreast, with banners pendant from their
trumpets, bearing the High Sheriff's coat of arms.
The gaoler, with a black wand.
The Tinder-Sheriff, with a white wand and sword.
The High Sheriff, with a white wand and sword, and
havinghis stirrups held by pages in his livery.
The High Sheriff's relatives, two and two.
The county gentlemen, two and two.
Servants, two and two.
The Sheriff's coach, drawn by six horses.
Other coaches.
The procession started from the Moot Hall. Before
1810 it went along the narrow street now known as
Castle Garth, through the Black Gats, and into the lately
demolished Bailiffgate. After 1810 it went along the
south side of the Keep, into Bailiffgate, then into West-
gate, along Collingwood Street, down Dean Street,
through the lower part of the Side, across the Sandhill,
over the Tyne Bridge, ascended Church Street, Gates-
head, and, at the head of Bottle Bank, turned into High
Street. Before the formation of Dean Street, the
procession went from the Black Gate down the steep part
of the Side, and before Church Street, in Gateshead, was
made, it was under the necessity of ascending the equally
steep Bottle Bank. On reaching the Gateshead Toll
Booth, which stood in the middle of High Street opposite
the end of Swinburne Street, a halt was made. The two
pages left their places beside the High Sheriff and were
mounted behind his coach. Many of the gentlemen and
carriages here quitted the procession.
From the Toll Booth the procession went forward to
Sheriff Hill, "the usual place of meeting," where, says the
Sheriff's old Book of Instructions, " you light and go into
the house." This house was the inn at Sheriff Hill known
as the "Old Cannon." It has been modernized within
the last few years. Its walls have been raised, new win-
dows have been inserted, its roof of red tiles has given
place to one of blue slate, and its front has been entirely
covered with concrete. Almost opposite the inn is a
fountain, or well, or pump — for it includes in itself some
features of all these things— which one could wish it might
be possible to identify with the Chille Well mentioned in
the time of Edward I. It is inscribed with these words
from the Book of Proverbs : —
AS COLD WATERS TO A THIRSTY SOUL,
SO IS GOOD NEWS FROM A FAR COUNTRY.
After the formation of the new Durham Road, which
passes through Gateshead Low Fell, the usual place of
meeting was the foot of Buck Lane, where there is a
more modern inn than that on Sheriff Hill, called the
New Cannon. When the High Sheriff and his attendants
arrived at the Old Cannon in the earlier times, cr at the
New Cannon in later days, they went into the house,
where wine and punch had been ordered at the Sheriff's
cost, and where they comfortably, and no doubt patiently,
awaited the arrival of the judges.
When the judges' coach arrived at the Cannon — Old or
New — it drew up alongside the High Sheriff's coach. The
High Sheriff and Under-Sheriff, as well as the gentlemen
in attendance, then stepped forward and paid their com-
pliments to the judges, after which these magnates of the
law entered the Sheriff's coach, taking- the back seat.
The High Sheriff and Under-Sheriff then entered the
same coach, taking the front seat. An old MS., which
lies before me, says :—" The Sheriffs must observe these
forms, viz., to step into the coach after the judges, and
224
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
step out before them, and stand a little aside, and always
sit with their backs to the horses." The procession was
then re-formed and the whole cavalcade returned to New-
castle. The arrival of the judges at Sheriff Hill is
described by "A Gentleman of the Middle Temple,"
whom I dare not call a poet, in a scarce rhyming
pamphlet, printed in 1751, and entitled "A Northern
Circuit."
What splendour sparkles on the hill,
Which nobles, gentry, farmers fill !
To meet Astrasa with applause,
And show they're hearty in her cause.
Bella, trumpets, cannons loud proclaim
Her welcome there, with fairest fame.
How eager is the numerous throng,
Who almost bear the coach along !
When the Sheriff's coach reached the famed Blue Stone
on Tyne Bridge a halt was made. Here the Sheriff of
Newcastle, carrying his rod, attended by the sergeants-
at-mace, dressed in gowns and holding their maces, and
the free porters with their halberds, awaited the arrival
of the procession. The town Sheriff paid his compliments
to the judges, after which he and his attendants fell into
the procession immediately in front of the High Sheriff's
coach, and the cavalcade proceeded to the Guildhall.
Here the county Sheriffs and the judges alighted, and were
met within three steps from the foot of the staircase by the
Mayor, Recorder, and Aldermen of the town, the Mayor
carrying his mace, and all of them dressed in their robes
of office. After these magnates had saluted the judges,
another procession was formed, which advanced up the
stairway and into the Town's Court. This was the order
of the procession : —
Free porters, two and two.
Sergeants-at-Mace, two and two.
The Sheriff of Newcastle and the Under-Sheriff of
Northumberland.
The High Sheriff.
Aldermen of Newcastle, two and two.
The Mayor of Newcastle with the Judges to right and left.
When the judges had entered the Town Court, the com-
mission for the town was read. "But," says my MS.,
"as the High Sheriff has no business under this com-
mission, he and his Under-Sheriff wait in the Mayor's
Chamber " until the judges are ready to proceed to the
Moot Hall. The procession which conducted the judges
upstairs, then in the same order conducted them down
again. At the foot of the stairs the judges resumed their
seats in the High Sheriff's coach, and the procession, in
the order which it assumed at the Blue Stone, made its
way to the Castle Garth. The route taken was that which
the High Sheriff's procession had adopted on its way to
Sheriff Hill. The Mayor in the meantime made his way
to the Mansion House, to be ready to receive the judges
there. Before 1810 the judges entered the Castle pre-
cincts through the Black Gate, and the town's Sheriff
and his attendants waited outside this grim portal, since
within the liberties of the Castle, which were in the
county of Northumberland, he had no jurisdiction. The
rest of the procession went forward to the Moot Hall,
where the judges and Sheriffs alighted, went into the
court, and opened the commission for the county. The
court was then adjourned till the following morning.
Ha:
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
225
The procession was then once more formed, and in the
same order as before proceeded to the Mansion House in
the Close, the Mayor's official residence. The High
Sheriff, preceded by the town officials, conducted the
judges from the coach to the highest step before the
Mayor's door, where they were received by the Mayor.
So ended the first day's pageantry.
The following morning the judges attended service at
St. Nicholas' Church. They were conducted from the
Mayor's house by a procession almost as imposing as that
of the preceding day. From the church they proceeded
to the Moot Hall. During the whole time of the Assizes
the judges were, as they are still, conducted by the High
Sheriff and the Under-Sheriff to and from the court*.
The expense incurred by the High Sheriff in receiving
the judges, and by the Mayor in entertaining them, was
by no means trifling. Fortunately we have an account of
the costs borne in 1628J and 1629, by Sir Thomas Swin-
burne, then High Sheriff, at the Assizes of those years.
He evidently discharged the duties of his office, at least
in his first year of office, in a right lordly way. The first
items of his expenditure are recorded as follows : —
Imprimis, for a dynner tor the gentry
and others that went over with me
to meete the judges being 200 -nen,
paying for every gentleman 2s. 6d.,
and serving men 12d. a piece. Item,
the next day a dynner for the judges
and other 200 men, payeing as
before 2s. 6d. gentlemen, and 12d.
Sieriffs Procession to meetfliejulijei.
inted
15
226
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/May
\1889.
serving men att Edward French
his house in Newcastle £35 0 0
Formywyne £700
For sugar 200
For tobacco
For March beere 300
Paid to Edward French for other
meales when my friends and I
were there att 12d. a peece one
withanother 600
But this was not all. Venison and wild fowl were
supplied to the innkeeper at the Sheriff's charge for all
this feasting. So his account proceeds —
To my Lord William Howard's man
for 2 stasrges and 4 buckes, the
keepers fees 20s. for every stagg
and 5s. a peece bringing them,
and 10s. every buck for the keepers
ffee and 2s. 6d. for his carriage 500
From other sources, including the parks of Sir Wilfrid
Lawson, "my lord of Newcastle" at Bothal, "my lord
of Monmouth," Sir John Fenwick, and the Dean of Dur-
ham, came 2i stags, 8J bucks, and 2 roes, at a total cost
of £8 3s. The wild fowl cost £4- lie., inch ding 10s. " to
my Cozen William Read's man for sea foule out of the
Fame yland." A gratuity of 40s. was given to the cook,
which he doubtless richly deserved. Then we have the
item, "To the Musick, 20s." We learn from the following
entry that the Sheriff's bailiffs were boarded at his ex-
pense.
Item, to 24- Bailiffes for their borde
wages att 12d. a day for each of them
remayneing from the Tewsday that I
came to Newcastle till Mundaye, that
the prisoners were executed being in
all seaven days £880
Other curious items in this account are the following : —
To the mynister of St. Nicholas' Church
for visiting the prisoners 0 10 0
For mending the towne gallowes and
carrying the ladders 0 12 0
For buryeing 3 poore prisoners 076
Item, to my noste Hutchinson, where I
lodged in the tyme of the Assizes,
upon one bill 200
Item, att my comeing awaye for drinke
and my owne men's dyett 400
Then comes a payment of £18 18s., for 4-2 "yeardes of
blew," employed in making "blew coates " for the 24
bailiffs, the county clerk, the two gaolers, and the Under-
Sheriff's man, each coat requiring " a yearde and a halfe."
Ten other "blew coates" for the Sheriff's servants cost
£6 15s. The whole cost of these assizes to the High
Sheriff in that one year amounted to £214- 12s. lOd.
It was Sir Thomas Swinburne's misfortune to be com-
pelled to serve as High Sheriff in the following year,
Robert Brandling, of Alnwick, who had been appointed,
refusing to serve. When the time of the assizes came
Swinburne was as economical as he had before been
liberal. On the first day " when I came in with the
judges," 2s. a head was paid for the dinners of gentle-
men, and Is. for servants, whilst on other days the inn-
keeper was allowed for gentry and servants alike Is. a
head. Only one buck and one stag were provided, and
the wild fowl cost only 11s. The gratuity to Mungo
Barnes, the cook, came down to 22s. The grand total
amounted only to £44 9s. 4d. It is curious to learn that
a sugar loaf, weighing six pounds, cost 9s. 6d., or Is. 7d.
a pound. Making a pair of gallows in the Castle Garth
cost 13s. 4d.
The cost incurred by the town in preparing for and
entertaining the judges can only be gathered from such
portions of the Corporation accounts as are accessible to
us. Some items, though trifling in amount, are of great
interest. We have, for instance, a payment in July,
1594, of 4d. "for rushes and mynt upp to the town
courte," both articles being intended to be strown on the
floor. In 1660 clean mshes were not considered a suffi-
cient garniture to meet the judges' eyes, for the sum of
6s. 6d. was " paid for hanging up the tapestry, and for
rushes for the towne courte, at the assizes." Whilst the
Guildhall was being erected, the Assizes were held " in
the chapel," that is, I believe, the chapel of St. Thomas,
at the north end of Tyne Bridge. This edifice was made
"fit for the judges" by an outlay of £6 3s.
The judges must be entertained during their stay. The
town usually provided a banquet, at which the judges
attended. In 1592, the sum of £3 16s. lOd. was given to
Mr. William Green well, Sheriff, "for the charges of the
judges banquett in the Pentas." In 1595, "for the
chairgs of the judges banquet in the Pentas att Lambas
laste" the amount was £4 7s. 2d. It was, no doubt, for
some such entertainment that, in 1598, the following ex-
penses were incurred : —
Paid upon Mr. Maiores his warrante
for one mannes charges 4 daies for
the provideinge of venysonn for the
judges 20s. Od.
For horse hier 4 daies 5s. 4d.
Paide to Christofer Applebie, serjante,
for his owne charges, 7 daies, and
his horse meate 10s. 8d.
For horse hier 7 daies 9s. 4d.
Provideinge venysonn for the judges,
commanded by Mr. Maior to paie 20s. Od.
At a later period a ball formed part of the entertain-
ment, and the rhymster whom I have before quoted tells
us that, on one occasion a least.
The ladies, handsome, brilliant, gay,
To dance took half the bar away.
In the Corporation accounts we find frequent payments
to the Mayors of the town, to reimburse them the ex-
penses they had incurred in entertaining the judges. The
following extracts may be quoted aa examples : —
1647, Paid the right worshipful the major for entertaining
the judges tower daies and 4 nights with theare
attendance, and feasting the high sherife, £60.
1651, Paid Mr. Maior which he disburst for provisions to
entertaine the judges (though they came no farther
then Yorke this yeare), and for a present to the lord
generall Cromwell when he was at Stella, £60.
1659, Paid the right worshipful Marke Milbanke, maior,
for the entertainment of judge baron Thorpe, and
judge barren Parker, and all their followers, from the
llth August to the — August, £68.
Before the Mansion House in the Close was abandoned,
the Mayor for the time being possessed a barge, for his
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
227
official use as admiral of the river. In this it was the custom
to take the judges down the river to Tynemoutb, or up
the river to the King's Meadows.
On one occasion a circumstance occurred which
is related in an interleaved copy of Bourne's His-
tory. " In 1729, the town had a trial at the assizes
with Sir Henry Liddell about paying of tolls, wherein
a verdict was given in favour of Sir Henry. It
was then customary for the judges to go in the
town's barge, attended by the Mayor, and others
of the Corporation, to Tinmouth ; and in their
return, Mr. Justice Page, who tried the case, had some
hot words with Mr. Reay (the Mayor) relating to the
trial, and thereupon the judge threatened to commit the
Mayor ; and the Mayor told the judge he would commit
him, being then upon the water and in his jurisdiction.
This squabble was the occasion of discontinuing the
custom of going to Tinmouth." It was, however, re-
sumed after a time.
Amongst the people of Newcastle and the surrounding
villages, the great event of the assizes was the attendance
of the judges at St. Nicholas's Church on the Sunday.
This day was known as Assize Sunday. A spe-
cial sermon was preached, usually by the High
Sheriff's chaplain — that is, the vicar or perpetual curate
of the church which the High Sheriff attended. The pro-
cession which conducted the judges from the Mansion
House to the church, and back again, was of the most
imposing character. First came the county bailiffs with
their rods, then the sergeants-at-arms in blue cloaks and
cocked hats, bearing their silver maces. Next came the
sword and mace bearers. Then followed the state car-
riages with the Mayor, the High Sheriff, the Town
Sheriff, and the judges. Then came the carriages of
aldermen and private carriages, containing the gentlemen
of the Grand Jury, who had also been entertained at
the Mansion House. As the procession started, the bells
of the churches rang out merry peals. The Close, the
Sandhill, and the Side were crowded with townspeople
and country-folks who had come to witness the grand
eight. "We have seen the streets," says G. Bouchier
Richardson, "between the Mansion House and the Church
literally crammed with well-dressed multitudes, all
anxious to gain a glimpse of the procession, while the
long lines of casemented windows of the antique dwellings
on the Sandhill and the Side were thronged with beaming
faces and the gaily dressed." It is this scene, as the pro-
cession returned down the Side, that is represented on
page 225 in T. M. Richardson's painting.*
Despite balls, banquets, and processions, the time at
length arrived for the judges to depart. Carlisle was
their next station, and the journey thither, before the
* The picture U the property of the Corporation, and is pre-
served In the Mansion House, or Judges' Lodgings, in Saville Row.
It has been copied by the kind permission of the Mayor of New-
castle (Mr. Thomas Richardson).
formation of General Wade's military way, was long,
arduous, and dangerous. The road then usually taken was
past Denton Hall, through Newburn, Wylam, Ovingham,
and Oorbridge to Hexham, and then forward through
Haydon Bridge and Haltwhistle. It was the practice
for the High Sheriff and his attendants, and the Mayor
and some of the aldermen and officers of the Corporation,
to accompany the judges to Benwell Hill. Here there
was a parting ceremony. Both the High Sheriff and the
Mayor presented to each of the judges a piece of money.
We have evidence of this custom early in the reign of
Elizabeth, and how long it had then been practised it is
impossible to say. In 1566, the Corporation accounts have
the following entry : —
Geven at Mr. Maiors commandment to the judges, two
olde ryalls, for their fee, 50s.
In 1595, we find a similar item : —
Paid for two old spur riols seven to the judges of the
assizes yeirlie accustomed, 15s. 6d. per piece, 31s.
A spur-rial, or spur-royal, it need scarcely be said, was a
gold coin current in the reigns of Elizabeth and James I.
On its reverse it bore a star which resembled the rowell
of a spur. When Sir James Whitlocke was on the
Northern Circuit in 1627, he received, as he records in his
Liber Famelicus, a "spur royall " from the Mayor of
Newcastle at " leave-taking, " and valued the coin at 15s.
From the Sheriff of Northumberland, "at leave taking,'
he received "in gold" £1. In the following year Sir
James Whitlocke was here again, and the Sheriff of
Northumberland entered the following item in his private
accounts : —
To the judges, Sir Henry Yelverton and Sir James
Whitlocke, either of them, a [gold] peece att our parting
upon Benwell hills, £2.
In 1659 the Corporation accounts record a payment of
42s. 6d. " for two rose nobles given to the judges." These
payments were originally intended to enable the judges
to provide themselves with arms for self-defence in their
perilous journeys. The custom of paying "dagger
money," as it was called, is continued to this day.
J. R. BOYLE. F.S.A.
JEHavtf af flm-tftuntferia.
V.
THE RISE AND POWEE Of OSWY.
IJHILE pagan inroads were eating the very life
out of the Northumbrian people, the chiefs,
unfortunately, remained at variance about a
ruler. Oswy, a brother of the saintly
Oswald, had claimed the throne after the disaster at
Maeserfield, in 642, and expected to reign, as hie prede-
cessor had done, over both Bernicia and Deira. The
inhabitants of the southern province objected to such an
arrangement, and demanded that Oswin, the son of Osric,
228
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
should be their king. Although it was seen that acquies-
cence with these wishes must prove a source of weakness,
there was no alternative, under the circumstances, but to
comply. For a time the two sovereigns preserved peace-
ful relations, and did their best to prevent the raids and
devastations of the Mercians. They succeeded almost
beyond their expectations ; and after the pagans had
been expelled or conciliated, the lands north of the Hum-
ber enjoyed a period of much needed repose. It was not
of long duration. Though, outwardly, there was friend-
ship between the rulers, neither Oswy nor Oswin were
satisfied with a divided control. It was a struggle in
reality, as to whether the royal line of Ethelfrith or that
of Edwin should have the ascendency ; and the respec-
tive representatives prepared, as secretly as as they could,
for the time when the dispute should be submitted to the
arbitrament of the sword. In this scheming for power,
Oswy's efforts seemed likely to be crowned with the
greatest success. His following had become so consider-
able by 649, that Oswin— rather than risk an open en-
counter— voluntarily abandoned his forces, and went into
hiding. But hia absence failed to avert the calamity he
dreaded. Through the treachery of a thegn in whom he
had implicit confidence, he was discovered at Gilling,
near Richmond, and there brutally murdered by one of
his rival's emissaries. The dead prince— who was a man
of stately presence, and of great piety and humility— was
dearly beloved by all the monks, and they mourned his
loss as that of an intimate friend. They managed to
secure his remains, and buried them in a small religious
house which already existed on the bold promontory at
Tynemouth. The site of this grave became a centre for
innumerable pilgrimages, and caused, at a later day, the
erection of an edifice that was destined to play an impor-
tant part in the local annals. Although Oswin was suc-
ceeded by Adelwald, a young son of Oswald's, in 649, Deira
had practically no independence. Oswy's influence now
became so great, and the force behind him so powerful,
that he may be regarded as monarch over the whole ter-
ritory. that his brother had ruled. And, in the main, he
exercised his authority wisely and well. Through the in-
strumentality of Aidan — assisted by XJtta, the superior of
a monastery at Oateshead — he arranged a matrimonial
alliance with Eanfleda, a cousin of Oswin, and thus
gained considerable support from men who had hitherto
opposed him. Freed from invasion, and trusted by his
people, Oswy at once began to exert his influence in
favour of an extension of monasticism, and sent mis
sionaries far over his own and neighbouring lands.
rUBTHKK ATTEMPTS TO CHRISTIANISE THE PAGANS.
Though Penda and his Mercians looked coldly on this
movement, they refrained from hostility. They had
allowed Alchfrid — a son of the Northumbrian ruler by
a former marriage — to take one of the old king's daughters
as his wife. They were quiet even when Peada, the old
pagan's heir, became a convert to the new faith. This
young prince, who was chief of the Mid- Angles, had long
desired an alliance with Oswy's daughter, but failed to
receive consent because of his heathenism. As many
others have acted since, he thereupon determined to waive
his own scruples rather than lose a bride. On making
his decision known, he was invited to the North-
umbrian Court in 653, and there, with many of his
followers, was admitted to the Christian Church. Finan
— who had succeeded Aidan as Bishop of Lindisfarne —
performed the ceremony of baptism " in that famous
royal town at the wall." Some authorities have en-
deavoured to show that the place thus referred to was
Walbottle. Bede's account bears unmistakable evidence
that the royal town was Ad Murum — the site of the
present city of Newcastle — as he more than once refers to
it as being only ten or twelve miles from the Eastern Sea.
If this is so, it is equally clear that the kingly dwelling
of Pandon Hall— with its strong position between the
Roman Wall and the river — was the scene of the festi-
vities alluded to. On taking his homeward journey,
Peada was accompanied by four priests, and they are said
to have preached the word so assiduously in the southern
land that multitudes renounced their idols.
PENDA ONCE MORE ON THE WAB-PATH.
Though interesting enough in itself, this mission work
would have formed no part of our paper if it had not been
for the results that sprang from it. The Mercian
Ma:
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
229
monarch, as we have shown, stood quietly by while the
leading members of his household were allying them-
selves with the royal family of Northumbria. But it was
another matter, apparently, when the monks were sent so
ostentatiously to his very threshold. He was close upon
80 years of age. and, if not quite so energetic, was quite as
vindictive as he had ever been. Mustering his forces, in
654, he hurled them against the converts of East Anglia,
and inflicted a terrible punishment upon that somewhat
changeable people. In the following year, being stil'
wroth, he commenced hostilities against the Northum-
brians. Family alliances were powerless to turn him
from his purpose, and offers of costly subsidy were equally
ineffectual. The ancient warrior summoned no fewer
than 30 of his tributary chiefs — Welsh and Cumbrians
amongst them — and then sent an imperative message to
the East Anglian king as to the precise amount of as-
sistance he would be expected to render during the cam-
paign. In this way he soon got together an army that
appeared invincible. Placing himself at the head of this
mighty host, he began his march northward in the begin-
ning of November, 655. On reaching the neighbourhood
of Leeds, his advance was stopped to allow of negotiations
with Adelwald, the so-called ruler of Deira. This prince-
ling is said to have practically submitted to Penda, and
to have promised — as a means of avenging the murder of
Oswin— that his own troops should assist in subjugating
their brethren of Bernicia. Hearing of this alliance, and
being alarmed at the enormous odds against him, Oswy
again endeavoured, by means of valuable bribes, to
induce the Mercians to abandon their enterprise. But
Penda was inexorable. The Christians had to be crushed,
and his followers had to be enriched with booty. It may
have been, also, that he desired to have one more kingly
victim. He had already slain five rulers, and, if Oswy
could be added to the list, his reputation amongst the
leaders of men would have been greatly enhanced.
Realising that all hope of peace was impossible, and
recollecting the horrors of previous invasions, Oswy was
nerved with the courage of despair. He called his chosen
councillors together, resolved on battle, and — as the
monkish writers tell us— then vowed that he would give
his infant daughter to the service of the Church, and
grant as much land as would endow a dozen monasteries,
if fortune favoured his arms with victory. Though the
Northumbrians were numerically inferior to their oppo-
nents, they took their way valiantly to the Mercian
encampment. Many of Adelwald's best warriors joined
them on the way, and so weakened the forces of that
treacherous prince that, although he was ready for action,
he could not decide which of the opposing parties it
would be wisest for him to support. Thinking, doubtless,
that he would afterwards receive small consideration
from either side, he determined to break his engagement
with Penda, and to hold himself in readiness to fight or
bargain with the conqueror. Acting on this resolve, he
withdrew his men to a safe distance, and left Oswy and
the Mercians to settle the dispute between themselves.
In this way, without intending it, he conferred a substan-
tial advantage on the Northmen, as it lessened the serious
odds against them.
DEATH OF THE MERCIAN KINO AT WINAUDFIKLD.
On becoming acquainted with this favourable change in
the aspect of affairs, the Northumbrian king was inspired
with so much hope and confidence, that he decided to
take the initiative instead of waiting to be attacked.
He found the army of Penda drawn up at a place called
Winaudfield, near Leeds — probably Winmoor, in the
parish of Seaforth — and, having properly stationed his
forces, he burst upon the Mercians with such fury as to
throw their ranks into confusion. A determined struggle
ensued — in which sword and javelin wrought frightful
havoc— and for a time it was doubtful which side was
making the greatest headway. By the judicious manipu-
lation of a stalwart body of reserves, however, the tide
was eventually turned in Oswy's favour. At first the
Mercians only wavered at this new onslaught ; but in a
few minutes they were in full flight for the shelter of a
river that bounded their position on the south. Though
Bede named this waterway the Winwed, later historians
have advanced good reasons for identifying it with the
Aire. But, however designated, it failed to save the
fugitives. Heavy rains had caused the stream to overflow
its banks, and rendered highly dangerous its previously
safe fords. This circumstance, not fully appreciated till
too late, caused more destruction amongst the panic-
stricken invaders than had already been wrought by the
sword. " It was a great day for the independence of the
Northern kingdom, and a still greater for its Christianity.
On the one hand, the plains of Yorkshire witnessed the
emancipation of England ; on the other, Penda fell, and
with him fell paganism." One of the hardest fought
battles of the period had resulted in the death of two
kings, thirty petty chieftains, and the flower of the fight-
ing men of Middle Angle-land. Here again, as in so
many of these early conflicts, there is much doubt as to
the precise locality. Some persons have areued that this
bloody scene took place on the plain of Gai, near the
Firth of Forth, and that it occurred after Penda had
made his abortive attempt to burn Bamborough Castle.
In this opinion they are guided by two circumstances —
first, because some of the Scottish bards have given that
as the spot on which Penda was slain ; and, secondly,
because Loidis, the locality mentioned by Bede, was once
the name given to the Lothians. There can be no doubt,
however, that the monk of Jarrow used the word Loidis
on several occasions when he certainly meant Leeds, and
that should be good evidence that he so applied it now.
But apart from this consideration, there is absolutely no
justification for saying that Penda made any extensive
inroad into Northumbria in 655. As for the Bamborough
incident, it must either be discarded altogether, or ac-
230
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
cepted aa the priests describe. The strongest feature in
all their narratives lies in the belief that Aidan, by the
fervour of his prayers, kept back the flames which threat-
ened the stronghold. As most reliable authorities agree
that Aidan died in 651, and that his successor baptized
Peada in 653, it is fair to assume that the advance of the
Mercians to the district beyond the Coquet was in the
heyday of their prosperity after Maeserfield.
GREATNESS OF NORTHUMBKIA.
Though Penda's death left Oswy free to deal with his
treacherous foes in Deira, he magnanimously overlooked
their delinquencies, in order to devote himself to a war of
vengeance against the Mercians. Placing himself at
the head of a powerful army, he quickly overran their
country ; appointed Northumbrian thegns as its rulers ;
and, on the death of Peada, his son-in-law, seized the
possessions which that prince had ruled on his father's
behalf. This terrific struggle between heathendom and
Christianity was followed by a good interval of peace. In
658, however, a general rising of the Mid- Angles led to
the restoration of Penda's line ; though Wulfere, the new
ruler, still acknowledged the over-lordship of the Northern
king. Oswy was Bretwalda, as two of his predecessors
had been ; but in addition to holding high and undisputed
authority over the Anglian race, he is said to have exacted
tribute from the Picts and Scots also. While thus power-
ful, he did not fail to fulfil his vow about the monasteries,
and quickly planted a dozen spacious structures in well-
selected centres of Bernicia and Deira. He sent his
daughter to the Lady Hilda — who shortly afterwards
removed from Hartlepool to Whitby — and witnessed the
progress of that marvellous movement which led to the
conversion of the entire kingdom. It is beyond our
province to follow the many disputes that arose between
Scotic and Romish prelates, or to notice the part taken
by the king in their settlement. It will be sufficient to
say that Oswy, when at his greatest, was performing a
work in conjunction with Finan, Colman, Chad, Cuth-
bert, Wilfrid, and Theodore, which did more, perhaps,
for the advancement of his people and the improvement
of his country than any of his warlike exploits could ever
accomplish. In 664, the death of Adelwald, of Deira,
left Oswy with the disposal of a vacant throne. He con-
ferred it on Alchfrid, his own son, and thus created a
power which, without being particularly dangerous,
caused him endless anxiety and trouble, and tended not
a little to mar the happiness of his long and useful reign.
He died in 670, beloved by his people, and left the land
he ruled in a state of greater prosperity than at any other
period of its eventful history.
OPPOSITION TO KOFRID.
When Northumbria came under the rule of Egfrid, the
favourite son of Oswy, there was every appearance of a
protracted peace. Before a year had elapsed, however,
the Picts unexpectedly attempted to regain their indepen-
dence. Collecting a large army, in 671, they invaded the
country south of the Forth, and committed many and
serious depredations. Egfrid took the field, as quickly as
circumstances would permit, at the head of a formidable
body of horsemen, and, meeting the enemy on the banks
of a river which the old chroniclers do not name, he is
said to have inflicted such a terrible defeat upon them
that the waterway was obstructed by the bodies of their
slain. Following up his success, he chased the enemy
into mountain fastnesses ; and then began such a brilliant
campaign against their British neighbours on the west,
that he "raised the Northumbrian power to the highest
pitch of glory." For the first time in history, the king-
dom of Cumbria was at the mercy of an invader, and the
district around Carlisle became English ground.
HOME TROUBLES AND FURTHER WAB.
After these important triumphs, Egfrid settled down,
as his predecessors had done, to help forward the work of
church building. Many new handicrafts were encouraged,
many noble edifices were reared amid scenes of great
sylvan beauty, and the priests were making rapid progress
with the education and enlightenment of the people. But
here, again, there were serious troubles to be grappled
with. Wilfrid, who was Bishop of the Northern Diocese,
appears to have exercised great influence over Ethel-
dreda, the wife of Egfrid, and not always with the most
cordial approval of the king. In 674, for instance, the lady
gave the lands that are now known as Hexhamshire for the
purposes of the Church. She had been an unwilling bride
from the commencement — probably at the wily priest's
instigation — and now followed her munificent grant by
secretly taking the veiL Egfrid married again, and the
new queen lost no time in raising his animosity against
the famous cleric. After innumerable quarrels, Wilfrid
was sent from Northumbria in disgrace, and found a tem-
porary resting-place in Mercia. It was here, also, that
Etheldreda was residing as Abbess of the Monastery of
Ely. The refuge thus given to the fugitives led to an
open rupture, in 679, between Egfrid and Wulfere. They
had both been adding considerably to their dominions,
and, with the King of Wessex, now constituted the only
three powers in the land. It had long been seen that
there must eventually be a struggle between these rival
monarchs ; and, therefore, when the present disagreement
Mayl
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
231
arose, there was no disposition on the part of the Mer-
cians to submit to Northern dictation. Wulfere had been
remarkably fortunate in his Southern wars, and thought
the time had now arrived when he might throw off the
over-lordship which Mercia had not ceased to acknow
ledge, though she had freed herself from the yoke of
direct subjection. But Northumbria was a very different
antagonist to either the West Saxons or the Jutes. The
armies had no sooner crossed swords, on the banks of the
Trent, than victory seemed assured for the Northmen,
and, in the end, they were so successful that Wulfere was
compelled to purchase peace by handing over to his con-
querors the whole area of Lincolnshire.
THE ATTACK ON IRELAND.
This was by no means an insignificant reward for a
short campaign ; but it is more than likely that the terms
would have been very much harder, if Egfrid had not
required his soldiers for an attack in an entirely dif-
ferent quarter. A year or two elapsed before his plans
were matured ; but, in 684, he proclaimed a descent on
the coast of Ireland, and sent a noted chieftain named
Heort to do his bidding. There is no means of knowing
what this leader's instructions really were, as Bede's
record deals only with the results. We learn, however,
that a harmless nation was miserably wasted, and that
in the savage fury of the depredators neither churches
nor monasteries were spared.
WILLIAM LONQSTAFF.
The Tynemouth sketch is from a beautiful engraving
in " Allom's Views " of the four Northern Counties. It
is of interest as showing not only the site of Oswin's
shrine, and the subsequent priory, but as giving a fair
indication of the methods by which this important posi-
tion was at one time defended. If we substitute earthen
mounds for the stone fortifications, we may easily conceive
what the place looked like at a very much earlier period.
Our other illustrations gives an idea of two very re-
markable places— Lindisfarne and Whitby. The first
depicts the "solemn, huge, and dark red pile " which still
overhangs the cliffs at Lindisfarne, and the second shows
the ruins of the famous abbey at Whitby. For boldness
of situation, or for historic interest, it would be impossible
to find their equal in the country. Aidan's Monastery
was the first great centre of Christianity in Northern
England, and the monks from Holy Island — travelling
over bleak moorlands and through pathless forests— were
mainly instrumental in bringing about the conversion of
the people. It was the training school of Wilfrid, the
great Bishop of York, and the founder of Hexham and
Ripon ; it was for a time the home of Cedd, of Lasting-
ham ; and it was the scene of the greatest triumphs of the
gentle and scholarly Eata. It was through the saintly
Aidan, too, that Melrose owed its origin, and was able to
send out such pupils as Cuthbert. It was at Aidan's
instigation, also, that the royal Hilda was induced to
settle at Hartlepool, and to commence the work which
culminated so effectually in her new religious house at
Whitby. As in the case of Lindisfarne, the great York-
shire monastery gave to the world many notable men.
Five of its monks became bishops— Bosa and Wilfrid U.
were chosen for York ; John of Beverley, the friend of
Bede, being sent to Hexham ; Ella going to Dorchester;
and Offer to the see of Worcester. Whitby was the scene
of the famous clerical synod, in 664, when kings and
priests assembled for the settlement of the Easter ques-
tion. It also gave shelter and encouragement to Caed-
mon, the father of English poetry ; and had frequently
within its portals the greatest and wisest theologians of
the day.
tit* 5><idtt(aUi.
j]OOKS (Connii frugtiegui) are more or less
migrants. In autumn many of the Northern
birds cross the North Sea and winter in this
country, while our native birds, at least a portion of them,
winter possibly as far to the south as Africa. "Large
numbers of rooks," says Dr. Brehm, "are destroyed
during their migrations, which are made in flocks of in-
credible magnitude ; whilst flying in this manner from
place to place, they may sometimes be seen to delay their
course for half an hour at a time, merely to enjoy the
pleasure of hovering or performing a variety of evolutions
on the wing, descending somewhat in their flight as they
pass over mountains, and soaring high into the air when
about to cross lowland districts. Sometimes, as though
again wishing to alight, they plunge directly earthwards,
falling like a lifeless mass from 200 feet above the ground,
and then fly gently onwards on their journey."
Rooks are of social habits at all times of the year, and
nest in colonies, never singly. In the nesting season the
birds are very jealous of their presumed rights, and stray
birds, not reared in the rookery, are not allowed to nes"t
there. If they attempt to do so, they are ruthlessly
beaten off, and sometimes killed. The last rookery in
Newcastle was that at the Barras Bridge, where, as Mr.
Hancock tells us, the birds were so persecuted by being
pelted with stones that they deserted the place in 1866.
There were formerly other rookeries inside the town, but
this was the last.*
The food of rooks consists chiefly of the larva of cock-
chafers and those of other beetles, moths and insects,
wireworms, snails, slugs, and worms. They will also eat
potatoes, and farm and garden produce occasionally ; but,
except when they are over numerous, they are beneficial to
the agriculturists, whose crops would else suffer from the
vermin which the rooks destroy in enormous numbers.
They are very knowing and wary birds, and are quite
aware who are their enemies. They can quickly discern
between a gun and a walking stick ; and if the latter be
held out in shooting fashion, they will take no notice of
it, but go on feeding in the fields. Should a gamekeeper,
or a person with a gun, appear, however, they get out of
the way at once.
The nests (large structures) are composed of sticks and
twigs, cemented with clay and tufts of grass, and lined
with roots, sometimes mixed with wool. The eggs are
from four to five, and vary much in size, shape, and mark-
* For an account of rooks and daws in Newcastle, see an inter-
esting paper by the late James Clephan, in the Monthly Chronicle
for 1888, page 179.
232
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
ing. They are of a pale green colour, blotched with
darker and lighter patches of yellowish and greenish
brown. The male is one foot seven inches long, and
the black plumage is " shot " with purple, especially on
the back. The female is about an inch shorter than the
male. The young resemble the female, but have at first
feathers at the base of the bill. White, cream-coloured,
and pied varieties are occasionally met with.
The jackdaw (Cortus moncdula.) is a well-known bird
throughout the country. It frequents towns, where it
nests in church steeples, old buildings, and chimneys.
In the country it breeds in old castles, churches, holes in
decayed trees, and also in the high cliffs on the sea shore.
It is often found in company with rooks. Daws will
sometimes build their nests in rookeries, and they always
seem to be on good terms with their larger relatives. The
birds are easily dististinguished from the rooks by their
smaller size, their flight, the grey patch behind the head,
and their note, which is a sharp "kiaw." Jack is a
familiar and sprightly bird, is very easily tamed, and can
be taught to talk tolerably well. Like the magpie, their
peculative propensities in captivity are well known.
Readers of "Ingoldsby" will recollect the humorous
story of the "Jackdaw of Rheims," the recipient of a
terrible curse by bell, book, and candle, for stealing the
Lord Cardinal's ring, and the remarkable result that fol-
lowed the irate prelate's fulmination ; how the bird lost
its feathers through the potency of the ban ; how they
were miraculously restored when the curse was taken off
on the ring being found ; and how the bird was eventually
canonised as " Jim Crow."
The jackdaws are social birds, and live in communities ;
and the male and female are believed to pair for life.
Their flight is more rapid and jerky than that of the
rooks. The nests of the birds are composed of huge piles
of sticks, loosely put together, with a depression in the
centre lined with wool, hair, grass, or other soft sub-
stance. The jackdaws frequently build their nests in
chimneys, regardless of the smoke, and they sometimes
so completely block up the vents that the sweep has to be
called in to clear them out. In large towns, in the nest-
ing season, the juvenile sweeps have often young daws
for sale. In Cambridge, where these birds are numerous,
building in the cottages and church towers, no less (as
Adams tells us) than eighteen dozen of deal laths, about
nine inches long and one inch broad, which had been pur-
loined from the botanic gardens, where they were put
into the ground as labels for the plants, were found in the
shaft of one chimney in which the birds had built. Like
the rooks, jackdaws are more or less migratory. As Dr.
Brehm states, they leave late in autumn for warmer
regions in company with the rooks, though but rarely
journeying as far as the latter birds. The spring is
usually far advanced before they return to their native
haunts and commence the work of building or repairing
their nests. During building operations, the settlement
is a constant scene of quarrelling, one bird stealing from
another when a chance offers. The young are fed upon
insects, and tended with great affection by their parents,
who will also defend them from an enemy with much
courage. Should an owl or buzzard venture to approach
the colony, the intruder is at once attacked and driven
off. Large quantities of insects, snails, and worms are
devoured by these useful and lively birds. They will
seek their food in the streets of populous towns, or follow
in the wake of the ploughman as he turns up the furrow
and lays the concealed grubs bare to their hungry beaks.
The eggs in a nest are from four to six in number, of
a pale bluish white, spotted with grey and brown, but
they vary much in size and marking. The young are
hatched about the end of May. The male bird weighs
about nine ounces ; length, about one foot two inches ;
bill, black, covered at the base with depressed feathers ;
iris, greyish white ; crown, black ; neck, on the back and
nape, hoary grey; and the whole of the rest of the
plumage black. The female is less than the male, and
the grey on the neck is less conspicuous. The young
birds have but little of the grey at first, which increases
with asre. HENRY KERB.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
233
mutt."
|ANY a touching story has been told of the
faithfulness of the dog, yet there are few,
in my opinion, so remarkable as that of
"Wandering Willie," the Northumbrian collie which
sixteen years ago became celebrated on the Shields
ferry by its devoted and persevering search for its master.
It was in August, 1873, that a shepherd was on his way
from the Cheviots to the Cleveland Hills with a beautiful
drove of white lambs. Great was their excitement when
they crossed the Tyne at Shields by the steam ferry.
The mingling noise of the steam-engine and the
paddle-wheels, the gurgling of the waters, and the
whirl of traffic disturbed their mountain serenity ;
and no sooner had their trotters touched the
county palatine, and their nostrils sniffed the unwonted
atmosphere of a manufacturing town, than off they
scampered in astonishment and consternation. They were
in a region of glass-houses and alkali works, and soon
they saw signs of what seemed to them a thunderstorm.
It was simply a cloud of dense black smoke, but it
brought them to a sudden halt. It was a new world to
them, and they were not at all at home in it. So they fled
for escape, describing all manner of curves and angles in
their alarm. Every thoroughfare had now its separate
flock ; not a street, or lane, or alley was unvisited by the
bleating mountaineers, and distress and distraction ac-
companied their flight.
The shepherd's dog would fain have followed them all
at one and the same time ; but, if Boyle Roche's head
could be in two places at once, who ever heard of any-
body being in six or seven ? The dog pursued the lambs,
however, in turns. Bounding and running, turning and
driving, he got them at last into one flock, and, with a
zeal and earnestness worthy of human imitation, brought
them all to the presence of his master. At the first
count one of their number was apparently missing, and
the drover raised a cry in Willie's ear which he well
understood. Away he ran in chase of the missing lamb,
but in his absence the drove was found to be complete.
The autumn sun had now gone down, the toil-worn
shepherd had four miles to go before resting his weary
charge, and he moved onward. The dog, which was
expected to follow, did not return from his search for
hours. He had sought the town in every conceivable
corner for the supposed missing one, and late at
night was once more at the ferry in quest of his
master. He was not there, nor was he anywhere to be
found. Men came and went, but in none of these could
the poor brute identify the friend who was lost.
Willie lay down in the track of his companion
of the morning, moaning over his loss, and al-
most dead with work and want. He lingered on the
spot for days and weeks, even for months, refusing
comfort, growling at consolation, and setting his teeth
against the kindest efforts to win him from his despair.
He could only be lured into a meal by placing it within
his reach, and leaving him unlocked at until the friendly
purpose was served. He seemed to have a notion that
whatever interest was manifested in his welfare, whether
it came in the form of generous sympathy or substantial
food, was but meant as a bribe to induce him to forget his
former master and enter the service of some new friend ;
and he would enlist under no leader in the place of him
whom he had followed from the hills.
For fully six months the writer visited him daily, yet
nothing but a growl could be got from him in acknow-
ledgment of any proffered attention. His independent
spirit scorned all patronage. Offerings were constantly
laid in his way ; but he preferred to seek out on the
shore rejected scraps of sustenance, and so provide
for his own maintenance. About this time the miser
234
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
able waif, pining away out of life and an object of
generous pity, was one night, with the best and
most humane intentions, thrown overboard from the
steam ferry when the tid« was running strongly
seawards. But Willie had endured much, and yet
lived. He had a canine tenacity of life, and he
clung to it still. Notwithstanding his protracted suffer-
ings, he strove against death, and in some unknown way
escaped from the waves that threatened him with destruc-
tion. He was seen a week afterwards resuming his
search. Hour by hour, night and day, he was found
crossing the river by the ferry, making over and over
again the passage which he had first undertaken on his
arrival from the Cheviots. He always warily watched to
see if the arm was on board that had dropped him into
the stream, and if BO, having no wish to be thus relieved
of his cares, waited for the next boat. His master, return-
ing in the following autumn, heard of his long lonely wan-
derings, but missed him by a few minutes, and could not
recover him on that journey.
Frequently was Willie taken home by friendly
butchers, farmers, seamen, and others, and detained with
hospitable thoughts, for he had awakened the widest
sympathy by his devotion ; but in a week or two he
would break away from their care to renew his solitary
life. When the close of 1874 drew on, there were general
doubts whether he would survive the winter. His wear-
ing anxiety had told upon his frame, and reduced him to
a mere "ruckle of bones." Time, however, that works
wonders with us all, brought alleviation at last even to
Willie. With a new black coat, and the ring round his
neck restored in whiteness, he began to respond to the
paternal kindness which all the ferrymen, and everyone
who knew his story, bestowed upon him. He was even
seen at last to wag his tail 1 Food was accepted more
readily, and with expressions of gratitude. His strength
was regained, and he had a happier countenance. Not
in the least, however, did he lighten his labours. He
pursued them with added energy and zeal. His daily
and nightly wanderings in search of his long-lost master
went forward as earnestly as ever.
Shortly after Willie's woes were publicly known, he
became such an object of interest to rich and poor alike
that all kinds of food were brought to him. In fact, he
grew vulgarly fat, and began to growl at every dog that
crossed the ferry. On reaching land he claimed the right
of being "first man "out, and would bark furiously as a
proclamation that he had brought all the passengers
safely over the water. This he did for several years. At
last the street arabs, "turning to mirth all things on
earth, as only boyhood can, " joined chorus with Willie,
and created such a nuisance that the poor brute and his
ragamuffin comrades had to be banished from the locality
of the landing places. The dog, with Ralph, the ferry-
man, his keeper, was afterwards but occasionally seen in
the streets of Shields. He once more grew disconsolate.
Blindness and infirmities quickly gathered upon him, and
at last, in 1880, old age finished his career. Ralph the
ferryman had him stuffed and placed under a glass case,
and many thousands attracted to Tyneside exhibitions
have gazed on this memorial of animal fidelity.
THOMAS HDDSON.
£!(tH*r'0 Cottage,
I HE last fragment of old property at Barras
Bridge, Newcastle, has just disappeared.
Persons passing near St. Thomas's Church
may have noticed one house, not far from the corner of
Eldon Street, which was some three feet below the level
of the adjoining property. This was the Miller's Cottage,
and it is this building which has now been taken down.
The lower level of the house indicated that the roadway
had been raised since the time it was built. When Barras
•^SUivtt
Bridge was a reality, and not a mere name, as it is now,
the district round about it had a pleasant and picturesque
aspect. The Baillie Burn, which flowed from the Town
Moor down Eldon Street into Pandon Dene, passed under
the Barras Bridge. It was, however, intercepted near
the foot of Eldon Street for the purposes of the Barrow's
Mill, and the intercepted water was called the Miller's
Pond. The Miller's Cottage got its name, of course, from
its association with the Barrow's Mill. A few years ago,
during a terrific thunderstorm which caused a flood of
water to flow down Eldon Street and the North Road,
the occupants of the Miller's Cottage were nearly drowned
out. Now that the old building has been levelled with the
ground, nothing remains to indicate the ancient features
of the Barras Bridge. Our sketoh of the cottage was
taken just before the workmen commenced operations.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
235
iJcrtro fftttr CrwtmetTtart*&
A HARTLEPOOL GINEVRA.
Hartlepool was the scene of a fatal affair about the
year 1876 that recalled the fate of Ginevra. Mr. Kelk,
cashier to the building firm of Whitley and Company,
who had been recently married, invited on a certain
evening a party of friends to his house. His young
wife, in her anxiety to get out of the hot air, ven-
tured upstairs. Seeing a small closet with a ventilator,
she entered to fasten it, when the current of the air
closed the door. In vain she called the servants.
although she could hear the door bell rung and the
visitors enter. As none suspected that the imprisoned
lady was in the roof of the house, all the other parts of
the dwelling and grounds were searched. One visitor at
last suggested that there might be an old oak cheat with
a secret spring, and this gave a clue to the closet. When
at last found, Mrs. Kelk was seriously ill and hysterical.
Violent epileptic fits followed, and, the shock being more
than the nervous system could sustain, death shortly put
an end to her sufferings. MALCOLM, Newcastle.
ST. NICHOLAS' CHURCH AND THE SCOTTISH
PRISONERS.
Robin Goodfellow notes, in the Newcastle Weekly
Chronicle, that Mr. J. R. Boyle, F.S.A., joint author
with Mr. W. H. Knowles of " Vestiges of Old Newcastle
and Gateshead," does not discard one of the most cher-
ished legends of Tyneside — the legend which ascribes
the preservation of St. Nicholas' Church, during the
siege by the Scots in 1644, to the presence of mind of
Sir John Marley. The story was preserved by tradi-
tion for nearly a hundred years before it found its way
into print. Bourne appears to have told it for the first
time, and all subsequent historians have repeated it after
him. Mr. Boyle tells it again, adding the sentiment : —
"Such is the tradition, and there seems no reason to
doubt its truth." Old and well known as the legend is,
it may not be "tinker's news" to some readers even of
these pafres : so it is here given as Mr. Boyle quotes it
from Bourne : —
There is a traditional Story of this Building I am now
treating of [St. Nicholas's Church], which may not be
improper to be here taken Notice of. In the Time
of the Civil Wars, when the Scots had besieg'd
the Town for several Weeks, and were still as far
as at first from taking it, the General [Lesley] sent
a Messenger to the Mayor of the Town [Marley], and de-
manded the Keys, and the Delivering up of the Town, or
he would immediately demolish the Steeple of St.
Nicholas. The Mayor and Aldermen upon hearms this,
immediately ordered a certain Number of the chiefest of
the Scottish Prisoners to be carried up to the Top of the
old Tower, the Place below the Lanthorne. and there con-
fined ; after this they returned the General an Answer to
this Purpose, That they would upon no Terms deliver up
the Town, but would to the last Moment defend
it ; that the Steeple of St. Nicholas was indeed a beautiful
and magnificent Piece of Architecture, and one of the
great Ornaments of their Town ; but yet should be blown
into Attorns before ransotn'd at such a Rate : That, how-
ever, if it was to fall, it should not fall alone ; that the
same Moment he destroyed the beautiful Structure, he
should Bath his Hands in the Blood of his Countrymen ;
who were placed there on Purpose either to preserve it
from Ruin, or to die along with it. This Message had the
desired Effect. The Men were there kept Prisoners
during the whole Time of the Siege, and not so much as
one Gun fired against it.
A SUNDERLAND HERO.
Martin Douglas, born at Sunderland, November 23rd,
1777, was the seventh son of John and Ann Douglas,
and was christened at Bishopwearmouth Church. At
the early age of four, he was in great danger of losing
his life. Whilst standing on the quay, he overbalanced
himself and fell into the river, but was rescued by a man
named William Wardell.
When he had attained the age of seven, he began to
accompany his father in the keels. This life he continued
to lead until he was seventeen years of age. When the
Ajax was wrecked in Sunderland Roads, Douglas
succeeded in rescuing the whole of the crew. In all he
was compelled to make three trips. Amongst those
rescued was the above-mentioned Wardell.
Martin Douglas was at this time running fitter for
Mr. W. Hayton. At a meeting of captains and ship-
owners it was decided that, unless Douglas would com-
mence business for himself, they would not load any more
with him. However, he would not consent to this with-
out asking the opinion of Mr. Hayton. Martin Douglas,
being now a man of substance, decided to ask his
employer to enter into partnership with him. Hayton
at once agreed to this proposal. Business prospered
with them for some years, until Hayton, after collecting
all the money he could lay hands on, decamped to Buenos
Ayres. Although now a bankrupt, Douglas continued to
struggle on, and at last regained his lost position.
Although busily engaged with his own affairs, he was
always conspicuous in saving life. Amongst the many
vessels whose crews he saved may be mentioned the Cyra,
the Adriatic, the Diligence, the Jane and Margaret, and
the Betsy and Alice, of Shields. Douglas afterwards
went to live at Hartlepool, where he also saved many
lives, finally settling down at Norton, near Stockton-on-
Tees, to spend the remainder of his days.
F. JOHNSON, Hartlepool.
GENERAL MONK IN NEWCASTLE.
The following statements are extracted from Sykes's
"Local Records " : —
In November, 1659, General Lambert arrived at New-
castle with a force of about 12,000 men, comprehending,
as was reported, 7,000 of the chief of the cavalry. The
soldiers of the garrison of Tynnmouth Castle having been
drawn into a chapel there to sign an engagement to sup-
port Lambert and his followers, the roof fell in and
killed a number of them. There appears to have been a
great number of Quakers in Lambert's army in New-
castle, where they bargained for and sold horses, to be
paid when such or such a steeple-house (i.e., church) was
236
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
IMaj
1 18s9.
pulled down. On Jan. 1. 1660, General Monk, with Lord
Fairfax and other English friends, passed the Tweed with
six regiments of foot, and were followed the next day by
four regiments of horse, in order to advance towards
Lambert (who commanded superior forces in and about
Newcastle) to oppose him. On January 6th Monk
arrived at Newcastle, on the road to which place he was
met by great multitudes of the common people, who
welcomed him by loud acclamations. General Lambert
appears to have quitted Newcastle about the time that
General Monk began his march from Coldstream.
CHAS. WM. F. Goss, Jesmond.
RIDLEY VILLAS.
An error occurs in the article describing Newcastle
Streets, page 106. Ridley Villas are spoken of as lease-
hold, &c., and paying £5 ground rent per annum. The
houses are now freehold, and consequently do not pay
any ground rent. They may have been leasehold twenty
or thirty years ago. So far as I remember, without
reference to the deeds, many of the houses have been
built quite sixty-five years, and would, therefore, if lease-
hold, have reverted to the ground landlord.
S. B. BCRTON, Newcastle.
be satisfied. His equanimity, however, was somewhat
disturbed by the following query addressed to him by a
pitman, who had been critically examining the drawing :
" Is that a pictor, sor, of a plyece soinewheor aboot these
pairts !"
DOCKENS AND HEBBS.
A local artist, who wished to obtain certain objects as
foreground subjects, paid a visit to the country, and
collected a number of dockens and plants, which he was
about to put into a bag. He was startled by a pitman
shouting : " Ye great fyul, them isn't yarbs ! "
THB WIFE'S NAME.
" Mr. Mullberry, can you tell me what was the maiden
name of your second wife ?" queried a sharp elderly clerk
from a long-established firm of Durham lawyers, who was
getting up a will case. " Man, that's just what aa wes
disputing about wiv a friend the other neet. Bless me,
what wes it? Wey, man — it wes — no, but that's odd!
Aa've clean forgetten ; but ye'll surely mind her nyem
weel eneuf yorael? She wes a lassie frae 'The Tuns, '
and had rethor a giggle in yen eye !"
A CURIOUS FLIGHT.
A short time ago, a quarryman was about to "flight"
his pigeon in a match at Windy Nook, the starting point
being near a field of corn. With his watch in one hand
and the pigeon in the other, he became so excited that he
"flit "the watch instead of the bird, the watch falling
amongst the corn. The quarryman at once put his bird
into a box, and went in search of the watch. The tenant
of the field now appeared on the scene, and demanded to
know why the stranger was trespassing on his land.
"It's aall reet," said the quarryman, "aa've flitted ma
watch, and lost the match !"
A TOUGH CUSTOMER.
One dark night, a pitman was returning from Durham
to Brandon. Whilst proceeding along a very lonely part
of the road, he was accosted by two strangers, who
demanded his money. Geordy made no reply, but at
once attacked his assailants. It was very soon evident
that he was getting the best of it. One of the thieves,
however, seized a hedge-stake, and felled the pitman to
the ground. The robbers then rifled Geordy's pockets ;
but, finding only sixpence, one of them remarked :
"Begox, Jack, if the fond beggor had had a shilling,
he wad hae killed us byeth ! "
THB ARTIST AKD THE PITMAN.
An amateur artist had spent several hours in copying a
certain mill not far from Blaydon, and paused for a
moment to survey his picture, with which he appeared to
On the 15th of March, Mr. Michael Urwin, buyer and
salesman in the provision department of the Co-operative
Wholesale Society, Newcastle, died at his residence, Bel-
grave Terrace, in that city, aged 42.
The Rev. Dr. Porter, President of the Belfast Queen's
College, and formerly pastor of the High Bridge Presby-
terian Church in Newcastle, died on the 16th of March,
in the 66th year of his age.
Mr. J. Lockey, of Kay's Hill Farm, Ferryhill, and a
member of the Chilton School Board, died very suddenly
on the 16th of March, aged 45 years.
On the same day, at the age of 68, died Mr. Matthew
Bowmer, who for a great number of years had conducted
the business of Messrs . John Davidson and Co., millers,
in the Close, Newcastle.
Sergeant Peter Walton, verger of St. Andrew's Church,
Newcastle, who, as a soldier, had been engaged in active
service during the Indian Mutiny, died on the 17th of
March, in his 56th year.
On the 19th of March, Father Joseph Preston, one of
the professors at Ushaw College, died at Lancaster,
whither he had removed for the benefit of his health.
The deceased was quite a young man, and had only been
ordained since August, 1886.
On the same day, at the advanced age of 92 years, died
at Manchester, Mr. John Boutflower, F.R.C.S., long a
medical practitioner in that city. The deceased gentle-
man was descended from an old Northumbrian family,
who held an estate near By well from 1532 to 1829 ; and
through marriage he was related to the Ridleys, Claver-
ings, Radcliffes, and chief Northumberland families.
The Rev. Luke Tyerman, a retired Wesleyau minister,
who was at one time stationed in Newcastle, and who,
after the death of his first wife, married a widow lady,
sister of Mr. E. M. Bainbridge, of Newcastle, died in
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
237
London on the 20th of March. The Rev. Ishmael Jones,
a minister of the same body, who, from 1883 to 1885, waa
stationed at Newcastle as Superintendent of the Bruns-
wick Circuit, died suddenly at Clifton on the 23rd of the
same month.
On the 22nd of March, the Rev. Canon Cockin, late
Rector of Bishopwearmouth, died at York at the age of
72. In 186b, he was mainly instrumental in procuring the
passing of the Rectory Act, after which St. Peter's, St.
Mark's, St. Luke's, and St. Matthew's Churches were
built.
Mr. Robert Duncombe Shafto, of Whitworth Park, in
the county of Durham, died at his London residence,
5, Collingham Gardens, on the 22nd of March. The
deceased gentleman, who, having been born on the 7th of
April, 1806, was within a few days of the 83rd anni-
versary of his birth, sat in the House of Commons, as one
of the members for North Durham, from 1847 to 1868,
when he retired from active political life. He owned
extensive estates at Witton-le-Wear, Washington, and
Whitworth, and he had recently presented a spacious
recreation ground to the inhabitants of Spennymoor.
The Shafto family came originally from the Borders,
where they were, in olden times, often mixed up in the
frays so common on the debatable ground lying between
Scotland and England.
On the 21st of March, Mr. Thomas Mitford, tobacconist,
died at his residence in Grainger Street, Newcastle, at
the age of 62 years. The deceased, who had formerly been
employed as a compositor in the office of the Newcastle
Chronicle, was a son of the late Mr. William Mitford,
author of "Cappy's the Dog," and other well-known
local songs.
The Rev. W. L. J. Cooley, Vicar of Ponteland, and
Canon of Newcastle Cathedral, died on the 22nd of
March, at Grange-over-Sands, where he had been staying
for the benefit of his health. The deceased, who was
a student at Hatfield Hall, Durham, took the degree of
B.A. in 1857, and that of M.A. in 1860. He was
ordained a deacon in 1856, and was admitted to priest's
orders in the year following.
On the 25th of March, the death was announced of the
Rev. H. E. Slacke, Government Chaplain at Satora,
India, and younger son of the Rev. W. J. Slacke, Chap-
lain Northumberland County Asylum.
On the 26th of March, the Rev. Robert Scott, pastor of
Bankhill Presbyterian Church, Berwick, who had at-
tained the semi-jubilee of his ministry, died in the 63rd
year of his age.
On the same day, the death was announced at Rye of
an old sailor named James Bayley, who was known to
have saved no fewer than 26 lives, frequently at the
imminent risk of his own. On one occasion he kept three
men afloat in Sunderland Harbour until they were
rescued.
On the 28th of March, the Rev. William Saul, a Primi-
tive Methodist minister of forty years' standing, who had
been stationed at Newcastle and many other parts of the
North of England, died at Doncaster at the age of 62.
Mr. William Whelan, for upwards of five years
honorary secretary of the Irish Literary Institute in
Newcastle, died on the 28th of March.
Mr. Edward Taylor Smith, J.P., of Broadwood Park
and Colepike Hall, Lanchester, died at the former place
on the 3rd of April, aged 86. Deceased, who was the
oldest magistrate in the West Division of Chester Ward,
had amassed considerable wealth both as a coalowner and
landed proprietor. He was for a long period a member
of the Lanchester Board of Guardians, and was of a gen-
erous and benevolent disposition.
On the 7th of April, Mr. James Douglas, long a direc-
tor of the Newcastle and Gateshead Gas Company, and
for nearly sixty years an elder in Blackett Street Church,
Newcastle, died at his residence in that city. The de-
ceased, who was originally a woollen draper in the town,
had reached the advanced age of ninety years.
The death took place on the 10th of April of Mr. Wm.
Walton Thompson, of Lanchester, at the age of 70 years.
The deceased gentleman had filled many public and
parochial offices.
On the llth of April, news was received of the death, at
Whangarei, New Zealand, on February 4th, of Mr.
Samuel B. Siddall, who was formerly a well-known music-
hall proprietor in North and South Shields. Five or six
years ago Mr. Siddall emigrated with his family to New
Zealand, where he engaged in farming and building
operations.
lUrcrrtr at
©ceuratucsf.
MARCH.
14. — The picturesque old windmill near to Walker
Railway Station was raxed to the ground by blasting.
It had been in a ruined state for some time, and was
one of the last of many windmills that were formerly
in operation around Newcastle. It was a favourite sub-
ject with local artists.
15.— The result was declared in connection with the
election for the Jarrow School Board. The poll was
238
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
headed by a Catholic, and of the eleven members re-
turned seven had had seats on the old Board.
16. — At a large meeting of Durham miners, held at
Waldridge Fell, resolutions were passed to the effect that
the time had arrived when an advance in wages of 20 per
cent, should be asked for, that the present sliding scale
was far from satisfactory, that it should be abolished, and
that all miners should join the Miners' Association.
18. — A woman named Mary Ann Fletcher met with her
death in a shocking manner in a house in Drury Lane,
Newcastle. Quarrelling and screams were heard in the
room occupied by the deceased and her husband, Thomas
Fletcher ; and, upon the neighbours entering', blood was
found flowing profusely from a wound in the lower part
of the woman's body, death taking place within a very
brief space of time. The husband was arrested, and the
coroner's jury afterwards returned a verdict of wilful
murder against him, while the borough magistrates com-
mitted him for trial on a charge of manslaughter.
— In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, which had fallen
on the previous day (Sunday), a large meeting was held
in the Bath Lane Hall, Newcastle, the chief speaker
being Mr. T. D. Sullivan, M.P., and ex-Lord Mayor of
Dublin.
— The Prince of Wales arrived at York, and stayed till
the 21st, in company with his eldest son, Prince Albert
Victor, captain of the 10th Hussars, stationed in that
city.
— It was announced that the personal estate, under the
will of Mr. William Hedley, of Burnhopeside Hall,
near Lanchester, Durham, had been declared at
£174,119 19s. 6d. The personalty under the will of Mr.
Thomas Parker, of Bishopwearmouth, was at the same
time stated to be valued at £81,747 6s. 9d.
19. — Mr. W. H. Smith, in the House of Commons, an-
nounced the resolution of the Government to appoint a
Royal Commission, for which Mr. T. Burt had given
notice of his intention to move, to inquire into the ques-
tion of mining royalties.
— The prospectus was issued of the Newcastle Empire
Theatre of Varieties and Restaurant Company, Limited,
with a capital of £20.000 in £10 shares, to purchase and
convert to those objects the Royal Scotch Arms Hotel,
Newgate Street, Newcastle.
— The Rev. John G. Binney was welcomed as pastor of
the Hexham Road Congregational Church, Gateshead.
— Much speculation was created by the announcement,
from Manchester, of a contemplated project, under the
title of " The Coalowuers', Lessees', Workmen's, and Co-
operative Association Limited," to form a syndicate for
the purchase of all the collieries in the kingdom, the
necessary capital being estimated at £100,000,000.
20. — A violent gale of wind and rain prevailed over the
North-East Coast, during which a Tyne fisherman named
John Hope was drowned, from the screw line boat
Athena, off Souter Point Lighthouse.
— An increase of 2i per cent, in the wages of the steel-
workers at Consett was found to have accrued under the
sliding scale.
21.— Mr. W. D. Stephens and Mrs. Stephens, the
ex-Mayor and ex-Mayoress of Newcastle, gave a supper
and entertainment in the Lower Central Hall to a num-
ber of men who had been brought before the magistrates
or convicted on the charge of drunkenness. On the 4th
of April, they similarly entertained about 120 female
drunkards.
— Herr Joachim, the well-known Hungarian violinist,
performed at a chamber concert in Newcastle.
22. — The fifth triennial election of eleven members to
serve on the Allendale School Board took place, six of
the old representatives being re-elected. Mr. Charles
James Connon, Allenheads, headed the poll.
— A town's meeting on the subject of railway rates
under the Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1888, was held
in Newcastle, under the presidency of the Mayor.
— Judge Meynell, at a sitting of the Sunderland County
Court, made a winding-up order in connection with the
Sunderland Universal Building Societies.
— George Anderson, stoneman, aged 54, was killed by
an accidental explosion of powder in the pit at Burnop-
fceld.
23.— Dr. Sandford, formerly Bishop of Tasmania, now
assistant to the Bishop of Durham, was inducted into the
living of Boldon, by the Archdeacon of Durham.
24. — A new Baptist school-chapel was opened in Marton
Road, Middlesbrough.
—During the absence of her husband, the wife of
a labourer, named John Nicholson, residing at Fairhill,
Haltwhistle, suddenly and mysteriously disappeared with
three of her children ; and as two of the bodies of the
little ones were subsequently found in a burn near the
river Tyne, portions of the mother's clothing being traced
to the same source, it was concluded that all had been
drowned. It transpired at the coroner's inquest that the
unfortunate woman had previously been in a lunatic
asylum, but had been discharged quite cured ; and the
jury, while finding that the children had been drowned,
added that there was not sufficient evidence to show how
they had got into the water. The body of Mrs. Nichol-
son was found in the river Tyne, near Haydon Bridge, on
the 28th.
25. — An advance of wages was conceded to the opera-
tive plumbers employed in the various shipbuilding yards
on the Tyne.
— During a northerly gale, the steam-trawler Chancel-
lor, of North Shields, ran ashore at Newton-by-the-Sea,
on the Northumberland coast, but the crew were saved.
26.— The bill of the Newcastle and Gateshead Water
Company, which sought powers for additional works and
capital, came before a Select Committee of the House of
Lords.
— The time-gun at the mouth of the Tyne was fired at
one o'clock, for the first time since the discontinuance
of the signal some months previously.
— Several ladies were nominated as candidates for elec-
tion both on the Newcastle and the Gateshead Board of
Guardians.
27. — The business of Messrs. Bragg and Co., drapers,
Pilgrim Street, Newcastle, established by Mr. Hadwen
Bragg in 1788, was privately disposed of to Messrs. Bain-
bridge and Co., of Market Street, in the same city. (See
vol. i., p. 35.)
— At a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries, Dr.
Bruce stated that the Roman Wall passed along in the
direction of the Turf Hotel, Collingwood Street, New-
castle, which was now in course of demolition ; and he
expressed a hope that the operations in progress might
lay bare some of the work of their great predecessors, the
Romans. (See Monthly Chronicle, 1888, p. 327.)
30.— At a meeting of fishermen at North Shields, it
was resolved that on and after the 1st of May, there
should be no fishing from the Tyne on Sundays.
Ma;
1;
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
239
— Resolutions condemnatory of the sliding scale, and
demanding an advance of 20 per cent, in wages, were
adopted at a meeting held at Silksworth, of the miners
employed by the Marquis of Londonderry, the Earl of
Durham, and the South Hetton Coal Company.
— A woman named Mary Wilson, 38 years of age, wife
of Thomas Wilson, labourer, was taken into custody on
the charge of having caused the death of her child,
Twentyman Wilson, three months old, by cutting its
throat in Elswick Court, Northumberland Street. The
poor woman, who was stated to have been mentally de-
ranged, was committed for trial on the charge of wilful
murder.
— It was announced in the Weekly Chronicle, as the
outcome of much persistent advocacy on the part of
Robin Goodfellow, a contributor to that paper, that a
committee, under the presidency of Dr. Bruce, had been
formed to institute a fund for indicating, by suitable
tablets, the houses in which distinguished men and
women had been born or resided in Newcastle, Dr.
Hodgkin being treasurer, and Mr. John Robinson secre-
tary to the fund.
— The twelfth annual dinner of the Hotspur Club, com-
posed of gentlemen connected with Tyneside, was held in
London, under the presidency of Mr. John Burnett,
Labour Correspondent of the Board of Trade ; and a gift
of books, as the nucleus of a library, was announced from
Mr. Joseph Cowen, Newcastle, including the first two
volumes of the Monthly Chronicle.
— It was stated that, about this time, a handsome gold
watch, a gold guard and seal, and £80, likewise in gold,
were presented to Thomas Kelk, a working man of
Woi-ksop, for having heroically saved the life of Miss
Wright, on the occasion of a carriage accident at Stock-
ton, in 1874. The lady, at the time a child, had, after
having thanked the man and taken his address, told him
she could not reward him for his bravery then, but
assured him that he would hear from her on some future
day.
APRIL.
1. — John Stephen, George Stephen, and William Arkle,
fishermen, were drowned by the capsising of a boat at
Beadnell, Northumberland.
— Mr. James Trainer, Corporation beadle at Berwick,
and Mrs. Trainer, celebrated their golden wedding.
— Sunderland having become a county borough under
the Local Government Act, the event was celebrated by a
banquet given by the Mayor (Mr. Alderman Barnes) to
the members of the Council, the magistrates, and officials.
The elevation of Gateshead to the same position was, on
the 2nd, commemorated by a complimentary dinner to
the Mayor (Mr. Alderman John Lucas) in the Council
Chamber.
2.— At a special meeting of the members of the New-
castle Literary and Philosophical Society, for the discus-
sion of certain proposed alterations in the rules, the pro-
hibition of novels was retained by a majority of 38
against 34.
— A Local Government inquiry was held at Sunderland
as to the application of the Corporation for leave to
borrow £2,000 for alterations and additions to the public
baths.
3. — It was ascertained that a line fishing boat, supposed
to be the Danish Prince, which left the Tyne on the 25th
of March, had been lost off Souter Point on the 26th,
with all on board, consisting of eight hands.
4. — The Durham Diocesan Fund, as organised by
Bishop Lightfoot, was inaugurated at a large and repre-
sentative meeting of ladies and gentlemen, with the
clergy of the diocese, in the Assembly Hall, Fawcett
Street, Sunderland, the chair being occupied by Mr.
James Laing, J.P.
— A system of oil gas lighting was introduced into
several of the carriages on the North-Eastern Railway.
— At the annual meeting of the shareholders, it was
decided by a majority of 622 against 427, to discontinue
coursing in connection with the Gosforth Park Company,
Limited.
5.— An inquest was held at Sedgefield by Coroner Settle
upon the body of an old man named Lumley Foster, a
reputed miser. " Lummy," as he was called by his neigh-
bours, was of a very eccentric disposition. He lived by
himself in an old cottage, and laboured under the con-
viction that a plot existed to poison him. This had taken
such firm hold upon his mind that he could not be induced
to drink any of the town water, but would fetch his supply
from a distant stream, entailing upon each occasion a
journey of about six miles. A verdict of "Death from
natural causes " was returned.
— The members of Mr. T. A. Alderson's amateur choir
gave their nineteenth invitation concert in the Town Hall,
Newcastle, before a large audience.
— A dolphin, measuring about twelve feet in length, was
caught off the quiet little fishing village of Cresswell, on
the Northumberland coast.
6. — The Northumberland coalowners, in reply to a re-
quest made by Mr. Burt, M.P., and Mr. Fenwick, M.P.,
on behalf of the miners of the county, declined to grant
an advance of 10 per cent in wages.
— Mr. John Barksby, a well-known contributor to the
" Songs and Recitations " department of the Newcastle
Weekly Chronicle, met with an accident from a fall of
stone while pursuing his occupation as wasteman at New
Seaham Colliery. The accident terminated fatally on the
following day. Mr. Barksby had gathered together an
enormous collection of local and other lyrics.
7. — Mrs. L. Ormiston Chant, a London lady, preached
the anniversary sermons in connection with the Church of
the Divine Unity in Newcastle.
8. — It was announced in a Sunderland paper that
the Prince and Princess of Wales had received at Marl-
borough House Captain Wiggins, of Sunderland, who
had lately returned from attempting to open out a trade
route with Siberia through the Kara Sea.
10. — The spring show of the Durham, Northumberland,
and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Botanical and Horticultural
Society was opened in the Town Hall Buildings, New-
castle. The exhibition remained open a second day, and
the receipts for the two days amounted to £156 13s. 6d.
Central ©erarrenceg.
MARCH.
15. — The election for a Parliamentary representative
for the Kensington Division of Lambeth, in the room of
Mr. Gent Davis, Conservative, resulted as follows :—
Mark Beaufoy (Gladstonian Liberal), 4,069 ; R. Beres-
240
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
ford Hope (Conservative), 3,439 ; majority, 630. The
Liberal party gained a seat.
16.— Death of Mr. Samuel Carter Hall, F.S.A., at his
residence in Stamford Road, Kensington, London, aged
89 years.
21. — The Right Rev. Dr. Ullathorne, formerly Roman
Catholic Bishop of Birmingham, died at the age of 83.
24. — The polling for a Parliamentary vacancy in the
Gorton Division of Lancashire, caused by the death of
Mr. Richard Peacock, resulted as follows : — William
Mather (Gladstonian Liberal), 5,158; Ernest Hatch (Con-
servative), 4,309; majority, 846.
26. — Intelligence was received that the Hon. Guy Daw-
nay, formerly M.P. for the North Riding of Yorkshire,
had been killed by a buffalo while on a hunting expedi-
tion in Masailand, South Africa.
27.— Death of the Right Hon. John Bright, M.P., at
his residence, One Ash, Rochdale, aged 78 years. (See
page 206. )
—The appointment of the following American Ministers
was announced : — Mr. Robert T. Lincoln, Great Britain ;
Mr. Whitelaw Reid, France ; Mr. Murat Halstead, Ger-
many ; Mr. Allen Thorndyke Rice, Russia.
28. — A national conference of miners from all parts of
Great Britain, except Durham, was held at Birmingham.
Resolutions were passed recommending restriction of the
output of coal, and that the working hours of all under-
ground workmen be not more than eight hours per day,
and only five days per week.
29.— Death of the Earl of Carlisle, aged 81.
31. — The polling for the election of a member of Par-
liament for the Enfield Division of Middlesex, in the
room of Viscount Folkestone, Conservative, who succeeded
to the Earldom of Radnor, resulted as follows : — H. F.
Bowles (Conservative), 5,124 ; W. H. Fairbairns (Glad
stonian Liberal), 3,612; majority, 1,515.
—News was received of a fearful storm at Samoa on the
16th. Two German gunboats and a corvette, with nine
officers and 87 men, and two American corvettes and a
sloop, with four officers and 46 men, were reported lost.
The British ship Calliope had a narrow escape. Many
merchant vessels foundered.
—The Ostend mail packet Comtesse de Flandre was
sunk in the English Channel by collision with the
steamer Princess Henriette. Fifteen people were
drowned.
— An excursion train was wrecked at Penistone, one
person being killed and several injured.
— The Eiffel Tower at the Paris Exhibition was for-
mally inaugurated.
APRIL.
2.— The Parnell Commission re-assembled, and Sir
Charles Russell began his speech on behalf on the persons
charged.
— Letters were received from Mr. H. M. Stanley, who
stated that he had, after marching for five months through
a dense forest region, met Emm Pasha in Central Africa.
— General Boulanger left France at the urgent request
of his supporters, and took up his quarters at Brussels,
from whence he issued a manifesto.
7. — Death of the Duchess of Cambridge, mother of the
present Duke of Cambridge, aged 93 ; also of the Rev.
Sir F. A. Gore Ouseley, musical theorist.
8. — Over thirty vessels were reported to have been
wrecked in the Lower Chesapeake Bay, United States.
— Death of Dr. Michel Eugene Chevreul, the eminent
French chemist, at the advanced age of 103 years.
Printed by WALTEB SCOTT, Felling-on-Tyne.
Chronicle
OF
NORTH<:OUNTRY*LORE*AND*LEGEND
VOL. III.— No. 28.
JUNE, 1889.
PRICE BD.
in
UNDER the title of "Seven Decades of an
Actor's Life, " Mr. James R. Anderson, the
eminent tragedian-, contributed in 1887 a
long series of autobiographical articles to
the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle. The author, in the
course of these reminiscences, related his earlier and later
experiencea in connection with the Newcastle stage. Mr.
Anderson is still living. Yet, as will be seen, the
vivacious record here printed relates to a period of close
on sixty years ago.
Mr. Sam Penley, a Drury Lane actor, was lessee of the
Theatre Royal, Newcastle-on-Tyne, in 1832. Having
heard of me through his sisters, Rosina and Emma, with
whom I had been associated in the Jersey and Exeter
theatres, he made me an offer to join his company the
MB. ANDBBSON IN 1846.
16
UK. ANDERSON IN 1886.
242
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
(June
coming winter season, at a salary of two guineas a-week.
"Conclude it done, my lord," said I in reply. I was
fortunate in being able to obtain for my friend, Qeorge
Skerritt, an engagement for " second low comedy * ; and
we sailed together to the North Countrie in an empty,
ugly collier ship bound for "canny Newcastle," on a fine
September morning in the year named.
This engagement, which lasted several years, turned
out to be one of the happiest and most prosperous in my
early career. I made a great many friends, some very
dear ones, a few of whom yet live and love me still, and
whose friendship I hold in the greatest esteem.
I made fine benefits ; and rose rapidly in my profession,
thanks to the kind indulgence of the "canny folks" of
that ilk, my own industry, application, and a little talent.
Indeed, I rose so speedily in their estimation that I soon
received the flattering appellation of "oor aau hinney,
Jemmie Anderson."
Mr. Sam Penley was an excellent manager, a good
actor, and, besides, which went a great way in making us
a happy family, a thorough gentleman.
On our passage down from London to Newcastle, an
accident occurred, which I thought at the time was going
to deprive me of any chance of ever appearing in that
town.
We had good weather, a jolly time, and nothing of
importance happened till we were off the bar in a dense
fog at Tynemouth. There was a heavy swell on. We
were slowly making for the mouth of the river when,
without a moment's warning, crash went the keel on the
hard sand bar. The glass and crockery flew in all direc-
tions, and so did I — only I took a straight line across the
table, with my head right into the fire-stove. Our ship
struck once or twice after that, but more gently ; then we
ran into deep water, and up the river with the tide.
There was no great harm done ; we were more frightened
than hurt We soon arrived at our moorings, and all
was well, though George Skerritt looked on it as an ill
omen.
The captain was a fine fellow, very kind and good-
natured, besides being what is called a "comical chiel."
I had a great many trunks and boxes on board, con-
taining theatrical wardrobe, &c., amongst them a sword-
box, six feet long, painted black, with my name in white
letters upon it. When the traps were hauled up from the
ship's hold, the sword-box was missing. I told the
captain of it, when he shouted out, " Below there ! "
" Aye, aye, sir ! " was the echo. " What the divvel are
ye doin' doon there ? What for do you no send up Mr.
Anderson's coffin, an' be dam'd to ye ? "
I got my coffin all right; we took a farewell
grog together, shook hands, and parted.
The theatre during Sam Penley's rule was ad-
mirably managed. We had but few " stars " in
his time. He relied entirely on the merit of his own
company for public patronage, and was well rewarded.
MB. ANDERSON AS ULIUC, 1838.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
243
The responsibility was great, for he engaged actors to
fill every rdle in the drama. He gave tragedy, comedy,
farce, melodrama, opera, and pantomime. We had a
good chorus and ballet of female dancers. His expenses
were equal to those of any London theatre ; his Christ-
mas pantomimes being always splendid.
I remember the production of one that might have
brought him to grief, and caused him a severe loss, but
for my timely aid.
I was a great favourite with the manager, and lived
on the most friendly terms with his family. Belville
Penley, a younger brother, and treasurer of the theatre,
was my intimate friend and associate. We lodged
together in the same house, had the same tastes, and
followed similar pursuits. From Belville I learnt the
position of Sam, who, two days before the production of
his grand Christmas pantomime, which had cost so much
labour and money, discovered that he had got no
harlequin, for the person engaged to fill that r6le had
broken faith with him.
The poor manager was in a dreadful fix. He wrote to
his London agent to find another at any price, but there
was no chance. Being only two or three days before
Boxing Night, no harlequin of any reputation could be
found unemployed in London. Even if one had been
found, he could not have been sent down to Newcastle in
time for use. Winter set in early, snow lay two or three
feet deep all over the country, no stage-coaches were
running (railroads were unknown), and it would have
taken weeks to arrive by sea. Poor old Sam was well-
nigh crazed.
We may talk about the anguish of a monarch at the
point of losing crown and kingdom. Bah ! mere baby
grief for loss of playthings compared to the throes that
rack the tortured bosom of a despairing manager.
I was truly sorry for him ; sympathy set me to think,
and thought conjured up a bold idea how to save him I
conceived the wild notion of playing Marcus Curtius
myself, and leaping, not into the gulf in the Forum, but
through the clock face in the scene. Then came doubts
and hesitations. "To be, or not to be? that is the
question." At length I remembered having read of the
great harlequins Rich and Woodward, and the fame and
fortune they had realised. I resolved to risk it.
When I told Sam Penley I had made up my mind to
get him out of his difficulty by filling the gap myself, he
looked at me with an incredulous stare. He could not
believe I was in earnest. "What!" said he, "my
Romeo and Rover play harlequin? No, no, that will
never do." "Whynot?" I replied, "Woodward, the
great light comedian, was the best Petruchio and harle-
quin of his day. True, he had some training for the part,
I have had none. But I have the necessary share of
pluck, a notion of the poetry of motion, a good figure
for the dress, and lots of wind and muscle. What do you
say, old fellow, shall I try it ? I am a favourite with the
'cannie folks,' and they may come to see me out of
curiosity. Anyhow, let us weather the storm, save the
opening, and you may have a real harlequin from London
in a week or so."
Dear old Sam couldn't speak ; he could only squeeze
my hand with one of his, whilst he mopped his eyes with
the other.
This was all arranged at the last rehearsal but one : so
I called out to our master of the wardrobe to bring me
a sailor's jacket and trousers, and a pair of neat slippers.
Off went my street clothes, and at it I went in right
earnest.
The columbine was a very pretty little girl called Polly
Moggridge. She taught me all the business in her
scenes ; the clown and pantaloon soon initiated me in
theirs ; and the master carpenter and I settled all the
leaps and catches. The eventful night came ; I played
"Patchy" for the first time with only two rehearsals,
and continued to do so from Christmas till Easter,
without the slightest accident, to enormous houses.
I was greatly pleased to find the public understood and
appreciated my reasons for placing myself in such a
questionable position ; I was praised and applauded for
the valuable assistance I had rendered my manager in his
hour of need ; instead of sinking, I rose in estimation and
favour with the public.
My success was flattering, but it had a reverse side th:it
was not so pleasant. In speaking of this well-intentioned
effort of mine to help my manager, those who were not
exactly my best friends would say, "Oh! yes, very kind,
no doubt, and certainly very clever. But, my God ! he
must have been brought up to that sort of thing very
early in life."
This was how I came to play harlequin for the first and
last time in my professional career.
In after years, I have often smiled when reading some
flattering criticism on my acting, to see what a beautiful
"mare's nest" the writer had found to speak of. For
instance, in pointing out the merits in my Hamlet, he
would "cut my head off with a golden axe," by saying,
" Who would not be astonished to find such lofty flights
of genius raising one to excellence in Hamlet, whose
vaulting ambition once was but to excel in harlequin ? "
I read that in a newspaper, and never blushed. It was
very cutting and caustic, no doubt ; but cui bono ? I did
not feel it ; it did me no damage.
Sam Penley 's company that season was like "the
happy family " one sees in cages in the street — all agree-
ing, cosy, comfortable, and content. Mr. Puff says,
"When actors do agree, their unanimity is wonderful."
That's so.
We did not perform every night in the week. On the
off nights we made friendly trips to Sunderland, frater-
nising with the people of old Mr. Beverley's company.
He could not boast of a very great one, but he beat us
out of the field in scenery and dresses; everything was
244
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{J
admirably done in that way. He had two very clever
sons, Roxby and William Beverley ; the first, a capital
stage-manager, the second, a fine scene-painter — then,
and now, at this day, the best in England.
When we did not visit Sunderland, we went to North
Shields or Tynemouth. One fine morning Belville Penley
and myself, with some others, made up our minds to have
a glorious swim in the sea at Tynemouth, and a jolly race
on the sands. As we were making our way to a quiet,
out-of-the-way spot, to accomplish our purpose, we saw a
large board fastened to a pole stuck into the sands, on
which was painted in big letters a friendly warning to
bathers. On reading the caution we broke into yells
of laughter. The good intention was excellent, the style
ridiculous. The notice, painted on a black board in white
letters all the same size, and without any stops, ran
thus : —
r
PUBLIC NOTICE.
Warning to all bathers no one must bathe
near this spot as many persons have been
drowned here by order of the magistrates.
I need hardly say we took the hint, kept
our clothes on till we found a more conve-
nient spot on the yellow sands, had a long
swim, some well-contested races, and great
fun.
In the spring that followed the eventful
winter of my harlequinade, Mr. Sam Penley
took his company to the Theatre Royal,
Windsor, and, amongst other entertain-
ments, announced the reproduction of his
very successful Newcastle pantomime. Good
policy, no doubt, and only to be matched by
the modesty he displayed in announcing me
in my "celebrated part of harlequin," with-
out my consent, in the "grand pantomime
immediately to be produced." But in this
one-sided policy he had reason to exclaim,
like Lord Tinsel, "I am afraid we have
made a slight mistake here." I respect-
fully declined again risking my neck, as
there was now no necessity to do so : he was
no longer in distress, hundreds of harlequins
were to be found in London in summer,
only twenty miles off, and I was not ambi-
tious of more laurels in that way.
Sam tried his powers of persuasion, even
offered a handsome bribe, but no, "not for
Joseph." I was virtuous in my resolve, and
not to be seduced. As a dernier resort, he
tried the humanity dodge. " Do pity me ! "
Should I persist in my refusal, he himself
would have to assume "the motley"; it
would never do to "put a mere dancer into a part
which his leading actor had so gracefully and suc-
cessfully filled." He thought that shot must tell on
some weak part of my armour, but it did not. Again he
tried, " Would I coldly and cruelly stand by, and see him
at his age risk life and limb in such an attempt ? " My
reply was simply this — "Don't do it, my dear fellow.
Send up to London for one who is practised in the r6le.
There are plenty of them idle and willing at present, and
your pantomime will then be a success." No, he would
not listen to reason ; so I held to my resolution, and he to
his. I would not play harlequin, and he did. He put on
the dress, and wriggled through the part for a few nights,
during which he got much laughed at in the theatre, and
cruelly cut up by the press out of it.
The dear old gentleman could neither dance, run, nor
jump through a "leap." He was far funnier than either
clown or pantaloon, and obtained roars of laughter when
trying to escape their attempts to catch him. He would
waddle up to the " leap " in haste, inquire if all was ready
behind, down again to the footlights as if to get an
MB. ANDERSON AS MACBKTH, 1871.
June
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
245
impetus for the jump, give the clock in the scene an
immense slap in the face with his bat, and vanish, at the
•wing. Clown and pantaloon took the clock leap of course,
saying, as they returned through the lower part of the
case, "He ain't there, not a bit of it. The times is out of
joint, and so is his'n. No vaulting ambition in him.
Takes his leaps as the old woman takes her gin — on tick.
Ha, ha, ha ! "
The greatest fun of all was when we came to hear how
his wife unbosomed her sufferings to a female friend, the
"old woman " of the eompany, when ventilating her bitter
reproaches on my inhumanity, which had entailed such
risks, labour, and fatigue on her husband and herself.
"You must know, my dear," said she to the lady who
played our old woman, " I have to rub poor Sam's joints
with salad oil all day before putting him into his dress for
harlequin, and lie awake all night listening to his rheu-
matic groans after having taken him out of it."
We were told all this in the green-room under promise
of secrecy and silence. "I have told you what Mrs.
Penley confided to me, my dears, but, of course, it must
go no further." Everyone promised to say nothing about
it, and it went no further than just— all over Windsor.
Poor old Sam soon gave up the ghost — that is, harlequin
— to the right man in the right place, who knew his
business ; the pantomime got its second wind, and ran a
good long race. I must do Penley the justice to say, his
little pique over, we were as good friends as ever.
On my return to Newcastle-on-Tyne in the autumn of
1833, 1 continued to represent the lovers and light-comedy
parts still; but "a change came o'er the spirit of my
dream." Mr. Sam Penley had accepted a new and
original tragedy called " Babbingtou's Conspiracy," an
historical play by a gentleman of Newcastle named
Doubleday — the late Mr. Thomas Doubleday. The play
possessed considerable merit — written in smooth blank
Terse containing pathos and passion — but was faulty in
its construction. It was what we call a one-fart play,
and that was Babbington.
Mr. Cathcart was our "leading man" this season, and
he played the hero. He was a good actor in a general
way, had power and passion, but wild and uncertain. As
Hamlet says, "He could not beget a temperance that
may give it smoothness." I had an idea that Babbington,
being a lover, ought to have fallen to me ; but I had good
reason to be thankful that it did not. The "cast "was
very full, and I could not be left out, but I was allowed
the privilege of selecting what part I chose after Babbing-
ton. I read the MS. very carefully, and chose a small
but effective part, and, to my thinking, the best-drawn
character in the play. I was not mistaken, for it turned
up trumps. This character was a middle-aged Jesuit
priest, a bosom friend of the hero, and an agent in the
conspiracy against Queen Elizabeth.
Whilst studying the part, I grew fond of it, as step
by step I found the way to work out effects which
ultimately won me a triumph. At the rehearsals, you may
be assured, I did not show all I intended to do at night,
but just enough to prove that I was not displeased with
the part, and that I meant to do my best with it.
On the 6rst night, the house was filled with the best
people of the town and country. When I made my
appearance on the stage, which was not till alter several
scenes had passed, I was received with cold indifference.
The audience did not know me, I was so disguised. The
actors were somewhat surprised, my receptions being
usually cordial. I knew the cause in a moment, for from
the background, where I had modestly placed myself, I
could see them scanning the playbills to find out who I
was. The dress, make-up, and quiet cat-like walk I
assumed completely deceived them. It was not until I
crept slowly to the front and began to speak that I was
recognised. Then, at once, I was received with all my
former honours.
The triumph of that night, the public applause, and the
appreciation of the press fixed firm my resolution to
resign the sock and don the buskin. The grub changed
into the butterfly ; I was a tragedian.
I was engaged to fill the leading business for the next
season, at a salary of three guineas a week. " Oor aan
hinny" was invested with the purple, and sat in the
curule chair.
JHardJtal
f HE famous Roman Wall, of which Dr. Bruce
has given an exhaustive account, correcting
and summarising all that has been said on the
subject by previous writers, such as Camden, Gordon,
Horsley, Stukeley, Button, Hodgson, and McLauchlan,
the last-named of whom made a complete^survey of it in
the years 1852-1854, does not seem to have ever been
intended to be the limit of the Roman Empire (Romani
Imperil Limes) in the isle of Britain, but to have been
rather designed to serve as a line of military operations
between the two seas, across the southern isthmus, and to
check and bridle, not only the Caledonians to the
north, but the Brigautes and other half -subjugated British
tribes to the southward. Consisting, roughly speaking,
of a wall of stone and a mound of earth, with a military
way between them, with stations or towns for the accom-
modation of the soldiers at short distances apart, mile-
castles between these stations, and between each of these
again three or four turrets or watch towers, it practically
formed an entrenched camp right across the island, from
Segedunum, now Wallsend - on - Tyne, to Blatum-
246
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
1 June
1 1889.
bulgium, on the Solway Firth, understood to have
been* somewhere about Bowness. This entrenched
camp, strongly fortified both ways, north and south,
was garrisoned during the period of its occupation by
the Romans, which was for about four centuries, by ten or
fifteen thousand warriors of different nationalities, in-
cluding Italians, Gauls, Germans, Asturians, Dalmatians,
Dacians, Thracians, Syrians, and Moors, as well as some
south-country Britons from the borders of the Channel.
The Military Way, which was the route pursued by
these soldiers in their marches eastward or westward,
ran along the whole distance within the two great lines of
fortification, the Wall (Murus) and the Mound (Agger or
Vallum), the chief use of which presumably must have
been to guard the road, and to protect, and in some
measure conceal, from an enemy on either side, the troops
that passed along it. In several places the re-
mains of this road can still be traced, as shown
on Dr. Bruce's map attached to his "Hand Book
to the Roman Wall." Thus, westward of Housesteads
(Borcovicus) the track is for a good way easy to be
found, all the field gates being placed upon it. Where it
has not been interfered with, it is completely grass-grown ;
but it may, notwithstanding, be easily distinguished from
the neighbouring ground by the nature of its .herbage,
the dryness of its substratum allowing the growth of a
finer description of plant. For the accommodation of the
soldiery, the road went from castle to castle, and so from
station to station. In doing this it did not always keep
close to the Wall, but took the easiest path between the
required points. In traversing the precipitous grounds
between Sewing Shields and Thirlwall, the ingenuity of
the engineer has been severely tried ; but most success-
fully, says Dr. Bruce, has he performed his task. Whilst
the Wall shoots over the highest and steepest summits,
the road pursues its tortuous course from one platform
of the rock to another, so as to bring the traveller from
mile-castle to mile-castle by the easiest gradients.
Part of the way was used as a public road not many
years ago ; and during long centuries it was the route
taken by travellers to or from Newcastle and Carlisle.
When Edward I., in the year 1306, was on his last
journey towards Scotland, which he did not live to reach,
he went along this way from Newcastle to Lanercost by
short stages, and rested for a few days at Bradley, a short
way to the westward of Housesteads, whefe a farm-house
now occupies the site of what seems to have been a place
of some importance, as evidenced by the foundations of
buildings yet traceable.
From the departure of the Romans to the accession of
the Stuarts, Northumberland and Cumberland were con-
stantly liable to be harried by mosstroopers. And it
was not till after the union of the Crowns that the
law of the land at length succeeded in "making the rash-
bush keep the cow." When Camden came into the
North, he travelled along the line of the Wall as far as
Thirlwall ; but here the limits of civilization and security
ended, and he dared not go any further, such were the
wildness of the country and the lawlessness of its in-
habitants. Indeed, the middle region of the isthmus con-
tinued in the state of nature into which it had relapsed
since the irruption of the Scots and Picts, down to lone
past the beginning of the eighteenth century ; and the
traffic between the capitals of the two Northern Counties
was carried on by means of pack-horses, which followed
the traces of the old military way, climbing without
swerving the precipitous flanks of the central ridge of
hills, and plunging again into the ravines beyond, till
they at length reached their destination.
When Marshal Wade was summoned from Newcastle
to the defence of Carlisle against the forces of the
Pretender, the road leading westward was in such a
bad condition that he was able to reach Ovingham, a
distance of little more than ten miles, only after fifteen
hours' hard marching. On the second day, he managed
to reach Hexham ; but there he was obliged to turn
back, as he found the roads got even worse the
further west he proceeded. It was only here and
there that they could bear the transit of artillery, and
at every half mile or so slacks and slumps were met with
in which the ordnance was in danger of being lost : so he
was forced to turn back, and leave Carlisle to the mercy
of the enemy, of whom he proceeded in search by a
southerly route, through York, Ferrybridge, Wakefield,
Dewsbury, Halifax, and Burnley, to Proud Preston.
Here he managed to form a junction with the forces
under the Duke of Cumberland, on whose approach the
rebels found it expedient to retreat northwards into
Scotland by the way they had come.
After the suppression of the rebellion on the fatal heath
of Drumossie Muir, the Government determined to con-
struct a good road direct from Newcastle to Carlisle.
Marshal Wade had already tried his 'prentice hand in
road engineering, having begun to construct those works
which have made him ever memorable in the Highlands
as early as the year 1726, ten years after the first Jacobite
Rebellion had collapsed. He was now employed to
superintend the construction of the road which was to
connect Newcastle with Carlisle.
In 1749, accordingly, he made a survey of the line for
the projected new military way, and the actual making of
ifc was commenced near the Westgate, Newcastle, on
the 8th of July, 1751. Soldiers were employed to con-
struct the road. And the method which Marshal Wade
adopted— a very sensible one for his purpose, but
abominable in the sight of all genuine antiquaries-
very greatly facilitated the undertaking. For the
first thirty miles out of Newcastle, he overthrew what
then remained of the old Roman Wall to construct
an "agger" and culverts of his own with its massive
materials, following the line it took with unflinching
fidelity over considerable elevations, and only striking
June I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
247
out a new and easier course when he approached
St. Oswald's, where he found it necessary to
make a considerable deviation to the north, in
order to take advantage of the bridge at Chollerford.
for the repair of which, it may be worth while to mention,
thirteen days' relaxation of enjoined penance was granted
to all contributors by Bishop Shirlaw in the time of
Richard II. The Marshal likewise shrank from the
great acclivity of Sewing Shields, and swerved away
a little to the southward, where he found an easier course,
which, however, overtaxing the strength of modern
carriages and cattle, had been deserted, even
before the introduction of railways, for a less
harassing route up the valley of the Tyne.
In some places where it has left the Wall, Wade's
road runs by the side of the Vallum, part of which has
been spread out to form it. But for the most part it
goes nearly straight forward. Formerly, in dry weather,
and particularly after wind, the facing-stones of the Wall
could be seen occasionally protruding through the metal,
lying in the centre of the road, in lines about nine feet
apart ; while in many places the rough ashlars of its upper
courses, thrown loosely down to the right and left, could
be discerned still cropping up to the surface, not yet
ground to dust by the tear and wear of more than a
hundred years' traffic. But since the diversion of the
greater part of that traffic to the railway, these interesting
remnants have in many instances been removed to supply
material for mending the turnpike.
The construction of the new military way was regarded
with great dislike by the bulk of the ignorant people
living in the vicinity. Very few of the farmers appre-
ciated the advantages they were likely to derive from
being brought into readier communication with the outer
world ; and the carriers, whose business it had been to
conduct the traffic across the island by means of pack
horses, clearly saw that their occupation would be gone,
and therefore could not be expected to look favour-
ably on an undertaking that would deprive them of
their daily bread. They were exactly in the
position of the old stage coachmen, when the detested
locomotive drove their vehicles off the road. And when
Marshal Wade encamped at Kingshaw Green, near
Hexham, during the progress of the undertaking, it was
with a view, not only to superintend the works, but also to
repress any efforts which the discontented might be in-
clined to make to impede and hinder the work.
As already mentioned in Mr. Welford's account of the
Great North Road (page 294), the improvement of the
highways of Northumberland gave rise to the Irish
couplet : —
Had you seen these roads before they were made,
You'd have held up your hands and blessed General
Wade.
So long as the pack-horse system prevailed, the carriers
were accustomed to resort to the Roman Way in the
central part of their journey, which occupied, we believe,
about four days. Occasionally they had to camp out all
night, and one of their usual camping-places was
opposite a wayside inn, commonly known by the
name of "Twice-Brewed Ale," or simply "Twice-
Brewed," in the township of Henshaw, near
Bardon Mill, now a lonely farm-house. Here as
many as twenty, thirty, or forty men, and the same
number of horses, used to put up on carriers' nights.
William Hutton, "the English Franklin," during his
tramp along the Roman Wall, slept for a night here, or,
rather, we should say, lodged, for there was not much
sleep in the case ; and he has left a brief but graphic ac-
count of his experience with the carriers he met with.
Most of the old inns along the line are now, since the
opening of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, either
converted into farm-houses or otherwise utilised.
WILLIAM BBOCKIE.
Cfte
JHtttinter.
BOUT the year 1642, when Charles I. and the
Parliament were in opposition to each other,
Sir John Fenwick, of Wallington, and his
friend, Thomas Loraine, of Kirkharle, raised in Newcastle
a regiment in defence of the King. The tide of popular
feeling ran the other way, and Sir John, who was colonel,
found much difficulty in maintaining proper discipline
amongst his men. One cause of this was the poor pay
doled out. Things went from bad to worse until at length
one of the most restless spirits in the regiment was
brought to a court-martial, and sentenced to death. The
culprit was a young man allied to a respectable family,
and much sympathy was expressed on his behalf. The
colonel was uneasy. Had his men any really just ground
for complaint? Thinking the question over, he hit on the
suspicion that they were spending too much money in the
taverns and alehouses. He said as much to his friend
Loraine, with the result that they went forth one night,
effectually disguised, to see for themselves how the men
spent their leisure time. From one house to another they
went, but discovered nothing, for they saw no men. At
last they entered a small tavern near the Nun's Gate, and
here they came upon a Corporal Steel, an old soldier, who
was seated at a table with a tankard before him. They
sat down beside him and called for a pot for themselves.
The corporal thereupon handed them his beverage and
they pledged him therein. A fresh supply was ordered
in, and the corporal was asked to give a toast in his tarn.
He did so, and this was it : "May our soldiers ever pre-
serve in their noddles due obedience to their colonel,
and may he resolve in his noddle to increase their pay ! "
Another pot followed, and then the corporal rose to go.
He had no more money. But surely he had money's
248
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f June
worth ? Well, he had a good Ferrara aword, but he must
have that with him at to-morrow's execution. The dis-
guised officers pointed out tttat he would not be required
to use his sword of trusty steel ; one of lath would answer
quite as well— in its scabbard ! So the hearty corporal
consented to leave his trusty weapon in pawn until his
next pay became due ; and the evening passed pleasantly
enough. In the morning the troops were marshalled, and
the culprit produced. Then Sir John said that he under-
stood that one in the regiment had been uncommonly
dexterous in cutting off heads in foreign parts, and there-
fore he would now be called upon to give proof of his
skill. With this brief exordium the nonplussed corporal
was directed to stand forward and behead the condemned
man. All excuses were in vain; so at last, in desperation,
the corporal produced his sword of lath. Fortunately, the
sympathies of the regiment were with the condemned
one, and they seized their opportunity, shouting that the
man must be pardoned. "Beit so," replied Sir John,
laughingly, for he had satis6ed himself by this time that
there was something in the complaints of the men, "and
may all your noddles remain where they are, and serve
you as well in time of need as Corporal Steel has served
the criminal." It is said that from this circumstance Sir
John Fenwick's regiment obtained the name of Noddles,
or Noodles ; and some there are that maintain that this
old story is really at the bottom of the latter name, dear
to juvenile Newcastle in regard to the Yeomanry Cavalry
3ven unto this day.
atrtr
jjUR drawing, copied from a photograph by Mr.
W. N. Strangeways, represents a block of old
_ houses now used as the station of the River
Tyne Police at St. Lawrence, Newcastle. This body
of public servants was established in 1845 by Mr. John
Stephens, who was the superintendent of the Newcastle
Police Force, but who afterwards became superintendent
of the River Police, retaining that position down to 1884,
when he retired.
The houses themselves have no particular history.
They are probably about a couple of hundred years old,
and have no doubt been the homes of persons whose
business rendered it necessary that they should dwell
near the River Tyne. Behind this block is the Stone
Cellars Inn, a quaint old place with architectural remini
scences of past times. The rooms facing the river are
small and low ; those on the first floor are the favourite
rendezvous of many old stagers who meet here and
recount all the more stirring events on the river within
the last sixty or seventy years.
East of the Stone Cellars is the Newcastle Morgue,
where the bodies of persons found dead within the
boundaries of the city of Newcastle, are conveyed for iden-
tification.
Some forty or fifty years ago a small building at the
east end of the New Road, now known as the City Road,
was used as a dead house. It consisted of two rooms—
'%L«ls=*--*\
Junel
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
249
one for dead bodies, the other as a. residence for the
attendant, an old woman named Glass. It is stated
that Cuckoo Jack, noted for his skill in recovering dead
bodies from the river, conveyed about two hundred
bodies to this depository alone. It must be remem-
bered that in his days there were not BO many pre-
cautions taken for the safety of the public as there are
now. There was no chain along the quay, and it was an
easy matter for a drunken man, as he staggered along, to
fall into the river. At one time it was calculated that the
number of deaths of persons who fell into the Tyne from
the Newcastle and Gateshead shores was about one per
week during the year. Now there is not one in six weeks
or two months.
asurtitjj
n
recent investigations have led to the'
discovery of many interesting particulars
regarding disused burying-grounds in or
near Newcastle, one of which I introduce
to your readers as "The Quicks' Buring Plas in Sidgate."
The term " Quicks " or " Quigs " is a corruption of the
word "Whigs," and is derived from some entries of
burials to be found in the register of St. Andrew's
Church.
First, it may be well to identify the spot of this
almost forgotten ground. During the latter part of the
* Extracts from a paper read before the Newcastle Society of
Antiquaries.
seventeenth century, had any good townsman been
desirous of wandering from St. Andrew's Church to
Jesmond, he would have had to go through the gloomy
portals of the New Gate, making his way along the Sid-
gate. On his left, he would soon pass the " Blind Man's
Lonnin," where the town had recently spent 6s. for a
new gate to be placed at the end of the lane that led up to
the Castle Fields. Passing eastward in the direction
of the Swirle, a small runner that emptied itself into
Sidgate, he would soon reach the burying-ground in
question, with its modest headstones marking the resting-
place of the departed.
But time has wrought its changes. The Sidgate is now
only known as Percy Street; the Swirle has vanished
entirely ; and the few who in more modern days knew
of the graveyard have identified it, to use the glowing
words of the local historian, as "the Campus Martius
of the young gentlemen belonging to the Percy Street
Academy," otherwise Bruce 's School. To-day we must
describe it as in St. Thomas's Street, forming the site
of Messrs. Slater's storeyard for hay, corn, &c., and the
private garden to the north.
Now, for a moment let us go to another part of the
town. Should any of my readers look into the
vestibule of the Unitarian Church in New Bridge
Street, he will be faced by a stone, painted black,
with an inscription in gilded letters. The Rev.
Edward Hussey Adamson has kindly favoured me
with the following translation: — "Over the remains
lying below of a venerable parent, William Durant,
A.M., by the Divine will a most vigilant
pastor of the Church of Christ in this Town,
his son, John Durant, lamenting and grieving, out of
dutiful regard and filial piety, hath placed this tomb-
stone. The texts from the last chapter of Joshua refer to
250
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
1889.
the burial in private ground of Joshua, Joseph, and
Eleazar, the priest." As my investigations have led me
to believe that this tablet was (if I may be pardoned the
expression) the foundation stone of the Quicks' Burying
Ground, we must take it into our consideration first.
William Durant, to whose memory it was erected, was
a man who played no unimportant part in the history of
the town, prior to, during, and subsequent to, the event-
ful period known as the Commonwealth. In 1645, Durant
was appointed lecturer at St. Nicholas' by the Common
Council. In 1646, he was settled as morning lecturer at
All Saints'. In 1652, on July 30, " the Common Council
ordered that upon Monday after the Judges comeing to
this towne, Mr. Durant be desired to preach before
them." In 1653, he was one of those who met at Alder-
man George Dawson's house, when one Ramsay, who had
assumed the name of Joseph Ben Israel, and the char-
acter of a converted Jewish Rabbi, was examined as to
his sincerity, which meeting led to the publication of a
tract, entitled " A False Jew, or a Wonderful Discovery
of a Scot, Baptized at London for a Christian,
Circumcised at Rome to act a Jew, re-baptized at
Hexham for a believer, but found out at New-
castle to be a cheat." In 1656, the afternoon
lectureship of All Saints' fell to Durant's lot. In
1658 Durant was acting as one of the Commissioners
for examining ministers, interesting evidence of which is
to be found in the Records of Tynemouth Parish. In the
year 1662, as Durant could not comply with the require-
ments of the Act of Uniformity, he left the pale of the
Established Church, and threw in his lot with the
Nonconformists,
Our next record of him is in 1669 upon July 22.
"Before Ralph Jenison, Mayor of Newcastle, Cuthbert
Nicholson, cordwainer, saith that upon Sunday last there
was assembled at the house of William Durant, in Pil-
graham Streete, a great multitude of people, consisting to
the number of 150 persons or thereabouts, under the pre-
tence of religious worship and service, for he heard them
sing psalms. And after singing was done he did see and
heare the said William Durant pray amongst the said
people. And Robert Fryer, one of the serjeants-att-
mace, being with the churchwardens of the same parish,
did, in the name of Mr. Mayor, discharge them there
unlawfully assembled, and upon that they dispersed
themselves. And again upon Aug. 4 Durant was
charged by the same informer with being at a meeting
and conventicle held at the house of Mr. Richard Gilpin
in the White Freers."
In 1672, when King Charles II. granted his licenses of
indulgence to tender consciences, Durant applied for per-
mission, on April 16, to be an "Indpd. Teacher in a
Roome of the Trinity house called the chappell," but this
was refused. He, however, did, upon May 13, obtain a
license to be a congregational preacher. In 1681, death put
an end to his chequered career ; but, as he stood excom-
municated at the time, his perplexed family knew not
what to do with his remains, so they buried him in the
garden of his house in Pilgrim Street. The house is
generally supposed to have stood at the corner of High
Friar Street. Shortly after his death, his son, Dr. John
Durant, erected a tablet to his memory. Brand, the
historian, informs us :— "I found the inscription on a flat
gravestone under a staircase in one of the stables of the
late Sir Walter Blackett's hduse in Pilgrim Street. The
stable appears to have been built over it. The place was
long known among the servants by the name o£ the Dead
Man's Hole."
The gravestone was presented by Mr. George Anderson,
during the ministry of William Turner, to the church
worshipping in Hanover Square. In the ministry of the
Rev. George Harris, the congregation erected a church in
New Bridge Street, and the stone was then removed from
the chapel yard in Hanover Square, and incorporated in
the walls of the new structure.
In two short years Dr. John Durant, who so recently
had raised a stone to his father's memory, was himself
called to join the great majority, and, as history informs
us that he was interred in the burying ground at the Sid-
gate, we are pretty safe in fixing the date of the ground
in question as between 1681, when William Durant died
and was buried in his garden, and 1683, when his son, Dr.
Durant, was laid in Sidgate. My own opinion is that
John Durant was the first interred there.
The only attempt that I have found among local
accounts to fix the ownership of this ground ascribes it
to the Hudsons of Whitley. However that may have
been in later times, I am able to show a much earlier
ownership. One day last winter I had half-an-honr to
spare after inspecting some wills at Durham, and,
running my eye over the index for any name that might
be useful to me, under the year 1688 I came upon that of
James Durant. I asked for the will, and was agreeably
surprised to find the following, which throws much light
upon the matter we are considering. The will runs : —
In the name of God, Amen : I, James Durant, of the
County and Town of Neweastle-upon-Tyne, Northumber-
land, being sick in body, but of sound and disposing
mind and memory, make this my last will and testament
in manner and form following (that is to sav) -.—Imprimus,
I give and devise unto my sister, Jane Durant, all that
my close or parcel of ground situate near a street called
Sidgate, without the walls but within the liberties of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the aforesaid which I lately pur-
chased from my late -mother, Jane Durant . . . and
which is now used as a burial-place, and now in the
possession of me, the said James Durant, to have and to
hold the said close or parcel of ground unto my said
sister, Jane Durant, for and during her natural life, and
after her death and decease, then the same to revert and
come to my nephew, George Durant, and his heirs for
ever.
From the will I think we may fairly assume that, after
the death of William Durant, his wife, Jane, feeling the
cruel position in which she was placed at her husband's
death, had either purchased a piece of ground or appro-
priated some that she already owned as a burying-place
June!
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
251
for her family and friends. Mrs. Durant was the sister
of Sir James Clavering, and would bring her husband a
welcome dowry. From this date the ground was freely
used by the well-to-do Nonconformists, particulars of
whose burials may be found in the local histories. By
the kindness of the Vicar of St. Andrew's Church, I
have been allowed to search the Register, and have found
the following entries, which have not hitherto been
published : —
Henry Hutson who Lived In Newbegin Buried In the
Quicks Buring Plas In Sidgatt The Twenty Second day
of January 1704.
Mr. Brown Buried in Sidgatt The Six day of Ffebruary
Elizabeth Coulson Buried in Sidgatt in the Quigs
Buring Plas near the Swrill November the 1, 1708.
Henry Shaw Buried the 21 day of November 1708 in
Sidgatt near The Swrill in the Quigs Burings Plase.
Tracing the ownership onwards, I find that in the
Newcattle Courant of January 14, 1786, the following
advertisement appeared : —
DISSENTERS' BURIAL GROUND.
The Dissenters' Burial Ground in Sidgate having lately
been purchased, levelled, and enclosed with a good wall,
notice is hereby given that the proprietors are ready to
treat for the disposal of burial-places to any person
desirous of purchasing ; and they wish to give the
preference to those whose families have been accustomed
to bury there. For particulars apply to Mr. John Fife,
in tho Castle Garth, or to Mr. Thomas Walker, house
carpenter, at the White Cross, Newcastle, where plans
may be seen.
Here, then, is a clear ownership by "proprietors," with
Mr. John Fife, of the Castle Garth, and Mr. John
Walker, of the White Cross, as custodians. I have
gathered that John Fife was in an extensive way of
business, and travelled the country with pack-horses. As
a lad he stayed often at Romaldkirk, and at the village
named he married, on May 31, 1762, Miss Sarah Bailes.
It is possible that Walker's profession of house carpenter
may have led to the position he held as one of the custo-
dians of the burying-ground, and that the trade sign of a
coffin may have "mensed the door cheek" of his establish-
ment at the White Cross.
I have shown the ownership of the ground in 1688, and
have endeavoured to trace the same to the present day,
but with very poor success, not having been able to
obtain access to the deeds. Button's plan in 1770 shows
the burial ground as extending right down to Percy
Street. The school and adjoining house are not shown,
but houses are marked on the plan a little to the east.
The next and only other plan that shows the burial ground
is Oliver's, taken in 1832, and that merely shows a piece
of ground at the back of the school buildings, or what was
known for many years as the High Play Yard and garden,
now Slater's hay and straw yard with garden above.
Oliver's map of 1832 marks the school premises as No.
437, and the burying ground as No. 438, and, in the
key explaining the ownership, names both as belong-
ing to Miss Hutchinson. But I think this must
be incorrect, as I find for a great number of years the
site of the graveyard has been owned by the same persons
that owned Villa de St. George, the adjoining property
to the north. Mackenzie, in his history of Newcastle,
says :— " When the late Mrs. Hudson sold this ground she
reserved the part where some members of the Hudson
family had been interred at the further end of the pre-
mises." This may have been in 1786, when the higher
part was sold to the "proprietors," and future burials
confined to it, and the lower part, that facing Percy
Street, was sold for building sites. At the present day,
the school premises (now converted into a laundry) are
owned by Mrs. Browning (by inheritance from Miss
Hutchinson), and what was the burying ground and
Villa de St. George are owned by Mrs. Carr (by inheri-
tance from one Mr. Johnson).
An "oldest inhabitant" informs me that he well re-
members several headstones in the burying ground, and
that a woman occasionally came from the vicinity of
Prudhoe Street, and gave the lads sundry coppers to
climb over the walls and see if the headstone of " her
man " was still standing, as she intended being buried
beside him. I fear her wish was never realised. The
last interment that I have been able to verify was in 1796.
Such, then, is the very imperfect record that I can give
of the " Quicks' Burying Ground." The question still
remains unanswered, "How has this graveyard, with its
deeply interesting historic associations, been allowed to
drift from its original purpose?" I have interviewed
" old boys " who have attended the Academy (one as far
back as 1812), several of whom remember sundry head-
stones which they used as targets for stone-throwing.
Others, again, of more modern days, had little dreamt
that when they indulged in " bedstocks and spenny wye"
they were scampering over the graves of their grand-
fathers. One informed me that he could not remember
any headstones, but often had strong suspicions of the
very flat stones with which the pig-sty was paved.
Visiting the spot a few months since with a friend who
had been at school there many years before, we were long-
ing to find some fragment of the old memorials, when we
espied facing us at the end of a horse trough a stone much
defaced, but still recording the burials of the Morton
family. I subsequently questioned the builder who made
the alterations to the premises, and he assured me that
this is the only stone that was found, and that it was
exhumed from the vicinity of the pig-sty. The stone has
been kindly placed at my disposal, and is now awaiting
some fitting resting-place, where it may yet give silent
testimony to the reality of th« " Quigs' Burying-Ground
in the Sidgate. " The Mortons were evidently members of
the Castle Garth congregation, as in the register of that
chapel, now in the possession of the churchwardens
of St. Nicholas, I found entries corresponding to the
names mentioned on the stone. Indeed, the evi-
dence that we have points very strongly to the grave-
yard having in latter days been owned and largely used
252
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I June
1889.
by members of the Scotch Church that met in the Castle
Garth.
Tlie story I tell speaks little for the veneration for
their fathers of the good people of Newcastle, and makes
us regret the graves had not been other than they were.
Had they marked the resting place of some ancient
Britons, or had they been the graves of some intruding
Romans, every fragment of stone would have been pre-
served, and every abbreviated inscription translated and
extended in an admirably learned manner; but, being
only the graves of our grandfathers, they have vanished
from our midst, no arm being raised to stay their flight,
no pen lifted to record their history.
The picture which accompanies this paper is from the
sketch -book of Mr. David Reed, and was taken when he
was a pupil at the school, prior to the construction of St.
Thomas's Street.
at
J»tol;oe.
BOB CRANKY'S ADIEU,
ON GOING WITH THE VOLUNTEER ASSOCIATION FROM
CATESHEjD To NEWCASTLE ON PEBMANEXT DUTY.
jjN the 6th and 7th June, 1808, his Majesty
King George the Third's birthday (which
fell on Saturday, the 4th) was celebrated by
the military in the counties of Northumber-
land and Durham in a more than usually brilliant man-
lier. A brigade of the Royal Artillery, four troops of the
Enniskillen Dragoons, the East York and Wiltshire Regi-
ments of Militia, together with companies of Volunteers
from Sunderland, North Shields, Tynemouth, Hexham,
Corbridge, Gibside, Axwell Park, Newcastle, and Gates-
head, altogether forming a force of upwards of 5,000 men,
were assembled in Northumberland Street and Westgate
Street, and marched in order to the Town Moor. Here
they were formed in two lines previously marked out for
them, and were put through various military movements,
and reviewed by Lieutenant-General Dundas. The busi-
ness of the field being over, they proceeded to their
several parades in the town. On the Tuesday they were
assembled at six o'clock a.m., and marched to Throckley
Fell, where a sham fight took place, coming back to New-
castle about five o'clock p.m. The next day the troops
were highly complimented in the general orders that were
issued.
The Gateshead Volunteers had marched into Newcastle
on Sunday, June 5th, for the purpose of being placed on
permanent pay and duty for three weeks. This had also
been done in previous years, as a song, "The Bonny
Gyetsiders," dated 1805, celebrates the doings of volun-
teers of the borough, one verse announcing —
To Newcassel for three weeks up-stannin"
On permanent duty they're gannin' ;
And sune i' the papors
We's read a' the capers
O' the corpse o" the Bonny Gyetsiders.
Mr. John Shield, the writer of " Bob Cranky 's Adieu,"
was also the author of "Lord 'Size," "Bob Cranky's
'Leumination Neet," and other noted local ditties. He
was born in 1768, and died at Broomhaugh, near Hexbam,
on August 6th, 18*8. An interesting account of Mr.
Shield was given in the first number of the Monthly
Chronicle, with the local song of "Lord 'Size."
"Bob Cranky's Adieu" is a parody upon "The
Soldier's Adieu," a song which obtained some amount of
popularity in the earliest years of this century, but which
has long been relegated to the limbo of forgotten lyrics.
In Mr. Shield's song the peculiarities of pit language are
happily and faithfully pourtrayed, and it is on the whole
an interesting relic of the old militia days. It was first
published in Bell's "Rhymes of the Northern Bards,"
1812, and continued such a great favourite that it has
been included in nearly every collection of local songs
published since that date.
The measure is peculiar, and the melody had been long
forgotten and buried in oblivion. The writer sought un-
successfully for many years to find it, until a short time
ago, when he discovered it accidentally in an old book of
airs for the violin, flute, &c. Its appearance in the pre-
sent series, therefore, will probably be the first time that
the music has been wedded to the words of the song— a
union seldom, if ever, adopted by local writers, either
ancient or modern.
Fare - weel, fare-weel, ma come * ly pet ! Aw's
fourc'd three weeks to leave thee ; Aw's
doon for parm-'ent du - ty set; O
din - na let it grieve thee I Ma
bin - ny I wipe them e'en sae breet, That
thy heart's sad, can
mine be leet? When
June I
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
253
^ r^- 1 K — •• \
thy heart's sod, can mine be leet? Come
An' we'll kiss an' cuddle,
An' mony a fuddle
Shall drive the lonesome hours away,
When sowjerin' at Newcassel.
step, nae doot, " Bob Cran - ky's gyen "— thoul't
sob-bin' Bay, "Bob Cran-ky's gyen"— thou'lt
sob-bin' say, "A • soujer-ing to New -cas-sel!"
Come, dinna, dinna whinge an' whipe,
Like yammerin' Is'bel Mackey ;
Cheer up, maw hinny ! leet thee pipe,
And tyek a blast o' baccy.
It's but for yen-an'-twenty days.
The folks's een aw'll dazzle —
Prood, swagg'rin' i' maw fine reed class.
Ods heft ! maw pit claes — dist thou hear ?
Are warse o' wear ;
Mind cloot them weel when aw's away,
An' a posie goon,
Aw'll buy thee soon,
An' thou's drink tea— aye, twice a-day,
When aw come frae Newcassel.
Belike ! aw's up tiv ivery rig,
Sae dinna doot, maw hinny !
But at the Blue Styen o' the Brig
Aw'll hev maw mairchin' Guinny.*
A guinny ! wuks ! see strange a seet,
Maw een wi' joy will dazzle ;
But aw'll bed spent that varry neet—
For money, hinny ! ower neet to keep,
Wad brick maw sleep.
Sae smash ! aw think'ts a wiser way,
Wi' flesh and beer
Meesel to cheer,
The three lang weeks that aw've to stay,
A sowjerin' at Newcassel.
But whist ! the sairjent's tongue aw hear,
"Fa' in ! fa' in," he's yelpin';
The fifes are whusslin' lood and clear,
An' sair the drums they're skelpin'.
Fareweel, maw comely ! aw mun gang,
The Gen'ral's een to dazzle !
But, hinny, if the time seems lang,
An' thoo freets about me neet an' day,
Then come away.
Seek oot the yell-hoose where aw stay,
* The Blue Stone, where the marching euinea was paid, now
counts only as a matter o( history. It marked, as many of onr
readers well know, the boundary of the town and county of New-
castle southwards. Beyond it, towards Gateshead, was included
in the county and liberty of Durham.
xf r*tm*n'4
||HE singular mode in which the freemen of
AInwiok were anciently made has now been
obsolete for thirty-five years, having been
observed for the last time on St. Mark's
Day, 1854. According to tradition, it originated in a
whimsical order issued by King John, on the occasion
of one of his burning and plundering visits to the
North. He is said to have been thrown from his
horse, or to have stuck fast in a bog, on Alnwick
Moor, when he was out there a hunting. Find-
ing that the place belonged to the Alnwick free-
men, he declared that they ought to be punished, in
all time coming, for not draining their land, and de-
clared that everyone, on being made a burgess, should
be obliged to go through the same disagreeable ordeal
as himself, by plunging through the identical bog.
There is, however, another story. John, when residing
at Alnwick Castle, once took it into his head, we are
told, to disguise himself as a palmer, and go out into
the country to learn what the people thought of their
king. This said, he pursued a footpath over the Moor,
till he came to an avenue bordered on both sides with
whins, which conducted him to a well, by the side of
which he found three tinkers solacing themselves.
Imagining these fellows to be countrymen of the
rounds, he sat down beside them, and joined in
their conversation. But he soon found what sort of
gentry they were, and rose to go away. The tinkers,
pretending to show him the road, led him into the
quagmire at the bottom of the hill fed by the spring
they had been resting beside, and pushed him in there to
flounder about and get out the best way he could. When
he reached Alnwick, and was passing through the street,
the people crowded round him to gaze, believing that he
was either mad or drunk ; and he was so annoyed by
their jeering remarks that he declared, on reaching the
castle, that no man, from that day forward, should enjoy
the freedom of Alnwick until he had traversed the same
slough that their sovereign lord the king had just passed
through. The story also goes that he despatched an
armed party in pursuit of the tinkers, and ordered two of
them, when taken, to be instantly executed. The third
tinker, however, received a pardon, owing to his having
tried to dissuade his mates from plunging the pretended
palmer into the bog. This tale is evidently beholden in
some of the particulars to the inventive humour of its
relate rs.
For six centuries, more or less, the officials of the Cor-
254
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
fJune
poration of Alnwick used to assemble in the Town Hall
annually on St. Mark's Eve, along with the freemen, the
candidates for the freelage, and as many of the public as
chose to attend ; there the young men were asked to prove
their qualification, such as having previously been ad-
mitted members, or made free of their respective com-
panies. They then paid their fees of admission, swore
loyalty to the king or queen, fealty to the lord of the
manor, and obedience to the Common Council. Their
names were thereupon enrolled in the borough books,
and they received the right hand of fellowship. Then the
neophytes left the hall, and, accompanied by the moor
grieves, the herd, and the town's waits with music,
paraded the streets, each candidate furnishing a bowl
of punch at whatever public house he chose to select.
After this, they separated for the evening, to ruminate on
the important business of the next day.
On the following day (April 25th), the houses of the
new freemen were distinguished by an evergreen planted
before each door, as a signal for their friends to assemble.
About eight o'clock in the morning, the candidates, being
mounted on horseback and armed with swords, assembled
in the Market Place, where they were joined by the can-
didates and the duke's bailiff, attended by two men with
halberds, and last, not least, the duke's piper. The pro-
cession was then formed, the moor grieves taking their
places, some in front and others on the flanks, and behind
the front rank rode the piper, who, as soon as the order to
march was given, commenced to play lively airs on the
Northumbrian pipes. Behind the piper rode the young
freemen, mounted on such steeds as they could command
for the nonce, while a group of old freemen, similarly
equipped, brought up the rear, a long tail of pedestrians
accompanying the assemblage.
The well, about four miles south-west of Alnwick, was
situated on the declivity of what was called the Free-
men's Hill; it was fed by a powerful spring, and was
properly dammed up some time before the grand anniver-
sary. When filled with water, it was about a hundred
feet long, from five to fifteen feet broad, and from three to
five feet deep. To impede the progress of the freemen in
plunging through the dub, turf dykes were built across,
and straw ropes fixed from side to side ; and that these
traps to catch the unwary might not be visible, care was
taken to stir up the mud from the bottom, so that the
water was effectually mixed with it.
The young freemen, after arriving at the Freemen's
Well, immediately prepared for immersion, divesting
themselves of their usual garments, and donning a white
dress and cap, ornamented with ribbons. Then, on a
signal being given, they plunged into the water, some up
to the waist and others to the chin, and scrambled with
the utmost expedition they could make through the
muddy and loathsome pool, when they were courteously
assisted out at the further end. After this trying ordeal,
the newly-accomplished freemen used, very reasonably, to
treat themselves to a dram, put on dry clothes, remount
their horses, and gallop away round the confines of the
Corporation's estate, as far as the Turnlaw or Townlaw
Cairn, where the names of all the freemen then to the
fore, resident or non-resident, were called over.
The cavalcade then returned to the town, carefully
skirting the common property, till they reached a certain
point, where a neck-to-neck race began. At the entrance
to the town, sword in hand, like heroes after a great
victory, they were welcomed back by a bevy of fair dam-
sels, dressed in ribbons, with bells and garlands, dancing
and singing. The coveted honour of being King of the
Freemen for the next year, and of drinking first, on
reaching the castle yard, from a silver cup, full of wine or
beer, presented to the neophites by the Duke of Northum-
berland's steward belonged to the young freeman who
landed in Rotten Row the soonest, after the break -neck
race down the hill. And so the health of his Grace of
Northumberland and prosperity to the town of Alnwick
having been duly pledged by the king and his compeers,
and the officers of the freemen's body, and a
plentiful supply of beer, in pewter and earthenware
pots, having been served out to the equestrians, and
afterwards to those on foot, the regular work of the day
came to a close.
But to the young freemen a further duty still remained
to be performed, viz., that of visiting each of the houses in
front of which evergreens had been planted. An old free-
man or two generally had this part of the work in hand,
and they used to perform it in a systematic way, so as to
take each house in rotation and make a tour of the town.
The inmates of each house were expected to come out with
wine, spirits, and cake, on trays, and serve all hands.
And with this kindly courtesy the public celebration
ended.
EARMOUTH BRIDGE, otherwise Sunder-
land Bridge, which was opened in 1796, and
was long considered one of the wonders of the
world," cost, with sundry indispensable accessories, up-
wards of £40,000, of which sum £30,000 was advanced by
its projector and originator, Rowland Burdon, M.P., at
five per cent, interest on security of the tolls, while the
remaining fourth was raised by subscription on loan, the
subscribers, as was stated at the time, "lending their
money under circumstances of peculiar risk, although
confined by the Act of Parliament not to receive more
than five percent interest." Mr. Burdon, it was clear,
did not make his advance, any more than the others did,
with any view to extraordinary profit, but principally for
promoting the public benefit, which the erection of the
* See vol L, page 401.
June 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
255
bridge furthered to a very great extent. Unfortunately,
in the year 1806, the banking house at Berwick-upon-
Tweed of which Mr. Burdon was chief partner, failed,
and a commission of bankruptcy was obtained against him
and his co- partners, Messrs. Aubone Surtees, John Sur-
tees, John Brandling, and John Embleton, Mr. Bur-
don's interest in the bridge and securities upon the tolls
thereof were then caused by the assignees of the firm to
be put up to sale. They also offered, with the approba-
tion of the creditors of the bank, to dispose of them by
way of tontine in shares; but it turned out that they
were unable to effect this arrangement at any adequate
price. In short, as there was no prospect of the shares
being sold without very great loss to the creditors, the
commissioners fell upon the idea of disposing of them by
way of lottery. This could not be done, however, with-
out the aid and authority of Parliament ; and so an Act
was applied for and obtained, in the year 1814, to
authorise and empower the commissioners or assignees to
dispose of the securities in this way, "without being
liable or subject to any penalty or forfeiture imposed by
any Act or Acts against any sale or sales by way of lottery,
or by lots, tickets, numbers, or figures, or upon any per-
son or persons for opening, setting, exercising, or keeping
an office without license for buying, selling, or disposing
of, or otherwise dealing in, tickets, by way of lottery."
The commissioners named in the Act were Arthur Mow-
bray, of Durham ; Joseph Bulmer, of South Shields (sec-
retary to the North and South Shields Fire Office);
Christopher Blackett, of Newcastle (receiver-general of
taxes for the Counties of Northumberland and Durham) ;
John Chapman, of the same place, merchant; Matthew
Atkinson, of the same place, insurance broker; James
Forster, of the city of Carlisle, banker ; John Molineux,
of Newcastle, spirit merchant ; Geo. Riddell and Robert
Dick, both of Berwick-upon-Tweed, merchants. The Act
stands in the statute book among the local and personal
Acts as 54 Geo. III., cap. 117. Under it the sum of
£30,000 was allotted into 150 prizes, of which the highest
was £5,000, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, £3,000, £2,000, and
£1,000 respectively, while there were six prizes of £500
each, twenty of £200 each, and a hundred and twenty of
£100 each. As the number of tickets was 6,000, at £5
each, there were 5,850 blanks, making thirty-nine
blanks to one prize. Sir Matthew White Ridley, of
Blagdon, Bart., and Cuthbert Ellison, Esq., of Hebburn
Hall, were appointed trustees for the assignees in the first
place, and for the fortunate ticket holders in the second
place, their trusteeship to be determined only on the
terms of the Act having been fully complied with. The
drawing, which took place previous to the first day of
December, 1816, was regulated in like manner as
the State Lotteries then common. Medals were given
to every one of the six thousand subscribers, containing a
view of the bridge on one side and a description of it on
the other ; and the parties who obtained prizes received
debentures bearing interest at 5 per cent. We have
endeavoured to procure a list of the names of these
debenture-holders, but have not been able to do so, the
minute books of the Bridge Commissioners of the date
in question having, it seems, been duly handed over to
the Corporation of Sunderland by Mr. Robert Smart,
the commissioners' clerk, on the office being taken from
him, and having since been either destroyed, lost, or
mislaid in the Town Clerk's office. Tha transference
took place, we believe, in the year 1839. The debentures
were paid off as the commissioners obtained fund* from
the bridge and ferry tolls, and in the manner prescribed
by the Act. The last of them was duly cancelled in the
year 1846, or shortly afterwards.
WILLIAM BROCKIK.
atrtr
|N the south side of Deanraw township,
in the parish of Warden, at the point
where the Harsingdale Burn joins the Allen,
in the midst of some of the most charm-
ing scenery in the North of England, or indeed any-
where, stands the old grey ruin of Staward Peel, or
Staward-le-Peel, one of those minor fortalices once so
common on both sides of the Border, erected by the
lesser barons as places of defence, as well as to serve
as a refuge, in case of invasion, for the wives and
families, and also the cattle, of their dependents.
It is about eight or nine miles west from Hexham,
and the property on which it stands was granted, in
1386, by Edward Duke of York to the Friars Ere-
mites of that town, to be held by them for the yearly
payment of five marks. Placed upon the point of a
high angular cliff of great extent, flanked on the right
and left by precipitous ravines, and communicating with
the main land only by a narrow ridge which afforded the
greatest facilities for defence, this place must, in the
troublous times of the mosstroopers, when they were
evermore scouring the country, have been one of the
securest against sudden assault, remote as it is "from
public view," and miles away from the nearest
frequented route southwards. Who the peel, or pele,
was erected by, or for whom, we do not find on
record. It was probably for the tenants of the
Hexham hermit-friars, whose outlying possessions, in
those rude times, would be held little more sacred by
the indiscriminate harriers of goods and gear than those
of the laity.
After the dissolution of the religious houses, Staward
Peel came into the hands of the Howards and Sandersons,
and afterwards became the residence of John Bacon, who
raised a large fortune by mining speculations, bein?
256
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/June
among the first to utilize the stores of lead by which the
Alston district was for centuries enriched. He is said to
have descended from the same stock as Lord Chancellor
Bacon, and his father, Mr. Wallis says, was a monk of
Wetheral Abbey, and consequently a Benedictine, who
conformed to the Church of England at the Reformation,
married, and founded a family. Mr. Bacon's son settled
at Newton Cap, near Bishop Auckland, which was long
the property and seat of his descendents. In the year
1828, one of these gentlemen assumed the name of Grey,
in addition to his own family name. The remains of
Staward Peel, we believe, are now the property of Mr.
Bacon Grey, of Styford.
About the beginning of the eighteenth century, Sta-
ward Peel is said to have been occupied by a man popu-
larly known by the appellation of Dickey of Kings-
wood, who was one of the last of the genuine moss-
trooper fraternity, and was worthy to be compared
with either Jock o' the Side, Johnnie Armstrong,
Clym o' the Cleugh, or Wat o' Harden. The time was
gone by at the date when Dickey exercised the honour-
able vocation of master-thief for having resort to mere
brute force. And so he had to accomplish his purposes
by fox-like or cat-like cunning. He is said to have
boasted that, though he was afraid of no man, he never
had, and never would, dip his hand in man's blood. He
had a better way by far of raising: ways and means. No
desert Arab could have excelled him in the art of horse-
stealing ; and when horses were not to be had, he would
content himself with cows. Here is a case in
point, communicated to Richardson's "Table Book"
by the late Mr. William Patterson, of Bishopwear-
mouth : —
Once upon a time, when he was passing a farm-house at
Denton Burn, near Newcastle, a pair of fat oxen in au
adjoining field particularly attracted Dicky's attention,
and he was resolved to become their possessor if the thing
could be done comfortably. Accordingly, skulking about
until night, he entered the field and drove them off ; and,
having managed to get the farmer put upon a false scent
and sent off on a bootless errand towards the Tweed,
from which quarter he did not return for some days, he
drove them westward as far as Lanercost, in Cumber-
land, where he sold them fora good price to an old farmer,
who had greatly admired them. This farmer rode an
excellent mare, upon which Dickey cast a covetous eye.
He accompanied the old gentleman home, and, after par-
taking of his bottle, asked him to sell his mare. "My
mare ! no ! " was the reply ; " not for all Cumberland
would I sell her; her like is not to be found." "I cannot
blame you," rejoined Dickey, "but I would recommend
you to keep her close, as unlikelier things have happened
than that your stable should be empty some morning."
" Stable, sir ! God bless you, she sleeps in the same
bouse with myself — close at my own bed-foot; and no
music can be so sweet as to hear her grinding her corn all
the night long, close by me." Dickey commended his
caution, thoueh inwardly cursing it, because he did not
at the moment see how he could possibly get the animal
away. However, he was determined to try. So, con-
tinuing the discourse, he said, " I hope you have got a
good lock." "You shall see it," replied the simple
farmer. This was exactly what the cunning rogue
wanted ; so, after a careful survey of the lock, and pro-
nouncing it to be the real thing — just such a one as it
ought to be, and one it would be impossible to pick-
Dickey partook of another cup, shook hands with his
customer, and departed. The old farmer, who was a
bachelor, after fastening his mare to her accustomed
post, betook himself to rest. He awoke towards
morning, shivering with cold, and astonished to find
himself without coverings of any kind. Rising and
STAWARD PEEL, 1885.
Junel
1889.1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
257
getting a light he found his blankets all spread upon the
floor, towards the door, which was standing open.
Turning towards his bed, his mare's stall was seen to be
empty ; his favourite was gone ! The thief had picked
the lock, stripped him of his covering, spread them down
to prevent noise, and flown with his prize. The farmer
instantly roused his servants and commenced a pursuit,
but in vain. No trace could be discovered beyond a few
yards from his own door. So, after venting curses innu-
merable upon the impudent thief, he was forced to con-
tent himself the best way he could. In the meantime,
Dickey (for his was the misdeed), after clearing the
neighbourhood, directed his flight eastward as fast as he
could. Crossing Halcwhistle Fell, he was met by a man
whom he recognised as tbe owner of the stolen cattle.
This honest man, who had not the least idea of Dickey's
real character, inquired if he had seen a yoke of oxen in
his travels, describing them most minutely. Dickey,
without the slightest hesitation, said he had, and directed
the farmer to the very place where he had sold them.
"You ride a good horse," said the man, "and I am com-
pletely knocked up with trampincr on foot ; will you sell
her ? " After much chaffering, a bargain was struck, the
money paid, and the farmer and Dickey parted, the
former to seek his stolen property from the owner of the
stolen mare, and the latter to wherever his good
or evil genius might direct him. The Denton
farmer, on arriving at Lanercost, instantly recog-
nised his oxen grazing in a field, and rode up
towards an elderly person whom he supposed to be the
master. " I say, friend, these are my cattle in your field ;
how did you come by them?" "And I'm ," replied
the other, "but that is my mare; how did you come by
her?" On each describing the person from whom they
had bought the animals, they discovered that they had
both been duped by the same rogue, and could not help
laughing at the ludicrousness of the whole affair. So
they wisely lost no time in putting matters to rights, so
far as the absence of the thief put it in their power to do
so. A fair exchange took place between them, each
getting back his own, but of course minus the price of
the three stolen animals, which Dickey had got safely
off with, he having lost no time in getting over
the Border, like Jock o' Hazeldene, to a place where he
was fairly out of reach among gentry pretty much of his
own character, who would give him secret harbourage, he
knew, as long as he needed it.
Whether Dickey ever came back to Northumberland we
cannot tell, for tradition gives us no light on the point ;
and from the absence of any notice of him in the records
we have consulted, we are led to conclude that Dickey
of Kings wood, like his brother in " stouthrift," Bob
Hoy, died quietly in his bed, after he had run his riggs.
i3atfT.tl
JJOTHAL CASTLE is romantically situated on
the north bank of the River Wansbeck, about
three miles to the east of Morpeth. The
most comprehemsive view is from the north-west, but
from the south-east the castle has a more picturesque
appearance as it rises above the trees and is reflected
in the river. Our drawing is from the west, and is re-
produced from AUom's Views, which were made more
than half a century ago. The river banks are now
covered with trees, aad it is not an easy matter to get
a glimpse of the castle under the conditions here depicted.
Many alterations have been made to the castle since the
date of the drawing — alterations which, while no doubt
greatly adding to the comfort and convenience of the
occupants, do not enhance its value from a pictorial point
of view. The Wansbeck, in times gone by, was crossed
by stepping-stones near the caatle, but the floods have
washed some of them down the river. A rustic wooden
foot-bridge now takes their place, and forms a not unin-
teresting feature in the landscape.
The most perfect part of the castle is still inhabited. It
was defended by two polygonal towers and a portcullis.
17
258
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/June
The arms of England and France, with six other shields,
are carved over its north entrance. Overlooking the bat-
tlements are two stone figures, one sounding a horn and
the other lifting a stone as if to cast it down upon as-
sailants. There is reason to believe that this tower was
built by Robert Bertram in the time of Edward III., from
whom he obtained leave " to kernellate his manse at
Bothal." Of the rest of the castle merely fragments of
the walls remain, enclosing an area of about half an acre.
In the time of Henry II., Bothal belonged to Richard
Bertram. In the reign of Edward III., Helen, the
heiress of Robert Bertram, brought his property by
marriage to Sir Robert Ogle of Ogle, whose grandson
was created Lord Ogle of Ogle in 1461. The
seventh Lord Ogle left a daughter Catherine, who
married Charles Cavendish, of Welbeck, Nottingham-
shire. Their son was the Marquis of Newcastle, so
famous for his loyalty during the civil wars. His grand-
daughter married John Holies, Duke of Newcastle,
whose heiress married Edward, Earl of Oxford. Their
only daughter, Lady Margaret Cavendish Harley, cele-
brated by Prior as "My noble, lovely little Peggy,"
married William, second Duke of Portland, and thus
brought Bothal into the family of the present owners.
at J2crrtftumbria.
VI.
BATTLE OF NECHTANHMEEK.
j]UT despite their previous successes, a great
calamity for the Northumbrians was im-
pending. Though opposed by the wise men
of his kingdom, and warned by the terrible
animosity that had been aroused by his raids on Ireland,
Egfrid laid his plans for a crushing attack on Brude, the
King of the Picts. It would appear that the tribute al-
ready paid by this people was not sufficient for the grasp-
ing avarice of their persecutor, and he now hoped, at one
swoop, to add a large portion of valuable territory to his
dominions. It was a fatal ambition, and many of his
followers seemed fully cognisant of the risks it entailed.
"A sense of coming ill," says Mr. Green, "weighed on
Northumbria, and its dread was quickened by a memory
of the curses that had been heaped upon her." But not-
withstanding all remonstrances, the army advanced in 685,
and those who were left behind had simply to watch and
pray with the venerable Bishop Cuthbert. Meanwhile,
the assailants proceeded on their way. They came in
sight of the Picts near the Forth, and saw, with glee,
that they were retiring to the hills of Fife. To all ap-
pearances they durst not chance an encounter, and the
Northumbrians pressed forward more eagerly than before.
But the wily Picts understood their business perfectly
well. They had been strongly reinforced by the Scots,
as well as by many of the Welsh tribes, and their sup-
posed retreat was only a pretext for luring the advancing
foe to destruction. Unsuspicious of danger, the pur-
suers rushed onward ; crossed many an awkward marsh ;
and ultimately found themselves, hungry and weary, in
a narrow gorge amid -the mountains. It was here that
the Picts secured their opportunity. They had for some
time been cutting off stragglers, and making flank attacks
on the advancing host ; but now, abandoning all dilatory
tactics, they poured upon the invaders from every hill-
side, and assailed them on all points at once. It was a
well planned ambush, and resulted in a terrible discom-
fiture. Not only was the king killed, but his army was
well-nigh annihilated — scarcely one being left to carry
home the mournful tidings. There had already been
many days of anxious expectancy, and months of sorrow
were still to come. The Northumbrian people were
horrified when a solitary fugitive — haggard and feeble —
told how desperately the Picts had turned at bay, and
how the headstrong "Egfrid, with the flower of his
nobles, lay a ghastly ring of corpses on the far-off moor-
lands of Nechtansmere."
DECLINE OP NOBTHUMBKIA.
This disastrous overthrow struck a blow at the greatness
of Northumbria from which it never fully recovered.
Following up their advantage, the Picts overran the ex-
posed parts of their enemies' land, put the terrified popu-
lation to the sword, and scattered the monks and nuns in
search of safer retreats on the southern side of the
Cheviots. It was a terrible time for the Lothian district
while this rapine and bloodshed lasted ; but the devasta-
tion ceased with the retreat of the Angles, and the Picts
settled themselves strongly on the territory they had
regained. All the lands north of the Tweed passed out of
the possession of Northumbria, and all subsequent efforts
failed to bring them again permanently into subjection.
On the southern boundary, too, there was a similar
curtailment. Ethelred, who had succeeded Wulfere, as
King of Mercia, was no sooner made acquainted with the
full extent of the Northern defeat than he set about the
re-conquest of Lincoln. The time was admirably suited
for the task, as there were few fighting men left to resist
any serious attack. One after another the Northumbrian
garrisons were driven from their posts: and then, being
chased across the Humber, they were further mortified
by an invasion of their own stricken land. There were
many small conflicts, and much havoc wrought, before a
peace could be secured ; but, through the instrumentality
of the great Archbishop Theodore, the fighting was at
length stopped, and the Mercians were at liberty for their
famous struggle with Wessex for the supremacy of the
entire kingdom.
WHAT THE NOBTH HAD ACCOMPLISHED.
To Cuthbert, and men like him, the downfall of the
Northern Kingdom was ominous of evil for both Church
Junel
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
259
and people. Everywhere, says Mr. Grant Allen, the
monks had settled on the riverside groves, had cut down
forests, driven out wolves and beavers, cultivated the soil
with the aid of their tenants and serfs, and become coloni-
zers and eivilizers at the same that they were teachers
and preachers. They had been pioneers in the reclama-
tion of marsh lands, and had substituted stone for wood in
the erection of their buildings. They had encouraged many
handicrafts, invented many luxurious accessories for the
home circle, and were gradually paving the way for a
more elevating, peaceful, and comfortable state of exist-
ence amongst the people. The Anglo-Saxon Church had
never possessed a more fruitful field than in this northern
land, and nowhere else had art and letters been studied
to greater advantage. Now that the powerful monarchs
had departed, however, there seemed a prospect of all this
good being undone. For a hundred years, Lindisfarne
had been the centre of Euglsh religion, just as York had
given the tone to English politics from the days of Ethel-
frith. But though Northumbria had fallen, it had
secured a magnificent record. " By its missionaries and
by its sword," says Mr. Green, "it had won England
fiom heathendom. It had given her a new poetic litera-
ture. Its monasteries were already the seat of whatever
intellectual life the country possessed. Above all, it had
been the first to gather together into a loose political
xmity the various tribes of the English people; and, by
standing at their head for nearly a century, had accus-
tomed them to a national life out of which England, as we
have it now, was to spring. "
EVENTFUL CHANGES.
Though Northumbria was shorn of much of its military
glory after Nechtansinere, it did not fail to play a very
conspicuous part in the national annals. It was not
always a very dignified part, perhaps, nor yet a very use-
ful one ; but it serves to throw a little acceptable light
on the state of society in which our Anglian predecessors
existed. When Egfrid fell before the Picts, he left no
children, and was succeeded by an illegitimate son of
Oswy. This was Aldfrid, a man who had long been in
exile amongst the Irish, and who, as Bede tells us, was
very learned in Scripture. We know next to nothing of
his reign, except that he devoted himself to Christian
work, and maintained the country in a state of the utmost
tranquillity for nearly nineteen years. This pious ruler
was succeeded, in 705, by his son Osrid ; but as the prince
was then only eight years of age, he was compelled to
carry on the government with the aid of several guardians.
One of the chief of these was a relative of the king named
Eadwulf, who at once began to organise a scheme by
which he might put an end to the boy, and so secure the
throne for himself. On this design becoming known to
Berthfrid, another of the guardians, he took the Royal
infant to the shelter of Bamborough, and there defied all
the efforts of the would-be usurper to dislodge him.
After keeping the country in a state of turmoil for a few
weeks, Eadwulf was quietly knocked on the head ; and
matters were then allowed to proceed in a somewhat
humdrum fashion for the next half-dozen years. The
Picts became active once more, in 711, and made a raid as
far south as the Roman Wall — probably near Carrow-
borough — but they were there met by Berthfrid, who
was now regent of the kingdom, and defeated with
heavy loss. Affair, however, were reaching a climax in
another direction. As he approached manhood, Osrid
began to sow his wild oats in a manner that even the
nobles of that day could not excuse. He broke away
from his advisers, indulged in the most vicious pursuits,
and, in 716, was murdered near Windermere, by two of
his relatives, named Cenrid and Osric. The former of
these assassins succeeded to the vacant throne, and
reigned for above three years ; while Osric rather feebly
wielded the sceptre from 719 till 731. He, in turn, was
then put to death by a party of his opponents ; and
Ceowulf, who is said to have been a descendant of Ida,
was crowned king in his stead. This ruler, who was a
highly intelligent man, was held in great esteem by the
priests ; and Bede even dedicated his " Ecclesiastical
History " to him. But though a man of letters, Ceowulf
was unfitted for authority in the turbulent times in which
he lived. He was more than once suspected of absolute
cowardice, and was seized, shorn, and shut up in a monas-
tery, by the fierce chieftains around him. He obtained
his release in due course, and carried on a semblance of
kingship ; but, as he was always terrified of treason, and
could with difficulty defend his frontiers, he voluntarily
abandoned his uneasy position about 738, and assumed
the cowl as a monk of Lindisfarne.
THE DARKNESS AFTER BEDE's DEATH.
For many years after this period we have no consecu-
tive sketch of the warlike operations in Northumbria.
Bede had died at Jarrow, in 755, and his works were
still casting a halo of glory upon his country. What"
with his learning, and teaching, and writing, he had
made the Tyneside Monastery famous throughout the
Christian world, and had earned for it a reputation aa
the greatest literary centre of Western Europe. No
schools were more famous than his ; no life more simple
and unaffected. Nearly all that is known of these early
260
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
\
June
times must be credited to his pen ; and when the action
of that pen was stilled by death, we have a blank which
deprives us of many an interesting recital. "First among
English scholars, first among English theologians, first
among English historians, it is in the monk of Jarrow
that English literature strikes its root." This is almost
renown enough for one district, even though its warlike
glory had been less than we have shown it to DP.
FROM BAD TO WORSE.
But though shorn of some of its possessions, and power
less for aggressive wars, Northumbria could not yet be
subjugated. Kings had come to the throne, quarrelled
with their chiefs, and disappeared; but they had managed
so keep their territory out of the grasp of the now all-
powerful Mercians. Eadbert, who was king in 765, did a
little to retrieve the lost repute. Having allied himself
with the Picts, under Angus McFergus, he was able to
hurl back the midland hordes that sought to invade him.
Though not daring to venture south of the Humber, the
allies kept together, and sought to recoup themselves by
plunder. Turning into Strathclyde, therefore, they
pounced upon the Britons, drove them away to the north,
and, in the end, compelled them to submit at Alcluyd —
the site of the present town of Dumbarton. But despite
these brilliant achievements, Eadbert was utterly unable
to check the growing anarchy in his own land. It was a
source of unceasing trouble to him, and compelled him,
eventually, to fling down his sceptre for the sake of a
peaceful refuge in the cloisters of Lindisfarne. From
this time, for many years, "the history of Northumbria
is only a wild story of lawlessness and bloodshed." There
had been strange eights in the sky that were regarded as
portents of coming evil. Horrible lightnings had crossed
the heavens, dragons had abandoned their usually se-
cluded haunts, and these — together with mists, and frosts,
and darkness that had never been equalled — were looked
upon as omens against which it was useless to fight.
There almost seemed reason for the popular superstition.
"King after king was swept away by treason or revolt,
the country fell into the hands of its turbulent nobles, the
very fields lay waste, and the entire district was scourged
by famine and plague." Of fourteen rulers who struggled
for power, in little more than half a century, six were
murdered by their kinsmen or rivals, five were turned
adrift by their indignant subjects, two became monks,
and only one died in the full dignity of kingship. The
condition of the country was so wretched, indeed, that
anything worse could hardly be imagined. And yet a
time was quickly to arrive when the anarchy of the
eighth century, with all its horrors, was to pale before
the brutal savagery and ruthless destruction of a new foe.
THE DANES AS INVADERS.
While Northumbria was being weakened by internal
broils, and its puppet kings were being expelled or
restored at the will of hostile factions, its independence
was threatened by a far more terrible adversary from
without. Band of Banish adventurers were beginning
to make descents on the coast, just as their Anglian
brethren had done three and a half centuries earlier.
Their boats were larger and stronger, perhaps, and their
military tactics more scientific ; but they were quite as
rude and uncultivated as their predecessors had been,
and quite as devoted to their idolatrous worship of
Woden. They were all familiar with the sea, and could
handle their cruel weapons as effectively as they could
ply the oar. When they landed on the English coast
they were possessed of two kinds of craft. The chiule,
for ocean service, was of considerable breadth, and could
carry from 120 to 150 fighting men. It was tapered at
both ends — the prow and stern being considerably higher
than the sides — and had a rudder fixed pretty much after
the fashion now in vogue. In appearance it is said to
have resembled somewhat the Tyneside keels, and to have
been partly propelled by a sail attached to a mast in the
very centre of the vessel. Being of too great draught for
river work, they were accompanied by shallow coracles
that could not only make their way up the smallest
creeks, but could be easily carried overland from one
waterway to another. On nearing the scene of any con-
templated exploit, the invaders drew their tiny barks
to shore, and then, after constructing a barrier around
them for the protection of the guard, they hurried away
for the rich booty that formed their principal aim. If, as
sometimes happened, they met a superior force, they fled
to their boats and quickly disappeared. This, however,
was only a strategical move, and meant to disarm the
popular vigilance. The Danes invariably returned with a
greatly increased force, and never failed to wipe out the
ignominy of their retreat by a complete and terrible ven-
geance. As fighting men they were extremely valorous.
Their chief weapons consisted of a sword, a mace, and a
club-ended battle-axe, and as these were all made of finely-
tempered metal, and were wielded by arms long inured
to hardship, they made many a detachment of Saxons
quail. But the Danes were not only formidable along
June
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NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
261
the coast line. They often diversified their proceedings by
a dash at some prize in the interior. As quicker transit
was necessary for these inland enterprises, they helped
themselves to all the horses they could find, and, being
tolerably (food riders, made many surprising journeys.
Here, again, they were fully alive to their own security.
Their night camps were always chosen with commendable
skill, and were fortified with great alacrity. In every
case the position was enclosed by a deep ditch and ram-
part, and occasionally had a double or treble line. When
thus protected, and aided by their bowa and arrows, they
were able to turn many a gallant attack into an utter
rout before even the outer earthwork had been reached.
As archery amongst the Angles had become almost ex-
tinct, it is more than likely that these Danish successes
led to that marvellous proficiency with the bow for
which Englishmen were in later days so famous.
DANISH ATROCITIES AND INTERNAL DISSENSIONS.
Though the Danes only commenced their depredations
in Wessex, in 787, they lost no time in carrying fire and
sword into every exposed part of the island. By 793 they
were at work along the shores of Northumbria, and as
the people, at the moment, were fighting over the restora-
tion of Ethelred, a son of Mollo, they were ia no con-
dition to offer an effectual resistance. It was a golden
opportunity for the Pagans. " Like stinging hornets, "
says Simeon of Durham, '' they over-ran the country in
all directions ; like fierce wolves plundering, tearing, and
killing, not only sheep and oxen, but priests and levites,
and choirs of monks and nuns. At Lindisfarne, they
laid all waste with dreadful havoc, trod with unhallowed
feet the holy places, dug up the altars, and carried off
the treasures of the Church. Some of the brethren they
killed ; some they bore away in chains ; many they cast
out naked, and loaded with insults ; some they drowned
in the sea." Amid this turmoil, Ethelred was slain by
his own countrymen, and Eardulf was hoisted to the
ricketty throne. Then followed more disasters. In 79*
the Danes entered the Tyne, plundered the monastery
at Jarrow, and renewed their career of extermination.
The enormity of their misdeeds caused a momentary sus-
pension of the rivalry amongst the Angles, and they has-
tened to avenge the destruction that had been wrought.
Without waiting for a fight, however, the invaders took
to their boats, swept down the river, and made all haste
for the open sea ; but the waves being high upon the bar,
many of the vessels were damaged, and their occupants
were compelled to face the fury of their pursuers. The
issue was never doubtful. Though they fought with the
strength of giants and the ferocity of despair, they were
borne down by sheer weight of numbers, and died to a
man in their efforts to gain a place of safety. When
freed from this danger, the Northumbrians again resumed
the slaughter amongst themselves. By 806, the enemies
of Eardulf managed to depose him in favour of Alfwold,
and the hostilities waxed hotter than ever. Then, by
another turn of the constantly revolving wheel, Eardulf
was restored to his old place and power, and began to
punish all who had ventured to assail him. In a year,
however, he once more dropped off the stage, and Eanred
assumed the mantle of authority. The Danes, mean-
while, had renewed their acquaintance with the district,
and done pretty much as they liked. They had wreaked
their vengeance on the wealthy monastery atTynemouth ;
they had desolated the venerable creation of Benedict
Biscop on the Wear ; they had left their deplorable marks
on the old home of Hilda at Hartlepool ; and had ob-
literated many valuable records of Caedmon and his coad-
jutors at Whitby. From one end of Northumbria to the
other the seats of learning had been pillaged, their trea-
sures appropriated, and manuscripts of inestimable value
scattered to the four winds of heaven. Though people of
the same race, speaking the same language, and the same
in physical appearance, the Dane despised the Angle for
his change of faith, and punished him terribly as a rene-
gade to "the true religion."
WILLIAM LONGSTAFP.
The ruins of the Monastery as Jarrow, as shown in out
first sketch, are taken from a picture in "Surtees" History
of Durham." It may not be generally known that this
famous building owed its origin to the action of King
Egfrid. During one of his visits to the magnificent re-
ligious house which Benedict Biscop had founded at Wear-
mouth, the monarch is said to have been so deeply im-
pressed by the many wonders he saw there, that he
granted lands for the erection of a similar structure on
the south bank of the Tyne. On the completion of the
new edifice, Bede — who was then but a boy — became
a resident student, and won for the place a reputation
that was unrivalled throughout the land. Jarrow, like
moat monastic settlements, was made desolate during the
ravages of the Danes, and so remained till after the Con-
quest. But though its walls were wrecked, and its trea-
sures dispersed, a few holy men continued to cling to the
neighbourhood, and were thus able to afford a much-
needed resting-place for the bones of St. Cuthbert in
1069. When the whole country lay at the mercy of Duke
William, and something like order was restored amongst
the people, it was to the ruins of Jarrow that the Southern
monks made their pilgrimage, and from thence they
began their successful mission for the restoration of the
Benedictine order. On the murder of Bishop Walcher
by the mob at Gateshead, it was the Jarrow monks who
recovered the body, conveyed it to their own retreat
by water, and ultimately secured it decent burial at
Durham.
Our illustration of the chiule comes from lona. It is
there to be seen on the tombstone of Lachlan McKinnon,
who is said to have been descended from a race of Nor-
wegian kings.
The swords and axe-head are drawn from specimens m
the British Museum.
262
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
'June
. 1889.
Illuot r.ttttrno erf
j|LTHOUGH George Stephenson is rightly
regarded as the "Father of Railways" —
for it was he who first made the locomotive
a practical success for traffic — the idea of a
steam engine for traction had been previously worked
out by several mechanical geniuses. Thus, Messrs.
Trevethick and Vivian obtained a patent in 1802 for a
high pressure locomotive engine, which, when the
inventor had made certain improvements in it, was found
capable of drawing a carriage on a circular railway at the
rate of twelve miles an hour.
In 1813, Mr. William Hedley, of Wylam Colliery, made
the first travelling locomotive engine, or substitute for
animal power in the traction of coal waggons, ever see
in the North. The coal was worked on the south side of
the Tyne, conveyed under the river to the bottom of the
shaft, and drawn up there ; and from thence it was sen*
by the locomotives on a tramway to Lemington, a
distance of above five miles. Each engine drew ten
waggons, carrying eight chaldrons of coals, or 21i tons,
and sometimes a dozen or more waggons were dragged by
one engine. Strangers used to be struck with surprise
and astonishment on seeing a locomotive engine moving
majestically along the road at the rate of four or five
miles an hour, drawing along from ten to fourteen loaded
waggons ; and their surprise was increased on witnessing
the extraordinary facility with which the engine was
managed. This invention was deemed a noble triumph
of science, and so it really was, considering the time ; but
"Puffing Billy, "as Hedley's locomotive was christened
by the people near, is now only a curiosity, though it
kept the road for a considerable time. The escapes of the
jets of steam at high pressure, indeed, caused so much
annoyance to the owners of horses in the neighbourhood,
that the engine had to be stopped whenever a cart or
carriage approached, and the working of the traffic was
thus seriously interrupted, until Billy's manners were
improved by an ingenious arrangement for allowing the
eteam to escape gradually.
George Stephenson, who had been for some time
experimenting on the subject, constructed in 1815 the
engine of which a figure ia here given, and which was
PUFFING BILLS, 1813.
STEPHEN-BOX'S EXOINE. 1815.
a great improvement in many respects, and particularly
in the simplicity of its mechanism, to Hedley's engine.
It weighed about eight tons, and could make a speed
of nearly sixteen miles an hour — in those days quite
a marvel — but with this disadvantage, that the chimney
often became red-hot when running at that rate. But
George was one of those extraordinary men to whom
failure in any task, not physically impossible, is an
unrecognised thing ; and though his first locomotive was
not very efficient, he was never satisfied till he had
improved it so far as to come up somewhat near his
own ideal. Mr. Goldworthy Gurney's grand improve-
ment of the steam blast was utilised by him to carry his
experiments to a triumphal issue.
In 1820, Stephenson was appointed engineer for the
construction of the Stockton and Darlington Railway;
and when that line was opened on the 27th September,
1825, his locomotive engine was called into requisition,
and drew a train of thirty-eight carriages, fully loaded
with coals, goods, and passengers, exclusive of the tender
with coals and water, a distance of eight and three-quarter
miles in sixty-five minutes, the speed in some parts being
frequently twelve miles an hour, and, in one place for a
short distance, near Darlington, fifteen miles per hour.
On this occasion the fields on each side of the railway
may be said to have been literally covered with ladies and
gentlemen on horseback, and pedestrians of all kinds. A
man rode in front carrying a flag, as may be seen in our
engraving.
The rapid growth of the trade of South Lancashire,
together with the unpopular management of the Bridge-
water Canal, gave rise in 1821 to the project of a railway
June \
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
263
between Liverpool and Manchester. Stephenson, who
had meanwhile fully established his reputation as a
practical man, was chosen engineer by the directors, with
a salary of £1,000 a year. He proposed to work the line
with locomotive engines going at the rate of twelve miles
an hour — an idea which was held up by some incredulous
critics as sufficient to stamp the project as a bubble.
" Twelve miles an hour ! " exclaimed a writer in the
Quarterly Review: "as well trust oneself to be fired off
from a Congreve rocket ! "
It had been originally contemplated to work the trains
by horses ; but locomotives having been long used in con-
veying coal in the Newcastle district, it was believed
that they might be used to draw passengers with advan-
tage. The company consequently offered a reward of
£500 to the maker of the best locomotive, particularising
certain conditions necessary to be fulfilled. The trial
took place on the 6th October, 1829, at Rainhill, near
Liverpool, on a level piece of the railway one mile and
three quarters in length. The distance to be run was
seventy miles, backwards and forwards, thus giving
forty stoppages. The following engines appeared : — The
" Novelty, " made by Messrs. Braithwaite and Ericsson, of
London, but this was withdrawn, in consequence of some
derangement in her pipes shortly after starting; the
"Rocket," made by Messrs. Robert Stephenson and Co.,
of Newcastle, weighing 4 tons 9 cwt., which did the
seventy miles in six and a-half hours — an average speed of
somewhat over five and a-half minutes per mile — and so
gained the prize; the "Perseverance," made by Mr.
Burstal, of Leith ; and the "Sans PareiV'made by Mr.
Timothy Hackworth, of Darlington. The two latter
came in second and third. The " Rocket " afterwards
astonished everybody by drawing a carriage containing
STEPHENSON'S ENGINE, "ROUKET.':
from twenty to thirty pabsengers up the Whiston inclined
plane, rising 1 in 96, at rates of from fifteen to eighteen
miles per hour. Yet, marvellous as was the " Rocket "
in its day, it would now be looked upon by railway
engineers as a pretty toy. For it was soon discovered
that the bite and steadiness of the locomotive on the rails
were of so much importance as to counteract the dis-
CHAT MOSS, SHOWING STEPHENSON S LINE.
264
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
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NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
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266
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
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advantage of the vis inertia of increased weight ; and
therefore locomotives began to be made always heavier
and heavier, till some of them are now, we believe, up-
wards of twenty tons weight.
One of the most difficult parts of the Liverpool and
Manchester line to make was that over Chat Moss, a huge
bog, between Bury Lane and Patricroft, comprising an
area of twelve square miles, so soft as to yield to the foot
of man or beast, and in many parts so fluid that an iron
rod laid upon the surface would sink out of sight by its
own weight. It varied from ten to thirty-five feet in
depth, and the bottom was composed of sand and clay.
On the eastern border, for about a mile and a-half, the
greatest difficulty in the construction of the road occurred.
Here an embankment of about twenty feet above the
natural level was formed, the weight of which, resting on
a soft base, pressed down the original surface ; many
thousand cubic yards gradually and silently disappeared
before the desired level was attained ; but, by degrees,
the whole mass beneath and on either side of this
embankment became consolidated by the superincumbent
and lateral pressure, and the work was finally completed
at less expense than any other part of the line. Hurdles
of brushwood and heath were placed under the wooden
sleepers, which supported the rails over the greater part
of this moss ; so that the road might be said to float on
the surface. And on the 1st of May, 1830, the "Rocket "
steam-engine, with a carriage full of company, passed
over the roadway, along the whole extent of Chat Moss,
thus affording the first triumphant proof of the possibility
of forming this much-contested line.
WILLIAM BROCKIE.
at JHarfe 'attaint
antr
Robert dares, <£arl of Jttonnumth.,
A NORTHUMBRIAN OOUBTIER.
HERE is an exciting passage in local history
which describes the wonderful ride of Sir
Robert Carey, of Widdrington Castle, who,
on New Year's Day, March 25, 1603, spurred
madly through Newcastle on his way from the death-bed
of Queen Elizabeth to the Court of James VI. of Scot-
land, and who, notwithstanding " sundry shift of horses,
and some falls that bruised him very sore," contrived to
be the first to salute the Scottish monarch as King of
England.
Robert Carey was a son of Henry Carey, Lord Huns-
don, Governor of Berwick, whose father, William Carey,
an esquire of the body to Henry VIII., married Mary,
sister of Annie Boleyn, Queen Elizabeth's mother. Born
in 1560, the youngest of ten, he was trained to the life of
a courtier and diplomatist, and introduced, soon after he
arrived at manhood, to a career in Parliament. The
burgesses of Morpeth elected him to be one ot their
members in 1584; he sat for that borough in three
successive Parliaments; and he was returned for the
county of Northumberland afterwards. But a seat in the
House of Commons was not much to his liking. He used
it merely as a stepping-stone to preferment. The favours
of the Court and the triumphs of diplomacy were the
objects of his »mbition. To live alternately in the sun-
shine and the shadow of royal caprice, to be sent upon
royal errands, and to form part of royal embassies, were
pursuits dearer to him than skill in debate or achieve-
ments in legislation. His father's influence, his cousin-
ship to the Queen, and his own resolute and courageous
character enabled him to gratify his wishes. He became
an accomplished courtier, an able diplomatist, a trusted
servant of the Crown.
In after life Carey wrote a copious account of the
principal events of his career. He tells us that the first
important mission with which the Queen entrusted him
was one of a delicate character, which nobody else about
the Court cared to undertake. Mary Queen of Scots had
been executed, and he was sent to her son, King James,
to declare that Queen Elizabeth was innocent of her
death. The errand was fraught with peril, for the Scots
•
vj \ ">
ftoltrT Carej , 'J v
Csrl of AJoA
were excited, and threatened to murder the apologist if
he attempted to cross the border. James would not allow
him to run the risk ; be sent messengers to receive the
protestation, and Carey delivered it with becoming
dignity at the frontier, within the bounds of his father's
governorship. A few months later, when the storm had
blown over, he was despatched upon another embassy to
Jan
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
267
the Scottish King, found him at Dumfries, stayed with
him a fortnight, being " nobly entertained " the while,
and returned to London, " where the Queen and council
allowed very well " of what he had done.
The following year (1588) the Spanish Armada made its
appearance, and he joined the fleet that was sent out to
disperse it. When by fire and tempest the pride of Spain
had been broken, he and Lord Cumberland brought the
news to Queen Elizabeth at Tilbury. Her Majesty
appointed him again to be her ambassador to the Scottish
monarch, but he was stricken down by fever and could
not execute his mission. His next employment was with
Lord Essex in France, where he assisted at the siege of
Rouen. In adjusting a quarrel between the Queen and
Essex which arose out of this expedition, he was fortunate
enough to please both parties, was knighted on the field,
and on his return was received at Court with honour, the
Queen giving him out of the Exchequer £1,000 to pay his
debts. Then, finding time hang heavily on his hands, he
accepted from Henry Lord Scroop, his brother-in-law, the
deputy-wardenship of the West Marches, left the Court,
and entered upon the duties of his office at Carlisle.
On the 20th of August, 1593, he married, at Berwick,
Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Hugh Trevanion, and widow
of Sir Henry Widdrington, of Widdrington, who held for
life, under the will of her deceased husband, the castle
and manor of Widdrington, and the manors of Woodhorn
and Linton. His own account of the alliance and its
immediate result is amusing :—
I married a gentlewoman, more for her worth than her
wealth, for her estate was but five hundred pounds a-year
jointure, and she had between five and six hundred
pounds in her purse. Neither did she marry me for any
great wealth, for I had in all the world but one hundred
pounds a-year pension out of the Exchequer, and that
was but during pleasure, and I was near a thousand
pounds in debt ; besides, the Queen was mightily offended
with me for marrying.
Reconciliation with her Majesty was effected in a
roundabout way, very pleasant to read, even in an
abridgment of the narrative : —
My brother, Sir John Carey, that was then Marshal of
Berwick, was sent to by the King of SCOTS to meet his
Majesty on a matter of great importance that he would
not trust the Queen's ambassador with, nor any other,
unless it were my father, or some of his children. My
brother sent notice to my father of the King's desire, and
my father showed the letter to the Queen. Knowing
(though she would not know) that I was in Court, she
said : " I hear your fine son that has lately married so
worthily is hereabouts : send him if you will to know the
King's pleasure." My father answered he knew I would
be glad to obey her commands. "No," said she, ''do
you bid him go, for I have nothing to do with him. " [He
went, and on returning to Court the Queen declined to
see him, but he persisted in demanding an interview. I
With much ado, I was called for in, and I was left alone
with her. Our first encounter was stormy and terrible,
which I passed over with silence. After she had spoken
her pleasure of me and my wife, I told her that she
herself was the fault of my marriage, that if she had but
graced me with the least of her favours I had never left
her, nor her Court, and seeing she was the chief cause of
my misfortune, I would never off my knees till I had
kissed her hand, and obtained my pardon. She was not
displeased with my excuse, and before we parted we grew
good friends.
Lord Hunsdon died in July, 1596, and the Queen
ordered Sir Robert to undertake the duties of Warden
till her further pleasure should be known. So he re-
mained at Berwick, living at his own charge, and
impoverishing his estate, for more than a year. Failing
to obtain an allowance, he went to the Queen, and, gain-
ing an interview by stratagem, was graciously received,
secured a patent of the Wardenship, five hundred pounds,
and the captaincy of Norham Castle. He had not been
long settled in office before Lord Willoughby was made
Governor of Berwick, and claimed the Wardenship. The
claim being admitted, Sir Robert was appointed Warden
of the Middle March, and took up his residence at
Alnwick Abbey.
After five years spent in the discharge of his duties in
Northumberland, Sir Robert went to Court again, found
the Queen ill, obtained an interview, and heard a pitiful
story. Her Majesty took him by the hand and " wrung
it hard"; told him that "her heart had been sad and
heavy for ten or twelve days," and in her discourse "she
fetched not so few as forty or fifty great sighs." She
grew rapidly worse, "remained upon her cushions four
days and nights at the least ; all about her could not
persuade her either to take any sustenance or go to bed."
He saw that the end was approaching, and began to look
out for himself.
I wrote to the King of Scots (knowing him to be the
right heir to the crown of England), and certified him in
what state her Majesty was. I desired him not to stir
from Edinburgh ; if of that sickness she should die, I
would be the first man that should bring him news of it.
On Wednesday, the 23rd of March [1602-31, she grew
speechless. That afternoon by signs she called for her
Council, and by putting her hand to her head when the
King of Scots was named to succeed her, they all knew
he was the man she desired should reign after her. About
six at night she made signs for the archbishop and her
chaplains to come to her, at which time I went in with
them, and sat upon my knees, full of tears, to see that
heavy sight. ... I went to my lodging, and left
word with one in the cofferer's chamber to call me if
that night it was thought she would die, and gave the
porter an angel to let me in at any time when I called.
Between one and two o'clock on Thursday morning he
that I left in the cofferer's chamber brought me word the
queen was dead.
The time for fulfilling his promise to King James had
arrived. He went to the Palace to verify the statement
that her Majesty was dead, and then set out on that
flying journey to which reference is made at the begin-
ning of this article.
I took horse between nine and ten o'clock, and that
night rode to Doncaster (155 miles). The Friday night
I came to my own house at Widdrington (300 miles) and
presently took order with my deputies to see the borders
kept in quiet, which they had much to do, and gave order
the next morning the King of Scotland should be pro-
claimed King of England [there], and at Morpeth and
Alnwick. very early on Saturday I took horse for
Edinburgh, and came to Norham about noon, so that I
might well have been with the king at supper-time ; but
I got a great fall by the way. . . . The king was
newly gone to bed by the time that I knocked at the
gate. I was quickly let in and carried up to the king's
268
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
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chamber. I kneeled by him, and saluted him by his title
of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland. He gave me
his hand to kiss and bade me welcome. After he had
long discoursed of the manner of the Queen's sickness and
of her death, he asked what letters I had from the
Council. I told him none. And yet I had brought him
a blue ring from a fair lady that I hoped would give him
assurance of the truth that I had reported. He took it
and looked upon it, and said, " It is enough ; I know by
this you are a true messenger."
Sir Robert Carey was rewarded for his daring ride by a
bedchamber appointment and promises of further promo-
tion. He gave up his Wardenry, accompanied the king
on his journey southward, entertained him at Widdring-
ton en route , and was, for a time, a great favourite. But
the king forgot his promises, dismissed his Northern
gentlemen of the bedchamber, and amongst them Sir
Robert Carey. Thus this accomplished courtier found
himself suddenly thrown from sunshine into shade — his
Wardenry gone, Norham taken from him, and a whole
train of misfortunes following in rapid succession. For a
time his prospects were of the darkest. But, exercising
the virtue of patience, he waited, and at length he was
somewhat unexpectedly restored to favour through the
influence of his wife. The Duke of York (afterwards
Charles I.) was a weak and puny child, and somebody
was wanted to take a motherly care of him. None of the
great ladies were willing to assume the responsibility, and
it fell into Lady Carey's hands. She did so well by her
charge that the King and Queen were highly pleased, and
" by her procurement she got me a suit of the king [the
charge of the duke's household] that was worth to me
afterwards four or five thousand pounds."
Sir Robert Carey secured the attachment of the young
prince, and held his office in spite of many intrigues. In
1621, he was created Baron of Leppington, and a few days
after his admission to the peerage was sent to Spain on
that memorable sweethearting expedition of the Prince
and the Duke of Buckingham, which has made King
James and his favourite the laughing-stocks of English
history. When Charles ascended the throne he gave his
faithful friend a pension of £500 a year, and, at his
coronation, elevated him to the rank and title of Earl of
Monmouth. Carey was sixty-five years old when this
crowning honour came to him, and, passing the rest of
his days in comparative retirement, he died on the 12th
April, 1639, just in time to be spared the sight of civil
war and the execution of the monarch whose childhood
had been spent under his care.
Zl)t £et>. 3.
AN ERUDITE VIOAB.
Joseph Dacre Carlyle, son of a physician in the county
town of Cumberland, was born on the 4th of June, 1758,
and receiving his early education in his native place,
entered Christ's College, and afterwards Queen's College,
Cambridge. During his residence at the University, he
became acquainted with a native of Bagdad, and, profit-
ing by the instructions he received from him, attained to
unusual proficiency in Oriental languages. He graduated
B. A. in 1779, and M. A. in 1783, and, returning home to
Carlisle, obtained one of the city livings. Between 1792
and 1796 he took hia degree of B.D., wa» elected to the
professorship of Arabic in his University, and received
the chancellorship of the diocese of Carlisle in succession
to Dr. Paley. In the same interval he became an author.
The Cambridge Press put forth from his pen in thn latter
part of 1792 a Latin translation of "Maured Allatafet
Jemaleddini Filii Togri-Bardii," with a learned, critical,
and very elegant commentary, and in 1796, "Specimens
of Arabian Poetry, from the Earliest Time to the Extinc-
tion of the Khalifat, with some Account of the Authors" —
a volume in which the originals were reproduced in char-
acters of great beauty and taste. The intimate acquaint-
ance with Oriental literature displayed in these books
brought the author under the notice of Mr. Pitt The
Earl of Elgin had been appointed ambassador to the
Porte, and it was thought desirable to send with him
some person of learning who might improve the facilities,
then offered by the friendly disposition of the Turkish
Court, of examining the literary treasures to be found in
the public libraries of Constantinople. Mr. Carlyle was
eminently qualified for this work, and when Mr. Pitt
offered him the post he accepted it without hesitation.
The embassy left England in 1799, and as soon as it
arrived at Constantinople Mr. Carlyle entered upon his
duties. He explored libraries, examined archives and
muniment rooms, purchased manuscripts, and prepared
catalogues with the assiduity of a scholar and the zeal of a
collector. Having exhausted the capital, he set out for the
Turkish provinces, spent some time at Troad, surveying
the traditional site of ancient Troy, passed over .to Egypt,
visited the Holy Land, and returned to Constantinople
laden with literary treasure. Then he explored the ruined
cities of Greece, and amongst other labours (assisted by
the Rev. Philip Hunt, a native of Newcastle, and chap-
lain to the embassy) catalogued the books, &c., in the
libraries of the twenty two monasteries of Mount Athos.
His next tour was through parts of Italy, the Tyrol, and
Germany, and in 1801, after two years' absence, he came
back to his native land.
About the time of his return, the Rev. James Stephen
Lushington, who had been presented to the living of
Newcastle by his father-in-law, the Bishop of Carlisle,
died. To the vacancy so created the bishop appointed
Mr. Carlyle. He was inducted on the 5th October, 1801,
and made chaplain, or one of the chaplains, to the Bishop
of Durham soon afterwards. Taking up his residence in
the old home of the vicars of Newcastle in Westgate
Street, he formed projects for utilising his special gifts
and the result of his travels. He prepared a " Disserta
tion on the Troad," a book of poetry, and "Observa-
tions made during a Tour through Lesser Asia, Syria,
and Egypt." He also undertook, at the request of tba
June 1
NORTfrCOUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
269
Bishop of Durham and other eminent persons, to super-
intend the printing of a correct edition of the Bible in
Arabic, and had set his heart upon being able to produce,
when these books ware completed, an edition of the New
Testament in Greek, to contain not only the various
readings collected by Mill, Bengell, Wettstein, Griesbach,
and Matthsei, but also those of more than thirty Greek
manuscripts which he had collected during his travels,
together with a new and accurate collation of the Synac
and other eminent versions. Unfortunately for litera-
ture, and for the town in which he had settled, he did not
live to realise bis desires. Injured probably by flis exer-
tions abroad, his health gave way very soon after he
came to Newcastle, and the laborious work which he had
projected was carried on amidst great suffering, which
death ended on the 12th of April, 1804.
The literary projects which Mr. Carlyle left unfinished
at his death were in part undertaken by others. His
superintendence of the Arabic Bible (printed by Mrs.
Hodgson, in Union Street, Newcastle) was continued by
the Rev. Edward Moises and Dr. Ford, and completed in
1811. The book of poetry, with an introduction by Miss
Carlyle, his sister, was printed by William Buhner, at the
Shakspeare Press, under the title of " Poems suggested
chiefly by Scenes in Asia Minor, Syria, and Greece, with
Prefaces extracted from the Author's Journal, and Em-
bellished with Two Views of the Source of the Scamander
and the Aqueduct over the Simois. " In this handsomely
printed volume is a hymn which finds a place in every
modern hymn book, commencing
Lord ! when we bend before Thy throne,
And our confessions pour,
Teach us to feel the sins we own,
And hate what we deplore.
— a hymn that has probably been sung hundreds of times
at St. Nicholas' Church in happy ignorance that its com-
poser was vicar there, and may have caught his inspira-
tion while listening to the voice of prayer within its
venerable walls.
The rest of Vicar Carlyle's MSS. do not appear to have
been sufficiently advanced for publication, and the ulti-
mate destination of them is unknown. Newcastle pos-
sesses no memorial of this erudite and amiable man, but
his connection with the church in preserved by a remark-
able eulogium which he bestowed upon its lantern-
crowned tower. In local guides and handbooks the
reader is assured, upon his authority, that the tower of
St. Nicholas' is the most beautiful that exists in the
world ; surpassing the Cathedral of St. Sophia at Con-
stantinople, the Mosque of Sultan Saladin at Jerusalem,
the Church of St. Peter at Home, and even the Temple
of Minerva at Athens !
nine years, died Dr. Chadwick, second bishop of the
Catholic diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
Bishop Chadwick was descended from an old and hon-
ourable Lancashire family — the Chadwicks of Birkacre
and Burgh Hall. His ancestors were devoted Catholics
and pronounced Royalists. They had remained faithful
to the ancient creed of Christendom through all vicissi-
tudes of fortune. Neither temptation nor persecution
shook their allegiance to the Pope, nor weakened their
fidelity to the Stuarts. To their fostering care was chiefly
due the preservation of the Catholic faith in Lancashire
after the political crash of the '45 rebellion. One member
of the family, the Rev. John Chadwick, distinguished
himself especially in disarming Protestant hostility
against the rebels, and in building up anew the Church
of his forefathers. He was a great-uncle of the bishop, a
Bishop
ILijljt £et>. Same* GipDnick, p.p.,
BISHOP OP HEXHAM AND NEWCASTLE.
At the episcopal residence, Rye Hill, Newcastle, on the
morning of Monday, May 14, 1882, at the age of sixty-
man of genius and power, who narrowly escaped becoming
a bishop himself. For some years he was professor of
poetry and rhetoric at Douay, and, later in life, was
appointed Vicar-General of the Northern District of
England.
John Chadwick, father of the bishop, married Frances
Dromgoole, of Lowth, and settled, in the early part of the
century, at Drogheda. In that town, third son of this
marriage, on the 24th April, 1813, the bishop first saw the
light. When he had reached his twelfth year, he was
entered as an alumnus at Ushaw College, then in the
infancy of its history, under the presidency of Dr. John
Gillow. He received the tonsure and minor orders from
Bishop Briggs in December, 1835, and the following year
was ordained deacon and priest. Remaining at Ushaw,
he was appointed General Prefect, and later on was sue-
270
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
.1889.
cessively Professor of Humanities, Mental Philosophy,
and Pastoral Theology. About the year 1850 he joined
a community of diocesan missionaries who had estab-
lished themselves at Wooler, and helped to found the
Church of St. Ninian and St. Cuthbert in that town.
From Wooler as a starting point the missionaries spread
themselves over the greater part of Northern England,
until, in 1856, a fire destroyed their house and chapel, and
compelled them to separate. Then Dr. Chadwick re-
turned to Ushaw, resuming for two or three years his
duties as professor, and afterwards officiating as chaplain
to Lord Stourton. He again returned to Ushaw in 1863,
and was filling the chair of Pastoral Theology there when
the death of Bishop Hogarth (January 29, 1866) called
i.iin to higher duties.
Dr. Chadwick was elected Bishop of Hexbam and
Newcastle on the 12th August, 1866, was consecrated at
Ushaw by Archbishop (now Cardinal) Manning in the
following October, and was solemnly enthroned in No-
vember, at his Cathedral Church of St. Mary, Newcastle.
The office he had undertaken was not a sinecure. His
diocese extended over the counties of Cumberland, Dur-
ham, Northumberland, and Westmoreland — an area of
5,457 square miles — comprising eighty-one churches and
chapels, eleven convents, and ninety-six priests. To
Kiiperintend all these widely-scattered communities, and
to provide for ever-increasing additions to his Church
among the growing populations of the Tyne, the Wear,
and the Tees was a task for a strong man. The new
bishop was equal to the strain. He laboured incessantly,
and never seemed to weary. When Monsignor Tate,
president of Ushaw, died, in August, 1876, and Dr.
Wilkinson, his successor, was taken away a month later,
nil eyes were turned towards Dr. Chadwick, and he was
importuned to undertake the double duties of President
;md Bishop. Bravely he consented, and for a year filled
both offices ; but this task was beyond his strength, and
he returned to Newcastle and devoted himself to his
episcopal duties alone. How successful his performance
of these duties was may be gathered from the fact that
when he died the churches and chapels of his diocese had
increased from eighty to a hundred and nine, monastic
institutions from eleven to twenty-seven, and priests from
ninety-six to a hundred and fifty -eight.
Excepting his pastorals Bishop Chadwick contributed
little to the literature of his Church. He published in
youth an Epic Poem on Judas Iscariot, describing his life
and miserable end, but committed the greater part of the
edition to the flames. In later life he wrote a poem upon
the Yew Tree at Ushaw, tracing it back to the time of
the Druids when they rested under the "Yewshade,"
from which the name of Ushaw is supposed to be derived.
He also edited C. Leuthner's "Ccelum Christianum, " and
"St. Teresa's Own Words, or Instructions on the Prayer of
Recollection, arranged from her Way of Perfection. " Hut
incessant occupation left him little time for authorship.
His strength lay in teaching, governing, administering.
As a college professor he had marvellous tact in attracting
and instructing youth ; as a bishop he succeeded in build-
ing up a powerful ecclesiastical organisation without
giving offence to the Protestant community. On the day
that he was buried in the college cemetery at Ushaw, the
great bell of St. Nicholas' Church, Newcastle, tolled out
the respect and veneration in which all classes of his
fellow-citizens held him.
Cfte Jbtmtff at
©altorogate anb $5ercg
j|T is hardly necessary to point out the reason
for the name of Gallowgate. It is, of course,
only the corruption of the more repellent
name of Gallows' Gate. We have seen that
the New Gate, hard by, was for centuries the common
gaol of the town. Such of its prisoners as were con-
demned to suffer the last penalty of the law were led
forth to die on the Town Moor by way of the road on
which we are now entering. It cannot be said to be an
inviting one, either from its ancient associations or its
more modern surroundings ; yet nevertheless it is one of
the highways of Newcastle, and as- such we may not
altogether pass it by.
Starting on our journey, we note at the corner of New-
gate Street on our left the Corporation Baths and Wash-
houses, put up tor the benefit of the residents in this
locality.
Passing Dalrymple Court, as we wend our way along
Gallowgate, we come to some old houses which still serve
to show what the architecture of the old thoroughfare
must have been at one time. The slate yard opposite
was once the property of Alderman James Archbold,
Sheriff in 1840, Mayor in 1846, who lived in one of these
houses, and died there in 1849, leaving a considerable for-
tune. Here also lived, at the close of last century, Alder-
man James Rudman, Sheriff in 1772, and Mayor in 1784
and 1792. Now we pass Strawberry Lane, St. Andrew's
Street, and Bulmer Street, which all tend towards the
Leazes ; and as we approach Darn Crook, formerly called
Heron Street, at this point, we are reminded by our
organs of smell that we are in the neighbourhood of a
tannery. Nearer to the Leazes, Sir Cuthbert Heron, a
prominent townsman of his day, had one of his houses ;
but the time for greatness of this sort has long since
passed away from the locality.
Gallowgate is continued, in straggling fashion, by the
Barrack Road— the road leading to the Barracks. Here
the engine works of Messrs. Thompson and Boyd once
gave employment to several hundred men ; but the firm
June 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
271
could not stand the strain of the nine hours strike, and
the extensive premises stood idle and empty for years.
Above these works is Spring Garden Terrace, which
derives its name from Spring Gardens, " formerly used as
a place of genteel resort, where the gay and fashionable
were entertained in tents, and amused with music, sing-
ing, &c." It was in these gardens that William Shield,
the composer of "The Wolf," "The Thorn," and many
other well-known songs, at one time acted as musical
conductor. Passing on, we come to Todd's Nook ; the
Barrack Square, where formerly married soldiers were
housed ; a lane in which are two dismantled windmills ;
and so to the Barracks proper, which have of late years
been greatly increased in size and accommodation.
Such, then, is the Gallowgate of the present, with its
extension, the Barrack Road, to boot. But what of the
Gallowgate of the past? We find it called Galogate,
as far back as the reign of Edward IV. We know the
reason for that name. The fatal tree to which it is due
stood near the entrance to the Town Moor, in a place
called Gallows-hole. Who were its victims, or its fruits?
Here is the answer, going no further back than 1751. In
that year, Richard Brown, keelman, suffered death on
the Moor, for the murder of his daughter, sixteen years
of age, by throwing her down stairs. In 1754-, a woman
was the victim of the law — Dorothy Cantinby, a widow —
executed for the murder of her illegitimate child. Four
surgeons, after her death, dissected her body and lectured
upon it. She left two sons and a daughter by her lawful
husband. The sons drowned themselves for very despera-
tion at the thought of their mother's ignominious end :
the daughter went to a remote part of the country, where
she might live without reproach. Alice Williamson, an
old offender, suffered for burglary in 1758 ; and in 1764-
San'dgate gave its tribute to the Town Moor "stob" in
the person of George Stewart, a pawnbroker. Robert
Lindsay, a keelman, mounted a wall in a lane near to the
pawnbroker's house. Stewart's wife saw this peeping Tom,
and asked him to get down and go home. He refused ;
high words passed ; and at length the angry wife struck
at the aggressor out of the window with a pair of tongs.
The quarrel raged more furiously than ever, and at last
Stewart himself rose out of bed, took a loaded gun from
his bed-head, and told Lindsay fairly that " if he would
not go down he would shoot him. " Still the stupid man
refused, and Stewart snapped the gun at him. It missed
fire, and the wife was asked to bring some more powder.
She did so, and primed her husband's gun for him.
He fired, and Lindsay fell dead. For this Stewart was
hanged.
The next victim of the law on the Moor was William
Alexander, who was executed in November, 1783, for the
forgery of a bill of exchange. A legal technicality de-
layed his execution after trial and sentence ; for one of
the jury had not been returned on the sheriff's panel, but
had been summoned in mistake instead of his father.
The informality was submitted to the consideration of the
twelve judges, who decided that the conviction was, not-
withstanding, legal and binding. Meanwhile, it became
evident that Alexander was "a person of cultivated mind,
and he was supposed to belong to some respectable family
in Scotland." Ultimately, he was taken from Newgate
to the place of execution in a mourning coach provided by
the Sheriff, and was attended by the prison ordinary and
a Dissenting minister. "On his road, and after his arrival
at the gallows, he read, with the greatest composure, the
53rd chapter of Isaiah. He alighted from the coach and
ascended the cart with the greatest firmness, and pro-
ceeded to address the spectators from a written form
which he had previously composed. "
A great moral lesson was taught at the next execution,
in 1786, when Henry Jennings suffered for horse-stealing.
On the gallows he gave an explanation of the cant terms
used by highway robbers and pickpockets, which he de-
sired to have published for the benefit of the public at
large. Now for the moral lesson. "During the awful
ceremony, a boy named Peter Donnison was apprehended
picking the pocket of a gentleman standing near the foot
of the gallows. " In 1795, Thomas Nicholson, a pitman,
suffered death on the Moor for the murder of one Thomas
Purvis, a carver and gilder. This murder occurred during
the races at Newcastle. Purvis and a party of pitmen
were in a tent on this same Moor, and high words rose
amongst them. The result was that the pitmen waylaid
the unfortunate Purvis, and used him most brutally.
But Nicholson alone suffered death, "as it was stated
that, after the rest left, Nicholson, to complete the horrid
act, returned and jumped upon the body." In 1817,
Charles Smith suffered for the murder of Charles Stuart.
In 1829, Jane Jameson was hanged, on the Nun's Moor,
for the murder of her mother, an inmate of the Keel-
men's Hospital, by stabbing her to the heart with a red-
hot poker. The last to be hanged on the Town Moor was
Mark Sherwood, in 1844, for the murder of his wife in
Blandford Street. There are old residents amongst us
who still remember the execution, and narrate how the
condemned man was carted to the place of execution
sitting on his own coffin.
These punishments cost money. As a curiosity, now
that we have no more of them in public, we append the
order of the procession, and a list of the expenses, attend-
ing the execution of Jane Jameson just mentioned : —
The town sergeants on horseback, in black, with cocked
hats and swords ; the town marshal, also on horseback, in
his official costume ; the cart, with the prisoner sitting on
her coffin, guarded on each side by eight free porters with
javelins, and ten constables with their staves ; then came
a mourning coach, containing the chaplain, the under-
sheriff, the gaoler, and the clerk of St. Andrew's. The
expenses were : — To seven sergeants, 5s. each, £1 15s ;
twenty constables, 3s. 6d. each, £3 10s. ; sixteen free
porters, 5s. each, £4 ; tolling St. Andrew's great bell,
2s. 6d. ; executioner, £3 3s. ; halter and cord, 3s. ; cart
and driver, 15s. ; mourning coach, 15s. 6d. ; nine horses
for officers, 5s. each, £2 5s. ; summoning twenty con-
stables, 6d. each, 10s. ; allowance for free porters,
272
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I June
sergeants, constables, &c., £2 18s. ; a person attending
the prisoner to the place of execution, 5s. ; a joiner's bill,
£2 5s. 3d. ; allowance to joiners, 6s. ; total, £28 13s. 3d.
Gallowgate was one of the districts of Newcastle which
had the privilege of holding a "hop-
ping " — or rural fair, with its shows,
merry-go-rounds, and other diversions
of a homely character, mixed with a
good deal of dancing, or "hopping" —
whence the name. It was held every
year at Whitsuntide, and, next to that
of the Forth, was the principal enter-
tainment of the kind in the town. The
engraving on page 274 is copied by per-
mission from a painting by Mr. Wilson
Hepple. A couple of herons, seen to
the right of the picture, show the en-
trance gate to the mansion of Sir Cuth-
bert Heron.
Percy Street, so named in compli-
ment to the ducal family of Northum-
berland, commences at the entrance to
Gallowgate. Originally this street was
known as Sidgate. Some of the ancient
houses on the left still remain to show
us what this part of Newcastle was like
in the olden days. In one of these
lowly, old-fashioned hoses, situated on
our left as we walk up the street (the white house
shown in our sketch on page 273), the celebrated
Charles Hutton, LL.D., F.R.S., was born. So writes
Mackenzie. But another authority, without affirming or
denying this statement, contents himself with saying
that Hutton went to school here in his early years. The
school was a house projecting into Percy Street from
Gallowgate.
1 ' '" A jdUtirs I ' i m ''I "* • ' f * ,4
^i* "i 'J^'^TTii ' (* « F- •• '" 'ik— *
p^^S^iW^li?
SVwV.
Near at hand, on the same side of the way, fa Albion
Street, at the further end of which is Albion Place. It,
too, has its literary record, for here there lived and died
John Trotter Brockett, F.S.A. (See Mr. Welford's
^itiiilil
•v -»^r5fe^|p%
^ srlr^CM^M.^
' ^gsM^PJW
Junel
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
273
"Men of Mark," page 14.) It may be noted that the
Jews have built a very handsome synagogue at the upper
end of Albion Street, in lieu of an inconvenient structure
formerly used by them in Temple Street, behind the Tyne
Theatre. The next opening to the left is Leazes Lane,
obviously named from the circumstance that it leads to
the Leazes. Anciently this lane was known as Myln
Chare, and afterwards as Blind Man's Lonnin, or Lane.
The old parish schools of St. Andrew's were on the
opposite side of the way where we are now pausing. They
were afterwards converted into the Church of England
Institute. In the boys' school Richard Grainger, Samuel
Storey, M.P. for Sunderland, and the late Alderman
Thomas Forster, obtained their early education as
"greenies," or free scholars. In Eldon
Lane, adjoining, a melancholy case of
stabbing, which proved fatal, occurred
on April 15, 1841. One Henry Robson,
a shoemaker, had four apprentices at
work in his shop on that day, and one
of them, named John Donkin, "larking
on," as lads often do, snatched off the
cap of another named Cattermole, and
tossed it across the room. Cattermole,
who was of weak intellect, thereupon
seized a knife which happened to be
only too conveniently at hand, and
stabbed his tormentor in the thigh, with
such effect that, four days later, he died.
For this act, Cattermole was brought
up at the assizes, found guilty of man-
slaughter, and sentenced to a month's
imprisonment.
Keeping on our way to the right, we find ourselves at
the Salvation Army Temple, flanked by a marine store
on the one side and a provision shop on the other.
The place, was formerly known as the New Jerusalem
r-
18
274
MONTHL Y CHRONICLE.
(June
1 1889.
.III]].-
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
275
Temple, and was the meeting-house of the Sweden-
borgians. "A bustling, insane, Methodist shoemaker, of
Shields," says Mackenzie, seems to hare been the first
advocate of the peculiar doctrines of Swedenborg in this
countryside. In Newcastle, the converts first met in the
Nungate, then in the Turk's Head Long Room, next in
the Smiths' Hall, then in Low Friar Street, until, in
1822, they commenced this building in Percy Street,
•which they opened in the following year. It cost £1,221.
A good friend to the building was Mrs. Elizabeth Birch,
to whose memory there is a tablet erected near the vestry.
It records her name as that of the "Foundress of this
Temple by a liberal donation of £422 4s." In early life,
Elizabeth was a forlorn outcast, subsisting on casual
charity. She went, in a humble way, into the hawking
business, and in time joined her fortunes with one
Norman, a pedlar, when they were able to boast of
possessing rather more than £20 between them. With
this capital they travelled and traded for some years, and
finally settled in Hull, where Norman died, leaving his
wife about £20,000. She was distinguished for generosity
and charity, though she lived with such strict regard to
frugality that it might almost be called penury. She
married a second time, but again became a widow. To
her honour be it recorded that, knowing well by experi-
ence what the want of education meant, for she could
neither read nor write, she interested herself greatly in
the education of the poor. Swedenborgianism is, on
Tyneside, not too flourishing, though the Rev. J. R.
Boyle, the late minister of the body, and one of the most
active antiquaries in the city, did much to sustain it, and
a local writer, "Lancelot Cross," in a work entitled,
" Hesperides," has written an elaborate exposition of it&
tenets, to which the inquirer may be referred.
Prudhoe Street, beyond the Jerusalem Temple, was
formed in 1822. At that time the houses were substantial
and convenient, and some reputable citizens occupied
them. But the street seems gradually to have deterior-
ated in character. At present, though only a short
thoroughfare, it can boast of a huge public-house at
either end, and five establishments of the same sort
between; a pawnshop and a police-station; and some
squalid alleys, which go by various names. There are
also a mission-house, a working girls' club, and a large
and substantial Free Methodist chapel, built in 1862.
The plastering trade had its representatives in this street
up to within a comparatively recent date. The late
Alderman Dodds, popularly always spoken of as Ralphy,
who was a plasterer to business, lived here at one time,
and, when he removed to the purer atmosphere of Ben-
tinck, still kept on his old bouse for business purposes.
Even when Mayor of Newcastle, the plain brass plate
was to be seen on a door just in the centre of the street,
with its simple inscription, "R. Dodds, plasterer," For
the alderman, who was in his time Sheriff and twice
Mayor, was never ashamed of his humble origin.
Returning to Percy Street, we cross that thoroughfare,
and come upon the Circus, built by Mr. John Irving. In
addition to the purposes for which this spacious building
was primarily built, the Circus haj been found very useful
for the holding of public meetings and the like. In
regard to the first object in view, it is associated with the
names of Newsome and Batty, and a host of equestrian
and gymnastic talent. In regard to the second, it has been
impartial enough. Amongst those who have addressed
large meetings here have been Lord Salisbury, Sir Staf-
ford Northcote, Mr. Chamberlain, Mr. Joseph Cowen,
Lord Randolph Churchill, Mr. John Morley, Lord Arm-
strong, Mr. Bradlaugh, Mrs. Besant, and others of public
fame. The fabric is now a place of public entertainment
known as the People's Palace
Near the Circus is the building now known as the Percy
Laundry, St. Thomas's Street separating the two. This
laundry is much better known, though, to old residents
as " Bruce's School " — that is to say, as the scene of the
labours, first of Mr. John Bruce, and then of his son, Dr.
John Collingwood Bruce. "Bruce's," as the lads of a
former day used always to call this celebrated school, ob-
tained a great reputation under the governance of these
two able and estimable men.
At one time the Nonconformists had a burial ground
of their own here. It is mentioned in St. Andrew's
register as early as the year 1708, where it is described as
"the Quig's buring place, near the Swirll in Sidgatt."
(See page 249.)
Percy Street is continued alongside the Haymarket by
some old houses until we come to the inn called the
Crow's Nest. The name is easily accounted for. Thirty
years back there was a whole colony of rooks surveying
mankind from their nests in the trees which decorated
the neighbourhood, but which have now all disappeared,
except one in St. Thomas's Church grounds opposite.
But the whole of this part of the town has of late years
undergone a complete transformation. One of the old
houses which formerly stood here wag figured on page
335 of the Monthly Chronicle for 1888. Another— the
Miller's Cottage, Barras Bridge — is shown on page 234 of
the present volume. Behind these houses, and extending
to the Leazes, was what was known as Lax's Gardens.
The new College of Physical Science (see vol. ii., page
575) is now erected on part of the site of the gardens,
while a new hotel and assembly rooms are being reared
on the space fronting St. Thomas's Church.
The wide triangular space extending from St. Thomas's
Street to St. Thomas's Church, known as the Haymarket,
was formerly called the Parade Ground. It was opened
for the inspection of the Newcastle Volunteers by Colonel
Rawdon, on the 26th of April, 1808. It had long been a
dirty, unseemly waste, full of little putrid pools, alike
offensive to the senses and injurious to the health. In
1824 the market for hay and straw was established, and it
is still held here every Tuesday. Occasionally open-air
276
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
June
meetings have been held on the spot also. Dr. Rutherford
commenced his ministrations in Newcastle here, preach-
ing each Sunday in the open air. Thence he went to the
Lecture Room in Nelson Street; and thence to Bath
Lane, where, in a permanent building, he has been now
long located. Hirings for agricultural servant*, held in
the Haymarket at one time, were commenced in 1835 ;
but they are now discontinued. Wild beast shows and
other exhibitions are frequently located here. It is the
scene, too, of occasional hoppings, when rival showmen
do their best to outvie each others' din.
The sketch of old houses in Percy Street, on page 273[
is copied from a photograph by Mr. Robert Wallis,
Ormonde Street, Jarrow.
s &rtdits trr
JlOUIS KOSSUTH was born in the little town
of Monok, in the county of Zemplin, near
Tokay (famous for its vintage), Hungary,
and was the eldest of five children. His father was a
descendant of an ancient family of the Magyar race, and
was the owner of a small landed estate. Louis, who was
born in 1802, studied law at the Protestant College of
Sarosnatak, and at an early age began practice under
his father. His eloquence having gained him high
admiration, he was, at the age of 21, elected to a seat
as a " Nobilis " in the Comitats (county meetings) of
Zemplin. In 1831 the cholera appeared in Northern
Europe, and played great havoc in the North of
Hungary especially. In their ignorance and terror the
peasants gave heed to a dreadful story that the plague
was the work of the nobles, who, they said, had poisoned
the wells. Those suspected were murdered, and their
houses pillaged and destroyed. Kossuth boldly con-
fronted the excited populace, and by his clear and con-
vincing eloquence succeeded in restoring order. The year
after the cholera outbreak, he became editor of a Liberal
paper, which, owing to the severity of the press laws, was
transcribed, not printed, and then privately circulated.
Some time later he suffered a lengthy imprisonment
for the publication of a lithographed paper, the views of
which were too pronounced for the Austrian Govern-
ment. But his earnestness and talents took strong hold
of the people, so that in 1847 he was sent by the
county of Pesth as deputy to the Diet. He proved
himself an able debater, and was soon recognised
as leader of the Opposition. What he chiefly desired
then was the emancipation of the peasants, the elevation
of the citizen class, and the freedom of the press. The
stimulus which the French Revolution of 1848 gave to
struggling patriots led him to demand, in that year,
an independent government for Hungary. In April,
1849, the National Assembly declared that the Haps-
burg dynasty had forfeited the throne, and Kossuth was
appointed provisional Governor of Hungary. He was
soon, however, beset with difficulties ; a Russian army
came to the assistance of Austria ; and dissensions arose
between the Governor and the commander of the troops.
To put an end to these he resigned the dictatorship to his
rival. General Gb'rgey. While fighting against terrible
odds, the Hungarian patriots were defeated at Temesvar
on August 9, 1849, and Kossuth fled into Turkey. Here
he received protection and the kindest treatment, the
Government refusing to surrender him in spite of the
demands and threats of Austria and Russia.
There are many who will be able to remember the great
reception Kossuth met with when he came to England in
1851. In Southampton, London, Birmingham, Man-
chester, he was received with the greatest enthusiasm,
and a welcome was accorded to him seldom given to a
foreigner, even in England.
It was not till 1856 that the illustrious exile found his
way to Tyneside. There, however, on the 19th of May
in that year, he was welcomed with the warmest appro-
bation. To quote the Newcastle Chronicle, " his arrival
created such an amount of popular feeling as has not been
witnessed here for many years." The same paper went on
say — "It is creditable to the people of Newcastle that,
although Kossuth has not visited this town till, as he
himself expresses it, 'the lustre of his misfortunes has
grown dim,' their enthusiasm for the Hungarian exile
has not cooled as the novelty of seeing a brave man
struggling with adversity wore off." Long before the time
of his arrival, the streets through which he was to pass
were crowded with people. On leaving the Central
June |
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
277
Station he was first taken to Hinde Street, Scotswood
Road, a band of music and banners bearing words of
welcome and congratulation preceding the carriage. In
the conveyance were Mr. Joseph Cowen, Jun., and Mr.
James Mather, of South Shields. After a short stay in
Hinde Street, the party were driven to the Music Hall,
where Kossuth was to deliver his first lecture on the
Austrian Concordat. The room was packed with a
most enthusiastic audience, and the tremendous reception
accorded to the great Hungarian when he appeared on
the platform seemed to affect him deeply. Throughout
the lecture the applause was frequent and hearty, and
when in the course of his address he spoke of his condi-
tion in England as "poor, but not friendless," there was
such an energetic outburst of sympathy and admira-
tion that the crowds in the street took up the cheer-
ing, and continued it for some minutes after it had
ceased in the hall. Mr. James Mather presided on this
occasion, and amongst other gentlemen present on the
platform were Sir John Fife, Mr. Cowen, the Rev. George
Harris, &c.
Kossuth's second lecture was also delivered in the Music
Hall, and before an audience even more enthusiastic than
the previous one. Mr. Cowen was chairman. At the
close of the address Sir John Fife called upon the
audience to give the illustrious Magyar three hearty
British cheers, which request was responded to with
great good will, the applause lasting for several
minutes. In reply, Kossuth said the sympathising,
enthusiastic, and affectionate welcome he had received
would henceforth be to him amongst his most pleas-
ing recollections. He concluded by expressing his thanks
to the chairman (Mr. Cowen, whose guest he had been at
Blaydon) for his kind hospitality. As Kossuth and his
friends left the room, the people cheered again and again,
pressing round to shake his hand, and continuing their
demonstrations till the carriage drove away.
During Kossuth's residence at Blaydon, he attended a
meeting of the Mechanics' Institute in that village, de-
livered an address, and was made an honorary member.
The day after his second lecture in Newcastle (May
22, 1856), Kossuth was entertained to a public break-
fast at the George Inn, Pilgrim Street. Sir John Fife
occupied the chair, and about a hundred gentlemen were
present. Kossuth left Newcastle the same day for Dar-
lington, where he also received a most hearty welcome.
Other visits were subsequently paid to Newcastle by
the great Hungarian ; but these were all of a private
character. On each occasion he was the guest of Mr.
Cowen.
STfte
SHE magpie (Oarrulus picas, Bewick ; Pieui
eaudatus, Yarrell) has almost as many scien-
tific as popular names. In some parts of the
country (as in Scotland) it is best known as
the pyot, or pyet ; in Lancashire as the pynot ; and in
the Midland and South-Eastern Counties as the chatter-
pie. In other districts it is best known by the abbre-
viated title of "mag" — short for magpie. It is one of
the most handsomely-plumaged of our native birds, and
is brisk and nimble in all its movements. Unfortunately
it is so hotly persecuted by game-preservers and their
keepers, and also by farmers, that it is fast becoming
scarce in most parts of the country — in fact, is threatened
with speedy extinction, especially in cultivated dis-
tricts.
These forays on the eggs and young of domestic fowls
and game birds are chiefly confined to the breeding sea-
son, when the magpies are rearing their young broods ;
but at other periods of the year their chief food is the
insects and vermin which prey on the produce of the
farm. Though by no means so harmless as the barn owl
—another much persecuted and useful bird— the magpie
is almost as nimble a mouser as the former, and it will
also kill and devour rats. Popular folk-lore is inimical to
the magpie, as the bird, under certain natural conditions
referable to certain times of the year, is looked upon as
ominous of sorrow, and is consequently persecuted from
stupid superstitious motives. As Mr. John Hancock
remarks, "this beautiful resident species, once so abun-
dant in the district (Northumberland and Durham) has
278
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{June
1889.
now almost disappeared from the neighbourhood of New-
castle, and has everywhere become rare."
The magpie is found in Europe, Asia, and Africa, while
in the Northern States of America it is represented by
a very similar bird. It seldom visits mountains, open
plains, or dense forests, but visually inhabits lightly
wooded parts of the country.
In some of the Northern European countries magpies
are treated with great consideration, especially in the
Baltic provinces, where they may be seen feeding in the
streets of populous towns like pigeons and jackdaws.
There they are so familiar and trusting that they will
even enter houses in search of food, the sagacious birds
well knowing that they will not be molested. How dif-
ferent their treatment in this country !
The flight of the bird, owing to its short and rounded
wings and Jong tail, appears somewhat heavy, and is
made with quick vibrations, as if laboured, and in a high
wind it does not seem to make much progress. Occa-
sionally, however, the bird may be seen flying very
rapidly and at a great height, though, as a rule, it does
not seem partial to long flights. On the ground the bird
is very nimble, and it can progress quickly either by
hopping or walking, while the long and handsome tail is
perpetually jerked up and down. The peculiar chatter of
the bird can be heard for considerable distances.
The nest is mostly placed at the top of a tall tree, but
sometimes in hedges and thorn bushes. It is a domed
structure, composed of thorns and sticks, with a hole at
the side. The inside is lined with roots and grass. The
eggs run from five to seven, rarely more. The malu
weighs from eight to nine ounces ; length, one foot and a
half ; bill, black ; iris, dark brown ; head, crown, neck,
and nape, jet black ; chin and throat black, the shafts of
some of the feathers being greyish white ; breast above,
black ; below, pure white ; back, dull black. The wings
are short and rounded, and the white feathers from the
shoulder form a distinct patch of white along them ;
greater wing coverts, fine, glancing blue ; lesser wing
coverts, black ; primaries, black, with an elongated patch
of white on the inner web of each of the first ten feathers ;
secondaries and tertiaries, fine blue. The handsome tail
is graduated and rounded, the outer feathers being only
five inches long, and the middle ones nearly eleven inches.
pAMOUS dishes are not always palatable at the
first taste. When the waiter brought on the
black broth, Dionysius thought poorly of the
chief dish of the Lacedaemonians. There was little
wonder at this, when the condiments were wanting. It
was explained to him that the Spartan sauces recom-
mended were — toil in the hunting field, the sweat of one's
brow, a race to Eurotas, hunger, thirst — and with these
the black broth was delicious. Crowdy equally inspires,
the enthusiasm of its votaries. It is delightful food if
the intelligent traveller only bears in mind the Spartan
prescription, and brings to it an appetite keen as the east
wind — a zest that can be acquired by a twenty mile
tramp over the breezy, heather-scented uplands.
The crowdy, as a Northumberland dish, is made by
filling a basin with oatmeal, and then pouring in boiling
water. A vigorous stirring is required whilst the water
is being poured ; and, when the two ingredients are
thoroughly mixed, the " hasty pudding " is ready. It is
served with a little butter, dripping, or other flavouring,
acording to taste, or it is taken with milk. In the house
of the hard-working farmer, aa well as in the cottage of the
labourer, this dish was highly esteemed, and its economy,
and the readiness with which it could be prepared, no
less than its nutritive properties, commended its use to a
thrifty people. Singular virtues have always been con-
nected with taking crowdy. A young local preacher
stayed overnight in a farm house, and in the morning &
breakfast of crowdies was set out. The primitive host
eyed the young preacher as he ate up the frugal dish, and
exclaimed — " Man, aa like thee ! Aa divvent like thor
coffee preachers." Previous guests had inquired for their
more congenial coffee. "The word crowdy," it has been
suggested, "seems to signify something more than the
mere dish of scalded oatmeal to which it is usually ap-
plied." Thus the question, "He' ye had yor crowdy?"
is said of any repast whatever; and " That man's not
worth his crowdy!" is equivalent to saying "he is not
worth his keep."
Crowdy is probably corrody, the English equivalent for
corrodium (Mediaeval Latin). "A corrodium was used
to signify the privilege of freeboard, or whittle gate in a
monastery." Some interesting examples of the corrodium
will be found in the Rev. J. Raine's "Priory of Hexham,"
published by the Surtees Society. To persons of quality
the corrody makes provision that the recipient, when well
and able to work, shall eat and drink daily with the free
family of the household, and when old and infirm " he
shall receive daily from on? monastery one convent white
loaf, and one convent flagon of beer, and one course of
cooked meat." Poorer folk would receive poorer fare,
and thus the term corrody has naturally adhered to the
principal dish given in such cases. An old ballad says : —
Crowdy ! ance, crowdy ! twice,
Crowdy ! three times in a day,
An' ye crowdy onny mair,
Ye'll crowdy a' my meal away.
The Rev. Canon Greenwell, in his Glossary to the
Boldon Buke (Surtees Society, 1852), defines corrodium
thus : — " A corrody, food, sustenance. In Boldon Buke
it means the portion of meat and drink which on certain
occasions the bishop gave his villans, whilst they were
making their stated works for him. Our Northern word
crowdy, oatmeal with boiling water poured on it, is
doubtless derived from corrodium, the staple of which
June
P)
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
279
was then formed of that kind of meal which is still much
used by the farm servant* of the North."
In North Cumberland the crowdy is made as in
Northumberland ; but in Scotland, meal and water, or
meal and milk, in a cold state, are called crowdy ; so is
called any food of the porridge kind. The Scottish
equivalent of the Northumberland hot crowdy is called
" brose."
Many a sturdy Northumbrian looks back with pride
to his "upbringing" on crowdy; but the simpler tastes
of our fathers gave way to the new-fangled luxury of tea
drinking; and the effeminacy of " thor coffee preachers."
Already, in Thomas Wilson's "Pitman's Pay," we see
how the enthusiam for crowdy had succumbed to the
luxuries of a degenerate age. There the unthrifty wife
Gets a' her heart can wish,
In strang-lyced tea and singin' ninnies ;
whilst for husband and bairns very different fare is pro-
vided, and her "poor Will" laments that "the crowdy
is wor daily dish." As far as crowdy is concerned, it
is to be feared that civilization is a failure ; for the well-
worn adage tells us that
Crowd-moudy myed a man ;
Tea an' coffee nivvor can.
R. OLIVER HESLOP.
ut tfte
REAT difficulties beset the promoters of gas-
lighting seventy years ago. Gas-light was
introduced at Boulton and Watt's foundry,
Birmingham, in 1798 ; but nine years passed away
before it was applied to the illumination of a London
street. Golden Lane was lighted by gas in 1807, Pall
Mall in 1809, and by 1816 the system had been generally
adopted throughout the metropolis. Although situated
in the heart of the coalfield, Newcastle did not participate
in the advantages of the new light till January, 1818.
Gateshead followed suit the same year. The harbour
towns resisted the innovation for some years longer. In
the Tyne Mercury, of November 11, 1817, is an account
of the presentation of a testimonial to a leading inhabi-
tant of North Shields, by whose exertions the good folks
of that town were enabled to maintain their prefer-
ence for darkness. " On Monday evening last," we
are told, "a number of freeholders and inhabitants
of North Shields assembled at Mr. Isaac Bolton's
Loner Room, for the purpose of presenting Mr. John
Motley with an elegant silver snuff box, which had been
purchased for the occasion by voluntary contribution,
bearing the following inscription : — ' Presented Nov. 5th,
1817, to John Motley, by the inhabitants of North
Shields, for his conduct when chairman at a meeting held
Sept. llth, 1817, to oppose the innovation of lighting the
said town,' &c. The night was spent with the greatest
harmony." By the autumn of 1820, however, gas had
obtained a footing even in North Shields, and very soon
afterwards the triumphant light shed its rays from
Milburn Place to Dockwray Square. South Shields did
not take kindly to the new illuminant till 1824-, and the
public streets there were not lit by it till 1829. W.
I HE formal opening of the new Municipal
Buildings on May 1, 1889, was the occasion
of the first Royal visit to West Hartlepool,
though one or two members of the Royal family have
previously passed through the place. It is only forty-two
years since the opening of the West Hartlepool Harbour
and Docks. The undertaking was the embodiment of the
idea of the late Ralph Ward Jackson, third son of Mr.
W. Ward Jackson, of Normanby in Cleveland.*
PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR.
The township of Stranton, in which the new town of
West Hartlepool has arisen in two score years, had at
the time of the previous census (that is, in 184-1) a popula-
tion of no more than 381, whereas now probably
40,000 are located in it. Its ancient church— of which
we give an illustration — had to the east a little village
green where the "feast" sports took place; scattered
* For a sketch of the career of Ralph Ward Jackson, accom-
panied by a portrait, see Monthly Chronicle, 1887, page 475.
280
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
J June
I 1889.
houses formed the village, whilst the flour-mills were Stranton has furnished a text on which the late James
one of the features of the landscape in almost every Clephan wrote a pretty poem. For centuries Stranton
direction. The proximity of the church and the mill at held on the even tenour of its rural way. When coat
June |
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
281
sought additional outlets, the shore of Stranton township
was deemed a suitable spot for furnishing the required
facilities. In June, 1847, the first dock was opened.
Thenceforward the growth of West Hartlepool was con-
tinuous. The old village of Stranton has now lost its
identity in the new town that occupies the erstwhile
agricultural fields of the township. The view we give of
Church Street, the principal thoroughfare of West
Hartlepool, will indicate some of the changes that have
taken place since 1847.
With growing extent, influence, and trade, the method
of local government, under a private Act of Parliament
that dated from 1854, became inadequate. After several
attempts, a petition in the jubilee year of the Queen was
successful in obtaining a municipal charter for West
Hartlepool. The borough then desired municipal build-
ings, where the affairs of the town could be conducted,
and of these buildings, which were opened on May
Day by Prince Albert Victor, the accompanying illus-
tration will give a good idea. They were designed by
Mr. R. K, Freeman, of Manchester and Bolton. The
foundation stone was laid on August 17th, 1887, by Mr.
•T. W. Cameron, then chairman of the governing body of
West Hartlepool — the West Hartlepool Improvement
Commissioners.
The West Hartlepool Commissioners were superseded
by the Corporation, the members of which were elected in
November, 1887. Mr. William Gray,
one of the leading shipbuilders on the
North-East Coast, was the first Mayor
of the new borough. Mr. Gray is a
member of a Blyth family ; he settled
in business in Hartlepool, associated
himself with shipping, became a mem-
ber of the firm of Denton, Gray, and
Co., and transferred the operations
of the firm to West Hartlepool,
where now his works form the chief
industrial establishment.
Succeeding Mr. Gray in Novem-
ber last, the present Mayor, Mr.
was appointed. Springing from
Raithwaite, near Whitby, Mr. Pyman followed the ex-
ample of many of the sons of that quaint and beautiful
Yorkshire town — he chose a seafaring life, afterwards
leaving the sea to commence business in the new town of
West Hartlepool. Connected with ships and shipping,
a quarter of a century ago, Mr. Pyman introduced at the
George Pyman,
282
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f June
young port the method of associated owning of steam-
ships. Of the first vessel which his firm owned, the George
Pyman, the two hundred now owned at West Hartlepool
may be said to be the successors. Branches of the firm are
now located at most of the chief British seaports, so that
the name of the present Mayor of West Hartlepool is
almost as well-known on the sea as an owner as that of
his predecessor in the chair is known as a builder.
The portrait of the Mayor and the view of the Muni-
cipal Buildings are copied by permission from photo-
graphs by Mr. T. Braybrook, West Hartlepool.
attlr
JOHN BARKSBY.
Mr. John Barksby, of Seaham Harbour, an indefatig
able collector of local and other songs, died on April 7,
from the results of an accident in New Seaham Colliery
on the previous day. He was one of those cheery, unas-
suming men whose mission seems to be to lighten the
burdens of life. With this object in view he collected
songs and ballads of every description, many of which he
ft
sang and recited in miblic to the delight of his numerous
friends. Nor was that the only use he made of his hobby,
for ever since the editor of the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle
opened a department for the distribution of songs and
recitations, John Barksby had been his best contributor.
Many hundreds of people have had to thank this worthy
man for the prompt manner in which their wants have
been supplied. In nearly exery case he sent the printed
copy itself, and yet, so complete was his stock, his collec-
tion of ballad literature remained perhaps unrivalled in
the North of England. He visited Newcastle regularly
to pick up "songs and recitations," both old and new,
and he would tramp many miles to secure a copy of a
scarce description. Mr. Barksby was fifty-eight years
old at the time of his death. EDITOR.
THE NEST ON THE TOMB.
It was mentioned in Robin Goodfellow's gossip in the
Newcastle Weekly Chronicle that a pair of thrushes this
spring built a nest on one of the monuments in Jesmond
Cemetery. Although the nest was built within a few feet
of a footpath, and could easily be reached by the hand,
the brood was successfully reared. The monument which
the birds thus favoured was erected to the memory of
Thomas Stokoe, who died 6th August, 1877. The ac-
companying sketch shows the position of the "nest on
the tomb." EDITOB.
A LESBURF EPITAPH.
There is in Lesbury Churchyard, Northumberland, a
gravestone with a representation of a shipwreck, and the
following inscription : —
To the Memory of
GEO. BROWN, of Bedlin^ton,
Master Mariner, who on the 5th of April, 1799, was Shipwrecked
on this Coast, aged 46 years.
Tho' Boreas' blasts and Neptune's waves
Hath tossed me to and fro,
June\
1889./
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
283
In spite of both, oy God's decree,
I harbour here below.
Now here at anchor I do lie,
With many of our fleet.
In hopes to set my sail again,
My Saviour Christ to meet.
Jos. DICKMAN, Newcastle.
THE VERGE WATCH.
An elderly workman, in a Tyneside factory, was
exhibiting, with some pride, an old-fashioned silver
watcli, which represented seconds, minutes, hours, day of
the week, &c.t and which he boasted was "aador than
thoo, an' me, an' him (meaning another shop'mate) put
tegithor." " Wey, is it a heirloom?" was the query.
"No," was the reply, " it's a varge !"
A PROOF OP INTIMACY.
A resident in Jarrow met a friend who hails from
Hebburn, whom he had not seen for some time. After
the usual greetings, the latter asked : " Whe's yor fore-
man at Palmer's noo ?" "Oh," was the reply, "his
nyem is John Blank : d'ye knaa him ?" "Div aa knaa
him ?" was the indignant exclamation : " wey, just ye ax
him if he had a sistor whe tyuk fits !"
HORSE CLIPPINGS.
Some miners, down a Northumbrian pit, were standing
beside the ponies, when one of them asked the horse-
keeper if he saved the hair after clipping the ponies,
adding: "Aayence gat as much hair off yen horse as
wad myek a good feathor bed ! "
JOHNNY.
A young mother in Northumberland was once asked
what her little boy's name was. " Wey, hinny," said the
fond parent, "his name is John; but we caall him
Johnny for short ! "
FUNERAL DEPORTMENT.
It is said of a rather noted character in a email town
in the North, that when he was following the funeral
procession of his third wife, a companion who was walk-
ing by his side called his attention to a buxom widow
standing at the door of a house they were passing at the
time. "Luik, Ralph," said the companion, "that yen'll
suit thoo for the next wife." "Whist, man," replied
the disconsolate widower, " thoo'll mak us laugh ! "
On the 12th of April, the Rev. Beilby Porteus Hodgson
died at Hartburn Vicarage, Northumberland. He was
81 years of age, and had been vicar of the parish for 33
years.
On the same day, Mr. John Collingwood Richardson,
son of the late Rev. Benjamin Richardson, vicar of Glais-
dale, died at his residence, Eskdale, Leamington. The
deceased was intimately connected with the chief friendly
societies.
Mr. W. 0. Johnston, for thirty years an engineer in
the employment of the late Mr. Alderman Laycock at
Seghill Colliery, died at his residence, Hedley Street,
Gosforth, on the 13th of April, in the 70th year of his
age.
Mr. Robert Clark, land agent, of Lintz Green, and
noted tor his great interest in breeding horses, died at
Marseilles, on the 15th of April.
On the same day, died Mr. William Hawksby, a well-
known cattle salesman, of Newcastle. The deceased,
who was for a long period a member of the Board of
Guardians, was 78 years of age.
On the 16th of April, Mr. Alexander Gow-Stewart, a
partner in the firm of Messrs. Locke, Blackett, and
Wilson, Hebburn Lead Works, died at his residence, St.
George's Terrace, Newcastle. On the death of his uncle,
Mr. Gow inherited a large fortune, and, by request of the
testator, added the name of Stewart to his own. The
deceased gentleman was 59 years of age.
Mr. John Kidd, one of the men who were rescued from
the Forfarshire by Grace Darling when the vessel went
ashore on the Fame Islands on 7th September, 1838, died
at Carnoustie, Scotland, on the 20th of April. On the night
of the disaster he remained at his post in the engine-
room until the vessel parted in two. He was the last
survivor of the nine who were landed by Grace Darling,
and one of the two who went back to the vessel on a
mission of rescue. Deceased was 78 years of age. (See
Monthly Chronicle, 1888, page 263.)
Mr. Robert Stirling Newall, alderman and justice of
the peace for the borough of Gateshead, died at his
residence, Ferndene, in that town, on the 21st of April.
Born in Dundee in 1812, Mr. Newall entered a mercantile-
office and afterwards went to London, where his talents
found more genial employment under the late Mr.
284
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I .Tuns
Robert M'Calmont in connection with experiments on the
rapid production of steam. In 1840 he took out a patent
for making wire rope ; and it was his invention that ren-
dered possible submarine telegraphy, the idea of which
he had suggested in 1848. He established works at Gates-
head, and his firm manufactured and laid the Dover and
Calais cable in 1850, the Holyhead and Howth and Port-
patrick in 1852, and the Dover and Ostend, the Frith of
Forth, and Holland cables in 1853. In November, 1854,
Mr. Newall suggested a cable from Varna to Balaclava to
the Duke of Newcastle, then Minister of War. When
this cable was completed, Mr. Newall received the thanks
of the Minister. The Black Sea cable was laid by Mr.
Newall in 1855, and the Red Sea cable in 1859. After
laying the latter, Mr. Newall was wrecked in the Alma,
when his courage and coolness proved of the greatest help
to the shipwrecked passengers. He devoted much of his
time to scientific work, and had constructed a 25 in. re-
fracting telescope, which just before his death he offered
as a gift to the University of Cambridge. To local mat-
ters Mr. Newall devoted much of his time. He was a
magistrate and had been twice Mayer of Gateshead.
The University of Durham, in recognition of Mr. Newall's
eminent services to science and literature, about two
years ago conferred upon him the honorary degree of
D.C.L. Not long before his death he inherited a very
large fortune bequeathed by his brother. (See Monthly
Chronicle, 1888, page 480.)
On the 22nd of April, Mr. John Robinson, retired ship-
owner, who for many years took an active port in the
public life of South Shields, died at Highgate, London,
at the advanced age of 84 years. He was a member of
the first Town Council on the incorporation of South
Shields, in 1850, representing Westoe Ward, and was
elected an alderman on the 9th November in the same
year. On the llth July, 1851, he was appointed one of
the borough magistrates, and from November 9th, 1853,
till the November following he officiated as Mayor. He
was appointed on the Tyne Commission when it was con-
stituted in 1850, and acted as a representative for South
Shields Corporation on that authority for many years.
The remains of the deceased gentleman were interred in
York Cemetery.
On the 23rd of April, Dr. Robert Jackson died at Bel-
lingham, where he held the appointment of medical officer
for the second and fourth districts of the Union.
On the same day, at his residence, in Norroy Road,
Putney, London, died Dr. James Barron, formerly a
medical practitioner in Sunderland, from which he re-
moved a few years ago. The deceased, who was 70 years
of age, was father of Dr. T. W. Barron, of Durham.
Mary Biggs, widow of John Biggs, steam thrashing-
machine proprietor, of Whittingham, Northumberland,
died at that village, at the advanced age of 101 years, on
the 25th of April. Up to a short period previously, the
deceased was able to attend to her household duties.
On the 27th of April, the Rev. Marmaduke Miller, a
United Methodist Free Church minister, well known in
the North of England, and formerly stationed at Darling-
ton, died at Manchester, in the 61st year of his age.
Mr. William Harty, of the firm of Harty, Lidgerton,
and Potts, shipbuilders, died at his residence in North
Bridge Street, Monkweannouth, on the 28th of April.
The deceased, who was 80 years of age, was for three
years a member of the Town Council, and was also for
some time connected with the Board of Guardians.
Mr. James Menzies, hostler at the Blue Bell Hotel,
Belford, who had witnessed the transition from the coach-
ing system to the new railway era, died on the 29th of
April, at the advanced age of 85 years.
On the 29th of April, also, died Mr. James Horsley,
who for a long period had carried on the business of grocer
and provision merchant at Alnwick. The deceased, who
was 87 years of age, was the possessor of one of the finest
collections of old coins in the country.
On the 30th of April, the Rev. Frederick Scott Surtees,
of Manor House, Dinsdale, Darlington, dropped down
dead at Bristol Railway Station. The deceased gentle-
man was rector of Sprotborough, Yorkshire, from 1856 to
1880, but he had not undertaken any clerical duty for
some years past.
Mr. Alexander Scorer died very suddenly at the Els-
wick Engine and Ordnance Works, Newcastle, on the 1st
of May. Mr. Scorer had been associated with the Weekly
Chronicle in one way or another for twelve or fifteen years
—first as winner of prizes for local songs, then as con-
tributor to "Notes and Queries," and ultimately as con-
ductor of the Draughts and Sphinx Departments.
On the 2nd of May, Mr. William Lowe Borland"
assistant to Dr. Wilson, Birtley, died from the effects of
poison taken by himself, while labouring under temporary
insanity. He was 38 years of age.
The death was announced on the 4th of May, of Mr.
John Harrison, of Darlington, proprietor of the Linthorpe
Ware Works, Middlesbrough. The deceased, who was
about 48 years of age, was a leading supporter of local
temperance and other social movements.
On the 6th of May, the death was announced of Miss
Priscilla Mounsey, of Hendon Hill House, Sunderland,
who for many years had taken an active interest in all
religious and charitable institutions in the county of
Durham.
On the 6th of May, Mr. George Weatherhead, a Har-
bour Commissioner, and a member of the Town Improve-
ment Committee of Berwick, died suddenly there, his age
being upwards of 70 years.
The death occurred on the 7th of May of Mr. William
Havelock Potts, of Warwick Street, Heaton Park Road,
Newcastle, at the age of 68 years. The deceased was for-
merly a tradesman in Sunderland, and was one of the
founders of the Working Men's Club in that town.
Sir George Richard Waldie-Griffith, Bart., son of Sir
Richard Griffith, famous in connection with the geolo-
gical survey of Ireland and " Griffith's Valuation, " died
at his residence, Hendersonsyde Park, Kelso, on the 8th
of May. The deceased baronet was 69 years of age,
having been born at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1820.
On the 9th of May, the death was recorded as having
taken place on the 1st, of the Hon. William Francis
Littleton, fourth son of the late Lord Hatherton, and
nephew of the Duke of Northumberland. Mr. Littleton,
who was 41 years of age, was private secretary to Sir
Bartle Frere during the whole period of his Governorship
of the Cape.
On the 10th of May, the death occurred, in St. George's
Stairs, North Shields, of a veteran soldier, Edward
Jennings, who served with such distinction in the Crimean
War and Indian Mutiny as to merit, along with other
medals, the much coveted Victoria Cross. The deceased,
who was of an advanced age, was an army pensioner, and
had latterly been employed as a scavenger under the
Tynemouth Corporation.
June 1
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
285
stt (iffcntte.
15. — Mr, Henry George, the well-known author of
"Progress and Poverty," delivered the first of a series of
©ecnrrencc*.
APRIL.
10. — A branch of the Boys' Brigade was formed at Sea-
ham Harbour.
11. — In the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court
of Justice, London, the case of the Attorney-General v.
the Mayor and Corporation of Newcastle-upou-Tyne,
came before Mr. Justice Wills, sitting without a jury.
The action, which was instituted by the Byker Bridge
Company, was to restrain the Corporation from applying
the city funds or rates for the purpose of freeing the
North-Eastern Railway Company's bridge over the Ouse-
burn valley. On the 17th, Mr. Justice Wills delivered
judgment, dismissing the action with costs, being of
opinion that the order upon the borough fund would be
valid, and the order on the improvement rate good, if the
rate produced an adequate surplus after the classes of ex-
penditure ranking in priority had been met.
— George Allison and Thomas Cromarty, fishermen,
were brought up at the Northumberland Sessions, charged
with rioting at Holy Island on the 22nd of February ; but
the evidence being insufficient to convict, the men were
discharged.
12.— The command of the Newcastle Regimental Dis-
trict fell vacant by the expiry of Colonel Rowland's tenure,
and he was succeeded by Colonel C. E. Hope.
—The Newcastle and Tyneside Burns Club inaugurated
a series of social gatherings by a meeting in the large
dining-room of the County Hotel, Newcastle, when Mr.
James Dick read a paper on " Songs of Scotland prior to
Burns."
13. — The medical officer of the borough of Middles-
brough presented a report to the Sanitary Committee in
favour of the adoption of cremation as a means of dis-
posing of the dead.
— A young Belgian named Robert Feron, 20, whose
parents resided at Brussels, and Lillie Burford, a young
woman about 21 years of age, belonging to Spennymoor,
in the county of Durham, were found dead in a railway
carriage at Trent Station, near Derby, on the Midland
Railway. An attachment had sprung up between the
couple, and for a considerable time past they had been on
most affectionate terms. The presence of a six-chambered
revolver on the seat of the compartment, however, in
conjunction with other evidence which subsequently came
to light, led to the conclusion that Feron had murdered
his sweetheart, and then committed suicide. The coro-
ner's jury returned a verdict to this effect.
14. — In accordance with a suggestion by Robin Good-
fellow, in the Weekly Chronicle, a meeting of Newcastle
Tramway drivers and conductors was held in the Hay-
market, Newcastle, for the purpose of hearing a deputa-
tion from the Tyneside and District Labourers' Associa-
tion. The names of a number of the employees were
taken as members of the association, and a statement of
the demands of the workmen as a body was shortly after-
wards submitted to the manager of the Tramways Com-
pany.
addresses on the land question in the North of England,
in the Town Hall, Alnwick. The Newcastle meeting
was held on the 18th, and on Sunday, the 21st. Mr.
George occupied the pulpit of Dr. Rutherford in the
Bath Lane Church.
—The Board of Conciliation for the Northern Manu-
factured Iron Trade adopted a wages sliding scale for two
years, on a basis of 2s. per ton above shillings for pounds
for the price of iron.
17. — The Marquis of Hartington paid a public visit to
Sunderland. His first engagement was to lay the memo-
morial stone in connection with the Hartley wing of the
Infirmary. Shortly after that ceremony had commenced,
the temporary platform, which was crowded with ladies
and gentlemen, unfortunately collapsed. Several well-
known ladies and gentlemen were more or less seriously
injured. The proceedings were, in consequence, postponed
till the following day, when the work was formally
completed. On the afternoon of the 17th, his lordship
attended a conference designed to further the in-
terests of the Liberal Unionists in the county of Dur-
ham. He afterwards witnessed the launch of the Mom-
bassa from the yard of his host, Mr. James Laing, the
vessel being, in point of tonnage, the largest that had ever
left the Wear. The Marquis in the evening of the same
day addressed a large Liberal Unionist meeting in the
Victoria Hall, under the presidency of the Earl of
Durham.
—Under the auspices of the local branch of the Bi-
Metallic League, the Right Hon. Henry Chaplin, M.P.,
Mr. George Howell, M.P., and other gentlemen, ad-
286
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/June
1889.
•dressed a public meeting in the Town Hall, Newcastle,
the chair being occupied by the Sheriff, Mr. Williatn
Button.
— Mr. William Allan, poet, of Scotland House, Sunder-
land, presented to the Museum and Library of that town
the original manuscript of Robert Burns's " Holy Willie's
Prayer." The gift was valued at 180 guineas.
18. — It was announced in the Evening Chronicle that
the will of Mr. Lewis Thompson, a gentleman who lately
died in Newcastle, had been proved by his cousin, the
executor, Mr. Charles D. Andrews, solicitor, of Leo-
minster, Herefordshire. The testator devised and be-
queathed to his executor, out of so much of the personal
estate as may by law be bequeathed for charitable pur-
poses, the sum of £15,000 upon trust, to be by him em-
ployed in the purchase, with the sanction of the Board
of Charity Commissioners for England and Wales, in the
name of the official trustees of Charitable Funds, of an
equivalent amount of Government stock. The income or
annuity arising from this investment was to be known as
"Thomas Thompson's Poor's Rate Gift," in memory of
the testator's father, and it was directed that the divi-
dends and income accruing from time to time on the stock
so to be purchased, should be paid over by the official
trustees of Charitable Funds, as the same should be peri-
odically received by them, to the Poor-Law Guardians for
the township of Byker, in the county of Northumberland,
and their successors, as the administering trustees. It
was further directed that the dividends and income
should be held by the said Guardians upon trust, to apply
the same for ever in diminishing the poor's rate upon the
inhabitants of the township of Byker, upon condition
that the Guardians keep and maintain in a good and sub-
stantial state of repair the tomb of the testator's father in
Jesmond Cemetery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and place
thereon each successive year a memorial garland of the
value of not less than two shillings ; the garland in ques-
tion to be so placed on the 17th day of August, or, when
that day falls upon a Sunday, then on the 16th day of
August. If, from any cause, the Guardians failed to com-
ply with the whole or any part of these conditions for a
period of three successive years, then the aforesaid sum
of £15,000 should pass to, and, without any condition,
become the property of the British nation. (See ante
page 188.)
— St. Andrews University conferred the degree of
LL.1X on Professor G. S. Brady, of Sunderland.
— Mr. R. L. Dunford was elected chairman of the New-
castle Board of Guardians.
19. — Mr. R. L. Booth, Ashington, laid the foundation
stone of a new Primitive Methodist chapel at Longhirst.
— Mr. J. H. Fox was elected greeve for the township of
Norton, in the manor of Stockton, in the room of Mr.
Joseph Dodds, who had ceased to reside in the said
manor. It was stated that it would be the new greeve's
duty to see that the green and other places in the town-
ship were not encroached upon.
20. — A shocking murder and suicide were committed in
Oakwellgate, Gateshead. The victims were Mary Mar-
tin, aged 37, who was married but twelve months, but
had got a separation order from her husband, who paid
her 5s. a-week ; and Walter Fairbank, 45, a riveter.
Fairbank, who was a widower, lodged iiear Martin, and
frequently visited her. On the day in question he bor-
rowed a razor from his landlord, saying he wanted to
shave himself. Shortly before ten o'clock a policeman
heard screams issuing from Martin's house, and found the
woman with her head and shoulders out of the window,
and blood flowing down on to the pavement. On being
drawn back, she fell on the floor and died almost imme-
diately from a wound in the throat. The policeman
entered the other room, and found Fairbank with his
throat cut and a razor beside him. He died ten minutes
afterwards. The cause of the quarrel was not known.
The coroner's jury found that the woman had been mur-
dered by Fairbank, who then committed suicide.
— A public meeting was held in the Avenue Theatre,
Sunderland, under the auspices of the Tyneside and Dis-
trict Labourers' Union, when an address was delivered by
Mr. Thomas Burt, M.P.
21. — In accordance with the decision of the Watch
Committee of the Corporation, the lamps in the public
thoroughfares and back streets of Newcastle were only
partially lighted at the commencement of the summer
season, about 1,700 lamps in all being left unlighted.
22. — Mr. John Morley, M.P., was present at a meeting
of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, in Newcastle,
and spoke on several social subjects. On the evening of
the 24th, the right hon. gentleman and his colleague, Mr.
James Craig, addressed a meeting of the Newcastle
Liberal Association.
— Mr. Samuel Storey, M.P., returned to Sunderland,
after wintering in California. During his absence, the
hon. gentleman addressed a series of interesting letters
descriptive of his tour to the Newcastle Chronicle.
— A switchback railway was opened at Roker, near
Sunderland.
— It was reported that the value of the personalty
under the will of the late Mr. W. E. Surtees, barrister, of
Fairfield, Somerset, and Seaton Carew, Durham, had
been sworn at £52,464 18s. lid.
23. — The twenty-seventh annual conference of Sunday
School teachers connected with the Unions in the
Northern Counties was held at Gateshead, under the
presidency of Mr. W. H. Dunn.
— A grand nautical bazaar in connection with the Sun-
derland Seamen's Mission was opened by the Countess of
Scarborough, in the Victoria Hall, Sunderland, the
object being to provide funds for the completion of the
new Seamen's Church and Institute, in High Street of
that town. The attractions included tableaux vivants,
with an excellent representation of the well-known and
popular picture of Uncle Toby of the Newcastle Weekly
Chronicle, with his charming children around him.
— The foundation stone of a Primitive Methodist Chapel
was laid by Mr. John Robinson in Westoe Lane, South
Shields.
24. — A destructive fire broke out in the premises of Mr.
F. W. Pittuck, chemist, in Carr Street, Hebburn.
— A man and a boy were killed by an explosion in the
Brancepeth C Pit, Wlllington, another man dying on
the 27th ; and two men lost their lives by being thrown
out of a cage at Messrs. Pease and Partners' Adelaide
(Shildon Bank) Colliery.
— It was announced that, as the result of a ballot, an
immense majority of the miners of Durham had voted for
the entire abolition of the sliding scale as a means of
regulating wages.
— At a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries, Dr.
Bruce was asked to place on record his reminiscences of
life and society in Newcastle during the early part of the
century ; and he stated that, in conjunction with Mr.
June>
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
287
John Clayton, he would take the matter into considera-
tion.
27. — It was announced that there had been exhibited in
& watchmaker's shop at Alnwick for the last few days, a
gold watch which formerly belonged to the Duke of
Wellington. It had been presented to a Berwick lady by
the Duke himself, and after several vicissitudes had
passed into the hands of Major A. H. Browne, of Callaly
Castle. The watch was in a good state of preservation.
— A blue shark, 9 feet 11 inches long, was caught off
Hartlepool.
— During a performance in the Albert Hall, Jarrow, a
part of the gallery suddenly gave way, precipitating about
a hundred spectators into a net suspended over the pit,
and injuring two lads.
— The Marquis of Londonderry announced his prospec-
tive retirement from the Lord Lieutenancy of Ireland.
29. — The centenary of theNewcastle firm of wireworkers,
Messrs. William Mountain and Sons, was celebrated by
a dinner at the Crown and Mitre Hotel, Grey Street,
Newcastle.
—Meyerbeer's opera "The Star of the North," as pre-
pared by Mr. Carl Rosa, was produced at the Tyne
Theatre, Newcastle. By a sad coincidence, the eminent
impressario died on the following day in Paris. The an-
nouncement of the melancholy event was received at the
Tyne Theatre during the rehearsal, which was at once
brought to a close.
— Reference was made in the House of Commons to
what is known as the Duddo Hill case, as tried at the
Northumberland Assizes in 1879, and in which a miscar-
riage of justice was alleged to have taken place.
— In connection with a case of assault heard at the
Gateshead Borough Police Court, evidence was called on
the part of the defendant to show that there was an old
Easter custom in vogue in the neighbourhood, whereby,
if a female refused to give an egg, her boots were taken
off ; whereas, should a man refuse to give an egg to a
female, his cap was liable to be seized and retained till
the forfeit was paid.
30. — At the Society of Arts, in London, Captain
Wiggins, of Sunderland, read an interesting paper on the
North-East Passage to Siberia.
MAY.
1. — A large oak coffin, buried at a depth of seven feet,
and containing the skeleton of a full-grown person, was
unearthed during excavations being executed near the
railway wall, in Orchard Street, Newcastle. Several old
coins, stones bearing curious workmanship, and some
carved woodwork were discovered near the same spot.
— A satisfactory report was presented at the annual
meeting of the Tyneside Sunday Lecture Society, there
being a balance in hand of £253 2s. 5d.
— Prince Albert Victor, eldest son of the Prince of
Wales, opened, amid great rejoicings, the new Municipal
Buildings recently erected at West Harlepool. (See
page 279.)
— In accordance with a ceremony observed since 1609,
an official survey was made of the boundaries of Berwick-
on-Tweed.
2. — The Jack Crawford public-house, in Adelaide
Place, near to the Town Moor, Sunderland, suddenly
collapsed, but fortunately no one was injured by the
accident.
4. — A young woman named Theresa Matthews, belong-
ing to London, but lately employed as a barmaid in New-
castle, was found lying on the door-step of a house in
Ryehill, suffering from a wound in her right temple. A
small revolver was near her, and she was removed to the
Infirmary, where she died a few hours afterwards. David
Hilldrop, a young married man, described as a cellarman,
was taken into custody on the charge of having murdered
the deceased.
— Dr. Ballard and Dr. Page, on behalf the Local
Government Board, held an inquiry touching an out-
break of typhoid and pleuro-pneumonia at Herrington,
Philadelphia, and adjoining villages in the county of
Durham.
5.— James Craig, aged 53, rescued from drowning a
little boy named Scott, who had fallen into the Ouse-
burn, Newcastle. Robin Goodfellow thus described the
occurrence in the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle : —
Mr. Craig, who is employed as a wharfman by Messrs.
Neilsenand Andersen, while looking out of a back window
of his house about five o'clock on Sunday evening, saw a lad
struggling in the water. Accustomed to saving the lives of
persons in peril, he jumped from the window of his house,
a distance of about 16 feet, ran along a gangway, a dis-
tance of W or 50 yards, and then dived a distance of some
12 feet into the burn. The daring fellow had already ex-
hausted himself by these exertions. Nevertheless, he
swam several yards into the stream, seized the drowning
lad just as he was disappearing for the third time,
and ultimately succeeded in reaching a wherry
which lay near at hand. It goes without saying that the
gallant exploit was witnessed with intense excitement
and anxiety by the persons who had congregated on the
288
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/June
spot. The rescued lad, however, soon recovered from the
effect of the immersion ; but the rescuer, unfortunately,
injured himself in leaping from the window and ex-
hausted himself in struggling through the water, so
that he was for some days afterwards in a weak
and suffering condition. I have said that Mr. Craig
was accustomed to saying others. Over and over
again has he risked his own life in adventures of
the kind. Mr. Craig is not only a hero himself, but the
father of a family of heroes ; for two of his sons have
already distinguished themselves in the same humane and
honourable manner.
6. — At the invitation of M. Barry, French Consul in
Newcastle, the members of the French colony resident in
the city and district assembled at the Consulate, in Grey
Street, on the occasion of the celebration of the centenary
of the Convocation of the States-General in France.
7. — It was announced that Lady Armstrong had ac-
quired the old hospital in Hanover Square, Newcastle,
and had re-established it as the place of call for the
medical and surgical treatment of sick poor children.
— A boiler explosion occurred at Hebburn Colliery A
Pit, resulting in the deaths of John Kennedy and Daniel
Button ; while James McKenna, one of several men who
were injured, died on the following morning. John
Halliday, a fourth man, expired on the 10th.
— It was intimated that the King of the Belgians had
communicated, through Mr. George Reid, Belgian Consul,
his desire to contribute £500 towards that portion of the
Durham College of Science at Newcastle-upon-Tyne
which is to be erected to perpetuate the memory of
George and Robert Stephenson.
8. — An advance of Is. per week in wages was conceded
to the servants of the Newcastle Tramways Company.
— A county rate of l^d. in the pound, an asylum rate of
id. in the pound, and a police rate of id. in the pound
were levied by the Durham County Council.
9. — Mr. James C. Laird, tailor and town councillor, of
Newcastle, was examined before a Select Committee of
the House of Lords, in London, on the sweating system.
(general ©ccurrenteji.
APRIL.
15. — The election for a member of Parliament for the
Central Division of Birmingham, in the room of the late
John Bright, resulted as follows : — Mr. John Albert
Bright (Liberal Unionist), 5,610 ; Mr. W. Phipson Beale
(Gladstonian), 2,560 ; majority, 3,050.
16. — The result of an election at Rochester was de-
clared as follows : — Hon. E. Hugessen (Gladstonian
Liberal), 1,655; Horatio Davies (Conservative), 1,580;
majority, 75.
22. — The Oklahoma country, in Indian territory,
United States, was opened for settlement, in accordance
with a proclamation by President Harrison, when about
50,000 persons made a rush for land.
23. — Serious rioting occurred in Vienna, on account of
a strike of tramway servants. The mob was repeatedly
charged by cavalry, many people being wounded.
24. — General Boulanger arrived at Dover, and thence
proceeded to London.
— Information was received from New 5Tork of the
safety of the passengers and crew of an emigrant steamer
named the Damnark, all having been heroically rescued
by Captain Hamil ton Murrell and the crew of the Missouri.
29. — Mr. Carl Rosa, the well-known impressario and
managing director of the Carl Rosa Opera Company,
died at the Grand Hotel, Paris, after ten days' illness, at
the age of 47 years.
30.— Mr. C. S. Parnell, M.P., was called as a witness
before the Special Commission appointed to inquire into
Irish affairs.
MAY.
5. — As President Carnot was proceeding to Versailles
to attend the centenary celebration of the French Re-
public, a man named Pen-in fired a revolver at him.
Perrin was at once arrested, when it was found that the
weapon was loaded with blank cartridge.
6. — The Universal Exhibition at Paris, the chief at-
traction of which is the Eiffel Tower, 975 feet high, was
opened by President Carnot.
7. — Death of Count Tolstoi, Russian Minister of the
Interior.
8. — A sanguinary encounter took place between troops
and miners on strike in the Westphalian Coal Field,
Prussia. Three of the miners were killed. Other fatal
conflicts took place on the 10th.
10. — News was received of the death of Father Dainien,
a Belgian priest who had for years laboured among the
leper colony of Molokai, in the Sandwich Islands.
Printed by WALTER SCOTT, Felling-on-Tyne.
tlbe /Ifcontbli? Cbronicle
OF
NORTH<:OUNTRY*LORE*AND*LEGEND
VOL. III.— No. 29.
JULY, 1889.
PRICE 6D.
at Burftam Catftttrral.
of the first objects which arrest the
attention of the visitor to Durham Cathe-
dral is the ponderous bronze knocker on the
north door. The knocker itself is a large
ring, held between the teeth of a grotesque head. This is
the " sanctuary " knocker. It is now never used, for the
privilege of sanctuary in churches is a thing of the past.
But the knocker remains, a memorial of an ancient
practice, which, whilst capable of being greatly abused,
was also in very many cases a source of safety and a
blessing.
The development of the laws relating to sanctuary
would form a curious and interesting subject for investiga-
tion. Here, however, we have only space for the briefest
possible sketch. The laws of Ina, King of the West
Saxons, framed in 693, provide that if any one accused of
a capital offence flee to a church, his life shall be spared,
and he shall make compensation according to justice ;
and if anyone deserving stripes take refuge in a church,
his stripes shall be forgiven. Alfred the Great, in 887,
enunciated a law by which the privilege of sanctuary was
given for three nights to anyone fleeing to a church,
during which time he might provide for his own safety,
or compound for his offence. If anyone should inflict
bonds, blows, or wounds on the refugee, he was compelled
to pay the price awarded by law to the injury he had
done, and, in addition to this, 120 shillings to the minis-
ters of the church. If a criminal fled to a church, no one
should drag him thence within the space of seven days,
if he could live so long without food, and had not at-
tempted to force his way out. If the clergy had occasion
to hold service in the church whilst the refugee was
there, they might keep him in some house which had no
more doors than the church had.
In the ecclesiastical laws of Edward the Confessor, as
confirmed by William the Conqueror, in 1070, the privilege
of sanctuary is defined. Wherever an accused or guilty
person had fled to a church for refuge, from the moment
when lie touched its threshold he was on no account to be
seized by his pursuers, except by the bishop or the bishop's
servants. If in his flight he entered the priest's house or
, n its court-yard, he enjoyed the same peace and security
290
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
that he would have in the church itself, provided the
house and court-yard were within the glebe of the
church.
We see, then, that in the middle ages all churches
possessed the privilege of sanctuary, though some churches
possessed it in a much greater degree than others. The
Cathedral of Durham was one of these more favoured
churches. Thereason of the greater privilege was, doubtless,
in the case of Durham, because it contained the shrine of
St. Cuthbert. Criminals who fled hither " besought the
immunity of the said church and the liberty of St.
Cuthbert," just as, at Beverley, they came " to the peace
of St. John of Beverley."
When the claimant of sanctuary reached the cathedral
of Durham, he proceeded to the north door, and, raising
the bronze ring which hangs from the bronze monster's
mouth, knocked loudly for admission. When the echoes
died away, he listened intently. Perhaps his avengers
were close upon his track, and he feared every moment to
hear their footsteps. Each minute that he waited would
seem to him an age. But he had not long to wait. Day
and night alike there were persons within the church
ready to answer his knock. "There was certain men,"
says the Ancient Rites of Durham, " that did lie always
in two chambers over the said north church door, for the
same purpose that when any such offenders did come, and
knock, straightway they were letten in, at any hour of
the night." How the refuge seeker's heart would beat
when he heard the monks drawing back the long oaken
bar which secured the door, and what a sense of unspeak-
able relief would he feel when he had entered the sacred
edifice and the door was once more bolted !
"So soon as the refugee had entered the church he did
run straightway to the Galilee Bell and tolled it, to the
intent that any man that heard it might know that there
was some man that had taken sanctuary." The prior was
informed with all speed of the culprit's arrival, and there-
upon issued an injunction that he should keep within the
limits of sanctuary, which, at Durham, extended to the
bounds of the churchyard. He had also, in the presence
of reliable witnesses, to make a full and explicit state-
ment of the crime he had committed, giving names,
place, and date, and, in cases of murder or man-
slaughter, stating the character of the instrument
he had used. He was then furnished with a gown made
of black cloth, on the left shoulder of which a yellow
cross, "called St. Cuthbert's cross," was set, "to the
intent that every one might see that there was such a
freelige granted by God unto St. Cuthbert's shrine, for
every such offender to flee unto for succour and safeguard
of their lives." The sanctuary of Durham continued for
«very culprit for a period of 37 days, during which he was
furnished with meat, drink, and bedding at the expense
of the convent. His sleeping place was on "a grate"
within the church, "adjoining unto the Galilee door on
the south side," that is, at the west end of the south aisle
of the nave.
During the days of sanctuary, the refugee might, if he
could, compound with his adversaries. If he failed to do
this, he was required to appear, clothed in sackcloth,
before the coroner, confess his crime, and abjure the
realm. The usual form of abjuration was as follows : —
This hear thou. Sir Coroner, that I [mentioning his
name] of [mentioning his previous place of residence] am
a [mentioning the character of his crime], and because I
have done such evils in his land I do abjure the land of
our lord the king, and I shall haste me towards the port
of [mentioning a port appointed by the coroner |, and that
I shall not go out of the highway ; and if I do, I will
that I be taken as a robber and a felon of our lord the
king ; and that at such a place I will diligently seek for
passage, and that I will tarry there but one flood and ebb
if I can have passage ; and unless I can have it in such a
place, I will go every day into the seas up to my knees
assaying to pass over : and unless I can do this within
forty days, I will put myself again into the church as a
robber and a felon of our lord the king, so God me help
and His holy judgment.
As he travelled on his way to the port appointed for his
departure, the culprit was conducted from place to place
by the constables of the different parishes through which
he passed.
Amongt the records of Durham Cathedral is a register
of the persons who sought sanctuary there between 1464- and
1524. This register was printed more than fifty years ago
by the Surtees Society. The entries, which, with one or
two exceptions, are in Latin, give the name and place of
abode of the claimant, the date and place of the commis-
sion of his offence, the name of the person he killed,
robbed, or injured in any way, with other particulars.
Each entry closes with the names of the witnesses who
heard the culprit's confession. Many incidental remarks
in this register are interesting. For instance, "the
ringing of bells" when the refugee urged his plea
of sanctuary is frequently mentioned ; showing the
importance which was attached to the ancient
practice. In one case the culprit desires " the
immunity of the church aforesaid and the liberty of St.
Cuthbert, between the Tyne and the Tees, for himself, his
chatells, and all his goods.'' The register to which I
refer affords a most valuable picture of the state of
society prior to the Reformation, and indicates the
extent to which sanctuary was claimed and the nature of
the crimes from the consequences of which it afforded a
refuge to the perpetrators.
The instances in which persons claimed sanctuary for
offences committed in Newcastle are rather numerous ;
but the following abstracts will not, perhaps, be quite
without interest : —
1477, 4th July. Christopher Holme desired sanctuary,
and confessed that on the 24th April last, at Newcastle-
on-Tyne, he, with Harry Stobbes and Humphrey TTssher,
met one William Marley, and grievously struck and
wounded him with a staff called a " walshbill," in conse-
quence of which the said William died.
1489-90, 13th January. Alexander Taylleyour desired
sanctuary, because he, on the Wednesday after the feast
of Epiphany, in the year aforesaid, in Newcastle, near
July I
188'J. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
291
Caylecrosse, had feloniously struck one Thomas Smyth,
in self-defence, with a certain weapon, under the left
breast, whence the said Thomas died the same day.
1493, 4th August. Robert Grene, of South Shields,
desired sanctuary, because he, on the 1st August, in the
year aforesaid, in Newcastle, in a certain street called the
Close, in consequence of an attack made upon him by one
Robert Nicholson, of Winlaton, twice struck and feloni-
ously wounded the aforesaid Robert in his chest, from
which wounds he died.
1495, 16th December. John Bonner, of Gateshead,
desired sanctuary, because he, on the Sabbath Day next
before the feast of St. Peter ad Vincula, 14 years before,
attacked one Alexander Stevenson, near Dotiand Park, in
Hexhamshire, and feloniously wounded in him the chest
with a dagger, otherwise called a " whinyard," from which
wound he immediately died.
1502, 9th August. Roger Raw, merchant, of Newcastle,
desired sanctuary, because he, on the 6th day of the month
aforesaid, in the town of Newcastle, in a street commonly
called the Side, with a Scotch axe, attacked one Antony
Ray, and grievously wounded him in four parts of his
body, viz., in the flank, and in the left breast, and in botli
arms.
1503. 2nd August. Thomas Wylkynson, of Gateshead,
desired sanctuary, because on account of an attack
made on him by one John Rede, of Alnwick, on St.
Michael's Day, 1502, in self defence he struck the said
John Rede with a whinyard, and mortally wounded him
twice in the chest and also in the neck, from which
wounds the said John immediately died.
1507, 9th June. John tiharparow, of Newcastle, desired
sanctuary, because he, on the 6th of the said month, in
consequence of an attack made on him by Edward
Gallon, of the said town, feloniously struck the said
Edward with a dagger, inflicting upon him a mortal
wound on the right side of his neck, from which, the day
after, the said Edward died.
1508, 7th November. Edward Robsou, of Tynemouth,
desired sanctuary, because on the Sabbath before Palm
Sunday, in a street commonly called Cloth Market, in
the town of Newcastle, he feloniously struck one
Edmund Tailyour on the shoulder with a dagger, of
which he immediately died.
1509, 31st March. Robert Bynks, of Newcastle,
desired sanctuary, because on the last Sunday in Lent, in
the house of a certain Thomas Sanderson, near the
churchyard of St. Nicholas's Church, he feloniously and
mortally struck one Robert Tailyour in the right breast
with a dagger, in consequence of which he died within
five days.
1512, llth October. Robert Lee desired sanctuary,
because he, with others, was present when one John
Fresill, between the walls of the town of Newcastle and
the water of Tyne, and below the bridge of Tyne,
mortally struck one William Wright with a dagger on
his back between the shoulders, on the ninth day of the
month aforesaid ; from which wound he died the same
day. Lee also declares that he aided and helped Fresill
to escape from the hands of the bystanders.
1514, 22nd May. John Horsley, of Newcastle, desired
sanctuary. On the 13th December, 1513, on the Sand-
hill, in Newcastle, in consequence of an attack made on
him by one John Taytte, he feloniously and mortally
struck the said John Taytte with a dagger en the right
side of the chest, inflicting on him a mortal wound, from
which he immediately died. For which felony John
Horsley was taken and arrested by the officers or servants
of the lord the king in that town, and put in the prison
there called Newgate, which prison the same John Horsley
feloniously broke and escaped.
1515, 5th September Colt, of Alnwick,
shoemaker, desired sanctuary, because he on the day
of the month of in the year aforesaid, feloniously
broke and escaped from a certain prison in the town of
Newcastle called the Newgate, where he with others was
imprisoned, and because he is afraid, on account of such
prison breaking and escape, to submit himself to the secu-
lar law.
1515, 9th September. Roland Hall, of Marley-on-the-
Hill, in the parish of Whickham, desired sanctuary be-
cause, in consequence of an attack made upon him, he
struck one Thomas Herysby, of Whickham, with a sword,
at the Close Gate, on the feast of Our Lady's nativity,
inflicting on him a mortal wound, of which he died the
same day.
It would be very easy to extend these extracts. They
have a local interest, but in other respects are by no
means so remarkable as are the records of persons who
came from other parts of the country to claim sanc-
tuary. By far the largest number of fugitives are homi-
cides. A few are thieves, cattle and horse stealers are
rather numerous ; a smaller number are prison breakers ;
about the same number are burglars; whilst some only
ask sanctuary from the claims of their creditors.
Amongst the most remarkable cases of murder are the
following :—
Jacob Manfield, who describes himself as a "gentil-
man," accuses himself of having, about a month pre-
viously, with a Welch bill, murdered Roland Mebburn,
the rector of Wycliffe, at Ovington. Roland Carlyll, a
yeoman of the county of Durham, at Ashby, in the
county of Lancaster, murders one John Cowton of
that place, with a wood axe, then steals the mur-
dered man's horse, and very quickly makes off. A
year and a half after he comes to Durham and claims
sanctuary. Thomas Spence, "esquire," of Bowes, in
Yorkshire, has commanded Hebart Conyngham, probably
his servant, to hang one Thomas Meburn, "a Scotch-
man," without any legal trial, and the command has
been obeyed. Doubtless, Meburn 's only offence was
that of having come from over the Border. The York-
shire squire becomes alarmed about the consequences of
his rash act, and seeks sanctuary.
Three canons of Eglestone Abbey, near Rookby, accom-
panied by one of the abbey servants, are met near Lar-
tington by one Richard Appleby, of Cutherstone, and his
accomplices and adherents. Appleby and his followers
attack the canons, whose servant strikes Appleby with a
Welch bill, dealing him a blow on the back of the head,
from which he died within twelve days. The servant
claims sanctuary for the homicide he has committed, and
the canons because they defended their servant.
Three men from Calton, in Yorkshire, claim sanctuary,
two of them, in December, 1510, and one in July of the
following year, because they were present when one
Richard Horsley, of Calton, was forcibly taken from his
mother's house, carried into a neighbouring field, and so
seriously wounded that he died within a month.
In October, 1510, one Thomas Gy or Gye, of Wistow.
near Selby, claims sanctuary for having, eleven days
before, killed one William Pynchsbek, at Wymersley.
The sanctuary is granted, and Gye is able to make such
arrangements as permit him to remain in England. But
three month later he re-appeared at Durham, this time,
however, to confess both to an older and a more recent
crime. In the previous May he had stolen twenty heifers
and calves from the forest of Gawtress, near Easington.
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
These he had driven off to Bridlington, selling two of
them on his way, and disposing of the remaining eighteen
to the Prior of Bridlington. On the last day of Novem-
ber, that is, shortly after his previous visit to Durham,
he had gone once more to the forest of Gawtress, and had
stolen four calves, which he sold at Welton to one Gilbert
Gye, doubtless a relative. Yet, for his repeated offences,
Durham afforded him protection from secular law.
A most singular feature ot many of the cases recorded
is the length of time which elapsed after a crime was
committed before the criminal sought sanctuary. For
instance, a man at Carlisle kills another with a Carlisle
axe, and comes to Durham for sanctuary twelve years
afterwards. A murder at Ripon is confessed at Durham
thirteen years after the event. Four brothers named
Hayden, of Whickham, attack a man with swords on the
banks of the Dryburn in Allandale, and kill him.
Eighteen years afterwards one of the Haydens seeks
sanctuary at Durham ; and his example is followed two
and a half years later by one of his brothers. But the
most extraordinary instance is that of a man who kills a
stranger at Shoreditch, near London, "with a pitching-
staff," and confesses his crime at Durham twenty-six
years afterwards.
A considerable number of persons claimed sanctuary
for crimes committed in poaching affrays of one kind or
other. In one case five men, evidently poachers, four of
whom came to Durham together for sanctuary, murdered
a gamekeeper by striking him with a crabstaff in Hunting-
ton Park, in Cheshire.
Amongst cases of horse-stealing, the following is the
most interesting :— John Tod, of Swine, in the East
Riding of Yorkshire, confesses that at Westminster,
"near London," nine years before, he had stolen a horse,
and certain moneys, to the amount of five marks, from
X. Dale, a priest, the seneschal of the Lord of Hastings.
One entry I have determined simply to translate, inas-
much as it throws considerable light on the ceremonies
observed when a fugitive abjured the country : —
Be it remembered that, the 13th day of the month of
llay, Anno Domini, 1497, one — - Colson, of Wolsing-
ham, in the county of Durham, was detected in the act of
theft, and by reason of this theft was taken and
thrust into prison, and detained, yet, escaping from
prison, he fled to the Cathedral Church of Durham, on
account of the immunity to be had there, and whilst he
stx >od near the shrine of St. Cuthbert, he requested that a
coroner might be appointed for him. John Raket,
coroner of the ward of Chester-le-Street, therefore came
to him, and to him the same Colson confessed the felony,
he taking oath to abandon the kingdom of England, and
leave it with all the speed that he conveniently could, and
uever to return to it ; which oath h« took at the shrine of
St. Cuthbert, before George Cornforth, Sacristan of the
Cathedral Church of Durham, Ralph Bows, knight and
High Sheriff of Durham, John Rakett, Robert Thryl-
kt-tt, Under Sheriff, Hugh Holland, Nicholas Dickson,
and many others then present. By reason of which re-
nunciation and oath all the ornaments of the aforesaid
Colson, in due right, pertained to the aforesaid sacristan
:.nd his office ; for which reason Coleon was commanded
that he should take off his garments even to his
ibirt, and deliver them to the aforesaid sacris-
tan. This he did, and placed those garments
at the disposal of the aforesaid sacristan, and
the sacristan, when those garments had been de-
livered and placed in his possession, graciously returned
and gave him all his ornaments in which he was at that
time vested. And afterwards the said Colson retired
from the church, and was delivered to the nearest con-
stables by the aforesaid High Sheriff, and afterwards
from one party of constables to another, carrying a white
cross made ef wood, as a fugitive, and being led to the
nearest sea-port, in order there to take ship, and never to
return. These things were done in the year of our Lord,
the month, day, and place aforesaid.
By several Acts of Parliament, passed in the reign of
Henry VIII., the privileges of sanctuary were con-
siderably abridged ; and, after being further limited in
1603, they were completely abolished in 1624.
J. R. BOTLK, F.S.A.
JHw Qtnlo,
HANDSOME and elaborate work on sun
dials, chiefly consisting of a collection of
mottoes on these interesting objects from
all parts of the United Kingdom and the
Continent, has been published by Messrs. George Bell
and Sons, York Street, Covent Garden, London. The
book was originally compiled by the late Mrs. Alfred
Gatty, but the new edition is edited by Miss Horatia
Gatty and Miss Eleanor Lloyd. Most of the dials exist-
ing in this neighbourhood that are adorned with mottoes
are enumerated in the book. So far as we know only one
important omission occurs — that of the dial over the front
door of Gibside Hall. The mottoes of all that are in
Latin — as most of them are — are duly translated, while
the history of the dials themselves, together with some
description of them, is frequently related. But the
special feature of the present edition is a scientific
treatise by Mr. Wigham Richardson, of Newcastle, on the
" Construction of Sun Dials." It is interesting to read in
Mr. Richardson's list of the works which he can recom-
mend on the science of dialing, that the "clearest of all '
was that published in Newcastle by Peter Nicholson in
1833, though it requires some patience to acquire the
author's method of projection. Equally interesting is the
information that Mr. Thomas Wright, a distinguished
mathematician and astronomer, received a gratuity of
twenty guineas from the Conservators of the River Wear
for " a composition of dials which he invented, setting up
the model on the pier at Sunderland in 1733." Nor is it
less interesting to read again the old story of how
George Stephenson set up a dial over his cottage
dxir at West Moor, finding how to make the neces-
sary calculations to adapt the dial to the latitude of
Killingworth with the aid of Ferguson's "Astronomy."
Again, Mr. Hewitt's "Visits to Remarkable Places "is
quoted as the authority for the statement that the village
of Heworth, in the county of Durham, is (or was) dis-
Jul
1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
293
tinguished by the greatest number of sun dials on the
fronts of its houses of perhaps any village in the kingdom.
These sun dials were due to the eccentric William Emer-
son, one of the first mathematicians of his age, who was
born at Heworth, and died there in 1782. (See Monthly
Chronicle, 1888, page 29.) But items of interest to people
in the Northern Counties are scattered throughout the
volume. We have pleasure in transferring to our pages
the account which the authors give of some of the more
striking of our Northern dials.
ASPICE IN HORAM, ET MEMENTO MORI.
Look upon the hour, and remember death.
R. E.
1775.
Over the door of an old house in Thomas Street North,
Monkwearmouth, which was formerly the town house of
the Barons of Hylton, and afterwards inhabited by the
father of the noted Northern antiquary, George Cooper
Abbs. The initials R. E. are those of Robert Emerson,
who was parish clerk and schoolmaster of Boldon from
1770 to 1805. He possessed considerable mathematical
knowledge, and constructed two dials in his own village,
one of which he placed over his house, and the motto of
this is now (1888) illegible. The other remains over the
church porch.
COME, LIGHT ! VISIT ME !
At the Knoll, Ambleside. 1846.
The history of this motto, and the sun dial which bears
it, is given at length by Harriet Martineau in her auto-
biography, vols. i. and ii., pp. 80 and 265. At the age of
seven she visited her grandfather, near Newcastle, and in
his garden there was a large, heavy stone sun dial.
"That dial," she says, "was of immeasurable value to me.
1 could see its face only by raising myself on its ste'p, and
there, with my eyes on a level with the plate, did I watch
and ponder, day by day, painfully forming my first clear
conceptions of Time, amidst a bright confusion of notions
of day and night, and of the seasons, and of the weather.
1 loved that dial with a sort of superstitution ; and when,
nearly forty years after, I built a house for myself at
Ambleside, my strong wish was to have this very dial for
the platform below the terrace, but it was not to be had.
It had been once removed already, when the railway cut
through the old garden, but the stone was too heavy, and
far too much fractured for a second removal. A friend in
London who knew my desire for a sun dial, and heard
that I could not obtain the old one which had told me so
important a story in my youth, presented me with one to
stand under my terrace wall, and above the quarry which
was already beginning to fill with shrubs and wild flowers.
The design of the dial is beautiful, being a copy of an
ancient font, and in grey granite to accord with the grey
stone house above it. The motto was an important affair.
A neighbour had one so perfect in its way as to eclipse a
whole class. 'The night cometh.' In asking my friends
for suggestions, I told them of this, and they agreed that
we could not approach this motto in the same direction.
I preferred a motto of my own to all that were offered in
English, and Wordsworth gave it his emphatic approba-
tion. ' Come, Light ! visit me !' stands emblazoned on
ray dial, and it has been, I believe, as frequent and im-
pressive a monitor to me as ever was any dial which bore
warning of the fugacious nature of life and time."
DUM SPECTAS, PDGIT HOEA : CARPE DIEM.
Whilst thou art looking the hour is flying ; seize to-day.
On a house-dial at Wolsingham, Co. Durham. The
figures are gilt on a black ground.
HARUM DUM SPECTAS CURSUM
RESPICE AD NOVISSIMAM HORAM.
c.c.
Walker, 1881. I Lat. 54° 58',
W.R.
Watching these fleeting hours soon past
Remember that which comes at last.
On a storehouse of the Neptune Works, Newcastle-on-
Tyne. Erected by Wigham Richardson, Esq.. to whom
the translation is due.
NON DEDERUNT TIBI DI QUAM PRAESKNTEM SUPERI HORAM.
AD FINEM ASPICIAS, HORA FUTURA LATET.
The gods above have given thee but the present hour.
Look on to the end, the Juture hour lies hid.
At Carville Hall, an old mansion on the Roman wall
near Wallsend, is a fine old sun-dial with faces so that the
pointer is parallel to the face. The motto given above is
perhaps of more recent date than the dial itself. (A
Correspondent in "The Guardian."}
NON NISI CAELESTI RADIO.
Not save by a ray from heaven (do I tell the time).
On the porch at Haydon Bridge, Northumberland.
The dial is square, and the motto is above, the words
being divided by a full-faced sun, which emits rays all
round. They bear an obvious moral signification. There
is no date on this dial, but the church was built out of the
the nave of an older church, and opened for service July,
1796. The features of the Sun God are too decidedly
Hanoverian to suppose a much earlier date.
SPECTATOR FASTIDIOSCS, SIBI MOLESTUS.
He that looks too proudly is a trouble to himself.
At Bywell, near Newcastle-on-Tyne. It is difficult to
understand what this motto means ; we have translated
it literally. It may either point to a spectator bending
over the dial so as to intercept the sunshine ; or to a
passer-by who is too proud to use this humble means of
learning the time.
THE LAST HOUR TO MANY, POSSIBLY TO YOU.
On the church at Hartlepool, Co. Durham.
THE NATURAL CLOCKWORK BY THE MIQHTY ONE
WOUND UP AT FIKST, AND EVER SINCE HAS GONE ;
NO PIN DROPS OUT, ITS WHEELS AND SPRINGS ARE GOOD,
IT SPEAKS ITS MAKER'S PRAISK, THO' ONCE IT STOOD ;
HUT THAT WAS BY THE ORDER OF THE WORKMAN'S POWER ;
A\D WHEN IT STANDS AGAIN IT GOES NO MORE.
JOHN ROBINSON, Rector. \ . , 177T
A. DOUGLAS Clerk. Fecit. ) A'"' *•"*•
^soN.} Churchwardens.
Seaham, in Latitude 54° 51'.
294
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
SOLES PEBEDNT KT IMPUTANTUR.
Days (literally, suns) depart and are reckoned.
Outside the Dean s kitchen, at Durham, is a square dial,
gold -lettered, which bears this inscription. It is now
(1888) much decayed.
(1) TIME BY MOMENTS STEALS AWAY, FIBST THE HOOK
AND THEN THE DAY.
(2). EXAGOKAZOMENOI TON KAIRON HOTI HAI HEMERAI
PONEBAI EISI.
Redeeming the time because the days are evil.
(3). TEMPUS EDAX BEBOM.
Time the demurer of (all ) things.
(4). BOAST NOT THYSELF OF TO-MORROW— FOB ON THINE
EYELIDS IS THE SHADOW OF DEATH.
(5). THE MORNING COMETH AND ALSO THE NIGHT.
(6). THE LORD BY WISDOM HATH FOUNDED THE EARTH, BY
UNDERSTANDING HATH HE ESTABLISHED THE HEAVENS.
(7). THE EARTH IS THE LORDS AND THE FULNESS THEREOF.
" How grand the orbs of light on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heavens a shining frame,
Their great Original proclaim !
In reason's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice,
For ever singing as they shine
" The hand that made us is divine."
These seven mottoes, and eight lines from Addison's
paraphrase of Psalm xix., are engraved upon the face of a
vertical south dial, erected in the Albert Park,
Middlesbrough, by the gift of H. W. F. Bplckow,
M.P. The design and workmanship were done by Mr.
John Smith, of South Stockton, xvho was seventy years
of age when he executed the commission, but he has
been deeply interested in the art of dialling since his
boyhood. [The second motto being in Greek characters,
we have given the English equivalents.]
TIME TIDE
DOTH WAIST
THEREFORE
MAKE HASTE
WE SHALL —
On a dial which originally stood in the garden at
Oanille Hall, the teaching of the motto being enforced by
the position of the house, which stands midway between
Newcastle, and the sea, overlooking the Tyne. Carville
Hall is now the property of Wigham Richardson, Esq.,
and he has presented the dial to the members of the New-
castle Society of Antiquaries, who have placed it upon
the roof of the Norman keep of the Castle. The following
description of the dial has been given by the Rev. J. R.
Boyle : — " The dial stone is an oblong slab, two sides of
which are parallelograms, and two are rhomboids. This
rests upon an upright pillar. The dial slab lies in the
ylane of the earth's equator. On its upper surface is a
north polar dial, which will show the time from the
vernal to the autumnal equinox. On its under surface is a
south polar dial, which will show the time from the
autumnal to the vernal equinox. On the vertical sides
of the dial are four erect direct dials, facing ex-
actly the four quarters of the earth. The dials are
all graduated to half hours. I have placed the dial in the
meridian of the castle of Newcastle. It will therefore show,
when the equations of time are applied, not Greenwich,
hut lojal time. On the north side of the stone is a shield
bearing two lends and a crescent for difference impaling,
ermine, a chevron engrailed." The latter are the arms of
John Cosyn, who built Carville Hall, and died in 1662.
He was buried at All Saints, Newcastle. The Hall is also
called Cosyn's House. The date 1667 is engraved on the
pillar of the dial, and it was probably erected by John
Cosyn's son-in-law, to whom the coat of arms evidently
Irelonged. The motto is placed just above the north polar
dud; the word "dial" being of course required to
complete the sense of the inscription."
CT HOBA SIC VITA.
1727.
Life is an hour.
This motto may be seen on a little white wooden dial
which formerly stood on the porch of Stanhope, co.
Durham, but has now been placed on the south wall of
the chancel. The register books show that the dial was
put up by Bishop Butler, then rector. His " Analogy "
was written when he lived at Stanhope.
WATCH AND PBAY,
TIME HASTES AWAY.
Over a cottage at Barton, near Darlington ; also on the
church porch of Llantiglos-by-Fowey, Cornwall ; and
on a horizontal dial in the churchyard of Westward,
Cumberland.
THE GIBSIDE DIAL.
This dial stands above the front door of Gibside Hall,
and bears the motto : —
UTI HOBA, SIC VITA. •
As an hour, so is life.
The arms of Bowes and Blakeston, Mr. James F.
Robinson informs us, are marked on the front with
initials of the names of Blakeston, Bowes, and
Strathmore, and the dates of 1620, that of the first erec-
tion of the hall, and of 1805, the time when the hall
was put into its present form.
THE SEVEN DIALS.
The locality which goes by this designation in London
is laiily well-known all over the kingdom. Few of those,
however, who are familiar with the name know how it
originated. We will let our authors tell us. "The seven
dials," they remark, "which give their name to the
district in the parish of St. Giles-in-the-Fields, were.
curiously enough, only six in number. They form the six
faces of the block of stone which crowned the Dork
column, and each dial fronted one of the streets which
July I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
295
met in the open space where the pillar stood. Two of these
streets opened into one angle, so that the seven formed an
irregular star, as described by John Evelyn. ' I went, ' he
says, 'on the 5th of October, 1694, to see the block of stone —
St. Giles — where seven streets, making a star from the
Doric pillar placed in the mid die of the circular area, said
to have been built by Mr. Neal, introducer of the late
lotteries.' Cunningham's 'Handbook to London' says
it was removed in July, 1773, on the supposition that a
considerable sum of money was lodged at the base, but
tne search was ineffectual. The old column had been some
years in a stone mason's yard, and in 1822 was bought by
the inhabitants of Weybridge, and set up on the green as
a memorial to the Duchess of York."
tft* 49tenran, a
larrtr Character,
j]OSEPH CAWTHORNE, familiarly known as
John the Pieman, was a well-known figure
in the streets of Sunderland thirty or forty
years ago. John's "pies all hot" were made of good
materials, and he used to cry them in a fashion peculiarly
his own. When any young customers came, they were
required to put pennies down on the tin-lid, and
ask: "Heads or tails?" If "John" guessed right, he
whipped up the pennies and gave them no pies ; but
if he guessed wrong, they got their pennies back, and
pies each into the bargain. "Toss or buy, gentle-
men," he said on such occasions; "I am the only man
in Sunderland who fought at Waterloo." And this boast
was commonly taken to be well founded, as it was
sustained by the medals he displayed on his breast
when in holiday costume. These seemed to bear
out that "John" was one of the few surviving
heroes of the Peninsular War, and of the great
battle on the plains of Waterloo. According to his
own account, Joseph Cawthorne was born on the
anniversary of the Decollation of St. John the
Baptist, the 29th of August, 1790, at Newark-on-
Trent. When he was fourteen years of age, he
was bound apprentice to a canvas weaver; but he
was hardly out of his apprenticeship when he joined
the Montgomeryshire Militia, and shortly afterwards
volunteered into the first battalion of the Rifle Brigade.
After a six weeks' furlough, he proceeded to Lisbon to
join his regiment, marching througli Portugal to Spain.
He fought at Vittoria, the Pyrenees, and Toulouse, and
in nearly every one of the hotly-contested engagements in
the Peninsula ; and he had the rare good fortune to be
only once wounded, and that but slightly. But at
Waterloo he was wounded a second time, and that rather
more severely. After returning to England, he continued
in the service of his country for three or four years more,
and then took his discharge. This was about tlie year 1819.
Unfortunately, he got no pension, for what reason we
cannot say ; neither do we know what chance brought
him to Sunderland, where he eventually took up his
abode, and managed to make a decent living in the way
above indicated. When he had reached his sixty-eighth
year and began to feel the infirmities of old age, efforts
were made to get him a small pension, and the conse-
quence was that he had sixpence a day allowed hirn,
which was increased in 1863 to ninepence, and in 1866
to a shilling a day. The old pieman die j in 1869, in his
seventy-ninth year.
Calalo Cae'tle, ffjjrtfttttw6er=
lantr.
certain baronial tower was being
built in Scotland, we forget in what county,
the masons were astonished each morning to
find that all they had accomplished the pre-
vious day had been thrown down during the night. This
playing at cross purposes continued for some time. At
length one day a loud voice was heard, exclaiming :—
Build it in a bog,
And it will neither shake nor ehog.
The laird immediately took the hint, abandoned the
chosen site, and pitched upon a new one on a email knoll
in the midst of a neighbouring morass. And there the
tower stands to this day.
296
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
A precisely similar legend exists relative to the old
castle of Calaly, near Whittingham, the seat of the
Claverings. The tradition runs that while the workmen
were engaged in erecting it upon a hill, a little distance
from the site on which it now stands, they were surprised,
like their Scottish brethren, every morning to find their
last day's work destroyed. They likewise found them-
selves constantly impeded by what seemed supernatural
obstacles, enough to dishearten, if not terrify, the boldest.
A watch was at length set to find out, if possible, who the
mischief-makers could be. The watchers remained till
midnight without seeing any symptoms of hostility or
disturbance. All remained till that hour just as the
builders had left it. Suddenly, however, just as night's
black keystone was passed, a strange commotion and stir
was seen to have commenced among the closely com-
pacted materials. Each particular stone, one by onet
rose gradually up on its end, toppled over, and fell noise-
lessly to the earth. No incarnate agent — man, beast, or
devil — was discernible, but the work of dilapidation went
on, without intermission as without din, till every one of
the rows of masonry was displaced, and the whole lay
together in a ruinous heap. A voice was then heard,
saying : —
Calaly Castle stands on a height ;
It's up in the day and down at night ;
Set it up on the Shepherd's Shaw,
There it will stand and never fa'.
The site thus interdicted was forthwith abandoned, and
the work recommenced on the spot which the voice had
considerately pointed out. There no interruption took
place, and the castle therefore rose in due season, in what
James Hardy, who transferred the tale from the pages of
Bell's "Rhymes of the Northern Bards" to those of the
"Local Historian's Table Book," calls " the proud gran-
deur of the stern battlements, bidding defiance to the foe
and to time — strong in the adamantine workmanship of
an iron age, and fortified with the valiant arms of warlike
defenders."
Mr. W. W. Tomlinson, in his "Comprehensive Guide to
Northumberland," taking a practical view of the legend,
avers that it arose from the dislike of the lord of Calaly's
lady to the proposed site of the castle, and that she devised
a scheme by which she might get her own way. A
faithful attendant, dressed up like a boar, was to pull
down nightly all that had been built during the day, and
so awaken the superstitious fears of her good lord. The
plan succeeded, and the work of destruction was set down
to supernatural causes.
The tooth of Time, however, or the happy change that
has taken place since the union of the crowns and king-
doms of England and Scotland in the conditions, habits,
and requirements of the dwellers in our old Border Land,
has done what the boldest and best accoutred leader of a
raid or foray from the Scottish side could scarcely have
dreamed of accomplishing. For an old tower now alone
remains of the ancient edifice, all the other parts of the
present building being modern.
A conical eminence, called the Castle Hill, not far from
a lofty wooded hill locally known as the Crag, whence
there is a very extensive prospect over the vales of
Coquet, Whittingham, and Glendale, would seem to have
been the site originally fixed on by the Saxon or Norman
owner of Calaly, whoever he was, whereon to build his
castle. The top of this eminence, comprising about two
acres, has been surrounded by a strong wall, and, in the
weakest places, by a fosse twenty feet deep, hewn out of
the solid rock, and flanked on the outside with another
wall. Down the western brow, about one hundred paces
distant, is a third wall, the ruins of which are said by
Dugdale in his "British Traveller" (1819), to have mea-
sured upwards of twenty-two feet at their base. The
whole fortified area contains nearly six acres, and is diffi-
July
1889.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
297
cult of access. There are several other ancient camps in
the vicinity, which has been the scene of innumerable
battles and skirmishes.
These pre-historic ruins on the Castle Hill may have
given rise to the tradition respecting the intervention of
the tricksy spirits to hinder the place from being in a
manner desecrated by the new possessors of the manor.
But we must be content with the legend as we find it.
Calaly was a vill of William de Calaly, in the beginning
of the reign of King Henry III., and of his son Gilbert de
Calaly, in the same reign. The family of the Claverings
derive their descent, in the male line, from Charlemagne.
The old name of the Claverines was De Burgh, and a
former Marquis of Clanricarde, descended from the same
stock, obtained royal leave to assume the name and arms
of De Burgh in 1752. The Claverings were represented
amongst the barons who compelled King John to sign
Magna Charta. At a later period the representatives of
the family were adherents of the Stuart cause.
, tftr
I HE Scotch collie, on account of his intelli-
gence and tractability, is a general favourite.
But although he is frequenly put to uses
for which he was never intended, he soon adapts himself
to his changed circumstances, and proves himself the
friend of mankind. Help, the railway dog, an interest-
ins: specimen of the collie breed, is the property of the
Amalgamated Society of Eailway Servants. He will
follow, without leading, any railwayman with whom he
has had a few hours' acquaintance The idea of keeping
and training a dog to act as a medium for the collection
of money in aid of the Railway Servants' Orphan Fund
originated with Mr. John Climpson, the guard of the
"night boat train " on the London, Brighton, and South
Coast Railway — a position which he has filled for over
twenty-seven years. Mr. William Riddell, of Hailes,
Haddington, having become acquainted with the fact
that such a dog was required, presented the subject of
this notice to the Orphan Fund. Help has been the
means of adding about a thousand pounds to the funds
of the society. When he visited Newcastle in October,
1887, the local contribution amounted to £2 4s. 9d. He
has not been trained to perform any antics, so that his
mission is known only by a handsome silver collar,
to which is appended a silver medal bearing the fol-
lowing inscription:—"! am Help, the railway dog of
Eneland, and travelling agent for the orphans of
railwaymen who are killed on duty. My office is at
55, Colebrooke Row, London, where subscriptions
will be thankfully received and duly acknowledged."
Our drawing of Help is reproduced from a capital
lithograph executed by the Newcastle artist, Mr..
Wilson Hepple.
298
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I July
fJcrrtftumfcrta,
VIL
THE SAXON ADVANCK.
| FTER a century of internal broils, and a long
succession of attacks from Danish invaders,
it would be difficult to conceive anything
more miserable than the condition of the
North Country in 825. Eanred, the Anglian king, was
too weak to control his unruly followers, and, amid
the intrigues that were constantly going forward, the
people could make no substantial progress. They
were not only dissatisfied, but disheartened, and
seemed ready to welcome almost any change that
promised amelioration. It is not surprising, there-
fore, that Egbert of Wessex — after overrunning the
whole of Mercia — should have marched his victorious
Saxons beyond the Humber. The southern forces, at all
events, were better than the harrying Danes, and the
opposition to their advance was neither serious nor deter-
mined. Though not relishing the new situation, Eanred
wisely bowed to the inevitable, resigned his shadowy
sceptre, and paid homage to the conqueror. Some writers
have endeavoured to show that Egbert was, as his
courtiers called him, "first King of the English." Even
Mr. Green would appear to endorse this opinion, as he
places him at the head of his genealogical tables. Hume,
however, is inclined to think that the title was never
properly assumed till the reign of Edward the Elder, in
901, and Sharon Turner even puts it as late as Athelstane,
in 934. But whoever may have been first king, or what-
ever may be the precise date, it is certain that Egbert
never consolidated the Anglo-Saxon power. " Each
State and People," says Sir Francis Palgrave, "continued
as distinct as before. There was no common Legislature,
and no means of concentrating, in the supreme Government,
the strength and resources of the community." It was
this defect, more than any other, that enabled the Danes
to prove so troublesome. They found their opportunity in
the jealousies and rivalries so prevalent in the tributary
kingdoms, and were not slow to take advantage of a com-
bination of circumstances so favourable to them. Though
their inroads were splendidly checked during the height
of Egbert's prosperity, they had managed, before the
close of his reign, to establish themselves securely on
many a well protected stretch of coast-line, and to work
much mischief amongst the inhabitants and buildings of
the adjacent territory. It would be beyond the scope of
these articles to notice all the changes that took place
during the long and bloody struggles that ended in the
succession of a Danish king. We can only indicate the
part that Northumbria played in shaping the country's
destinies, and trust that the record may convey a toler-
ably accurate idea of the scenes and incidents that were
so prevalent elsewhere.
BATTLE OP CABHAM.
After their very complete plundering of the Northern
monasteries, there had been a brief and welcome respite
from the periodical inroads of the Norsemen. It is not
quite clear when they next appeared in force, but pro-
bably not before 852. In that year, we hear of a daring
attack on the Isle of Sheppey, and a hasty flight with a
load of ill-gotten booty. There was also an attempt made
to land on the promontory at Tynemouth ; but the long
notice which the inhabitants received before the onslaught
took place, enabled them to beat back the assailants to
their ships. In 833, there was a much more numerous
arrival, and a tolerably severe fight. The Danes are sup-
posed to have alighted, on this occasion, in the neighbour-
hood of Tweedmouth, and to have used the river as a
means of forming a junction with allies they had secured
amongst the Britons of Strathclyde. They had only
reached Carham, however, when they were intercepted by
a hastily organised force, under King Egbert in person,
and a battle at once ensued. The invaders received the
English attack on ground of their own choosing, and
played such havoc amongst them that the assault was
repulsed with very heavy loss. Following up this ad-
vantage, the Danes rushed upon the confused ranks of
their opponents, and very quickly drove them from the
vicinity of the river. The defeat proved fatal to 11
bishops and 32 earls, and if the remnant of Egbert's
force had not quietly retreated during the night, the
casualties would doubtless have been much more con-
siderable.
DOUBTS AS TO LOCALITY.
There seems to be rather more uncertainty about this
battle than about almost any other that had previously
occurred. Most modern writers have fixed the locality at
Charmouth, in Dorset, and have given the victory to the
Saxons. They all speak of the ferocity and desperate
valour of the new foe; but add that, in spite of their
great numbers and the resolute manner in which they
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
299
clung to their position, they were compelled to retreat to
their ships. Other authorities— though adhering to the
southern county as the scene of the melee — assert that the
English sustained a serious reverse, and that "Egbert
himself only escaped by the covert of night." In the face
of these conflicting records, the problem is not an easy
one to solve. All the probabilities, however, seem to
favour the Northern district. The invaders, who unques-
tionably meant to settle in the land if they could, were far
more likely to fasten upon a province that had only
recently been subdued — and where there was a prospect of
securing ready assistance— than they were to seek a home
in the heart of a powerful and long-established king-
dom like Wessex. Leland, who was both competent and
diligent in his antiquarian researches, seems to have had
no hesitation in saying that the battle was fought
on the Tweed. Mr. Green's testimony, in a negative
sense, supports this view ; because he alludes to the
Charmouth battle as having taken place in the reign of
Ethelwulf. Mr. Grant Allen, too, appears to have been
struck by this discrepancy in the dates of the old
chronicle, for he tells us that an almost identical record
appears on two pages. Egbert is said to have fought, at
an unnamed place, against the crews of thirty-five ships ;
but that the Danes, after muckle slaughter, held the field.
A similar entry, having reference to Charmouth, occurs
under Ethelwulf, seven years later, and this, he thinks, is
the correct one. But, wherever the battle was fought,
there can be no doubt that the strength of the in-
vaders has been greatly over-estimated. All records
agree in stating that their fleet consisted of thirty-five
vessels. If this was so, they could not possibly have car-
ried the 15,000 men who are said to have ranged them-
selves under the Danish banner. What more likely,
therefore, than that the Danes had joined hands with
a portion of their allies before they got to Carham ; or
that their ranks had been swelled by a considerable
section of the discontented inhabitants of Northumbria
itself?
ABSENCE OP RECORDS.
It may appear somewhat strange, if this supposition is
admitted, that there should be no further reference to
exploits which were sure to have followed the Danish
triumph. But even this is capable of explanation. It is
pretty generally admitted that the Norsemen did gain a
permanent footing in Northumbria sooner than in any
other part of the country, and the manner in which they
plundered the religious houses, and scattered their in-
mates, would naturally lead to the destruction of docu-
ments in which their proceedings had been narrated. The
old monks were the chroniclers in these early times, and
the conditions under which they did their work were not
of the most favourable description. From 812, we are
told, right away to the end of the century, and for at least
two decades of the succeeding one, ecclesiastical history
was in utter obscurity. The names of the successive
archbishops have been preserved ; but, beyond this fact,
little else is known concerning them. In such a lament-
able state of society, and with only the West Saxon
records to depend upon, it is hardly surprising that there
should be such a dearth of information concerning the
many battles and raids that must have preceded the
Danish domination.
SAD CONDITION OP THE COUNTRY.
The outlook in Egbert's own laud of Wessex had be-
come very critical before his death, in 836, and it had
required all his strength and resource to check the inroads
that were constantly being attempted. Ethelwulf, his
weak successor, was similarly assailed ; and at so many
places simultaneously that he could not even prevent the
storm and pillage of London. There was no time, there-
fore, to give attention to disturbances far from the seat
of Government, and the
sea kings were practic-
ally left at liberty to con-
solidate their strength
in Northumbria. And
this they set about with
savage ferocity. There
was pity for neither
old nor young. " The
Vikings," says Sir Fran-
cis Palgrave, "were ene-
mies who torethescream-
ing babes from mothers'
arms, and tossed them
on the point of the
spear. If they took any
prisoners, they never spared the lives of their captives,
except for the purpose of extorting money by way of ran-
som ; and they often put their victims to death with the
most cruel torture. " There was retaliation, as a matter
of course, but it was powerless to stem the onward pro-
gress of the invading hordes. The terrible flood of
heathen savagery was so formidable that the Anglo-
Saxon people were quite unable to cope with it. They
had no central organization, no properly equipped army,
no commissariat, and an inadequate supply of ships.
There was a general call for men, it is true ; but, being
without the means of sustaining a lengthened campaign,
the recruits, of necessity, were compelled to return to
their own homes after the first conflict was decided. If
the fight was in their favour, they drank over its success.
If fortune was adverse, the demoralised bands sought
shelter in flight, and left the occupants of the defended
towns to battle or bribe for their safety.
THE STORY OP BEGNKR LODBROG.
Being thus thrown on their own resources, it is not
surprising that the Angles of Northumbria and Mercia
should have repudiated their allegiance to the Southern
king. If this step had been followed by a union between
them, it is more than likely that the Danish triumphs
300
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
fjuly
would have been averted, and that the Saxon power
would have been crippled for good. As it happened,
however, there was a renewal of the old jealousy and dis-
cord. Not only did each state struggle for its own inde-
pendence, but each chieftain made a bid for the supreme
authority. How the feuds ended, there is no precise in-
formation to show ; but Redwulf, who was in possession
of the throne of Northumbria in 844, is said to have been
killed during an expedition against Wessex. This, it is
probable, is little more than conjecture, as there seems no
good evidence on which it can be supported. There is
more than a suspicion, also, that the alleged fate of Reg-
ner Lodbrog is only pure romance. Scandinavian writers
have a good deal to say about this heroic King of Den"
mark, and as to the vastness of his conquests in various
parts of Europe. They tell us, with many picturesque
phrases, that this distinguished jwrson — when on his re-
turn from a successful enterprise in the Mediterranean —
was wrecked on some dangerous portion of the Yorkshire
coast, and that it was not without much difficulty that he
saved himself and 500 men. Ella — who at that time was
guiding the destinies of Deira — is said to have conducted
an overwhelming force against the unfortunate party,
and to have destroyed everybody but the king. To the
astonishment of all his assailants, we read, Regner seemed
impervious to either sword cut or spear thrust, and to
bear himself like a man with a charmed life. Casting
themselves upon him in a body, the Angles compelled
him to submit, and then threw him into a dungeon that
swarmed with vipers. Here, again, was some miraculous
interposition, as none of the reptiles would bite him. In
the examination that followed, it was discovered that the
hero's body was swathed in a silken robe, and, as this
was thought likely to constitute his strange protection,
it was at once torn from his back by the angry men
around him. No sooner had this task been accomplished,
than the vipers turned upon him from all sides. Though
the sufferings of the unfortunate king were frightful to
witness, not a groan escaped his lips ; and, even in his
agony, he is said to have composed and sung the "death
song" that has since held a foremost place in the legen-
dary literature of the Scandinavian people.
DANISH VENGEANCE AT YORK.
But putting aside all the harrowing details that are
said to have befallen this unhappy Dane, it is pretty
certain that some of the Anglian excesses did lead ta the
famous invasion of 865. Hingvar and Hubba, two of the
sons of Regner, had associated themselves with several
other Vikings, and determined to wreak a terrible ven-
geance on their foes. They landed a mighty host on the
coast of East Anglia, and there fraternised, during the
winter, with the numerous bands of their countrymen
who had already established themselves. On the ample
folds of their standard was to be seen the raven of Odin
•
and there were few amongst the encamped men who did
not believe that this national ensign was endowed with
magical powers. If victory was to follow an onslaught,
the raven stood proudly erect ; but, if defeat was impend-
ing, the poor bird hung its head as if in shame, and sadly
drooped its sable wings. In the early spring of 866, the
gathering storm burst upon the island. It was no longer
the intention of the Danes to merely ravage the country
for the spoil they could carry away. They now meant to
settle as they conquered, and had made ample prepara-
tions for that end. Gathering up their forces, and seizing
all the horses that were available in the district round
about, they marched rapidly in the direction of York.
Civil strife, as usual, was distracting the energies of
Northumbria. Osbert and Ella were so busily fighting
for the subject crown, that they had left the Deiran
capital in possession of a very inadequate garrison. It
followed, almost of necessity, that when the Danish van-
guard appeared before the defences of the city, the
burghers admitted them without a struggle. When thus
securely settled, the invaders lost no time in making their
power felt amongst the people of the adjacent territory.
This easy capture of their stronghold was a serious shock
to the native combatants. Ella's peaceful advances to
Osbert were unhesitatingly accepted ; and then, making
common cause, the Anglian leaders endeavoured to expel
their unwelcome visitors. But in this they failed.
Though they fell upon the town with the utmost fury,
and fought as valiantly as men could fight, their attack
was repulsed with heavy slaughter. Again and again
they renewed the conflict, and, on one occasion, broke
through the outer line of fortifications. Then ensued a
series of hand-to-hand encounters in which Osbert was
slain, Ella captured, and the bulk of their followers put
to the sword. For the people generally there was now a
period of grievous affliction, in which the most inhuman
cruelties were perpetrated. For Ella, it is said, was
reserved the most terrible punishment of all ; as it was
not until the skin had been carved off his back, in the
shape of a wild boar, that his treatment of Regner was
thought to be avenged. When, in addition, the wound
had been scrubbed with salt, and the wretched man was
left to finish his life in agony, the Danes conceived that a
proper interest had been added to the debt they owed
him. Having satisfied their thirst for blood, the victors
appointed Hingvar to rule over the newly-won territory,
and the hold they thus secured was never thoroughly
loosened. After this unexpected success, the whole of
Northumbria practically submitted. Two years later
East Anglia was in the toils ; and its people saw their
king bound to a tree, and shot to death with Danish
arrows. Mercia, too, was crouching at the feet of the
conquerors by 870. Its monasteries were in flames, its
monks amid the ruins, and the rich possessions of the
Church were divided amongst the heathen. In five years
the work of Egbert had been undone, and England, north
of the Thames, had been torn from the overlordship of
Weasex.
Jul
li
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
301
OCTHRCN AS KINO.
During these early days of Danish domination, the
condition of the country was far from enviable. Whitby
had been plundered, in 867, and its monastery again
destroyed. Ripon, the favourite home of St. Wilfrid,
shared the same fate. Aldborough, the Roman Isurium,
was burnt to the ground in 870, and similar depredations
were committed in many other districts. It was during
the latter year that the death of the mighty Hingvar
made way for the accession of Guthrun to the throne of
York. The Danish chroniclers speak in high terms of
the liberality of this prince, and assert that all the gold
he gained was apportioned amongst his men. In disposi-
tion, however, he was a veritable savage. So relentless
was he towards his opponents that he not only killed all
who crossed his path, but burnt down their towns and
churches wherever he could find them. It was during
the reign of this strangely constituted personage that an
attempt was made to bring the people north of the Tyne
more completely into accord with their masters. They
had so often rebelled against the authority of Hingvar,
that it was deemed advisable to conciliate them with a
ruler of their own race. Egbert, an Anglian chieftain,
was appointed to the post; but he speedily discovered
that the duties expected of him were so irksome that he
could not retain the position, and he abandoned it in 873.
He was succeeded by Ricsig — the first Norseman who
ever really governed north of the Tyne — and, for a few
months, the aspect of affairs showed signs of improve-
ment. In one of his periodic journeys to York, however,
the new ruler was waylaid and murdered, and the
disorders to which the event gave rise were not easily
quelled. WILLIAM LONGSTAFF.
his age, and in whose "Remains," edited by the Rev.
John A. Russell, M.A., Archdeacon of Clogher, of
which there are many editions, it will be found, with a
full detail of the circumstances under which it was com-
posed. Yet, notwithstanding this, the authorship of the
poem was long disputed by persons ignorant of the real
circumstances, or anxious to play a trick upon the
public.
A letter appeared in the Courier, a London newspaper,
of November 3rd, 1824, purporting to come from "Henry
Marshall, M.D., South Street, Durham," in which the
writer characterised as false the statement which had
been made in the Morning Chronicle a few days before, to
the effect that the " Lines on the Burial of Sir John
Moore7' were Wolfe's. It was, he said, "as barefaced a
fabrication as ever was foisted on the public." The letter
went on to say : —
The lines in question are not written hy Wolfe, nor by
Hailey, nor is Deacon the author, but they were composed
by inc. I published them, originally, some years ago, in
the Durham County Advertiser, a journal in which I have
at different times inserted several poetical trifles, as " The
Prisoner's Prayer to Sleep," "Lines on the Lamented
Death of Benjamin Galley, Esq.," and some other little
effusions. I can prove, by the most incontestable evi-
dence, the truth of what I have asserted. The first copy
of my lines was given by me to my friend and relation,
Captain Bell, and it is m his possession at present : it
agrees perfectly with the copy now in circulation, with
this exception — it does not contain the stanzas commenc-
ing with "Few and short," which I added afterwards at
the suggestion of the Rev. Dr. Alderson, of Butterby.
This epistle was a mere hoax, perpetrated by a party
of gentlemen who came to be known as the " Wags of
Durham." The self-styled M.D. was a well-known
horse-doctor in Durham, whose habits were convivial
ratherthan literary; "The Prisoner's Prayer to Sleep, "
which he was also made to claim, was written by
Wags rrf IBttrftant.
HE first number of JSmtley't Miscellany,
which appeared in January, 1837, under
the editorship of Charles Dickens, con-
tained, among other contributions by that
famous Irish humourist, the Rev. Francis Mahony, better
known as "Father Prout," what purported to be the
original of the noble ode on " The Burial of Sir
John Moore," which Byron pronounced one of the
finest in the language, which Goethe said was one of the
most impressive he had ever read, and which Prout him-
self speaks of as " unparalleled in the English language
for all the qualities of a true lyric, breathing the finest
spirit of the antique, and setting criticism completely
at defiance." But no fact in literature is better ascer-
tained than that the ode was the production of a native
of Dublin, the Rev. Charles Wolfe, C.B., curate of
Donoughmore, in the diocese of Armagh, who died on
the 21st of February, 1823, in the thirty -second -year of
Professor Wilson, who subsequently avowed himself the
author; Benjamin Galley was a poor Durham idiot, on
whose death Marshall never wrote any lines ; and the
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
Rev. Dr. Alderson was Hutchinson Alderson, otherwise
Hut. Alderson, the then bellman of Durham, commonly
known as "the Bishop of Butterby," of whom the
portrait on the previous page appeared originally in
Hone's "Table Book."
A bosom friend of the real author of the ode, Mr. John
Sidney Taylor, indignant at the claims put forth in
Marshall's letter, which he took for granted was the
genuine production of a real physician, immediately wrote
a furious reply : —
I know not who this professer of medicine is, but his
rampant rudeness strikes me as being verv characteristic
of the quaak. Had the doctor made his claim in the
consciousness of its rectitude, he would have felt that it
did not promote his cause to be equally imbecile in argu-
ment and ferocious in expression. As his main argu-
ment, the doctor tells us that he gave a copy of the verses
some years ago to one of his friends, who has it still in his
possession, and that, with the exception of one verse,
which he subsequently wrote, the copy perfectly agrees
with the one which is now in circulation. I have no
reason to doubt his statement ; but if he makes this a
proof of authorship, he is as bad a logician as a poet,
however bad that may be. That he represented the
anonymous verses as his own, may be very true ; that he
should have found anyone to believe him, is more extra-
ordinary. The circumstance of his copy perfectly agree-
ing with that now in circulation, which is full of errors,
proves that he was as clearly the author of the original
verses as that Alexander the coppersmith was the founder
of the Macedonian Empire.
On this letter the Durham Chronicle made the following
comment : —
We could not help pitying the poor doctor when we
perused Mr. Taylor's violent attack on his character,
which, we can assure our distant readers, is very respect-
able ; but we could not refrain, at the same time, from
indulging in a hearty laugh at the idea of a Student in
the Middle Temple throwing aside his Bracton, Glanville,
and Coke, and sitting down to pen a philippic against »
humble and inoffensive practitioner of the Veterinary
Art. and thinking (there's the rub !) all the while he was
thus employed he was cutting up a regular physician.
Alluding to the fact that Marshall's name had been
taken in vain by the perpetrators of the hoax, and that
the worthy man was as ignorant as a Hottentot of the
claim he had been alleged to make, the editor of the
Durham Chronicle went on to say : —
Although we have been much amused with the humor-
ous discussion to which the Durham letter has given rise,
we would wish it to be understood that we highly dis-
approve of tricks of such a description, and that we think
the most unwarrantable liberties" have been taken with
Dr. Marshall, who must have felt most poignantly
the unmerited and severe attacks that have been made
upon him, not only in the metropolis, but in his native
city, for even our brother editor, Mr. Humble (tu quoque
Brute !), who was once the doctor's printer, and whose
columns used formerly to be adorned with hie "poetical
trifles," has endeavoured to give a cruel stab to his literary
reputation by styling his productions "doggerel." This
was the unkindest cut of all ! But let not the worthy
doctor be disheartened ; let him be of good cheer ; the
merits of his "little effusions" are too well known to
suffer their value to be lessened by the fiat of Mr. Humble
— for everyone acquainted with them is aware of their
pathos, bathos, tenderness, sublimity, and elegance ; and
when Hut. Alderson's bell is silent, and no longer thrills
gratefully in the ears of the delighted fishwomen, when
all the waggery of the Durham wits is forgotten, when
the file of the Durham Advertiser is mouldering in rotten-
ness, and when the writer of this article is slumbering in
the cold and silent tomb, the name of Marshall will be
immortal, and be classed by posterity with that of his
illustrious Roman namesake ?
The joke had turned out so well that the wags did not
like to part with it too soon. And, therefore, as a second
act in che farce, they persuaded Dr. Marshall that he
ought to send up to London a specimen of his veritable
writing, for the purpose of clearing his poetical character.
And this he did. The Globe was chosen as the journal in
which the poem should appear ; and accordingly in due
course the columns of that paper contained " Lines on
the Death of Mr. John Bolton (formerly of Chester-le-
Street), Clock and Watch Maker, El vet, Durham." The
first four lines, quoted in "Richardson's Table Book,"
were as follows : —
Behold, the great Mechanic is no more ;
1 hope he's landed on the Elysian shore.
He died on Saturday, collected, sober,
The twenty-seventh day of last October.
Several clever parodies on Wolfe's lines were penned by
the wags of the day. One of them, entitled "Ode on the
writing of Dr. Marshall's Letter," ran thus :—
Not a snoring note, not a sound was heard
As we sat by our old round table ;
And we none of us laugh'd — though we all averr'd
To refrain we were scarcely able.
We in conclave met at the dead of night,
All fear of detection spurning,
By a farthing candle's twinkling light,
And an oil lamp dimly burning.
No useless masks did our forms invest,
Nor in cloaks for disguise we bound us,
But calmly we did in our arm-chairs rest,
With bottles of brandy round us.
Few and short were the words we wrote,
For to brevity we were partial ;
But we put " Hut. Alderson" into our note,
And signed it—" Henry Marshall."
We waggishly thought, as we penn'd our hoax,
And lean'd o'er the Bath-post paper,
How the wits of the North would laugh at our jokes,
While Taylor would storm and vapour.
We thought how Taylor our new M.D.
Would abuse, and in print upbraid him.
And how the horse-doctor would laugh to see
What we Durham wags had made him.
But now that our pleasant task was done,
The hour was each inquiring,
When the bell of St. Cuthbert's, tolling one,
Told it was time for retiring.
Then we gave the Doctor's health as a toast,
And we all sallied forth in our glory.
Our effusion we put in the Durham fast,
And the knowing ones gulled with our story.
The true history of the ode is, that it was composed by
Mr. Wolfe in 1817, on reading Southey's prose narrative
of the battle of Corunna in the Edinburgh Annual
Register, and that it first appeared soon after with his
initials, though without his knowledge, in the Newry
Telegraph, from which it was immediately copied into
the London papers, and from them into those of Dublin,
Edinburgh, and the provinces. A letter from Mr.
Wolfe to his friend Taylor, containing the ode, is pre-
served in the archives of the Irish Royal Academy ; and
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
303
Mr. R. W. Dixon, of Seaton Carew, in a letter inserted
in an early volume of Notes and Queries, says : —
If any doubts remain as to the authorship of the lines
" On the Burial of Sir John Moore, " I have it in my power
to satisfy them satisfactorily, for I know for certainty
that the Rev, Charles Wolfe, when chaplain to the old
county jail, in the city of Durham, acknowledged the
authorship by inserting them in the Durham Advertiser,
with bis signature attached.
But who were the wags that perpetrated the hoax of
1824 ? A full account of the affair appears in " Richard-
son's Table Book," published in 1844. The writer therein
states that the wags were so completely organized, and
so admirably kept their own counsel, that their pranks
were never in a single instance " brought home to any
of their doors." It appears from the same writer that
the reign of the wags, commencing in 1821, extended over
a space of five or six years. One of their practical jokes
was to dress the figure of Neptune in the Market Place in
shirt and cravat ! Mr. J. H. Dixon (brother of the
gentleman just named) was the writer of the article which
described the proceedings of the wags. And Mr. Dixon
was himself one of them, while another is believed to have
been Mr. William Crighton, afterwards an eminent
solicitor in Newcastle.
j|O many people who travel by railway from
Newcastle to Hartlepool via Ferryhill, the
country they pass through — the "soft'
coalfield of Durham — is a "sealed book.''
Black and unsightly collieries meet the eye at every
turn. Yet the district is full of traditional interest. An
encampment was stated to have existed in the old
Roman days in the valley midway between the village of
Kelloe and the height on which stand Coxhoe Hall and
Kelloe Church. Nearly everything appertaining to this
encampment has, however, been swept away, and, but for
the works on the heights to the southward, there is little
to tell that the Romans once sojourned there.
As the train bound eastward leaves Coxhoe Bridge Sta-
tion, after speeding past the slag heaps of Ferryhill and
the rows of cottage dwellings which constitute the Corn-
forth villages, a valley is reached with banks sloping
somewhat steeply from both north and south. Here is
seen a wild-looking, rush-grown lake, which wild fowl must
regard as a perfect "haven of rest" in severe weather.
The land on the south side appears sour and hungry
enough, with its short, wiry grass, scanty crops, and bare
crest away towards Sedgefield. On the north side, how-
ever, the prospect is different. The land rises by regular
terraced ascents until the woods, gardens, and shrubberies
of Coxhoe Hall close the view, with the hall itself, in pure
Gothic outline, peeping from amid a luxuriance of foliage.
But what a change meets the eye to the eastward !
Passing the farmhouse beyond Kelloe Church, the hungry
look of the land is again predominant as far as bleak
Garmondsway Moor, the only "redeeming feature" of
which is the Raisby Company's immense limestone and
manganese quarries.
It was amid such surroundings, at once stern and
classical, that Elizabeth Barrett (afterwards Mrs.
Browning) was born and spent the first three years of
her life.
The site now occupied by Coxhoe Hall is believed to
have been an important point in connection with the
Roman encampment below, and the terraced construction
of the grounds surrounding it, together with the land on
either hand up to the crest of the ridge, even if old rem-
nants of masonry had not been found to bear out this
theory, fully justifies the assumption. The property
hereabouts was owned in the early part of the last century
by Mr. John Burdon (no relative of the Castle Eden
family), who about 1725 built the present hall. The site
he selected had long been occupied by the ruins of an old
Catholic chapel, whose history is unknown. According
to Hatfield's Survey, a resident family had then assumed
the local name ; but the Blackistons had previously ac-
quired the manor and vill, which they continued to hold
till 1621, when the estate passed by marriage to William
Kennett, whose great-granddaughter, Mary, married
Kenneth, Earl and titular Marquis of Seaforth, of the
Kingdom of Scotland. The earl engaged in the rebellion
of 1715, and the countess died in exile in Paris in 1739.
Before this Mr. Burdon had purchased the manor ; and
in 1758 he conveyed it to John Swinburn, husband of his
niece, Sarah Burdon. William Swinburn, brother and
successor of John, died without issue, and the estate, after
passing to Major William Swinburn, was sold on Decem-
ber 19, 1794, under a decree in Chancery, to Mr. John
Forster, of Lincoln's Inn, from whom it passed to Mr.
Thomas Cook, and afterwards to Mr. Anthony Wilkinson.
When Mr. Burdon commenced building the hall, he
brought a number of Italians to work at the internal
decorations of the various rooms, and these workmen
have left rich specimens of their handicraft, not only at
Coxhoe, but in the ornamentation of Aykley Heads, near
Durham.
The hall faces to the southward, and its architectural
design is the castellated Gothic. To harmonise with this,
subsequent occupants have followed the same line of
taste in the construction of adjacent buildings, and also
of enclosure walls, &c., so that the whole outside ap-
pearance of the place is uniformly maintained. The west
t';u;ade is almost as striking as the principal one, with the
advantage of having a better prospect, for it overlooks
the carefully kept tennis ground, which is surrounded
by ornamental shrubs that shut out completely the
vista of ragged country away towards the Cornforths and
the marsh land about Mainsforth ; whilst behind is one
of the most pronounced of the terraces, which, besides pos-
304
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
iffl
sessing Roman relics, baa been beautified by flower
borders and rustic seats. The extensive grounds attached
to the hall are laid out with great taste, as may be
gathered from the accompanying sketches of the Avenue
and Long Walk.
Coxlioe Hall is a three-storeyed structure, containing;
on the ground floor, three reception-rooms and a billiard-
room, whilst in the two storeys above are the morning-
room and some twenty bedrooms. In the three prin-
cipal of the reception-rooms the carving is extremely
rich. Whichever way the visitor happens to turn,
handsomely modelled brackets, cornices, &c., claim his
attention, whilst overhead the ceilings are elaborately
enriched. The ornamentation on every hand is of the
florid Italian style, intermixed with a few classical
modellings. The fireplaces, however, merit special
mention. That in the drawing-room is formed of
carved wood— figures with floral wreaths and shells, the
Burdon crest (a squirrel) taking the centre place ; and
cunning hands indeed must have been at work to
form the intricate curves of flowers, fruit, and stalks,
which are its leading features. A more beautiful speci-
men of its kind does not exist, in the county of Durham at
least The noble staircase is a fine sample of highly
decorative work. In the bedrooms, the same florid archi-
tecture has been carried out, whilst coloured marbles,
more or less ornamented, have been employed in the
setting of each fireplace. In fact, the builder of Coxhoe
Hall appears to have been an enthusiast in art and
architecture.
Mr. Burdon removed from Coxhoe at the beginning
of the last century, and took up his residence at
Hardwick Hall, near Sedgefield. Here, again, he ap-
pears to have indulged his tastes to the utmost.
Following the fashion set at Studley Royal, he laid
out the gardens and pleasure grounds in a magnificent
fashion, interspersing the wealth of flowers, foliage, and
ornamental water with classsical structures, amongst
which what is known as The Temple stands pre-eminent.
But his greatest achievement at Hardwick was the build-
ing of the banqueting hall, which is stated to have cost
fully £10,000. This great outlay, coupled with his pre-
vious prodigal expenditure was too much even for John
Burdon to stand. He, therefore, retired into obscurity,
and his later life is not generally known.
Coxhoe Hall was occupied at the beginning of the
present century by Mr. Edward Mouldron Barrett,
a gentleman of good means, whose family are stated
.Tul
II
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
305
to have sprung from South Lancashire, though he
himself was born in Jamaica. Mr. Barrett, having
married Miss Mary Clarke, of Newcastle, set about
building a new residence in Herefordshire, and, in the
meantime, whilst this work was being completed, he took
up his residence at Coxhoe Hall. This was in 1805, and
on March 6th, 1806, his first child, Elizabeth Barrett
Mouldron Barrett, was born ; on the 26th June, 1807, his
second child, Edward Barrett Mouldron
Barrett, was born ; and about the com-
mencement of the year 1809, the family
removed to their Herefordshire home, and
all connexion with the North ceased.
The hall appears to have stood tenant-
less for some years after the departure of
the Barretts. About thirty years ago,
however, it was purchased by Mr. Thomas
Wood, J.P. and D.L., now of Surrey,
who will be well remembered in connec-
tion with mining engineering in the
county of Durham, particularly in the
South-East Coalfield, and who for some
years discharged the onerous duties of
chairman of the Finance Committee of
the County Justices. Mr. Wood made
many additions to the buildings of the
hall. Most of them harmonise most
thoroughly with the principal erections,
while those that do not are so skilfully
hidden out of sight that the visitor might well be
excused for not observing their presence at all. On
Mr. Wood's removal from the North, he was suc-
ceeded in the occupation of Coxhoe Hall by his son, Mr.
W. H. Wood, to whose courtesy and kindness we are
indebted, not only for the illustrations we here give, but
for such notes of the history of the hall
as have come down to the present time.
With such an uneventful period of her
life as her first three years must have
been, it is scarcely surprising that few
(if any, indeed) of the present dwellers
retain any recollection of Elizabeth Bar-
rett. Indeed, the tenancy of Coxhoe Hall
was of so short a duration, and is so far
distant, that all memory of the Barretts
appears to have been obliterated. There
is, however, a scanty record of the poetess
furnished by the parish register. This is
•A jumbled up and somewhat puzzling
book, written throughout apparently by
the skilled hands of the clerk of the
parish, each page being duly certified at
the bottom by the vicar and his curate.
It is now under the immediate care of
the Rev. Canon Burnet, the present rec-
toj of Kelloe. From this volume we
glean the fact that Elizabeth Barrett
Mouldron Barrett was born on the 6th
of March, 1806, and from some cause or
other — " no doubt," as Mr. Browning
says, "on account of the infant's uncertain condi-
tion of health " — was privately baptised by the then
vicar, the Rev. George Stephenson, at Coxhoe Hall.
Thus she was only "admitted to the church " on the oc-
casion of the baptism of her brother, Edward Barrett
Mouldron Barrett. The latter was born on June 26th,
20
306
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
1807, and his baptism at Kelloe Church took place on
February 10th, 1808, 'Elizabeth being then two years old.
The ceremony of " receiving " consists mainly of the
reading of prayers, the presiding clergyman raisins:
the " admitted one " over the font. From there being
no signatures attached, and nothing but the entry of the
facts in their briefest form, and in the same clerkly hand
that has made the entries both above and below, the
register of Kelloe Church is only important as containing
trace and proof of the residence in the district of the
Barrett family. The record as it relates to Mrs. Browning
reads thus—" Elizabeth Barrett Mouldron Barrett, first
child of Edward Barrett Moaldron Barrett, Esq., of
Coxhoe Hall, a native of St. Thomas's, Jamaica, by his
wife, Mary, late Clarke, of Newcastle, born March 6th,
1806, and admitted February 10th, 1808."
Such are the few facts which connect Mrs. Browning
with the county of Durham. The brother Edward here
mentioned was drowned, and to his death is ascribed the
tirst giving way of Mrs. Browning's health. Members of
the Barrett family still survive, and one brother is a
retired gentleman enjoying his ease and old age in the
Isle of Wight
The parish church at Kelloe, in which Mrs. Browning
was "admitted," is a low, barnlike-looking building ex-
ternally, apparently built at different periods, and looking
any thine but a " thing of beauty " in a landscape that de-
cidedly requires all the adornments that can be bestowed
upon it to make it presentable. The Rev. George
Stephenson, mentioned above, was the rector of Thomas's
Church, Bishopwearmouth, from which he went to Kelloe.
Mr. Stephenson was succeeded in his Sunderland living
by the Rev. Mr. Skipsey, who in turn was succeeded by
the Rev. W. R. Burnet, M.A. The latter gentleman
will be remembered in connection with St. Thomas's
Church, Newcastle, to the chaplaincy of which (minus the
Mastership of the Hospital for Lepers, which was con-
ferred on the vicar, the Rev. Clement Moody) he was
appointed on the resignation of the Rev. Mr. Pilkington,
Mr. Burnet was made an honorary canon of Durham
Cathedral in 1883, and four years ago he was presented
by the Bishop of Durham with the vicarage of Kelloe.
It is to Mr. Burnet's researches that the public is in-
debted for solving the mystery of Mrs. Browning's birth-
place, concerning which there had been much speculation
among persons interested in literary history. Mr.
Browning could throw little light on the subject, and it
has even been asserted that Mrs. Browning herself was
unaware of the place of her birth. The disclosures of
the parish register at Kelloe, however, have for ever set
that question at rest.
at jH.tr ft
Cfitt* atrtr
$ieh,arb SHtlforb.
dtorge
ELEVEN TIMES MATOB OF NEWCASTLE.
j]OR more than five hundred years, in every
department of public usefulness, the vast
and far-spreading family of Carr have given
to the Northern Counties men of mark —
men distinguished by activity of intellect, firmness of
purpose, and probity of character. It is not proposed in
these series of biographies to notice them all ; the
attempt would exhaust both writer and reader. Still
less is it proposed to try and link the various branches
of the family together, and trace their common descent ;
the effort would end in lunacy. It must be sufficit l.t to
account for two or three of the principal men who have
carried the family name into honourable positions, and
leave the rest to be hunted up in the rich pastures of
local history.
George Carr, whose name heads the list of Newcastle
worthies bearing his name, is supposed to have been
a son of Alan Carr, who was sheriff of the town in
the municipal year 1*51-52. He came to the shrievalty
himself at Michaelmas, H72, but he won corporate
honours far exceeding those of his predecessor, or any
other of his race. He was Mayor of Newcastle no fewer
than eleven times, and most of his mayoralties were
marked by important events in history. Thus, during
his first term of office, the Duke of Gloucester (soon to
be Richard III.) came down to the North of England
and obtained the cession of Berwick, which had been
held by the Scots for over twenty years. In his second
mayoralty the battle of Bosworth Field, ending the
usurpation of Richard and the Wars of the Roses
together, brought peace to the country, and he had the
honour of proclaiming, or assisting in proclaiming, the
accession of Henry VII. When he was in office for
the fourth time, the King himself came to Newcastle,
and stayed here for some days, receiving courtly atten-
tions from the Mayor and his brethren, giving grants,
making appointments, and endeavouring to compose
some of the ever-recurring disputes with Scotland. In
his fifth mayoralty the town obtained the privilege of
holding a fair on the feast of St. Luke— a privilege which,
under the name of the October Fair, has continued down
to our own day. Finally, he was the mayor who, being
in office for the eleventh and last time, received the
Princess Margaret in Newcastle, as she journeyed North
to her marriage with James IV. of Scotland, the king
who fought and died at Flodden.
The 23rd of the said month (July, 1503) the queen
Jul
II
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
307
[princess] departed from Durham, accompanied of her
noble company, as she had been in the days past, in
fair manner and good order, for to come to the town of
Newcastle. ... At the entering of the said town of
Newcastle the queen appointed her, and entered in noble
estate. . . . Upon the bridge came in procession,
richly re-vested, the college of the said town, and with
them the Friars, Carmelites, and Jacobins, with the
crosses, the which were given to the said queen to kiss,
as before, by the archbishop. And after them was the
mayor of the said town, accompanied of the sheriffs and
aldermen, well appointed, on foot. The which received
the said queen honourably, and after the receiving, the
said mayor mounted on horseback, bearing his mace
before her. . . . The 26th of the said month, the
said queen departed from the said place, after the
custom precedent, very richly and in fair array. And
the said mayor conveyed her out of the said town, and
after took leave of her.
Shortly after this imposing ceremony was over it is
probable that George Carr died. The date of his
decease has not been preserved, but that it was anterior
to 1506 is proved by a grant to Ralph Wicklyff, in that
year, of the wardship and marriage of Ralph Carr,
"kinsman and heir of George Carr." He was buried
under a canopied altar tomb, which, placed below the
two southern mullions of the great east window, was
for many years one of the ornaments of St. Nicholas'.
Upon this stately tomb the effigies of himself and his
wife, with upraised hands, reposed, and over them rose
the arched canopy, while around ran an inscription
beseeching the prayers of the faithful for the soul of the
departed and those of his wife and children, and directing
the clergy to perform the customary masses.
During the civil wars, the tomb was mutilated, and
in 1783, when the church was "restored," the remains
of it were sold by auction. Alderman Hornby, an
antiquary of that date, purchased parts of the monument,
and set them up, with other relics of the past, in the
garden which ran sloping down to the Carliol Croft and
the Manors from behind his house in Pilgrim Street.
To his pious care we owe the preservation of the
decapitated effigy of Mrs. Carr, now in the Museum of
the Society of Antiquaries, and the footstone of the
monument, with its representation of the Rood, which
finds appropriate location in the south aisle of St.
Nicholas' Cathedral.
ONE OF THE DEFENDERS OF NEWCASTLE.
Foremost among the intrepid defenders of Newcastle
at the terrible siege of 1644, was Captain Cuthbert Carr.
He was a young man of only five-and-twenty, but he
came of at warlike race — the Carrs of Wark-on-Tweed,
and of Ford Castle, and he conducted himself heroically.
Weakened by watching and exposure, he did the duty
assigned to him; fighting against "fearful odds," he
covered himself with honour on the blackest day that
ever dawned upon Newcastle.
John Carr, captain of Wark Castle, whose daring
exploits upon the Borders lightened the task of the
English armies in the Scottish expeditions of Edward
VI., had by his second wife, Isabella, daughter of
Humphrey and Margery Carr, of Newcastle, a son
named Cuthbert. To this lad came the misfortune of
losing both his parents very early in life, and the good
fortune of being sent to his grand-parents in Newcastle
to be brought up. By them he was bound apprentice to
Cuthbert Ellison, merchant adventurer, and before he
was out of his time he had fallen in love with Barbara
Ellison, his master's daughter. His suit was apparently
approved, for in 1563, while he was still serving under
indentures, the consent of the Merchants' Company was
sought and given to his marriage. The wedding did
not, however, take place till seven years afterwards,
when the bridegroom had entered into some property-
tithes at Benton, tenements at Ben well, Ac., bequeathed
to him by his father, and various lands, tenements, leases,
&c., left to him by his maternal grandfather.
From the union thus auspiciously effected came two
sons, John and James, and two daughters. John died
unmarried, and James succeeded to the family estates.
Sometime about the beginning of the seventeenth century
James sold the property at Benwell and purchased the
beautiful estate of St. Helen's Auckland, in the adjoining
county. Upon the fertile lands of St. Helen's he erected
the fine, many-gabled mansion which still exists there.
At St. Helen's he would probably reside during the
summer, returning to Newcastle, like the majority of
the local gentry, for purposes of social intercourse during
the winter. His family consisted of two sons and a
daughter — Robert, Cuthbert, and Barbara. It was
Cuthbert, his second son, who was the hero of the siege.
Cuthbert Carr, son of James, was born in 1619, and
it is probable that the event occurred at the Newcastle
home of his father on the Sandhill. When he was eleven
years old, in the municipal year 1630-31, his father filled
the important office of Sheriff of Newcastle. Five years
later, on the occasion of the marriage of his sister Barbara
to a son of Sir George Tonge, the family residence was
the scene of that famous quarrel between John Blakiston
and Vicar Alvey, with which the North-Country rang for
months, and the High Commission Court of Durham
occupied itself for years. When his father died, in 1638,
the estate at St. Helen's Auckland went to his brother
Robert, and he was left to make his way in the world
with the portion of a younger son. Shortly afterwards
(about 1640) he married Anne, daughter of Mr. (after-
wards Sir) Peter Riddell.
The story of the Scottish invasion, and the outbreak of
Civil War, need not be retold. It is sufficient for the
purpose of this narrative to relate the part that Cuthbert
Carr played in the dismal proceedings. He had been
elected Sheriff of the town at Michaelmas, 1643, and it
was within four months of his appointment that the
tragedy began. On the 3rd of February, 1644, the Scots
appeared before the walls, and sending to the Mayor and
308
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
aldermen a letter from the committee of both kingdoms,
requested a parley. Cuthbert Carr's name as Sheriff is
attached to the memorable answer which the town gave
to this portentous missive, declining "to betray a trust
reposed in us, or forfeit our Alegiance to His Majesty,
for whose honour and preservation, together with the
Religion and Lawes of this Kingdoms:, we intend to
hazard our Lives and Fortunes." In August, the town
was closely invested, and on the 14th October, Lesley,
Lord Leven, demanded its surrender. Cuthbert Carr,
relieved a few days before from the trammels of the
Shrievalty, and in command of a company of foot which
had charge of the defences at the New Gate, was one of
those who signed the reply, " We keep this town for the
use of his Majesty . . . yet that you and all the
world may see we desire to shunne the effusion of
Christian blood, we desire you to send us in writing upon
what terms and conditions you would have us deliver up
the Towne, and then we shall return you a further
Answer." Leven replied by desiring that hostages might
be appointed from either side to treat for the surrender,
and, after some further correspondence, it was agreed
that three representatives of the Scottish army should
enter the town to arrange a treaty, and that three
prominent townsmen should go into the Scottish camp
as hostages for their safety. The hostages appointed
were " Collonell Charles Brandling, Lievtenant-Coll.
Thomas Davieson, and Capt. Cuthbert Carr, late Sheriffe,
of Newca." Nothing came of the interview, and on the
following morning, October 19, Leven ordered a general
assault to be made. One of the fiercest struggles of that
memorable day occurred at the place where Cuthbert
Carr was stationed. A breach, capable of admitting ten
men abreast, had been effected at an earlier period of the
siege near St. Andrew's Church, but Captain Carr and
his men had repaired it " with timber and rubbish under
a canvas screen." Against this weakened spot five
regiments were ordered to make a desperate assault and
force an entrance. The young captain fought desperately.
Four Scottish officers — Lieutenant-Colonel Home, Major
Hepburn, and Captains Home and Corbet — were slain in
the attempt, and still Captain Carr held his own. But
the Scots, entering the town by the White Friar Tower
and Sandgate, came to the assistance of their fellows, and
the brave captain, "encompassed before and behind,"
was obliged to surrender.
What became of this gallant cavalier during the
Commonwealth cannot be ascertained. He was one of
the twenty-eight Newcastle Royalists who, by resolution
of the House of Commons, on Tuesday, the 19th
November following, were to be sent up to London aa
delinquents. Whether this order was obeyed in his case,
and how much he paid to compound for his delinquency,
are not recorded. We know from the Herald's Visitation,
that soon after the storming of Newcastle he lost his
wife, and that he was married about the year 1650 to
Clare, second daughter of Christopher Byerley, of Mid-
ridge Grange. The probability is, therefore, that he
made his peace with Parliament at an early stage of
the Civil War, and lived in retirement while the
Commonwealth lasted.
But as soon as the Restoration was effected, Cuthbert
Carr, like other ardent supporters of the royal cause,
resumed his place in the public life of the Northern
Counties. His brother Robert had died unmarried, and
he inherited the St. Helen's Auckland and other family
property; he was made an alderman of Newcastle;
admitted to his freedom in the Mercers' branch of the
Merchants' Company of that town ; appointed a justice
of the peace for the County of Durham ; and created
Lieut.-Colonel of Militia. As a justice he received the
sworn information of the rascal Elrington, who invented
the "Muggleswick Conspiracy"; as Lieut. -Colonel he
put himself at the head of the tenants and the surrounding
gentry, in order to put down the "conspirators." How
utterly he and the local authorities were misled by
Elrington is matter of history.
Futile efforts had been made in the closing years of
the reign of King James I. to secure a representation of
the County of Durham in Parliament. That which James
had refused, the Commonwealth granted, and, for a short
time, Durham had three members — two for the county,
and one for the city. The return of the King and the
Bishops put an end to the arrangement. Faithful as
Cuthbert Carr had been to Crown and Church, he could
not brook this denial of the just claims of his fellow free-
holders to be represented in the great council of the
nation. On the 3rd of October, 1666, he, and ten others,
presented a memorial to the Quarter Sessions, praying
that Parliament should be asked to grant the County of
Durham knights and burgesses to represent them "like
all other counties in the kingdom." The majority of the
justices approved of the proposal, and appointed two of
their number to proceed to London for the purpose of
furthering the movement. Bishop Cosin set himself in
violent opposition to the scheme, and used all the
art and the influence which he possessed to defeat it.
His correspondence ("Surtees Society's Publications,"
vol. 55) shows that he regarded Mr. Carr as the ring-
leader in the affair, for he alternately begged and warned
him to desist from the prosecution of the enterprise. Mr.
Carr, however, was not a man to be deterred, even by
his bishop. He persevered, and lived to see his exertions
rewarded. Bishop Cosin died in 1671, and in 1673, while
the see was vacant, a measure for accomplishing the
object upon which Mr. Carr had set his heart ran
smoothly through both Houses, and received the Royal
assent within a month of its introduction.
Born in the reign of the first Stuart who wore the
English Crown, Cuthbert Carr lived to see two sovereigns
of that dynasty driven from their thrones, and their cause,
the cause for which in his youth he had fought and
July I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
309
suffered, die out of the hearts of his fellow-countrymen —
lived to see the Prince of Orange firmly seated in their
place, the power and prerogative of the monarchy
restricted within constitutional limits, and the rights
and liberties of the people settled upon a safe and
durable basis. In the ninth year of King William's
reign, on the 18th of December, 1697, at the good old
age of 79, he was called to his rest, and a few days later,
within the fine old church of St. Helen's, Auckland,
in front of the altar at which he worshipped, he was
buried.
died on the llth of September, 1851, at the venerable
age of 93 years, leaving one daughter, married to
Edward Claveriner, of Callaly.
(Karr,
MAGAZINE WKITKB.
Whosoever peruses the volumes of the Newcastle
Magazine and amuses himself with scientific contri-
butions by Dr. Button and the Rev. William Turner,
•locomotive controversies between Nicholas Wood and
Benjamin Thompson, and poetic effusions from the pens
of the three Roberts— Gilchrist, White, and Storey, will
find there a long series of essays, poems, and notes signed
"J. C., Alnwick." Dealing with a great variety of
subjects, scientific, historical, and social, these effusions
are written in various styles, heroic, descriptive, and
humorous, indicating a versatile and many-sided writer,
one who in our own day would be designated " a good
all-round man," The owner of the initials was John
Carr, of Alnwick. Tate, in his history of that town,
states that Mr. Carr was born there in 1758. He was an
officer of the Inland Revenue, and, being active and
energetic, was frequently entrusted with important and
responsible duties, the successful performance of which
procured for him substantial rewards, as well as
promotion in the service. He settled in Alnwick some
time about 1810, and built for his private residence the
mansion of Bondgate Hall, to which he added the estate
of Heckley Fence. For many years he took a prominent
part in the public movements of the town, and being
liberal in politics and a fluent and vigorous speaker, he
rendered good service in the struggles which preceded
the passing of the Reform Bill, and was at all times
an influential advocate of progress and improvement.
Noting his contributions to the Newcastle Magazine, the
historian describes him as a man of great ability and
varied knowledge — a poet, biographer, essayist, and
philosopher. He wrote on the "Structure of the Earth,"
the "Natural History of Birds," a "Theory of Old Age
in Natural Bodies," the "Existence of Geological
Phenomena in Proof of the General Deluge," the
" Origin and Final Discharge of Lakes, &c., "New
Weights and Measures," and other subjects of a kindred
nature. The most remarkable of his productions is
entitled "Confessions of a Whisky Drinker" — a series
of smuggling scenes and adventures in the Cheviots,
described with crraphic force and humour. Mr. Carr
EPISCOPAL CLERGYMAN IN EDINBURGH.
Bourne, writing in 1732 about the Virgin Mary
Hospital of Newcastle, and the Royal Free Grammar
School held therein, adds —
The present Master of the School is the Rev. Mr.
Edmund Lodge, who has under him two Ushers, the
Rev Mr. James Feme and the Rev. Mr. George Carr.
The three last-mentioned Gentlemen have each of them
Appartments where the Hospital was ; which is a pleasing
Situation, and in some of the best air of this Town.
"The Rev. Mr. George Carr" was a native of New-
castle, where he was born on the 16th February, 1704.
To which of the numerous branches of the family he
belonged is not clear, but his friends occupied a position
which enabled them to send him to St. John's College,
Cambridge, where he took the degree of Bachelor of
Arts. He succeeded Richard Stewardson as an under-
usher of the Grammar School in 1726, and so continued
until 1737, when having, meanwhile, obtained his M.A.
Ffererena, l^f George Ca rr.
degree, he was appointed senior clergyman of the
Episcopal Chapel founded by Lord Chief Baron Smith
in Edinburgh, In that place of worship he ministered
for thirty-nine years. Like Dean Ramsay, in later days,
he occupied a prominent position among the cultured
society of Modern Athens, and formed friendships with
some of the most eminent men of his time. Among them
was Sir William Forbes, who, in his "Life of Dr.
Beattie," has recorded a warm appreciation of his
310
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
friend's abilities and pulpit gifts. It was be who took
Dr. Johnson and Boswell to hear Mr. Carr preach,
when Johnson, being deaf, "did not attend to the
sermon, "and he it was who, after Mr. Carr's death in
1776, published a selection of his sermons, and with
the aid of Dr. Beattie and Mr. Arbuthnot, wrote the
epitaph for a marble tablet which the congregation
erected to his memory.
Sir William's estimate of Mr. Carr's character and
capabilities is clear and candid ; and as it contains all
that has been preserved about an able and accomplished
Novocastrian, who honoured his native town, and was
never long absent from it, some liberty of quotation
may with advantage be taken. After stating that he
had sat for three and twenty years under Mr. Carr's
ministry, Sir William proceeds : —
Of his merit as a preacher his posthumous discourses
bear ample testimony. They do not, indeed, contain the
profound, though somewhat abstracted, reasonings of
Butler, nor the laboured but elegant discussions of
Sherlock, neither the learning of Tillotson, nor the
declamation of Seed ; but they exhibit the most useful
and important truths of the Gospel, not only with plain-
ness and perspicuity, but in language always elegant, and
seldom incorrect. I may even KO farther, and add that
Mr. Carr's style often rises into eloquence ; and that
in its general features, of plainness without vulgarity,
of earnestness without bombast, in its equal distance
from obscurity and from useless amplification, it exhibits
no common model of that sober and chastened eloquence
which ought ever to be studied in discourses of the
pulpit. . . . Every word he uttered, every doctrine-
he taught, every virtue he recommended, came strongly
enforced by the purity of his morals, and the exemplary
piety of hia blameless life. With all the good breeding of
a gentleman, he was a cheerful, entertaining companion ;
and though his manners were most irreproachable,
they had no tincture of either rigour or austerity. His
patient suffering under the most excruciating tortures
ot the gout, with which, though extremely temperate,
he had been for manv years violently afflicted, was most
exemplary. ... In this heavenly frame of mind he
continued faithfully to discharge the duties of his sacred
function, calmly looking for, but not soliciting, his
dissolution, until the inornine of Sunday, the 18th
August, 1776, when, after having selected the discourse
which he meant that day to deliver from the pulpit, he
suddenly expired.
Dr. Beattie, in a letter to Sir William, dated Peter-
head, September 10, 1776, bears similar testimony : —
I am no stranger to Mr. Carr's character, whose death,
though I had not the honour of his acquaintance, was a
real affliction to me, for I have long considered him as one
of the most valuable men of the age. I have heard him
g-each, and admired his gentle and pathetic eloquence,
ut to his merits as a preacher, great as they were, the
lustre of his private character was still superior. The
death of such a man is a real loss to society.
Mr. Carr was buried beneath the portico of his chapel.
Arnot, in his "History of Edinburgh," refers to the
interment as a proof of the progress which the Scots
were making in toleration. They could behold without
emotion, he remarked, even the funeral service of the
Church of England performed publicly, for at the
burial of Mr. Carr the service was sung, and the voices
were accompanied by the organ, and nobody made a
disturbance.
®arr,
RESTORER OF THE WALKER ESTATE.
Four members of the family of Carr have represented
Newcastle in the House of Commons. The first of them
to be so honoured was Alderman William Carr, of
Newcastle and Cocken, great-grandson of George Carr,
the oft-elected Mayor. He was returned in 1571 to the
third Parliament of Queen Elizabeth, and died the
following year. A century later Sir Ralph Carr, who
had purchased Cocken from another member of the
race, and received the honour of knighthood at Whitehall
in 1676, was sent to represent his fellow-burgesses as
colleague of the first Sir William Blackett. He sat in
the Parliaments of 1679, 1681 (missing that of James II.
in 1685), 1689, and 1690, and died in 1709, aged 76. His
colleague in his last election was another William Carr,
who continued to represent the town for twenty years,
from 1690 (the first Parliament of William and Mary) to
1710. On this last-named date he was defeated by
William Wrightson, and retired into private life. Sir
William Blackett (No. 3) and Mr. Wrightson occupied
the seats throueh two subsequent Parliaments, but in
1722, when they sought a renewal of confidence, a third
William Carr came forward to oppose them. He was, it
is supposed, a son of William Carr, of Coxlodge, and
nephew of Sir Ralph, and he carried all before him. The
burgesses were at this time in a difficulty about their
Walker estate, which had been forfeited to the Crown ;
they were dissatisfied with the ineffectual efforts which
Sir William Blackett and Mr. Wrightson had made to
obtain its restoration ; and they determined to try the
effect of a change. Mr. Carr was elected by a majority
of 403 over Mr. Wrightson, and overtopped by 76 votes
Sir William Blackett. To understand the circumstances
under which the victory was won, and appreciate the
services which this Mr. Carr rendered to the town, it is
necessary to roll back the page of municipal history.
Forty years before the election the Common Council
appropriated a piece of ground in the Manors, formerly
belonging to the Augustine Monastery, for the erection
of a hospital, and when it was finished the institution
was duly incorporated by a name which the exigencies of
space and time have contracted into that of the Jesus
Hospital. To endow this charitable foundation they
bought of Sir Ralph Carr, in 1683, for £700, a house
and garden in the Close (the same which, it is said,
subsequently became the Mansion House), an estate at
Etherley, for which they paid £1,610, and another at
Whittle, near Shilbottle, costing £1,300. In 1715, they
acquired by purchase from the executors of William
Dickenson, of Walton Abbey, Yorkshire, the manor and
lordship of Walker, for which they paid £12,220, and,
being desirous to sell the land at Etherley and Whittle,
which realised only £80 a year, and to settle upon the
hospital in lieu thereof a portion of the Walker estate of
the annual value of £185, they petitioned the House of
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
311
Lords in 1718 for the necessary powers. It was then
discovered that the Walker estate had been purchased
without license from the Crown, in violation of the
Statute of Mortmain, and that it was forfeit to the king.
Thus at one stroke the burgesses lost £12,220, for every
shilling of the money had been paid out of the town's
treasury within a few months from the date of the
purchase.
What was to be done? The Corporation, being in
want of funds, sold for £3,810 Etherley to Francis
Johnson, and Whittle to John Clutterbuck; at the
same time they disposed of an estate at East Heddon
for £6,000, and applied the proceeds of the three sales to
their common stock. The hospital was therefore in
danger of exhaustion, for, the endowment gone, no funds
remained out of which to keep the poor brethren and
sisters, unless the Crown could be induced to relax its
hold upon Walker, or the Corporation to pay the whole
cost out of the municipal revenues. An appeal was made
to the Crown, but Sir William Blackett was not in favour
at Court, for he had been strongly suspected of sympathy
in the Rebellion ; Mr. Wrightson does not seem to have
possessed much influence either. Thus the matter
remained in abeyance until after the election of 1722,
when Mr. Carr, flushed by his success at the poll, devoted
all his energies to obtain a condonation of the technical
error which the Corporation had committed. Eventually
his efforts were rewarded. The king, by letters patent,
dated the 13th December, 1723, pardoned the offence,
and granted license to the Mayor and burgesses to hold
the manor in mortmain for ever.
At Michaelmas the following year the delighted
electors honoured Mr. Carr by appointing him to be
Mayor, but after that, for some reason or other, his
popularity declined. At the election of 1727 he was
opposed by Nicholas Fenwick, and left at the bottom of
the poll, Sir William Blackett being at the top. He
petitioned against the return, alleging bribery and
coercion, but the death of Sir William ended the
proceedings and gave him the seat. Seven years later
(he had been Mayor again meanwhile) there was a
memorable struggle for the Parliamentary honours of
Newcastle. Four candidates, all of them aldermen of
the town, went to the poll, and once more Mr. Carr
was at the bottom. He petitioned, as before, and
died while the matter was under investigation, on the
16th May, 1742.
A satirical pamphlet published at a later election by
the Rev. James Murray, with the title of "The Contest,"
and the motto "Give the Devil his Due, " affords a clue
to the cause of Mr. Carr's fading popularity. It seems to
have been entirely political. He was a politician of a
different colour to that of Sir Walter Blackett, against
whose kingly rule in Newcastle it was hard at that time
to contend. Sir Walter belonged to the Tory or Country
party, Mr. Carr was of the Whig or Court party, and
these two factions fought as vigorously for supremacy
then as Liberal and Conservative politicians do to-day.
Mr. Murray tells us that
Mr. Carr, the ancient opponent of Sir Walter Blackett,
was equally amiable in parts and private life with the
baronet, though, perhaps, bis inferior in fortune. He had
been, and was, a staunch friend to the house of Hanover,
and to support it voted for the erroneous but fearful and
perhaps well intended measures of the Whigs — septennial
parliaments and the general excise ; both were disagree-
able to the people, and justly so too, and in consequence
lo»t Mr. Carr bis popularity. Be it remembered Mr. Carr
eaye Walker estate to the burgesses pt Newcastle, for
which kindness they, with the good Sir Walter's help,
turned him out of his seat in Parliament. . . . Sir
Walter Blackett's popularity rose on the ruins of
Mr. Carr's.
JIONTRAST between ancient and modern New-
castle suggests itself somewhat strikingly in
the neighbourhood of the Side. On the one
hand we have a handsome Post Office, and
some very fine commercial buildings worthy of any busi-
ness town ; on the other we have the Black Gate, the
Castle Keep, and the ancient thoroughfare itself. The
Head of the Side can hardly be called '* ancient " now,
though. It has been modernised very much in recent
years. We have no longer the old familiar Amen Corner ;
it has been pulled down, and a new pile erected on its
site which bears the name of St. Nicholas' Chambers.
For ourselves, we liked the old word better. In the
accompanying view, which represents the Head of the
Side as it was in 1876 (and which is copied from a
photograph by Mr. Philip Fairclough, of 30, Scotswood
Road, Newcastle), the shop of T. Greenwell occupies
the well-remembered corner. The present Bishop of
Durham, when speaking in the Guildhall a few years ago,
made a point out of the fact that he, Joseph Barber
Lightfoot, had reason to feel somewhat at home in New-
castle, inasmuch as the relative after whom he had been
named in baptism had been in business here for many
years of his life. It was at Amen Corner that Joseph
Barber kept his bookseller's shop.
Look to the right hand of our picture and observe the
tall house there. All the houses between it and St.
Nicholas' Churchyard, including the Burns Tavern,
have now disappeared. But the tall building, known
as the Meters' Arms, is still standing. And it is the
most famous house in the neighbourhood ; for it is the
birthplace of Admiral Collingwood. Some doubt existed
on the subject at one time ; but the point was effectually
settled in the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle a few years
ago by the present owner himself, Mr. John Harvey,
tobacco manufacturer. The premises were sold by
312
MONTHL Y CHRONICLE.
(July
1 1S8».
Jul
II
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
313
Milcah Collingwood, the admiral's mother, to Mr.
Harvey's grandfather.
In this neighbourhood, let us not forget that ancient
and honourable institution— the Farden Pant. We may
laugh at the suggestion in these days of drinking-foun-
tains, coffee taverns, and so on. But the Farden Pant
was an institution even within living memory. Remem-
ber that, far into the present century, these fountains
were the only means of supplying the inhabitants with
water for commcn purposes. Some two hundred years
ago, "loud complaints were made of a total scarcity of
water, owing to the vast numbers of private families
having pipes and cocks in their houses." In consequence,
"the common council ordered the cocks to be stopped, or
cutoff." Various attempts were made at different times
to ensure a constant supply of good water to the town,
but they were more or less failures. At one time taps
were placed at different parts of the town, and guardians
were appointed to look after the money charged for each
"skeelful." They had wooden boxes provided for them,
had these custodians of the necessary element, wherein,
at times, they peacefully slumbered and slept; but at
other hours they must have had enough to to do. The
taps, or pants, became crowded at certain hours of the
day. Many a row there used to be in the npighbourhood
of the pant at the Head of the Side in our grandmothers'
time !
The Side itself is one of the most ancient thoroughfares
in Newcastle. No sooner had Hadrian built Tyne
Bridge than a stream of passengers began to flow from
the Head of the Side to his viaduct ; and the current still
continues its course, now that the Hydraulic Swing oc-
cupies the place of the Roman roadway over the river.
Let us see what our local historians have to say about
the venerable street, as it has pursued its devious path,
from churchyard to bridge, through successive genera-
tions, undergoing vicissitudes so great as to place its early
and later years in marked contrast.
First comes William Gray, who wrote his book in the
seventeeth century — a public-spirited burgess. Proprie-
tor of a conduit in Pandon Bank, he was in 1647 entering
into an agreement with the Corporation concerning the
water to be conveyed from thence to Sandgate. Gray's
" Chorographia " was printed in the year 1649. In this
small quarto of a few precious pages we read : — " Neer
the Sandhill East is Allhallows' Banck, or Butchers'
Banck (where most butchers dwell), the way to Allhal-
lows' Church ; the south of which is many chaires or
lanes that goeth down to the Key side. Next up
street is the street called the Side. In the lower part
314
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I .Tnlj
of it standeth a faire crosse, with columnes of stone
hewn, [the roof] covered with lead, where is sold milk,
t'girs, butter. In the Side is shops for merchants, drapers,
and other traders. In the middle of the Side is an an-
cient stone house, an appendix to the Castle, which in
former times belonged to the Lord Lumleys before the
Castle was built, or at least coetany with the Castle." An
interleaved copy of the " Chorographia " has here a
manuscript note to the effect that the "stone house'
stood at the "Head of the Side."
After Gray comes the Curate of All Saints' (or All-
hallows'), Henry Bourne, with his " folio book " — a folio
which he had not the privilege to behold. He died in
the year 1733 ; and in the latter days of 1735 the publica-
tion of his history was announced. Describing the Side as
he had traversed it from day to day, stretching downwards
from St. Nicholas' Church to Allhallows' (or Butcher)
Bank, he says, beginning at the summit, "This street is,
from the Head of it, to the Stairs on the left hand, a
very great descent, and lies narrow until you come to the
middle of it, from which place it opens in a spacious
breadth, and so continues to the Sandhill. It is from the
one end to the other filled with shops of merchants, gold-
smiths, milliners, upholsterers, &c. The East side of the
street, from the upper part of it to Allhallows' Pant, was
called Cordiner or Cordwainer Rawe."
Bourne is followed by Brand, whose quarto volumes
appeared in the year 1789. It was in this year that
Mosley Street was constructed, and that Dean Street en-
tered the Side, breaking its continuity. "From the head
of the street called the Side, to about the middle of it,
there is," the historian observes, " a very steep descent.
The name is plainly derived from the circumstance of its
being erected on the side of a hill." " There is a postern,
called the Eastern Postern of the Castle, that communi-
cated by a very narrow and steep flight of steps with the
Side, a little above the middle of the street " ; and also,
"a little above on the opposite side," is a descent "by a
small night of stairs into a short, narrow lane, commu-
nicating with the bottom of the street called Painter
Heugh." "At the north side of Lork Burn, near the
Sandhill, stood the Gale Cross." Richardson's "Table
Book" contains a sketch of the original Gale or Kale
Cross, taken from a unique drawing in the possession of
the Duke of Northumberland. It is this sketch which
is reproduced here.
Mackenzie, commencing his description where "the
north angle of the Sandhill opens into the Side," endorses
the derivation of Brand : — "The name is plainly de-
rived from the circumstance of its being erected on the
side of a hill." Others, however, have inclined to a dif-
ferent conjecture. They are disposed to the conclusion
that from Sidgate to the foot of the Side, the Lort or
Lork Burn, meandering through the town to the Tyne,
trave rise to the name. Side and Quayside they suppose
to have a kindred meaning. Who shall say ?
"The lower part of the street," continues Mackenzie,
" was anciently divided by the Lork Burn, up which the
river flowed. The east side was called the Flesher Raw,
probably because the Coshers, or butchers, had their shops
there, as well as on the Butcher Bank. The west part bore
the name of the Side. But in the year 1696 Lork Burn
was arched at the top, and paved over, so as to form one
street, which has since been called the Side. When the
present width of this part of the street is considered, the
space that the runner of dirty water would occupy, and
the heavy projections with which the houses were dis-
figured, of which specimens Btill remain, we cannot enter-
tain a very high idea of the taste of our forefathers for
convenience and comfort."
Pursuing his upward course, the historian of 1827 passes
"the middle of the Side," where "the ascent becomes
very steep " ; and " this, added to its extreme narrowness,
CALE CROSS.
and the dingy houses on each side, projecting in terrific
progression, rendered the passage inconceivably gloomy
and dangerous. Yet, before the erection of Dean Street,
it formed the principal communication with the higher
parts of the town. It was mostly inhabited by cheese-
mongers, and dealers in bacon, butter, &c.f whose goods
were here kept cool, and effectually protected from the
rays of the sun. The Corporation lately purchased most
of the houses on the west side, which were pulled down,
and rebuilt in the mode. .. style. The street is now con-
siderably widened ; but a few old houses on the east side
still remain to attest its ancient appearance."
Large and manifold are the changes which have come
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
315
over the venerable street from generation to generation.
Our patient annalist, Sykes, informs us, with character-
istic exactitude, that, on the 17th of May, 178* [when the
Low Bridge was still standing over the dene], workmen
began to pull down the houses which formed an angle
between the Foot of the Side and the Sandhill, nearly
opposite to the Foot of the Butcher Bank, for the purpose
of widening the very narrow and dangerous turning."
Narrow, indeed, it must have been ; for in our own day
it had to be widened still more.
Time has ever been transforming the Side. Within
about the last century it has been invaded by Dean Street
— spanned by the Railway Arch on massive piers — and
altered in various ways, year by year, from the Head to
the Foot. Yet some of its gabled roofs still survive, as
may be seen by consulting the sketch on page 313.
Since our sketch was taken, however, the houses in the
centre of the picture have been replaced by modern struc-
tures. The building on the left, which still remains, is
owned by Messrs. Thomas Proctor and Son, wholesale
ironmongers. There is in the back premises of Messrs
Proctor's shop an interesting old doorway which anti-
quaries and other competent authorities aver has been an
entrance to an earlier erection that fronted the street
before the Lort Dene was filled up. Behind, but almost
on a level with the top Boor of the front building, is the
backyard, accessible only after a tough climb up many
stairs ! A very curious situation, truly, but it must be
stated that a steep hill, crowned by the Moot Hall, rises
from immediately behind.
For other views of the Side, see Monthly Chronicle,
1887, pages 80, 81.
STfte
Cade.
J1R. WILLIAM BEWIGKE, of Threepwood
Hall, near Haydon Bridge, who died at his
house on Friday, May 10, 1889, at the age
of 64, was the victim of a strange miscar-
riage of justice some twenty-eight years ago.
Mr. Bewicke, a man of considerable property, ancient
family, Herculean frame, and gentlemanly appearance,
but unfortunately gifted with a violent temper, and of
rather eccentric habits, thought proper, in the month of
September, 1859, to take into custody the wife of a hind,
named Shiel, on the charge of stealing potatoes. He first
examined her in his own kitchen, then locked her up, and
next morning sent her off to Hexham, in the custody
of a county constable. The late Mr. John Grey, of
Dilston, however, met the prisoner on the road, and,
after hearing the charge, released her. About two
months later, Mr. Bewicke, finding some of his
apple trees wantonly injured, and suspecting that the
woman had done it, had her arrested a second time. He
purposed making her walk to Haydon Bridge, to the
police station there ; but her husband attempted to rescue
her, brandishing his stick, and threatening to knock Mr.
Bewicke down. After some altercation, he insisted on
his wife not walking, saying, "Nancy, make them ride
thee." So Mr. Bewicke put her in a dung cart, secured
with handcuffs, and thus took her to the police station.
The husband followed by train. Arriving at Haydon
Bridge, he also was given into custody, charged with
attempting to rescue his better half ; but the cautious
policeman on duty refused to lock the pair up. Mr.
Bewicke then sent them to Beaufront, but to no better
purpose, for Mr. Cuthbert referred the constable to the
Clerk of the Peace, who was not at home. The constable
was thus in a fix. Not knowing what to do under the
circumstances, he took them to an inn at Hexham for the
night, and next day brought them back to their own door,
where he set them free. A day or two afterwards Mr.
Bewicke went to Hexham to attend the monthly meeting
of magistrates, in order to have the charges investigated ;
but his brother justices pooh-poohed the affair, and, on his
vowing emphatically that he would have a hearing,
threatened to give him into custody himself.
The woman's husband subsequently brought an action
against Mr. Bewicke, and recovered fifty pounds damages ; .
and Lord Chancellor Cranworth struck the defendant's
name off the magistrates' roll. Mr. Bewicke refused to
pay the expenses incurred by his own solicitors, who
consequently issued a writ against him.
On the morning of Thursday, the 10th of January, 1861,
William Stainthorpe, sheriff's officer, Hexham, proceeded
from that town to Threepwood Hall, with several fol-
lowers, to execute this writ. When they reached the
place, they found the doors closed. The master of the
house held a parley with them from a window, and is said
to have threatened to shoot them if they did not retire.
The officers, however, took possession of the stables and
cow-houses ; and, in the afternoon, when Stainthorpe
went away home, he left two of his men, named William
Hutchinson and John Daglish, to keep watch and ward on
the premises. Their lodging-place for the night was a
cart-shed partly filled with hay. While they were lying
nestled there, Mr. Bewicke called to them out of a closet
window upstairs, asking them where they were, as he was
going to shoot. One of them answered, "We are in the
cart-shed; all right; fire away." Mr. Bewicke then fired,
and the men afterwards swore that they heard a bullet
whizz over their heads and strike the wall.
Mr. Bewicke, it should be stated, was very fond of fire-
arms, and was in the habit of spending a considerable part
of each day in firing his rifle, sometimes at a target set
up in front of the house, and sometimes at two trees grow-
ing at a distance of fifty or sixty yards from the back of it.
On this particular night, he had asked his housekeeper,
Ann Lodge, to clean his rifle for him, as it seems was her
wont. She reminded him that it was loaded, where-
upon he took it to the closet window above mentioned,
316
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
and fired it off. The night passed away ; Friday
followed ; and again the men slept in the shed. Saturday
came, when Hutchinson was relieved. He went to
Haydon Bridge, and there saw Dodd, one of the
officers who had been at Threepwood on the Thurs-
day morning. Shortly afterwards, Mr. Bewicke was
apprehended by Mr. Stephenson, then superintendent of
the county police, on a peace warrant, obtained with-
out special reference to his firing at the bailiffs. On
seeing the officers approaching the house, Mr. Bewicke
came out in his dressing-gown and slippers, but with
his loaded gun in his hand. The officers, four or five
in number, rushed in upon him suddenly, wrenched the
weapon out of his grasp, and threw him down. Yielding
as soon as he saw it was vain to resist, he asked to be
allowed to dress himself ; but he was not allowed. He
was handcuffed just as he was, bound down in a dogcart,
and driven off to Hexham, ignorant, as yet, of the
existence of any charge of having shot at Hutchinson
and Daglish. On the following Monday, he was brought
before the magistrates. Committed for trial, he was, on
the 1st of March, at the Northumberland Spring Assizes,
placed in the dock, before Mr. Justice Keating, charged
with feloniously shooting at the two men in the cart-
shed.
Unfortunately, Mr. Bewicke conducted bis own defence.
He protested against being tried by a common jury, alleg-
ing that he should be tried by his peers. This protest
being disregarded, the trial went on. The bailiffs swore
to the effect that they had been shot at, that a bullet had
been picked up among the straw in the cart-shed, and
that there was a mark on the wall behind which appeared
to have been made by it. Further evidence was given as
to previous threats that Mr. Bewicke would blow the
men's brains out if they did not go away, and as to his
daring them to enter his house on peril of their lives,
d — ning their eyes, and using similar expressions with
reference to Lord Palnierston, the Lord Chancellor, Lord
Chief-Justice Cockburn, the Sheriff and Under-Sheriff,
and the Government and its agents generally, a!l round.
Owing to the absence of counsel for the defence, and to
the witnesses for the prosecution not being skilfully cross-
examined, which, as it subsequently turned out, would
have shown the existence of a wicked conspiracy against
the prisoner, Mr. Bewicke was found guilty, but recom-
mended to mercy on the ground of the excited state of
his mind.
This verdict was returned on a Saturday, and on the
Monday Mr. Bewicke was brought up for sentence. The
usual question was put to him, and, in reply, he discredited
the evidence of the bailiffs, and made an imputation of
perjury against them. "I think it is very hard," said
he, " for a gentleman to be convicted by such low, bad
characters, all of whom have been either convicted or had
accusations brought against them." On the evidence,
however, he had been convicted, and his lordship passed
sentence, that he should be kept in penal servitude for
the term of tour years. " I appeal against this," said Mr.
Bewicke ; " it is infamous to send a gentleman "
"With which remark, "said the newspaper report next
day, " the eccentric prisoner was removed."
Mr. Bewicke was duly consigned to Millbank Peni-
tentiary, where he was treated as a debtor, and
from thence removed to a lunatic asylum. But
his appeal, though fruitless at the time, was not
forgotten. It was taken up, to her own honour, and
to the honour of her sex and order, by the convict's
faithful and attached housekeeper, Mrs. Lodge. She
had been called by her master as a witness for the
defence, but she had become hysterical when under
crose-examination, so that her evidence was of no avail.
The moment that Mr. Bewicke was consigned to
prison, however, she seems to have had but
one all-absorbing idea — that of unmasking the con-
spiracy which she knew to exist, liberating her
master, and clearing his character. With astonish-
ing perseverance she went about the work. Though
having no legal adviser, she got together a mass
of evidence which convinced her that her master's inno-
cence must plainly appear if she could only manage to get
it published. She went up to London. Not knowing to
whom she should address herself, she chanced to go to
Mr. Serjeant Shee, who received her in the kindest
manner, looked over the evidence she laid before him,
said it was worthy of every consideration, and recom-
mended her to a solicitor of great respectability and skill,
Mr. Joseph Ivimey, of Staple Inn, who looked into the
case, and shortly afterwards found himself in Northum-
berland.
Mr. Ivimey at once obtained warrants against ' the
persons who had sworn Mr. Bewicke into prison, and en-
gaged Mr. Serjeant Shee to conduct the prosecution.
The result was that, on the 28th of Febrqary, 1862,
exactly a year after Mr. Bewicke's conviction, one of the
conspirators, John Dodd, was charged that he, wickedly
intending and devising to cause that individual to be
falsely and wrongly suspected of having feloniously shot
at Hutchinson and Daglish, did unlawfully and malici-
ously lay, deposit, and hide a certain leaden bullet
in a certain cart-shed, &c., with intent that it might
be found and be supposed and believed to be shot
by the said William Bewicke, &c. He was found guilty
after a long trial, before Mr. Justice Mellor, in the
Moot Hall, Newcastle, and sentenced to be imprisoned in
the county gaol for the period of two years. William
Hutchinson, labourer, was on the following day found
guilty of having wilfully, maliciously, and corruptly com-
mitted wilful and corrupt perjury on Mr. Bewicke's trial
for felony, and sentenced to be kept in penal servitude
for four years ; and John Daglish, charged with the same
offence, pleading guilty under the advice of his counsel,
Mr. Campbell Forster, was sentenced to be imprisoned
July
1889.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
317
and kept to hard labour in the county gaol for twelve
calendar months.
The cost of the prosecution of the men, amounting to
£800, was paid by Mr. Bewicks. This sum included
£300 to Serjeant Shee, who was paid before the trial.
There was a great deal of feeling in Mr. Bewicke's favour
at the time the proceedings took place ; but no subscrip-
tion was made for him.
The Queen's pardon was forwarded to Mr. Bewicke im-
mediately after the conviction of the three men. He had
been brought down to Newcastle to give evidence, and
on the 4th March, 1862, he was released from prison,
"without a stain on his character." When he arrived
at Threepwood Hall, which he had left replete with
all the appliances of worldy comfort, he found it stripped
and dilapidated, the whole of his furniture having
been removed and sold during his enforced absence.
Mr. Bewicke was told that the Commissioners of
Greenwich Hospital, as lords of the manor of Langley, on
which Mr. Bewicke's property was situate, had exercised
the right which they claimed under the Crown to be en-
titled to the goods of felons, had seized his furniture three
months after his conviction, and had sold it by public
auction in the inn at Haydon Bridge, Messrs. Anderson
and Mack being the auctioneers. Mr. Bewicke said he
was not a felon ; he was an innocent man ; and therefore
he demanded his goods back. "No," replied the Com-
missioners, " we have sold your goods. We had a perfect
right to do so from the hour of your conviction."
"What have you sold them for, then?" Mr. Bewicke
asked. "They were worth from £1,600 to £1,800." The
Commissioners answered, " We sold them for £430. We
have no objection to give you the proceeds of the sale."
" But," rejoined Mr. Bewicke, " I am advised you had no
right to do as you have done, and will bring an action
against you." The reply of the Commissioners was to
this effect : — " You have no locus standi. You were a
felon when your goods were seized ; you remained a felon
while in prison, and till you were released from your
felony by the pardon of the Crown ; consequently, you
had lost your rights of citizenship. "
Under these circumstances, Mr. Bewicke was advised
by his steadfast friend, Mr. Robert Ingham, of Westoe,
member for South Shields, and others, to petition Parlia-
ment for redress. He did so, and the petition was pre-
sented on the 28th of April, 1863. A few days subse-
quently, Mr. Henry Berkeley, member for Bristol,
moved in his place in the House that the grievances
suffered by Mr. Bewicke were such as to entitle him to
the consideration of the Government. Sir George Grey,
then Home Secretary, contended that there had been
no failure of justice as far as regarded the evidence upon
Mr. Bewicke's trial, which was perfectly satisfactory to
both judge and jury. Upon that gentleman's conviction,
his property was escheated, not to the Crown, but to the
Commissioners of Greenwich Hospital, who sold it for
what it would fetch, according to law. And when the
witnesses upon whose evidence Mr. Bewicke was convicted
had been tried and convicted of perjury, and Mr. Bewicke
was pardoned, it being impossible to restore his property
to him, the Commissioners gave him the sum for which it
had been sold, minus £50, deducted for law expenses.
Sir George Grey went on to say it was out of the power
of the Commissioners to compensate Mr. Bewicke. They
had done all they had power to do. At the same time,
he admitted that it might be a matter for future con-
sideration whether a person convicted and subsequently
pardoned might not be placed in a more favourable posi-
tion than the law now gave him. After considerable
discussion on the legal aspects of the case, the House
divided, when the numbers were : — For the motion, 20 ;
against, 22 ; majority against, 2. Mr. Berkeley's motion
was accordingly lost.
A year afterwards Mr. Berkeley brought the matter
again before the House of Commons in a somewhat
different form, distinctly raising the issue how far the
State is responsible for a miscarriage of justice. The
honourable erentleinan, however, withdrew his motion in
favour of an amendment proposed by Sir George Grey,
for the appointment of a Select Committee to consider
Mr. Bewicke's petition. Mr. Berkeley proposed in this
committee a recommendation that Mr. Bewicke should
be voted the sum of £5,000, and the proposal was sup-
ported by Mr. Liddell, Mr. Baillie Cochrane, and Lord
John Manners ; but a majority of the committee agreed
to a report suggesting to the favourable consideration of
the Crown " whether the full value of Mr. Bewicke's
goods and chattels at the time of the forfeiture should not
be restored to him, minus the net produce of the sale by
auction already voluntarily paid over to Mr. Bewicke by
the Commissioners."
Mr. Bewicke was twice married— first, to Miss Tweddell,
of Threepwood ; and, second, to a Welsh lady of the
name of Jones, from whom he was subsequently divorced.
The first Mrs. Bewicke was related to the celebrated
scholar and traveller — John Tweddell, of Threepwood,
who was born in 1769, and died at Athens in 1799. It
was through Miss Tweddell that Mr. Bewicke came into
possession of the Threepwood estate.
Some years before his death Mr. Bewicke had caused
to be erected in Hexham Cemetery a monument of
Aberdeen granite, bearing the following unfinished in-
scription : — "William Bewicke, Threepwood, Northum-
berland, aged — years."
318
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
<ftCart(n>4
IB. LEOPOLD CHARLES MARTIN, son of
John Martin, the celebrated artist, of whose
family and connections accounts have already
appeared in the Monthly Chronicle (see vol. i., pages 343,
3*8, 418, 433, and 436 ; vol. ii., page 43), was the author
of a series of recollections of his father that have lately
appeared in the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle. Mr. Martin
died in London at an advanced age on January 5th, 1889,
coincident with the publication of the first instalment of
his reminiscences. The following passages relate to the
North-Country : —
"THE PLAINS OF HEAVEN."
With reference to "The Plains of Heaven," and the
different localities my father had in his mind when the
first idea was formed of the subject, my readers must at
once abandon the notion that the landscape is in any way
local. It is in no way connected with the view from
Waterworks Bank, on the road to Benwell Village, lovely
as that may be ; but it certainly entered into his mind if
only as a memory of his boyhood. Although in various
years he paid more than one visit to the valley of the
Tyne, he certainly never at any period made any sketch
or drawing of this splendid prospect, or any memorandum
of views from the Westgate Road to the village of Ben-
well. Often I have heard him name the fairest land-
scapes known to him, but he never made particular
mention of the one above-named. He frequently spoke
of the views from Newlands Corner, near Guildford, the
scene from Leith Hill, in Surrey, and specially that from
the Wynd Cliff on the Wye, above Chepstow, near the
Wye's junction with the river Severn, as the most beau-
tiful prospects known to him. The latter he certainly
did once paint and make into a lovely drawing, illustra-
tive of his friend James Hogg's poem of the "Queen's
Wake," the chief work of the "Ettrick Shepherd."
"The Plains of Heaven " must be looked upon as a poetic
and ideal landscape — one from the mind only. It is truly
the work of an inspired fancy— noble, commanding, power-
ful, imaginative, nearly sublime. One can but give up
entirely all idea that in such a grand landscape anything
but mind has to be taken into consideration. No local,
no earthly spot, clouded the contemplation. All is
original and ideal — the work of an exceptionally powerful
imagination.
LUKE CI.E.NNKI.L.
Originally a pupil of the celebrated William and
Thomas Bewick, Luke Cleunell, under this masterly
tuition, became so skilful a wood engraver that he was
one of those who had the permission to attach his name
to woodcut blocks issued by the firm — a marked distinc-
tion granted but to four of the most able of the pupils.
Luke Clennell at all times had a strong inclination to
become a painter, and to follow in the path of his boy-
hood's friend, John Martin. He felt that, though suc-
cessful as a wood engraver, it was not really his mission.
He would go to London, and fight his way, but in a
branch of art more to his inclination. He did so. Better
had it been if he had remained in Newcastle with his great
masters. In London he made friends, worked hard, and
with success, but, alas ! with a truly melancholy termina-
tion. Clennell 's great work, "The Charge of the Guards
at the Battle of Waterloo," was, as a painting, most
popular, but is still better known by the spirited en-
graving. So highly was the picture appreciated that an
unusual permission was granted by Government to erect
a temporary wooden building facing Hyde Park, in Park
Lane, in which it could be publicly exhibited. I well
remember the pitched-boarded structure standing for a
considerable time at the east side of Hyde Park — a sort
of national exhibition. The idea of Clennell was really
a conception of the immortal charge of the Life Guards —
a rush at a mad gallop, hacking and thrusting right and
left. Shaw, on a white horse in full plunge, formed the
centre, whilst giant guardsmen sent the French cuirassiers
Hying before their ruthless blades. But, alas ! poor
Clennell. He, like Sir David Wilkie, if Sir George
Beaumont's statement can be relied upon, devoted himself
so entirely to his art, so completely wrapped himself up
in it, as to quite neglect his person and health. The
melancholy result, as might have been expected, was that
the over-worked brain gave way, and Clennell had
to be put under restraint. His mind became utterly
crushed. The Waterloo picture was his last work. He
died quite an imbecile, under confinement, in a private
mad-house.
VENTILATION OP 1IINES.
It was my fortune on various occasions to accompany
my father to the House of Commons, when called upon to
give evidence before committees. One in particular, on
"Accidents in Coal Mines" (a subject in which my father
was greatly interested), I can recall most vividly, owing
to the fact of having to hear the evidence of George
Stephenson, John Buddie, and my father. Mr. Joseph
Pease, M. P. for Durham, was chairman ; and John
Bowes, another North-Country member, was present as
one of the committee. George Stephenson, with the ap-
pearance of a working man out in his Sunday best —
blue coat, buff waistcoat, drab trousers, and such a white
tie, wound two or three times round his neck ! — gave his
evidence in plain, matter-of-fact style, chiefly advocating
additional Parliamentary powers to viewers and over-
lookers as lampmen, and urging very stringent rules as
to the general use both of his own and the Davy safety
lamp. As regards these lamps, by the way, their inven-
tion was claimed by William Martin (elder brother of my
father), a claim to which he certainly had a right, his
lamp being known some time previous to George Stephen-
son's, which was of earlier date than the lamp of Sir Hum-
phrey Davy. But the three are much alike. George
Stephenson, in giving his opinion in evidence, seemed to
think that the careful use of the safety lamp was a much
more important question than any improved system of
vientlation. My father, in his evidence, went dead
against this theory, and advocated an improved system of
working the coal (by which a more perfect ventilation
could be secured) by causing a constant current of fresh
air to pass along the face of the workings. My father's
plan was new and important, but a painter could hardly
be popular with mining engineers. They had weight
Jnl
..11
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
319
with the committee; my father had little or none.
Since the time of Davy, the lamp has been all in all ; but
what numbers of valuable lives might have been saved
if only a more perfect system of ventilation had be^n
established.
MR. THOMAS ALCOCK.
Mr. Thomas Alcock was one of my father's earliest
friends and a constant companion. Originally in part-
nership with a Mr. Faypn, a surgeon in Piccadilly, he ob-
tained the chief practice of the parish of St. James's,
Westminster. Ultimately he became the distinguished
surgeon of St. Thomas's Hospital. Mr. Alcock was a
very extraordinary man, well-informed in nearly every
branch of science and art. He had devoted muca study
to the beautiful art of modelling in wax — chiefly to that
of anatomical modelling in coloured wax. So perfect
were these productions that my father used to fancy them
as offensive to the nose as they were distressing to the
eye. Mr. Alcock had also given much attention to the
art of casting in plaster of Paris. In the execution of
faces he was very perfect. He had a method of his own
so novel that its publication might answer some good
purpose, and interest those wishing to practise this beau-
ful art. The ordinary practice, after oiling the face and
hair, is to pour a quantity of liquid plaster of Paris upon
the surface required to be formed into a mould, the weight
of plaster quite distorting and pressing out of shape the
form of the face. Dr. De Ville, a great artist in this
branch, when casting my father's face, gave him two
black eyes and some very extraordinary new organs, in-
forming my father that the "organ of veneration was
very largely developed. " Mr. Alcock's method was very
simple, but very perfect, consisting of the usual oiling of
the surface, the mixing of a thin liquid of plaster of Paris
to the consistency of thick cream, and the using of a fine
hog's hair brush to paint over the surface of the part
required to be cast with a thin coat of plaster, which dries
at once without distorting any part of the surface or
weighing out of place either skin or muscle. When this
first coat of plaster is set, a further coating can be placed
on the first, and so on, till sufficiently thick to allow it to
be taken off in portions, and to form a perfect mould.
Casts produced by this method can be most complete and
perfect, without any sort of difficulty in forming a good
mould. Any object, however delicate, can thus be re-
produced ; but for faces or heads it is as yet the only per-
fect method known. Mr. Alcock came from Newcastle
about the same period as my father, and ever after re-
mained his fast friend. My father's tuble was his own ;
a chair had its place for him at all times. Mr. Alcock
had one son, Sir Rutherford Alnock, at one time dis-
tinguished as envoy in Japan and China. Kew Gardens
and South Kensington Museum are greatly indebted to
hita for valuable contributions both in art and natural
history. In person Mr. Alcock was about the middle
height. His dark complexion had faded by thought and
the wear and tear of his profession into a sallow hue.
His brow was deeply furrowed, and, though he had not
passed the prime of life, he might seem to have entered
age but for the firmness of his step, the slender elasticity
of his frame, and an eye which had acquired a depth from
thought without losing any of the brilliancy of youth.
tfte (CutfciH
Jptaivrf.
HE remarkable old Elizabethan mansion — of
the real old Burgomaster type — built against
the steep slope of the hill to the west of the
High Level Bridge, with its principal ap-
proach up Tuthill Stairs from the Close, is, undoubtedly,
the most interesting relic in existence of the Newcastle of
three centuries ago.
To the dilettante citizen, who would shrink from finding
his or her way along the Close, or from being seen in the
unfashionable locality of the Tuthill Stairs, we may
Tyi^vi "IT nff,.-Bljp'-;gS'j|[r|ll^ ^W=?mijiin
320
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
say that the relic in question can be easily surveyed
from the High Level Bridge. From the Close, the
more practical explorer will reach the old house by
the low-pointed, stone-arched doorway, shown in our
illustration, nearly opposite the Old Mansion House,
leading into the not very dignified "Sweeper's Entry."
the owner of the property still retaining a right of way
here. At the head of the court the visitor has the front
of the building with its noble stone-arched front entrance
in full view, as in the sketch presented by our artist.
This entrance, we may interject in passing, leads to-day
into a hen roost, while the other portion is used as a
stable ! At right angles to the main building, of the
same age and style, is a lower erection, with a similar
doorway. This has been entirely used, in its days of
honour, as a covered stone come-and-go-staircase and an
anteroom, by which the first floor was reached, as well as
the "orchard," "shrubbery," and "garth" once situated
on the tipper portion of the steep bank against which the
Souse is built.
The general view of the house, as depicted by our
artist, will give an idea of its peculiar construction. The
ground floor is strongly built of stone, and the first floor,
originally one single wainscoted room, the gem of the whole
mansion, as well as the second storey and the roof, are
inansively framed in old oak. The upper front wall and
gable are strongly half timbered, with diagonals
and horizontal beams interspersed, filled in with
brick, and plastered. The ends of the flooring
beams of each storey form massive projecting
corbels in the front ; and the walls of each floor
being built out upon these corbels, and the intervening
spaces filled in with short end corbels, the whole eleva-
tion, with its gabled roof, has a most picturesque appear-
ance. The lower portion of the stone staircase is in
existence, but buried in rubbish, and the upper floors have
all, for a long period, been reached from the high ground
above, while the main entrance, to the oak-panelled
chamber has long been from a passage halfway down the
Tuthijl Stairs, and by a doorway in what was the magni-
ficent west window, from which, in the good old days,
such a charming prospect of river and open country
could be obtained.
From our sketch of the west side, low and mean as it is
at present, the remains of the moulded stone cornice, and
of four of the moulded stone arched mullioned lights of
the upper half of this window, it will be observed, are still
to be seen. Entering here, interest of course chiefly
centres in what was once undoubtedly a charming
chamber. With the common — very common — partitions
run up to form two or three mean-looking apartments,
in imagination swept away, the visitor has a chamber
of excellent proportions before him, 31 ft. by 20 ft.,
and 11 ft. in height, with just sufficient of the
ancient beautiful oak panelling remaining, with fluted
pilasters framed into the carved oak cornice and cross
beams, to give him an idea of what our ancestors could
do, three centuries ago, in the way of internal decora-
tion. To prevent misconception, it may be here re-
marked, that a portion of the wall space is covered with
^ A
^ A'A_* - , ps
/ * l"- -~~~- ~~=^&YJ-
~~^~ ff/g>ZF,
^&»a*r"B>-<i ,
_^- • - i»»— —- LJ_ ^v^>
^^^V^^^^ffP? wr^
July)
1889./
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
321
very inferior woodwork, of common pine. This is only
some ordinary material, introduced by the father of Mr.
Bone, the present proprietor, to cover the already stripped
walls, when making alterations some years ago. The
elaborately-decorated plaster ceiling, fortunately, is
still almost entire, the excellent workmanship having
been proof against the hard usage of its later years of
dire adversity. Here, again, we must add that the
ceiling, beautifully patterned as it is, is not of " carved
oak "or " panelled oak " at all, as it has been erroneously
described. A piece of the beautifully-carved oak mould-
ing, originally framed round the large window on the
west side, may still be seen over the circular upper lights
already named. Mr. Bone tells bow the carved oak fire-
place was removed by his father, thirty years ago, to make
way for the practical pot and oven, so necessary
in a teuementsd house ; and, also, how a charming
piece of figured oak carving, probably the original
owner's coat of arms, was taken down at the same
time, and sold off-hand to a practical-minded antiquary
for the sum of ten shillings ! A door in the wainscot, to
the right of the fireplace, probably originally led into a
chamber from which the uppermost flight of stone steps
gave egress to the grounds above. The floor above, and
the chambers in the roof, would probably be the sleeping
apartments of the occupants of the mansion.
The history of the old relic, so far as the fragments can
be pieced together, is an interesting one, with its glimpses
of the history of the town so closely interwoven. Legends
as to Cromwell having occupied the house when in
the North, and his soldiers having ascended the hill
by its stairs, are still told by the neighbours, the proba-
bility or otherwise of which may be accepted by the
reader without difficulty. It is stated that the old
mansion was originally built by Alderman Henry Chap-
man, during the reign of Elizabeth, and was being occu-
pied by him and his wife Joan in the year 1587. Up to
late years, over the doorway leading into the anteroom,
in the oak chamber, the date 1583 was carved in the
solid oak beam. This was always assumed to be the
date of its erection by Chapman. lu those early
days, with its charming situation, the magni-
ficent prospect from its west window, and its sur-
rounding gardens, it must have been an enviable
residence. In 1629, it was acquired by a loyal old knight,
Sir Alexander Davison, a faithful partisan of Charles I.
in his quarrels with the Parliament. He was one of the
brave defenders of the town, at the siege in 1644, and fell
VhZ ' ^ '
ET<A — ^-. i-v • — =
322
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I July
at his post, probably within a bow shot of his own door,
on November 11, aged 80 years. In 1637, he had settled
the property upon his son, Ralph Davison, when the
latter was to be married to Timothea Belassys. Then,
again, August 5, 1653, it was conveyed by " Raphe" and
his wife to "Thomas Davison, of Newcastle, marchant."
It appears to have been leased in 1637, to Thomas,
afterwards Sir Thomas Ricldell, who had married
the old knight's daughter, Barbara, and in 1639 the
well-known, but cantankerous vicar of Newcastle, Yel-
dard Alvey, was residing in it. Edward Stote, another
well-known Newcastle man, died here in 1649. From
1653, over Cromwell's protectorate, the Restoration
of Charles II., the Revolution of 1688, the accession of
George I., and the Old Pretender's Rebellion in 1715, we
have no record of the fortunes of the old mansion, until
Oct. 20, 1720, when the whole property was purchased by
Mr. Daniel West from a Thomas Davison and William
Davison, for £120, on behalf of the struggling Baptist
congregation which, previously, had worshipped in the
old chapel on Tyne Bridge.
Mr. John Bradburn, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, in a lecture
delivered by him in 1883, gave an interesting account of
the long period during which the oak chamber was
occupied by that community as a chapel, the upper rooms
being the residence of the minister. From 1798, when the
congregation removed to the large square brick building
on the ground above, the old chamber was used as a
Sunday school, and when a final removal to Bewick Street
was carried out, some thirty years ago, the whole property
— chapel, tenemented houses (which had been built by the
connexion next the stairs), and the mansion — was pur-
chased by the late Mr. Bone, altered, as has already been
stated, and the whole let into teneme»ts, though the old
house has practically stood empty during the last twelve
months, and suffered accordingly.
With reference to the long interregnum of silence, from
1653 to 1720, a curious fact deserves to be recorded.
When the property was acquired by the Baptists at the
latter-named date, there were already some old pews in it,
and affixed to one of them were hands for holding the
Corporation mace and sword, the probability being that
during a portion of the period the Corporation occasionally
attended dissenting places of worship.
J. I. NICHOLSON.
It will probably be of additional interest to the reader
to learn that the whole of the property in question has
just been purchased by Lady Armstrong. It is well
known that her ladyship ha« for many years strongly
interested herself in the adjoining Children's Hospital.
Certain pressing additions and extensions here are neces-
sary, and with the ground thus acquired these will now
be easily carried out. J. I. N.
|R. LEWIS THOMPSON, whose portrait is
here printed, died in Eldon Place, Newcastle,
on the 21st of February, 1889, at the age of
78 years. His career was not only eventful, but in
many respects romantic. The son of Mr. Thomas
Thompson, of Byker, he was intended by his father
for the medical profession. He commenced his studies
in Newcastle, and completed them in London. But
he never practised himself, although he acted as assist-
ant to a distinguished metropolitan surgeon. He was
employed for a time in a subordinate position in a soap
factory at Lambeth. When the owners and managers
on one occasion were busy discussing the effects of
some experiments, he made a remark of an original
and suggestive kind that attracted the attention of the
head of the firm. This led to his closer intercourse with
his employers ; and, notwithstanding Mr. Thompson's
reticence and unwillingness to receive preferment, he very
soon became the principal scientific adviser of the manu-
factory. Through one of the members of the firm — who
was also a member of the Government of the day — Mr.
Thompson was entrusted with a highly responsible posi-
tion in a time of great national excitement. Apart from
his scientific connections in London, he was engaged in a
like work in France. He went to Paris with very flatter-
ing recommendations to some of the most distinguished
men of science in that capital, and his intercourse with
them continued through life. But perhaps the part of
Mr. Thompson's labours that is best known is that which
he devoted to the study of the methods of gas-making
and 'gas-h'ghting. About 30 years ago, a gas company
was formed in London to compete with the old-established
comcanies. The promoters made many strange aver-
July I
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
323
meats about the cost and quality of gas, and Mr. Thomp-
son voluntarily commenced a series of experiments to
demonstrate their fallacy. The investigations then made
threw an entirely new light upon the making of coal gas.
The results of Mr. Thompson's elaborate inquiries are to
be found scattered through modern chemical books
where the questions of gas and gas-lighting are dis-
cussed. All his labour was done gratuitously, and, wheu
the old gas companies proposed to remunerate him,
he returned the money, and declared he would consider
its acceptance as derogatory to his independence. His
letter written on that occasion, if it could be printed,
would give a more correct idea of the writer's chivalrous
and unsordid disposition than any friendly eulogy. Mr.
Thompson wrote extensively for scientific publications,
but seldom attached his name to what he wiote. The
subject he was specially at home with was the application
of science to manufactures. To the works of l)r. Ure,
L>r. Lardner, and Mr. McCulloch in this country, as well
as to French and American encyclopaedias and reviews,
he was a copious contributor. With a view of preserving
his anonymity, he destroyed before his death some valu-
able correspondence, under the belief that no one would be
interested in it, and because some of the forecasts of his
friends had not been verified by facts. He occasionally
wrote — always under a nom de plume — in the columns of
the Newcastle Chronicle. The will of Mr. Thompson,
dated March 15, 1884, was proved in April, 1889, by bis
cousin, the executor, Mr. Charles D. Andrews, solicitor,
of Leommster, Herefordshire. The testator set apart
£15,000, the income from which should be applied by the
Poor-Law Guardians for the township of Byker in
diminishing the poor's rate upon the inhabitants of that
township, upon condition that the Guardians keep and
maintain in a good and substantial state of repair the
tomb of the testator's father in the Jesmond Cemetery,
and place thereon each successive year a memorial garland
of the value of not less than two shillings.
CSarlatttr
ljn £tokoe.
X Y Z AT NEWCASTLE RACES.
|ORSE-RACING, as a sport for Northern
gentlemen, seems to have flourished at
Woodham Moor in the later years of
Queen Elizabeth. There was korse-racing,
too, at Killingworth about 1632, as in this year
an entry appears in the account books of the New-
castle Corporation of £20 paid " to John Blakis-
ton, chamberlain, which he disbursed for two
silver potts granted by the Common Council for
the race on Killingworth Moor after Whitsuntide."
Killingworth race-course existed until 1721, in which
year, although the County Plate, value £25, given by the
High Sheriff, Edward Delaval, Esq., was run for there
on the Tuesday, the remaining races, including the Gold
Cup given by the Corporation of Newcastle, took place
on the Town Moor. Afterwards, for over a century and
a half, the races on the Moor became the great annual
file of the North, and were attended by people of every
grade of society from all parts of the Northern Counties.
In the early part of the present century, the many
victories achieved by the celebrated racehorse, X Y Z,
the property of Mr. Riddell, of Felton Park, had gained
for that animal the admiration of all Northumberland.
Its name became a household word, and its achievements
were the theme of more than one local poet. X Y Z was
the winner for four consecutive years — 1811, 1812, 1813,
1814 — of the Gold Cup, then the great prize at the New-
castle Meeting. The Northumberland Plate, afterwards
the great race, had then no existence.
The pitman's description of the race, the race-course,
and its surroundings are true to the life. The tune is of
the Strathspey character, and was originally known as
"The Cameraman's Rant." Some Scottish songs, such
as "The Battle o' Shirra Muir," have been written to it,
and it has also been a great favourite- with our local
poets, few of them having omitted to try a verse or two
to its strains, perhaps the most successful efforts being
Emery's " Hydrophobie, " J. P. Robson's "Pawnshop
Bleezin', " and our present illustration.
A short account of the author, William Mitford,
appeared in the Monthly Chronicle for 1887, page 311,
accompanying his song of " Cappy, or the Pitman's
Dog."
pee New - cas - sel ra - ccs, Set
•0 l> K -T;— . N— j
Dick the trap - per for some syep, We'll
suin wesh a' wor fac - es. There'll
ne'er a lad in Per - cy Main Be
W^ 5E
bet this day for five or ten ; Wor
324
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I July
pock - eta lined wiv notes an' cash, A
mang the cheps we'll cut a dash — For
X Y Z, that bon - ny steed, He
b.ings them a' for pith and speed, He's
• •
sure to win the cup, man.
Fal the clal tile <lal the daj-,
Fal the clal the di - do
the dal the di -
We reached the moor, wi' sairish tues,
When they were gun to start, man ;
We gav a fellow tuppence each
To stand upon a cart, man ;
The bets flew round frae side to siJe,
" The field agyen X Y !" they cried ;
We'd hardly time to lay them a',
When in he cam —Hurra ! Hurra !
"(iadsmash !" says aw, " X Y's the steed,
He bangs them a' for pith an' speed,
We never see'd the like, man."
Next, to the tents we hied, to get
Some stuffing for wor bags, man ;
Wi' flesh we fairly pang'd wor hides —
Smoketi nowse but patent shag, man.
Wi' rum and brandy soak'd each chop,
We'd Jackey* an' tine ginger pop
We gat what made us winkin' blin' —
When drunky aw began to sing —
" Od smash ! X Y, that bonnie steed,
Thou bangs them a' for pith an' speed,
We never see'd his like, man."
Next up amang the shows we gat,
Where folks »' stood i' flocks, man,
To see a chep play Bob and Joan
Upon a wooden box, man ;
While bairns an' music filled the stage,
An' some, by gox ! were grim wi' age ;
When next aud Grin a powney browt,
Could tell at yence what people thowt !
" Od smash !" says aw, " if he's the breed
Of X Y Z, that bonny steed,
Thou niver see'd his like, man."
* A pitmatic name for gin.
But_haud ! when we cam to the toon,
What thinks thou we saw there, man?
We saw a Blackie, puffin,' swettin',
Suckin' in fresh air, man ;
They said that he could fell an ox —
His name was fightin' Molinox ;
But ere he fit another roond,
His marrow fell'd him to the groond.
"Od smash !" says aw, "if thou's sic breed
As X Y Z, that bonny steed,
Thou niver see'd his like, man. "
Next, board a steamer-boat we gat,
A laddie rang a bell, man :
We hadn't sittin' varry lang
Till byeth asleep we fell, man.
But the noise seun myed poor Jimmy start —
He thowt 'twas time to gan to wark.
For pick an" hoggers roar'd oot he,
An' myed sic noise it waken'd me.
"Od smash !" says aw, " X Y's the steed,
He bangs them a' for pith an' speed,
Aw niver see'd his like, man."
When landed, straight off hyem aw gans,
An' thunners at the door, man ;
The bairns lap ower the bed wi' fright,
Fell smack upon the floor, man ;
But to gaur the wifey haud her tongue.
Showed her the kelter aw had won ;
She wiv a cinder brunt her toes,
An' little Jacob broke his nose —
The brass aw've getten at the race
Will buy a patch for Jacob's face —
So noo maw sang is duiu, man.
3Tftr
R. JOHN HANCOCK, writing of the two
Northern Counties, says that the chaffinch
(Fringdla ccdels} is " probably the most
abundant bird in the district, and certainly one of the
most beautiful." It is also very plentiful in Cumber-
land anil the Border Counties. This elegant bird has
always been celebrated for the skilful nest it builds,
which is a most artful and beautiful structure, composed
externally of moss, fine wool, lichens, the scales of bark,
and often of spiders' webs, all neatly felted together, and
presenting a smooth and carefully-finished exterior.
Delicately lined with wool and hair, it is securely at-
Jul
IT
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
325
tached to the supporting stems by bands of moss, which
are turned round the supports, and worked into the mass
of materials composing the nest. The chaffinch has a
wide geographical range, and is generally distributed
over the whole of Europe, being migratory in the higher
and colder latitudes, and a resident in the warmer and
more temperate countries. It is a favourite everywhere,
as is evinced by its many common names — such as shilfa,
sheelie, shell-apple, beechfinch, twink, spink, pink, &c.
In this country the chaffinches are more or less migratory,
and in the autumn and winter they gather into separate
flock?, the males by themselves, and the females likewise.
Selby, speaking of this singular habit, says that in North-
umberland and in Scotland the separation of sexes takes
place about November, and from that period to the re-
turn of spring few females are to be seen, and those few
always in distinct societies. The males remain, and are
met with during the winter in immense flocks, feeding
with other grain-eating birds in the stubble fields as long
as the weather continues mild and the ground is free from
snow. It is on account of this peculiarity, the temporary
separation of the sexes, that Linnaeus has assigned the
chaffinch its specific name (ccelcbs), equivalent to "bache-
lor." About the end of March the.flocks breakup, and
then the " bachelors " are on the outlook for mates. The
chaffinches do good service to the horticulturists and
to the rush and roar of the trains, the birds hatched and
reared their young. Two broods are hatched out in the
nesting season. As a rule, the first brood is out of the
nest by the middle of May, and the second by the end of
July, sometimes rather later in the Northern Counties.
The earlier or later nesting season, of course, depends on
the weather conditions. The male chaffinch, nearly as
handsome a bird as the goldfinch, is from six to six and a
half inches long. The female is about an inch shorter
than the male, and her plumage is generally more sub-
dued. The young male resembles the female until after
the autumnal moult, when he begins gradually to assume
his future distinctive colours.
»all.
jjUR engraving represents the ancient mansion
of the Carrs of St. Helen's Auckland, to which
reference is made in the sketch of Cuthbert
Carr. (See page 307.) It is taken from a pen and ink
drawing by Mr. W. H. Knowles, which has been kindly
lent for the purpose by Colonel Carr, of Dunston Hill.
Hutchinson, the historian of Durham, states that in
the early part of the reign of King James I., John, son
i*feg^^4^^ux;
„=-,. ^¥%m >/n*ff*&
farmers. They clear the ground of weed-seeds and insects,
though in autumn, like the sparrows, they take rather
good toll of the ripening corn. Chaffinches sometimes
nest in curious situations, and very often in apple trees
and orchards. Some years ago a pair of them fixed their
nest to one of the iron columns of the Tebay Station on
the London and North-Western Railway, within a couple
of yards of the rails. In this curious position and close
of Robert Eden, who was seised of a third part of the
manor of St. Helen's Auckland, and William Williamson,
of St. Helen's, who held the other portion, divided the
estate, and Williamson sold his two thirds to James
Carr, of Newcastle, who built the mansion. At the close
of last century, the hall was occupied by a sisterhood of
Teresian Nuns, and while they resided there the following
description of it was published: — "The house is very
326
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/July
U889
spacious and contains a great number of apartments. It
is surrounded by high walls except the south front (which
is a very ancient structure, remarkably neat, and con-
taining several small Gothic windows), and another
adjoining edifice of Grecian architecture fronting the
west, built about the beginning of the century [the 18th]
by William Carr, Esq., who was some time member for
Newcastle, a man of fine taste, of unbounded hospitality,
and who supported the character of a country gentleman
with a splendour almost unparalleled in those days, and
rarely equalled in all respects at the present day.
Although the gate which opens into the spacious court
of this mansion is within twenty yards of a public road,
which passes between it and the parochial chapel of St.
Helen, yet the house itself is perfectly sequestered ; every
view of it being confined either to its delightful gardens
or the rich adjoining meadows. These gardens, which
comprehend between four and five acres, are enclosed by
a brick wall about twenty feet in height lined with an
immense variety of the choicest fruit trees, and the whole
laid out in the most enchanting manner."
In Mr. Knowles's sketch, the modern wing, which
overshadows the old hall, is not seen, and the building
is represented in much the same state as it was
when Cuthbert Carr, the hero of the siege of Newcastle,
lived in it.
Stnrt.
I MONG the old Chartists of Newcastle none
was more worthy of remembrance than
Richard Ayre, who died in that town on
April 12, 1871, at the age of 77 years. Mr. Ayre was
a kind, genial, good old man, respected by all who
knew him, and ready at any time to put himself about
to be of service to anyone. He was also a thinker
of very considerable merit, a scientist and an inven-
tor. And all his inventions had something to do with
saving life, or makine life worth living. Several of
his inventions were exhibited in the Polytechnic in
Blackett Street, Newcastle, and he possessed acknow-
ledgments of the merits of his improvements in safety-
lamps, railway brakes, and life-saving apparatus for
steamships from George Stephenson, Mr. Pease, and
several Parliamentary Commissions. The only invention
from which he ever derived any pecuniary benefit was in
connection with Dr. White's water-ballast, he having
introduced some improvements into the doctor's original
project which were handsomely acknowledged. His
house was a veritable museum, and he could talk for
hours of his projects and his models ; while his inexhaus-
tible fund of anecdote of the old reformers, from Henry
Hunt and Peterloo down to Edmund Beales, Charles
Bradlaugh, and the Borough Franchise movement —
•bout the social movement, with personal remini-
scences of Robert Owen, Frances Wright, Harriet
Martineau (he once drove Miss Wright down to
Tynemouth on a visit to Miss Martineau, and surprised
the joint-author of " Man's Nature and Development "
peeling potatoes !) — rendered Mr. Ayre's house one of
the most entertaining and profitable it has ever been my
good fortune to be admitted to. The accompanying
portrait of the good old man was taken about the time
of the Reform demonstration of 1866, when the survivors
of the demonstration of 1816 headed the procession in a
waggonette, and when Ernest Jones spoke for the last time
in Newcastle. The medallion he wears was struck in com-
memoration of the establishment of the "New Moral
World," when Mr. Owen was sanguine that his system
was about to be established and the old order of things to
pass away. It contained on the obverse a portrait of
Owen, and on the reverse the axioms which were the
foundations of his philosophy. ELIJAH COPLAND.
Jftrmntnrfeg tit
jjOME account of the doings of the foreign
mercenaries brought to England by the
Protector Somerset in the reign of Ed-
ward VI. is furnished in the Rutland papers
which have recently been unearthed at Belvoir Castle by
the Historical Manuscripts Commission. On the death
of Henry VIIL the Protector sought to carry out the
wishes of the deceased king with regard to the marriage
of the boy Edward to Princess Mary of Scotland. France
interfered, and Somerset, in order to force the match,
marched an army to Scotland. The Regent Huntley,
Jul;
1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
327
who declared that he had no objection to the match, but
" misliked the manner of wooing," met the English forces
at Pinkiecleugh, and sustained a defeat. But he saved
his queen from being forced into a marriage at the point
of the sword, and the English generalissimo returned to
England with an empty victory. One of the effects of
this unwise enterprise was to disturb the somewhat
friendly relations that had hitherto existed between the
Scots and English on the Borders, and two years later it
was found necessary to send a mixed army of English and
foreigners to guard against an invasion of Northumber-
land by their neighbours to the north of the Cheviots.
The Earl of Rutland, appointed "Lorde Warden of
the East and Midle Marches foranenyst Scotland," was
invested by the young king with "the chefe rule, ordre,
and governaunce of our garrysons and men of warre upon
these frontires." From a list of towns at which the horse-
men and footmen lay upon the frontier, it seems that the
mercenaries were disposed as follows : —
Strangers, Armed Horsemen : —
Capt. Andrea at Whittingham and Glanton.
Charles de Guavar at Mikle Ryle, Litle Kyle, and
Yetlington.
Capt. Lanciano at Eslington and Screnwood.
Capt. Hungarian at Bolton and Lemmington.
Strangers, Footmen : —
The Almains at Scremerston and Fenwick.
The Irish at Bamborough.
Sir Julian Romero at Roeke.
Sir Pero Negro at Haggerston.
Capt. Ventura at Charleton.
These foreigners seem to have been a source of much
trouble, not only to the people upon whom they were
quartered, but also to the Lord Warden himself. Most
account seems to have been made of the Germans; for,
writing to the Earl of Rutland about the disposition of
some money sent to him, the Lords of the Council instruct
him to pay the "Almaynes" one month in advance,
whereas the Italians and other "forriners" — amongst
whom were the Irish — were to consider themselves well
treated if they got their pay one month in arrear. Writ-
ing from Berwick to Lord St. John, under date Nov. 4,
1549, the Lord Warden complains that the " charges of
the Almaynes here are very great, and the service but
little this winter, because they are footmen." But if the
Italians were kept waiting a month for their pay, they
seem to have made themselves very much at home in the
towns on which they were billeted. The Earl of Rutland
himself had cause to complain of their conduct, and there
are references to their " lewd behaviour" in several letters.
Writing from Alnwick on Nov. 11, 15*9, to the Lords of
Council, the Lord Warden says : —
Courtpenigh puts his men in readinesse to set forward
towards you, and tarries only for his pay. Within four
days he will be able to set forward with all the Almains
except two ensigns, who will remain here, according to
your order. Captain Tiberio and his band disquiet the
country, and in a mutiny lately made by him at Berwick
slew two of the garrison. If you do not speedily take him
hence, the country will not bear his lewduess, but will
seek their revenge. Please send for him to be placed else-
where. He refuses all good order, and also is unwilling
to abide in these parts.
Three days later we find Lord Dacre writing from
Carlisle Castle as follows : —
I understand that your Lordship baith plaiced in the
Towne of Morpeth a bande of 1 talieus who, as I am en-
formed, beside the killing of the fewe deare that I had
there and other private displeasure done to my self whiche
in effect I do little esteame, they do so unreasonably behave
theyme selfes that thinhabitantes do rather mynde to leave
the towne and seak other dwellinges then to susteigne
such intollerable unquietness and misordre, so that I am
forced to meove your Lordship on ther behalf for a re-
formacion, not doubting that your discret wisdom will
consider what inconvenience it is to pestere such a little
streat standing in the heigh way, where it servethe the
Kinges people bothe with concourse and recourse with
such company, and howe of congruent it must be that
suche waist and consumyng of vitalles as they use with-
oute goode payment this tyme of the yere in the heighe
way must needes make not onely scarsitee of vitalles but
also enhaunce the prices, as the Kinges subjectes and others
travailling that way must after in the yere waunte good
easmente and feale paynes. Thus assureing your Lordship
that I fynde not this faut for eny private discommodite,
but onely for a common noysaunce and damage, knowing
if the towne shoulde be desolated, the lose of my enherit-
aunce were litle in respect of the harine it shoulde be
to the cotnmone welth.
Then from Brancepeth, on the 16th of December in the
same year, the Dowaeer-Countess of Westmoreland wrote
to her son-in-law on the same subject : —
I am informed that you have appointed certain of the
Italian horsemen to lie at Bywell, a lordship of mine. It
is not a meet place to lodge any strangers in, for the
inhabitants are very poor men. They have been so sore
charged in the. king's service, by carriages and otherwise,
that if they be now charged with these strangers, they
will not be able to serve the king when called upon again,
nor to pay their ferms.
It was, however, well into the middle of the year
following before the whole of these disturbing foreigners
were withdrawn from Northumberland. The Germans
were removed at the close of 1549 to aid in quelling the
insurrectionary spirit which was abroad in the Midland
and Southern Counties, generated largely by the appro-
priation of commons by the landlords ; but the Italians
were left for several months to make good the default of
the paymaster by levying forced contributions on the
unhappy Northumbrians.
JU0rH>o
fl HE announcement of the death of Mr. William
Roxby Beverley, which took place at Hamp-
stead about the middle of May, 1889, cannot
fail to have quickened the memory of many old theatre-
goers in the North of England respecting a family of
capable actors, scene-painters, and theatrical managers,
who, during at least three generations, acquired a reputa-
tion which, even to this day, stands unrivalled in their
several walks.
The original family name was Roxby, and the Roxbys
came from Hull. Beverley was only their statre name,
and was first adopted, from the old capital of the East
328
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
Riding, by Henry Roxby, "who in the eighties and
nineties of last century wa« playing, with his wife, leading
business at Coven t Garden, London." This gentleman
had four sons, all of whom inherited his histrionic
and artistic taste and genius, though in different
departments ; and, for the sake of distinction, two
of them retained through life the name of Roxby,
while the other two chose to be known as Bever-
leys, or Roxby-Beverleys. The first pair were Mr.
Samuel Roxby, who was connected for nearly thirty-five
years with the Northern Theatrical Circuit, comprising
the theatres at North and South Shields, Sunderland,
Durham, Stockton, Filey, and Scarborough, and Mr.
Robert Roxby, who was stage manager for many years at
the Lyceum and the Princess Theatres in London. The
second pair were Mr. Henry Robert Beverley, locally
known as "Old Harry Beverley," one of the very best low
comedians of his day, and Mr. William Roxby Beverley,
last deceased, confessedly one of our most famous scene
painters.
The lesseeship and management of the Northern
Theatrical Circuit were acquired and undertaken by
Mr. Henry Roxby, from the representatives of the
Kembles about sixty years ago, and his sons afterwards
became sole proprietors. The old gentleman continued to
appear as stage manager as long as he lived, but for
financial reasons, as was understood, his sons Wil-
liam and Samuel were nominally the conductors.
At the opening of the Urury Lane Theatre in
Sunderland, on the 31st October, 1831, one of the
principal intimations on the bill referred to a
new act drop by Mr. William Beverley, who bad
already done scenic work at the Scarborough and
Filey theatres, and who combined for a few seasons,
here in the North, the duties of scene-painter with
the pleasures of heavy comedy. The following an-
nouncement was made in connection with the open-
ing of the Shields Theatre in the same season : —
"The public is respectfully informed the above
theatre will open for the season on Monday, the
28th of November, 1831, under the management of
Mr. Roxby and Mr. W. Beverley. from the Theatre
Royal, Manchester, the whole under the direction
of Mr. Beverley, late lessee of the Theatre Royal,
Manchester." A few years afterwards Mr. Bever-
ley was engaged as scenic artist at the Theatre
Royal, Edinburgh by Mr. William Henry Murray
(brother-in-law of Mr. Henry Siddons, son of the
great tragedienne), and painted some scenery there
that drew forth universal admiration. Ultimately
settling in the metropolis, he rose to the top of his
profession.
Mr. Hugh R. Roddatn, writing in the Ifewaufa
Weekly Chronicle, states that Mr. Beverley, when
he settled in London, became artist at the Lyceum,
London, then held by Chas. Mathews and Madame
Vestris. Afterwards he joined E. T. Smith at Drury
Lane, and was at Old Drury for years after under
various managers; but, although finally settling in
London, he was often in North Shields painting or
superintending some important work, especially in
the rebuilding of the theatre in 1852, the old quar-
ters having been destroyed by fire in the latter part
of 1851. The following incident, says Mr. Roddam,
is recorded of the great Kean, when in the height
of his career:— " Young William Beverley, now the
celebrated artist, the son of his old Gloucester manager,
was frequently with him at Bate. While the boy
sketched at the window, Kean would sit at the piano
and play and sing Moore's melodies, which he did with
great taste and feeling. Once he said to his young
guest, in whose presence he never committed those ex-
cesses which were fast completing the destruction of a
constitution already shattered, ' If I could keep you
always by my side, I might be saved yet.' "
Mr. Harry Beverley, who died in the early part of the
year 1863, was for many years a prime favourite with the
theatre-goers in the circuit. On the nights when he and
his brother Mr. Samuel Roxby trod the boards together,
there was a high festival of innocent fun, as probably on
no other stage in the kingdom could anything to
WILLIAM BOXBT BKVERLFT.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
329
equal them be witnessed in the delineations of comic
character. Both of them were, like Yorick, " fellows ot
infinite jest." Each had his peculiar range, and in
that each was unrivalled. If Samuel bad a fault as a
comedian, it was an occasional tendency to overdo his
part joined to a peculiarity in elocution to which captious
critics might fairly have objected, but which was so
thoroughly original, and so completely Sam Roxby's own,
that the regular frequenters of the theatre came to relish
it rather than otherwise.
In an obituary notice that appeared in a Sunderland
paper at the time of hia death, the writer said : — " Mr.
Samuel Roxby was a gentleman held in esteem by all who
knew him ; he was a man of high honour and the strictest
integrity ; aa a manager, he was known far and wide, and
the circuit over which he presided stood one of the first in
the provinces. He manifested much solicitude in the
personal welfare of the actors, and had his reward in their
general devotion to his interests. In all business trans-
actions his dealings were regulated by the most scrupulous
uprightness. "
Samuel Roxby and Harry Beverley lived together in
the same house in Sunderland, up to the decease of the
latter, which took place, as we have said, in the early part
of 1863. Samuel followed him to the grave about four
months afterwards, in the month of July that year, at the
age of 59.
The circumstances attending the several transfers of
the Theatre Royal in Sunderland are described as some-
what singular. Samuel Roxby, at his death in 1863,
left it (subject to Mr. Stuart Henry Bell's lease), together
with the old dace in Drury Lane, to the scene painter,
Mr. William Roxby Beverley. This gentleman, by deed
of gift, transferred it to Robert Roxby, his brother, who,
however, died in 1866, and left it again to William. Last
year it was transferred to Mr. Richard Thornton, of
South Shields. And thus was severed the last link of the
57 years' connection between the Roxby-Beverleys and
Sunderland.
Our portrait of Mr. William Roxby Beverley, who was
born at Richmond, Yorkshire, in 1824, is copied from a
photograph by Messrs. Elliott and Fry, London.
SKE HALL, the seat of the Earl of Zetland,
is situate about two miles north of Richmond,
Yorkshire. It occupies a high position in a
well-wooded park, and commands extensive views. Rose-
berry Topping, in Cleveland, is visible from the front of
the house. Aske was a manor of the family which took its
name from the place, one of whom, Robert Aske, was the
leader of the Pilgrimage of Grace. The family descended
from Wyomer, the founder of St. Martin's Priory, Rich-
mond ; and Roger de Aske assumed that name when he
settled at Aske in the twelfth century.
" Aske," says Whitaker, in hia " History of Richmond-
shire,", "gave a local name to a loner line of descendants
from one of the earliest grantees and favourites of the
first Earls of Richmond. Aske was, indeed, one of those
gems of which even these mighty lords had not many to
bestow. On the skirts of the high country, and looking
ASKE HALL, YORKSHIRE.
330
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
clown on the fertile vale of Gilling, with swelling lawns
in front, and a long sweep of rising woods beyond, Rich-
mondshire has not, perhaps, a single residence which sur-
passes Aske in point of situation. The house has a centre
and two deep wings, from one of which rises an old
Border tower, the only remnant of the Askes. "
The last Earl of Holderness sold Aske in 1760, or 1762,
to Sir Laurence Dundas, Bart., whose only son, Thomas,
Lord Dundas, was the possessor when Whitaker's his-
tory appeared. Laurence Dundas was created a baronet
in 1762 ; his son, Sir Thomas, was created a baron in
1794 ; the son of Lord Dundas was made Earl of Zetland
in 1838 ; and the present owner of the estate, now Lord-
Lieutenant of Ireland, is the third holder of the earldom.
When the Prince and Princess of Wales visited Mid-
dlesbrough in January last, for the purpose of opening the
new Municipal Buildings in that town, they were the
guests of the Earl of Zetland at Aske Hall.
antr
EDWARD JENNINGS, V.C.
It was announced in the obituary of the Monthly
Chronicle, page 284, that a veteran soldier named Edward
Jennings had died at North Shields on the 10th of May.
The portrait here given is copied from a photograph
kindly lent by the family of the deceased. Jennings, who
in his later years was employed as a scavenger under the
Sir Colin Campbell, afterwards Lord Clyde, was so
much impressed with Jennings's worth as a soldier that
he would have recommended him for promotion to the
rank of commission officer had the poor fellow been able
to read and write. As it was, Jennings was in receipt of
an army pension till the time of his death. EDITOR.
WILLIAM SURTEES, A CORBRIDGE VETERAN.
I have in my possession a copy of "Twenty -five Years
in the Rifle Brigade, by the late William Surtees,
Quartermaster." The book was published, three years
after the death of the author, by his brother, Mr. John
Surtees, of Corbridge, and printed in 1833 by William
Blackwood, Edinburgh. In the prefatory notice to the
volume we are told : —
The author of the Narrative entered the Army in
early life. He commenced his military career in 1795,
as a private soldier in the Northumberland Militia ; and
in the following year he volunteered into the Pompa-
dours. In this regiment he first faced the eneniy, during
the expedition to Holland under the Duke of York. On
getting his discharge from the Pompadours, 1802, he again
entered the service as a private in the Rifle Brigade, to
which he was attached for a period of twenty-five years.
From his steady conduct, and ardent love for his profes-
sion, he was soon advanced from the ranks, and after
various intermediate steps was appointed Quartermaster;
a situation which he held as long as he continued in the
corps, enjoying the respect and esteem of his brother
officers of all ranks, as is amply testified by the letters
which form the appendix to the volume.
Though as quartermaster the author was not called
by duty to join in battle, yet helost no opportunity of enter-
ing the scene of action, or of placing himself in a favourable
situation for observing what was passing. It is un-
necessary to enumerate the arduous services of the Rifle
Brigade from 1802 to 1815. During the whole of that
period the author was actively ensraeed with his corps.
A severe pulmonary affection compelled him to quit his
corps in 1826. He retired to Corbridge, his native vil-
lage, where he arrived on the 24th of October in that
year, and continued there, respected and beloved, and
constantly engaged in acts of benevolence, till the period
of his death, 28th May, 1830.
As stated in the above preface, not the least pleasing
part of the book is in the appendix, which contains a
goodly number of testimonials from superior officers and
companions in arms — all conspicuous for the fervour of
their appreciation of him as a man and a soldier. As a
token of their regard, a marble tablet to his memory was
erected by them in the church at Corbridge.
RELATION, Sunderland.
Tynemouth Corporation, served with much distinction in
the Crimea and in India. It was in the latter country,
during the Sepoy mutiny, that he performed the act of-
valour for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
KIRBY FIGHT.
Robt. Wharton published, in 1724, a chronological table
of the mayors and the chief events in the town of Kendal
and neighbourhood, one of the items reading as follows : —
" 1688, Thomas Towers. The Prince of Orange landed
Nov. 4, and the Revolution was effected on the day fol-
lowing. The Posse Comitatus of the county assembled in
this town, and marched to Kirby Lonsdale." Nicholson,
in his "Annals of Kendal, "in 1832, copies these chronicles,
and appends a foot-note, thus : — " After the abdication of
James II., in the year 1688, rumour was spread in the
North of England that the abdicated monarch was lying
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
331
off the Yorkshire coast, ready to make a descent with a
numerous army from France, in hopes of regaining his
lost throne. This report gave the Lord-Lieutenant of
Westmoreland an opportunity of showing his own and the
people's attachment to the new order of things. He
accordingly called out the Posse Comitatus, comprising
all able-bodied men from sixteen to sixty. The order was
obeyed with alacrity ; and the inhabitants met armed
in a field, called Miller's Close, near Kendal, from whence
they marched to Kirby Lonsdale." This historical fact
explains the following popular rhyme, the meaning of
which is, at this day, not generally understood : —
Eiehty-eight was Kirby feight.
When never a man was slain ;
They yatt their meaat, an' drank their drink,
And sae kom merrily haem again.
CUTHEKRT HOME TRASLAW, Cornhill-ou-Tweed.
HENRY RUSSELL IN NEWCASTLE.
Mr. Henry Russell, the celebrated vocalist, tells the
following story : — "At Newcastle-on-Tyne I gave
the 'Gambler's Wife.' I may tell you that the wife is
awaiting the gambler's return. The clock strikes one,
the clock strikes two, and then the clock strikes three.
As the clock strikes four the young wife, clasping her child
to her bosom, dies in hopeless despair. A woman stood
up in my audience, and declaimed emphatically, in a shrill
shriek, ' Oh, Mr. Russell, if it had been me, wouldn't I
have fetched him home ! ' " R. W. ADAMS, Byker.
VOTES AND PROMISES,
In St. Michael's Ward, Sunderland, at a municipal
election for a single seat, one of the four candidates, who
happened to be an eligible bachelor, presented himself at
the door of a fair burgess, and solicited the honour of her
vote and interest. After approvingly eyeing the propor-
tions of the candidate for a moment or two, the good
lady replied, " Well, aa hev promised Mr. Williams a
• vote ; aa hev given yen to Mr. Tomkinson, aa think they
caall him ; and aa promised Mr. Fox yen ; but as ye are a
varry respectable looking chep, aa'll give ye yen, tee ! "
HOBBIES.
Scene : A country inn. Actors : Four pitmen half seas
over. First pitman : " Noo, ivory man hes his hobby ;
ye aall knaa whaat mine is ; aa like pigeons, an aa believe
aa wad dee if aa wasn't te keep pigeons. " Second ditto :
" Wey, aa's fond of a cuddy, they're sic a useful thing, ye
knaa; ye can gan te the races or onny way wiv a cuddy."
Third ditto : " Give me a dog ; a man that keeps a dog
needn't starve or gan lang wiv a hungry belly." Fourth
ditto : "Aa'll tell ye what ma hobby is. Aacare nowt
for yor pigeons, or cuddies, or dogs outher ; but still aa
hev a hobby. Aa's fond of lying abed eftor aa's caalled
on !"
"no DEED YET! "
In a rising suburb of Newcastle, the tardy opening of a
newly-established druggist's shop caused daily comment
and occasional inconvenience ; but one morning the local
Bob Sawyer had his fault somewhat publicly reproved.
An ominous black bordered notice appeared on the shut-
ters the sight of which filled the minds of the neighbours
and passers-by with concern, until the inscription was
read — "He is not dead, but sleeping ! "
RESOLUTION.
A noted tippler determined that he would pass a cer-
tain public-house without calling in. He succeeded in
the effort. But when he had gone a few yards further,
he exclaimed to himself, liWeel dune, resolution ! Aa'll
gan back an' hev a gill for that ! "
UNCLE TOBY'S FAMILY.
In a Newcastle household a young girl was em-
ployed as a servant. This girl, it appears, had never
heard of the famous Dicky Bird Society. Seeing the cele
brated picture of " Uncle Toby and His Little Friends "
for the first time, she asked her mistress if the old gentle-
man was married. "No, I think not," was the lady's
reply. "Dearie me!" exclaimed the little maid, as
she looked at the picture again, " hes aall them bairns ne
mothor ?"
A CYCLING NOVICE.
A youth, residing in a suburb of Newcastle, was one
day out for a ride on his bicycle. Being a bit of a novice
at the pastime, he fell off his machine, as many learners
are wont to do ; and not having got into the way of
mounting his iron steed, he was compelled to wheel it
home. Whilst performing this necessary operation, the
cyclist happened to pass a couple of workmen just re-
turning from their day's labour, one of whom turned
to the other and remarked, "Just tyekin' it oot for a
waal:, that's aall !"
$rr rtft=Cmt ittri) <0i> tturtrtce.
On the 10th of May, Mr. William Bewicke died at his
residence at Threepwood, near Haydon Bridge. (See
page 315.)
Mr. George Brown, who, for upwards of twenty-eight
years, had acted as relieving officer for the Tynemouth
district of the Tynemouth Union, died at North Shields
on the 12th of May, in the 71st year of his age.
On the 15th of May, the Rev. Canon Evans, of Durham,
died at Weston-super-Mare, where he was staying for the
benefit of his health. For twenty-seven years he had
held the chair of Greek in Durham University, and by
virtue of that position he was major canon of the
Cathedral. He had for a quarter of a century represented
as proctor the Chapter of Durham in the Convocation of
York. He was also an able man of letters, full of strong
sympathies for literary genius, and possessed social gifts
332
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
of a high order. The reverend gentleman was 73 years
of age.
On the 16th of May, the death was announced, from
Bedlington, of Mr. Christopher Haswell, who, for a long
period, dating from 1843, had taken an active part in all
movements having for their object the improvement of
the condition of the miners of Northumberland, to which
class of workmen he belonged. Mr. Haswell was 72
years of age.
The death was announced, on the 18th of May, of Mr.
William Roxby Beverley, the celebrated scenic artist.
(Seepage 328.)
On the 20th of May, Mr. John Johnson, farmer, widely
known and respected, died suddenly at his residence,
Kingswood, Whitfield, Northumberland, his age being
51 years.
The death was announced, on the 22nd of May, of Mr.
Henry Burn, of Glororum, near Belford, who, a few years
.ago. acquired a wide reputation as a breeder of Border
Leicester sheep. He was in his 86th year.
On the 27th of May, the death was announced as having
taken place at Blackwater, Hants, of Mr. John O'Connor,
scenic artist, in which capacity he was for some time
connected with the Tyne Theatre, Newcastle. The
deceased was also a successful painter in oil colours, one
of his best known pictures being a view of the High Level
Bridge and Newcastle.
The death was reported about the same time of Mr.
Robert Milton Dote, at the village of Easington, in the
county of Durham. A native of Bowes, he was personally
acquainted with the master and many of the boys at the
school in that locality sketched by Dickens as Dotheboys
Hall, and always declared that the novelist's sketch was a
caricature. The deceased, who was 82 years of age, had
for several years been head-master of the Guiseley
Grammar School.
Mr. Thomas Lowe, who for many years had been at the
head of the Earl of Durham's stud farm, died at Lambton
Park, on the 26th of May, in the 82nd year of his age.
On the 27th of May, Mr. Thomas Hutehinson, J.P., of
Howden, Stockton, died at Norton, Stockton, in his 78th
year. He belonged to an old Stockton family which had
for several generations been engaged in the iron trade,
and from which he himself retired only a few years ago.
The deceased gentleman took no active part in public
life, but was a justice of the peace for the county of
Durham and the North Riding of Yorkshire.
Mr. William Pearson, who during the earlier stages of
the construction of the North Pier at Tynemouth had
the contract for the supply of stone, and who had latterly
carried on the business of timber merchant in Carliol
Square, Newcastle, died on the 28th of April, at his resi-
dence in that city, aged 72.
On the 1st of June, the death was announced, at the
Pit Houses, Birtley, North Tyne, of Mr. William Saint,
for more than 70 years schoolmaster at Humshaugh, and
for upwards of half a century parish clerk. The deceased,
who belonged to a long-lived family, had himself reached
the patriarchal age of 92 years. (See Monthly Chronicle,
1837, page 13.)
At the age of 74, Mr. John Wallace, for upwards of
fifty years a Primitive Methodist local preacher, died at
Wallsend, on the 2nd of June.
On the 4th of June was announced the death, at the
age of 88, of Mr. William Walter Yeld Yeld, for many
years postmaster of Suuderland.
The death was, the same day, recorded of Mr. George
Winlow Hudson, shipowner, Sunderland, For many
years he was a member of the Council of that borough,
from which he finally retired in 1878. He was a justice
of the peace, a member of the River Wear Commission,
the River Wear Watch Commission, and of the Local
Marine Board. The deceased gentleman was 80 years of
age.
On the 6th of June, Mr. George Ormston, flour mer-
chant and baker, Palace Street and George Street, New-
castle, died at bis residence at the former place. De-
ceased, who was 55 years of age, had been in business for
thirty-three years in one shop.
On the 8th of June, the death was announced as having
occurred at the Shaws Hotel, Gilsland, where be had gone
to recruit his health after a long illness, of Mr, Francis
Ritson, J.P., a prominent shipowner, of Sunderland.
For many years Mr. Ritson occupied a seat in the Town
Council, and he was also a justice of the peace, as well
as a member of the River Wear Commission, the River
Wear Watch, the Shipowners' Society, and the Sunder-
land Pilotage Board.
JUccrrtf at
flortl)=(Eountrn ©ccurrtnccji.
MAY.
8. — Several interesting architectural relics, amongst
them a stone coffin containing bones, were discovered in
the course of excavations on Holy Island.
11. — A singular fatality occurred at Swalwell, near
Blaydon, in the county of Durham. A boy named Wil-
liam Foreman, eleven years of age, was in the act of
bringing a horse from a stable, when the ground opened,
and the lad and animal disappeared in the cavity, which
was supposed to have been caused by the collapse of an old
colliery working. Ten feet from the surface, the boy fell
into water, which was also of considerable depth, and
from which his dead body was subsequently recovered.
The horse also perished.
— David Hildrop, a young man charged with the mur-
der of Theresa Marine Matthews, was again brought up
at the Newcastle Police Court, when the further charge of
having bigamously married the deceased woman was pre-
ferred against him. He was eventually committed for
trial on both charges.
12. — Special services were held in St. James's Presby-
terian Church, Alnwick, in commemoration of the two
hundredth anniversary of that place of worship. There
was, on the following evening, a social meeting in celebra-
tion of the same event, under the presidency of the minis-
ter, the Rev. D. Donaldson.
14.— The Middlesbrough Town Council adopted the
report of a committee, recommending that a crematorium
be provided, at a cost of £600. The proposal evoked
much public opposition, and one member of the Council
who voted for the resolution, tendered his resignation in
consequence of the treatment to which he had been sub-
jected.
— A conference of memlxsrs of Parliament and coal-
July \
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
333
owners from Northumberland and Durham was held in
the committee-room of the House of Commons, to con-
sider the best means of pressing the claims of North-
Country coal upon the Government for use in the navy.
As the result of the meeting a deputation waited upon
Lord George Hamilton, the First Lord of the Admiralty,
on the subject, on the 21st. His lordship, in reply,
stated that he could hold out no hope that the re-
striction would be removed, and declared that while the
coal was suitable for the mercantile marine, it was not
adapted for the special duty and work which the navy is
called upon to perform.
15. — It was announced that the personal estate under
the will of the late Mr. Edwin Lucas Pease, of Mowden,
Darlington, who died on the 26th of January, had been
sworn at £142,694- 2s. lOd. The value of the personalty
of the late Mr. Matthew Tewart Cully, of Coupland Castle,
Northumberland, was sworn at £17,432 18s. 9d. Other
wills sworn in the course of the month included those of
mviminnm
Mr. Robert Duncombe Shafto, of Whitworth Park,
Ferryhill, Durham, £15,497 ; Mr. Robert Wardell, of
Carlton, Durham, £12,803 11s. 3d. ; Mr. Alderman
Newall, Ferndene, Gateshead, £166,981 3s. 5d ; and Mr.
John Richard Westgarth Hildyard, of Horsley-in-Stan-
hope, Durham, and Hutton Banville Hall, Yorkshire,
£36,127.
— Dr. Saudford, Assistant-Bishop of Durham, laid the
foundation stone of the new church of St. Aidan, in the
Belle Vue district of West Hartlepool. The silver trowel
with which the ceremony was performed was presented
by Colonel Cameron, chairman of the Building Committee.
On the same occasion, Mr. Walter Scott, of the firm of
W. Scott and Son, builders and contractors, Sunderland,
presented to the Bishop Suffragan a handsome mallet
made from oak that formed part of the roof of the old
Parish Church of Bishopwearmouth, which, it is believed,
dates back to the twelfth century, and in which, as a boy,
Dr. Sandford was wont to worship.
— A boy named Henry Wilson, aged seven years, died
at Sunderland from the effects of having accidentally
swallowed a small bead.
— A meeting of the Archidiaconal conference of clergy
and laity in furtherance of burial reform, was held in the
vestry of Newcastle Cathedral, the chair being occupied
by the Lord Bishop of the diocese.
16. — After having been closed for a time during the
completion of the internal restoration, the Cathedral
Church of St. Nicholas, Newcastle, was re-opened with
special services. In the morning the Mayor and Corpora-
tion attended in their representative capacity; the ser-
mon being preached by the Bishop of Glasgow. The
evening preacher was the Dean of Edinburgh.
— A fire broke out in premises situated in a yard
known as Fletcher's Court, opening from the lower end
of the Groat Market, Newcastle. The building was
completely gutted by the flames. Partly in consequence
of this fire, and partly in consequence of the proposed re-
construction of the Crown and Thistle
Inn, certain interesting structures in that
locality of the city have been removed.
Some of the erections in Fletcher's Court
— those seen to the lelt of our sketch —
were somehow supposed to have been
part of a monastery ; but there does not
appear to be any historical authority
whatever for this theory. Indeed, in
formation as to their origin is very scant.
All that can be said of them is that they
have been residential houses of the Tudor
period, and that they were constructed of
durable materials in which oak played
an important part. The overhanging
gable seen near the entrance to the court
formed part of the old Crown and Thistle.
17. — "Lord" Sangor, a well-known
circus proprietor, sustained severe in-
juries at Morpeth, by being tossed by a
bull of the buffalo species belonging to
Ins collection of animals.
18. — It was announced that a quantity
of English and Scottish silver coins had
been discovered near Durham. They
were of the reigns of Robert Bruce and
David II. of Scotland, and Edward III.
of F.ngland. The coins were supposed
to be relics of the Battle of Neville's Cross, near to the
site of which they were found.
— At the annual meeting of the Northumberland
Miners' Union, the whole of the officials were re-elected,
It was resolved to ask for an advance of wages for all the
miners employed in the county, to the extent of 10 per
cent. This application was formally made on the 1st of
June, with a request that work at the pits on " baft " or
non-pay Saturdays, be discontinued, but the decision of
the masters was postponed for a fortnight. On the 24th,
the miners employed in the soft-coal collieries of
Northumberland accepted the advance of 2£ per cent, in
their wages offered by the masters.
— An intimation appeared in the Newcastle Weekly
Chronicle, to the effect that Uncle Toby would give three
prizes, valued at £10, £5, and £2 10s., for the three best
and most ingenious models of toys that might be invented
by the competitors.
19.— The first of a series of Sunday sacred concerts was,
334
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/July
11889.
with the sanction of the Parka Committee of the Cor-
poration, Riven in Elswick Park, Newcastle, by the
Elswick Works Band.
— A boating accident, by which Mark Lambert and
Robert Ramsay, two young men belonging to Newcastle,
were believed to have been drowned, occurred off Tyne-
mouth.
20. — It was intimated that the trustees of the fund
arising from the North-East Coast Exhibition of Naval
Architecture and Marine Engineering, held atTynemoutb
in 1882, had established a scholarship of the annual value
of £30, tenable for two years, at the Durham College of
Science in Newcastle.
— The large library of the Newcastle Literary and
Philosophical Institution, with a recent addition to the
building, was opened to the members.
— A girl named Elizabeth Collins, 15 years of age, com-
mitted suicide by taking a poisonous mixture, supposed
to be strychnine, in rooms above the Hospital for Diseases
of the Skin in Newcastle, where for some time past, as
stated at the inquest, she had lived with other two
sisters, with whom she had led a dissolute life, but such
proceedings were entirely unknown to the officers or man-
agers of the institution. On the 31st, Theresa Keenlyside
was sentenced to two months' imprisonment by the New-
castle magistrates for having acted in the management of
an immoral house in the place in question.
— During a fog in the Channel, the steamer German
Emperor, of Sunderland, came into collision with the
steamer Beresford, of West Hartlepool, which had
brought xip for safety between Deal and Ramsgate, The
German Emperor sank almost immediately, and eight of
her crew perished.
21.— The Venerable Archdeacon Watkins, D.D., of
Balliol College, Oxford, and Archdeacon of Durham, was
elected Bampton Lecturer to the University of Oxford for
the year 1890.
— A sale by auction, which extended over three days,
was begun of the machinery, fixed and loose plant, rolling
mills, itc., of the Skerne Iron Company, Limited.
22. — The silver medal of the Royal Humane Society
was awarded to James Craig, of the Ouseburn, Newcastle,
for the gallant rescue from drowning recently effected
by him in the river Tyne. (See ante, page 287. ) The
bronze medal of the society was at the same time awarded
to Charles Todd, aged 50, a ferry boatman, for saving the
life of Charles Brook, 22, from the Wear, about five miles
from Sunderland, on the 8th of April.
— During a heavy rainfall, accompanied by thunder
and lightning, at Seaham Harbour, a set of thirty-two
coal waggons ran amain on the Blast Furnace Branch,
and went over the tip-end near Noses Point on to the
beach below, doing damage to the extent of about £500.
23. — Bishop Sandford formally opened the Seamen's
Church and Institute, in High Street, Sunderland, which
had been renovated and altered to suit the purposes of
the mission, at a cost of not less than £4,500.
— The foundation stone of the new High School for
Girls was laid in Tankerville Terrace, Jesmond, by the
Venerable Archdeacon Emery, of Ely, chairman of the
Council of the Church Schools Company.
— A large barrel of brewer's yeast exploded in the par-
cels office at Alnwick Railway Station, doing considerable
damage to the ceiling and surroundings.
— At a sale of historical manuscripts in London, £1,500
was realised for a volume written for Archbishop Wilfrid,
of York, the first Bishop of Hexham, 670-680, and pre
eented to Henry VIII., by Leo X., on the occasion of
conferring upon him the title of " Defender of the Faith."
— A fine deer was seen on the Dilston estate, near Cor-
bridge.
24. — After a prolonged stay at Bournemouth, for the
benefit of his health, Dr. Lightfoot, Bishop of Durham,
returned, in a state of convalescence, to Auckland Castle,
advantage being taken of the occasion to present a
series of congratulatory addresses to his lordship, who
was received with other demonstrations of affection and
esteem. On the 30th, a special thanksgiving service, in
connection with the same gratifying event, was held in
Durham Cathedral.
26.— On the completion of various alterations and im-
provements, service was held in St. Andrew's Church,
Newcastle.
— Mrs. Hall, farmer, of Berwick Low House, Ponteland,
died from the effects of injuries received through an acci-
dent to a trap in which she was being driven near that
place on the previous day.
27. —The Very Rev. the Bishop of Lolland and Falster,
in Denmark, visited and officiated in the Danish Church
in Newcastle.
—Mr. Cuninghame Graham, M.P., visited Newcastle,
and delivered an address in the Drysdale Hall, under the
auspices of the Labour party, the chair being occupied by
Mr. Alexander Stewart, a member of the Newcastle
School Board.
28.— The Rev. Dr. Marcus Dods, formerly a Presby-
terian minister in Newcastle, and brother of Mr. T. P.
Dods, of Eilan's Gate, Hexham, was elected Professor of
New Testament Exegesis in the Free Church Theological
College, Edinburgh.
29.— A new \Vesleyan chapel, erected at a cost of
£3,700, was opened at Whitley.
30. — The Bishop of Newcastle consecrated the new
church of All Hallows (Bishop Ridley Memorial), at
Henshaw, near Haltwhistle, the village in question being
the reputed birthplace of the celebrated Episcopal martyr.
31. — It was announced that the Stewards of the Jockey
Club had agreed to act as arbitrators in a dispute be-
tween the Earl of Durham and Sir George Chetwynd.
— The Newcastle Public Library Committee agreed to
increase the salary of Mr. W. J. Haggerston, the chief
librarian, from £250 to £300 per annum.
JUNE.
1. — A branch of the National Association of Colliery
Managers was formed in Newcastle for the North of
England.
— A boy named William Rhodes, belonging to Spenny-
moor, was killed, while two other lads were severely in-
jured, by a ball of molten slag accidentally falling upon
them at Tudhoe Ironworks.
2.— A new organ, constructed by Mr. F. C. Nicholson,
was opened in All Saints' Church, Newcastle,
— During a violent thunderstorm, considerable damage
was done by lightning to property at Allendale.
— A violent thunderstorm passed over Newcastle and
the North of England. In Glendale especially its effects
were severely felt. According to a correspondent of the
Weekly Chronicle from Cornhill-on-Tweed, the storm was
accompanied by a deluge of rain and hail, such as must
have been the lot of few to witness. "The hailstones
Jul
1;
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
335
were indeed something to remember. One of them
picked up was close upon six inches in circumference, and
four, weighed together, turned the scale at half a pound,
while twelve which were picked up at random, just as
they fell, were over 18 ounces in weight. The holes made
in the ground by some of them, which were measured
after they had melted, were from 1£ to 2 inches in depth.
The greater number of the hailstones were beautifully
ringed and marbled, distinctly showing four to six layers
of different transparency. The duration of the storm was
somewhat less than twenty minutes. "
3. — It was announced that a monument had been placed
in the Barrow Cemetery over the remains of James Gall,
who had died on Christmas Day, 1888, and who was one
of the persons saved by Grace Darling, on the occasion of
the wreck of the Forfarshire, on board which he was fire-
man. (See vol. ii., page 263.)
— The election of five members to constitute the first
School Board for Benwell, Newcastle, took place, and on
the following day the result was declared, the gentlemen
elected being Messrs.. F. Weightman (Unsectarian),
Thomas Towns (Unsectarian), J. W. King (Unsectarian),
Rev. F. Bromley (Churchman), and John Liddell (Roman
Catholic).
— The Summer Seaside Camp for Boys was opened for
the second season, on the sands at Old Hartley, on the
coast of Northumberland.
4. — The new rules for the regulation of the Newcastle
Literary and Philosophical Society were finally adopted ;
and steps were taken for meeting the cost of the new
building and alterations, amounting to £1,400 in excess of
the sum of money received from the North-Eastern Rail-
way Company, Lord Armstrong having undertaken to
subscribe £700.
— Precepts for the rates ordered by the County Council
of Northumberland at their meeting on the 16th May last
were issued to the Guardians of the Unions throughout
the county. The rates for the half-year are as follows : —
General county rate, id. ; special county rate Id. ; police
rate, Id.
— Judge Holl made an order for the winding-up of the
Gateshead Borough Permanent Building Society.
— James Mackintosh, a man from Dundee, who had
lost both his legs from the effects of frost in the Arctic
seas, passed through Newcastle on a hand-propelled tri-
cycle, en route for London and Paris.
— At a meeting of the Darlington Presbytery, it was
announce;! that Mr. William Gray, shipbuilder, of West
336
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
Hartlepool, had volunteered a grant of £10,000 towards
liquidating the debt on the churches within the bounds of
that Presbytery.
5. — Mr. Thomas Lawson, chief reporter of the Newcastle
Journal, was unanimously appointed committee clerk
and Mayor's secretary, under the Corporation of New-
castle, at a salary of £360 per annum.
— At a meeting of employers in the Durham coal trade,
at the (Joal Trade Offices, Newcastle, under the presi-
dency of Mr. Lindsay Wood, a deputation, consisting of
the committee of the Federation Board, representing the
Miners', Cokemen's, Enginemen's, and Mechanics' Asso-
ciations, attended and made a formal demand on behalf
of the men for an advance of 20 per cent, in wages. The
question was left to a committee of the representatives of
the employers and the men, to report to an adjourned
meeting.
6. — It was found that of the Cleveland ironstone miners,
513 voted for amending the sliding scale, and 1,566 against
any sliding scale.
— Lord George Hamilton, First Lord of the Admiralty,
arrived at Cragside on a visit to Lord Armstrong.
— The foundation stone of a new Presbyterian Mission
Church was laid at Black Callerton, near Ponteland, by
Councillor John Goolden, of Newcastle.
— Joseph Robson and Llewelyn Morgan, two boys, were
drowned while bathing in the river Tees, near Stockton.
8. — It was announced that, as the result of the forma-
tion of the Tablet Society, a memorial slab had been in-
serted at the Head of the Side, Newcastle, bearing the
following inscription : — "Admiral Lord Collingwood, born
in this house 1748." The tablet was erected at the ex-
pense of Mr. John Clayton, as his contribution to the
fund.
10.— -The Kiglit Rev. Dr. Wilkinson, Bishop-Coadjutor
of Hexhani and Newcastle, laid the foundation stone of a
new Roman Catholic Church, to occupy a commanding
position on the south side of Westmorland Road, imme-
diately opposite Elswick Park. The building is to be
dedicated to St. Michael, and the architects are Messrs.
Dunn, Hansom, and Dunn. (See preceding page.)
General Occurrences.
MAY.
10. — Death of the Rev. Lord Sydney Godolphin Osborne,
brother of the late Duke of Leeds, aged 61. The deceased
was well-known for his letters on social, phil-inthropic,
and religious topics, written over the signature "S. G. O."
— Fatal fighting took place at Brackel and Bochum,
Germany, between the military and coal miners on strike.
Several persons were killed and wounded.
— The death was reported, at the age of 50, of Father
Joseph Damien, a famous Roman Catholic priest, who
for sixteen years had laboured among a leper colony at
Molokai, in the Sandwich Islands. He had attended the
death-beds of two thousand lepers.
12. — The London police made a raid upon two betting
clubs in the Metropolis, when about thirty persons were
arrested, including several members of the aristocracy.
The proprietors of the clubs were afterwards mulcted in
heavy penalties.
13. — Death of Mr. Irving Bishop, a well-known thought
reader, in New York. It was stated that Mr. Bishop had
fallen into a trance, and that death really resulted under
the dissecting knife of the physicians who conducted the
autopsy. The medical gentlemen were arrested ; but an
inquiry into the affair showed that death was due to coma.
20. — Mrs. Florence Maybrick, wife of Mr. James May-
brick, a Liverpool merchant, was charged with having
caused the death of her husband by administering arsenic
in his food. A coroner's jury afterwards returned a
verdict of wilful murder against Mrs. Maybrick.
— The steamer Missouri, which rescued the passengers
of an emigrant ship named the Danmark in the Atlantic,
arrived in the Thames. The captain and crew received
an ovation from hundreds of admirers on vessels and on
shore.
— The National Rifle Association decided upon Bisley
Common, situated 25 miles from London, as the site of
the future meetings in place of Wimbledon Common.
21. — A collision occurred in the English Channel
between the German Emperor, a steamer belonging to
Sunderland, and the steamer Beresford, of Hartlepool.
The former sank, and eight of her crew were drowned.
23. — The body of Dr. Cronin, an Irish Nationalist,
resident in Chicago, U.S., was discovered in a drain
The head, face,- and shoulders bore numerous ghastly
wounds. Several persons, including two detectives, were
afterwards arrested.
JUNE.
1.— About this time violent thunderstorms occurred in
the South of England. Many persons were killed, and
much damage was done.
— A terrible disaster was reported from Johnstown,
near Pittsburg, U.S. A reservoir, or lake, owing to
incessant rains, burst its banks, and an immense body
of water swept over a populous district. About 5,000
houses were destroyed, and it was stated that 7,000 per-
sons perished. Queen Victoria sent a message to Presi-
dent Harrison expressing sympathy with the sufferers.
3. — A parachutist named Young received severe injuries
through coming heavily to the earth while descending
from a balloon near London.
4. — Two parcels containing the mutilated remains of
portions of a woman's body were discovered almost
simultaneously at different points on the Thames. It
was surmised that a shocking crime had been perpetrated.
Other portions of the same body were subsequently
discovered.
5. — Volcanic eruptions are reported to have occurred at
Oshima Island, Japan, on April 13th and 14th. Upwards
of 300 houses were destroyed, and 170 persons killed.
7. — A waterspout burst over the village of Chetnole,
Dorsetshire, and did great damage to property.
9. — A monument to Giordano Bruno was unveiled at
Campo dei Fiore, Rome, where he was burned alive on
account of his religious opinions in 1600. Nearly 30,000
persons were present.
10. — An aeronaut named Spencer ascended in a balloon
from Hastings. When at a considerable height he de-
scended by means of a parachute, but fell into the sea a
mile and a half from laud, and was rescued by a passing
boat.
Printed by WALTER SCOTT, Felling-on-Tyne,
Chronicle
OF
NOKTH-COUNTRY*LORE*AND*LEGEND
VOL. III.— No. 30.
AUGUST, 1889.
PRICE GD.
Cfcorntarf
, author of " Cfte pitman'**
Wilson's
[JOWHERE within the compass of ancient
or modern literature do we find a more
exact, faithful, and touching portraiture of
humble life than is to be found in Thomas
' Pitman's Pay." It cannot be called a work of
imagination; but if ever there was put upon paper a
perfect word-picture of the Northumbrian pitman's
manners and customs, his kindly as well as rough ways,
his peculiar habits of thinking, his warm family affec-
tions, and his quaint modes of expressing himself, the
author of "The Pitman's Pay" has accomplished the
task. In every realistic quality, that poem, little known
though it be beyond the district which gave birth to it,
far excels Hector McNeil's "Will and Jean," or Alex-
ander Wilson's "Wattie and Meg." Goethe's "Hermann
and Dorothea, " a masterpiece of poetical art, as well as
instinct with lofty genius and brimful of fine feeling,
does not stand higher than this homely product of the
Tyneside Muse.
A memoir of the author of the "Pitman's Pay"
appeared in the Northern Tribune, published in 1854.
From that memoir we learn that Thomas Wilson, son of
George Wilson and Margaret Wild, was born on the 14th
of November, 1773, at Gateshead Low Fell, where his
industrious forefathers had been located for many genera
tions. In 1781, when only eight years of age, " he conir
menced a career of toil beyond conception, save by those
who are conversant with the working of coal 'mines
seventy or eighty years ago." " These days of dark-
ness and distress, " the writer continues, ' ' commenced at
22
two o'clock in the morning and continued till seven or
eight at night daily, till the Saturday afternoon. In the
winter, consequently, the worker never saw the light
from the Sunday evening until the following Saturday,
thereby affording not more than five or six hours out of
the twenty-four for recruiting both mind and body.
338
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
( AllRUBt
Instruction was almost out of the question. There was
no time for it ; even the lessons of a night-school (the
only school which was accessible) being only obtainable
by a sacrifice of the little rest which such literal slavery
allowed."
Knowledge, however, was young Wilson's great am-
bition, and with the help of a worthy man named Barras,
and his own constant reading and never-tiring industry,
he managed to acquire something more than the bare
elements. Naturally disgusted with the drudgery of the
mine, he got out of it as soon as he could ; but it was not
until he had reached his nineteenth year that he succeeded
in doing so. His literary qualifications were then such
as to enable him to obtain the position of a teacher,
first at Galloping Green, a place not more than a
mile from his father's house, and then at Shield Row,
near Lintz Green. Here he first saw the Ladies' and
Gentlemen's Diaries, which, during a period of more
than half a century, were a constant attraction to him,
and to which, for the greater part of that time, he con-
tributed mathematical problems and solutions. Here,
ulso, he acquired a knowledge of Latin, through instruc-
tion received in the colliery engine-house from the keeper
of one of the engines, a very superior man named John
Gray. In the year 1798, he succeeded in obtaining a
clerkship in the office of Mr. Thomas Robson, a native of
the Fell like himself, and then a wharfinger on Newcastle
yuay ; but here his hours were so long, and his salary so
small, that he soon left the situation and commenced
teaching school again, this time at Benwell. He next (in
1799) entered the office of Mr. John Head, an eminent
merchant and underwriter in Newcastle, and with that
gentleman he remained until the beginning of 1803, when
he removed to the counting-house of Losh, Lubboin, and
Co., with whom and their representatives he remained till
1805, wlien he entered into partnership with Mr. William
Losh. Two years after that, Mr. Thomas Bell having
been taken into the firm, its style was changed to that of
"Losh, Wilson, and Bell." The firm soon attained and
long kept a leading position amongst the great manu-
facturing and mercantile establishments of the United
Kingdom, the ironworks at Walker affording employ-
ment to several hundred persons.
Mr. Wilson met with a congenial life partner in 1810, in
the person of Mary Fell, with whom he enjoyed perfect
domestic happiness for twenty-nine years, that is to say,
till her death in 1839. Mrs. Wilson was a kindly,
sociable, charitable lady, well beloved by all who knew
her.
As to Mr. Wilson himself, his long life was devoted not
less to the extension than the attainment of useful know-
ledge. Thoroughly self-educated as he might be said to
be, it was most truly a labour of love to him to assist, by
every means in his power, in promoting the pursuit and
acquisition of scholastic learning in others. He never
refused to assist in any good work, irrespective of sect or
party. To church, chapel, or school he was an equally
liberal donor, according to the supposed wants of each.
An advanced Liberal in politics, he was tolerant of other
men's opinions and views, and never intruded his own
principles offensively on unwilling ears, so that he
enjoyed, to the end of his days, the respect and esteem of
all and sundry, Churchmen and Nonconformists, Tories,
Whigs, and Radicals. His leisure time was largely
devoted to poetry, and his productions in that line,
originally scattered over the pages of Mitchell's Newcastle
Magazine and other periodicals, were published in a col-
lective form, and in a handsome volume, in 18+3. "The
Pitman's Pay " is the longest and best of his works ; but
there is not one of them that does not bear, more or less
deeply impressed, the stamp of true genius.
Mr. Wilson was unanimously elected a member of the
Gateshead Town Council in 1835, when the Municipal
Reform Act conferred upon that place the privilege of
governing itself in local matters ; and at the first meeting
of the Council he was chosen an alderman, an honour
which he continued to enjoy for eighteen years, after
which, at his own request, he was allowed to retire into
private life. He respectfully but firmly declined, when
repeatedly and earnestly pressed, to undertake the duties
of the Mayoralty, though he would have been unani-
mously elected had he given his consent, and though, on
one occasion, one of his colleagues offered to do the whole
official business for him, if he would only accept the
office. It was neither indifference nor indolence that
prompted these refusals, but a modest unobtrusiveness of
character that shunned public display.
In the latter part of his life, his name may truly be said
to have been like a household word on both sides of the
Tyne. He paid the debt we all owe to nature in his
eighty-fifth year, on Sunday, the 9th of May, 1858.
The melancholy event took place at Fell House, Gates-
head, the "local habitation" he had chosen and re-
built for himself, after he had risen by his own well-
directed efforts from the depths of inherited poverty to an
honourable independence, which it was his good fortune
to enjoy tranquilly till death.
"The Poet's Funeral" has been described in a beautiful
poem in blank verse by Mr. James Clephan, a congenial
spirit and fellow-labourer in every good work. The poet
tells us how he was borne from his life-long home, by son
and grandson, kinsmen and neighbours, and how —
Faces, unseen, were at the shrouded casements,
Watching and weeping o'er his last outgoing.
Anguish'd that he, the loved and the lamented.
Pride of their home, its happiness and honour,
Whose going and whose coming, morn and evening,
Day after day, through years of life-domestic,
Swang to and fro upon the household dial,
Should come and go no more — for ever — never !
For the sake of readers at a distance, who have pro-
bably never seen the "Pitman's Pay," "The Market
Day," "The Pea Jacket," or any other of the racy pro-
ductions of Thomas Wilson, we are tempted to quote here
August (
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
339
some of the more salient and impressive passages ; but
the difficulty of selection where all is so good causes us to
forbear. Here follows, however, a mere taste of Wilson's
style. Listen to what a pitman says of his wife : —
'Mang the hewers i' wor pit,
There's nyen hez sic a wife as me.
For if maw " top " comes badly doon,
Or owt else keeps me lang away,
She che«rs me wi' the well-knawn soun' —
"Thou's had a lang an* weary day."
If aw be naggy, Nanny's smile
Suin myeks me blithe as ony lark,
And fit te loup a yett or stile —
Maw verra byens forget te wark.
Maw Nan — maw bairns — maw happy hyem —
Set ower hard labour's bitter pill ;
O Providence 1 but spare me them ;
The warl may then wag as it will.
The good husband would fain stay a while longer in a
public-house, to which Nan had gone on purpose to fetch
him home, but pretending she had "just lyuk'd in as she
cam by." He pleads that it is Saturday night, and " the
caller dizzn't call te-morn, " but she rejoins —
Nay, hinny, Ned, ne langer stay —
We mun be hyem te little Neddy :
He's just a twelvemonth awd to-day,
An' will be cryin' for his deddy.
Aw'll tyek thee hyem a pot o' beer,
A nice clean pipe, an' backy tee ;
Thou knaws I like to hae thee near,
Come, hinny, come, gan hyem wi' me !
The legitimate influence here exercised is successful, and
the pitman, acknowledging the power of woman when
properly used, throws down his pipe and his reckoning
with the exclamation —
Aw will, aw will cran hyem wi' thee.
Once home, Little Neddy is set upon his father's knee,
while the mother gets the savoury supper ready — "a bit
o' guisey's tripe." And then taking the child back into
her own keeping, she addresses it thus : —
Come to me, maw little lammy !
Come, thou apple o' my ee !
Come, my Neddy, to thy mammy !
Come, my darlin', come to me !
We feel bound to say that nowhere else, in the course of
a somewhat multifarious reading in sundry dead and
living languages, have we met with a quatrain of truer grit
and sounder ring, expressive of a gush of genuine
motherly feeling, than this.
Hush a ba ! babby ! be ;
For Sharp and Walker killed thou and me.
— Nursery Rhyme.
E strange ways in which great crimes, and
especially murders, have been discovered,
form one of the most tragically interesting
chapters of human story. Revelations made
in dreams are among the most curious, if not best
authenticated instances. The old saying that "mur-
der will out" has from time to time been said to have
been verified through the shadowy agency of dreams, and
popular belief has it that men have even in their waking
moments received such supernatural evidence of crime as
to lead to the detection of the criminal. The story we
are about to tell is an illustration of this. Surtees, the
historian of Durham county, relates the circumstances
with great confidence in the truth of the whole tragedy,
and other writers have dwelt upon it as if it had the most
genuine claims to be recorded as fact. The whole legend
is stamped with the superstitions of the time, and should
be read rather as an illustration of how people thought
two hundred and fifty years ago than as a narration of
verity.
John Grahame, miller at Lumley, near Chester-le-
Street, was not at all a superstitious man. Indeed, his
character was altogether the opposite. He had not so
much imagination as to court even an ignorant fear of the
supernatural, and he laughingly ridiculed all who thought
differently on this subject from himself. It should be
remembered that the events recorded in our story took
place in 1631 or 1632. At that time it was a bold thing to
avow a disbelief in witches and fairies and warlocks, and
other imaginary tenants of elfin palaces or lonely cottages
on moss or moor. But Grahame, the miller, cared for
none of these things. He would laugh outright at the
fearful romances told by his neighbours of personal
encounters with the devil, of cattle being injured by
fairies, of children vanishing from the bosoms of sleep-
ing mothers, of "dead lights," "dead watches," and
"warnings." He was a genial man withal, this Lumley
miller, and could sing a song at Christmas and midsummer
merry-makings like any other happy man of his happy
craft. He had gathered money in his time, had married
happily, but was childless, yet he accepted what befel him
philosophically. But a circumstance was soon to happen
which, if it did not change the miller's character, very
closely affected his happiness, and caused the good man
much trouble f -jr a time. The winter had come. Harvest
had been gathered. The slow, mellow autumn moons had
merged into the short, sharp glimpses which pass for days
in "frosty, dark December." The farmers brought their
corn to grind in such quantities that all the powers of the
miller were taxed. He ran his mill early and late. He
stayed not at meal times to enjoy his usual quiet smoke
and talk. Even his "forty winks" after dinner were
neglected, and he denied himself the pleasures of his own
fireside in order to minister to the necessities of his
customers. In all this there was, of course, the certainty
of being repaid for his exertions, and then, when summer
came, and stack-yards were empty, and corn-fields were
green, he could enjoy his leisure and reap the fruits of his
winter's toil. So he made the mill-wheel go, and tended
the hopper early in the morning and far into the night.
See him, then, busy at his labour. The mill clanks merrily
on. The golden grain trembles in the hopper, the meal
flows out in a snowy stream, and a white mist floats
340
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
through the dim light of the well-filled house. It is mid-
night. Grahame has just filled the hopper for the last
time, and has returned to the floor of the mill. The doors
are shut. The white sacks stand out in the imperfect
light— for the days of gas have not yet come— and, ranged
round the building, four or five deep, they look like pale
soldiers dressed for parade, or a ghostly regiment of
spectres keeping watch and ward in the gloom. But
Grahame thinks not of these things. His mind dwells on
his work and on realities, leaving morbid fancies to those
who care to entertain them. But what is this? Heavens!
The very flesh of the bold Grahame begins to creep. He
feels his blood run cold. He would fain start away. He
fears to look at the apparition, yet his eyes refuse to cease
pazing. They take in the details in a moment. There is
a woman with hair dishevelled, with blood streaming from
her head and saturating the dark tresses with crimson
gore. Five wounds gape in her head, and spout forth the
lurid current. The spring seems exhaustless, for the miller
feels that he has gazed at the bleeding form for half a life-
time, and still the stream flows on. At last he finds
words to speak. He is not a cowardly man. A genial,
kindly nature never is. He is naturally brave. But this
upsets all his preconceived ideas of the natural, or even
the spiritual, and for a time his tongue refuses to obey the
half-formed resolution of the brain. Now, his senses are
more collected, and he asks the figure her errand. "I am
the spirit," the spectre replied, "of Anne Walker, who,
while in the flesh, lived with your neighbour, John
Walker. I was betrayed by Walker : but he promised
faithfully to treat me well, and send me to a place where
I would receive all necessary care. After that, it was
arranged that I should come again and keep his house.
Accordingly, I was sent away one night with Mark Sharp,
a collier, Walker making believe that he was to take me
to a place where I would be well looked after till I was fit
to return to his house. But Sharp slew me with a miner's
!>ick, giving me these five wounds in the head. He threw
my body into the pit, and hid the pick under a bank. He
then tried to wash the blood from his shoes and stockings;
but, as this evidence of his guilt would not vanish, he
hid his shoes and stockings there. And now, Master
Grahame, you must be the man to reveal this base and
cruel deed, else my spirit shall haunt you for ever ! "
With these words the apparition vanished, and the
mill floor was the same as before. Grahame could no
longer stop in the mill alone. The man was terrified.
Taking his lamp in his hand, he ascended the trap stair to
the hopper, and then and there stopped the machinery for
the night. When the mill was still, the miller's situation
became even more unbearable. He feared the darkness ;
but perfect quietude, added to the gloom of midnight,
made the usually bold man feel excessively terrified. He
would not move a step without taking his lamp along with
him, and even it but partially lighted up the suspicious
corners, where he always expected to meet again the
apparition which had but newly vanished. It was with
a feeling of intense relief that he closed the door that
night on the mill and all its belongings.
Lantern in hand, he hied him home to his dwelling,
which stood on a slight eminence a little way from the
mill. The good wife was patiently waiting his return,
and a cheerful fire and a hearty supper welcomed the
industrious miller to his home. "You've come earlier
than you expected, John, " said the unsuspecting woman.
"Yes, "he replied, "Farmer Davis sent me word that he
could wait five days longer for his corn, and so I thought
I would give up and come home to bed. I'm tired, wife,1'
he added, as he threw himself into his capacious arm
chair, and was speedily lost in moody thought, gazing
abstractedly on the bright embers of the fire. He had
resolved to say nothing of the apparition to his wife ; so
he feigned to be cheerful, although troubled enough at
heart, and invented a white kind of lie in order to prevent
suspicion. The truth was he felt ashamed to confess,
even to his wife, how frightened he was; and, not thinking
that the visit of the apparition would be renewed, not-
withstanding its threat, he determined to brave it out for
once, neither revealing what he had seen to his friends
nor acquainting the authorities with the crime. Indeed,
he half distrusted his own senses as to the apparition, and
was half inclined to think himself a fool for his pains.
Yet the thing preyed upon his mind, and he slept uneasily
till the morning light helped to dispel the miserable im-
pression left upon him, and he went about his work as
usual.
But the miller took care not to stop in the mill after
dark any more. Customers might clamour for their meal,
or threaten that they must have it ground or whole ;
Grahame was deaf to their persuasions in so far as
working extra time was concerned. His frugal wife
hailed the change with delight. She had his company
through the dark evenings, and the satisfaction that he
was no longer slaving himself unnecessarily, as there was
plenty to maintain both her and him. But she little
dreamed of the reason which kept the good man at home
o" nights. The apparation was not, however, to be
baulked.
One night the miller had stayed longer than usual in
the mill, and while on his way home the dreaded figure
once more appeared. This time its aspect was stern and
vindictive. On the previous occasion the face and eyes
had an appealing look, but now they had assumed the
aspect of command. The voice warned him that he
must be the man to reveal the murder, till which revela-
tion were made the spirit would continue to haunt him.
Still Grahame was reticent. People would say he was out
of his mind. So Grahame resolved to keep his counsel.
His loving wife pleaded for an explanation of his moodi-
ness. The neighbours said he was daily getting thinner ;
they talked together and shook their heads concerning
what evil thing was so gradually eating into the vitals of
AUTUSt 1
lisa, s
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
341
the miller. Grahame bore their inquiries after his health
with good-natured equanimity, but sadly wished to have
the burden off his mind. Yet he said nothing.
At last, when walking in his garden on St. Thomas's
Eve before Christmas, the figure appeared to him once
again. This time it looked BO threatening as to force him
to promise to reveal the secret next morning. When
morning dawned, he kept his promise. He went to a
magistrate, and faithfully told all he knew. In those
days such a revelation was not regarded as exceedingly
strange. Search was made in the coal pit, and the body
was found with five wounds in the head as described by
the spectre to the miller. The pick and shoes and stock-
ings, with the blood upon them, were found where the
figure said they were hid.
The revelation led to the apprehension of John Walker
and Mark Sharp. And now the gossip of the countryside
was fairly roused. It had been known before that Anne
Walker, a kinswoman of John Walker, and his house-
keeper, had suddenly disappeared, and the neighbours
had a well-grounded suspicion that all was not well with
the young woman. But little stir was made. John
Walker was in good circumstances, but scarcely respected.
Nobody could well say why they did not, like him, but
all felt a constraint in his company, and had a feeling that
he was not right at the core. He was a widower now, and
rumour said his wife, poor woman, had a bad time of it
with him before death came to her relief. Soon after she
died, Anne Walker, his niece, came to be housekeeper^
She was a pleasing young woman of twenty-five, or there-
abouts, and had the additional charm of beauty to
enhance her womanly youth. There was much regret
that she had fallen into trouble, and especially with one
who should have been her guardian. The neighbours
were very wroth with Walker, whom they suspected,
although Anne invariably refused to tell the name of her
seducer, answering to all friendly inquiries that he was
one who would take good care of her and her child. So
she went to her death with the secret on her lips. Mark
Sharp had come originally from Lancashire, and was a
boon companion of Walker's. The arrest of Sharp and
Walker, and the recital of the means by which the murder
had been discovered, created an immense sensation among
the superstitious people who lived at the time.
Surtees quotes at length concerning this wonderful case
from an old book, now before us, on "Witches and
Apparitions," written by Joseph GlanvU, "Chaplain in
Ordinary to His Majesty, and Fellow of the Royal
Society. " Glanvil's book, which was published in London
in 1681, and which shows that the belief in supernatural
agencies was then as rife among the learned as it was long
afterwards among the ignorant, contains a letter from Dr.
Henry More to the author, calling his attention to the
narrative which Master John Webster, a practitioner in
physic, had included in his "Display of Supposed Witch-
craft. " Master Webster, after citing many of the facts
above recorded, makes the following extraordinary state-
ment : —
At the Assizes, I think it was at Durham, Walker and
Sharp were arraigned, found guilty, condemned, and
executed, but I could never hear they confessed the fact.
There were some that reported that the apparition did
appear to the Judge, or the foreman of the jury, who was
alive in Chester in the street about ten years ago, as I
have been credibly informed, but of that I know no cer-
tainty. There are many persons yet alive that can
remember this strange murder, and the discovery of it ;
for it was, and sometimes yet is, as much discoursed of in
the North Country as anything that almost hath ever been
heard of, and the relation printed tho' now not beeotten.
I relate this with the greater confidence (though I may
fail in some circumstances) because I saw and read the
letter that was sent to Serjeant Hutton from the Judge
before whom Walker and Sharp were tried. . . . This
I confess to be one of the most convincing stories, being of
undoubted verity, that ever I read, heard, or knew of, and
carneth with it the most evident force to make the most
incredulous spirit to be satisfied that there are really
sometimes such things as apparitions.
Webster quotes tlie testimony of two persons who were
present at the trial— William Lumley, of Great Lumley
and James Smart, of the City of Durham. We reproduce
Smart's story, word for word, from G [anvil's book : —
The trial of Sharp and Walker was in the month of
August, 1631, before Judge Davenport. One Mr. Fair-
hair gave it in evidence, upou oath, that he see the
likeness of a child stand upon Walker's shoulders during
the time of the trial; at which time the Judge was very
much troubled, and gave sentence that niuht the trial was:
which was a thing never used m Durham before nor after.
We have only to add that the site of Walker's mill
and the scene of the reputed murder are still shown at
Lumley. The exact spot where the crime was said to
have been committed is situated in a little ravino in the
Old Mill Wood, known to this day, we are informed, as
Sharp and Walker's Gill.
STfte
ttf at 2L0tTtrcrirtynTt>.
J1HARLES WILLIAM STEWART was the
only son of Robert, first Marquis of London-
derry, by his second wife, Frances, daughter
of Lord Chancellor Cainden, and was half-
brother of the second marquis, the offspring of his
father's first marriage, better known as Lord Castle-
reagh, who, as is well known, died by his own hand,
without issue.
Charles was born in Dublin in 1778, and was destined
for the military profession. He was in his fifteenth
year when he received his first commission as ensign,
and embarked under the Earl of Moira, afterwards
Marquis of Hastings, to relieve the Duke of York from
the perilous position in which he found himself after the
reduction of Ypres and the capture of Charleroi. Having
held for a few months the post of assistant quartermaster
general to a division of the forces under General Doyle,
he was attached in the following year to Colonel Craw-
furd's mission to the Court of Vienna ; and while thus
occupied he received a severe wound at the battle of
342
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
J Au
I If
Donauwerth, being carried senseless from the field.
Returning home, he became aide-de-camp to his uncle,
Earl Cum Jen. during his Lord-Lieutenancy in Ireland.
The year after gaining his majority, in 1796, he was made
lieutenant-colonel of the 5th Dragoon Guards, and
while encamped on the Curragh of Kildare succeeded in
bringing into partial discipline and order " the worst of
bad regiments," which he commanded during the trying
period of the Rebellion of 1798. The regiment having
been subsequently disbanded for insubordination, Colonel
Stewart was appointed to the command of the 18th Light
Dracroons, which he accompanied to Holland under Sir
Ralph Abercrombie : and in this expedition he was
again severely wounded at the head of the outposts near
Schagenburg. In 1803 he became full colonel and aide-de-
camp to his Majesty George III. ; and for a short time
he occupied the post of Under-Secretary of State for
the War Department.
This post he quitted in order to accept the command
of a Hussar brigade under Sir John Moore in Portugal,
as brigadier-general, and he did good service by covering
the march of Sir John Hope's division into Spain, and
the retreat of Sir John Moore, during which he success-
fully repulsed an attack of the French Imperial Guard.
On reaching Corunna he was labouring under severe
ophthalmia, and Sir John Moore, who had the highest
opinion of his abilities, sent him home to report on the
state of affairs, with the character of being " one
incapable of stating anything but the truth." In
a few months, having recovered his sight, he returned
to the seat of war as adjutant-general under Sir
Arthur Wellesley, which post he held until May, 1813.
During the pursuit of Marshal Soult's army across the
Douro, and again at Talavera, he rendered important ser-
vices, for which he received the thanks of the House of
Commons.
During all this time, since the meeting of the first
Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1801, he had re-
presented the county of Londonderry, and he continued
to do so until 1814, when he was raised to the peerage.
Meanwhile, he had risen to the rank of lieutenant-
general, and had received the Order of the Bath, besides
Purtuguese, Russian, and Prussian honours, in recognition
of his services, not only in the field, but also in the capacity
of envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary
at the Court of Berlin, where he acted as military com-
missioner to the allied sovereigns, and was specially
charged with the supervision of Bernadotte, the new
King of Sweden, who had armed his troops with British
supplies, but who was thought to be wavering in his
allegiance, and inclined to cast his sword into the
scale in favour of his old master, Bonaparte. The
secret history of the time showed what kind of
remonstrances the British envoy found it necessary to
employ at so critical a moment as that which immediately
preceded the battle of Leipzig. The allied Continental
Powers were each and all manceuvering for their own
ends, and had positively to be bribed to hold steadfastly
together in the common cause against the man who was
commonly styled "the Corsicau Usurper."
In 1814 he was raised to the peerage as Lord Stewart,
and appointed ambassador to Austria ; and in the follow-
ing year was one of the plenipotentiaries at the Congress
of Vienna, together with his brother, Lord Castlereagh,
the Duke of Wellington, and Lords Cathcart and Clan-
carty. In the short, decisive campaign of 1815, ending
with the battle of Waterloo, Lord Stewart took an aetive
part. He was present at what Byron, in his " Vision of
Judgment, " denominates the " crowning carnage "; and
he accompanied the Iron Duke to the occupation of Pans,
and stood by his side at the magnificent review of all the
"Jhe tyarquis o? L
Russian troops that were in France, on the plains of
Vertus, on the 10th of September, 1815. Our portrait
represents Lord Stewart in uniform as he appeared about
this time.
Lord Stewart had married, in 1804, Lady Catharine
Bligh, fourth daughter of John, third Earl of Darnley,
who died in 1812, leaving him a son, who succeeded him
as fourth Marquis of Londonderry, but died without
issue in 1872. After being about seven years a widower,
Lord Stewart married Frances Anne, only daughter
and heiress of Sir Harry Vane-Tempest, Bart., of
Wynyard and Long Newton, county Durham, and
on his marriage (3rd April, 1819) assumed by royal
license the surname of Vane only and the arms of Vane
quarterly. Succeeding to the marquisate on the death of
his brother in 1822, he was soon afterwards created Earl
Vane, with remainder to his sons by his second marriage.
August >
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
343
In right of his wife, he became the owner of vast posses-
sions in the county of Durham, including some of the
most important coal mines of the district. He lost no
time in applying himself actively to the development of the
mineral and commercial resources of his English estates,
and with this view entered into negotiations with the
River Wear Commissioners for certain exclusive privi-
leges for the shipment of coals ; but this boon having
been refused, he declared that he would make the grass
grow in the streets of Sunderland, and at once sec about
the construction of Seaham Harbour, a vast under-
taking, which was completed in 1828.
After his settlement in the county of Durham, where
at Wynyard Park (as related in vol. ii., p. 349), he wel-
comed his old companion in arms, the Duke of Welling-
ton, in 1827, the marquis never accepted any public office
or employment, with the exception of the embassy to
Russia, which he undertook during Sir Robert Peel's
brief tenure of office in 1834-35, but relinquished before
proceeding to his destination.
Lord Londonderry was the author of a " History of the
Peninsular War," published in 1808-13, and he also
edited the correspondence of his brother Robert, the
second marquis, which he published in 1850.
During upwards of half a century, he advocated in the
Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament the strongest
Tory principles, and that not always in the way best
calculated to disarm opposition. As a local magnate,
he generally interfered, in the same uncompromising
spirit, in the county and borough elections, one of the
consequences of which was that he was the means of
breaking up the Durham Conservative Association, of
which he had acted as president. It was to his defection,
too, that the Conservatives ascribed their defeat in Dur-
ham City on July 25, 1843, when Mr. John Bright was
first returned to Parliament.
Mr. Francis Mewburn, in writing of this election in
his "Larchfield Diary," says: — "Wonders will never
cease ! The bishop, dean, and several prebendaries, and
all the old Whig party, voted for a Quaker and a man
holding extreme opinions in politics. The Marquis of
Londonderry had fifty-four pitmen (freemen of Durham)
in his pay ; they worked as much as they pleased, and
cost him £2,000 per annum. The marquis was dread-
fully wroth ; and would not allow his pay-men to vote.
His lordship supposed that, if Purvis (the Conservative
candidate) got in, he would not be induced to make way
for his nominee, and that the independent party among1
the Tories would always support him." A month later a
meeting of the Conservative Association was held in
Durham, when it was resolved to dissolve the society.
The gallant nobleman died at Holderness House,
London, on the 1st of March, 1854, and was buried
at Long Newton, near Wynyard Park, his princely seat
in the county of Durham. He was succeeded in the
raarquisate and the Irish estates by his eldest son,
who represented the county Down for many years as
Viscount Castlereagh, while the earldom of Vane and
the English property passed to the eldest son of his second
marriage, Viscount Seaham, who succeeded to all the
titles and estates as fifth marquis, on his brother dying
without issue in 1872. The titles and estates are now
held by the sixth marquis, who succeeded his father in
1884.
An equestrian statue was raised to Lord Londonderry's
memory in 1861 in the Market Place of Durham. The
cost of it was defrayed by subscription, and it was ex-
ecuted by a clever Italian artist, Signor Monti.
ILtmr.
H HIS pretty little waterfall, or linn, is situate
near to Bellingham, in the western portion of
Northumberland. It is reached by following
the course of the Hareshaw burn from its confluence
with the North Tyne to a point where it emerges from a.
thickly-wooded dene. Paths cross and re-cross the burn
over rustic bridges. There are about two miles of sylvan
track, small falls being succeeded by larger, until the linn
itself is reached. When seen against the sky, as it comes
rushing through the passage it has worn for itself, closed
in by vertical rocks on either side, the trees meeting over
head, the linn has the effect, according to Mr. W. J.
Palmer, of a torrent streaming through a vast open
window. The sandstone rock is picturesquely broken and
344
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{August
18%.
iron-impregnated, making a glowing setting for the barn
as it falls to the shelving rock below.
Cfturcft,
Jfell.
T. JOHN'S CHURCH, Gateshead Fell, is
a conspicuous object from many parts of
Northumberland and Durham. It is nverred,
too, that in clear weather it can be seen from certain
high points in Yorkshire. It is, in fact, one of the
moat commanding of local landmarks. Of modest pro-
portions, it presents no noticeable external features,
and but for its lofty site would attract no more attention
than many other sacred edifices. The drawing here
given is interesting from the fact that it is a reproduction
of a picture by the local artist, Mr. J. W. Carmichael,
and also because it gives some idea of the immediate sur-
roundings more than half a century ago. In the extreme
distance one gets a glimpse of the steeple of St. Nicholas'
Church, Newcastle, and nearer is seen the long line of
windmills that pave the name to the Windmill Hills,
Gateshead.
William Cobbett, in describing his tour through the
North of England, says :— " The county of Durham
struck me very forcibly as being remarkable for two
things — namely, the richness of its bishopric and the
scantiness of its churches." This remark applied more
particularly to the northern part of the county. Previous
to the year 1825, there were only two churches between
Gateshead and Durham — that at Chester-le-Street, and
that at Lamesley. Gateshead had but one church — St.
Mary's, which is situate at the extreme north of the ex-
tensive parish — until 1810, when St. Edmund's was built
An Act of Parliament, passed in 1809, constituted Gates-
head Fell a separate parish, and an acre of ground was
set apart for a church and churchyard. The new parish
still remained united to the old one so far as the
maintenance of the poor was concerned. It was not until
1824- that the foundation stone of the new church at
Gateshead Fell was laid. The edifice was opened in
August of the following year. The first rector was the
Rev. W. Hawks, a most excellent man. A liberal
benefactor to the church was the rector's father, Sir
Robert Shafto Hawks, who took the liveliest interest in
all things relating to the parish. In 1828, Sir Robert
built a rectory-house, the foundation of which was laid in
June, when a large assembly met to witness the ceremony.
Each person received a neatly-printed card, bearing the
following inscription : —
The foundation stone of the building intended for the
rectory-house for the parish of Gateshead Fell was laid
llth June, 1828, on which day the site was named, and
will ever afterwards be called, Hawksbury Hill.
The rectory then built remains to this day, but the
name of Hawksbury Hill has long been forgotten. In
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
345
1827, Mr. David Hawks, a blind brother of the rector,
presented an excellent organ to the church, at which he
himself presided on the day of opening, and frequently at
the Sunday services.
Hmrtim Cfturcft.
like almost all English towns,
has its pleasant suburbs. Chief of these is
the village of Norton, "the north town,"
two miles distant. The whole road thither
is now almost lined with houses, ranging in status from
the cottage of the artizan to the villa of the tradesman
and the mansion of the merchant.
The ancient relationship of Stockton and Norton has
long been reversed. The latter is the adjunct of the
former. There was a time, however, when Stockton had
no church of its own, and its inhabitants were obliged to
journey, for all the purposes of religion, to their parish
church of Norton. The ancient chapel of Stockton was
founded in 1237, when permission was granted that the
parishioners should have therein baptism, burial, and all
other ecclesiastical rights, but should still be required to
visit their mother church at Norton on the Feast of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary — that is, on the
15th of August— bringing with them their offerings. There
were no tram-cars then, and it was needful to appoint a
time in summer for this annual visit. As late as the
reign of Edward VL, it was reported that " the chapel of
Stockton standeth a mile [really two miles] from the parish
church, not only for the easement of the inhabitants of the
town of Stockton, but also for the easement of diverse
parishioners of sundry other parishes in the winter time,
when for rainy floods they can come nowhere else to hear
divine service."
The road to Norton terminates at the village green, a
large open space, rendered available to the geese and
ducks of the parish by the presence of a pond, and itself
the joyous inheritance of the village children. On this
green, or perhaps in the churchyard, was formerly held
the market of Norton, license for which was granted to
Bishop Flambard by Henry I. The market was to be
held every Lord's Day, not at all an unusual market day
in those times.
The church and vicarage are at the west end of the
green. The former is one of the most venerable and inter-
esting churches in the county of Durham. Parts of it were
built before the arrival in this country of William the Nor-
man. These parts are of genuine Saxon architecture. How
old they may be we have no means of knowing. We have
no history of Norton going back to that far-off time. There
is, however, a passage in what is called the Liber Vita; of
Durham which probably refers to this place. Therein
we read that Ulfcytel, Osulf's son, gave Nortdn by
measure, and with the men thereof, to Saint Cuthbert,
^np
l^l^tf 3 ^.-S
! - vfc!
346
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I Auf UBt
\ 1889.
and expressed the wish that anyone who should pervert
this gift may be out off from God's deed and from all
privilege of sanctuary. If this Ulfcytel was son of Osulf,
Earl of Northumberland, the gift of Norton may have
taken place about the year 1000, or a little earlier.
Soon after the Conquest, however, we have authentic
history of the church of Norton. When, in 1081, William
de Carileph became Bishop of Durham, he found the
Church of St. Cuthbort (established by his predecessor,
Aldhune, in 998), occupied by secular clergy, who had
wives and families, and whose lives, as one chronicler
suggests, were far from exemplary. The bishop therefore
removed them from the Cathedral, giving them preben-
daries in the churches of Auckland, Darlington, Norton,
and Heighington, and filling their places at Durham by
removing thither the monks of Jarrow and Monkwear-
mouth. This was in the year 1083. Norton then
became what is called a collegiate church. In 1227
there were eight prebendaries here, and the
church was occupied by the same number till the
dissolution of religious houses by Henry VIII.
The church is what is usually described as a cruciform
structure ; that is, its ground plan is in the form of a
cross. The tower rises from the point where the two
litnbs of the cross meet. The most ancient parts of the
buildiuer are the tower, the north transept, and, except
its south wall, the south transept. All these parts
belong to Saxon times. The chancel and nave
have been rebuilt at more recent periods. Enough re-
mains of the earliest edifice to enable us to determine its
original character. Our engraving, which is a view of
the church from the south-west, shows an angular headed
window in the tower, overlooking the roof of the south
transept. There is a similar window on each side of the
tower. Anciently these windows looked from the tower,
not out of, but into the church. The lines of the
ancient roofs, rising above the windows of which I speak,
have left their marks on the tower walls, as may be seen
in the engraving. But in those times the tower rose no
higher than the ridge of the four roofs of the church. It
was lighted from without by the eight curious little open-
ings, some of them formed of a single stone, which still
exist, two on each side. The upper part of the tower was
then a chamber, which was entered through a doorway iu
its south wall, which in turn was reached by a ladder or
stairway from the south transept. The floor of this
chamber has been removed but the doorway remains.
This chamber was no doubt inhabited, but whether by
an anchorite or a sacristan it is impossible to say. It
may be worth while to mention that in ancient times
someone lived constantly in every church.
The tower opens into the transepts by two arches, which
are as old as any part of the building. For some reason
the inner portions of these arches have been cut away.
In the east wall of the north transept there is a water
drain, or piscina, as such things were usually called.
Their use was this. Before the priest consecrated the
bread and wine at the altar he washed bis hands, and
again after the communion. He also rinsed the chalice.
The water in which these things had been done was
poured into the piscina, from which a drain carried it
into the earth. This north transept was formerly called
" the Blakiston porch," having been doubtless occupied
by a chantry founded by some member of the Blakiston
family. The family of Blakiston was settled on a neigh-
bouring estate from the year 1341 till about 1640, when it
was purchased by a Newcastle merchant, of whom I have
a little more to say presently. The south transept was
called the "Pity Porch," possibly because of some
chantry dedicated to "our Lady of Pity," as the Virgin
was commonly called.
The present nave was built near the close of the twelfth
century, probably about 1180-1190, and is of what is
usually called transitional architecture. Except the
arcades of the nave, and the windows of the clerestory
above, all its features have suffered at the hand of the
restorer. The tracery of the great west window and of
all the aisle windows is entirely modern. Each aisle is
separated from the nave by an arcade of three pointed
arches. We must ascribe the arches, which open from
the tower into the nave and chancel, to the same date,
although they are round headed. I must not omit to
mention the two-light window which, in the fifteenth
century, was inserted in the south clerestory of the nave,
in place of one of the ancient single lights, and into the
head of which an old grave-cover was built.
The chancel was rebuilt about the middle of the thir-
teenth century. It had in its east gable four lancet
lights, of which the banded nook-shafts of the outer two,
with their capitals and bases, and half their arches, still
remain. There are two original windows in the north
wall, one of which looks now only into the gloom of the
vestry. In the south wall we have one of the "sedilia/"
as the recessed seats for the officiating priests were
called, and part of a second. The arch moulding of the
perfect seat is of most beautiful design.
Amongst the memorials of the departed in Norton
Church, the chief place must be given to the magnificent
effigy of which we give an engraving. The worthy knight
for whom this monument was sculptured is represented
clothed, except his head and neck, in chain armour. Over
this he wears a surcoat. From a belt hangs his sword, in
a banded and jewelled sheath. Over his head is a richly -
crocketted canopy, whilst at bis feet two animals,
apparently a lion and a dog, struggle in deadly combat.
A female kneels at his riirht side, with an open book in
her hands. Oh his left arm he carries his shield. Whose
arms does that shield bear ? It has, as the heralds would
say, six quarterings ; that is, six coats-of-arms are
marshalled on one shield, though tour only could
be shown in our engraving. These six coats are the
arms of the families of Blakiston, Surtees, Bowes,
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
347
Dalden, Conyers, and Conyers again. Such a coat-of-
arms could only be borne by the descendants of
John Blakiston, who married one of the daughters
of Sir George Bowes, of Dalden and Streatlam, and
who died in 1587. But the costume of the effigy is of
the reign of Edward I., and is, therefore, of a period
and then carved on it his own. Behind the canopy, how-
ever, over the knight's head, are two other shields, one of
which is that of Fulthorpe, an ancient family seated in
the neighbouring parish of Grindon. From the middle of
the thirteenth century till 1341 a family named Park,
who had probably intermarried with the Fulthorpes,
owned the estate of Blakiston. To one of the members
of this family of Park the effigy in all probability
belongs.
Of the monumental inscriptions in Norton Church the
most interesting is a series which belongs to the family of
Davison, of Newcastle and Blakiston. The series begins
with Sir Thomas Davison, son of the Sir Alexander
Davison who died in November, 1644, in consequence of
injuries he received during the siege of Newcastle in the
preceding month, when he, a valiant soldier of fourscore
years, was under arms, and in the command of Sir John
Marley.
Our view of Norton Church is from a photograph by
Mr. William Baker, of Stockton ; and our engraving of
the effigy is from a sketch by the writer.
.T. R. BOYLE, F.S.A.
when the Blakistons were unknown at Norton. The ex-
planation of this difficulty is that some Blakiston has ap-
propriated the monument to a member of his own family,
and has chiselled off the original bearings of the shield.
VIII.
THE SAVAGES OF HALFDEN.
AVING assassinated their Danish governor,
in 873, the Angles of Northumbria began to
hope that the rough grip of the Vikings
would eventually be thrown off. But if this
really was their expectation, it must have been aban-
doned, in 875, when the powerful fleet of Halfden suc-
ceeded in forcing its way up the Tyne. Considering the
importance of this event, the records concerning it are
regretably meagre. The Danish leader is said to have
moored his ships near the mouth of the Team, and, after
protecting them by trenches on the banks, made himself
comfortable throughout the entire winter. In the bright
and genial days of the following spring they emerged
from their resting-place, and, with their ever-ready wea-
pons, quickly put down all opposition. From Hexham
in one direction, to Monkchester, Jarrow, and Tynemouth
in another, they left many sad relics of their passage ;
while in the church lands, to the south, they secured
valuable treasure from Ebchester, Gateshead, and Fin-
chale. In the North, there still remained the grandly
revived pile of Lindisfarne, and it was on this spot that
the chief hopes of Halfden rested. It was thought to be
a sort of storehouse for the entire district, and, had he
seized it first, it is quite likely that a magnificent haul
would have rewarded his exertions. But the news of his
depredations had somehow reached the monkly occu-
348
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
1889.
pants ; and, therefore, gathering up their coffined saints,
their crucifixes and jewels, their altars and shrines, they
set off in search of a safer resting-place. How they found
it, after their seven years' wanderings, need not be re-
capitulated here. Our chief concern is with the fate of
the monastery itself, and that was sad enough. Its walls
were levelled, its ornamentation shattered, and the mass
of its remaining occupants slain in the fury of the Danish
disappointment. The destruction was so complete that
Holy Island, with its splendid associations, was never
again the seat of episcopal government in the North. For
this consideration, if for no other, the ruin of Lindisfarne
has been lamented, in later days, as the greatest misfor-
tune of an age that was brimful of trouble. After Half-
den's savage raids had ceased, he completed his conquest
by dividing the lands between Tyne and Tweed amongst
his followers. The newcomers, of course, seized the best
of everything, and conducted matters with a tolerably
high hand ; but when they found the Angles were at last
disposed to live peaceably with them, they began to relax
the harshness of their rule, and soon became as closely
allied as if they had been one people.
FORMATION OF THE DANELAGH.
But while these events were progressing in Northum-
ln i;t, a tremendous war had been raging in the South,
between Alfred of Wessex and his Danish assailants.
Battle had succeeded battle with astonishing rapidity,
and seemed to have favoured the contending forces pretty
equally. In order to bring the crisis to a speedy issue,
the Norsemen prepared for a decisive struggle. Guthrun
left ifork to take command of his countrymen in East
Anglia, and Halfdeu piloted his ships for service on the
Sussex coast. Before their departure, however, Sihtric
and Niel, two brothers, were appointed joint governors of
Bernicia ; while Reginald was put in possession of Deira.
Having thus left all in safety, the two great leaders as-
sembled their men, and set out for the accomplishment of
their respective tasks. Though this latest expedition
failed in its chief object, it led to the famous peace of
Wedmore, in 878, by which Guthrun and his Danes were
allowed to retain Northumbria, East Anglia, and a part of
Mercia — or, in other words, the territory north of a line
stretching from London to Chester. This was the Dane-
lagh, or Dane-law, which the Scandinavian inroads had
secured, and its new owners pledged themselves to live in
amity with the Saxons to the south. One effect of the
treaty was the baptism of the Danish king at Athelney.
Relying on the good faith of his late opponents, Guthrun
took with him only thirty followers, and, during his brief
stay at Alfred's court, began a personal friendship that
was never broken. " When he returned to his own land,
he was loaded with presents which the monk Asser says
were magnificent. Whatever were his inward convic-
tions, or the efficacy and sincerity of his conversion, the
Danish prince was certainly captivated by the merits of
Ilia rival, and ever after continued the faithful friend and
ally of Alfred. The subjects under his rule in the
Danelagh assumed habits of industry and tranquillity,
and gradually adopted the manners and customs of more
civilized life."
THE VISIT OF HASTING.
For a period of fifteen years there was peace in the
land. Alfred spent the interval in organising his army
on a better basis, in laying the foundation of what was
really the first English fleet, in the cultivation of litera-
ture, and in promoting the general weal of his people.
The appearance of England in the interval was marvel-
lously improved. Her corn-fields bore plentiful crops;
and her pastures, no longer swept by the tempests of war,
were well sprinkled with flocks and herds. The island
had become a veritable land of promise to its occupants,
and, unfortunately, was so regarded by envious observers
from without. In 893, the redoubtable Hasting — with a
fleet of 250 ships — made a descent upon the Kentish coast,
and as he and his daring bands had just been driven by
famine from the Continent, they speedily altered the
aspect of large tracts of our smiling land. Though harried
and intercepted in many of their raids, their power for
mischief remained unchecked, and, for three years, the
rapidity of their advances and retreats kept the Saxons
in a constant state of perplexity and commotion. Guth-
run having died in 890, the Danes of Northumbria and
East Anglia are said to have now broken the peace, and
joined the invaders. On this point, however, there is no
very reliable authority. It is quite possible that such a
revolt did ensue ; but, as there is no record of sanguinary
reprisals, it is fair to infer that the settlers were for
once faithful to the vows they had taken. After the sea
pirates had been thoroughly beaten, and their once
mighty fleet had sailed away in small and insignificant
squadrons, the country was again left unmolested until
the death of Alfred in 901.
THE DANES UNDER A SAXON LEADER.
The change that now came over the spirit of the scene
was a remarkable one. There was a dispute as to the
succession between Edward, the son of Alfred, and
Ethelwald, the son of the dead king's elder brother. The
claims of the former were supported by the West Saxons
in a body, and by a majority of the Mid-Angles. After a
desperate but fruitless effort to secure a following in the
south, Ethelwald stole away into Northumbria, and there,
by promises of speedy conquest, induced the Danish sub-
kings to accept him as their supreme ruler. This example
was at once followed by many of the Mercians and East
Anghans, and, in a short time, the successful sway of the
new leader gained him the hearty adhesion of the whole
Danelagh. So powerful had he become, by 905, that he
commenced a series of destructive attacks upon the Saxon
territories, and threatened to completely over-ran the
land. But Edward, who was a skilful and vigorous com-
mander, was not long in accepting the Northern challenge.
Though he found the Danes strongly entrenched at Bury,
August I
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
349
on the borders of East Anglia, he did not hesitate to
attack, and a fierce and desperate battle ensued. The
position was too strong to be easily carried ; but the first
onslaught was so splendidly supported that great havoc
was made in the closely-packed ranks of the defenders.
Ethelwald was an early victim to the Saxon fury, and
with him fell Eric, the ruler of East Anglia, and many
famous chiefs of the Scandinavian host. But though
their losses were enormous, the Danes were still masters
of the position they had so valiantly held. They were
powerless, however, to prevent the orderly withdrawal of
Edward's sadly crippled forces, and the bloody conflict
thus ended in a draw. As neither side was anxious for a
renewal of hostilities, a treaty of peace was concluded,
and the warriors returned to their homes.
NORTHUHBBIA AGAIN IN KEVOLT.
For the unfortunate Northumbrians there was still no
rest. Scarcely had they reached their own land before
disastrous internal struggles again began. Sihtric and
Niel, two of the sons of Guthred, had long held sway as
sub-kings of large districts in Bernicia and Deira, and
they now openly conspired for the leadership that Ethel-
wald's death had left vacant. They were opposed by the
sons of Eadulf, who held posession of Bamburgh, and by
Regnald, another son of Guthred, who had just returned
from banishment. As the result of a period of continuous
fighting, Regnald was installed as master of York, and
Sihtric and Niel had to content themselves with a division
of the lands beyond the Tyne. By 911, having settled
their local differences, the Northumbrians were again on
the war path. Entering Mercia in large numbers, they
desolated the country as far south as the Severn, and
tried to raise a spirit of revolt amongst the Welsh. While
in the midst of their depredations, they were surprised by
Edward at Setenhall, in the county of Stafford, and
utterly routed. Thousands are said to have been slain
— amongst them a son of Halfden — and the terror of the
sadly harassed retreat broke the spirit of the Norsemen
for well-nigh a generation.
SAXON SUPREMACY.
In the interval of rest
that followed the North-
umbrian revolt, Edward
began to strengthen his
frontier by a carefully
planned series of for-
tresses. Experience had
taught him the value of
the spade in warfare, and
his Saxon adherents ra-
pidly introduced engin-
eering as a part of their
military science. By 918,
after a fierce and long doubtful struggle, he had re-
conquered East Anglia, expelled the Danes from their
portion of Mercia, and was absolute master of all the
lands south of the Hurnber. It is impossible to describe
the exact character or appearance of the works which the
energetic king constructed ; but there is every reason to
believe that many of them contained towers of immense
strength, and that they were all of them admirably
adapted for the requirements of war. It is supposed
— though not generally — that in Coninsborough Castle
we have a surviving monument of these Early Saxon
Strongholds, Readers of "Ivanhoe" will remember
Scott's stirring references to it, and sketches and
descriptions of it may be found in any account of
Yorkshire antiquities. It is a round keep, with mas-
sive buttresses running from base to summit. The en-
trance, being reached only by means of a high flight of
narrow stone steps, could be easily held by a few men
against a host ; while from a battlemented platform at
the top, a perfect shower of missiles could be hurled amid
the crowding assailants beneath. The interior is divided
into four tiers. The lowest, a dungeon, was reserved for
prisoners of war ; and the next, on a level with the door-
way, was set apart for the guard. The third and fourth
floors were the residential portions of the edifice, and but
poorly adapted for comfort. Our sectional plan shows
the arrangement of the highest storey. It will be seen
that the chapel, No. 1, extends right into the buttress ;
but, with this exception, there was no similar weakening
of the structure. No. 2 is the window ; No. 3 the fire-
place, and No. \ the stairs leading to the outer platform.
Though a century and a half earlier than the Norrnan
era, the arrangements of this grand old tower are not
unlike those adopted by the great chieftains of William
the Conqueror. In some cases, indeed, as at York and
Barnard Castle, they ad-
hered to the exterior circle
as well ; though, in a general
way, as may be seen at New-
castle, Richmond, Bam-
brougb, and so many other
places, the Normans built
their keeps "four square to
every wind that blew." But
without inquiring further as
to the precise nature of the
Saxon defences, it may be
accepted as a fact that Ed-
ward's architectural genius
350
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I August
I isaa.
helped him materially to overawe his great Northern
rivals. Though he invariably delayed his victorious ad-
vance till his rear was efficiently protected, he was ready,
by 924, for an expedition into the heart of Yorkshire.
The new tactics, however, proved too fine for the rough
and ready Danes, and they were not slow to acknowledge
it. Before the advancing army could reach the Deiran
capital, "the entire North submitted without a blow."
Regnald, Sihtric, NieL, and the sons of Eadulf, paid
homage to the victorious Edward ; while the Angles and
Danes, the Britons of Cumbria and Galloway, and all
classes and descriptions of people under the King of the
Scots, vied with each other in the alacrity with which
they sought him "for father and for lord." In the fol-
lowing year this eventful reign ended, but not before the
Saxon King had been acknowledged as over-lord of all
England, from sea to sea, and as supreme ruler of all the
races by which the island was inhabited.
THE ATTITUDE OF ATHKLSTAN.
But this submission — attributable mainly to internal
feuds — was as unreal as any that had preceded it. The
Danes had introduced into Britain "a fresh mass of inco-
herent barbarism, which could not readily coalesce," and
within a year after Edward's death the North was again
discontented. Athelstan, who was 30 years of age when
he succeeded to the English crown, in 925, is said to have
been tall and comely, and to have plaited his long flaxen
tresses with threads of shining gold. He always displayed
great talent ; and when, at a very early age, he had been
ennobled by the hand of his grandfather, Alfred, he was
regarded as the future hope of the nation. To justify
these high expectations, and to find employment for wea-
pons that might otherwise have been turned against him-
self, he engaged, shortly after his accession, in a series of
warlike enterprises against such of the tributary chiefs as
had been showing signs of unrest. But though compelled
from personal motives to display his zeal and activity,
Athelscan's disposition seems to have inclined him to
peace. He was just in judgment, affable and gracious in
his manner, and fonder of luxury and ease than of the
hardships of campaigning. These qualities were strik-
ingly displayed during his first march against the dis-
affected people of Northumbria. Instead of the sword he
carried the olive branch ; and by bestowing one of his
sisters in marriage upon Sihtric, the most powerful of the
Danish sub-kings, he gave what he hoped would prove a
pledge of concord and amity. Unfortunately for the con-
tinuance of these good relations, however, Sihtric died in
926. By a former marriage he had two sons, named Anlaf
and Godfrey, and they, without waiting for the Saxon
consent, divided the possessions of their father between
them. This brought Athelstan again into the North, and
led not only to the capture of York and the flight of the
refractory princes, but to the incorporation of the whole
of Northumbria with the conqueror's dominions.
AN ABOBTIVE KISINO IN THE NORTH.
Though the high-handed procedure of the king had
engendered a spirit of deep animosity amongst the Danes,
they were prevented by their weakness from giving it any
practical effect. Anlaf had fled to Ireland, and Godfrey
was in hiding with Constantine behind the Forth. Just
as the outlook seemed most hopeless, a sudden and unex-
pected impulse was given to the feeling of revolt. The
King of the Scots had long deplored his vassalage to the
Saxons, and, therefore, taking advantage of the smoulder-
ing discontent in Northumbria, he strove diligently to
fan the flame. Godfrey was brought from his retirement,
and sent, in 934, with a strong following amongst his
Danish brethren. Being able to promise the hearty co-
operation of the Scots, he was everywhere welcomed as a
deliverer. The most hopeful prognostications were in-
dulged in, and as the allies became daily more confident,
a successful result of the enterprise was never doubted.
The Northumbrian castles and strongholds were wrested
from their governors, the Dragon banner of Wessex gave
place to the Raven of the Danes, and all promised well
for further triumphs. But the people were reckoning
without their host. Athelstan's temper was thoroughly
aroused by these repeated disturbances, and he resolved
to stop them at all hazards. His army was sent north
without delay, and his fleet was ordered to rendezvous at
specified places along the coast. The issue was never for
a moment in doubt. The allies could offer no really
serious obstacle to his victorious advance, and, ere loner,
his soldiers had left deplorable evidences of their presence
in many distant corners of the Scottish land. Every part
of the coast line, from the Humber to Caithness, was
similarly ravaged by the fleet. There was little rest for
the harried and hunted people, and none for the leaders
who had so sadly misled them. Many of them were
driven across the sea, others were held captive by the
marauding bands, and even Constantine was compelled to
give his son as a hostage for the due performance of the
conditions under which he was alone permitted to rule.
WILLIAM LONGSTAFF.
Jptmtt al
®b,t ffllojse.
HE street called the Close doubtless derived
its name from its original closeness or nar-
rowness. It is still sometimes anathema-
tised as an awkward and inconvenient
thoroughfare for traffic by means of vehicles ; but those
who so complain would have been driven crazy altogether
had they lived in the olden time when the chapel of St.
Thomas the Martyr stood where it did ; namely, at the
entrance to the Tyne Bridge, with its front projected far
August 1
NORIH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
351
into the street. Certainly, even within living memory,
the Close was an awkward street until part of the south
side was pulled down.
Nearly opposite the Castle Stairs stood the Round
Stone Entry. It was here that the Earls of Northumber-
PART OP KARL'S INN, DISCOVERED 184-6.
land once had a town residence. In the time of Bourne
there was a great gate at its entrance, with a round stone
at the top — hence the name of the entry. Many persons
of local distinction had their houses in this neighbourhood
at one time — Sir John Marley, Sir William Blackett, Sir
Mark Milbank, Vicar Alvey, Ambrose Barnes, and
others. In the troubled times of war, when the Scots
were ever with us, and men were not only allowed, but
enjoined, to repair for safety and for succour to the walls
of the castle, or the houses shadowed by its protection,
such stately buildings were useful as well as ornamental.
But in the piping times of peace, they were not so neces-
sary to the public welfare, and so, by degrees, they came
to be let to humbler tenants ; and in thess latter days,
behold, their place knows them no more.
Pleasant must it have been to live in the Close when
those fine old mansions were in their prime. In front the
deep rolling river, with gardens sloping right down to its
banks ; behind, over the housetops, more gardens and
orchards, climbing the Tuthill; to the left the great
Bridge of Tyne, with its ever changing traffic ; and away
to the right the woods of Redheugh topped by the green
hills of Whickham.
A little beyond the Castle Stairs is the Duke of Cum-
berland Inn, better known as the Yellow Doors Tavern —
a name which it probably derived from the colour of the
paint upon its outer doors and shutters. It was a fortified
house, or had at any rate been used for defensive pur-
poses, for it had several arrow slits in the front. Beyond,
at our elbow, are the Long Stairs, a term that was em-
ployed to designate the ascent as far back as 1430. The
reason for the name is clear enough, as anybody can find
out for himself by simply walking up them ! And let him
note, as he does so. the slight remains of ancient stone-
work still to be seen about them. Facing the stairs is the
Javel Group, leading down to the river. Local historian
have been much exercised over this old name. Brand
conjectures that it is derived from "groope " or "grype,"
a ditch ; and "javel," a corruption of gaol. In a deed
preserved in the archives of the Corporation, dated 20
Henry VII., A.D. 1505, the name of it is spelt "le Gaoell-
Grype in vico vocat' le Closse." And in St. Nicholas'
register, April, 1590, it is spelt Jayle Groupe. In Cor-
bricige's Plan of Newcastle (1723) the name is given as
Gable-Groope ; in Bourne's History it is Javill Gripp :
and in an enrolment in the archives of the Corporation,
bearing date September 6, 1723, we have it mentioned as
Gavell-Groop. Now these all point at any rate to some
connection with a gaol, and we know that the Castle,
which towers overhead immediately above, comprised a
royal gaol from the time the keep was built. The infer-
ence seems most reasonable that there must have been a
communication between the ditch or fosse of the Castle
and the river Tyne.
Toddling along a little further, we come to the spot
where the Close Meeting House once stood. It belonged
to the United Secession section of the Presbyterian body,
and was organised in 1751 by a congregation of Anti-
Burghers. Adjoining it stood the once famous Mansion
House, which has been described at full length in the
Monthly Chronicle for 1887, page 111. Directly opposite
the Mansion House we have the Tuthill Stairs, which
lead up from the Close to the foot of Westgate Street.
They are narrow enough in all conscience, according to
our modern ideas. But wherefore the name? Well,
according to Bourne, it is derived from the touting or
winding a horn upon the summit when an enemy ap-
peared. Brand's view is not very different ; he supposes
that the place should be called Toot-hill, or the hill of
observation.
If we pass on westward from the Mansion House and
the Tuthill Stairs for the distance of about a hundred
yards, we shall pass the Dolphin Inn, with its beautiful
long room, decorated with cornice and pilaster, and find
ourselves on the site where the Close Gate formerly
stood. When Tyne Bridge fell down in 1771, the tower
of this gate was formed into a temporary prison. But in
1797 it was taken down, the gateway being a sad obstruc-
tion to the traffic of the neighbourhood. Fifty-two yards
to the south of this gate there was another tower or turret,
352
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
(August
AncniBt I
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
353
which adjoined the river — the Water Tower. Here the
House-Carpenters' Company used to meet ; and the Sail-
VIEW NEAR THE CLOSE GATE, 1826.
inhabitants escaped with their lives, so rapid and sudden
was the inundation, which, to make the situation worse,
came upon the sleeping multi-
tude at two o'clock in the morn-
— 1 ing.
The Close had its "charac-
ters " in the days that are gone.
Of these Blin'd Willie waa one of
the most notable. His name was
William Purvis, and he was pro-
bably one of the best known
characters that ever wandered
through the streets of Newcastle.
(See Monthly Chronicle, 1888,
page 516.) The memory of
another William Purvis — more
generally known as Billy Purvis
— is associated with the Close
also, for he lived in the same
house here for nearly sixty-six
years.
The Close, in bygone days,
was a convivial centre. Our
fathers believed in cakes and
ale, and ginger hot i' the mouth,
too. In those days the wealthy
citizen and the busy professional
man were accustomed to reside
makers succeeded them in the occupancy. The members of
the former company were anciently called Wrights. The
members of the latter company do not appear to have
stayed long in this turret by the river ; they found more
congenial attractions in a tavern. From the Close Gate
there were a hundred and forty steps on the top of the
wall leading to the White Friar Tower. Brand says that
these steps were called the Break-Neck Stairs, a name
uncomfortably suggestive; but Mackenzie opines that
this is a mistake, "for old people say that this name
belongs exclusively to the stairs between the Castle
Stairs and the Long Stairs." Outside the Close Gate,
somewhere hereabout, stood the first Nonconformist
Meeting House erected in Newcastle — wherein Dr. Gilpin
and his successors preached till they acquired a more
convenient location in Hanover Square.
We now find ourselves at the western end of the Close
proper, and we may pause to recall to mind some of the
traditions and memories which are associated with this
ancient thoroughfare.
Let us note, then, for one thing, that the inhabitants of
the Close suffered serious loss in 1771 from the great flood
which occurred in the Tyne on Sunday, November 17th,
of that year. They had, it is true, plenty of companions
in misfortune, for all the cellars, warehouses, shops, and
lower apartments of the dwelling-houses from the west
end of the Close to near the Ouseburn were completely
under water. It was with the utmost difficulty that the
THE WATKB TOWER, CLOSE, 1846.
23
354
MONlHLlf CHRONICLE.
( August
within the limits of the town's walls. Indeed they pre-
ferred to do this as a matter of personal convenience.
Hence it was that when the cares of the business day were
over, the evenings were often devoted to social gatherings
in some quaint old tavern or other. For this purpose, clubs
were organised, and pleasant rules and regulations formu-
lated, to the intent that the spirit of good fellowship
should reign supreme among the members. But these
clubs do not seem, in old days, to have been confined to
any particular house. On this point Dr. Bruce says:
"Some clubs kept a taster, whose business it was to in-
form his employers in which tavern the best barrel was
on tap." He proceeds: "The late Mr. Robert Double-
day used to say that after a party had sat a sufficiently
long time at his table — which was loaded with the finest
Spanish and Portuguese wines— the company would ad-
journ, host and all, to some favourite public-house, such
as the Stone Cellar, in the Close, to 'clear out' with
beer."
Now, hereby hangs a tale, not so generally known as it
ought to be. There was a club, or society, of this con-
vivial sort which was certainly in existence in 1751, and
perhaps for a few years before that date. But death
called away some of its members as time went on ; and
the infirmities which accompany old age prevented others
from being as punctual in their attendance as in days of
yore. It was resolved to discontinue the meetings, and
perform the " happy despatch " upon the club. But
there was much of the milk of human kindness in the
survivors. As the club was about to cease and determine,
these resolved that some object of permanent utility should
be set on foot as a kind of legacy to their fellow-towns-
men in after days. This excellent idea was duly can-
vassed by the members, after the deliberative fashion
of the English race. At last, on a certain notified day
on which it was determined to come to some practical
conclusion on the question, Mr. Richard Lambert, an
eminent surgeon, suggested the establishment of an In-
firmary. The idea was taken up in good earnest, and
vigorously supported in the local papers,
Hence yonder buildine rose : on either side
Far stretched the wards, all airy, warm, and wide ;
And every ward has beds by comfort spread,
And smoothed for him who suffers on the bed :
There all have kindness— most relief— for some
Is cure complete—it is the sufferer's home :
Fevers and chronic ills, corroding pains,
Each accidental mischief man sustains ;
Fractures and wounds, and withered limbs and lame,
With all that, slow or sudden, vex our frame,
Here have attendance— here the sufferers lie
(Where love and science ever aid supply),
And heal'd with rapture live, or sooth'd by comfort die.
Jttarit
airtr
Jtonart ®arr,
ALDEBMAN AND HOST OF THB NAG'S HEAD INN.
[NLESS there were two contemporaneous
Leonard Carrs in Newcastle during the
Civil War, of which there is no evidence,
the person who bears that name in local
history must have been an exceptionally active and
busy man. For, during the greater part of his life,
although engaged in the higher branches of Tyneside
commerce (he was a merchant, a hostman, and an owner
of salt-pans), he found time to bear his share of public
work as an alderman and Tyne Commissioner, to fill on
several occasions the office of Governor of the Merchants'
and Hostmen's Companies, and all the while to conduct
the principal hostelry in the town— the Nag's Head Inn.
Leonard Carr first appears in local annals as a witness
at an inquiry held in St. Nicholas' Church on the llth of
February, 1600, where he is described as of the age of 21
years, " servant to George Dent, merchant, clerk of the
town chamber of Newcastle." He was then, apparently,
just out of his time. The books of the Hostmen's Com-
pany, under date May 19, 1609, disclose him enrolling
himself as a member of the fraternity, and about to add
to his avocation as a merchant adventurer the buying
and selling of coals. In 1617, upon the reorganization of
the Tyne Conservancy Authority, he was appointed one
of the Commissioners who were to supervise, control, and
preserve the navigation of the river, and as he and
Cuthbert Bewick were entrusted with special duties in
the matter, the Privy Council ordered them to be paid for
their services. A subsidy roll of 1621 shows that he was
an inhabitant of the parish of All Saints in that year.
Possibly he had entered upon the occupancy of the Nag's
Head by that time, and was assessed upon his goods
there, for the inn was in All Saints' parish, at the foot of
Allhallow Bank, facing the Sandhill. However that may
have been, he was dealing extensively in wine and other
liquors a year or two later. The " Household Books of
Lord William Howard" contain many items in which
his name appears as purveyor of cheering liquids to
the Naworth family.
At the inn he certainly was in 1634, for three Norwich
soldiers, whose Northern adventures in that year form
one of the most interesting of Richardson's Reprints,
found him there : —
Then did wee take a view of the Market Place, the
Towne Hall, the neat Crosse [the Gale Cross], ouer against
wch almost is a stately, prince-like, freestone Inne, in
wch i we tasted a cupp of good wine ; then taking a view
of the 4 Churches in the Towne, and breaking our fast
August \
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE. AND LEGEND.
355
in that fayre Inne (Mr. Leonard Carr's), we hasten 'd to
take horse.
Sir William Brereton, afterwards a famous Parliamen-
tary general, passing through Newcastle the following
year, remarks, in his "Notes," that "the fairest built inn
in England that I have seen is Mr. Carre's in this town,"
•and he regretfully adds that "We lodged at the Swan,
at Mr. Swan's the postmaster's, and paid 8d. ordinary,
and no great provision." It is apparent from these
observations that Leonard Carr was a prosperous and
popular citizen.
A few weeks after Sir William Brereton's visit, on
Michaelmas Monday, 1635, mine host of the Nag's Head
was elected Sheriff of Newcastle. His promotion came
to him at a time of trouble. The political horizon was
clouded by stormy discussions respecting ship-money,
and with angry controversies about royal prerogative ;
the municipal sky was darkened by shadows of the
conflict. Before he had been three months in office he
sustained a personal bereavement in the death of his
wife. On the very day she died, that famous quarrel
between Vicar Alvey and John Blakiston broke out
which set the townspeople by the ears for long after. The
following May, Newcastle was visited by pestilence of an
aggravated character which swept away the inhabitants
by hundreds, paralysed trade, and caused the town to be
shunned and deserted. In the midst of it all, a com-
mercial crisis arose — a serious dispute with the London
Company of Merchant Adventurers — and the Sheriff was
placed in the forefront of the contention. Thus, long ere
his term of office expired, Leonard Carr had lost his wife,
seen his friend the Vicar defied and denounced by one
of the leaders in what he deemed to be a disreputable
faction, witnessed the ravages of a malady which robbed
him of his friends, and had been chosen to lead a conflict
with the most powerful trading organization in Europe.
It is unnecessary to enter at length into the details of
the dispute between the merchants of London and those
of Newcastle. Sufficient for the present purpose are the
facts that Leonard Carr and Alderman William War-
rnouth were sent to plead the cause of the local body in
London ; that they went, saw the Governor and
Secretary, attended conferences with important
functionaries, and came back without having achieved
their object. It may, however, be added that in
the end, although the quarrel lasted all through the
Civil War, the Commonwealth, and until after the
Restoration, the Newcastle merchants won their case,
but in the meantime they had lost the trade in cloth
which had given rise to the contention.
A public man so able and useful as Leonard Carr
would speedily have reached the mayoralty if the
course of events had run smoothly with him. But
he was a Churchman and a Royalist, and the drift
of public opinion was in a direction quite the contrary.
He was made an alderman in 1641 ; Governor of the
Merchants' Company the same year, and successively
to 1645 ; Governor of the Hostmen's Company in the
years 1642 and 1643, and again in 1653 and 1654 ; but
he proceeded to no higher function. After the storming
of Newcastle in 1644, his friends had not the power to
bestow further honours, and his opponents sought only
his downfall. In the conflict which preceded the final
overthrow of the Monarchy he had taken a prominent
and active part against the Parliament, and when
the day of reckoning came he was among those who
suffered. Articles were exhibited against him, which
may be read at length in Bourne's "History of New-
castle.
Being summoned before the Privy Council and the
Committee for Sequestrations to answer for his
delinquency, Alderman Carr admitted the substantial
accuracy of the charges which had been brought against
him and awaited his fate. Delays occurred, and it was
not until after Christmas, 1657, when the Commonwealth
itself was approaching its fall, that the punishment of
his loyalty was made known. On the 28th December in
that year, "a letter received from the Lord Protector
and his Privy Council to remove Mr. Leonard Carr
from his office of Alderman of Newcastle-upon-Tyne on
a charge preferred against him by the Standing Com-
mittee of the North for abetting, £c., against the
Parliament, was confirmed by the Mayor and Common
Council of that town."
Mr. Carr did not long survive his removal from
office. He was seventy-eight years of age, and in failing
health, when his deprivation was confirmed, and at the
beginning of August following his troubles came to an
end. By a process of compounding, probably, he had
preserved the Nag's Head Inn and adjoining property
from confiscation, and by his will he charged them with
an annual rent of £5 for the poor of his parish. In
the old church of that parish — All Saints'— he was buried,
and there, sixty years later, Bourne saw his tombstone,
and penned the following paragraph respecting it : —
There is an old Stone, which lies between the Vestry
and Quire Door, with its inscription erased. It belonged
to Aiderman Leonard Carr, who gave £5 yearly for
ever to the poor of this parish, and appointed it out
of divers Houses in the Butcher-bank. He was an
Alderman of the Town before the Rebellion, and
turned out by the Rebels. He deserves a better Monu-
ment.
MERCHANT, BANKER, AND LANDOWNER.
Local annalists and historians have been somewhat
partial in their selection of persons to represent the
culture, the industry, and the enterprise of the North of
England. Of some good men's lives ample details are
forthcoming; of others only meagre details are obtainable;
of many there is no record at all. In this last-named
category comes a remarkable man, who occupied a leading
position in Newcastle during the greater part of last
356
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
(Au
century. He was one of the foremost merchants upon
the Ty no ; the founder of a famous bank in Newcastle ; a
considerable landowner in Northumberland and Durham ;
an earnest and liberal supporter of numerous schemes of
progress and philanthropy. But he did not enter any
corporate body, to become sheriff, alderman, and mayor,
nor publish a book, nor paint a picture, nor display
any marked eccentricity of character or conduct ; and
therefore local history is silent respecting him. The
assiduous researches of one of his descendants have
now, however, enabled us to place among the men who
have made their mark upon North-Country life this local
worthy— Ralph Carr, of the Old Bank. Newcastle; of
Dunston Hill, in the county palatine of Durham ; and of
Hedgley, Northumberland.
Ralph Carr was descended from the same stock as
Cuthbert Carr, of St. Helen's Auckland, whose heroic
defence of the New Gate of Newcastle during the siege
formed the subject of a previous sketch. His grandfather
was John Carr, merchant and boothman, apprenticed, in
1655, to Phineas Allen, and set over the following year
to William Johnson (father of Sir Nathaniel Johnson,
Mayor and M.P., Governor of the Leeward Islands
and of South Carolina), whose daughter Abigail, widow
of William Bonner, he married. John Carr (eldest son
of John and Abigail), a mining operator in Cumberland
anci Westmorland, agent to Lord Thanet, the Claverings
of Axweil, and others, and the purchaser, in 1704, of the
estate of Dunston Hill, in the parish of Whickham, was
his father ; his mother being Sarah, daughter of William
Wynne, of Gateshead, woolstapler. Ralph was born on
the 22nd September, 1711, and, being destined for a
commercial career, was apprenticed to Matthew Bowes,
merchant adventurer and boothman. In due time he
was admitted to his freedom, and, having made a tour
through Holland and Germany to the Baltic, as far as
the newly-founded city of St. Petersburg, he commenced
life on his own account in Newcastle.
The account books, letters, and MSS. relating to Ralph
Carr's business undertakings for more than half a century
have been preserved. They show that in no long time
after his commencement he was engaged in commercial
operations of magnitude and value. The death of his
father, in 17S9, gave him the Dunston Hill property, and
enabled him to extend still further his business trans-
actions. Like most merchants of his time, he speculated
in coals and iron, timber and corn, wine and spirits,
butter and tea, tobacco and snuff, and dealt in a wide
variety of other vendible articles ; was at one and
the same time shipowner and merchant, broker and
underwriter, commission agent and bill discounter. His
financial position was such that when, in September,
1745, Prince Charles Edward, landing at Lochaber,
raised the standard of rebellion, and troops came
marching through the North of England to prevent
the revolt from spreading, he was able to render
profitable service to the Government. He advanced
cash to commanding officers against drafts on the
Pay Office ; collected and transmitted money (in one
month he sent £30,000) for the use of th« army in
Scotland, and speculated in corn, stores, and forage
required by the royal troops.
Among his friends and correspondents in these
proceedings were the brothers John and Alexander
Coutts, who were conducting in London and Edinburgh
a business similar to hia own. Out of their acquaintance
sprang the idea of establishing in Newcastle an indepen-
dent provincial bank. No country town in Great Britain,
it is said, possessed at that time an institution wherein
banking business alone was transacted. There were
several establishments called banks, notably Woods's
at Gloucester and Smith's of Nottingham, where other
branches of trade were carried on in the same premises.
But Ralph Carr projected an establishment to deal in
money and nothing else, and on the 1st of January, 1756,
he formally opened a banking house pure and simple.
The first partners were Matthew Bell, John Cookson,
Joseph Airey, and himself, who undertook by their deed
to carry on the business of " bankers and dealers in
exchange " for ten years at Joseph Airey's residence
in Pilgrim Street. The capital was only £2,000, divided
into four equal shares, but the partners were all men
of wealth and credit, and the liability was unlimited. In
the first year of their partnership they issued notes for
various sums to the value of £15,648, received deposits
from Lord Ravensworth, Robert Ellison, the Infirmary
Trustees, and others, amounting to £10.000, and made
a profit of £1,017. At the end of the ten years Joseph
Airey retired, and John Widdrington the younger
(Mr. Carr's nephew) and Joseph Saint were admitted.
With their assistance the banking business grew and
prospered until, at the end of 1774, the firm found
themselves with a note issue of £180,000 ; cash and bills
in hand, £103,597; with other bankers, £47,860; navy
bills, £14,609; overdrafts, £38,000; deposits exceeding
£85,000, and a profit upon the twelve months' trading of
£5,712. For 32 years Ralph Carr was the guiding spirit
of the establishment. What was at first but a venture-
some experiment had proved a remarkable success, and
before he retired the creator of provincial banking had
seen his example copied all over the kingdom, and his own
house in Newcastle designated as " The Old Bank " to
distinguish it from local imitators.
Amidst the engrossing occupations of commercial life
in Newcastle, Ralph Carr did not find time to marry till
he was forty-seven years old ; then he was united to
Isabella, only surviving daughter of the Rev. Henry
Byne, Vicar of Ponteland. Although he had consider-
ably enlarged the house at Dunston Hill, extended the
boundaries of the grounds surrounding it, and beautified
the property by judicious planting of ornamental trees,
he resided for a long time before his marriage, and for
August I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
357
some years after it, at Cross House, Westgata Street —
the old mansion which, long devoted to other uses, still
forms the junction of that thoroughfare and Fenkle
Street It was here, doubtless, that Dr. Alexander
Carlyle, minister of Inveresk, making an excursion to
Newcastle with Sir David Kinloch and others in the
summer of 1757, found him and his relations and
partners, the Widdringtons, as recorded iu the famous
"Autobiography ":—" On this expedition I made some
very agreeable acquaintance, of which I afterwards
availed myself — Ralph Carr, an eminent merchant, and
his brother-in-law Mr. Withrington, styled 'the honest
attorney of the North, "' and, as he states elsewhere,
"almost the only man who had any literature" in the
town. Dunston Hill was probably Mr. Carr's summer
resort ; but in after years he made it more and more his
permanent abode, and fixed his town residence in
Charlotte Square. His place of business as a merchant
was in Hanover Square, where his nephew, and sometime
partner, John Widdrington the younger, resided, and
from whence he dated the greater part of that voluminous
correspondence with Northern Europe and the American
colonies which has been preserved in portly volumes at
Dunston Hill.
Having accumulated wealth, Ralph Carr began, like
many Newcastle merchants before and since, to invest
it in landed estate. He had obtained in 1769 a profitable
lease from Merton College, Oxford, of the great or
rectorial tithes of the parishes of Ponteland and
Embleton, and in 1784- he purchased from the Carrs of
Eshott the estate of High and Low Hedgley. Upon
this property he at once commenced to indulge the love
of forestry which he had developed to some extent upon
his patrimonial inheritance. Besides enlarging the
mansion at High Hedgley, he extended the gardens,
laid out extensive woods and plantations, and diverted
the course of the river Breamish through the estate from
a dangerous into a manageable channel. A few years
later he bought Prendwick, in the parish of Alnham ;
and about the same time acquired from Mr. Bell, of
Woolsington, the estates of Bygate Hall, in Upper
Coquetdale, and Lumsdon, upon Redewater. These
investments gave him possession of moorlands dear to
the sportsman, of burns and streamlets sacred to the
angler, of camps and battlefields celebrated in Northern
history and song. Towards the close of his life he pur-
chased from his friend Sir John Dick, who had acquired
it during a long residence as British Consul at Leghorn,
the fine collection of oil paintings and statuary which
adorn Dunston Hill, and added to the library at that
place the valuable works on maritime jurisprudence and
international law which still occupy its shelves.
Like his father, Ralph Carr was a member of the
Nonconformist congregation assembling first at the Close
Gate, and afterwards in Hanover Square, Newcastle— of
•which latter place of worship he was a trustee. One of
his cousins, a Miss Halliday, became the wife of the
Rev. Richard Rogerson, who officiated there from
1733 to 1760 — the minister under whose influence the
worshippers adopted those Unitarian views to which
they have since adhered. Of his politics it is not easy to
judge. He voted in 177+ for Sir Walter Blackett and Sir
Matthew White Ridley, the "magistrates' candidates,"
who were opposed by the Hon. Constantine J. Phipps
and Thomas Delaval, the candidates of the "burgesses" ;
in 1777 he voted for Sir John Trevelyan against the
adventurer Stoney Bowes ; in 1780 he plumped for
Ridley, against Bowes and Delaval. Local considerations
so completely influenced these elections that votes afford
no clue to views on Imperial questions, but it is known
from his letters and papers that he was opposed to the
Americans in their struggle for independence, and that in
other matters he sympathised with the policy of the elder
Pitt. On social questions his opinions were broad and
clear. In one of his books, when he was 85 years of age,
he wrote : —
I remember when there was only one ale-house in
Whickham. Now there are seventeen, and equally
increased in Swahvell, chiefly occasioned by the great
increase of brewers, who encourage people to set up
public-houses and become bondsmen and intercessors
with the justices to license them, who are culpably
too ready to do it on account of their fees. This is ruin
to the lower class, and calls for redress, for upon a fair
calculation there is more paid at this day fur drink alone
than was expended fifty years ago for house-rent, clothing,
provisions, and every other support of families.
But, severe as were his strictures upon the drinking
customs of his day, and the poverty and misery
engendered by them, he was a liberal contributor to the
wants of the deserving poor. He was one of the founders
of the Newcastle Infirmary, a generous supporter of
the local dispensaries, the Lying-in Hospital, and
kindred institutions. Every week for some years he
gave to forty-eight persons — twelve from each of the
four parishes of Newcastle — sums varying from Is. to 2s.
each, while he dispensed unlimited bounty to wayfarers
at his own door.
After his retirement from business, Ralph Carr lived
the life of an active magistrate and country gentleman.
He was for fifty years a justice of the peace for the
county of Durham, and in his eighty-first year was able
to state that he had scarcely once missed attending the
assizes during the preceding half century. Although of
mature age when he married, he had the satisfaction of
seeing his eldest son, John Carr, united to a daughter of
the house of Ellison, of Hebburn ; his second son, Ralph,
holding a distinguished position at the bar ; and his
second daughter, Harriet, whose accomplishments were
the natural object of his pride, occupying a high position
in the social and artistic world as the wife of Colonel
Cheney, of the Grenadier Guards, afterwards General
Cheney, who was made aide-de-camp to the king for his
services in the Peninsula under Sir John Moore. When
his grandson, the late Ralph Carr-Ellison, was two years
358
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
\
Aucuit
old, on the 7th May, 1806, at the great age of ninety-
four, he passed away ; and a few days later he was buried
in the chancel of the church of Fonteland.
Till nearly the close of his existence Ralph Carr
remained in full possession of the vigorous intellect
which had made his fortunes. In his ninetieth year he
wrote in one of his account books at Dunston Hill an
earnest appeal and a pious adjuration, with which this
imperfect sketch of a remarkable man and a remarkable
career may fitly terminate : —
I pray the Almighty to grant to all my successors His
grace, to bo thankful to Him for ye mercys he is pleas'd
to vouchsafe to them, and to employ this short existence
here in true piety to their merciful God, Brotherly affec-
tion to their Relations and Friends, and to promote the
happiness of all their Fellow Creatures, and that they
may so live as to make' it a Better House, not one Built
by Hands, Eternal in the Heavens. Amen.
|] HE Groenfinch (Fringilla chloris), known as
the green linnet, is a common resident species
in Northumberland and Durham. It also
associates, remarks Mr. John Hancock, "with chaf-
finches, sparrows, and other small birds, and appears in
large flocks in autumn." This interesting bird, as Dr.
Brehm points out, must be regarded as forming, as it
were, a bond of connection between the hawfinches and
goldfinches. It has a strong conical beak, somewhat
compressed at its edges, with a small ball-like elevation
in the interior of the upper mandible. The feet are larger
tnan those of the true hawfinch, and the body is elon-
gated, but jiowerful. The plumage is principally of a
green colour (hence the distinctive name of the bird),
that of the male being olive green on the upper part of
the body, the lower portion greenish yellow, the wings
ash grey, the tail black, the anterior quill feathers of
the wings and the five exterior tail quills beautifully
marked with yellow. The greenfinch is found over the
whole of Europe, from south to north, in the countries
bordering on the Mediterranean, and in other parts. It
would appear to be a winter visitor in Shetland and
Orkney, where it often appears, during that season, with
nights of linnets, larks, snow buntings, and other birds.
About the middle of March, or earlier, says Morris, the
birds begin to disperse over the length and breadth of the
land, and by the middle of April they disappear from
their winter haunts. At the end of autumn they collect
in flocks, and, in severe weather, frequent farm-yards
with other kinds of small birds. In the pairing season
they are lively and rather pugnacious. Like the chaf-
finches, they are fond of washing themselves, and seem
to take a pride in looking smart. If a flock be ever so-
noisy, when one bird sounds the alarm note that danger
may be apprehended, all the others are mute. Their
flight is quick, strong, and undulated, performed by two
or three rapid strokes of the wings, which are then closed,
and a swoop follows, down, and then up. They some-
times wheel about for some little time before alighting,
but often settle down quickly and set to work in search of
food. If alarmed, they fly into the nearest trees. The
food of the bird consists chiefly of grain and wild seeds,
hawthorn fruit, the leaves of weeds, and the larvse of
insects, on the latter of which the nestlings are fed.
Meyer likens its note to the syllable "tway," which is
full and mellow, and is uttered in summer from the top-
most spray of a hedge, or some tree higher than others, as
well as on the wing ; but there is not any approach to a
song until about April, or later, and the song, even then,
is but humble. When flying, it repeatedly utters its call,
which, though a soft note, can be heard at a considerable
distance ; when employed as a cry of warning, it is ac-
companied by a gentle, distinct whistle. The greenfinch
commences to nest in April, or even earlier if the season
be well advanced ; but nests are most numerous in May.
That is, the first nest, as the birds usually breed twice,
and occasionally three times, in the year. The nest is
found in various situations — in hawthorn hedges, bushes,
and trees. One of its favourite nesting places, according
to Bishop Mant, is the pine tree : —
A cradle for the green bird's bed,
And bowery covert o'er her head,
A forked pine supplies.
ijtofirrp tttttln* at
JTANHOPE, the metropolis of the rich lead
mining field of Weardale, Durham, was, up
to twenty odd years ago, famous as a rectory
to which was attached the princely revenue
of six or seven thousand pounds. In ancient days, even.
back to Hugh de Pudsey's time, Stanhope was of con-
siderable importance, for then the prince bishops of the
palatine repaired in great state in the summer months
to hunt the red deer in Weardale Forest, the chief
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
359
forest in the bishoprick. Here temporary lodges and
chapels for religious worship were erected of tree boughs,
roofed with the mountain's purple heather, during the
prelate's sojourn amongst the lovely woods and undulat-
ing hills in the picturesque dale of the Wear. Stanhope,
too, was famous for its rectors even before Protestant
times ; for the learned Cuthbert Tuustall, who was the
friend of More and Erasmus, and who was shut up in the
Tower, was at Stanhope. And in later days its noble
list of Church dignitaries include the scholarly Isaac
Basire; the liberal Hartwel; the learned ecclesiastic,
Edmund Keen ; Thurlow, brother to Chancellor Thurlow ;
Henry Hardinge, father of Sir Henry Hardinge,
Governor-General of India ; the famous Dr. Philpotts,
Bishop of Exeter ; the charitable Darnell ; the evangeli-
cal Canon Clayton; and the great advocate of mission-
ary work, Bishop Ryan. Yet amongst all these illustrious
Church celebrities there shines forth the glorious memory
of Joseph Butler, rector of Stanhope from 1725 to 1740.
As the most interesting period of Butler's life was spent
at this Durham rectory, for in its seclusion the great
divine penned his famed "Analogy," a glimpse at the
birthplace of this great work and its author may be
interesting.
The ancient country town of Stanhope reposes snugly
amidst the heather-clad mountains of Western Durham.
Westward, under the shadow of these rolling mountains,
lies a beautiful dale of ereen fields and undulating
hills, once bishoprick deer parks and deer forests. Down
the middle of the dale the river Wear marks a silver
thread, and some ten miles from its source Stanhope
stands on its north bank. The town is irregularly
built, and has its Market Place with its cross, its old
church where Butler ministered, its family halls, and a
modern castle, with its little park and other necessary
adjuncts usually associated with such rural places.
Approaching the Market Place, a visitor would not fail
to admire the stately row of beautiful lime trees which
so -gracefully ornament the left hand side of Front
Street. Along Lime Tree Walk, and under the shadow
of these sweet-smelling limes, are the rectory gates,
through which Butler so often took refuge when besieged
by the common beggars who knew that he could not
resist their frequent importunities. The rectory, a large
house, is secluded. It was rebuilt, as it now stands, in
1821, by Dr. Philpotts ; but we learn by a sculptured
stone in the wall that the old rectory, in which Butler
wrote his "Analogy," was built by William Hart-
wel, D.D., rector of Stanhope, in the year 1697, and in
the first year of the Peace of Ryswick. When the new
premises of the Society for Promoting Christian Know-
ledge were opened a few years ago, the present Bishop of
Durham, Dr. Lightfoot, thus referred to this memorial
of the old rectory:— "In the beautiful valley of the
Wear, in my own Northern diocese, at the rectory'
house of Stanhope— a sacred spot with all English
Churchmen and all English Christians, for there the
greatest work of English theology, the 'Analogy,' was
penned — there still survives a quaint Latin inscription,
WH.DDRS:EX-
•TRUXIIANN.O
PACJS.EVANCELii
recording that the parsonage, the same in which Butler
afterwards spent the prime of his life, was built in the
year 1697 of the peace of the Gospel, and in the first year
of the Peace of Ryswick. ' "
In this rectory Butler had his private oratory, which
was destroyed by Philpotts when he rebuilt the parson-
age. From old records we learn that this oratory was in
size fourteen feet long, nearly seven feet wide, and
thirteen feet six inches in height. It was lined with cedar,
and the door, which was furnished with a brass lock and
spring, yet remains. The furniture of the oratory pro-
bably consisted of nothing more than a branch candle-
stick, two large candlesticks of French plate, and three
mahogany seats. These articles were left to the parson-
age by deed-of-gift in Butler's hand, and no doubt they
gave some colour to the charge brought against the
rector of a leaning towards Rome.
I leave to the Parsonage the following things belonging
to the little Oratory :—
A brass Lock and Spring to the Door.
A Branch Candlestick \ TJI_-_.,I. „!„*,
2 large Candlesticks / * rench plate'
3 Mahogany Seats.
Jo. BUTLER.
When Henry Philpotts came to Stanhope in 1820, he
learnt all about Butler's oratory. We thus find reference
made to it, twenty-nine years afterwards, when Philpotts,
then Bishop of Exeter, was making some inquiries, in
connection with an Orphans' Home at Morice Town,
Devonport, into the truth of certain alleged ritualistic
observances not in unison with the practice of the Church
of England. The bishop, speaking in the presence of the
clergy, expressed the opinion that it was a very proper
practice to have set apart for devotion a separate room
called an oratory. He considered that poor, weak
human beings required many assistances to help to fix
them in their devotions, and one of these was having a
360
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
j
\
August
separate room for the purpose of prayer. He further
said : —
Therefore, the fact of there being a room set apart for
this purpose called an oratory does not affect me. I will
say of this oratory that it was my fortune to succeed,
after an interval of <>ne or two, one of the greatest names
the Church of England ever was enabled to boast, one of
the greatest and best of men, one of the most pious and
soundest divines that could be named — it was the great
Bishop Butler. I succeeded to a benefice which was once
his, and I rejoice to say that the tradition came down to
me ihat, as he was unmarried, had no family, and his
household was not large, he had set apart one small room
in that house and called it an oratory ; and, therefore, I
am not shocked by the name of oratory given to a
room set apart for that sacred purpose ; and I should
rejoice to hear that every proprietor of a house large
enough had a room set apart, and if he chose to call it an
oratory, I for one should not be among those who would
blame him.
On the north side of the Market Place stands the Church
of St. Thomas, restored in 1867 ; but our illustration
shows the old church of Butler's time, with its high-
pitched roof. This edifice dates from before the year
1200. Our view represents the sacred edifice much the
same as it was left by Basire, who restored it in 1663.
In this divine's time a dispute arose which would have
upset the thoughtful mind of Butler. The rectory tithe
ore, which formed the principal part of the rich revenue,
was in dispute between Basire and the master of the lead
mines. The rector claimed his full tenth of clean ore,
whilst the mines master wanted to debit Basire with his
portion of the cost of dressing. The long and expensive
trial which ensued came before several courts, the rector
winning the case. And this resulted in an Act of Parlia-
ment being passed in the 19th year of Charles II., settling
for ever that the full tenth part of the lead ore produced
in the parish was to be paid without deductions. The
decision made the living one of the richest in the king-
dom.
At the close of the rectorship of Hartwel in 1725,
STANHOPE, WEARDALE, DURHAM.
August \
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
361
Butler found a well-regulated and rich rectory. During
the sixty odd years preceding Butler's time, a great deal
had been done to secure a peaceful and quiet residence
at Stanhope. Basire had restored the church, and had
settled the tithe of lead ore two or three years after-
wards. In 1672 the present large bells were fixed in the
tower, which in 1700 was further replenished with a new
clock. Then in 1704 and 1720 the parish was presented
with the silver communion service afterwards to be used
by the author of the "Analogy," and in 1697 a new
parsonage house was erected to receive the rector who,
above all others, was to make Stanhope famous. When
Butler settled down in his Weardale living there was no
probability of his being troubled with parish matters
beyond the most ordinary duties ; and he was thus left
free to meditate and muse over his "Analogy" in the
picturesque town on the Wear.
The church of to-day presents few memorials of the
great divine. As we approach the edifice from the
Market Place, a sun-dial fixed against the church may
attract attention as being of Butler's time. It is dated
1727, and the rector no doubt composed its pointed
legend : " Ut Bora sic Vita. " — " As is the hour such is
life." Leaving Butler's sun-dial, we find in the vestry
safe a churchwarden's book, known as "Butler's Book,"
which we are informed cost "£00 05s." This interesting
record contains parish accounts from 1675 to 1750, and
amongst its entries are eight autographs of the famous
divine. These signatures are attached to various acts of
vestry, and are followed by the signatures of parish
officials and sidesmen. Several of the entries to which
Butler's name is signed are for adjusting the moneys to
be distributed among the poor, and are thus characteristic
of the good nature of the great rector. The following are
two of the entries, the first referring to the four quarters
of the parish : —
Octr. 1th, 1725.
Mem'd That it is This day A Greed by ye RKOTOK
and ye four and twenty that ye Rector Cesse for ye poor
Shale be equally Diuied to Euery Quarter as they now are
Settel'd. That is £75 pound to Euery Quarter.
Jos. BUTLER, Rectr.
Jan. 13, 1727.
Mem'd that ye Rector othered Isabell Gibson
Ninepence per week to be duly payed her.
Up to the year 1726 Butler was preacher at the Rolls,
and divided his time between his duties in London and
Ills parish in Weardale. When at Stanhope, he used to
say to his man — -"Now, Thomas, let us have a ride to
London." In 1726 he published that "most precious
repository of sound ethical principles extant in any
language," his "Fifteen Sermons." In the autumn,
Butler resigned the preachership at the Rolls, and from
this time he resided wholly at Stanhope for seven years.
Thus settled down in a quiet country place, witli a good
parsonage, a rich living, and a suitable curate, the great
divine applied himself to the study of the analogy of
religion. He is said to have ridden on a black pony, and
STANHOPE CHURCH.
362
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
t AuBUSt
1 1889.
to have ridden very fast ; but we have heard, as handed
down by the dalesmen, that he was often abroad on his
pony among the hills and in the by-lanes, where he
became absorbed in thought, whilst his pony leisurely
cropped the scant herbage on the hills and by the bridle-
path*. Bishop Van Mildert, in a letter to the Archdeacon
of Lincoln, says that he was "frequently seen riding
through Frosterley, a hamlet of Stanhope, at a great
pace, on a black horse." But when he wandered into
the by-ways, and was alone with nature and nature's
God, it is possible that the great divine might become
absorbed in thought. In and around Stanhope there are
many pleasant walks, and one, underneath some noble
beeches past Unthank Hall, is said to have been called
"Butler's Walk." Just above, with its rugged whin-
rock banks, its marginal trees, and the Stone Bridge,
the Wear presents one of the prettiest scenes in Butler's
town.
At intervals the rector met his vestry-men to discuss
some commonplace business matters, as revealed in the
parish books. To these acts the rector signs his name
amongst his substantial men of the parish parliament,
usually called "The XXIV." The following are speci-
mens :—
April 2, 172&
We the Rector & the four & Twenty hath this day
agreed that a cess of tow times the Book of Rates be
collected forthwith thro' the Parnh being in part for
Rebuilding Eastgate Bridge. Jos. BLTLKR, Rectr.
April 2, 1728.
We the Rector & the four & Twenty hath this day
agreed that a cess of one Quarter & an halfe of the Book
of Rates be forthwith collected for the Necessary Repairs
of the Church. Jos. BUTLEB, Rectr.
March 14th, 1728-9.
Mem'd That it is this Day a Greed by ye REOTOB
and ye four and twenty and Church Wardens That a
Cesse of fifteen Shillings per pound of ye Book of Rates
be forth with Collected in ye parish of Stanhope for ye
necessary Vse of ye Church. Jos. BUTLEB, Rectr.
A second edition of the rector's sermons was published
'n 1729, dated " Stanhope, September 16th," and no doubt
the subject would be mentioned when Mrs. Talbot,
widow of Mr. Edward Talbot, and her daughter Kitty,
visited Butler at Stanhope about this time. In 1731 the
rector's father died, and "John Chapman, gardener to
the Rev. Mr. Butler, Rector," died in March of that
year. In the following year the celebrated Vanderbank
painted Butler's portrait, probably at Stanhope. The
rector signs a memorandum about repairing the church,
October 26th, 1733, and leaves the matter in the hands
of the Four-and-Twenty, doubtless on account of the
close application to study having affected his health.
This was noticed by his friend Thomas Seeker, who,
beine chaplain to the king, mentioned the subject to
Queen Caroline. Her Majesty, thinking Butler was
dead, questioned Archbishop Blackburn on the point, to
which question the prelate replied, "No, madame, he is
not dead, but buried," meaning that he was shut up in a
STONE BRIDGE OVER THE NVEAR, STANHOPI".
August
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
363
country parish. In the meantime, Butler was made
chaplain to Lord Chancellor Talbot on the recommenda-
tion of Seeker, and on his road to London in 1733 he
called at Oxford and was admitted to the degree of
D.C.L. In November of the following year the rector
signs another vestry minute ; but from about this time
he divided his time between his country and town
duties. In May, 1736, Butler dates the preface of his
" Analogy, " the result of his seclusion and study among
the Weardale hills. In this summer Queen Caroline
appointed him Clerk of the Closet, and he was also pre-
sented to a prebendal stall at Rochester. In 1738 Butler
was appointed to the see of Bristol, and in this year
we have the last entry at Stanhope signed by him : —
May ISth, It is agreed by the Minister, the Overseers
1738 and the Best of the Inhabitants of Stan-
hope and Newlandside Quarters That
Anne Golightly Shall have 7s. bd. Yearly
Cess out of this [Stanhope] Quarter.
Memdm. that She is to have
the Same from Newlandside by
Dr. Butler's Order. They
having Agree'd to refer it to
Him.
Jo. BULTER, Rectr.
Bishop Butler was installed Dean of St. Paul's, May
24, 1740, in which year he resigned Stanhope. He was
made Clerk of the Closet to the King in 1746, was
translated to the see of Durham in 1750, and died at
Bath in 1752.
Some write their wrongs in marble ; he, more just,
Stoop'd down serene, and wrote them in the dust.
Trod under foot, the sport of every wind,
Swept from the earth, and blotted from his mind ;
There, buried in the (lust, he bade them lie,
And griev'd they could not 'scape the Almighty's eye.
WILLIAM MORLEY EGGLESTONE.
The portrait of Bishop Butler is taken from a steel
engraving in an edition of his works whicli was issued
by Dr. Halifax, Bishop of Gloucester, in 1828.
nrf
at tire
|OHN MACKAY WILSON was born at
Tweedmouth on the 15th day of August,
1804. He was the eldest son of William
Wilson and Jane Mackay. His father,
who was a millwright, carried on a business near
Dunse, in Berwickshire, but,, owing to the many re-
verses of fortune he had encountered, found himself com-
pelled to abandon his trade. Accordingly, a few months
prior to the birth of John Mackay Wilson, he located
himself at Tweedmouth, where he followed the occupation
of a sawyer.
From his earliest youth, John Mackay Wilson was a
great reader. His teacher pronounced him an extraor-
dinary boy, and predicted he would one day rise to fame.
For a short time be was engaged as an assistant in one of
the schools in Berwick; but, as his love for literature
seemed to be incurable, his parents resolved to place him as
an apprentice with Mr. William Lockhead, a printer,
then living in High Street, Berwick. At that time
Berwick was noted for the large amount of literature
turned out of its printing establishments, several of
WWr
the principal Edinburgh publishers sending a portion of
their work to that town. Wilson thus acquired a more
thorough knowledge of literature than he would have
done had he remained a teacher, and it was during his
apprenticeship that he made his debut as an author.
While yet only sixteen years of age, he published a poem
entitled "A Glance at Hindooisin, " of which five hun-
dred copies were issued. The success that attended this
effort seemed to fan into a flame all the aspirations of his
genius. By the time his apprenticeship expired, he had
decided upon his future actions.
After making various vain attempts to dispose of
some of his poetical writings in Edinburgh, he de-
termined to seek out other fields for the exercise of his
genius. His aspiring spirit at once carried him to
London. How many thousands like John Mackay
Wilson have, on leaving kindred and home, buoyed
themselves up with bright thoughts of future glory,
only, alas ! to find all their cherished hopes wither
like a rose before the winter's blast ! Difficulties
and privations beset him on all hands— surrounded by
affluence, yet compelled to wander the streets home-
less, and (to use his own words) "unable to purchase a
breakfast." Wilson in so vividly portraying the suffer-
ines of Robert Musgrave in one of his Border tales, " The
364
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f August
Poor Scholar," only records his own actual experiences.
Leaving London, he lectured for some time in the
provinces, and met with a most enthusiastic reception.
But he had still to struggle against hard penury ; and it
is said that he thus sowed the seeds of that disease
which was the primary cause of his premature death.
Although at length compelled to return to his native
parish, it was only to form new schemes for the con-
summation of his desires.
In the autumn of 1828, Wilson again visited London,
and for a few months found employment as a law clerk.
But the dread monotony of an office was altogether
unsuited to his tastes. Taking, therefore, the first
opportunity that presented itself, he sailed for Edin-
burgh, and succeeded in getting an engagement on the
staff of the Literary Journal. For this introduction
and many other favours he was indebted to Professor
Wilson, otherwise "Christopher North." Here, at last,
Wilson found an opening for the display of his genius,
writing for the stage as well as the press.
The following letter (first published in the Newcastle
Weekly Chronicle a few months ago), written by Wilson
while at Edinburgh, will be read with interest : —
43, Thistle Street, Edinburgh, July 2, 1829.
My dear Sir, — That 1 never answered the letter I had
the pleasure of receiving from you in London was owing
to many circumstances painful to remembrance — past,
and happily bereft of their power, but nut forgotten. Of
these, doubtless, you have heard. Misfortune, though
nn'tble to purchase a breakfast, lias ever a thousand gra-
tuitous heralds ready to publish it to the four winds of
heaven. Thank God, without compromising either prin-
ciple, feeling, or zest of society, I have struggled, I have
conquered. The field is now open before me and my path
straight; and, indeed, I know no author now living who
enjoys a greater portion of goodwill from his fellow
authors and all parties than I now do — with many I am
on the most intimate footing.
My recent dramatic productions have been extremely
successful. And another new one which will be produced
within a fortnight, called "Margaret of Aujou, or the
Noble Merchants," has in numerous papers been most
flatteringly .announced. With the increase of reputation,
I have in this instance increased my charges a full hun-
dred per cent.
I am at length firmly resolved on seeing your good
town before the end of the present month — and then the
"withered jades may wince." I come to gratify numer-
ous kindly affections, — but not the less (if it be to my
shame) to blast my enemies with a look of unrecognised
disdain, or vice versa, to heap coals of fire upon their
heads.
I have nothing to add of any interest, and, as I shall be
with you very soon, it were unprofitable to enter into any
particulars which would lose half their zest in being com-
mitted to paper. Others of my works, besides my dra-
matic ones, are ready for the press, and now only wait
the proper season to be brought out. — I am, dear sir,
yours truly, JOHN MACKAY WILSON.
Wilson next commenced to write his "Lectures on
Poetry, with Biographical and Individual Sketches,"
which he completed in three manuscript volumes, and
afterwards delivered in many of the principal towns of
England and Scotland. They were subsequently pub-
lished, in an abridged form, in the Border Magazine, a
monthly periodical issued at Berwick in 1831-32 by
John Rennison, of which John Mackay Wilson was joint
editor. The labour of preparing these "Lectures" was
immense, compelling the author to apply himself to study
and composition eighteen hours a day.
In 1831, Wilson essayed to appear before the public in
a new character. Having visited Manchester, his ser-
vices were eagerly sought for to advocate the cause of
education and of temperance, and he accordingly ad-
dressed large public meetings at Manchester, Warrington,
Bristol, and other places, in connection with the Society
of Friends. We have only to look at the moral of that
sorrowful tale entitled " We'll hae Another " to arrive at
the opinions held by Wilson on the temperance question.
And now we come to the turning-point in the hitherto
chequered life of John Mackay Wilson. In March, 1832,
he was engaged to edit and conduct the Berwick Advertiser,
at that time the only newspaper published in the Border
town. Here, at last, was an occupation suited to his
taste, and Wilson at once distinguished himself by his
fearless advocacy of the riehts of the people, and by
seeking to advance the interests of his native place. His
position gave him opportunities of publishing many
fugitive pieces, some of which enriched the columns of
his paper. He also frequently contributed to the annuals.
In 1833, he sent to Mr. Fred Shoberl, editor of the
Forget-Mc-Not (Ackerman, publisher) a piece entitled
" The Vacant Chair," which so highly pleased that
gentleman that he paid Wilson seven guineas for the
composition, and requested him to continue his valued
favours annually. In the reviews of the annuals for that
year this sketch received much flattering criticism, the
Spectator remarking : — "As a tale writer, John Mackay
Wilson bears away the bell from all the writers in the
annuals."
During November, 1833, Wilson published by sub-
scription a volume of his own poems, the principal of
which was "The Enthusiast," a metrical tale in two
cantos. The success of this work was very great, and in
the preface to the volume the author expresses his thanks
to the public for their great encouragement. He says
that, in the first week when its intended publication was
announced, the names of as many subscribers were sent
in as it would have required a considerable edition to
supply. It was, no doubt, these repeated successes that
encouraged Wilson to write the " Tales of the Borders."
The first number of the " Tales" appeared on the 8th
of November, 1834, and the publication was continued
in three-halfpenny weekly issues. In all 48 numbers,
containing 73 of his tales, were published. His last tale
was entitled the " Minister's Daughter," and the 48th
number contained the customary periodical announce-
ment— "Concluded next week." But Wilson did not
live to see its finis. The effects of the mental
strain and anxiety to which he had been sub-
jected throughout his brief life began to tell upon his
constitution. He had worked hard ; he had persevered
and conquered. He had at last received compensation
Aueuat )
1889. J
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
365
for his many trials. Before him had arisen visions of
future independence, if not of affluence. But in the
midst of all these hopes, and just as the long fought-for
prize had been won, John Mackay Wilson breathed his
last on the 2nd of October, 1835, at the early age of 31.
Poor Wilson lies buried in Tweedmouth Churchyard,
his last resting place being marked by a humble stone.
EDWABD F. HEBDM^N.
The " Tales of the Borders " were continued after
Wilon's death, but were transferred to Edinburgh, where
they were published by Mr. John Sutherland, at first "for
behoof" of Mr. Wilson's widow. Many pens were enlisted
in their service, among the writers being Alexander
Leighton, Hugh Miller, Alexander and John Bethune,
David Macbeth Moir (" Delta " of Blackwood's Magazine},
Professor Gillespie, James Maidment, W. H. Logan,
Sir Theodore Martin, Oliver Richardson, and others.
They extended before coming to an end to six
quarto volumes, a goodly library of themselves. But
Sutherland's management was at fault in some way, for
in the end he lost the savings of a long business life in
connection with them. He bad the pages stereotyped as
they were issued, and these were bought at the disposal
of his stock by a Manchester firm, which issued fresh seta
at various times, some of them illustrated. The " Tales,"
or, at all events, selections of them, have been frequently
issued by other publishers, in various forms, the last being
that sent out by Mr. Walter Scott from his Felling
Publishing Works. Imitations, with variations, have
been attempted since in various places, but none was suc-
cessful or long-lived. THOMAS TWEED.
in tire fJcrrtft.
j]HE baiting of bulls with dogs was a favourite
diversion all over England, both in town and
country, in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and
eighteenth centuries, and probably much earlier. It was
also common in the south of Scotland. All classes of
society once equally delighted in it ; but now, through
the progress of civilization, it has become extinct, an
Act passed in the reign of King William IV. for the
prevention of cruelty to animals having rendered it
penal. The sport consisted in causing a bull to be
attacked by dogs ; and, in order that the beast might
be made as furious as possible, hia nose was sometimes
blown full of beaten pepper before he was turned loose.
The most usual way, however, was to fasten the bull to a
stake, or to a ring fixed in a heavy stone, by a rope of
some yards long, and to send the dogs against him, one at
a time.
Under the patronage of the Priors of Tynemouth, bull-
baiting used to be common at North Shields ; and the
place where the poor animals were given over to the tor-
mentors is still known as the Bull Ring. In the month
of June, 1820, when some workmen were busy taking up
the pavement there to lay the gas pipes, they came upon a
large flat square stone, in which, on its being turned over,
they found a greatly corroded iron bolt and ring. This
was the ring to which the bull used to be made fast when
about to be baited. It is believed that there have not
been above one or two cases of regular bull-baiting at
North Shields since the reign of William and Mary or of
Queen Anne. So recently as the 25th of May, 1820,
however, a bull was baited on Cullercoats Sands.
The Sandhill was the scene of the sport in Newcastle.
Sykes, in his "Local Records," informs us that on the
21st January, 1768, a fine bull was baited there. This bull,
with some others, was bought by a subscription of several
gentlemen, who ordered the carcase to be distributed
among the poor. Four days afterwards, another bull
was baited at the same place, when a young man, a sailor,
venturing too near, the infuriated brute caught him with
his horns, and gored him in such a manner that he died
next morning. Several other people having been seriously
maimed, and similar accidents having repeatedly
happened on like occasions, the bull ring was removed a
few days after, by order of the magistrates, with a view
to putting an end to so cruel and barbarous a sport.
The stone was possibly only turned upside down, however,
as in the case of the North Shields ring ; for in the month
of July, 1821, during the preparations for celebrating the
coronation of George IV., the workmen, on breaking up
the pavement on the Sandhill for a foundation for the
temporary wine pant, discovered it still lying there.
A considerable part of the Town Moor having been
advertised, in 1772, by order of the Common Council, to
be let for purposes of improvement and cultivation, the
freemen entered into a vigorous protest, and laid an
action against the municipal authorities for this invasion
of their customary rights. The consequence was that the
order had to be rescinded, and a compromise favourable
to the freemen was arranged ; but this does not seem
to have satisfied some of the more sturdy and impulsive
among them. At all events a number of freemen had a
bull baited on that part of the moor which the Corpora-
tion had been permitted to let, after which they dined at
the Black Boy, in the Groat Market. This was on the
10th of August, 1774, after which we hear of no further
cases of bull-baiting in Newcastle.
In the neighbouring borough of Sunderland, the prac-
tice continued much longer. The locality chosen for the
sport was Bishopwearmouth Green, near the centre of
which the bull ring was fixed, and it remained to be seen
there till the place was enclosed, when it was removed to
a neighbouring yard, as a curiosity. Bull baitings took
place there regularly down to the third decade of the
366
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
present century. One of the last— if not the very last-
was on the 28tb of May, 1822, when a poor man, named
Simon Thornton, was thrown down by the crowd, and
had his leg broken, which caused his death soon after-
wards. That eccentric gentleman, Richard Chilton, who
died in 1875, aged 83, used to tell how, when he was " a
gobby tod" — in plain English, " a lively talkative boy" —
he often was a witness to the bullbaitings, which took
place in front of his father's house. An old Sunderland
lady, still living, and in possession of all her faculties —
Mrs. Thornton — whose father was a Lambton — recollects
quite well the last bull-baiting on Bishopwearmouth
Green.
At Alnwick, the sport was usually pursued in the
Market Place, where we learn that, on one occasion, the
bull was treated with such brutal wantonness, that at
length he lay down and expired at the ring. This was on
the 25th October, 1773. Ten years afterwards (llth
November, 1783), another bull was baited, in one of the
principal streets of the town ; and, during the brutal per-
formance, the enraged animal thn-wdown two tradesmen
who had come too near, broke the leg of one of them, and
wounded the other seriously on the head. At Winlaton,
lung famous as the chief locality of Sir Ambrose Crowley's
great ironworks, bull-baiting continued to be practised
within the memory of many still living. The sport took
place every year in September or October, and was held
in the Hall Garth. At Morpeth, the locality was the
Bulle-r's Green.
A bill to abolish bull-baiting and bull -running was in-
troduced into Parliament in 1800 by Sir William Pul-
teney, and it proceeded so far as to be reported upon by
a committee, but was wrecked after reaching that stage,
on a motion by Mr. Windham to postpone the considera-
tion of it for six months. A second appeal to humanity
was made two years afterwards, by Sir Richard Hill, who
re-introduced Pulteney's bill in the House of Commons ;
but it was once more defeated by the patrons and de-
fenders of barbarous sports, including Messrs. Windham,
Sheridan, and Courtenay, who treaied the measure as "a
combined effort of Methodism and Jacobinism, in itself
totally unworthy the dignity of the House, and a portion
of that spirit of intrusiveness which was being exerted
in depriving the common people of their few remaining
amusements." And on these grounds the motion for
the second reading was negatived by 64 to 51. At
length, on the last day of the Parliamentary session of
1835, an Act received the Royal assent, which put an
end for ever to those barbarous exhibitions which had
/so long disgraced Great Britain.
[]ROM a very remote era, possibly pre-
Roman, a series of roads, or rather tracks,
existed along the east side of the county of
Durham, and were known by the name of the
Salters' Tracks. They were used by the carriers of salt
to convey that commodity southward into Yorkshire, and
even, it is said, as far as London itself, from the exten-
sive salt-pans which existed from time immemorial on
the estuaries of the Tyne, Wear, and Tees. The salt
was carried, of course, on the backs of horses in
conveniently sized bags, and the cost of transport must
naturally have been great. For the bulk of our informa-
tion on the subject, we are indebted to a paper entitled
"Durham before the Conquest," by Mr. W. H. IX
Longstaffe, which appeared in the proceedings of the
Archaeological Institute for 1852.
There are still many traces of these roads .in the
south-east part of Durham, and the lines they took
can be traced with more or less accuracy, partly by
actual remains, and partly by the names of places.
They do not appear ever to have been paved, or, in the
Wadean sense of the term, "made"; and so, by dint of
weather and travel, they were gradually worn into deep
furrows, in some places eight and ten feet deep, so
that to pass along them in winter must have been like
travelling in a ditch.
The main track commenced at Wearmouth, and pro-
ceeded southwards along what is now known as Tunstall
Lane, by the west side of the Maiden Paps, towards Silks-
worth and Warden Law, by the east side of which it went
on the line of the present road to the neighbourhood of
Haswell. From thence it continued across the country
past Wheatley Hill, Wingate (formerly Windygates), and
Trimdon (Tremedun), to Hole House, near Fishburn, and
to Sedgefield (Seggesfeld), where it joined a Roman road
leading to Old Durham from Pountey's Bridge (in old
documents variously called Pons Tezse, Pont Tesie,
Pountesy, Pons de Pountays, and Pontesbrigg). Along
this road it went on to Stainton-in-the-Street, past Sad-
berge and Street House, to Middleton-on-the-Raw, now
Middleton-One-Row, where the river Tees was most likely
passed by a ford, at or near the place where Pountey's
Bridge was built after the Conquest. From Middleton
by Street House to Stainton-in-the-Street, the road has
received in later times the name of the County Lane,
and the ancient pavement is said to be still perfect in
many places. But from where it leaves the Roman
Road, and is consequently not paved, it assumes a
different name, being known as the Catkill Lonnin or
Broom Lonnin. and also as the Coal Street, owing to its
having formerly been much used by waggons and carts
conveying coals and lime. It is now very deep and miry.
AllCUBt >
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
367
and seldom or never used. The track between Elworth
and Dalton Piercy ia about ten feet deep, and near the
latter place its uniform breadth at bottom is nearly six
feet, as if intended for horse traffic only. It would even
be difficult for two teams of horses to pass each other on
such a road, and, therefore, the foremost horse is said to
have borne a bell, which gave notice beforehand to any-
one coming in the opposite direction to keep out of the
way.
Besides this line, which seems to have been the main
one, there were a number of branches, the majority of
which ran toward the coast. The most northerly of these
struck off to the south-east, from a point a few miles west
of Easington, and proceeded past Sheraton (Scrufutan),
Tunstall, and Stranton, to Hartlepool Bay. It seems to
have had several minor branches leading to Throston and
other places, and one of these, still known as The Chare,
ran southwards towards Greatham, where there are said
to have been anciently important saltworks.
The second easterly branch went off from Hole House,
and proceeded in a direct line past Butterwick and Salter
House through Billinghamshire, till it reached an ancient
ferry over the Tees, called Ferry Gate, at or below
Haverton Hill, near where Port Clarence now is, opposite
Middlesbrough. This branch seems to have been con-
tinued westward, by way of Garmondsway, Kelloe, and
Sherburn, to Old Durham ; but this is conjectura'
only.
A third branch runs south-south-westward, from the
point where the Catkill Lonnin crosses the main Salters'
Lane, onward to Darlington (Dearningtun). It is known
as the Darnton Trod. It proceeds for some distance over
the morasses of the Skerne in the neighbourhood of
Ketton Bridge by means of nags laid down on small
arches.
An intermediate branch breaks off at Newton Ketton,
crossing the Skerne twice, first at Barmpton (Bermetun),
and then at Haughton-le-Skerne, from whence it proceeds
to the Tees at Neasham, and probably onward to Sock-
burn, where there was a ford across the river. The few
remnants of it are seen to have been paved, and therefore
it must have been made by the Romans. It has received
the name of Lingfield Lane, from its having passed
through the hamlet of Lingfield.
Yet another branch leaves the main line in the neigh-
bourhood of Mordon, about two miles from Sedgefield,
and runs south-east by Bishopton to Egglescliffe, which
was an ancient mart for coal and lime, and presumably
also salt, to be carried across into Cleveland.
There need be little doubt that salt was carried inland
by means of the various roads, British, Roman, or Saxon,
that branched out westward and north-westward through-
out the country ; and it is at least probable that there was
a branch from about Garmcndsway, past Ferry-on-the-
Hill, to Auckland and Binchester, and so to Watling
Street. The Reken Dyke, likewise, would naturally be
used for the carriage of salt westward from Shields to
Lanchester and other places.
The names of several localities in the district preserve
reminiscences of the old trade in salt in days when the
manufacture flourished along the North-East Coast,
and practically enjoyed a monopoly, as it did pre-
vious to the discovery of the extensive salt beds
in Cheshire. Thus we have Salter House, near Wyn-
yard, which seems to have been a resting place
for the carriers; Salter Car, between Sadberge and
Long Newton Grange ; and Saltersgate Brow, between
Whitby and Pickering. Similar names, indeed, occur at
intervals all round the coast. There is a Salter's Lane at
Gosforth, and another in Gateshead. W. B.
|] HE little town of Ponteland is situated in a
fertile district, some seven or eight miles
north-west of Newcastle. Among the objects
of interest are the church, with its massive Edwardian
fortified tower, built upon its Norman west gable end,
and the remains of two towers. The tower near the
church is part of a comparatively late manor house of
the Errin£,'tons, the initials M. E. being inscribed on
the outer walls and over the fire-place in the upper
storey. It is now built into the walls of the Black-
bird Inn. Another tower, the " Turris de Ponteland "
mentioned by old writers, stands in the vicarage grounds.
Antiquaries, and all who take interest in ancient relics,
owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Fred. R. Wilson, the
well-known architect of Alnwick, for having preserved
this old fortalice. Mr. Wilson, in 1860, found it built
up in a modern vicarage house, erected a new vicarage
iu the same grounds, and left the ancient tower standing.
368
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f August
In the list "Nomina Castorum et Fortaliciorum infra
Comitatum Northumbrise," taken in 1415, this vicarage
tower is given as the "Turris de Ponteland, Vicar-
ejusdem." Mr. Cadwallader Bates, an authority on
Border peles, refers to the Edwardian castle of Sir Aymer
de Athol at Ponteland, which, with that of Otter-burn,
played a part in the romantic incursion of Douglas in
1386. Froissart is quoted by him in explanation thus : —
" I.'-s Ecossais .... vinzent a un chatel et une
ville qui s'appelle Pontlan dont messire Aymon Alphel
est sire." Mr. Bates adds: — "It is probable that the
tower-vicarage of Ponteland was not the same as Sir
Aymer de Athol's castle there." The tower in the
vicarage grounds is the subject) of the accompanying
drawing.
dFcrj-
fl HE Lake District -has long been a favourite
place of residence for men of literary and
artistic tastes. Amongst others who sought
quietness and repose in this delightful region was Dr.
Thomas Arnold, the famous master of Rugby School.
Dr. Arnold purchased the property caller! Fox How, and
there he built the house which is shown in our engraving.
His school vacations were thenceforward passed at Fox
How (except when he travelled on the Continent), in the
society of his friend Wordsworth, Colonel Hamilton
(author of "Cyril Thornton''), Sir Thomas Pasley, and
occasionally Southey.
In this pleasant retreat Dr. Arnold found time to write
his "History of Rome," and to collect materials for hi
work on Church and State, the composition of which he
considered as the chief literary object of his life. Even
amidst the toils and responsibilities of school life at
Rugby he retained fairly good health, and he looked for-
ward to a long career of mental activity at Fox How
after he should have resigned his post of head master.
But his hopes and aims were unfulfilled. One Sunday
morning, in the summer of 18*2, he was attacked by
spasms of the heart, attended with great pain. Medical
assistance was of no avail, and Dr. Arnold breathed his
last on June 12, 1842. Had he lived until the following
day, he would have been exactly forty -seven years old.
Fox How occupies a charming situation, embowered in
trees, and overlooking the brawling Rothay as it hurries
past to join the Brathay, before entering Windermere
Lake. The walk from Ambleside along the left bank of
the Rothay in the direction of Rydal is almost incom-
parable, even in the Lake District, and is, of course,
popular with visitors. The road passes close to Fox
How, which is now occupied by Dr. Arnold's daughter,
Mrs. Forster, widow of the late W. E. Forster, M.P.
FOX HOW, AMBLESIDE, RESIDENCE OF DR. ARNOLD.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
369
lt.it i/o (f crfTrr ?J?auor,
rae'tle.
UN the site now occupied by the Royal Insurance
Buildings stood, till the autumn of 1843,
one of those quaint overhanging structures
in which Newcastle was formerly so rich.
and of which even now, despite the energy of Town Im-
provement Committees and the desire for more showy
premises and larger rents on the part of property owners,
the city possesses some excellent specimens. The building
to which I refer was known for more than 120 years as
Katy's Coffee House. Not that Katy herself lived so
long, for she died in 1767, at the age of three score years
^_ ' - * ~\>- *^v^— . ^ryy
ENTRANCE TO THE SIDE FROM THE SANDHILL, NEWCASTLE WITH KATY'S
COFFEE HOUSE, THE LORT BURN *C. (1640$.
Designed from old views, plans, existent and lately existent remains, &c.
24
and ten ; but there was about her and her management of
the house — half tavern, half club— an individuality and
character which fastened her name even on the very
building itself. That building was long since destroyed ;
but the name remains, for wha; Novocastrian has not
heard of Katy's Coffee House ?
In the stirring times of the great national struggle
between the people of England and their king, in the
seventeenth century, this house was the residence of
Alderman Thomas Bonner, a merchant who was thrice
Mayor of Newcastle, and a zealous Puritan. He
was chosen Mayor for the first time on the 2nd Octo-
ber, 1648. The Common Council Books record that on
this day "Thomas Bonner, Esq., Mayor elected, coming
from the Spittle to go to his dwelling-house upon the
Sandhill, the Serjeants carrying
torches lighted in their hands,
one Edmund Marshall [doubtless
an over-zealous Royalist, a genuine
Church and King man] threw a
long stick at the said lighted
torches, and struck divers of them
out ; and, it being dark, stones, &c.,
were flung." The new Mayor had
clearly stayed late at tlie Spittle.
But his was then the ascendant
party, though its ascomlency was a
thing of recent date1, and there had
doubtless been rejoicing amongst
the aldermen — quiet, sober rejoic-
ing, though, as befitted Puritans.
But distinction awaited the new
Mayor in the near future. Just a
fortnight after his election, Oliver
the Protector reached Newcastle on
his way back from Scotland. Here,
writes one of Cromwell's generals,
" we were received with very great
acknowledgments of love ; stayed
three days, partly to give our army
a little rest, also for the having our
train come up to us from Berwick/'
A contemporary writer says that
the army, coming hither, "was en-
tertained with great guns, and ring-
ing of bells and feasting." "The
19th," says the general just quoted,
"we were very sumptuously feasted
by the new Mayor of Newcastle,"
in his old house on the Sandhill of
course. During the repast, tradition
tells us, " the town's waits or musi-
cians" cheered the company with
their harmonic strains. The Lort
Burn, then an open stream, flowed
down the lower part of the Side,
370
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
1889.
past the Mayor's door, and across the Sandhill into the
Tyne. Opposite Bonner's house it was spanned by a
narrow bridge, whereon the musicians stood whilst dis-
playing their skill.
Bonner's first mayoralty was inaugurated by a riot on
the Sandhill. His last mayoralty was terminated by a
riot at the Spittle. The Restoration came during his
term of office, and Sir John Marley, who had been under
a cloud since the memorable siege of 1644, was now once
more to the fore, and, as be waa the last Royalist Mayor
when the first Charles's sun was setting, he was chosen
for the first Royalist Mayor when the sun of the second
Charles was rising. But, as the biographer of Ambrose
Barnes tells us, "the worthy Mayor of Newcastle (Thomas
Bonner, that is, of the Sandhill), making scruple to sur-
render the staff to Sir John Marley, who was thought a
n't person to succeed him, was so pushed and bruised in
the Spittle, that he was carried out in his chair half dead,
such was the violence of the faction." The riot proved
fatal to our worthy. He died "of the hurt he received in
the Election House," and was buried on the 12th October,
1660, that is, just eleven days after the riot. Barnes's
biographer tells us that Bonner, as Mayor, " to this day
never had his equal in the town."
Bonner had been dead more than half a century before
Katy's arrival on the Sandhill. She came in the early
days of George I. Not more than twenty summers had
passed over her head when she assumed the management
of what became by her prudent care a prosperous and
respectable Coffee House. Hers was a house frequented
by the ancient dignitaries of Newcastle, who went in and
out at her front door, boldly and unashamed. Here law-
yers met their clients, and hero valuable properties were
sold by auction — but "by inch of candle." Katy, whose
real name, by the way, was Kate Jefferson, maintained the
fame of her house a full half century, and died, a spinster,
on the 10th day of January, 1767. A spinster she could
only have been by her own fixed and resolute determina-
tion. What stories Katy could have told, and doubtless
did tell, to her customers — stories not only of the over-
tures of seekers after a single landlady of a successful
house, but stories of the many odd and ordinary, good-
humoured and ill-humoured characters who had fre-
quented her house during her fifty years of mistress-ship !
What would we not give for Katy's autobiography !
A contemporary newspaper, recording her death, says :
"The great resort of company to her house did not pre-
vent her industry in other respects, particularly in spin-
ning, in which she excelled One web, of nineteen yards,
she brought to the fineness that she refused to take
half-a-guinea a yard for it, which was offered her by a
lady. But it is to be observed that she worked on the
web no less than twenty years."
The accompanying view of Katy's Coffee House as it is
supposed to have appeared about 1640 is reproduced from
Richardson's " Table Book." J. R. BOYLB, F.S.A.
JUGGLESWICK, a small village eighteen
miles west-south-west of Newcastle, can
boast of several curious historical associa-
tions. The earliest notice of it in local
history dates from the time of Bishop Pudsey, neph«w
to Bang Stephen, who, in February, 1153, had the mitre
of Durham irregularly conferred upon him by the
brethren of the convent without consulting the Arch-
bishop of York, an act of arrogance and presumption
which caused the proud metropolitan to excommunicate
the offending parties, declining to remit the sentence
till they had submitted themselves to his judgment,
with sincere penitence, and undergone the penance of
the whip in York Cathedral.
Geoffry of Coldingham describes Pudsey as "a great
dissembler, filled with detraction and hypocrisy." The
prelate took the vow of the Cross, and extorted money
in his diocese for the expedition to the Holy Land, along
with King Richard I., but, after all, preferred staying at
home. When the lion-hearted monarch fell into the
hands of the Duke of Austria, and was detained a close
prisoner in the castle of Tyernsteign, Pudsey demanded
immense sums from his vassals, under the pretence of
raising a ransom for his royal patron ; but he only
remitted a small portion of the money, and kept the
bulk of it himself. It must be confessed, however, that
he spent the greater part of what came into his hands,
legitimately or illegitimately, on works calculated to
secure his fame as a master-builder. Thus he restored
Durham Castle, which a fire had almost wholly destroyed ;
re-edified Norham Castle, which had fallen into disrepair ;
built the beautiful chapel of the Blessed Virgin, called
the Galilee, or Lady's Chapel, at the west end of Durham
Cathedral ; constructed a magnificent shrine for the
Venerable Bede, built Elvet Bridge, founded Sherburn
Hospital for Lepers, erected a noble church at Darlington,
and built many other magnificent edifices, besides
undertaking and completing the Boldon Buke, a general
survey of all the ancient demesne lands and possessions
in his bishopric. A great part of the .lands in Monk
Hesleton township, near Castle Eden, having belonged
for several generations to the Convent of Durham, Bishop
Pudsey negotiated an exchange with the prior and monks
of the cathedral, whereby he got the manor of Herdwyck,
now Hardwick, in that township, and gave the convent
that of Muggleswick instead.
About the middle of the thirteenth century, Hugh de
Darlington, prior of Durham from 1258 to 1272, and
again from 1285 to 1289, enclosed a park at Muggleswick,
and built within it a "camera," consisting of a hall,
chapel, and lodgings, with arched underground apart,
ments in which to secrete cattle during the incursions of
August I
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
371
the Scots. Some remains of this edifice, and parts of the
park wall, are still visible. The park, which is now
enclosed, was three miles in length and two in breadth.
The Derwent divides the parish from that of Shotley and
likewise the county of Durham from Northumberland.
Towards the south stretches a wild moorland tract called
Muggleswick Common, over which runs the old drove
road from Corbridge by Eddy's Bridge to Stanhope in
Weardale.
The churchyard at Muggleswick contains the grave
of a person of gigantic stature, one John Ward. The
giant flourished, it is said, in the seventeenth century.
If tradition can be relied on, his limbs were of such an
enormous size that a favourite hound of his littered in
his wooden shoe.
During the brief reign of Presbytery and Independency
under the Commonwealth and Protectorate, the bulk of
the Muggleswick people seem to have abjured Episcopacy
or Prelacy ; and Richard Bradley, master of arts, who
had been appointed to take their spiritual oversight in
16*1— the year in which the contest between the King
and the Parliament began— was extruded from his living,
and a Puritan preacher, named Thomas Roger, was
chosen in his place. But after the restoration of the
Monarchy, when everything that had been done in
Church and State during the interregnum was annulled,
Roger was deposed in his turn, along with other two
thousand Nonconformist ministers. This violent change
was naturally distasteful to the Puritanical portion of the
Muggleswickians, who complained loudly, but in vain,
that an unsuitable person was to be imposed upon them
to guard and rule them in spiritual matters. Mr. Surtees,
in his invaluable History of the County^of Durham, has
extracted from the first volume of a series of pamphlets
presented to the British Museum by George III. the
following specimen of a petition, signed by sixty-seven
persons, including women and children, whom Mr.
Bradley had indicted for absenting themselves from the
communion : —
A most lamentable Information of Part of the
Grievances ot Mugleswick Lordship, in the Bishoprick
of Durham, sent up by Master George Lilburne,
Major of Sunderland, to be communicated to the
House of Commons.
To all Christian people to whom these presents shall
come, know that we are a people in that our parish of
Mugleswicke who have been destitute of a preaching
Minister ; yen, ever since any of us that now are
breathing were borne, to our soules great griefe and
dreadful hazard of destruction ; neither is it our case
alone, but also ten, yea or twelve parishes all adjoyning,
are in like manner void of the meanes of salvation, whose
case and condition is deepely to be deplored : And as for
us in Mugleswicke, wee have had none neither good nor
bad since Martinmas, Anno. Dom. 1640, but such as the
Scottish Presbiterie furnished us withall (bemoaning our
miserable estate), for hee who then supplyed the place,
departed this life about the day of the date above men-
tioned ; and wee immediately after his death rode to
one Master James, minister of Riton, being one of the
prebends of Durham, intreating him with all earnestnesse,
with an humble petition, because he then was in authoritie,
and no more of that sect left in the countie, but all fled
because of the Scots ; that this our poore parish of Mugles-
wicke, might once at length have the fruition of a faithfull
minister, but hee answered that they (viz.) the prebends
had already appointed us a man, namely, one John Duery,
whom we knew ; then with all our soules wee besought
him that we might be exempted of that Duery, because
wee knew him to be no preacher, and his life and conver-
sation scandalous, and had two places at that present
already, as we told him ; and also that he publikely
confessed in a pulpit before an open assembly, that hee
could not preach, and yet that aspiring prebend (whose
lifelesse conscience we leave to your censure) replyed, that
they had once authorised him, and wee neither could nor
should depose him ; and he also told us in plaine tearmes,
that if he could reade the prayer booke, and an homily, it
was nothing to us what kind of man he was ; so when
things would be no better, it behooved us to come home
with these cold comforts, having heavy hearts that our
soules should a longer season be inthralled to such a
simple, yea (we dare say), sinful minister, who is ignorant
of the very principles of religion ; yet our all-sufficient
God (seeing that we were but breeding and beginning in
Christianite) would let no more be laid upon us than we
were able to beare), and so seeing us unwilling to accept
of him he gave over. Then the place being voide for the
space of a whole yeare, wee ourselves betwixt grief and
necessitie, went abroad to seeke, and it pleased our God
to send such an one as our soules longed after, and no
sooner found we one to whom our minds affected, but
immediately those prebends (who whether they were
friends or foes to Christ judge yee), that will not sticke to
hazard their heads so they may hinder the truth, doe
impose one Braidley upon us, a bird brought out of the
nest of their bosomes, who (we may say without sinne) is
one of the most deboist amongst the sonnes of men, for
hee will neither preach himselfe nor yet permit others,
but upon the Sabbath day he took the locke from the
church doore, and fastened on one of his owne, so as that the
parishioners were forced for to stand in the church yard
to discharge divine duties with their minister in cold frost
and snow, to the infinite dishonour of the Almightie, the
great griefe of their minds, and the dreadful indangering
of themselves in that stormy time of the yeare ; other
times before, he came in to the church, whilst our minister
was in hi.s exhortation, and stood up beside him, reading
with a loud voyce in a book to overtop the sound of his
words ; afterwards pulled him by the coate when hee was
in the pulpit ; but when neither of these would cause him
to desist from duty, he goes and rings the bels all aloud :
neither is this all, but out of malice cals a communion,
and enters upon the sacred action without any preparation
termon before the day.
The Master George Lilburne, of whose mediatorship the
parishioners availed themselves to get their grievances
laid before the national Legislature — then in nowise
inclined to listen favourably to them — was an influential
member of the noted Lilburne family, who, as Mr.
Surtees observes, were at one time, in effect, lords
paramount of the borough and port of Sunderland. He
and his brother. Major Thomas, were joint proprietors of
Offerton, and the latter gentleman is said in his epitaph
to have been "one of the instrumental persons in his
Majesty's happy restoration." Master James, minister
of Ryton, was the Rev. William James, A.M., Vicar of
Merrington, and prebend of the twelfth stall. He died
about the close of the year 1658, and was buried in
Durham Cathedral on the 12th January, 1659. John
Duery, or Dury, continued to hold the living till
November, 1684, when he died, having, however, about a
month previous, had a coadjutor named Smith admitted
to do duty for him, he "being old and unable to serve,"
&c. Under the circumstances described in the terms
372
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
\
August
above-quoted, it was no wonder that the parishioners
felt deeply aggrieved; "and it was perhaps owing,"
observes Surtees, "to the calmer temper of the people
and the milder genius of the country, rather than to the
lenience of the Government, that the same scenes were
not acted there which soon after occurred in Scotland,
when the Covenanters were hunted into the wilderness,
and found consolation in anathematising their persecutors
amidst woods and water and waterfalls."
As it was, Muggleswick Park was at this 'period the
scene of several seditious meetings, which an ill-judged
display of force might very easily have converted into
dangerous armed assemblies, provided there had been a
Cargill or a Cameron to inflame their godly zeal, or a
Balfour of Burley to lead them forth to 6ght the battle
of the Lord of Hosts. The "psalm-singing rascals" on
the banks of the Derwent were few in number and devoid
of influence ; and the gentry in the neighbourhood were
almost to a man against them. The Cavaliers formed
armed associations, with a view to preserve the ascend-
ency which they had just regained ; and the malcontents
did not feel themselves justified in offering open resist-
ance to the new order of things. The actual state of
matters iijay be inferred from the following affidavit,
sworn to by John Ellerington, of Blanchland, in the
county of Northumberland, before Thomas Fetherstone,
Samuel Davison, Cuthbert Carr, and Richard Neile,
justices of the peace, on the 22nd of March, 1662 : —
This informant saith, That he hath known divers
seditious meetings in Muggleswick Park within these
last six months, sometimes at the house of one John
Ward, who is one of their chief preachers, sometimes at
the house <jf John Readshaw, Robert Blenkinsop, and
Rowland Harrison, who were met together. The said
John Ward, John Readshaw, Robert Blenkinsop, and
Rowland Harrison, together with Capt. Doffen, Capt.
George Gower, Robert Readshaw, son of the said John,
Robert Taylor, Mark Taylor, both of Eddesbridge, John
March, of the same, John Joplin, of the Fox-holes, John
March, of Ridley-mill, Cuthbert Newton, of Flendsey,
Richard Taylor, of Crankley, Henry Angus, Cuthbert
Maugham, of Birchentields, George Readshaw, of
Edmondbyers, John Oliver, of the same, Lewis Frost,
of South Sheales, Cuthbert Coatsworth and Michael
Coatsworth, of the same, Richard Ord and John Ord,
of Birchenhaugh, James Carr, of Ardley, Robert Palmer,
of Crawcrook, Rowland and Nicholas Harrison, sons of
Rowland Harrison, abovesaid, John Hopper, of Carp-
Sheals, Thomas Readshaw, of Paddomsack, Michael
Ward, of Shotleyfield, Cuthbert Ward, of Black Hedley,
Ralph Hey, of Edmundbyers, Richard Johnson, of
Sunderland, and Forster, of the same ; where they
did mutually take an oath of secrecy not to discover their
design, which was, to ripe in rebellion against the present
Government, and to destroy the present Parliament,
which had made a law against liberty of conscience, and
to murder all bishops, deans, and chapters, and all
ministers of the Church, and to break all organs in
pieces, to destroy the common prayer books, and to pull
down all churches ; and, further, to kill the gentry
that should either oppose them, or not join with them
in their design. That they intended first to fall upon
Durham, to seize any magazine that might be there, or
money in any treasurer's hands, and to plunder the town.
They did boast of many thousands of Anabaptists and
Independents that were to join with them in the nation,
with whom they had daily correspondence, by letters and
messengers, upon which employment the said informant
hath been divers times sent to divers persons ; and he
heard them lately say that some Papists were lately come
into their party, and they did not doubt of their real
intention to join with them in their design. That they
have already in their bands some provision of arms, and
do expect great proportion both of arms and ammunition
from Lewis Frost aforesaid, who hath undertaken to
provide for them. And he further saith, that for divers
months by-past it was resolved amongst them to rise on
the 25th of this instant March, but they did lately agree
to defer the execution of their design for a month longer,
till they see what the Parliament would do concerning
indulgence to tender consciences and toleration of their
party, and withal by putting off their rising, they would
be much stronger by many that would come to their party
daily. And this informant saith that he knows to depose
what he hath said, because he was one of their party, and
was re-baptised by the abovesaid John Ward, and was
with them at most of their meetings, and did take the
aboveeaid oath of secresy, but being pricked in his
conscience at the horror of such a bloody design, he
could have no rest nor quietness in his mind till he had
discovered the same.
In a second information Ellerington accused several
gentlemen of considerable rank as participators in
this covert high treason. One of these was Sir
Henry Witherington, who had been High Sheriff of
Northumberland in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and
again in that of James I., and had represented that
county in Parliament under the latter monarch. Another
was Edward Fenwick, of Stanton, Esq. ; a third,
Timothy Whittingham, Esq., of Holmside ; and a
fourth, Captain Lilburne, of. Sunderland — the first two
probably Roman Catholics, Whittingham a Presbyterian,
and Lilburne an Independent. Whittingham and Lil-
burne were apprehended on Ellerington's information,
and detained in custody three months ; but there was not
the slightest evidence to criminate them, and so they had
to be liberated. Against Witherington and Fenwick
there seems to have been even less suspicion, their
hereditary adherence to the old faith rendering it unlikely
that they would ever make common cause with the
Roundheads in an endeavour to upset Charles the
Second's Government and replace it by something to
their mind far worse.
However, the plot caused so great a sensation that
Bishop Cosin called out the trained bands of the
palatinate under Sir Thomas Davison ; and the principal
gentry and their retainers embodied themselves in the
different wards, under Sir Nicholas Cole of Brancepath,
Colonel Cuthbert Carr of Dunston, Colonel Byerley, and
Henry Lambton, Esq. But it proved, after all, to have
been "much ado about nothing." For Ellerington was
one of those informers who, finding their audience had
itching ears, manufactured cock-and-bull stories to startle
them. After minute inquiries, conducted by parties by
no means disposed to extenuate the case, it turned out
that the terrific array of mounted Anabaptists whom the
informer alleged to have been seen mustering by night on
Muggleswick Common was reduced to the re-appearance
of one Joseph Hopper, who had taken a jaunt to Ireland,
and had come horn* again on horseback !
Aug
18?
r>
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
373
Clifforrtr, the
MONG the old and notable families sprung
from the ducal house of Normandy, few
possess greater claims to distinction than
the Cliffords of Craven, not only on account of their
vast estates and numerous seigneuries, but also from
the remarkable personal characteristics of both the
men and women of this ancient race. The stock was a
sturdy one, and the name of Clifford brightens many an
eventful episode in our national life. For centuries it
has been identified with the remains of antiquity, and
ancient seats and castles in Yorkshire and Cumberland,
while tale and tradition lend a further and adventitious
interest to the romantic history of this extraordinary
family.
The Cliffords, as might be expected, took an active and
prominent part in the Wars of the Roses. Thomas, the
eighth Baron, was killed at the battle of St. Albans ; his son
John, surnamed " the Blackfaced Clifford," succeeded to
the title and estates, and, though only twenty years of age,
assumed his father's sword and harness, plunged at once
into the fierce internecine struggle, and became one of the
chief leaders of the Lancastrian Army. This John was the
" cruel Clifford" who gained so unpleasant a notoriety by
murdering the young Earl of Rutland (brother to Edward
IV.), after the battle of Wakefield in 1460. Shakspeare has
pourtrayed the scene in " Henry VI.," part iii., act 1, 6.3,
and Graf ton and Speed inform us that the young earl, being
"scarce of the age of twelve years, was slain in fight by
the hands of Lord Clifford in part for revenge, for the
earl's father had slain his." Retribution soon followed
this cruel act. The battle of Towton quickly succeeded
that of Wakefield ; the Lancastrians were totally routed,
and the black faced baron was killed as he was fording
the river Aire, " for, having put off his gorget a little
before, either through pain or heat, he was shot in the
throat by a headless arrow."
The triumph of the White Rose meant the utter ruin of
the house of Clifford. The late baron was attainted, his
lands were seized by the Crown and divided amongst the
victorious faction, and so savage was the temper of the
time that the very lives of his infant heirs would not have
been deemed enough to atone for the blood of the murdered
Rutland. The widowed Lady Clifford, in her anxiety to
save her boys from the fury of Edward IV., and the
Yorkists, sent the younger child abroad (where he soon
died), and concealed her eldest son, Henry — the hero of
our tale — in the house of a shepherd, near Londes-
broueh, where she then resided. Dugdale tells us that,
" though he was brought up in no better condition than
the shepherd's children, yet, as he grew to discretion, he
cheerfully submitted thereto, as the only expedient for
preservation of his life, supporting himself in hopes of
better days in time. " During this lawless and unsettled
period, the life of a rich and unprotected woman was by
no means a comfortable one, and Lady Clifford found it
prudent to enter again into the married state. She be-
came the wife of Sir Lancelot Threlkeld, a Cumberland
gentleman, who had not compromised himself by taking
any active part in the national struggle. If her re-marriage
was prompted by the wish to secure a friend and a protec-
tor for the young child, who was barely seven years of
age at the time of his father's death, she certainly at-
tained her object ; for, when she went to live on her hus-
band's estates at Threlkeld, Sir Lancelot, a kind and
generous man, aided her in secretly removing her son,
with the shepherd, his wife and family, to a mountainous
part of Cumberland. Wordsworth, with whom the legend
of the Shepherd Lord is an especial favourite, takes this
view of the subject. In " The Waggoner " he melo-
diously describes the place of retreat —
There at Blencathra's rugged feet
Sir Lancelot gave a safe retreat
To noble Clifford ; from annoy
Concealed the persecuted boy,
Well pleased in rustic garb to feed
His Hock, and pipe on shepherd's reed,
Among the multitude of hills,
Crag.s, woodlands, waterfalls, and rills.
Local tradition asserts that Lady Clifford sometimes
privately visited her beloved child ; but, be that as it
may, we have ample evidence to prove that the young
Lord Henry passed twenty-four years in this obscure
condition, and any other account of his life at this time
must be looked on as mythical, for the numerous popular
stories are diverse and discordant. Wordsworth invests
his tale with a world of poetic romance, and in "The
White Doe of Rylstone, " he speaks of the fairy who —
Loved the shepherd earl to meet,
And taught him signs and showed him sights,
On Craven dens and Cumbrian heights,
- When under cloud of fear he lay,
A shepherd clad in homely grey.
It is, however, an acknowledged historic fact that on the
accession of Henry VII. the good services of the ancestors
of this Henry Lord Clifford were called to remembrance,
and he was restored to his estates and honours — the most
charming part of the story being that his mother lived
to see her son reinstated in his ancestral domains,
and happily married to a near relative of the king.
Lord Henry appears to have acquitted himself in his
new position with dignity and discretion, and we are
informed, in the "History of Cumberland," that,
" though before this time he was not able to write any-
thing at all, by reason of his obscurity and illiterate
education, he now learned to write his name, and no
more. When called to Parliament he behaved wisely and
nobly, but otherwise seldom came to London or the
Court, and rather delighted to live in the country, where
he repaired several of his castles, which had gone to
decay during the late troubles. He was about thirty-one
years of age when he came to his estates, and he enjoyed
the same about 37 years."
374
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I Aug
\ 18S
His life must have been a fairly active one, as he
was twice entrusted with a military command in
the wars against Scotland, and in 1514, though above
sixty years of age, he was present at the battle of
Flodden. According to Whitaker, he there showed that
the military genius of his family had neither been dulled
in him by age nor extinguished by habits of peace. He
was also one of the lords who subscribed the letter to Pope
Clement importuning him to ratify King Henry's divorce
from Katharine of Aragon.
Although unable to read or write, he took a great
interest in astronomy, and, being far from deficient in
natural parts, with the aid and instruction of the canons
of Bolton took great pleasure in observing the motions of
the heavenly bodies. In order to be near his friends at
Bolton Priory, he resided chiefly at Barden Tower, where
he passed the evening of his days, requesting in his will
that he should be buried in his beloved abbey.
M. S. HARDCASTI.E.
may be necessary euphonice gratia to remark that the
burden is pronounced Binnorie, and not Binn6rie, as it
was accented in a modern ballad some time ago.
STftc i10rtft=<£0twtvi) (iarlantr
,-stoIxoe.
BIXNORIE ; OK, THE CRUEL SISTER.
jjHE popularity of this ballad extends over
a period of nearly 250 years, the earliest
copy known being a broadside in the
possession of Mr. Rimbault, entitled "The
Miller's Melody," "printed for Francis Grove, 1656."
It afterwards appeared in "Wit Restored," 1658, as
"The Miller and the King's Daughter."
Mr. Jameson and Sir Walter Scott both designated this
a parody. Prof. Child, of Boston, U.S., however, contends
that it is not, although he admits that " two or three stan-
zas are ludicrous." He also states that the same story is to
be found in the Icelandic, Norse, as well as in the Swedish
and Danish languages, and a nearly related one in many
other ballads or tales of Germany, Poland, Lithuania,
&o. The professor's evidence is weighty in the matter,
as his edition of English and Scotch Ballads, published
in eight volumes in 1861, is the best collection yet pub-
lished, and is specially valuable on account of containing
nearly every British ballad or ballad version worthy of
preservation.
There are two melodies to which the ballad has
been sung, and the one we give is that which is
used in the Reedsdale and Liddesdale districts. It
was sent by James Telfer, of Saughtree, in 1857, to Mr.
Robert Whi te, of Newcastle. The other melody is also
beautiful, and was sung by Mr. Sinclair in giving his
Scottish ballad entertainments about fifty years ago. It
bon - nie mill dam**
Bin
no - rip.
He courted the eldest wi' glove and ring,
Binnorie O Binnorie,
But he lo'ed the youngest aboon a" thing,
By the bonnie mill-dams o' Binnorie.
He courted the eldest wi' broach and knife.
Binnorie, &c.,
But he lo'ed the youngest aboon his life,
By the bonnie, &c.
The eldest she was vexed sair,
And sore envied her sister fair.
The eldest said to the youngest ane :
" Will you go and see our father's ships come in ?"
She's taen her by the lily hand,
And led her down to the river strand.
The youngest stude upon a stane ;
The eldest cam' and pushed her in.
She took her by the middle sma',
And dashed her bonny back to the jaw.
" O sister, sister, reach your hand.
And you shall be heir of half my land."
" O sister, I'll not reach my hand,
And I'll be heir of all your land.
"Shame fa' the hand that I should take,
It's twined me and my world's make."
"O sister, reach me but your glovp,
And my sweet William shall be your love."
"Sink on, nor hope for hand or glove,
And sweet William shall better be my love.
"Your cherry cheeks and your yellow hair
Garr'd me gang maiden evermair."
Sometimes she sank, and sometimes she swam.
Until she cam to the miller's dam.
The miller's daughter was baking bread,
And gaed for water as she had need.
"O father, father, draw your dam,
There's either a mermaid or a milk-white swan."
The miller hasted and drew his dam,
And there he found a drown'd woman.
Ye couldna see her yellow hair
For gowd and pearls that were so rare.
Ye couldna see her middle sma',
Her gowden girdle was sae braw.
Ye couldna see her lily feet,
Her gowden fringes were sae deep.
A famous harper passing by,
The sweet pale face he chanced to spy.
And when he looked that ladye on,
He sighed and made a heavy moan.
AuRuat \
1889. I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
375
"Sair will they be whate'er they be,
The hearts that live to weep for thee."
He made a harp o' her breast bane,
Whose sounds would melt a heart o' stane.
The strings he framed o' her yellow hair,
Whose notes made sad the listening ear.
He brought it to her father's ha'.
There was the court assembled a'.
He laid the harp upon a stane.
And straight it began to play alane.
"O yonder sits my father the king,
And yonder sits my mother the queen ;
"And yonder stands my brother Hugh,
And by him my William, sweet and true. "
But the last tune that the harp played then
Was — " Woe to my sister, false Helen !"
f!ffrtft=Cmwtre
awtf
flUSTAVE FLAUBERT, the well-known
French author, has written in indignant
terms of the manner in which "a man named
Thompson, of Sunderland," has won immortality.
Thompson, he says, got his name painted in letters six
feet long on Pompey's Pillar at Alexandria. "And
now," continues M. Flaubert, "Thompson's name is in-
corporated with the monument, perpetuated with it, nay,
overwhelms it by the splendour of. his gigantic letters."
William Thompson, it seems, was the name of a brig
which was owned by a Monkwearmouth baker. The
brig was wrecked near Alexandria in 184-5. Some of the
crew, while waiting for a homeward bound ship, hauled
a rope over Pompey's Pillar by means of a kite. This
done, one of the crew, supposed to have been George
Button, climbed up the rope and painted the name of the
wrecked vessel, which was also the name of its owner,
on the memorial of the great Pompey. But other North-
Country sailors had made their mark on Pompey's
Pillar before the crew of the William Thompson, for we
are told that a visitor to Alexandria in 1830 found on
the same monument the following inscription, written in
black letters of enormous size : — " Henry Cram, New-
castle-on-Tyne, H.M.S. Glasgow, 1827."
(grammar
JNDOWED Grammar Schools of old founda-
tions exist in almost all the principal towns
of England and Scotland. One of the most
famous of these in the North of Eng-
land is that situated at Houghton-le-Spring, in the
county of Durham, and founded in the year 1574, or a
little earlier, by the learned, pious, and benevolent Ber-
nard Gilpin, A.M., who was rector of the parish for about
a quarter of a century, and acquitted himself of his
pastoral duties so well, in the face of almost unparalleled
difficulties, amongst a rude and barbarous people, as to
justly earn the title by which he is still remembered —
that of "the Apostle of the North." The Rev. C. S.
Collingwood, in his memoirs of this excellent man, says :
— " He had not been long in the parish ere, touched with
the wise prevision of the times, which saw in the better
education of the rising generation, and especially in the
provision of an educated clergy, the most profitable
measures for advancing God's work, he set his heart on
establishing a grammar school."
Letters-patent were obtained from Queen Elizabeth for
the formal establishment of the school in 1574, but there
is reason to believe that it had been opened and in opera-
tion some years previous to that date. It purported to be
endowed by the Rev. Bernard Gilpin and John Heath,
Esq., of Kepier, near Durham ; and it got the title,
" Kepier Grammar School, "from the fact that the greater
part of its endowments arose from tithes and lands which
had belonged to the dissolved hospital of St. Giles's at
Kepier. The building and endowment cost Gilpin about
£400, a very considerable sum in those days, equal to
between £3,000 and £4,000 now, and at least a year's
income of his living ; and it was only by rigid self-
denial and strict economy that he was able to spare so
much. And as this was not enough for the whole endow-
ment, he had to turn for help to his friends in the neigh-
bourhood, of whom the foremost to contribute liberally
was "Maister John Heathe, Esquier, " whohad purchased
the Kepier Hospital property a few years before, and
who, being a man of large means and a great encourager of
learning, gladly fell in with the rector's views, and gave of
his abundance to further the good work. Others, besides,
376
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I AUBUBt
\ 1889.
contributed as they were able, so that at length the full
endowment which Gilpin contemplated, about £50 per
annum (something like £450 in our days), was secured. A
detailed statement of the rents, revenues, and possessions
of the school will be found in Surtees's "History of
Durham," as well as in Parson and White's Directory.
The school premises are situated at the top of the parish
churchyard, which was for a long time the only play-
ground the boys had, but which is now railed off and
kept in decent order, while that indispensable appendage
to every school — a spacious open place for out-of-door re-
creation— has been wisely provided.
Attached to the school are six foundation scholarships,
which can be held by boys from any part of the kingdom.
An exhibition of £25 per annum, tenable for four years at
Oxford, Cambridge, or Durham University, has been
added to the foundation, mainly by the efforts of the old
pupils. The appointments are in the hands of the
governors, who at present are Richard Lawrence Pember-
ton, Esq., and the Right Hon. Lord Henry Vane
Tempest. The head-master is the Rev. Alexander
Bennett, B.A.
A number of distinguished men have been educated
here. We can name only a few. One was Bernard
Gilpin's own pet protegee, Hugh Broughton, who was
confessedly the most profound Semitic scholar of his day,
and whose principal works were collected and published
after his death by the learned Dr. Lightfoot, with the
following curious title: — "The Works of the Great
Albonian Divine, renowned in many nations for
rare skill in Salem's and Attiens's Tongues, and familiar
acquaintance with all Rabbinical Learning, Mr. Hugh
Broughton,'' folio, 1662. Another, who likewise had
the advantage of personal instruction by the founder of the
school in his own study, was Dr. George Carleton, Bishop
of Chichester, the biographer of the good man. Then
there was Richard Gilpin, Bernard's great-nephew, the
author of the "Dsemonologia," of whom it was said that
" there was scarcely anything that accomplished a man,
a scholar, a physician, or a divine, but he possessed it in
great perfection, going about as he did doing good both to
the souls and the bodies of men. " There was also William
Romaine, the popular Calvinist preacher, the Spurgeon of
his day ; Robert Surtees, the historian of Durham ;
Samuel Laing, who commenced public life as private secre-
tary to Mr. Labouchere (afterwards Lord Taunton), then
President of the Board of Trade, who went out to India
in 1860 to replace Mr. James Wilson as Finance Minister,
and who is now chairman of the London, Brighton,
and South Coast Railway Company ; Admiral Sit
George Elliot, G.C.B., who represented Roxburghshire
in the first reformed Parliament, and commanded the
British naval forces before Canton in one of our Chinese
wars ; Sir James Hope Grant, G.C.B., one of the heroes
who were instrumental in saving India during the mutiny
of 1857-8; Mr. T. E. Harrison, late engineer-in-chief
of the North-Eastern Railway ; his brother, the
Rev. William G. Harrison, rector of Easington ;
Mr. Jackson, editor of the "Memoirs of the Gilpin
Family " ; George Francis Walker, Senior Wrangler at
Cambridge in 1879, whose untimely end by drowning in
1883, when he had recently arrived at Auckland, New
Zealand, as Professor of Mathematics, "is," says Mr.
Collingwood, "fresh in the memory of all"; Archdeacon
Gray, of Hong Kong ; and the Rev. Canon Chester,
Rector of Ryton.
~~^n ew''- ~^~- -
tWkVOOV • '«*•'*«*
'hUu^W - *
XJ- 1* Jiv f ,t
August I
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
377
flROSS HOUSE stands at ths eastern end of a
wedge-shaped block of buildings that divides
the thoroughfare of Westgate Road at its
widest part into two branches ; one, bearing the name
of the main street, runs a straight course over the
hills to Benwell; the other, with the appellation
of Fenkle Street, gives access to Charlotte Square
and the Friars. The date of erection does not appear.
Speed's map, published in 1610, shows buildings upon
the same spot ; Corbridge's map, issued in 1724 (re-
printed by the forethought of the Rev. J. R. Boyle,
F.S.A.), clearly indicates a house of the same area. We
may, therefore, fairly assume that Cross House was the
habitable mansion of some well-to-do Newcastle citizen
when the eighteenth century came in.
From the surroundings of the place there is no diffi-
culty in supposing that Cross House was a very comfort-
able and very pleasant residence. The prospect down the
wide thoroughfare of Westgate Street was of itself
sufficiently picturesque. On the right were the lofty
dwellings occupied by some of the best families
in Newcastle ; on the left the Vicarage and St. John's
Church; in the centre the Vicar's Pump; with all the
changing accessories of locomotion — callers in carriages
and callers in chairs, travellers on horseback and
travellers on foot— which such juxtaposition of fashion-
able dwellings and popular resorts naturally created.
From the upper windows the view must have been
charming. The Forth with its leafy avenues and
fragrant flower plots, although close at hand, might not
be visible through the cramped alley called Forth Lane ;
but to the north and east were orchards, closes, and well
kept gardens stretching down from the Bigg Market to
encircle the picturesque old Vicarage, and the evergreen
churchyard of St. John ; while over Pudding Chare rose
the glittering pinnacles of St. Nicholas', and over Denton
Chare, possibly, the bright acclivities of suburban Gates-
head.
Cross House sometimes bore the name of Westgate
House, but neither by the one nor the other appellative
is any notice taken of it by local annalists and historians.
Who was its first, and who were its successive, occupants
we know not. It has, however, been ascertained that
during much of his bachelor life in Newcastle, and for
pome time after he married, the old house was occupied by
Ralph Carr, of Dunston Hill, founder of "The Old Bank "
in Newcastle. (See Mr. Welford's sketch of Ralph Carr,
p. 355.) He brought his wife there as a bride in 1758, and
nine years later — in February, 1767, he is found writing to
her from London, and mingling with a graphic account of
the sights he had seen in the great metropolis an aspiration
for the old place and the young folks at home : — " Yet, I
assure thee," he writes, " I should have had far more plea-
sure in examining John's and Annabella's collections at
Cross House." In our own time the mansion was for
many years occupied by the Rev. Heory Wildey Wright,
incumbent of St. John's, and then it became commonly
spoken of as St. John's Vicarage. But when about the
year 1870 Mr. Wright removed to Charlotte Square, and
the house was devoted to commercial uses, the old name
378
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{Al85
was retained, and as Cross House it continues to be
known.
Our sketch of Cross House is copied, by permission of
Mr. Cuthbert E. Carr, of Dunston Hill, a descendant
of the former occupant, from a pen and ink drawing
by Mr. W. H. Knowles.
aittr Cmmntittarics.
ALDERMAN THOMAS FORSTER.
It is stated in the interesting article on "The Streets
of Newcastle," in the June part of the Monthly Chronicle
(page 273), that along with other worthy natives of
Newcastle the late Alderman Thomas Forster received
his education at the old parish schools of St. Andrew's,
in Percy Street. If so, he must have had a dual train-
ing, as he was a senior scholar on Dame Allan's Founda-
tion when I also first donned the livery and became a
"Yellow Yowley," about the year 1838. An acquaint-
ance, not to say friendship, began then with the worthy
alderman, continued through our riper years, and was
only severed by my removal from "the canny toon."
JOHN STOKOE, South Shields.
NEWCASTLE PANTS.
In the interesting scries of articles upon " The Streets
of Newcastle," the allusion to the pant shown in the
engraving on page 312 is misleading. The pant in
question was a free pant, not a "farden pant." The
latter pants were the property of the local Water Com-
pany, and were supplied from its mains. The pant at
the Head of the Side was supplied from the Corporation
reservoir on the Town Moor. The other free pants I
remember above fifty years ago were the following : — The
Fighting Cocks Pant in the Bigg Market, the Newgate
Street Pant, the Black Horse Pant in High Friar Street,
the Darn Crook Pant, and the Vicar's Pump in Westgate
Street. There were others, but I did not know them.
JATKSS.
MRS. BARRETT BROWNING.
The Rev. Canon Burnet, Vicar of Kelloe, kindly
corrects some errors in the article on "Mrs. Browning's
Birthplace," which appears on page 303 of the present
volume of the Monthly Chronicle. Mr. Burnet's com-
munication is so interesting, apart from the corrections it
contains, that we are pleased to find space for it here :—
I find that you (five the family surname as " Mouldron
Barrett." This is a mistake. The proper name is that
found in the Kelloe register, viz., Moulton-Barrett. This
is still used by Mr. Moulton-Barrett, of Westover Park,
Isle of Wight. The full name of the poetess previous to
her marriage was Elizabath Barrett Moulton-Barrett.
Kelloe Church cannot, in my opinion, be fairly de-
scribed as " a barn-likestructure." Moreover, the country
in the neighbourhood is pretty, and, before the woods
were so extensively cut down, must have been beauti-
ful. The church is the mother church of what was
once a very large parish. It is an exceedingly
ancient building, and is in many respects interesting.
The style of the original fabric was Norman, some traces
of which remain. The tower, which is a sturdy square
structure, contains at least one bell which dates from pro-
Reformation times. The church is dedicated to St.
Helen, the mother of the Emperor Constantine ; and in
the chancel is St. Helen's Cross, one of the most interest-
ing relics of antiquity to be found in the county. The
stone is covered with carvings representing the " Inven-
tion" or discovery of the " True Cross" by the Emperor's
mother. A paper on the subject of this cross has lately
been read before the London Society of Antiquaries by
the Rev. J. T. Fowler, of Durham.
The older registers of Kelloe are in a very fair con-
dition, the christenings, marriages, and burials, as was
usual at the time, baing entered in the same book, with
the clergyman's name added at the bottom of each page.
The incumbent of Kelloe is vicar, not rector. The
rectory is held by Sherburn Hospital.
Mr. Moulton-Barrett informed me that his sister,
Elizabeth Barrett, was privately baptised at Coxhoe
Hall, but he did not say that the sacred rite was per-
formed by the Rev. George Stephenson. From the entry
in the parish register, she was evidently " received into
the congregation" when her brother. Edward Barrett
Moulton-Barrett, was baptized in the church.
Mrs. Browning's father, Edward Barrett Moulton-
Barrett, was a native of St. James's, Jamaica, not of St.
Thomas's, as you have put it.
The Rev. George Stephenson, a well-known clergyman
at Sunderland in the earlier part of this century, was
vicar of Kelloe from 1807 to 1814. He was a " pluralist,"
as he held likewise the rectory of Redmarshall and the
incumbency of St. Thomas's, Bishopwearmouth. I rather
think, however, that he resigned Kelloe when he entered
upon Redmarshall. But he held both Redmarshall and
St. Thomas's up to the time of his death.
^You state that the Earl of Seaforth married Mary
Kennet. I may inform you that I have discovered the
register of this marriage at Kelloe. It took place on
March 1st, 1714. The register is as follows :—" 1714,
March 1st, William Earl of Seaforth to Mary Kennet,"
and is signed by William Thompson, vicar.
W. R, SUBNET.
It might be interesting to mention that the original
name of Mrs. Browning's father was Moulton, to which
he added that of Barrett on succeeding to some property.
EDITOB.
CALALY CASTLE.
"Suum cuique."
In the Monthly Chronicle, July, 1889, p. 296, it is
alleged that I " transferred " the legend of Calaly
Castle, which I contributed in 1846 to Richardson's
"Table Book, Legendary Division," ii., p. 109, from
the pages of Bell's "Rhymes of the Northern Bards." One
has only to compare my version with the brief relation,
in two sentences, given in the "Rhymes," p. 199, to
perceive that they are from entirely different sources.
When I wrote the notice for the "Table Book, "I was
not aware that the rhyme which it was my chief object
to have preserved had appeared in a printed form. I
took it down from the recital of an aged Northumbrian
friend in Gateshead, who knew nothing about local
literature ; and from the incidents picked up from him, I
drew out the paragraph. It was only a short time ago that
I met with Bell's "Rhymes," &c., and transcribed into my
common place book its version of the tradition.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
379
Since the "Table Book" period, I have been amused
to see my narrative doing varied service. G. B. Richard-
son, in his "Guide to the Newcastle and Berwick
Railway," p. 12, quietly adopts the passage: "The
process of dismemberment went on progressively, yet
still as the footsteps of night, till the whole rows of
masonry were reduced to a ruinous heap." The writer
in the Monthly Chronicle is indebted to the "Table
Book " for almost every particular of the legend.
"Suddenly a strange commotion and stir were seen to
have commenced among the closely compacted materials ;
each particular stone, one by one, rose gradually up on
its end, toppled over, and fell noiselessly to the earth,"
is almost verbatim my imaginary description of what
might have happened on this mysterious manifestation
of supernatural agency. Mr. M. A. Denham, in his
"Popular Rhymes, etc., relating to Northumberland,'
borrowed his illustration of the saying with scarcely
an alteration, and without any acknowledgment, from
the "Table Book" paper.
Mr. Tomlinson's account, "Guide to Northumberland,"
pp. 356-7, is derived, but re-told afresh, from an address
by Mr. Milne Home in 1861 to the Berwickshire
Naturalists' Club (Proceedings, vol. iv., pp. 224-5), and
is from the pen of Mr. George Tate, of Alnwick, my
predecessor in office as secretary to the club.
There are a few different renderings of the Rhyme.
That from Bell's "Northern Bards" (1812), with its
comment, I give entire to compare with that in the
Monthly Chronicle, which is a recast of my own : —
At Calaly, the seat of the Claverings, tradition
reports that, while the workmen were eneaged in
erecting the castle upon a hill, a little distance from the
site of the present edifice, they were surprised every
morning to find their former day's work destroyed, and
the whole impeded by supernatural obstacles, which
causing them to watch, they heard a voice saying : —
Calaly Castle stands on a height ;
It's up in the day, and down at night ;
Build it down on the Shepherd's Shaw.
There it will stand and never fa'.
Upon which the building was transferred to the place
mentioned, where it now stands (p. 199).
Calaly Castle stands on a height,
Up in the day, and down in the night ;
Set it up on the Shepherd's Shaw,
There it will stand and never fa'.
J. Hardy, in Richardson's "Table-Book," Leg. Div. ii.,
p. 109 (1846). M. A. Denham's "Popular Rhymes," &c.
(privately published), 1858.
The first line, as I learned afterwards, varies to —
Calaly Ha' stands up on a height
Calaly Castle built on the height,
Up in the day and down in the night,
Builded down in the Shepherd's Shaw,
It shall stand for aye and never fa'.
George Tate, Proc. Ber. Nat. Club, iv., p. 225 (1861) ;
W. W. Tomlinson's "Guide," p. 357 (1888).
Calaly Castle stands on a height.
Up i' the day an' doon i' the night ;
If ye build it on the Shepherd's Shaw,
There it'll stand and never fa'.
D. D. Dixon's " Vale of Whittingham," p. 32 (1887).
JAMES HAKDT, Oldcambus, N.B.
ffjcri-tft=C0utttrfi WLi t& tyumauv.
A PATHETIC APPEAL.
A miner was working hard to get his piece of work
done before his " marra " arrived. When the putter came
for his full tub, the pony happened to fall down, and
all the pulling and hauling of the lad failed to get the
animal to rise. Then the miner came to try what he
could do. When fairly exhausted, he exclaimed to the
pony, in the most piteous tones, "Oh, hmny, get up!
thoo's stopping me for getting ma end off ! "
THE ROAD TO EARSDON SQUARE.
Some years since, on a Sunday afternoon, a Wesleyan
local preacher inquired of a pitman, standing at a roadside
corner, the way to Earsdon Square. The man had evi-
dently been indulging a little at the public-house, and
was disposed to cultivate a conversation ; for, instead of
directing the inquirer, he replied, " Aa warren thoo's gaii
to preach thor ? " The modest answer was, " I am going
to try," to which the pitman thus responded, "Thoo's a
bonny man te show the foaks the way te heaven, an
dissent knaa the road te Yorsdon Square ! "
CARDS AND TICKETS.
Three ladies (a mother and two daughters, one of the
latter a very young girl) were making a fashionable call
on a friend in Newcastle. The mother and the elder
daughter presented their cards to the servant girl, who
was fresh from the country, and requested her to give
them to her mistress. Leaving the visitors in the hall,
the girl, holding out the two cards between her fingers,
went to her mistress, exclaiming in a suspicious tone,
"Please, ma'am, thor's three ladies wiv oney twe tickets.
Must aa let 'em aall coom in ? "
DATE OF A BIRTHDAY.
At a medical examination of the boys employed in one
of the chemical works on the Tyne, the doctor asked one
of the lads how old he was. He replied that he did not
know ; upon which the doctor requested him to apply to
his mother for the date of his birth. On his return from
dinner, the boy said that " his mother didn't exactly knaa
when he was born," but he had to tell the doctor that he
" wes born that windy neet when the flood weshed away
aa'd Tommy Burdis's coos ! "
WHAT A FIZ !
Some years ago, a Shields collier was caught in a gale
of wind off the North-East Coast ; and when nothing but
foundering seemed inevitable, the captain called the crew
into the cabin to prayers. Now, the captain was fond of
his grog, the consequence of which was that he had a
very red nose. While engaged at prayers, the cabin boy
kept sniggering and laughing to himself. On being ques-
tioned by the mate afterwards why he laughed on such a
serious occasion, the lad replied, "Aa cuddent help think-
ing, if the ship went doon, whaat a fiz the maister's nose
wad myek ! "
380
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I August
I 1889
On the llth of June, Mr. Herbert Davy, for nearly
thirty-five years vice-consul of the United States of
America, and a member of the firm of Harvey and Davy,
tobacco manufacturers, died at his residence, Old Burdon
Place, Newcastle. The widow of the deceased gentleman,
Mrs. E. M. Davy, who is a well-known authoress, has been
a frequent contributor to the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle.
The death was announced, on the 12th of June, at the
age of 68 years, of Mr. John Hull, who, upwards of thirty
years ago, had built and established the steam flour-mill
of Burn Mill, Willinpton, in the county of Durham.
Mr. Alderman Benjamin Plummer, J.P., who for nearly
thirty-six years had been connected with the Newcastle
Council, died on the 12th of June. In the municipal year
1861-62, he occupied the office of Sheriff. He had also,
for many years, been a member of the River Tyne Com-
mission, and he was, at the time of his death, chairman
of the Newcastle and Gateshead Water Company. The
deceased gentleman was in the 73rd year of his age. Our
portrait is copied from a photograph by Mr. James Bacon,
Northumberland Street, Newcastle.
On the same day, died Mr. James Sproat, a somewhat
noted character at Morpeth. Having learned the twin
crafts of shaving and cutlery, he travelled with his grind-
ing-wheel all over England, as well as a great part of
Scotland and Ireland. He also proceeded through
France, and portions of Spain and Switzerland. As cook
and steward of a sailing vessel, he went to Pernambuco,
and tried life in Brazil, and after that he roughed it, in
the early days of Australian colonisation, at Brisbane.
Mr. Sproat, who was a noted bell-ringer, ultimately
settled down as landlord of the Crispin Inn, Morpeth.
Mr. J. K. Smith, bellhanger, died on the 12th of June,
at his residence, Temperance Row, Shieldfield, Newcastle.
The deceased, who was 54 years of age, was a native of
Orkney, but had lived in Newcastle almost since his in-
fancy. As a writer of local songs, he showed his versatility
in the composition of pieces for Chater's comic publications,
"Ward's Almanac," and the Weekly Chronicle. Besides
this, he was the writer of a prize song on the Gateshead
Working Men's Club, and the author of a prize essay on
working men's clubs. Mr. Smith's portrait is copied
from a photograph by Messrs. A. and G. Taylor, St.
Nicholas' Buildings, Newcastle.
On the 13th of June, the death was announced of Mr.
Richard Robinson, superintendent of the London and
Windsor Division of the Great Western Waggon and
Carriage Department. The deceased was a native of
Hartley, near Tynemouth, in Northumberland, and was
70 years of age.
On the same day, at the age of 92, died at Cherryburn,
Northumberland, Elizabeth, widow of Ralph Bewick,
nephew of Thomas Bewick, the famous wood-engraver.
Thomas Bewick had two brothers, John and William.
The former was an engraver, and died unmarried ; the
latter carried on the farm at Cherryburn and the landsale
colliery at Mickley, and had a family of six sons and two
daughters. Of these six sons, Ralph, the husband of the
lady who died as above stated, was the only one who
married. The Monthly Chronicle for 1888 contains bio-
graphies of Thomas and John Bewick, with portraits of
both, together with views of Cherryburn, Bewick's work-
shop, and Ovingham Churchyard.
Mr. Christopher W. Knowles died on the 15th of June,
in Diana Street, Newcastle. Deceased, who was in his
57th year, was well known in the theatrical and profes-
sional circles of Tyneside, and was for a long time a mem-
ber of the " Black House " company of amateurs.
The death was announced, on the 19th of June, of Mr.
George Little, a well-known cattle-salesman of Halt-
whistle. He was about 67 years old.
The death was announced, on June 21, of Miss Louisa
August \
1889. j"
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
381
Bird, for many years the chief wardrobe keeper and cos-
tumiere at the Tyne Theatre, Newcastle.
Mr. John Braithwaite, who was many years landlord
of the Queen's Head Hotel, Morpeth, died on June 25th,
at Alnwick. Mr. Braithwaite, when a young man, served
as guard on a coach which ran from Newcastle to Edin-
burgh along the Great North Road. Subsequently, he
was transferred to the mail coach service, and once had as
a passenger Sir Walter Scott, of whom he retained a vivid
recollection. At the time of his death Mr. Braithwaite
was nearly ninety years of age.
On the morning of June 26th, Mr. Robert Eichholtz
for some years German Consul in Newcastle, was found
dead in bed at his lodgings in East Parade, with a bullet
wound in his right temple and a revolver in his hand.
Deceased, who was about 70 years of age, was a native of
Dantzic, but came to England at an early age. Com-
mercial troubles were said to be the cause of the suicide.
On the 30th June, died Mr. Thomas Fordyce, of New-
castle, aged 79. Until within recent years the deceased
gentleman held a prominent position in connection with
local typography, and a number of important works
issued from his office in Dean Street. His claim to re-
membrance by Novocastrians rests mainly upon the pub-
lication of the well-known "Local Records." Mr. For-
dyce was both compiler and printer of this work, which
was a continuation of Mr. John Sykes's useful publica-
tion.
The Rev. Henry E. Hartley, of Wyke Vicarage, near
Bradford, who had been for a short time the guest of the
Rev. William Sisson, vicar of Slaley, died suddenly on
June 30th, while on his way to church.
The death took place, on the 7th July, at Westoe, of
Mr. Henry Augustine Yorke, one of the proprietors of
the Shields Daily News. He was 72 years of age.
On the same day, Mr. Robert Witherspoon, who was
in Paris during the siege, died at Chester-le-Street, at the
age of 66 years. Mr. Witherspoon erected a large build-
ing in Chester-le-Street, which he called New Jerusalem ;
and in this building he carried on his business as a con-
fectioner, lectured on temperance, and promulgated his
peculiar religious views.
©tcurrcnccis.
JUNE.
10. — It was announced that the will of Mr. Archibald
Singers, late of Carlton Villa, Jesmond Road, New-
castle, wine merchant and vinegar manufacturer, had
been sworn at £1+8,877 14s.
— The arbitration was opened at the Law Courts, Lon-
don, in a long-pending dispute as to turf matters between
Sir George Chetwynd and the Earl of Durham, the
referees being the Hon. James Lowther, the Earl of
March, and Prince Soltykoff. The arbitrators, whose
decision was announced on the 29th, awarded Sir George
Chetwynd a farthing damages, and directed each party to
pay his own costs, as well as one-half the costs of the
reference.
11.— It was stated that Miss Mary Eason, of Ladbroke
Gardens, Netting Hill, London, who died on the 15th of
May, had devised her land and premises at Park Gate,
Darlington, to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, for the
purpose of erecting a church thereon. The personal
estate of the deceased lady was sworn to exceed £113,000.
— There were great festivities and rejoicings at Bothal
Oastle, Northumberland, one of the estates of the Duke of
Portland, on the occasion of the marriage of his Grace to
Miss Dallas- Yorke.
12.— Messrs. Proudfoot and Howe, contractors, com-
pleted the filling up of the gap caused by the recent sub-
sidence of ground at Swalwell. The operations conclu-
sively proved that the place had been formerly a pit shaft.
(See ante page 332.)
13. — A meeting was held for the distribution of the
proceeds of the Newcastle Hospital Fund, the sum avail-
able, with a former surplus, being £4-,156 9s. lid. ; and it
was resolved that the Infirmary should receive a gift of
£300, on the principle of £100 for every £1,000 collected.
U. — At a meeting of the representative shipowners of
the North-East Coast ports, it was decided that steps be
taken among the shipowners of the United Kingdom to
form an association for mutual aid and defence in dealing
with the demands put forth from time to time by the
Seamen and Firemen's Union.
— It was found, as the result of a vote by ballot, that
513 were for an amended sliding scale and 1,566 against
any scale whatever in connection with the Cleveland
Miners' Association.
— An announcement appeared in the London Gazette,
to the effect that the Queen had given permission to
William Henry Armstrong Fitzpatrick Watson, grandson
of the late Baron Watson, and of Ann his wife, only
daughter of William Armstrong, of Newcastle-on-Tyne,
some time Mayor of that city, and sister of William
George, Baron Armstrong, of Cragside, to take and hence-
forth use the surname of Armstrong in addition to and
after that of Watson. On the following day, Mr.
Watson- Armstrong was married to Miss Winif reda Adye,
eldest daughter of General Sir John Adye, G.C.B., R.A.
The ceremony was performed at St. Saviour's Church, St.
George's Square, London.
— It transpired, as the result of a house-to-house census
instituted by the School Board, that the total population
of Newcastle was 170,152.
16. — A large gathering of Methodists assembled at
Saugh House, Cambo, Northumberland, to celebrate the
107th anniversary of the visit of John Wesley, who
preached under an old thorn tree at that place on the
17th of June, 1782.
17.— The second batch of twenty-one street Arabs went
for a fortnight into camping quarters on the Links near
Hartley.
18. — Dr. Robert Howden, Demonstrator of Anatomy
in the University of Edinburgh, was appointed Lecturer
on Anatomy in the University of Durham College of
Medicine, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
—Mr. W. H. Smith, First Lord of the Treasury, in the
House of Commons, announced the names of the gentle-
men composing the Royal Commission on Mining Royal-
ties, the North of England being represented by Mr.
Thomas Burt, M.P. (who had introduced the question),
Mr. Nicholas Wood, M.P., Mr. David Dale, and Mr.
George Baker Forster.
— Bishop Sandford re-opened Holy Trinity Church,
South Hetton, which had been enlarged by the addition
of a chancel, organ chamber, and vestry.
382
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/August
\ issa.
— It was announced that a cinerary urn, containing
ashes mixed with human bones, and a smaller urn, known
as a food vessel, had been found by Lord Armstrong's
workmen while trenching on the slopes of the Simonside
Hills, near Great Tosson.
19. — The polling for a representative in the Newcastle
City Council for Elswick East Ward, to fill the vacancy
caused by the retirement of Mr. William Milburn Hen-
. fll, took place in the Masonic Hall, Maple Street, and
resulted in the return of Dr. Henry Evers, teacher of
science, who received 364 votes, against 233 recorded for
Mr. John Hall, who had come out as the nominee of the
Newcastle Labour Association.
— The annual demonstration of the Cleveland Ironstone
Miners' Association was held at Saltburn, and was at-
tended by 3,000 people, the chair being occupied by Mr.
Joseph Toyn.
20. — This morning, a distressing suicide was committed
at Durham. A young woman, named Mary Kellett, aged
18, threw herself into the Wear from the Prebend's
Bridge in that city.
— The newspapers intimated that the men connected
with the Northumberland Miners' Association had, by
large majorities, decided to accept the offer of 5 per cent,
advance in wages made by the owners of collieries.
21. — It was announced that the probate ot the will of
the Kev. Scott Frederick Surtees, of Diiisdale-on-Tees,
who died at Bristol on May 1st, had been granted to the
executors, his brothers, the Rev. Richard Surtees, of
Holtby Rectory, Yorkshire, and Mr. A. W. Surtees,
solicitor, London. The testator left to the Mayor and
Corporation of Darlington all his historical works and
books (excepting Surtees's " Durham ") to be added to and
to form part of the Darlington Free Library. (See
Monthly Chronicle, 1888, pp. 32, 527.)
— The inscription on the old bridge at Sandyford, New-
castle, was recut under the direction of the Memorial
Tablet Society. The new inscription, " Lambert's Leap,
1759," is now conspicuous to all who pass across the bridge
where the well-known leap was taken 130 years ago. (See
Monthly Chronicle, vol. i., p. 16.)
— Mr. William Wilson, a member of Newcastle Town
Council, was elected to the aldermanic bench in the room
of the late Mr. Alderman Plummer.
22. — Volunteer camps were opened at Morpeth, New-
biggin, South Shields, and Whitley.
— A drinking fountain, which had been erected at the
corner of Clayton Park Road, Newcastle, was formally
presented to the town by Dr. Whyloch, of Folkestone, in
the name of his aunt, Miss Colvill. A marble tablet con-
tains the following inscription : — "This fountain was pre-
sented to the city of Newcastle by Miss Caroline Sophia
Russell Colvill, in loving remembrance of her brother, the
late Edwin Dodd Colvill, who was for upwards of sixty
years well and honourably known in Newcastle. W. D.
Stephens, Esquire, Mayor, 1888. ' Inasmuch as ye did it
unto one of the least of these my friends, ye did it unto
me.' Matt, xxv., ver. 40."
— The Northumberland miners held their gala on Blyth
Links. The day was beautifully tine, and there was a
large attendance of miners, their wives and children, from
the various collieries. Mr. John Nixon, president of the
Miners' Association, presided. The other speakers were
Mr. Tboman Burt, M.P., Mr. Henry George (author of
" Progress and Proverty "), Mr. Charles Fenwick, M.P.,
and Mr. Charles Bradlaugh, M.P.
— The series of fortnightly demonstrations which had
been held in East Durham in connection with the sliding
scale and wages questions was brought to a conclusion,
when a mass meeting was held at Houghton-le-Spring,
from 14, 000 to 15, 000 men being represented. A resolution
was passed declaring that the prosperous state of trade
warranted the miners in pressing their demand for a 20
per cent, advance.
23. — The Tyne Steam Shipping Company's steamer
Royal Dane, on her passage to London, with 330 passen-
gers, broke the fore web of her crank shaft, and had to
take assistance into the Thames.
24. — A party of members of the Newcastle Society of
Antiquaries commenced a week's tour in South-East
Yorkshire.
25. — A fatal accident occurred at Gilsland to William
Ay ton, aged 19 years, who fell from a cliff near the Spa, a
height of 45 feet. Deceased was employed at Messrs.
Swan's Electric Light Works, London, but had been
spending a few days with his mother at New Benwell.
He and his brother had gone to Gilsland with an excur-
sion party.
— The new harbour at North Sunderland, which had
been built at a cost of £25,000 by the trustees of the
Crewe Charity, was opened, the occasion being marked as
a general holiday.
— The torpedo catcher Planet, built by Palmer's Ship-
building and Iron Company for the Austro-Hungarian
Government, was launched at Jarrow.
— The eighth annual Temperance Festival was com-
menced on the Newcastle Town Moor in brilliant weather.
Crowds of holiday-makers wended their way to the Moor
on this and the two following days. The sports provided
for the patrons were highly appreciated, while the show-
men and roundabout proprietors did a thriving business.
It was computed that between 100, 000 and 150,000 persons
were present on the second day. The festival was con-
sidered the most successful yet held.
— Newcastle Races commenced at High Gosforth Park.
The event of the meeting, the Northumberland Plate,
which was contested for on the second day (Wednesday,
June 26), was won by Drizzle, the property of the Earl of
Durham.
— After an absence of two years, Lord Hastings
visited Seaton Delaval Hall. He received a warm wel-
come from the villagers and others, the Seaton Delaval
brass band being in attendance.
28. — Between two and three thousand members of the
Amalgamated Sailors' and Firemen's Union of Great
Britain and Ireland held a demonstration on the Town
Moor, Newcastle, and adopted a number of resolutions.
— The annual inspection of the 1st Newcastle Artillery
Volunteers took place on Newbiggin Moor. The Tyne-
side Infantry Volunteers, who formed the Brigade Camp
at Morpeth, were inspected on the same day by General
Stevenson, commanding the Northern District.
29. — The members of the 1st Newcastle and 1st Durham
Engineer Volunteer corps were inspected at their respec-
tive camping grounds.
— The artistic and literary friends of Mr. Joseph
Skipsey, the pitman poet, met in the Liberal Club,
Pilgrim Street, Newcastle, to congratulate him on bis
appointment as custodian of Shakspeare's house at Strat-
ford-on-Avon.
—Mr. Jacob Wilson, honorary director of the Royal
Agricultural Show, which was this year held at Windsor,
August \
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
383
received the honour of knighthood. The new knight is
one of the best known and most popular agriculturists in
the country, and nowhere is he more respected than in the
county of Northumberland, where he has so long lived.
He was born at Crackenthorpe Hall, on November 16,
1836, and in 1864 entered as a student at the Royal Agri-
cultural College, Cirencester. After leaving college, he
set himself earnestly to work under his father, who
was the tenant of the large farm of Woodhorn Manor,
near Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Northumberland. In 1858
Mr. Wilson obtained the first agricultural diploma that
the Highland Society had ever awarded. On his mar-
riage in 1874 to a daughter of Mr. Alderman Hedley, of
Newcastle, he was presented with silver plate to the
value of £500 in recognition of his invaluable services to
SIR JACOB WILSON.
the Northumberland Agricultural Society. His con-
nection with the Royal Agricultural Society dates from
1863, when he acted with Mr. Clare Sewell Read as a judge
of steam ploughs at Worcester. On the retirement of Sir
Brandreth Gibbs from the office of director of the Royal
Shows, Mr. Wilson was elected his successor. He has
taken part in many other public matters, the most notable
beine the work of the Royal Commission on Agricultural
Depression. On December 8, 1884, Mr. Wilson was en-
tertained at a dinner at Willis's Rooms, London, and pre-
sented with an old silver soup tureen and 3,000 guineas
from the agriculturists of great Britain.
— A complimentary dinner was given to Mr. Thomas
Lawson, a Newcastle journalist, on his appointment to
the committee clerkship of the Newcastle Corporation.
30. — The railway servants on the Northern section of the
North-Eastern Railway had a procession through the
streets of Newcastle and a mass meeting on the Town
Moor. The gathering was held in support of a proposed
reduction in the hours of labour and of increased pay for
Sunday work.
JULY.
1. — A town's meeting, called by the Mayor, was held in
the Assembly Hall, Sunderland, to consider the question
of Sunday music in the park. There was a large at-
tendance, including ministers of all denominations. A
resolution in favour of the stand in the park being opened
for the use of a band on Sundays was put to the meeting
and lost.
2. — The new church of St. Ignatius the Martyr, erected
in Suffolk Street, Hendon, Sunderland, the gift of the
Bishop of Durham, was consecrated by his lordship him-
self, in the presence of a very large congregation.
— On the occasion of the marriage, at Berne, Switzer-
land, of Colonel David Milne Home, of Wedderburn and
Paxton. Berwickshire, to a daughter of Major Ellis, 60th
Rifles, the joy bells in Berwick Town Hall were rung.
— The Royal Humane Society's bronze medal and
certificate were presented to Charles Todd, of Cox Green,
in the Band Hill School, Shiney Row, by Mr. F. Stobart,
J.P., before a large gathering of the general public.
3. — The Midsummer Quarter Sessions for the city and
county of Newcastle-on-Tyne were commenced, before
Mr. Digby Seymour, Recorder. Samuel Robert Hannay,
for embezzling the sum of £85 belonging to the Newcastle
Corporation, was sent to prison for six months.
— A shocking accident occurred at Newcastle Quay, by
which two boys, named William McMullen and Thomas
Storey Daggett, lost their lives. The youths were climbing
over some packing cases at the Swedish Wharf, when one of
the boxes overturned and fell upon them. McMullen was
killed un the spot, and Daggett died the next morning at
the Newcastle Infirmary.
4. — At the Northumberland Sessions, held at the Moot
Hall, Newcastle, Mr. C. L. Bell and Mr. H. Liddell took
the oaths and qualified as justices of the peace.
5. — Attention was called to the fact that the inscription
on the monument to Captain Cook, the celebrated navi-
gator, was gradually being obliterated by the ravages
of time and exposure. The monument, which forms
the most lofty pinnacle in the whole of the Cleveland
district, was erected by a Whitby man, the late Mr.
Robert Campion. The foundation stone was laid by Mr.
Campion 011 the 12th July, 1827, being the anniversary of
the day on which Captain Cook commenced his voyage,
and also the birth of the founder. It was finished on the
27th of October, 1827, being Captain Cook's birthday.
(See Monthly Chronicle, 1887, pp. i£0, 282, 298, and 426.)
— Early in the morning, a woman named Elizabeth
Proud, living at 89, Western Road, Jarrow, was found in
bed with her throat cut, shocking injuries being inflicted.
Her husband, Thomas Proud, was also found in a similar
condition. The woman expired about half-past five o'clock
the same morning, and the man a few hours later.
— At the Cumberland Assizes, Mary Maloney and John
Maloney, her son, were found guilty of the manslaughter
of Michael Maloney, husband and father of the prisoners
respectively. The woman was sentenced to six months'
and her son to three months' hard labour.
6. — Thomas Fletcher, who was charged with murdering
his wife, Mary Ann Fletcher, in a house in Drury Lane,
Newcastle, on March 18th, was, at the Assizes, found
" Not Guilty."
384
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
( August
I 1889.
— The library belonging to the late Mr. John Stokoe,
of Sumerods, near Hexham, was sold. The following are
the prices of a few of the most important works : — An
old coloured print of Beeswing, 23s. ; Yarrel's British
Birds, £1 6s. ; Mackenzie's History of Northumberland,
£1 16s. ; Hodgson's Northumberland, £40 ; Hutchinson's
Durham, £3 2s. 6d. ; Bruce's Roman Wall, £6 12s. 6d.
— At the Cumberland Assizes, held at Carlisle, William
Kerr, blacksmith, aged 25, was charged with the wilful
murder of Sebra Troughear, on June 2nd, at Lingey Close
Head, about three miles from Carlisle. The jury found
the prisoner guilty, and the judge passed sentence of
death.
— The eighteenth annual gala of the Durham Miners'
Association was held on the Durham racecourse. The
Right Hon. John Morley, M.P., Mr. Thomas Burt,
M.P., Mr. Charles Fenwick, M.P., and Mr. Atherley-
Jones, M.P., were the principal speakers.
— While a number of men were engaged at farm work
in a field near to Roxburgh Railway Bridge, which spans
the Teviot, near Kelso, they heard peculiar cries fully a
field's breadth from them. Proceeding in the direction of
the sound, they discovered a weasel in a dying condition,
and literally covered with wasps. The weasel soon after
died.
8. — At the Newcastle Assizes, David Bryson Hildrop,
aged 27, described as a barman, was charged with having,
on May 4th, in Rye Hill, Newcastle, murdered Theresa
Marina Matthews ; and further, with having, on the 17th
of March, 1889, at West Ham, Kssex, feloniously married
the same Theresa Marina Matthews, his former wife
being then alive. The jury found the prisoner not guilty
of murder. To the charge of bigamy, Hildrop pleaded
guilty, and was sentenced to eighteen months' imprison-
ment with hard labour.
9. — The annual stock-taking report of Mr. W. J. Hag-
gerston, chief librarian of the Newcastle Public Library,
stated that the total number of volumes in the Reference
Department on June 29th was 32,648. and in the Lending
Department 31,697, making a grand total of 64,345. The
issues during the year ending June 22, 1889, were — Refer-
ence library, 38,434; lending library, 256,549. The total
issues in lending and reference libraries from the dates of
their respective openings, viz., September 13th, 1880, and
August 20th, 1884, amounted to 2,276,062 volumes.
During that period only 22 volumes had been lost, the
cash value of the 22 volumes being £2 16s. 7d., while
during the same period £1,370 7s. 8d. had been received
from readers for fines, &c.
—The polling for the election of a member of the New-
castle Town Council to fill the seat rendered vacant by
the elevation of Mr. W. Wilson to the aldermanic bench
resulted as follows :— Mr. H. B. Wilson, 669 votes; Mr.
John Irving, 142; Mr. JohnLaidler, labour candidate. 78.
— While three young men, named John Laidler, John
Davidson, and Robert Davidson, were bathing at Man-
haven, near South Shields, the first-named was carried
out to sea and drowned.
10.— It was announced that the Rev. Arnold Jerome
Matthews, rector of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church,
Bath, had addressed a letter to his congregation, inti-
mating his secession from the Church of Rome. Mr.
Matthews was ordained in 1876 by Archbishop Eyre, and
afterwards laboured in Gatsshead and other places.
©eneral ©ccnmmejs.
JUNE.
12.— A terrible railway accident occurred at Armagh,
Ireland. A heavily laden excursion train, labouring up
a steep incline, became separated into two parts, and the
hindmost portion, thus released, ran down the hill at
great speed, until it dashed into another train on the
same metals. Some 75 persons were killed, and about
130 received severe injuries.
19. — The death was reported, at the age of 92, of one
of the last of the officers who took part in the battle of
Waterloo — Lieut. -Colonel Barton P. Browne, formerly of
the llth Hussars.
27.— The Queen formally gave her consent to the
betrothal of Princess Louise, eldest daughter of the
Prince and Princess of Wales, to the Earl of Fife.
28. — Death of Signora Carlotta Patti, a popular
vocalist, who was said to have "the highest soprano
voice ever known." She was sister of the celebrated
Adelina Patti.
29.— The Portuguese authorities in South Africa seized
the Delagoa Bay Railway, in which much English capital
was invested.
30.— Mr. William O'Brien, M.P., was arrested near
Cork. A serious disturbance took place, in the course
of which many people were injured, including Mr.
Patrick O'Brien, M.P.
JULY.
1. — The Shah of Persia arrived in England. In the
course of his stay he paid a visit to the Queen at Windsor,
and attended a banquet given by the Lord Mayor of
London. The Shah was everywhere enthusiastically
received by large crowds.
2. — Mr. Michael Davitt gave evidence before the
Parnell Commission.
— A terrible explosion of fire-damp occurred at the
Verpilleux pits, St. Etienne, France. About 200 persons
perished.
— The English and Egyptian troops at Wady Haifa
defeated a force of dervishes at Arguin. The enemy
lost 500 killed. The Egyptians had seventy killed and
wounded.
— King Alexander of Servia was anointed at Zitcha,
where, in the middle ages, seven of the Servian kings
were anointed and crowned.
5. — The election of a Parliamentary representative for
West Fife resulted as follows : — A. Birrell (Gladstonian
Liberal), 3,551 ; E. Wemyss (Liberal Unionist), 2,758 ;
majority, 793.
— An amendment to the Land Transfer Bill having
been carried in the House of Lords against the Govern-
ment by a majority of nine votes, the measure was
withdrawn.
6. — The celebrated picture known as the "Angelus,"
painted by J. F. Millet, was sold by auction at the sale
of the works of art of M. Secr(5tan, in Paris, and realised
£22,120.
8. — The volunteers assembled at Wimbledon for the
annual rifle competition for the last time.
10. — Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales, was sold
by auction in London for £5,750.
Printed by WALTER SCOTT, Felling-on-Tyne.
Chronicle
OF
NORTH-COUNTRY*LORE*AND»LEGEND
VOL. III.— No. 31.
SEPTEMBER, 1889.
PRICE 60.
at JHarfe
STim* aittr (Ctocclr.
$tel)arti SHclforti.
LANDOWNER, ANTIQUABT, AND NATURALIST.
JlALPH CARR-ELLISON (originally Ralph
Carr) was the eldest son of John Carr,
Esquire, of Dunston Hill and Hedgeley,
sometime chairman of Durham County-
Quarter Sessions, and, according to Dr. Bruce, " a
country gentleman of seemly presence and great mental
ability." His mother was Hannah, eldest daughter of
Henry Ellison, Esquire, of Hebburn Hall (sister of
Cuthbert Ellison, Esq., for eighteen years M.P. for
Newcastle), and, therefore, descended from Robert
Ellison, representative of Newcastle in the Long Parlia-
ment, who married a sister of William Gray, the author
of the "Chorographia." He was born on the 23rd
November, 1805, was educated at Harrow and Christ
Church, Oxford, as a gentleman commoner, and succeeded
to the family estates upon the death of his father in 1817.
He attained his majority in 1825, and four years later
was united in marriage to Elizabeth, second daughter of
Major John Werge, of the 38th Foot.
Clever and accomplished, Mr. Carr might have aspired,
with every prospect of success, to a higher position in
society. His abilities fitted him for a Parliamentary
career, but he was fond of the country, and of country
life, and rightly judging that the interests of his family
had a prior claim on him, he elected to spend his time
and his talents among his neighbours and his tenantry.
One of the first public movements with which he
identified himself was a local " Cottage Improvement
Society " — a movement which had for its object, as
the name implies, the providing of better homes for the
agricultural labourers of Northumberland. He was the
honorary secretary and guiding spirit of this benevolent
enterprise, which received the support of Lord Howick,
Dr. Gilly, Mr. Bosanquet of Rock, and other leading
landowners and clergymen in the northern part of the
county. Living thus, he became a typical country
gentleman— hospitable, generous, accessible. Everybody
spoke well of "Squire Carr of Hedgley," who had an
open house for his friends, an open heart to public
wants, and an open purse for every worthy object
within the range of his influence.
25
386
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I Sorteiplii-r
Mr. CUT had been several yean in the commission
of the peace when, in 1845, his turn came to occupy
the office of High Sheriff of Northumberland, and it
fell to his lot to be the last High Sheriff to observe
the time-honoured custom of meeting the judges at
Sheriff Hill.
In his early manhood Mr. Carr took an active interest
in a movement for preventing the employment of young
boys in chimney sweeping. He was president of the
Newcastle and Gateshead Society for the suppression
of this barbarous practice, and in time his energetic
efforts to obtain the co-operation of householders, master
sweeps, the police and the Bench in putting an end to
the system were crowned with success. On the formation
of a branch of the Royal Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals in Newcastle, he accepted the
office of a vice-president, and contributed generously
to its funds.
Intent upon the improvement of his estates, Mr. Carr
was a diligent student of agriculture, natural history,
and kindred subjects. He was one of the earliest
members of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club, the
first of its kind in the kingdom, and wrote for its
"Transactions' several valuable papers, i.e. :—
1844.— On the Flight of the Peregrine Falcon in
Pursuit of Prey.
1860. — What is the use of the Lark's long heel claw? —
On the Present Participle in the Northumberland Dialect,
and on the Verbal Nouns or Nouns of Action terminating
with "ing."
1870. — The North Humberland between Tyne and
Tweed.
1872. — On the means whereby young Gallinaceous Birds
are enabled to sustain life in any Seasons. — On Firelight,
or the Minor Effects of Lightning on the Foliage of Trees.
1874.— Memoir of the Rev. George Rooke, M.A.— On
the Horse Chestnut as a Timber Tree. — Signification of
Some Place Names in South Northumberland.
1879.— On the Effects of the Winter of 1878-9 on
Vegetable Life and Birds at Hedgeley.
1880.— On the Effects of the Winter of 1869-80, &c.
1883. — Names of the Fame Islands and Lindisfarne.
He was also the originator of a kindred institution — the
Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club (1846) and its first
President. The rules, which reflected chiefly Mr. Carr's
views and feelings, provided that the club should
discourage the removal of rare plants from localities of
which they are characteristic, and avoid the risk of
exterminating rare or interesting birds by wanton
persecution (herein foreshadowing Uncle Toby's merciful
propaganda), should cultivate a fuller knowledge of local
antiquities, and promote a taste for carefully preserving
the monuments of the past from wanton injury. To
the "Transactions" of the club he contributed several
interesting notes and papers, as follows : —
1847.— The Presidential Address.
1848. — On Extensive Fissures observed in the Stems of
two living and healthy Trees of the Spruce Fir.
1849.— Observations on Composite Names of Places
(chiefly in Northumberland) of Anglo-Saxon Derivation.
(Three Papers.)
1854. — Notes on a Drive to Brinkburn.
1855.— Effects of the Severe Winter of 1854-55 upon
Evergreen Vegetation in the North of England.
1861.— Effect of the Severe Winter of 1860-1 upon Ever-
green Vegetation in Northumberland
1875.— The Presidential Address.
DunstoT HM" °f ^ SeVere Wlnter (1878) On Birds a»
Side by side with his study of nature and natural
phenomena, Mr. Carr cultivated a love for classical
literature. He was an accomplished Greek and Latin
scholar, was a high authority on Anglo-Saxon, was well
acquainted with Scandinavian lore, could converse in
many European languages, and could read all except the
Sclav and Turkish dialects. The preservation of ancient
churches and monuments and other memorials of bygone
days was one of the objects of his unceasing care, and he
was a persistent advocate for the return to the original
and uncorrupted spelling of local place-names.
In the "Archaeologia ^Eliana," which contains the
best of the papers read at the meetings of the Newcastle
Society of Antiquaries, are many useful communications
from his pen : —
18 for Amended Local Appellations in
rdnance Maps of Northumberland.
1874.— On the Dedications of the two Notable Altars
found at Condercum.— On the Rudge Cup.— On an Altar
Falstone tawfi1™'" Anglo-Saxon Stone found at
Inscribed Stonea found
}oo?'~Sn S,axon Name« of certain Roman Roads.
J8L— On the meaning of the term "Ala Petriana.';
He was also a contributor to the " Proceedings of the
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," the "Transactions
of the Highland Agricultural Society, "and the "Journal
of Forestry," and the author of various papers, separately
published, on antiquarian and sanitary subjects.
Mr. Carr was one of the few men who ever made the
Ordnance Survey officials admit an error in topographical
nomenclature. He owned the estate of Makenden at the
head of Coquet, which runs up to what is locally known
as "the Scotch Edge," where it "marches" with the
property of the Duke of Roxburgh. In this district the
boundary line between England and Scotland usually
follows the water shed (or, as Dandie Dinmont expressed
it, "the tap o' the hill, where win and water shears")
between the valleys of the Teviot and Bowmont on
the Scotch side, and those of the Rede, Coquet, and
Breamish on the English. But in various places the
Scotch, like "Jock o' Dawston Cleugh," have encroached
over the crest of the hills. These encroachments are
usually marked on old maps as "batable"— i.e., debat-
able ground. One such plot of "batable" land lay
between the properties of Mr. Carr and the Duke of
Roxburgh, where, according to the contention of the
Scotch, the march leaves the "tap o' the hills and bauds
down by the Syke " in which the Coquet rises, thus
cutting off the Plea Shank, which, like Dandie
Dinmont's ground, "lying high and exposed, may feed
a hogg, or aiblins twa in a gude year." The spot is
familiar to antiquaries, for the ancient Roman Camp,
"Ad Fines," now known as Chew Green, lies just
September
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
387
below it, and the Roman Road of Watling Street
here crosses the moors into Scotland. For the sake
of peace it had been arranged, at some former time,
between the owners and occupiers, that half the
Plea Shank should be pastured by each party. But
when the Ordnance Survey came to be made, the
Scotch revived their claim to the whole, and by some
means or other contrived to win over those who were
conducting the survey. Little more was heard of the
matter till the maps were issued, showing the boundary
between England and Scotland drawn along the English
side of the debatable ground. Then the English tenant
was politely invited by his Scotch neighbour to keep his
eheep on his own side of the new boundary. On hearing
this, Mr. Carr took steps to obtain all possible evidence
from ancient maps and documents in the British Museum
and elsewhere ; and instructed his tenant to turn a few
sheep on to the disputed land in the meanwhile. Meeting
the farmer shortly afterwards, Mr. Carr said, "Well
Thompson, I suppose you put half-a-dozen sheep or so on
to the Plea Shank ? " "Oh, no, sir," was the answer, " I
just wysed on fifty score ! " The result of Mr. Carr's
investigations was to show that the land had been either
English or debatable for centuries. This was brought
to the notice of the officials in charge of the Ordnance
Survey, the already issued maps were recalled and
cancelled, and new ones restoring the Plea Shank to its
old " batable " character were published.
In conjunction with the late Sir Charles Trevelyan,
Mr. Carr took an active part in promoting the larger
echeme of the Central Northumberland Railway, the
course of which was proposed to run from Newcastle to
Scots Gap, thence by Rothbury and Powburn to Kelso —
thus opening Central Northumberland from end to end.
His regard for the improvement of towns, apart from the
question of smoke abatement, in which he took a great
interest, was shown by his endeavour to induce the
North-Eastern Railway Company to plant the slopes of
the Durham Railway Station, and by his ultimately
providing himself the trees which now make a pleasing
feature in the view from the city.
Under the will of his cousin, Cuthbert George Ellison,
of Hebburn, lieutenant-colonel in the Grenadier Guards
(proved in 1868), Mr. Carr was entitled to the reversion
of a considerable portion of the Ellison estates on the
death of the testator's mother and sister. It was
in 1870 that, adding the name of Ellison to his own, he
became Ralph Carr-Ellison. Not unfrequently change
of name and accession of fortune conduce to pride
and avarice. With Mr. Carr-Ellison it was otherwise.
Munificent without ostentation, he enjoyed the luxury of
giving, and gave of his substance freely. His liberality
in building and restoring churches, schools, parsonages,
and other public institutions, providing sites for chapels,
and subscribing to all kinds of educational and philan-
thropic objects was not limited to the districts in which
his estates lay, but extended into localities which could
not claim him as landlord. He was a Liberal in the
true sense of the word — in politics, in religion, in the
management of his property, and in social life. On
certain days in each week he received all the poor people
who called at his residence at Dunston Hill. Some of
them attended for a long term of years, and after
listening to their tales of want and misery, he gave them
pecuniary aid, being especially generous to the Irish,
whose treatment by parochial authorities was sometimes,
he thought, harsh and unfeeling.
Mr. Carr-Ellison's career of activity and usefulness
terminated on the 4th of February, 1884, and a
few days later, with Dr. Bruce, Andrew Leslie, the
Rev. Mr. Cooley, and Alderman Hodgson, son of the
historian of Northumberland, as pall bearers, his remains
were interred in the family vault at Whickham.
Robert
CHIEF JUSTICE OF BENGAL.
Robert Chambers, a solicitor who practised in New-
castle during the first half of last century, had three
notable sons — Robert, who became a distinguished
judge ; Richard, who occupied a prominent position
in the municipality as sheriff, alderman, and mayor ;
and William, who was a celebrated linguist, and acted
as interpreter in his brother's court.
Richard Chambers, the second son, having taken up
his freedom in the Saddlers' Company, began life in
Newcastle as an ironmonger, and being of a speculative
turn, was soon immersed in a variety of industrial
undertakings. Besides his own business, which he
carried on in conjunction with Mr. David Landells,
he joined Gabriel Hall and Roger Heron in a hardware
shop, went with Hall, Heron, and others into a tannery
on Beamish Burn, and at length became a partner in
the firm of R. J. Lambton, Esq., and Co., bankers.
Entering the Common Council on the 6th December,
1784, he was made Sheriff for the municipal year 1786-7,
and in May, 1795, was appointed an alderman. His
election to this last-named office was attended by peculiar
circumstances. A vacancy had occurred by the death of
James Rudman, and when the electors met (Thursday,
May 28) to elect a successor, no one was willing to
take the honour. Proceeding by seniority of service,
they elected James Wilkinson, a partner in the bank of
Sir Matthew White Ridley, Bart., and Co., and upon
his declining to serve they appointed Isaac Cookson,
merchant, who also refused to accept the position. Next
they chose William Surtees, merchant, and when they
found that he was not willing to wear the gown they
appointed Richard Bell, another merchant. Mr. Bell
followed the example of the rest, and Aubone Surtees,
jun., was chosen. He also declined the honour, and at
length Richard Chambers, preferring the alderman's
388
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
J September
I 1839.
gown to a penalty of two hundred marks (£133 6s. 8d.),
in which each of the recusant councillors was mulcted,
agreed to accept the office. His consent relieved the
Council of a difficulty, and, at Michaelmas following, he
was elected Mayor. The next year his affairs became
embarrassed. His partnership in the bank was dissolved,
insolvency followed, and heavy losses were incurred by
numbers of industrious persons. After the failure, he
went to London, started business afresh, and there he
died, December 23, 1806, aged sixty-eight.
Robert Chambers, the eldest son of the attorney, was
born in 1737. After receiving a sound preliminary
training at the Royal Free Grammar School under the
Rev. Hugh Moises, he was sent to Lincoln College
Oxford, where, in July, 1754, he was elected to one of
the exhibitions founded by Bishop Crewe. At Oxford
his career was brilliant, and his promotion rapid. When
he had completed his studies, University College elected
him Fellow ; in 1762, being only 25 years old, he
received the important appointment of Vinerian Pro-
fessor of Law ; at Christmas, 1766, upon the resignation
of William Blackstone, author of the famous "Commen-
taries on the Laws of England," he was elected Principal
of New Inn Hall. Under his tuition young John Scott,
afterwards Lord Chancellor Eldon, entered the Univer-
sity, and a few years later, when a runaway match with
Bessie Surtees made it necessary that the budding and
impecunious lawyer should study his profession, New Inn
Hall sheltered him and his bride, and became the birth-
place of their eldest son. Mr. Chambers, meanwhile, had
risen to a high position among his contemporaries. His
Vinerian lectures were thronged ; statesmen and lawyers,
poets and men of letters, were his intimate friends ; he
was employed in consultations and engaged in causes that
added substance to fame, and wealth to reputation.
By -and -by temptations to leave Oxford were presented
to him. In 1768 he was offered the post of Attorney-
General in Jamaica — a position of honour and emolument,
but the University had greater charms for him then, and
he declined to undertake it. Later on there came an offer
which he found himself at liberty to accept— a judgeship
in the Supreme Court of Judicature in Bengal.
Up to this time Mr. Chambers had remained a bachelor,
but in preparation for the new and exalted position which
he was about to assume in India, he married. The object
of his choice was the beautiful Miss Wilton, only daughter
of Joseph Wilton, R.A., the precursor of Nollekens in
English bust-making, and one of the founders of the
Royal Academy. Accompanied by his mother and his
wife, he left England in April, 1774, and, entering upon
his judicial functions, dispensed justice with a tact
and discrimination that won hearty approbation. He
received the honour of knighthood in 1780, and in 1791
was promoted to the office of Chief Justice of Bengal.
At Oxford, Sir Robert Chambers counted among his
more intimate friends the accomplished Oriental scholar,
Sir William Jones. Sir William had followed him to
India, where, like himself, he fulfilled the duties of a
judge. Renewing their friendship, they worked together
in the study of Oriental languages and dialects, and the
manners and customs of the vast populations among
which they dispensed justice. The outcome of their
labours was the formation of the "Asiatic Society of
Bengal"— an institution designed to investigate the
history and antiquities, the arts, sciences, and literature
of Asia. Of this society Sir Robert Chambers became
president in 1797.
When he had completed twenty-five years of
uninterrupted service on the bench, Sir Robert came
back to England to restore, in the home of his youth
and the scenes of his maturer years, the health which
tropical heats had weakened. He came too late. Soon
after his arrival he began to decline, and in the spring of
1802, while in Paris, he was attacked by paralysis, which,
on the 2nd of May, terminated his existence.
Sir Robert Chambers was a profound lawyer, an
accurate and painstaking judge, an excellent scholar,
and an accomplished man of the world. At Oxford,
Burke and Goldsmith, Johnson and Garrick, were among
his intimate associates ; in India he softened the asperities
of the bench by the cultivation of letters and the com-
panionship of literary men. Hie friendship with Dr.
Johnson was warm and lasting. Johnson was persuaded
to undertake his long deferred journey into Scotland
when he learned that Chambers would accompany him
to Newcastle, and that William Scott, afterwards Lord
Stowell, would go with him to Edinburgh. Sir Robert
was the prime actor in that famous story about Johnson
and the snails, which Lord Eldon pithily relates in his
"Anecdote Book": —
I had a walk in New Inn Hall Garden with Dr.
Johnson, Sir Robert Chambers, and some other
gentlemen. Sir Robert was gathering snails and
throwing them over the wall into his neighbour's garden.
The doctor reproached him very roughly, and stated
to him that this was unmannerly and unneighbourly.
"Sir," said Sir Robert, "my neighbour is a Dissenter. "
"Oh," said the Doctor, "if so. Chambers, toss away,
toss away, as hard as you can ! "
Chapman,
ENGINEER AND INVENTOR.
"There were brave men before Agamemnon"; there
were famous engineers before the Stephensons. Little
is heard to-day of William Chapman, an eminent
engineer who lived and laboured in Newcastle long
before the days of steam locomotion. His genius and
fame are well-nigh forgotten ; the enterprises with
which his name were associated have been lost to
sight ; his inventions have become common property.
Yet in the early part of the present century, whether
as a successful inventor, or as the designer and leading
spirit of great engineering undertakings, few men in the
North of England enjoyed a higher reputation than he.
September 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
389
William Chapman came of a good family— the Chap-
mans of Whitby. His father (also William Chapman)
was one of the "worthies" of that place. To him
Dr. "Young, the historian of the town, acknowledges
indebtedness for useful material in the compilation of
his book. He was a merchant captain, trading chiefly
from the Baltic ports to the Tyne, in which business he
acquired reputation for shrewdness and intrepidity —
two qualities that were of high value at a time when
bargains could not be sanctioned by telegraph, and
the "lead" and the "look out" were the chief safe-
guards of navigation. He was ingenious too. On one
of his voyages to Shields he discovered a plan for
obtaining fresh water from the sea, and, having brought
to land a specimen of the product of his amateur
distillery, received the approbation of his friends at
the Lawe and the Low Lights, who pronounced it a
most excellent article in the form of punch ! He
exhumed the remains of a crocodile in the lias formation
at Whitby, and the species of saurian which he rescued
from its stony surroundings bears the name of Teloaaurus
Chapmanni to this day. In his old age, Mr. Chapman,
who was a freeman of Newcastle, came to live upon
Tyneside, and died — "at his house in Saville Row,
Newcastle, Oct. 15, 1793."
William Chapman the. younger was born at Whitby
in 1750, and was put in command of a merchant vessel
as soon as he was eighteen years old. He had received a
liberal education, and, caring nothing for a seafaring life,
employed himself chiefly in studying the formation of the
various ports and harbours to which his vessel traded, in
the hope, and with the object, of one day becoming a
civil engineer. He went to sea for a few years, and
then, obtaining the friendship of James Watt, and of
his partner, Matthew Boulton, he accompanied the latter
to Ireland, where, having written a prize essay on the
effects of the river Dodder upon Dublin harbour, he
obtained the appointment of resident engineer to the
County of Kildare Canal. It was while acting in this
capacity that he made his mark by inventing the skew
arch. A description of the invention, from Mr. Chap-
man's pen, appears in "Rees's Encyclopaedia," under
the heading "Oblique Arches."
While the Kildare Canal was in progress, Mr. Chapman
undertook the reconstruction of a bridge of five arches
over the Liffey. A quicksand lay under the site of one
of the piers, and it was impossible to avoid it, but Mr.
Chapman overcame the difficulty with such remarkable
ingenuity and success that offers of professional engage-
ments came to him from all parts of Ireland. Among
other projects on which he reported were improvements
of the navigation of the Nore, the Barrow, and the
Avoca, and the formation of a harbour at Arklow.
Receiving the appointment of consulting engineer to
the Grand Canal of Ireland, he laid out an extension
of that canal from Roberts Town to Tullamore, a dock
between Dublin and Ringsend, and a canal of com-
munication by the line of the Circular Road. There
were extensive bogs to be cut in the Tullamore extension,
and the promoters had spent large sums of money in
dealing with similar difficulties elsewhere. Mr. Chapman
overcame these obstacles by a series of ingenious experi-
ments, and the work was easily and expeditiously
completed.
In 1794, Mr. Chapman came to Newcastle to report
upon a project which was the subject of considerable
agitation — that of constructing a canal from the German
Ocean to the Irish Sea. He was a freeman of the town
by patrimony, and he decided to remain here, and follow
his profession as a consulting engineer. Into the advocacy
of the canal scheme he entered with great heartiness and
vigour. Between 1794 and 1798, he wrote several reports
upon the subject, which were published by the promoters,
and are to be found in every good collection of local tracts
and pamphlets, as follows : —
1795. Survey of a Line of Navigation from Newcastle to
the Irish Channel.
1795. Report on the proposed Navigation between the
East and West Seas.
1796. Report on the Line of Navigation from Newcastle-
upon-Tyne to the Irish Channel.
1796. Report on a Canal from Newcastle or North Shields
towards Cumberland.
1797. Observations on Sutcliffe's Report in 1796 on the
proposed Line from Stella to Hexham.
While the fate of the canal was still doubtful, Mr.
Chapman was employed, conjointly with Mr. Rennie, in
devising the London Dock, and the South Dock and
Basin at Hull. He subsequently became engineer to th&
Commissioners of Leith and Scarborough Harbours, and
390
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
fSe;
ptember
when Mr. Buddie induced the Marquis of Londonderry
to construct Seaham Harbour, Mr. Chapman was the
engineer to whom the undertaking was entrusted.
Mr. Chapman's inventive genius found scope in various
directions. His brother, Edward Walton Chapman, was
a roper at Wellington, and for hi« benefit he patented, in
1797, a machine for making ropes in such a way that
there should be equal strain upon each and all of the
separate strands, and, later on, another apparatus for
composing at one operation a rope of indeterminate
length. In conjunction with this same brother Edward,
he patented in December, 1812, "A Method or Methods
of facilitating the Means and reducing the Expense of
Carriage on Railways and other Roads." Another
of his inventions was the " Coal Drop." He also
obtained a patent (April 12, 1821) for a method of
transferring the contents of lighters and barges into
ships, &c., by the intervention of a small vessel called a
" transf errer, " fitted with a steam engine for haulage,
and this invention was used at the Londonderry shipping
places till the completion of Seaham Harbour.
Several ingenious papers were contributed by Mr.
Chapman to the Proceedings of the Newcastle Literary
and Philosophical Society, and others were published in
pamphlet form, or in the serials of the day. Among the
best known of his publications are —
1797. On the various Systems of Canal Navigation.
4to. Plates.
1808. On the Progressive Endeavours to improve the
Manufacture and Duration of Cordage, with a Discussion
on the means of causing Ships to ride at Anchor with
greater safety. 4-to. Three Engravings.
1815. Observations on the Effects of the Proposed Corn
Laws. 8vo.
1815. Observations on the necessity of adopting Legis-
lative Measures to diminish the probability of the
recurrence of Fatal Accidents in Collieries, and to
prolong the duration of the Coal Mines of the United
Kingdom. 8vo.
1817. On the Preservation of Timber from Premature
Decay. 8vo.
1830- A description of the Port of Seaham, in explana-
tion of a Plan of the Harbour and a Chart of the Coast.
4to. Plates.
Mr. Chapman retained the full enjoyment of his
faculties, and followed the active pursuits of his
profession, till within a very short period of his decease,
which took place on the 29th of May, 1832, having then
entered into his 83rd year. "Gifted with a strong
understanding, and with great and acknowledged talents,
he was equally distinguished in private life by those
amiable qualities which adorn the domestic scene, and
constitute its chief enjoyments. It may truly be said
that few men have descended into the grave more
sincerely lamented by immediate relatives and con-
nections, or more generally and extensively esteemed
and respected."
ltd
J1EW gentlemen's seats in the immediate
neighbourhood of Newcastle are more in-
teresting than Gibside. Since the time when
the grounds were laid out much as we
find them now, by George Bowes, about the years
17 4-0- 1760, the name of Gibside has always been sug-
gestive of pleasant walks and shady proves. Doubt-
less the place was one of some beauty before Mr. Bowes
took it in hand. But it is to his taste that it owes much
of the celebrity which it has possessed for a long time in
the northern parts of the county of Durham. When
Hutchinson wrote his "History of Durham "—shortly
after the death of George Bowes— he declared that it was
difficult to convey an idea of the beautiful and magnifi-
cent scenery of the place.
The celebrated Mrs. Montagu, of Denton Hall, writing
to Benjamin Stillingfleet, from " Carville, Oct. 22, 1758 "
(she was staying at Carville, near Wallsend, while Denton
Hall was being repaired), gives the following exaggerated
account of Gibside : — "I had a very kind invitation from
Mrs. Lowther to pass some time at Lowther Hall ; I am
told it is the finest place in the North ; I believe I should
rather have admired than coveted it ; grandeur without
softness pleases me in a place no better than dignity with-
out courtesy in a man or woman. Lowther is much greater
than Gibside, which is too great for me. I love woods, but
I do not desire such forests that you would rather expect
to be entertained in the evening with the howling of
wolves and yelling of tigers than with Philomel's love-
laboured song. Such a place is a fit pasture for Nebu-
chadnezzar ; pride and tyranny may delight in it. 1
would divide the glebe with the husbandman. Useful
Ceres, though she does not set up for a deity of taste, en-
livens and embellishes a rural scene more than all the arts
and sciences." As many of the present plantations were
only commenced in 1729, and as plantings continued till
1760, the woods of Gibside would be very small in Mrs.
Montagu's time.
Amongst the earlier possessors of Gibside was a
family of the name of Marley, who resided at Marley
Hill about the year 1200. The estates were held by
the Marleys until 154-0, in which year there was a
failure of male issue, the last owner leaving an only
daughter, Elizabeth. This heiress married Roger
Blakeston, of Coxhoe, thus carrying the estates to
another family. About the year 1694, there was again
an heiress to the estates. The lands passed in
course of time to the family of Bowes, of Streatlam
Castle. Not quite another century passed away before
there was another failure of male issue, when by the mar-
riage in 1767 of Mary Eleanor, only daughter of George
Bowes, of Streatlam and Gibside, to the Earl of Strath-
September \
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
391
more, of Glamis Castle, Scotland, the lands were again
transferred to another family.
The fortunes of Mary Eleanor, Countess of Strathmore,
subsequent to the death of the earl about nine years
after the marriage, are so well known that it is not neces-
sary to enter into them here. (See the story of Stoney
Bowes, vol. i., page 196.) The Earl of Strathmore left a
family of three sons and two daughters. The eldest
son John succeeded to the estates and titles. This
nobleman died on July 31, 1820, having the day
previously married Mary Milner, of Staindrop. Their
son, the late John Bowes, succeeded, on coming of
age, to the English estates, the Scotch estates and
titles reverting to the Hon. Thomas Bowes, the only
surviving brother of the late earl. John Bowes, the
son of the Earl of Strathmore and Miss Mary Milner,
possessed the Gibside and Streatlam estates until his
death in October, 1885, when, having died without issue,
the estates reverted to the present Earl of Strathmore,
who has a numerous family of sons and daughters.
The Dowager Countess of Strathmore married, on the
16th March, 1831, William Hutt, Esq., who subsequently
.became Sir William Hutt, and was for some years M.P.
for Gatechead, and at one time Vice-President of the
Board of Trade in Mr. Gladstone's Government. Mr.
Hutt was visited at Gibside by Lord John Russell, and
afterwards by Mr. Gladstone.
John Bowes, of Streatlam and Gibside, was twice
married, first to Josephine Benoite, Countess of Mont-
albo, a French lady. It was through this lady that the
magnificent Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle was com-
menced. It was intended for her residence in case
she survived Mr. Bowes ; but she died in 1874. Her
remains were brought to Gibside and placed on a bier
underneath the chapel. Since Mr. Bowes's death they
have been deposited in one of the vaults in the family
mausoleum at Gibside. Mr. Bowes subsequently married
another French lady, who survived him.
Gibside has continued to the present day to be a
favourite resort of pleasure parties who obtain the permis-
sion of the proprietor to visit it. Whether the eminent
landscape gardener, Capability Brown, had any hand
in planning the various avenues and plantations, I
cannot say. At any rate, they bear traces of the
new school of gardening which Brown did so much
to promote at the seats of noblemen and gentle-
men. There are several places in Gibside that seem to
have been laid out with great taste and judgment. At a
spot called the Top of the Hollow Walk, there were (and
it may truly be said to a certain extent that there
are yet) three fine vistas in three different direc-
tions. If the view be directed towards the south,
a fine avenue of beeches is seen commencing at the
place where the observer is standing. Continuing the
view forward, a grassy steep meets the sight, crowned at
the top by an elegant Banqueting Hall. Although to
appearance there seems an avenue all the way to the
Banqueting House, yet the eye entirely overlooks a
fine piece of water concealed by the rising nature
of the ground. If the gaze be turned to the westward,
in the foreground is seen a descending piece of mossy
sward, terminated at the bottom by a stretch of level
verdure, again rising to about the same height as the
spectator's standpoint. This forms an avenue fringed
on each side by magnificent forest trees. Away beyond
the last piece of rising sward stretches a fine ter-
race, formed by George Bowes about the year 1747,
and mentioned in a letter from Bishop Pocock to his sis-
ter. At the west end of this terrace stands the elegant
chapel, formed after a classical model, with an Ionic
portico in front. If, now, the spectator will turn himself
to the north, he will see a wide lawn descending to
another sheet of water surrounded by trees, and covered
in the season with a profusion of white water lilies
(Nymphea alia). Let the visitor now descend this lawn
and place himself on tho western edge of the lily pond,
and he will see, if the day be calm and the face of the
pond be free from ripple, a beautiful picture of a bank of
trees with the Column of Liberty (described in vol. ii.,
page 466) reflected in the water as if in a sheet of silvered
glass. He will also find himself surrounded on nearly
all sides by lofty forest trees. The taste and judgment
must have been highly cultivated that could plan so many
beauties to be seen from one point of view.
The Banqueting Hall was erected by George Bowes,
and the writer has been informed that he died before
it was put to any use. It is built in the Florid Gothic
style, with ornamented crockets. A pointed spire rises
above the front entrance. The door and windows
are glazed in geometrical patterns. The interior consists
of a spacious dining and luncheon hall, with a handsomely
ornamented ceiling. A staircase leads to the roof, from
which there is a fine view. The floor is of pine, and
is laid so that not a nail hole or mark is visible. At each
end are mirrors in the walls, so that when a company
would be seated there would be what appeared an almost
endless length of table and guests. Altogether it was an
elegant erection, and quite in keeping with the rest of the
grounds and buildings.
The chapel, which stands at the west end of the
terrace made by George Bowes, was commenced in the
year 1760, but was not consecrated until 1812. It was
intended to serve, and does serve, both as a place of worship
and a family mausoleum. The mausoleum is underneath
the chapel, and is entered by a door on the west side,
which opens on a short passage and some steps to a burial
vault. This vault is formed by a groined arch, round the
sides of which are arranged in a semicircle the niches for
the reception of the remains of the members of the family.
There are eleven of these, but about four or five are still
unoccupied. George Bowes, who commenced to build the
chapel, was first interred at Whickham, but his remains
392
were removed here on the consecration and completion of
the edifice. The interior of the chapel is very handsome.
Outside is a handsome Ionic portico, with flights of stone
steps leading up to the porch, and protected with stone
balustrades.
The Hall itself is a long and low building of only two
storeys in height, except at the east end, where the
ground shelves rapidly. The windows looking towards
the park or the south, as may be seen from our drawing,
are divided by heavy stone mullions. Above the front
door is a sun dial, which has already been described in
the Monthly Chronicle. (See page 29*.) Previous to
1805, when the hall was altered to its present shape, it
was, as may be seen from an engraving in Hutchinson's
"History of Durham," three storeys high and covered
with grey slates. The hall on the northern side stands
on the top of a steep declivity, terminated at the bottom
by a level haugh or plain, round which the Derwent
flows.
Another sketch of Gibside, copied from Allom's Views,
was given in vol. i., page 200. JAS. F. ROUINSON.
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
•=.
Eft*
. September
at
as seen under azure skies
through a sunny and crystalline atmo-
sphere, may truly be described as the
prettiest watering-place on the coast ot
Northumberland. The village is attractive from many
points of view, and especially from the Church Hill, on
the opposite side of the river.
Standing on this dune-like mound, we observe that the
village is seated on a peninsular tongue of land— the
extremity of a high green ridge sweeping round from
Lesbury. On the east side is the sea, on the south and
west sides the river. In the background are the terraced
sea-banks and the Wallop Hill, which have evidently
been moulded into their present form by the action of
water. On the summit of the latter, which is 157 feet
above the sea-level, the ancient burgesses of Alnmouth
were required, in the event of an outbreak of hostilities
between the Scots and the English, to keep a " good
sur watch " during the day time as well as the night
time, and to maintain two beacons for the purpose
of alarming the country on the approach of the
enemy. Immediately below the hill on the west
side is a camp of the ancient Britons, in shape an irregular
September I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
393
quadrangle, the ramparts of which,
however, are not visible from the
standpoint of our sketch. About two
hundred yards from this camp is the
entrance to the village, which consists
of a long and undulating street run-
ning north and south, with a few
terraces and lanes branching off on
each side.
A snug and compact little village,
old-fashioned in appearance, and pic-
turesquely irregular ! The better-
class houses and the fishermen's cot-
tages are in friendly juxta-position.
They face all the points of the com-
pass. Here you see a front, there a
gable. In many villages you have the
roofs of the houses all of one height,
and continuous along a terrace or
crescent ; but here you find them at
different levels, broken in a few cases
by dormer windows, blue elated and
red-tiled. Surmountine them all is
the elegant spire of St. John's Church
—a familiar land-mark. The village
owes much of its character, architec-
turally, to a number of heavy-looking
buildings, such as the parish Sun-
day-school, the Alnmouth Academy,
and several dwelling-houses, all of
which were originally granaries.
Alnmouth, till the opening of the
railway, was a port of some conse-
quence, and exported large quantities
of corn. Several of the houses in
Alnmouth are old. At the very en-
trance to the village we observe on a
door-head the date 1713. Facing the
river are some newly-built villas.
The eye dwells with pleasure on a
clump of tall trees at the north end of
the village in the possession of a
colony of rooks, on a few little gar-
dens nearer hand, and on the green
bank which rises from the fawn-
coloured sand by the side of the Aln.
Adjoining the village on the east
side is the recreation-ground of the
inhabitants and their visitors. Here
is played the seductive game of golf,
which has contributed so much to the
popularity of the place. The club-
house, with its pretty verandah, is
situated at the south-west corner of
the links. This fine open space is a
scene of animation when the patrons
394
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I September
1 1889.
of the racket, the bat, and the hickory club are in-
dulging in their favourite pastimes. Seated among
the sandy hummocks at the edge of the links are
several bathing-boxes painted in gay colours, the Life-
boat House, and a similar building — the Bathers' Life-
Saving Boat House. A shapely coble is resting on
wheels on the beach ready to be run into deep water. The
sea-banks, with the gun battery upon them for the use of
the Percy Artillery Volunteers, form the termination of
our view to the north.
Having carefully examined the village and its sur-
roundings, we turn to the hillock on which we are stand-
ing, for it is historic ground. This was probably the
Twyford-on-the-Alne which is mentioned by Bede as the
place where in 684- a great synod was held, presided over
by Archbishop Theodore, and dignified by the presence of
King Ecgfrid and his council— a synod memorable for its
election of St. Cuthbert as the Bishop of Lindisfarne. A
church, dedicated to St. Waleric, had already been built
here at this time, an interesting relic of which — a portion
of the shaft of an Anglian cross — is preserved in Alnwick
Castle. Five centuries later another church was erected
on the same site, but dedicated to St. John the Baptist.
This building was in ruins in 1779, when Paul Jones,
cruising off the coast, fired a cannon-ball at it — without
hitting the mark, however. Till 1806 the river entered
the sea on the south side of the hill, but in that year
it altered its course to the north side. The portion of
the hill on which the old church stood has crumbled away.
The site of the graveyard is indicated by a few flat tomb-
stones of the last century. The little mortuary chapel,
built about twenty-seven years ago, will soon be in ruins
if not repaired. Some of the voussoirs of the arch of its
finely-ornamented door seem to be giving way. To the
south of the hill is a waste of blown sand overgrown with
tussocks of withered-looking bents. Stranded on the
salt-marshes is a condemned lighter, an object in the
picture which a painter will know how to appreciate.
Our view is taken from a photograph by Messrs. G. W.
Wilson & Co., of Aberdeen. W. W. TOMLISSON.
2Httnmj tit tfte
tfye late lames (Clcpfyan.
ORSE-RACES are of high antiquity— higher
than we can get at. The horses themselves
began them, without the admixture of
prizes or betting. Organised racing is an
afterthought of man, the origin of which is remote enough,
and immaterial. In our own country it is comparatively
modern. We come across no race-meetings in the North
in the days of Elizabeth. If such assemblies there were,
they do but peep out upon us from the materials of his-
tory, and refuse to be clearly seen. What, for example,
are we to infer, with any precision, from the allusion in
the year 1613 to "Woodham Stowpes, the now usual
weighing-place upon Woodham Moore." The "nowusual
weighing-place " of the earlier half of the reign of King
James may carry us back we know not how far into the
reign of Queen Elizabeth. James, on his progress to
Scotland in 1617, attended the races on Woodham Moor,
in the parish of Ay cliff e (adjoining the Great North Road,
about eight miles from Darlington), and saw a contest be-
tween the horses of William Salvin and Master Mad-
dockes for a gold purse ; and at this spot there continued
to be meetings from year to year. Of one of these, held
in 1620, there is incidental mention in connection with
a certain " Mr. Topp Heath," who, " dying upon Mains-
forth Moore coming from a horse-race, was buried on the
1st of April."
All this time we hear nothing of races in connection
with Newcastle. The reign of James passed away ; his
son Charles succeeded to the throne ; and then, in 1632,
occurs an entry in the corporate accounts of the Tyne
quoted by Mr. Hodgson Hinde in the fourth volume of
the "Archa;ologia ^Eliana" (Xew Series) : — "Paid £20 to
John Blakiston, chamberlain, which he disbursed for two
silver potts granted by the Common Council for the race
on Killingworth Moor after Whitsuntide."
Next year, on the 5th of June, Thomas Bowes
despatched a packet addressed "To the Right Worship-
ful my assured lovinge nephew, Matthew Hutton, Esq.,
at Marske, these be dd." The contents were to be
delivered to a grandson and namesake of the Elizabethan
Bishop of Durham and Archbishop of York. " Sir
George Bowes, " said the writer, "is now at Newcastle,
and yt seems he thinks his money will never have an end,
for he is making matches with the lordes of horse-
courses, and, as we heare, hath made two matches, the
one for 40.1i., and thother for lOO.li., so that wee feare he
will make an end of all soone."
It was in the same year, 1633, that John Vaux, clerk,
of St. Helen's Auckland, was brought to book for
" sundrie misdemeanors." (Surtees Society, vol. 34.)
The evidence then given in the High Commission Court
of Durham has something to say about our Northern
races. One of the witnesses, Thomas Wrangham from
Heighington, lets us into the secret that the " sporting
prophets " of the present day had been anticipated by an
Auckland parson of the time of King Charles. About
Christmas, 1631, " one Bryan Wall came to Mr. Vaux to
have his opinion touchinge a horse-course, and wboe he
thought would winn the match, and Vaux gave his
opinion in the presence of exanimate."
In another case reported in the Surtees Society's
volume, we have Anthony Fawell of Durham deposing
as to "Thomas Wandles, clerk," that "he did see him
coursing a bay maire at Woodham Moore " on the 17th of
September t
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
395
May, 1625. " Wandles," said Edmond Ellinor of Hutton
Henry, "doth often use horse-coursing, and did himself
run his horse at Woodham Moor, and there he broke his
collar bone, as he told exanimate, and doth often use
hunting with doggs."
Races were striking root in the land in the reigns of the
first of our Stuart kings, but a shadow came over them
after the fall of the Monarchy. " Cakes and ale " were
in less favour under the Commonwealth; and, besides,
there were political grounds of disfavour. There was an
apprehension that race and other meetings of the kind
were got up as a cloak for aggressive designs on the new
order of government. From the Calendar of State Papers
we learn with what distrust the authorities regarded such
assemblies. Thus, in 1651, the year in which the battle
of Worcester brought the Civil War to a close, the
Council of State ordered the preparation of a report to
Parliament against horse-races, hunting and hawking
matches, and football-playing ; and a letter was to be sent
" to the Militia Commissioners throughout the kingdom, to
take care that public meetings for races, cockfighting,
&c. , be prevented. " Promptly the circular despatch was on
its rounds, setting forth the information " that the enemies
of the. Common wealth were still driving on their designs
to raise new troubles." There were " dangerous meetings
and conferences in many places, for contriving and dis-
posing plots, under colour and pretence of cockfighting,
horse-racing, hunting, and other meetings for recreation ;
which, if there be not care used to prevent or disperse,
may much conduce to the ripening of their counsels, and
give a beginning to the breaking out of insurrections and
rebellions." "Enquire after all these and the like meet-
ings," the circular commanded; "appoint some of your
militia force to attend the times and places ; and either pre-
vent the meetings or disperse them, and take care that the
public peace may not be endangered by them. Observe
and secure the chief promoters of these meetings, and
such as shall affront or oppose you in the execution of this
order, and signify the same to the Council, who will give
further directions therein. "
The opposition of the Council of State to horse-racing
and other amusements chafed the- popular mind. We
have seen what fears were excited in 1651, and in the
time of the Protectorate it was still considered expedient
to keep a watchful eye on the race-course. On the llth of
June, 1657, one of the Yorkshire members, Sir William
Strickland, was laying a paper before the House of
Commons which instructs us as to the working of the
resistance to favourite sports. He had received the paper
from Robert Ogle, of Eslington, gentleman, the writer ;
and it was now read. Ogle stated that in April last,
being at his inn in Alnwick, Sir Robert Collingwood, of
Branton ; John Salkeld the younger, of Rock ; Daniel
Collingwood, the son of Sir Robert; and one Robert
Pemberton, came into the room where he was. Falling
into discourse about a king, Sir Robert said : "We must
have a kin?, and will have a king, and my Lord Protector
dares not refuse it." And afterwards he began to inveigh
against Robert Fenwick, of Bedlington (one of the three
members for Northumberland). The writer, some few
days before, being in company where Cavalier gentlemen
were murmuring that they had been debarred from horse
races, Daniel Collingwood took the liberty to say " that
there was none now in power but the Rascality, who
envied that gentlemen should enjoy their recreations."
After the reading of his paper, Ogle was called into the
House and examined by the Speaker, Sir Thomas Wid-
drington, of Cheeseburn Grange, another of the members
for Northumberland ; and when he had verified his
signature, and affirmed his statement to be true, it was
ordered that Sir Robert and his son be sent for as
delinquents. The latter appeared on the 23rd of June ;
when, kneeling at the bar, he did utterly deny that he
spoke any such words as " that there were none but the
Rascality now in power, who envied that gentlemen
should enjoy their recreations.'1 Whereupon he was
instructed to withdraw, and it was ordered that he be dis-
charged. To his father, Sir Robert, further time was
granted. Not until the 29th of January, 1658, did the
Northumbrian knight present himself before the
Commons. He then admitted that he was in Alnwick
at the time and place named, but denied the words
ascribed to him ; and he forthwith had his discharge
also. Some seven years afterwards, in the Long Parlia-
ment of Charles the Second, Daniel Collingwood, of
Branton, once more appeared before the Speaker, taking
his place, not now on his knees as a delinquent, but on the
benches among the members, as one of the representatives
of Berwick-upon-Tvveed.
Horse-racing was once more in the ascendant, and
nobody begrudged the poor bear his baiting. Races had
their revival in the land, with cockfights and bear-baiting,
hawking and football. "The king had his own again,"
and "cakes and ale " had their swing. Now it was, per-
chance, that Edward Elgie, the mason of Bishop Auck-
land, "won at Darlington" (as we read in the historic
pages of Mr. W. H. D. Longstaffe) that " best piece of
silver plate " which in 1667 he was bequeathing to Dorothy
his wife. In that year, on the 4th of June, Newcastle
having its " horse-coursing " as before, Richard Forster,
landlord of the Angel, the diligent correspondent of Sir
Joseph Williamson of the London Gazette, was reporting
progress. In the year 1667, Williamson not only had
charge of the Gazette, but was sending "News Letters " to
all parts of the kingdom, and also to foreign lands. " To-
day, "wrote Forster, on Tuesday, June 4, "is the first
day of the races, but there is small appearance of the
neighbouring gentry. The Duke of Buckingham " — who
had fought his famous duel with the Earl of Shrewsbury
on the 16th of March previously — "has two horses that
will run."
The races went on four days ; and on Friday, the 7th
396
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/ September
I 1889.
of June, Forster was again writing to Sir Joseph : — "The
horse-course is ended. No plate was brought in for
Northumberland. The town's plate has been given to
horses run by friends of the Duke. No other horses
ran."
Poor sport — "no plate for Northumberland1' — "small
appearance of the neighbouring gentry." Men's minds
were not running on the races, but on the Dutch. When
Forster took pen in hand, on the 4th of June, Pepys was
poring over his diary, and confessing in cipher that he
had been hankering after the keeping of a coach ; but
with the French and the Dutch on the seas, and not
knowing what might turn up or come down, he paused.
Coaches and races must stand aside till the course was
clear.
The course cleared, and the races went on all over Eng-
land, flourishing on the Tyne through the remainder of
the century, and enjoying, as at its commencement, the
patronage of the Corporation. The Common Council had
them under consideration, on the 6th of August, 1695,
when it was resolved "that for the future it be inserted
in the Gazette that noe horses shall run for the plate of
this town that ever ran at any course on the south side of
Trent."
In August of 1707, the Common Council were passing
a resolution as to the "horse course," that no cords be
used or paid for, for the future, at Killingworth Moor.
Also, in June, 1715, " that the plate given yearly by the
town, to be run for on the Thursday after Trinity Sun-
day, should not for the future exceed the value of £25."
A " County Plate " occurs in the year ensuing (1716).
The entry is given by Mr. Hodgson Hinde as the earliest
"List of the Running Horses " extant for any race run at
Newcastle : —
Edward Carr, of Whitburn, Esq., a bay mare called
Silrersnoiit, James Garth rider, in white.
Fen wick Bowman, Gentleman, alias Bonner, a bay mare
called Creeping Kate, Bowman rider, in white.
Sir William Blackett, a chestnut horse called Bagpiper,
Jonathan Cooper rider, in blue.
Mr. Robert Todd, a bay gelding called Bouncer, Jere-
miah Forster rider, in white.
In 1721, Killmgworth divided the races with New-
castle. A county plate, value £25, given by the High
Sheriff (Edward Delaval), was run for at Killingworth
on the Tuesday ; and the remaining races took place on
the Town Moor of Newcastle. Entries for the county
plate were to be made with the Clerk of the Peace for
Northumberland : for the gold cup of the Corporation,
with the Town Clerk. " For the gentlemen's diversion,
cockfighting every forenoon at Mr, Hill's pit," this being
the earliest mention of cockfights in connection with
Newcastle races. But from 1712 downwards, at other
places in Newcastle and neighbouring towns and villages,
cockfighting occurs.
Morpeth had its races in 1721 at Cottingwood, and
Hexham on Tyne Green. In 1723 were the first races on
record on the fine natural turf of Milfield Plain. There
were races at Gateshead in 1724. At this period there
were also races at Sunderland, Durham, Stockton, Bar-
nard Castle, Auckland, and Yarm. Durham races were
held on alternate days on El vet and Framwellgate Moors;
and Auckland on alternate days on Auckland Holm and
Hunwick Edge. Stockton races were held on the Cars on
the south side of the Tees, then accessible from the town
only by a ferryboat Between 1724 and 1740, advertise-
ments occur of races (says Mr. Hodgson Hinde) at the
following places in Northumberland and Durham, in
addition to those already noticed : — Tynemouth, Blyth,
Felton, Bamburgh, Alnmouth, Stamfordham, Long Ben ton,
Newburn, Stagshawbank, Druridge, Sleekburn, Bywell,
Willington Quay, and Newham ; South Shields, Darling-
ton, Wolsingham, Hartlepool, Staindrop, Sedgefield,
Chester-le-Street, Lanchester, Witton Gilbert, Hamster-
ley, Heighington, Whickham, Ryton, Winlaton, Blaydon,
Tanfa'eld, Brian's Leap, Hebburn.
Racing was now so common, many small communities
everywhere having "meetings," that Parliament inter-
posed in 1740. The Act 13 George II., cap. 19, was placed
on the Statute Book : — " An Act to restrain and prevent
the excessive increase of horse-races." The preamble re-
cites : — "Whereas the great number of horse-races for
small plates, prizes, or sums of money, have contributed
very much to the encouragement of idleness, to the im-
poverishment of many of the meaner sorts of the subjects
of this kingdom ; and the breed of strong and useful
horses hath been much prejudiced thereby." For correc-
tion of which evils, all horses running were to be the pro-
perty of the persons entering them ; and no man must
enter more than one horse for the same race. Nor was
any plate to be run for under the value of £50.
As one of the results of this statute, Newcastle races
shrunk to three days ; while many places lost their meet-
ings altogether. Only Newcastle, Morpeth, Hexham,
Durham, and Stockton races were continued on a legal
footing. Alnwick, Milfield, Barnard Castle, and Sunder-
land were afterwards revived ; besides which, there are
frequent presentments by grand juries of illegal meetings
at other places.
In his "Local Records," Mr. Thomas Richmond gives
a copy of the Stockton Race Bill of 1735. The races were
run on the 10th, llth, 12th, and 13th of September, end-
ing with the week ; and the humours of the meeting com-
prised a foot-match among women, three times round the
course, for a prize "of the full value of two guineas,
' given by a gentleman. ' " Every forenoon there was a
main of cocks between the gentlemen of Richmondshire
and the gentlemen of Guisbroueh ; and every evening an
assembly. The first corporate notice appears on the
minutes of 1746, when there is a charge for "cash taken
from the sergeant's rent to balance the race account,
£15 10s. Id." We read in the same year that the races in
Stockton were to begin on the 26th of August, " the tides
then falling suitable for the purpose." The course, being
September 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
397
carse land, was liable to be flooded ; and in October, 1812,
in consequence of an inundation of the river, the ap-
pointed time was postponed. In 1855, the meeting was
held " on the new course, near Mandale."
Reverting to Newcastle, it was ordered by the Common
Council, in April, 174-2, as to the "horse-course," that
"the prize on Thursday next after Trinity Sunday,"
falling on May 13, "bechanced to a gold cup of £50
value, excluding the fashion and making."
The races of the kingdom were brought to a stand in
1749 by an epidemic among horned cattle. So virulent
and fatal was this disease that all races, fairs, cockfights,
&e., were prohibited, as a check on the spread of in-
fection ; and neither the year 174-9 nor 1750 had a regular
meeting in Newcastle. But the Duke of Cleveland and
Mr. Fenwick, of Bywell, ran a match for two hundred
guineas, which the latter won.
Long had the races of Newcastle now been held in
Trinity week, although a meeting governed by a move-
able feast was apt to clash occasionally with appoint-
ments made elsewhere. The inconvenience was at last
felt to be so pressing that, on the revival of the meeting
in 1751, Midsummer week (or the week nearest to Mid-
summer) was substituted — an arrangement that continued
far away down into the present century, with the ex-
ception of the years from 1821 to 1829 inclusive, when
July was preferred.
The " King's Plate " of a nundred guineas was acquired
by Newcastle in 1753, and five days' racing was thus
secured. " Occasionally a race was got up on the Satur.
day, and there are even instances when the meeting was
protracted into the following week."
Whatever the operation of the Act of 1740, it did not
confine race-meetings altogether to the larger towns.
Many instances to the contrary might be adduced. In the
month of May, 1758, as appears by the " Autobiography
of the Rev. Dr. Alexander Carlyle, Minister of Inveresk,"
Chester-le-Street had its races ; and Dr. Robertson, the
historian, John Home, the dramatist, and Dr. Carlyle,
returning to Edinburgh from London, were (incog.)among
the more distinguished spectators of the sports. The
three illustrious Scots, journeying from Durham to New-
castle, "could not resist the allurement" of a race on
the road, one or more of them not having witnessed such
a meeting in England. Renouncing the prospect of an
early arrival on the Tyne, they tarried " to see John Bull
at his favourite amusement." "There wasa great crowd,
and the Mrs. and Misses Bull made a conspicuous part of
the scene, their equipages being single and double horses,
sometimes triple, and many of them ill-mounted, and yet
all of them with a keenness, eagerness, violence of motion
and loudness of vociferation, that appeared like madness
to us ; for one thought them in extreme danger, by their
crossing and jostling in all directions at the full gallop ;
and yet none of them felL Having tired our horses with
this diversion, we were obliged to halt at an inn to give
them a little corn ; for we had been four hours on horse-
back, and we had nine miles to Newcastle." All were
jaded — the steeds and their riders ; " and it was ten
o'clock before we arrived."
What more shall be said of the eighteenth century — a
century which closed with the erection of a Grand Stand
on Newcastle Town Moor ? The tale would be too long,
and lose much of its historic interest. It shall, therefore,
so far as the present writer is concerned, have now its end.
Not far back have we been able to go in our Northern
narrative. Surtees, as we have seen, names 1613 as the
year in which occurs the earliest mention of public races
in the county palatine. Thomas Robson and John Bain-
brigge, Gentlemen, then bound themselves to Sir George
Selby and Sir Charles Wren, in a recognizance of a hun-
dred marks, to provide a piece of gold and silver plate, in
the form of a bowl or cup, to be run for yearly, " at the
now usual weighing place on Woodham Moor," on the
Tuesday before Palm Sunday. For how long a period,
previously, this "usual" race-course had been thus fre-
quented must be left in the doubt that belongs to the
vague record.
An interesting note relating to Newcastle races is ap-
pended to an article on "Sir Edward Radcliffe, of Dilston,"
by the Rev. Jas. Raine, jun., which appears in the first
volume of the new series of the "Archaologia jEliana,"
published in 1857. Mr. Raine quotes the following letter
from Sir Henry Babington, asking Sir Edward Kadcliffe
for a subscription to the horse-races at Killingworth : —
March 17, 1621.
Worthy Sir, — Being presently to goe to London, and to
collect the money for the horse-race, for Sir John
Fenwicke, whose yeare it is to bring in the plate, I have
sent this bearer, my man, to you first — being the worthyest
benefactor to our country sports — with the note of al the
forinders' names, to set a crose before every ons name that
hath payd, and so remembering my service to yourselfe
and brothers, I rest — Your aifectionat frend,
HENRY BABINGTON.
Babington's note of "al the forinders' names" set forth
that the following gentlemen had subscribed five pounds
each : — Sir Edward Radcliffe, Bart., Sir John Fenwicke,
Kt., Sir Ralph Delaval, Kt., Sir William Selby, Kt., and
Sir William Widdrington. The receipt for Radcliffe's
subscription was couched in the following terms : —
March 18, 1621.
Received by me, Robert Butcher, servant to Sir Henry
Babington, Knt., the sum of five pounds from the hands
of Sir Edward Radcliffe, Baronet, for the contribucion,
amongst other gentlemen, to the horse-race at Killing-
worth, payable yearly during the pleasure of the said Sir
Edward, and in this year collected by Sir Henry Bab-
ington. ROBERT BUTCHER, x his marke.
Half a century later — that is to say, in 1673 — John
Dodsworth, of Thornton Watlass, left by will to Thomas
Gabetis, of Crosby Ravensworth, "my silver flaggon
which I wonne first at Killingworth Moore."
Wenceslaus Hollar, a celebrated engraver who came to
England from Bohemia in 1636, etched in 1645 a plan of
the River Tyne, as "described by Ra. Gardner, gent.,"
398
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I September
I 1889.
depicting the country between the river and the villages
of Backworth, Earsdon, and Hartley. This plan con-
tains also a sketch of the races on Killingworth Moor.
Through the courtesy of Mr. 0. J. Spence, who had
placed in his hands an enlarged photograph of that part
of Hollar's plan which shows the district betwean Billy
Mill and Benton Church, the editor of the Newcastle
Weekly Chronicle was enabled, on June 29, 1889, to pre-
sent his readers with a reproduction of the only known
picture of Newcastle races on Killingworth Moor. The
starting post was shown near Moorhouses, the winning
post was shown near Benton Church, and the course
seems to have been three miles long.
The races were continued on the Town Moor of New-
castle till 1882, when they were transferred to Gosforth
Park. EDITOR.
jlffrtft=C0tuTtri>
THE HORRID WAR I' SANGYET.
HIS song commemorates an event still fresh
in the memories of many residents in New-
castle. It occurred on the evening of
Sunday, llth of May, 1851, and our local
bard's poetical description of the war is in strict keeping
with contemporaneous reports, though the boast of the
singer as to his share in the Homeric strife would hardly
be sworn to, we fear, by Inspector Scott, who was a
cautious man. There is no doubt, however, that the
police would have been very roughly handled but for the
antipathy of the Quayside porter pokemen and the keel-
men to the Irish disturbers of the peace.
Joseph Philip Robson, the author of the song, and
"Minstrel of the Tyne and Wear," as he described
himself, was born in Bailiff-Gate on the 27th September,
1803. At an early age he lost both parents, his mother
dying when he was six, and his father when he was only
eieht years of age. His father had been educated at
Stonyhurst College; but, his health failing, he was
obliged to relinquish his studies, and ultimately settled
in Newcastle as teacher of the Catholic School. Joseph
Philip, his son, after a brief apprenticeship to a plane
maker, became also a schoolmaster, and from his earliest
years was devoted to the Muses. When twenty-three
years of age his " Blossoms of Poesy " appeared, followed
in 1839 by "Poetic Gatherings," in 1852 by "Poetic
Pencillings " in 1857 by " Hermione the Beloved " (when
Her Majesty was persuaded by Lord Palmerston to send
our poet a paltry gratuity of £20), and in 1869 by
"Evangeline, or the Spirit of Progress." The latter
work, in two parts, is a masterpiece of poetic production,
in which the struggles of the great George Stephenson
are cleverly introduced. Most of the other contents of
the volume are really of a high order. They are, as the
title page describes them, sentimental, humorous, and
local, as Kobson's ideas were always original, his
imagination vivid, his ability varied and capricious, but
without being capricious enough to render it eccentric.
Besides these effusions he did much other literary work
for local publications, and in 1859 he was engaged in the
curious task of converting a version of the "Song of
Solomon" into the Lowland Scottish dialect for Prince
Lucien Buonaparte, who made a large collection of
versions of the song translated into most of the dialects
of Europe. Mr. Robson died on the 28th August, 1870.
Of his humorous local songs there are many almost
forgotten, as the events to which they refer are now
seldom the subjects of interest, but others are thoroughly
standard productions and racy of the soil— of the Tyne,
Tyney. Time cannot affect the popularity of "The
Pawnshop Bleezing," "Betty Beesley and her Wooden
Man," or "When we were at the Schule," where a well
known scene of boyish bathes and battles is pour-
trayed : —
Ye'll not forget the Washing Tubs,
The Burn's Green water pyul ?
Ye'll maybe mind o' Tommy's rubs
When ye cam late to skeul ?
Newcastle men at a distance from home turn to no
local poet with a keener relish when absence has made
them home-sick, and small colonies of Englishmen even
in Canada and Australia are now and then amazed by
the stentorian tones of a brawny Tynesider trying to do
justice to "The Horrid War i' Sangyet," or "The Exile's
Return," the latter written to the melody of the immortal
"Keel Row":—
Flow on, thou shining river,
Thy rolling course for ever ;
Forget thee will I never,
Whatever fate be mine.
The tune to which "The Horrid War i' Sangyet" is
sung is that once universally popular ditty " The King of
the Cannibal Islands," written on the occasion of the
visit to Eneland of Omiah or Omai, a native of Tahiti,
brought over to this country in 1774 by Captain Four-
neaux.
_a
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let feul preech-ors hae thor way ; An*
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hor • rid war i'
San • gyet As
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1889. I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
899
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Ran - tor Dick preech'd frev a chair, While
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aw de - clare, Bowld
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Pad - dy Flinn set up a howl An'
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m — I — ^ — i — * 1 — *— i — : — : —
priest an' byeuk an' styeul to rowl I' th'
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muck an' elf
trts o'
1 1 — 1
San - gyet
Nan Dodds an' me an' Mettor Jack
Wis stannin' be the preechor's back ;
Says aw, " Ye thunderin' Irish pack,
Dor ye start yor gam' i' Sangyet ?'
Then, wi' me neeve, aw shuts a blaw,
An' levels Dan an' Cowley law ;
Wor Jack pickt up the rantor craw,
An' tell'd not gyen Popes te jaw,
An' now the bonny gam begun ;
The Pats frev oot thor booses run,
They poor'd be hundreds fre the "Sun,"*
Te start a war i' Sangyet.
They cam fre loosy dens wi' howls,
Like harrin'— man ! they cam' i' showls,
Wi' buzzum shanks an awd bed powls—
Styens flew like shot thru Sangyet.
The pollis cam wi' thor black sticks,
But sum pat fell'd wi' greet hawf bricks,
Then rowlin' pins an' shafts o' picks
Wis browt to de the naytive's tricks.
The Paddies screem'd till a' wis bloo —
"Let's slay the Saxon haythen^, noo !
Down wid the English thaives ! Hooroo I
An' we'll be kings i' Sangyet !"
They cam fre Quinn's an" Simson's teef
Fra Ford's an' hooses 'lang the Kee,
Fre Piporgyet an' Mill Entree}
Te the horrid war i' Sangyet !
The Irish force was fairly quash t,
When on the Kee-side porters dasht ;
Then tongs went up, bed powls gat smasht,
An' heeds was crackt, an' windors§ crasht ;
* The Sun Inn, in Sandgate, then kept by William Mason.
t Patrick Quinn kept the Corn Market Tavern in St. Nicholas'
Square ; Alexander Simpson, the Lord Nelson Inn, in Sandgate ;
and Michael Ford the King's Arms in the same suburb.
t That is, from far and near on both sides of the Tyne.
I Though now considerd a vulgarism, ' windoor ' is the original
word signifying an opening to admit the fresh air, but capable of
being shut when necessary.
Then brave keel-laddies tyeuk their turn,
Wiv smiths an" potters fre the Burn ;
They cut the whitebcys docn like corn,
An' lyed them law i' Sangyet.
The sweeps now teem'd wiv sic a rush.
The Paddies fled before the brush ;
Ned Fish's heroes myed a push.
An' blackt the boys i' Sangyet.
Bill Jonsin's croo an' Clark's wis there,
An' Knight's an' Lumley's pack fowt sair ;
Jem Frame's boold fre the Cassel Square,
Wi' Blower's Blacks an' mony mair.
The landlord's joined the jolly row,
Bob Carr gat help fre the " Barley Mow ;"1
Moor put his Steam Boat cheps i' tow,
An' a' wes war in Sangyet.
Nell Prood chuckt up her three-legged styeul
An' lyed it into Derraitt's skull ;
An' Dorty Peg whorl 'd roond her shyeul,
An' splet sum heeds i' Saneyet.
Yung Oyster Bet an' Tatey Sail
Got three greet navvies gyen the wawl ;
Bet prickt them wiv a cobbler's awl ;
Pesr pows'd thor jaws an' myed them squall ;
An' when the Pats wis fairly dyeun,
Wor Sally for the pollis run,
An' te the stayshun they were tyeun
For raisin' war i' Sangyet.
The pollis wad gyen doon, aw feer,
Ef cheos like us had not been neer :—
Man, Keeside blud's se full o' beer,
We'd fight the world for Sangj'et.
Wor Jack an' me to the Manors tyeuk,
Just sixteen Pats be Scott's awn byeuk ;
We seized them like a grapplin' hyeuk,
An' cyeg'd them for sum mair te lyeuk.
On ilundor morn aw fand a' sair,
When aw wis cawld afore the Mare,
An' swore 'twas a' the Kantor's prayer
That caus'd the war i' Sangyet.
To gaol the dorty trash was sent,
Wi' brockin' skulls an' fairly spent ;
They lyeukt like owt but foax content
Wi' raisin' war i' Sangyet.
Noo when we're free aw'll say agyen,
Just let us Inglish foax alyen,
Newcassel lads can rool a '• main,"
In owther "seas " or "cocks " — that's plain,
Then let's away to sum yell-hoose
An' hev a sang, an' gan on croose ;
Let's proove us Keeaide cheps is doose**
The conkerin' bleyds o' Sangyet.
iati'cttti at ilttocastlc.
sub £t. fUcrjolajs'
quare.
JIUT of the dim and misty past spring vivid
pictures of life in Newcastle to the stroller
who, with a fair knowledge of local history,
surveys the exterior of the great church of
St. Nicholas. Within the sacred edifice lie the illustrious
dead, all their worldly pomp and earthly honour crumb-
II The whole of the chimney sweepers in the town seem to have
been there — Edward Fish's lads from Pandon, John Clark's from
the Long Stairs, Thomas Lumleys and James Frames' from the
Castle Garth, Robert Knight's from Percy Street, William Blower's
from Gallowgate, &c., &C.
•II The Barley Mow and boarding house in the Milk Market was
kept by Robert Peacock ; and the Steam Boat Inn, in St. Mary's
Street, was kept by R. C. Moor.
** Sober, sedate.
400
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I September
\ 1889.
ling to the dust from whence they came ; under the green
turf surrounding it repose the lowlier townspeople, who
lived their lives beneath the shadow of its massive tower,
and were probably seldom out of sight of its glittering
pinnacles, or far from the hearing of its melodious chime.
In the heart of the city they lie unknown and unnoticed ;
Daily the tides of life go ebbing and flowing beside
them ;
Thousands of throbbing hearts, where theirs are at rest,
and for ever ;
Thousands of aching brains, where theirs no longer are
busy ;
Thousands of toiling hands, where theirs have ceased
from their labours ;
Thousands of weary feet, where theirs have completed
their journey.
The churchyard of St. Nicholas was truly " the heart
of the city." In the good old days it was the common
rendezvous of the townsfolk. At its stiles the clergy dis-
tributed doles, merchants and tradespeople chaffered,
crones gossipped and slandered, and love-sick lads and
lasses made their assignations, and perhaps plighted their
troth. Round and round its green sward paced the
faithful, earning indulgences by praying for the dead
reposing below. Here dying citizens who could not hope
to obtain interment within the walls, expressed a desire
to lie — " nigh unto the throughe within the churchyard on
the south side " willed one ; "under the thorn tree in St.
Nicholas' churchyard " wrote another. Round about it
lived men who have helped to make Newcastle famous
in art and letters— Thomas Bewick, the engraver, Joseph
Barber, the bookseller, Nathaniel Baylee, the eloquent
swordbearer, besides printers innumerable ; while in one
of its corners stood for some years the great educational
institution of the town, the Free Grammar School
founded by Thomas Horsley. " Lightly tread, 'tis hal-
lowed ground."
ST. NICHOLAS' CHURCH. KHOM THE SOUTH, 1826.
Let us take our stand for a moment at the top of the
steps leading into the churchyard from Dean Street, the
place where once Nether Dean Bridge, spanning the Lort
Burn from Pilgrim Street, had its western ending. On
our left, in the recess, is Bewick's workshop, depicted
(with a portrait and biography of its eminent occupant)
in the Monthly Chronicle, vol. ii., page 15. In the op-
posite corner, to the right, was the Grammar School, and
within the railings, at the latter point, we may read the
epitaph on the table monument of Joseph Barber, re-
cently restored by the old bookseller's great grandson and
namesake — Joseph Barber Lightfoot, Lord Bishop of
Durham.
Proceeding onward to the left, we see an incongru-
ous building attached to the chancel of the church. This
structure contains the lower and upper vestries of St.
Nicholas' Cathedral (now called the chapter-rooms, we
believe), and the room which was so long the abode of
the Thomlinson Library, now incorporated with the Free
Library. The building itself was erected by Mr. Walter
Blackett (subsequently Sir Walter Blackett) in 1736, "for
the books of the Rev. Dr. Thomlinson and other bene-
factors." Mr. Blackett also endowed the establishment
with a rent-charge of £25 a year for a librarian, to which
£5 was afterwards added by Dr. Thomlinson to buy
books. The Rev. Nathaniel Clayton was the first libra-
rian under the terms of Dr. Thomlinson's bequest. He
" discharged the duties of the office with great punctu-
ality and affability, and the library was a place of great
resort for the literary gentlemen of the town." His suc-
cessor, the Rev. Richard Brewster, took office in 1750,
" when the library began to be neglected." In 1788 and
1789 the scandalous condition into which the institution
had lapsed was brought under the attention of the Arch-
deacon of Northumberland, one of the trustees, by Mr.
William Charnley, bookseller. Dr. Sharp, the official in
question, took no notice of the letter. Mr. Charnley then
wrote to the Bishop of Durham. These two letters being
published, the matter was taken up with spirit in the
columns of the Newcastle Advertiser, and the then libra-
rian (the Rev. John Ellison) was roundly charged with
" a total neglect of his duty for twenty years past (he had
been appointed in 1756, and in 1788 the under-curate of
St. Nicholas' became his deputy), and with not purchasing
any books during that time with the £5 he had annually
received for that special purpose." This public censure
had a little effect. The place was occasionally opened
from nine to twelve in the day ; but as the public knew
not when to go, what power to use when there, nor what
books were accessible, more grumbling ensued, and Bishop
Shute Barrington was solicited in 1801 to interfere. He
replied courteously that he had no power in the matter.
In 1803, the Rev. Joseph Wilkinson became librarian ;
"and, during his time, the library was, as usual, com-
pletely neglected." In 1815, Alderman Cookson drew the
attention of the Corporation to the state of affairs. The
September \
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
401
roof did not prevent the rain from falling on the books ;
of the windows, hardly one was in decent repair. Public
indignation was excited, and the library " was partially
opened, though every artifice was used to render the visits
that were made as disagreeable as possible." Of the
absurd rules, having undoubtedly this end in view, it may
suffice to quote only one. "It is requested that every
person who comes to study in this library come in a white
ahirt and white neckcloth ! " In or about the year 1819
or 1820 " many a basketful of old books had been sold for
waste paper." Again the press took up the
scandal, and the situation was criticised in the
Tyne Mercury and the Durham Advertiser.
Tim Tunbelly also scarified the trustees in the
Newcastle Magazine. Matters, however, re-
mained in much the same state till arrange-
ments were made in 1888 for the transfer to
the Public Library of Dr. Thomlinson's books
— or rather such of them as had not been lost,
stolen, or sorely mutilated.
There is naught to detain us further here ;
we continue onwards, and at once find our-
selves at Amen Corner — a suggestive name
which speaks for and explains itself. The
real Amen Corner, however, with Joseph
Barber's shop, and all the associations that
clustered around it, is gone, supplanted by
towering offices named St. Nicholas' Buildings.
But memories arise in this neighbourhood of some politi-
cal gatherings that ought not to be passed by altogether in
silence. For instance, in September, 1835, hustings were
erected in St. Nicholas' Square that Daniel O'Connell
might there be presented with an address, and deliver
a speech. The chair was occupied by Mr. John Fife ;
Mr. Charles Larkin presented the address. There was
more speech-making in the evening, after a public
dinner in the Music Hall, where the same chairman pre-
sided ; the vice chairs were occupied by Messrs. A. L.
Potter, E. Charnley, J. Rayne, H. Shield, A. Nichol,
and M. Dunn. Then, in 1838, on the first day of the
year, a great concourse of Chartists assembled in the
square, to the number of about two thousand, and walked
to the Parade Ground, where they were addressed by
Messrs. Thomas Doubleday, J. P. Cobett, Feargus
O'Connor, and the Rev. J. R. Stephens, the two latter,
according to the local historian, indulging in " remark-
ably inflammatory and threatening speeches." The meet-
ing was held "to demand the abolition of the Poor Law
Amendment Bill," and there was an "anti-poor law
dinner " in the evening in the Music Hall. In 1839, in
July, there was much excitement in many minds owing
to the arrest of Dr. Taylor at Birmingham, and Mr
George Julian Harney at Bedlington, on the charge of
sedition ; and on the 7th of that month a meeting to pro-
test against the arrests was held in this square. Others
were subsequently held, almost nightly, in the Forth ;
pikes, said to have been made at Winlaton, and sold for
eighteenpence apiece, were publicly exhibited in our
streets ; and a Sacred Month, to begin on the 17th
August, was proclaimed, during which no work was to be
done. On the 20th June, rioters from the Side attacked
the windows in the Dean Street and Mosley Street house?,
and those of the Union Bank in St. Nicholas' Square. It
was at the end of this same month that the celebrated
" Battle of the Forth " occurred ; but that came off fur-
ther a-field, though the square shared in the confusion, as
UNION BANK, ST. NICHOLAS1 SQUARE, DEMOLISHED 1843.
may be guessed from the fact that a dragoon, after gallop-
ing through the square towards the Arcade, actually rode
down the steps of the latter to reach the Manors ! In
1340, on January 20th, a meeting was held in the square
26
OLD HOUSE IN ST. NICHOLAS' SQUARE,
PULLED DOWN 1838.
402
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{September
1889.
to protest against the death-sentences passed on Frost,
Jones, and Williams, for high treason.
The Union Bank, which was attacked by the Chartists
in 1839, stood on the site of what is now Franklin's book-
shop. Richardson's "Table Book" gives a sketch of the
building when being demolished in August, 1843. To the
same invaluable repository of local information we are
indebted for another sketch— that of a picturesque old
house in St. Nicholas' Square, which was pulled down
in 1838.
To talk of St. Nicholas' Square without saying some-
thing of the grand old mother church would be an
anachronism indeed. But a special article on this subject,
printed elsewhere in the Monthly Chronicle, has been
prepared by Mr. J. R. Boyle.
Jftail Cuarft
$$2 th.e late Barnes <£ltph.an.
JlTOCKTOX-UPON-TEES was thrown into
an unwonted ferment of excitement on a
market day ia 1824. The story went abroad
on Saturday, the 31st of January, that the
York and Shields Mail Coach had been robbed, a few
hours after midnight, of several thousand pounds. As
the vehicle stood at the inn-door in the spacious High
Street, and the ostlers were changing the horses for a
northward stage, a banker's portmanteau was removed,
by an unseen hand, from under an inside seat, and borne
away in the darkness. Suspicion was on foot on the
instant that the loss was discovered, and ran in various
directions. One or two local arrests were made, followed
by quick discharge, the innocence of the prisoners being
made manifest ; and while rumour and conjecture were
still agog, the newspapers of the district, then few in
number, scantily told the tale. The Newcastle Chronicle
stated that on Saturday morning, Mr. John Dobson,
clerk to Messrs. Hutchinson and Place, Tees Bank, in
Stockton, took a seat in the Shields mail-coach, entrusted
with parcels containing bank-notes, bills, and checks to a
considerable amount, for the purpose of exchanging with
the different banks at Newcastle and Sunderland. He
deposited his parcels under the seat, in the inside of the
coach, and, during the time they were changing horses,
went into the inn on some trifling errand. On his arrival
at Sunderland he found the parcels had been stolen out
of the coach, which was supposed to have been done at
Stockton. He immediately returned to acquaint his
employers ; and every diligent search was made after the
robber, suspicion having fallen on a person who came by
the coach from York, and quitted it at Stockton.
This record appeared on Saturday, the 7th of February;
and on Tuesday, the 10th, the Tyne Mercury gave a
somewhat more extended statement, viz. : —
At an early hour on Saturday morning, the 31st ult., a
leather portmanteau was stolen from the York and
Shields Mail, containing bank-notes and cheques to the
value of £4,970 4s. 8d., besides bills to a considerable
amount, being the property of the two Stockton banks
[the Tees and Commercial). It is supposed the robbery
must have been effected about 3 o'clock in the morning,
while the coach was changing horses at Stockton. The
parcel was under the charge of Mr. John Dobson, clerk of
the Tees Bank, who was absent from the mail only a very
few moments after (as he supposed) the portmanteau had
been safely deposited. Suspicion has attached to a
person who came by the coach from York to Stockton,
and there left it. He has been traced as travelling post
in great haste to Leeds, and, it is conjectured, from
thence to Liverpool. Another person, it has been dis-
covered, was coming northward under suspicious circum-
stances the same morning, which has given rise to a belief
that they were acting in concert, and that the man
travelling by way of Leeds may have been intended to act
merely as a decoy, to engage a pursuit in that direction.
In due time there was official announcement of the
theft, with an offer of a reward of two hundred guineas
for the discovery of the offender or offenders. The
portmanteau was described as containing six paper
parcels and a pocket book, in which were Newcastle,
Shields, and Scotch notes, and cheques upon the New-
castle bankers to the amount of £4,970 4s. 8d., two
memorandum books, and numerous bills, all belonging to
the two Stockton banks.
The person supposed to have stolen the portmanteau
had walked directly to Catterick Bridge, and taken chaise
there in Leeming Lane, Boroughbridge, and from thence
to Wetherby, Leeds, and probably to Liverpool. He
arrived at Mr. Stott's, Boroughbridge, about one o'clock
on Saturday afternoon. Had on a brown topcoat, drab-
coloured or blue trousers, blue coat, white stockings,
dirty shoes, as if he had walked on the road. He was in
a great hurry to get forward, and asked the boy who
drove him if he could not go a nearer way to Leeds than
by Wetherby, and desired the boy to make all the haste
he could. He slept a great part of the way in the chaise.
He had a purple bag with him ; and the waiter, when he
put it into the chaise, felt two or three parcels in it
answering to the description in the advertisement.
Below this statement of the movements of the supposed
robber was a sort of postscript relating to someone
suspected to have been an accomplice, viz. : —
A man more particularly answering the description in
the above ad vertisevnent of the stolen portmanteau from
the mail at Stockton was seen also on the High Street,
near Scotch Corner, coming north, on the same day, and
nearly at the same hour, as the man [who] was seen
taking a chaise at Boroughbridge, and posting away, with
all the appearance of hurry, for Leeds. Advice has this
morning [February 5] reached Stockton that the man seen
near Scotch Corner has been traced to near Greta Bridge,
and has probably turned down to Barnard Castle. It is
feared that these two men are confederates, and that,
having met on the High Street line, one has gone north
with the property in the most private manner, and the
other south, posting it with fictitious alarm, and only
acting as a decoy to direct his pursuers wrong.
Suspicion was astray. It was altogether wrong when it
turned its eyes towards the north, and may also have
been as far mistaken when it fastened upon the pedestrian
with the blue bag who took a post-chaise at Borough-
bridge. It led to no detection of the actual offender. The
pursuit neither ran him down nor came near him. He
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
403
was quietly biding his time while the scent was at fault.
The " very few moments " of absence from the coveted
prize had been the convenient interval that gave it into
his hands, and he was off and away the instant it was
secured. Patiently he held his prey, reading the news-
paper narratives of his exploit, and smiling over the offer
of a reward that fell far short of his intentions. Masterly
was his inactivity till the affair had blown over and
taken its place among the nine days' wonders with which
earth is filled. It was a time when lottery-agents were
dazzling eager eyes with prizes of £20,000 to be won by
small investments ; and the hero of this dash in the dark
had drawn a large proportion of the glittering sum from
the wheel of fortune— the coach-wheel—where there were
no blanks. A man of mystery, who could he be ? Every-
body was asking the question for a season, and nobody
could answer it. Nor, to this day, has the veil ever been
removed. Mr. Richmond, who chronicles the occurrence
in his "Stockton Records," closes his brief note with the
words: — "After a considerable time had passed over,
and for certain considerations, the stolen property was
restored to the Commercial Bank ; but it was never
known by whom the robbery had been effected. "
The Commercial Bank of Stockton had been established
in 1815 ; the year in which a coach first began to run
between York and Shields, by way of Thirsk, Stockton,
Sunderland, and Newcastle. The Tees Bank was opened
in the year 1785 ; and Mr. Richmond has an entry of
December, 1812, that the poet Wordsworth composed the
earlier half of his poem, "The White Doe of Rylstone,',
whilst on a visit to his brother-in-law, Mr. John Hutchin-
son, the senior proprietor, at Stockton.
Gradually the midnight mystery of 1824- faded into a
dim tradition— a fireside tale of other days— a paragraph
of local history for the Richmond Records. But greater
fulness was given to the event when Mr. Fordyce brought
out his History of Durham, in 1857 ; and in 1865, Mr.
Henry Heavisides dedicated a page to it in his Annals of
Stockton-upon-Tees. The writer, having so far proceeded
in his purpose, pursues it to the end with Mr. Fordyce's
second volume by his side.
Bleak and stormy was the weather on the evening of
Friday, the 30th of January, when the mail-coach left
York. There was only one passenger— a young commer-
cial traveller, seated inside, and making his first journey.
Another came up at Easingwold, and took an outside
place. At Thirsk, the guard and coachman proposed to
him that he should get inside, and have shelter from the
rain. Profiting by their kindness, he changed his seat,
but wrapped himself in his dreadnought — turned his back
— and declined all conversation with his companion in the
coach. At Stockton he alighted, and was no more seen.
His journey was at an end. Another fellow-passenger,
however, for the commercial traveller turned up. This
was Mr. John Dobson, clerk in the Tees Bank, who on
Saturday morning was going to Sunderland and New-
castle with bank-notes, cheques, and bills, to the amount
of some thousands of pounds, intending to call for busi-
ness on the bankers of those towns. While the ostlers
were changing the horses, coachman, guard, and passen-
gers were exchanging courtesies in the inn. Mr. Dobson,
carefully guarding his charge, went to the coach, opened
the door, and placed it under his seat. The door was
then closed, and all was apparently safe. Seats were sub-
sequently taken ; the horn blew; "all right" was the cry ;
and at a touch of the whip the fresh horses bounded on
their way. "All right," thought Mr. Dobson, but he
was wrong. The portmanteau was gone. The silent
man in the dreadnought, opening one door when the
other had been closed, removed the deposit ; and it and
he were off in a moment. The first mistake of the night
had been committed. At every turn of the wheels the
town and the portmanteau were left farther and farther
behind. Norton and Billingham were passed; through
Wolviston went the coach ; and at the Red Lion, where
the horses were again changed, an old woman got a " lift"
for Castle Eden. There she alighted, and the two insides
were again left in exclusive possession of the conveyance.
They kept it till they came to Sunderland, where the
traveller took up his quarters with his luggage at tho
principal inn, and Mr. Dobson remained sole passenger,
still unaware of his loss. But, nearing the end of his
journey, he at length looked under his seat, and found
only a place where the portmanteau was not. No search
could restore the treasure. Coachman and guard were
brought into conference without avail; and the disquieted
clerk drove home by a chaise and four to tell the tale of
his loss. The circumstances were all recalled and weighed.
Persons on the spot might have had a finger in the theft ;
the man in the dreadnought and the young traveller
might be accomplices ; even the old woman did not
escape suspicion. The Easingwold passenger was identi-
fied with the pedestrian who walked into Catterick
Bridge and posted on to Leeds, where all trace of him
was lost. Meanwhile the passenger from York, finding
Saturday to be market-day in Sunderland, drove on to
Newcastle. There, also, it was market-day ; no business
was to be done ; so off he went to Hexhaiu. At night he
was at the house of a friend at North Shields, with whom
he sojourned over Sunday. On Monday he returned to
Sunderland, his Shields friend driving him over in his
own carriage. From Sunderiand he came back to New-
castle, where he put up at the Turk's Head. Openly
riding to and fro in the district — going and returning on
his road — was hardly the course of a man anxious to
elude justice ; but doubts haunted him nevertheless ; the
police were on his track ; in his most innocent movements
suspicion found its food ; and to his great astonishment,
at his inn in Newcastle, he was put under arrest ! The
matter came before the magistrates ; inquiries were made
in all quarters ; the high character of the prisoner was
clearly established ; and he was discharged without a
404
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I September
stain, but not without a pang. His heart was sorely
wounded that such a humiliation and indignity should
have befallen him. Circumstances had been wrongly
interpreted, and he suffered wrong from mistaken con-
clusions. The real culprit had eluded detection, the
officers of justice were at fault; inquiry and pursuit
were baffled by the clever criminal, whose whereabouts
was wrapped and concealed as in a dreadnought — a coat
of darkness.
The bankers, as we have seen, had promptly advertised
a reward. Payment of the bills was stopped. The official
announcement was made in all parts, but with no response.
It left the offender undiscovered. When hope, however,
was gone, he himself took the initiative. Like Macbeth,
he would not only be ''thus," but " securely thus "; he
was anxious to make a bargain for a proportion of the
plunder, which would leave him in peaceful possession of
the remainder ; and opening a correspondence with the
lawful proprietors of his booty, he said he had seen their
advertisement, and was in possession of monej-s in some
respects answering the description of the property adver-
tised, but the amount was considerably larger. Perhaps
there was some error. If so, and what he had in his
possession belonged to the advertisers, he was prepared
to treat. His terms were £2,000, and £700 in considera-
tion of expenses incurred in three or four unsuccessful
experiments for securing the prize. The bankers played .
awhile with the negotiator, but he was not to be out-
witted. He would not move a foot till he had received a
bond for the due and safe fulfilment of the bargain, and
then he would be on honour with his correspondents.
The final arrangements being made, a gentlemanly-look-
ing stranger appeared on the scene, and had a private
interview with a principal. The plunder was handed
over, the consideration given. Bows were exchanged,
and the interview was over. In the chaise-and-four that
stood at the door of the bank, the dark adventurer rolled
away from the High Street on which he had so dexter-
ously withdrawn Dobson's package ; and by an early
post the bankers received a case of ckoice wine, with a
cool note from their visitor, politely acknowledging their
performance of contract, and expressing, moreover, the
satisfaction which it would give to himself and his friends
to have further dealings with gentlemen so honourable !
Mr. Fordyce, whose narrative we have abridged, de-
scribes the composed stranger as quitting the bank with-
out uttering a syllable. It has been said, however, that
when the exchange had been made, he was asked if he
would have any objection to say how the robbery had
been effected ? Objection ! he exclaimed ; none at all.
On the contrary, he was glad to have an opportunity of
making known the simple ingenuity of the transaction.
The clerk placed the portmanteau in the coach, and closed
the door upon it on the one side : he — the stranger —
opened the door on the other, and took it out. That was
all. Such was the explanation of this pink of courtesy.
Dobson and the portmanteau were never in the coach
together. When he went one way, the money went
another ; and the commercial traveller was not only in-
nocent of the removal — he never had a chance of touch-
ing it. A lesson to all of us on the peril of jumping to
conclusions.
There is conflict of statement as to one of the circum-
stances of the robbery. Mr. Fordyce is silent as to the
posting-house where the mail changed horses in Stockton.
The bankers' "box," says Mr. Heavisides, "containing
£8,000," was stolen from the coach "while a change of
horses was taking place as it stood in front of the Vane-
Arms Hotel," the old Red Lion Inn, whose sign had
been changed on the 8th of November, 1821. (Richmond's
"Local Records.") Mr. Richmond states the robbery to
have been effected " whilst changing horses at the Black
Lion Inn, " and we have always understood that this was
the house. The matter is not of great moment, but the
discrepancy shows the difficulties of history. Another
difference may -have a note, and then we have done. The
sum given by Mr. Heavisides is £8,000. "Upwards of
£20,000 in bills and notes, " says Mr. Fordyce. Any way,
it was no "unconsidered trifle," but a magnificent temp-
tation for a wholesale expert.
HE chiff-chaff (Sylvia rufa), one of the
earliest of our summer arrivals, has as
many aliases as a member of the Long
Firm. It is known as the least willow
wren, the chiff-chaff, the hay bird, the arbour bird, &c.
Its most common name of chiff-chaff is derived from its
ordinary note, often followed by "chivy-chavy,"so aptly
described in the following verses : —
" Chiff-chaff ! Chivy-chavy ! "
What a funny little bird ;
Was there ever such a warbler
In the woodland heard ?
" Chiff-chaff ! Chivy-chavy ! "
On the ear it comes again.
Faint and low, yet soft and pleasant,
Is the gentle strain.
The bird is tolerably plentiful in 'Durham and
Northumberland in summer. " A pretty common
spring-and-autumn mierant," says Mr. John Hancock,
"frequenting wooded districts where the trees are
lofty, from the tops of which it keeps continually
uttering the two peculiar well-known notes from which
it takes its name. When it leaves in September, the
young and the adult are indistinguishable, the former
being then as fully coloured as their parents." It will
be found occasionally in most of the cemeteries around
Newcastle, in Jesmond Dene, and on the wooded banks
of the Tyne from Scotswood to Hexham— or, indeed,
wherever there are woodlands.
September!
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
405
Though found in woods and thickets, the chiff-chaff
seems fondest of well-wooded hedge-rows, and may
often be found frequenting shrubberies and gardens,
where it nests if not molested. It is a lively little bird,
and when the trees are in leaf it is often more frequently
heard than seen, as it searches among the leaves and
boughs for its favourite insect food, which consists mainly
of small caterpillars, aphides, moths, and flies, the latter
being often caught on the wing.
Morris gives the length of the bird as four and a half
inches ; weight, nearly three drachms. From the beak,
above, to the root of the tail, the prevailing colour is
greyish green. The beak, short and slender, is yellowish.
Over the eye, running down to the shoulder, is a greenish
yellow streak, while an oval band of black crosses the eye
and runs up to the root of the bill. The colours of the
feathers inside this ring are slightly darker than the
yellowish streak above the eye. The whole of the under
part of the body is white, washed with yellowish brown.
The wings and tail are dark brown, the quill feathers
being a shade darker ; the claws rather lighter. In size
and plumage the female can scarcely be distinguished
from her mate.
The chiff-chaff generally breeds on or near the ground,
and is what is termed an oven-builder, the nest being
built over, with an oblong hole in the side, very similar in
shape to the nest of the dipper. The eggs are usually
seven in number, sometimes five. They are about the
same size as those of the common wren. The ground
colour of the eggs is white, dotted all over with minute
purplish-brown spots, densest at the thicker ends. The
eggs vary much in the marking, and are sometimes nearly
pure white.
FAMILIAR figure in the streets of New-
castle, along which he used feel his way with
a stick or pole as tall as himself, the late
Laurence Goodchild was a remarkable instance of what
a brave and determined struggle with great misfortune
can accomplish. Mr. Goodchild was blind, and had been
so from early manhood ; yet he was a man of great and
varied attainments, a fine classical scholar, a mathema-
tician, and thoroughly well informed in history and
general literature.
Laurence Goodchild was born at Pallion, Sunderland,
on the 1st December, 1813, the estate at Pallion having
been in his family from the reign of Elizabeth. His
father was a banker, who failed not long after the birth of
Laurence, and the estate was sold. In fact, Mr. Good-
child surrendered everything to his creditors, and had the
satisfaction of knowing that, though a ruined man, no
one lost a penny by his failure. After this, the family
tyH£*T** ^ 'V~
Laurence Goodchild.
removed to Perthshire, where they resided seven years.
The death of the elder Goodchild compelled the widow
and children to return to Sunderland, and Laurence
attended the school of Dr. Wood, at Monkvvearmouth,
and here was laid the foundation of his great classical
learning. While still a youth he studied hard, and doubt-
less this hastened his blindness, which overtook him when
he was about twenty years old. It may have been, as his
friend Mr. Mitchison suggests, the consciousness of his
impending calamity that urged him to even greater dili-
gence. At all events he met his misfortune bravely when
it did overtake him, and at once sought for some suitable
occupation. This he found in the school of Mr. Weyms, at
Durham, where he was engaged as classical teacher. About
this time he published his first work: "Hoel, a Cambrian
406
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
\
September
Tale," which is founded on the brave resistance offered by
the hardy Welshmen to the warriors of Edward I. Mr.
Goodchild undertook the sale of his work himself,
traversing with it, mostly on foot, nearly every county in
England. Mr. Goodchild was also the author of some
other stories, notably "Warkworth," "The Rebel's
Wooing," and "Lamiae."
The late William Mitchinson published in a local
magazine, about seven years ago, some interesting re-
miniscences of Mr. Goodchild, and we have drawn upon
this for a few anecdotes concerning him. His pedestrian
jierformances, when in his prime, were equalled by very few
persons indeed. He walked at least four times between
Xewcastle and Edinburgh, and no less than seventy times
ln'tween Xewcastle and Alnwick ; while the roads
between Newcastle, Durham, Darlington, Hartlepool,
Stockton, &c., were as familiar to him as Grey Street.
He has been known to walk 330 miles within a week ; but
his greatest performance in a single day was from
Newcastle to Carlisle.
Mr. Mitchison also gives some illustrations of Good-
child's amazing memory. So ready and retentive was
tins that, if a Latin word was named, in two or three
minutes he could repeat the line from Horace, Virgil, or
Ovid in which it occurred. He knew by heart all the
Odes of Horace, mure than eight books of the " ^nied,"
the "Lady of the Lake," "Mannion," "Ma/.eppa," "The
Siege of Corinth," " The Corsair," "The Giaour," &c.
A pupil of Goodchild's, a well-known Newcastle gentle-
man, tells us it was a common thing for the blind man to
go to a bookcase and take down a volume, then hand it
to his pupil, saying, "Horace, isn't it?" On being told
that it was, he would add : " Then turn to — page, and
read from — line." And woe to the careless pupil who
made a slip or a false quantity ! The same gentleman
told the writer that Goodchild was very fond of children,
a liking which most of them reciprocated. He used to
delight little folks with his numerous capital stories and
impromptu rhymes.
The late Lord Ravensworth held Mr. Goodchild in
great esteem, and had a high opinion of his classical
attainments. It was a red-letter day in the blind
scholar's calendar when his lordship invited him to spend
the day with him at Ravensworth Castle.
Mr. Goodchild was a successful teacher, and was
accustomed to boast that no man whom he had prepared
for examination was ever rejected. For thirty years he
resided in Newcastle, and his tall form, enormous stick,
and cheerful face were as familiar aa the Grey Monument
to most citizens. He had many friends, and but few
enemies, as, where he took a liking, "his feelings were
strong, warm, and lasting." He was a Tory of the old
school, "stern and unbending." and although he did not
spare an opponent, and used very strong language at
times in his political arguments, few that knew him were
apt to take offence.
The blind scholar died, after a very short illness, on
the 21st of March, 1881, in his 68th year, sincerely
regretted by his many friends, to one of whom, Mr.
William Lyall, we are indebted for the loan of the
photograph from which our sketch is taken.
W. W. W.
I EAR-BAITING was formerly one of the
established amusements in England, not
only among the common people, but among
nobles, and even royalty itself. The chief nobles used to
keep their bear-wards, whose business it was to feed,
train, and carry about these animals for the delectation
of their masters and their friends and dependents.
The fifth Earl of Northumberland, who died in 1527,
had an officer of this sort, whose annual reward from
his lord was twenty shillings, as the " Northumberland
Household Book" informs us, when he came "to my
Lorde in Cristmas, with his lordshippe's beests for mak-
ynge his lordschip pastyme." The sports on these
occasions lasted twelve days, and were witnessed by
thousands of spectators of all ranks. Little further is
known of the pastime in the Northern Counties. There
must, however, have been a bear-baiting at Newcastle,
in 1562, as we learn from Mr. Welford's "History of
Xewcastle and Gateshead," that among the payments
out of the municipal treasury in that year was a reward
to my Lord Monteagle's bearward of six shillings and
eightpence.
Castle (Sartft,
jjEWCASTLE was created an independent
county by charter of Henry IV., in the
year 1400. But the Castle and its precincts
were not affected by the grant, and there-
fore remained part of the county of Northumberland.
The consequence of this was that the Mayor and Sheriff
of Newcastle and their officers had no jurisdiction within
the Castle walls. An evil-doer, after committing an
offence in the town, had only to fly to the Castle to be
safe from immediate arrest. When the Castle ceased to be
garrisoned, and fell into partial ruin, the three and a half
acres which its outer walls included became a veritable
sanctuary for sinners. This state of things was brought
to an end by the charter granted to Newcastle in 1589 by
Queen Elizabeth. Therein the Castle is described as
"old and ruinous," and it is stated that "many most
wicked persons," by fleeing thither, "do often evade
merited punishments." For this reason the Mayor and
other officers of the town were empowered, " at all times,
to enter the enclosure of the Castle, and every house and
September I
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
407
mansion within the ambit, circuit, and precinct thereof,"
except the Keep itself, then used as the County Gaol,
and to arrest and punish such malefactors as they might
find there.
But the Castle and its precincta were still part of the
county of Northumberland. In 1619, one Alexander
Stevenson, "a Scotchman, who came in with Kins
James, " obtained from the king a lease of the Castle and
its liberties, except the Keep and the Moot Hall, at a
yearly rent of forty shillings. At this time two houses
outside the Black Gate, and two others iu the Castle
Garth, in one of which the county gaoler lived, whilst
the other was the residence of one William Robinson,
who was "deputy herald under Norroy, King ac Arms,"
were the only inhabited dwellings within the Castle
liberties. After this period, however, the open spaces
within the walls were rapidly built upon, justifying
the comparison of the Castle Garth, by a French writer
of the seventeenth century, to a little city. Amongst the
early occupants of the Garth were — John Pickle, who
completed the superstructure of the Black Gate, com-
menced by Stevenson, the lessee, "and kept a tavern
in it"; one Jordan, " a Scotchman and sword kipper,"
who "built a house on the south side of the Gate, and
lived in it"; and one Thomas Reed, "aScotch pedlar,"
who "took a shop on the north side of the Gate."
The rapid and eager occupation of the Castle Garth is
easily explained. In former times the members of the
several incorporated companies of Newcastle had the
exclusive right of pursuing their various trades in the
town. No one, for instance, was allowed to make or sell
shoes unless he was a member of the Cordwainers' Com-
pany, or had compounded with that company for the
privilege. No one could bake and sell bread, or brew and
sell beer, unless he was a member of, or had compounded
with, the Bakers' and Brewers' Company. In the Castle
Garth, however, any one could freely carry on any trade
he pleased. This was gall and bitterness to both the
trade companies and the Corporation. The latter body,
in 1650, succeeded in buying the remainder of Stevenson's
lease, which had then nineteen years to run, and during
this period the Castle Garth tradesmen had anything but
prosperous and peaceful times. As the term drew
towards its end, the Corporation petitioned for the re-
newal of the lease, but were opposed by the county.
Meantime, a new lease was granted to Lord Gerrard,
afterwards Earl of Macclesneld, for the term of three
lives. In 1685, however, the Corporation secured from
James II. a reversion of the lease for thirty-one years,
and also a warrant that the Castle Garth should be part
of the county of Newcastle. On the strength of this
warrant the Corporation vexed Lord Gerrard and his
tenants with frivolous suits, broke open the houses in the
Garth by virtue of the bye-laws of the incorporated com-
panies, seized the occupants' goods, and indicted them
for following their trades. One is glad to learn that a
few years later the warrant of King James was declared
to be illegal, and, consequently, was set aside.
The third life of the Gerrard lease, however, terminated
in 1701, and the Corporation entered under their rever-
sionary lease. Then came another period of harassment
for the traders in the Garth. They were fined for carrying
on a trade, and fined again for every journeyman they
employed. In the orders of the Common Council, under
date 7th of May, 1705, we have an example of the way in
which the Corporation supported the unjust and illegal
claims of the companies.
No tailor working in the Castle Garth shall exercise his
trade anywhere within the town out of the Castle Garth,
except in mending old clothes.
All master tailors exercising their trade in the Castle
Garth to pay the Free Tailors' Company two shillings per
annum, and to pay it quarterly, and to pay four pence per
annum for every journeyman, the said four pence to be
paid once a year.
To carry out these regulations persons were employed to
"search" the Castle Garth from time to time, to ascer-
tain how many tailors were trading there, and what
journeymen they employed. We meet with such items as
the following for many years in succession in the account
books of the Tailors' Company :—
1716. — Castle Garth searches...
1722.— Castle Garth searches...
... £180
. + 52
The Corporation lease, however, terminated in 1732,
and then came another period of freedom for the traders ;
and before their persecutors could again assert their
authority in the Castle Garth the power of the incor-
porated companies had begun to decline. But for many
years afterwards its inhabitants constituted a community
amongst themselves. Tailors and shoemakers seem to
have been the principal occupants of the Garth. Mac-
kenzie mentions their skill "in translating old articles
into new ones, or nee rersa, as it may suit the taste of
their customers." The same writer tells us that the "old,
barbarous, and mischievous policy " of the Corporation
and the trade companies towards "the suffering inhabi-
tants of the Castle Garth," generated amongst the latter a
"kind and friendly feeling," which, even in his day, was
not extinct. "Every stranger," he tells us, "immediately
after opening a shop, is invited to a general meeting of
all the dealers and chapmen within the precincts and
liberties of the Castle, at a public-house. Each indivi-
dual pays sixpence, and the evening is spent in pro-
moting good fellowship."
The crowded dwellings of the Castle Garth have almost
all disappeared. When the present Moot Hall was built,
many of the houses surrounding the Keep were taken
down, and even a larger number were removed to make
way for the approach to the High Level Bridge. Now
all that remains to show the old-time aspect of the Garth
is the short street leading within the Black Gate towards
the Moot Hall, shown in our engraving. This, indeed, is
all that is now generally known as the Castle Garth. It
ia hastening, also, towards its end. The hand of time
408
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I September
t 1839.
and decay rests heavily on it, and before very long even
this remnant of Old Newcastle will be gone.
J. R. BOYLE, F.S.A.
H HE Roman Station of Pons .dElii and the
Saxon town of Monkchester had both
gone down before the arrival in this
country of William the Conqueror. When
that monarch reached the banks of the Tyne, he found
the Roman bridge in ruins and impassable, and provisions
for his army could not be found nearer than Tynemouth.
The New Castle upon Tyne— fortress and town — was
founded by his son, Robert Curthose. This was in
the year 1080. There is every evidence that the growth
of the new town was rapid, and its early prosperity great.
The church of St. Nicholas, the earliest ecclesiastical
establishment within the walls of Newcastle, is said to
have been founded by St. Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury,
in 1091. Although no very satisfactory proof of this state-
ment is attainable, it is certain that the town would,
soon after its establishment, require a church, and as we
know that St. John's, the second church in Newcastle,
was built whilst the twelfth century was still young,
there is every reason to believe that the date ascribed
to St. Nicholas' is approximately correct.
No part of the church built in those early times
THE CASTLE GARTH, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, 1889.
September i NORTH-COUNTR Y LORE AND LEGEND.
188!'. I
409
ST. NICHOLAS' CATHEDRAL, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, 1889-
410
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
n
exists now. It probably soon became too small for
the needs of the inhabitants. The builders were again
at work about the year 1250. In the churchyard are
three or four stones, moulded in a way which indicates
that they have formed part of some structure erected
about this time. They had afterwards been used up as
old building material, and were taken out of the walls
during the restorations of a few years ago. Then we are
told that in 1216 the church was consumed by fire.
Certainly about that period some rebuilding was carried
out. If the reader will go into the nave of the church,
and will examine the easternmost pillar on the north
side, he will find that an older pillar is encased in the
present one. This older pillar is clearly part of a nave,
with aisles, built in the early part of the thirteenth
century. The walla above the present arches of the nave
and below the clerestory windows were built at the same
time. The arches themselves are much later, but they
have been inserted in the older walls.
The nave and transepts were rebuilt in 1359. As I
have just mentioned, the older nave walls were partly
preserved, the new arches being pierced through them ;
and this accounts for what is one of the most remarkable
features in this church, viz., the great width of the aisles
as compared with that of the nave. Ten years later the
chancel was in course of re-erection. The old chancel
had been taken down, and the new one commenced,
without the permission of the Bishop and Prior of
Carlisle, who were rectors of the church. They sent a
proctor to Newcastle on their behalf. He, on his
arrival, found a priest, named Roger de Merley, sitting
near the new choir, and " hammering and working on a
new stone." The proctor commanded the workmen to
desist, and threw pebbles at the new work, and at what
remained of the old, in evidence of his authority.
Another hundred years passed by, and Newcastle
numbered amongst its people one Robert de Rodes, a
lawyer, a man of wealth, and one who stood high in the
esteem of the Bishop and Prior of Durham. To him we
are indebted for the glorious steeple of this church.
Aloft in the vault of the tower we have his coat of arms,
and the legend —
" ©rate pro anitna Jloberti be Jlobesf."
(Pray for the soul of Robert de Rodes.)
Except to a few conventional architects, this wonderful
steeple is an object of universal admiration. There is
nothing quite like it anywhere in the world. Scotland
has two or three towers crowned in a slightly similar,
but much inferior way, and the steeple of St. Dunstan's-
in-the-East, London, built by Sir Christopher Wren, has
a very poor imitation of this lantern at Newcastle.*
* Church bells were of service in times of old to guide
the belated wayfarer to his home in the night. In Mr.
North's "Church Bells of Leicestershire," published in
1876, there is mention of grateful bequests to parish
churches by testators who had been befriended by the
belfry when their road was lost in hours of darkness.
COVER OF FONT.
When we enter the church by its west door, the nrst
object to strike our attention is the font, which is
plain and rude in design, but is surmounted by a truly
magnificent cover. The basin bears the arms of Rodes,
aa well as those of an old Dur-
ham county family, the Bain-
briggs. Robert Rodes, who
died in 1474, had no children.
A niece, Alice Rodes, was his
heiress. She afterwards married
one Richard Bainbrigg, said to
have been a member of a family
of that name settled at Snotter-
ton, in the parish of Staindrop.
In right of his wife he acquired
the estate of Wheatley Hill, in
the parish of Kelloe, and his
descendants remained there for
several generations. I believe
this font was erected by the
niece of Robert de Rodes and
her husband, as a memorial of
the man to whom Newcastle
owes its most splendid architec-
tural achievement.
Turning into the south aisle, we find at its west end a
remarkable slab, fixed to the wall, which has borne a now
almost obliterated representation of the Crucifixion of the
Saviour. On the upper part of it is a fragment of an
inscription, which, with great difficulty, may be read
as follows : —
©ur labg P"*1 W bott to **8>
£lt tl)e lauatorg eug bag ;
meaning that the priest of a chantry dedicated to the
Virgin was required every day to say solemn dirge and
mass at the altar for the soul of George Carr, and for his
wife's and children's souls. The lavatory means the
water drain near the altar, usually called the piscina.
Before we leave this part of the edifice we must notice
the recesses in the wall of the south aisle, which,
doubtless, were intended for the tombs of benefactors to
the church.
The chapal in the same aisle was formerly the chantry
of St. Margaret, founded in 1394 by Stephen Whitgray,
who, more than once, had represented Newcastle in
Parliament. It is now known as the Bewick Porch, for
here, from 1636 to 1859, the Bewicks, of Close House
The church of St. Nicholas was not only of service in this
way, but also as an inland lighthouse. Pennant speaks
of the pathless moors of this neighbourhood in the past
century ; and many a traveller who traversed them hail
reason to thank the lantern of St. Nicholas in the nights
of old. In the second weeK of November, 1567, an item
of 3s. occurs in the books of the Town Chamberlain,
" paid for 4 Ibs. of waxe maid in candell for the lanterne
of Sancce Nycholas churche, and for the workynge." So,
too, in December next, Is. 6d. went for " waxe wrought
in candell for the lanterne." — J. C.
September 1
1689. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
411
near Heddon-on-the-Wall, were buried, and here are the
monuments of some of them. But into this chapel are
gathered the earliest memorials of the departed now
PEW STANDARDS, ST. NICHOLAS1 CHURCH, TEMP. CHAKLES I.
existing in the church. Besides several fragments, there
are three mediaeval grave stones of the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries, and of beautiful designs ; but, as
was usual in those days, without any inscriptions. Here,
too, is the recumbent effigy of a knight, clad in chain
mail, cross-legged, and with his feet resting on a lion.
There is every reason to believe that this is the effigy of
Peter le Mareshal, who was sword-bearer to Kdward I.,
and who was buried in this church on the 18th
September, 1322. Edward II., who was then at
Newcastle, paid for a cloth of gold to cover Mareshal's
body on the day of his interment.
We proceed towards the east end of the church, and
turn into the south transept. Here, on our right, we
have the quaint and singular monument of the
Maddisons, adorned with many effigies, representinsr
and recording three generations of the same family.
On the opposite side of the transept are two windows,
architecturally the best in the church.
We now enter the south aisle of the chancel, and
immediately beyond the vestry door we have the
monument of thn Halls, a less pretentious, but very
similar one to that of the Maddisons. The Halls and the
Maddisons were related by intermarriages, and were
amongst the wealthy merchants of Newcastle during the
first half of the seventeenth century.
Before we proceed further, we may glance at the new
features which have been recently introduced into the
church— the reredos, the stalls, the screens, and the
bishop's throne. These all embody much excellent de-
sign, almost faultlessly executed ; but they are none the
less sadly out of character with the edifice into which
they are introduced, and display an entire absence of
that modest sense of fitness which almost invariably char-
acterized the work of the architects of the middle ages.
If, now, we pass behind the reredos, we see a large
painting by Tintoretto of "Christ washing His Disciples'
Feet." Then, proceeding along the north aisle of the
chancel, we enter the north transept, where we find an
interesting monument of Thomas Surtees, the last repre-
sentative of a family which owned the manor of Gosforth
from the time of Henry II. Here we may descend into the
crypt, formerly one of the chantry chapels, afterwards a
receptacle of human bones, and now occupied by organ-
blowing machinery.
Many stirring events have been witnessed in this
church. Courts of justice were held here in the reign of
Edward I. In 1313, penance was performed by one
Nicholas le Porter at the doors of this church, he stand-
ing unshod, bareheaded, and clothed only in a linen
gown, for having dragged certain persons from sanctuary
in the church of the White Friars. Here, too, in 1417,
Matilda Burgh and Margaret Ui-htr did penance for
having approached the shrine of St. Cuthbcrt at Durham
dressed in men's clothes. Treaties of peace between the
commissioners of England and Scotland were solemnly
signed and sealed here in 1451 and 1459. Here, in 1550,
John Knox, the great Scottish reformer, preached before
those who sat in judgment on his heresies, he undertaking
to prove that the sacrifice of the mass was idolatrous.
Bishop Toby Matthew preached here before James I.
Here the famed Alexander Henderson preached to
General Lesley and the leaders of the Scottish army the
day after the battle of Newburn. And when, during the
siege of Newcastle in 1644, the same Lesley threatened to
lire his cannons at the steeple unless the town would
capitulate, Sir John Marley sent all the Scotch prisoners
into the belfry, and told the besiegers they might fire
away if they desired their countrymen's destruction.
Charles I., during his imprisonment in the town, attended
service here, and was insulted by the Scotch preacher's
choice of a hymn, but the people sympathised with the
King, and sung another for which he called. t After the
t The remarkable incident of 1646 is thus related in
Sir William Dugdale's "Short View of the Late Troubles-
in England" (1681): — "A rigid Presbyterian preacher,
besides many rude and uncivil expressions in his sermon
before the King, called for the 52nd Psalm to be sung by
the congregation, which beginneth thus : —
Why dost them, tyrant, boast abroad,
Thy wicked works to praise ?
Whereupon his Majesty instantly stood up, and called
for the 56th Psalm, beginning thus : —
Have mercy, Lord, on me, I pray,
For man would me devour. "
411
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
t September
\ 188».
battle of Dunbar, the Scotch prisoners were lodged for a
fsinele night in this church.
No account of this famous church can be considered
complete without some reference to Ben Jonson's eniema.
The poet had come this way in 1618, on the occasion of
his Scottish tour. Gray quotes in his " Chorographia "
the following lines as having been written by Jonson con-
cerning the steeple of St. Nicholas' : -
My altitude high, my body foure square ;
My foot in the grave, my head in the ayre ;
My eyes in my sides, five tongues in my wombe :
Thirteen heads upon my body, foure images alone.
I can direct you where the wmde doth stay ;
And I time God's precepts thrice a day.
I am seen where I am not, I am heard where I is not.
Tell me now what I am, and see that you misse not.
"If Jonson wrote the riddle," says Mr. Clephan,
"some other pen than his own must subsequently have
made the lines to halt. They are of the 'peculiar mea-
sure ' of the obliging rhymer who is sairl to have gone all
lengths to •please his friends; they present sundry open-
ings for conjectural revision ; and we may venture to
suggest that at the close of the last Hue save one, the
words were originally written, not ' I is not,' but ' I wis
not.' " J. R. BOYLE, F.S.A.
8£f. Cavmirftrtd, artist.
COLLECTION of engravings from the local
works of this eminent artist was edited by
Mr. Richard Welford and published by
Messrs. M. and M. W. Lambert in 1878.
It is to Mr. Welford's book that we are mainly indebted
for the facts embodied in the present sketch.
John Wilson Cannichael was born on January 9th,
1800. His parents lived in the neighbourhood of Tyne
Street, Newcastle, and in his childhood Cannichael played
amongst the very scenes of which his pencil has left us
many a truthful record. Now-a-days, the East End of
Newcastle is thickly populated, prosaic, grimy. The
houses cluster unpleasantly together; they are conven-
tional ; they have neither beauty of form nor beauty of
colour. When the century was young, it was vastly
otherwise. Rows of brick-built houses, with brown tiles
and quaintly curved gables, stretched westward from the
Ouseburn ; there was no High Level Bridge ; most of
the buildings on the Quay were still picturesquely
Elizabethan. The character of the neighbourhood in
which he was born impressed the mind of young Car-
michael deeply. When he had acquired facility in the
use of his brush, he painted it affectionately and often.
He returned to it again at the period of his greatest
maturity and power, and made the finest of his water-
colour drawings out of the view from the Ropery Banks.
Humble as were the circumstances in which he was
born, Cannichael was exceptionally fortunate in his early
years. He was apprenticed to Richard Farrington and
Brothers as a ship-carpenter ; and as he exhibited creat
fondness for drawing, his employers, who were men of
generous minds and liberal education, afforded him
what facilities were in their power to perfect his know-
ledge of art. Working as an ordinary carpenter for
the most part, he was occasionally given a seat in the
draughtsman's office, and he found out in many ways
that his employers were taking a kindly interest in his
career. He was careful, nevertheless, to make himself a
good workman. On one occasion his devotion to his
work and happy carelessness of consequences nearly cost
him his life, for he fell into the river, and was fished out
as much dead as alive. How hard Carmichael must have
laboured at his art whilst he was still employed in the
shipyard, is conclusively proved by the position to which
he had attained before he was yet " out of his time," He
was already known as a painter of great promise, and had,
we believe, become the friend and almost the pupil of
Richardson. His knowledge of ships, his close acquaint-
ance with the river, led him to strike out a new line
amongst local painters. Then, as now, owners and cap-
tains were glad to have portraits of their ships. These
works, which were well paid for as a rule, were in general
very inadequately painted. Carmichael invented a new
style. He made the portrait of his ship as correct as
even the most exigent captain could require, but he made
it a picture as well. Many of his earlier marine paintings
are works of this nature. They are almost invariably
marked by great beauty of effect, and by a clear lumin-
osity of colour, which afterwards became one of the most
distinct characteristics of the artist's genius.
Carmichael owed his first really effective start in life
to one of the brothers Farrington. This gentleman.
September 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
4:13-
Joseph Farrington, presented him with the first box of
water colours he ever possessed, and procured for him
commissions from the Trinity House and the Corporation
of Newcastle, which, in a small wny, were then distin-
guished for their patronage of local art. In 1823, we
find him settled in a studio in the New Road, overlooking
the scene of his apprenticeship. A year earlier T. M.
Richardson had established the "Northumberland In-
stitution for the Promotion of the Fine Arts." The
exhibitions were held at Richardson's own house in
Brunswick Place, and, in spite of evil fortune, they were
continued for a series of years. Carmichael was a regular
contributor. His interest in the exhibition was, indeed,
scarcely less warm than that of Richardson himself. A
large number of his catalogues are still in existence, and
their margins contain slight pencil drawings of the prin-
cipal marine pictures, the shorthand notes of an artist
who was studying closely the manner and the excellencies
of the masters who were most appreciably influencing his
style.
About a year after establishing himself in his studio,
Carmichael, in 1824, was married to Mary Sweet, a gentle-
mannered, pretty woman, the daughter of parents be-
longing to his own grade of life. The story is told that.
as the wedding party was leaving the church, some friend
of the artist arrived breathless with a piece of charred
timber, a remnant of his studio, which had that morning
been burned down. Gay and careless in spirits, Car-
michael would not allow this serious misfortune to inter-
fere with the joy of his wedding day. " Well," he said,
laughing, "we can begin all over again." And he did
begin all over again in right earnest. What he felt most
was the destruction of a picture which had been lent to
him to copy by the late Nicholas Wood, in recognition
of whose services to mining and engineering the Wood
Memorial Hall has since been erected. Mr. Wood had
been one of his most considerate friends, and he had
now a large circle of such.
In 1827, T. M. Richardson, Carmichael, and H. P.
Parker were instrumental in founding the "Northern
Academy of Arts." By dint of great energy and per-
sistence, funds were procured for building the large room
in Elackett Street. Richardson and Carmichael estab-
lished their studios on either side of the New Academy,
and they were both of them large exhibitors at the first
exhibition which was held there. Their pictures hung in
company with works by Turner, Linnell, Calcott, Mul-
ready, and others of the most eminent men of the time.
The exhibition was the largest and most important that
had up to that period been held in Newcastle, and was
the means of introducing many young local painters to
the public. Carmichael had now passed his days of
positive struggle. In a catalogue for 1837, the prices of
pictures he then exhibited are put down as ranging from
thirty shillings to fifteen guineas. This was by no means
liberal payment for such work as he was then doing ; but
he was an eager and indefatigable worker, and pictures-
were despatched from his easel with a rapidity which,
probably, no painter of equal powers has excelled.
Dunne the twenty years following the establishment of
the Northumberland Institution for the Promotion of Fine
Arts, many artistic societies were formed in Newcastle,
and Carmichael was a member of them all. Just before
the middle of the century the old art circles began to fall
to pieces. T. M. Richardson, who had long been a sufferer
from a painful malady, died in 1847. Carmichael, now in
the full vigour of his powers, had, on the pressing solicita-
tion of friends, removed to London. He had paid a flying
visit to the metropolis in 184-5, and had succeeded in
making new connections there. Towards the end of the
year he was painting eight panels for the Duke of Devon-
shire, and by the beginning of 1846 he had definitely re-
solved on bidding the North farewell. As soon as his pur-
pose was known his friends and patrons decided on pre-
senting him with some token of their esteem. "This
made me so nervous," he wrote, "that I was rendered
totally unfit for work, as I felt so conscious that it was
more than I merited.1' The presentation — a service of
silver plate, valued at £145 — took place on March 31st,
1846. Four days later, Carmichael and his family were
on their way to London by sea. The painter looked upon
the step which he had taken as a serious and even solemn
one. "Almighty God," he ejaculates in his diary, "I
solemnly ask Thy aiding hand that I may be able to keep
my family in the comforts of this life."
Remembering, perhaps, that " God helps those who
help themselves, " he worked hard and almost furiously.
Very frequently he finished a picture a day, whilst also
carrying forward more elaborate work. He had invin-
cible courage and unfailing good spirits. Two pictures
which he sent to the Academy in 1847 were "skied,*
whereupon he wrote in his diary ; — " I hope to live long
enough to make them treat me better." It is quite pos-
sible that he may have fallen below himself in these
works. He always worked best when he worked
rapidly, and of this he was himself perfectly aware.
Under date of June 6tb, 1846, he wrote ; — " Began work
in London. After working six days at a sea-piece of the
Phantom Ship, I cut it up and put it into the fire." In
another place he remarks : — " I worked very hard all
day, whether for better or worse I cannot tell. I always
find a pure thought of a picture fully carried out turns
out better with me than making any alterations after-
wards."
It is questionable whether Carmichael strengthened his
art by his removal to London, although the wider sphere
of work undoubtedly extended his fame. In Newcastle
he had been subjected to no strong influences, or to that
of Richardson only. He had worked without that re-
straint which comes of seeing too much of the work, and
feeling too strongly the rivalry of others. In London
he bad many competitors; he made acquaintance with-
414
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I September
1 1889.
many styles ; and he was very sensitive to outside influ-
ence. His work began to be more various in character,
and there was not always the same tender quality and
freshness of feeling. He was, besides, a little too hardly
driven. His expenses had enormously increased, and his
family was large He worked all day long with patient
monotony. Now and then he was cheered by such pleasant
incidents as one which he records in his diary :— " Mr.
George Hudson, M.P., sent me a cheque for a picture and
& very kind note saying he thought the work perfect.
Perfection is very far beyond my reach. However, I was
very pleased he liked the picture," Carmichael had now
many wealthy and influential friends and patrons,
amongst others the Duke of Devonshire, Lord Bolton,
Colonel Stobart, of Darlington, and, most noteworthy of
all, perhaps, the late Thomas Sopwith, who made a large
collection of his water-colour drawings.
In 1851, he found himself thoroughly established.
';Thank God," he wrote on the last day of the year, " I
have not been during this year stopped with ill-health or
any other cause." These brief expressions of thankfulness
are frequent in his diary. He was, too, in the habit of
taking stock of his successes and failures at the end of
each year, and making brief record of them. For ex-
ample, he writes at the end of 1852: — "Hard work as
usual, with better results this year, and daily enjoyment
of seeing friends." One of the friends he saw most fre-
quently was the late Thomas Carrick, then at the period
of his highest success as a painter of miniatures. Before
anything else, Carmichael was a marine painter. It was,
therefore, a matter of necessity that he should make fre-
quent excursions by sea. His first sea trip was in his boy-
hood, when he was for some time with a transport which
was attached to the British fleet, and which was to a
large extent laden with gunpowder. During his residence
in London, he made occasional excursions to Portsmouth
and the Isle of Wight, and now and again ran down to
Newcastle, as in 1847, when he painted the High Level
Bridge, then in course of erection. His most important
sea-trip, however, was taken at the instance of Mr.
Ingram, who, in 1855, engaged him to accompany the
British fleet to the Baltic, and make sketches for the
Illustrated London A'ews. He was with the fleet from
May to August, and gained experience which was utilized
to the full in much of his subsequent work. In 1861, he
visited Calais and Dunkirk, and brought home sketches
from which several pictures were painted in that and
subsequent years.
Incessant work and some domestic trouble were steadily
wearing out Carmichael's ordinarily good health. He
had lost his eldest son in 1862. Three years later we find
him still working hard, "amid great anxiety and dis-
couragement, but always with the same gratitude to God
and unwearied patience. " His wife's health was little
better than his own, and the family tried a change of air.
They removed to Scarborough, without, however, receiving
that benefit which they anticipated. Though still able to
work, Carmichael continued to be the victim of failing
health, and on May 2nd, 1868, he suddenly and almost
without warning, expired.
Few men have crowded so much work into a lifetime as
did Carmichael ; yet, persistently as he laboured in his
studio, he somehow found time to write and to illustrate
two hand-books on marine-painting in oil and in water-
colours. These little works are still in large demand.
Since his death, his pictures have greatly increased in
value, and he still ranks with Richardson as one of the
most notable painters that the Northern school has yet
produced.
Carmichael was extremely simple and unpretending in
character. He always preserved his Northern habit of
speech, and had so much difficulty in making himself
understood in London society that on one occasion a lady
asked him how long he had lived in England, and won-
dered that he had not made more progress with the
language ! He had a kindly and loyal spirit, and none of
our Northern painters have been more widely esteemed
by their acquaintances or more affectionately regarded by
their friends.
SUard at
IX.
A BOLD BID FOB ASCENDENCY.
HOUGH somewhat curbed by the retaliatory
measures of Athelstan, in 934, the insurrec-
tionary spirit of the Northumbrians was not
extinct. But instead of acting openly, the
discontented people now had recourse to plots and con-
spiracies of the most dangerous kind. Messengers were
constantly passing between Constantino and the Britons,
on the one hand, and between the Angle and Danish
chieftains on the other. Men having again been counted,
and the chances calculated, communications were secretly
opened with Anlaf, the exiled son of Sihtric. This dash-
ing leader had spent his period of banishment in Dublin,
and had gained considerable ascendency over a large sec-
tion of the fiery people who surrounded him. He joined
the confederacy with the utmost alacrity, gave directions
as to the course he meant to pursue, and then settled
down to the work of preparation. The allies were
thoroughly aware of the vast importance of their enter-
prise, as well as the consequences that a failure would
entail, and they left no stone unturned to ensure a quick
and decisive victory. In small detachments, and as
quietly as they possibly could, fighting men 'journeyed
toward the Cheviots from all parts of the land. The
Scots advanced their hordes from the North ; the Britons
teemed out of Galloway and Cumbria ; and even Wales
September!
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
415
sent strong contingents. While these were assembling in
the remote glades and woodlands near the Tweed, Anlaf
and his Irish comrades made their appearance in the
Humber, with a fleet of 615 ships. This was the signal
for a general rising. Men joined the ranks so quickly,
from every district of Northumbria, that the combined
forces appeared absolutely irresistible. Athelstan's newly-
appointed governors did not wait to face the storm.
After a few delusive skirmishes, they fled from their
posts, made the best of their way to the Saxon Court, and
were actually the first to announce that the North had
once more thrown off the yoke. One after another the
forti6ed places were speedily surrendered to either Anlaf
or Constantine, and when the forces eventually formed a
junction, the whole country north of the Humber was in
their hands.
THE SITE OF ERUNNABURQ.
But, meanwhile, Athelstan had not been idle. He had
Fathered every available man from the midland and
south-western districts, and, in an incredibly short period,
was in full march towards the great centre of rebellion.
The locality in which the hostile forces first crossed
swords has never been properly identified. Even the old
chronicles are at variance — some asserting that it was on
the banks of the Humber, and others that it was in the
vicinity of the Tweed. The first impression is, of course,
that the allies would rather carry the tide of war into
their enemy's country than allow its blood-tipped billows
to roll over their own. It is also clear that if their fleet
remained near its original moorings — in order to afford
shelter in case of a possible defeat — it would be necessary
to intercept Athelstan's march before he reached a
point at which he could interfere with their means of
safety. This is the view that appears to have been taken
by several writers, and they have endeavoured to fix the
site of the battle at the termination of the old Ermine
Street, in Lincolnshire. This, however, is obviously in-
correct. Other authorities have striven to show, and, we
think, with more judgment, that the scene of the conflict
was much nearer the hilly lands of the Border. Having
left his vessels — for the purpose of effecting a junction
with Constantine — it is supposed that Anlaf would inarch
quickly towards the North, and aid in the secure rein-
statement of Danish officials. Before his departure, his
ships would be ordered from the Humber to the Tyne—
or, in certain contingencies, to the Tweed — as in either of
these localities they would be most handy if the brunt of
the expected battle should happen to go against their
owners. Athelstan's advance is said to have been made
with such expedition and secrecy that he was close up
with the allies before they were conscious of his presence,
and this may have prevented the due completion of their
arrangements. Grose is of opinion that the spot on which
the two forces met was only a mile or two from Brinkburn
-TV,
Priory, in Coquetdale, and immediately on the line of the
Gieat North Road. Traces of fortifications may still be
seen on some of the adjacent hills, and there are also many
appearances of an old town. This is the place, according
tu John of Hexham, which was still called Brincaburch
in 1154- ; and, if the name alone is considered, it ccmes
nearer than any other to that mentioned in the earlier
accounts. It is quite likely that Athelstan rested here,
as he most assuredly did at Koddam, while in search of
his destructive foe. But it is supposed by Camden,
amongst others, that he had advanced as far as Broom-
rigg, about a mile from Ford, before the Danes were in a
position to check his progress. There are in this locality,
also, many well-preserved remains of extensive encamp-
ments, and here, it is most generally believed, the battle
eventually took place.
A ROMANTIC INCIDENT.
While one army was resting, and the other watching
from the higher elevation of the distant hills, an incident
is said to have occurred that bears a strong resemblance
to the old story about Alfred the Great. The allies,
being perplexed by the suddenness with which thb King
had pounced upon them, were extremely anxious to
obtain information as to the strength and composition of
the Saxon army. After attiring himself as a minstrel,
Anlaf, harp in hand, made his way within the enemy's
lines, and began to sing and play before the Southern
soldiery. Pleased with his performance, they conducted
416
MOX2HLY CHRONICLE.
, September
him to the royal tent — where Athelstan was dining with
his chieftains— and there he again acquitted himself so
well that he was "encouraged with much praise."
Having danced, and harped, and sung, until the feast
was over, a purse, well-tilled with silver groats, was
slipped into his hand, and with tliis gracious token that
the King had been edified, he was allowed to continue his
way. His time had not been misspent. With the quick-
ness of a military expert, he had well noted the situation
of the King's pavilion, and meant to use his knowledge to
the serious detriment of his entertainers. But though he
had earned the Saxon coin, he was too proud to keep it.
To give it away, or throw it away, might have aroused
dangerous suspicions ; and, therefore, Anlaf determined
to bury it before he left the encampment. While carry-
ing out this resolve, he was recognised by one who had
formerly fought under his standard, and it was the friend-
liness of this soldier that enabled the harper to get off
unmolested. But though he had thus connived at the
escape of a spy, the man lost no time in acquainting
Athelstan with the name of his recent visitor. Thereupon
the King, in great anger, reproached him with want of
Bdelity. "Nay," quoth the honest soldier, "by thesame
oath of fealty which binds me to thee, O King ! was I
once bound to Anlaf ; and, had I betrayed him, with
equal justice mightest thou have expected treachery from
me. But hear my counsel. While awaiting further rein-
forcements, take away thy tent from the spot on which it
now stands, and thus mayest thou ward off the blow of
thine enemy."
THE NIGHT ATTACK.
Acting on this advice, Athelstan's tent was quietly
pitched in another quarter of the field, and the vacant
ground was occupied, ere sundown, by a body of newly
arrived troops under the leadership of Werstan, Bishop
of Sherborne. Shortly after midnight, when the camp
was hushed in slumber, Anlaf guided a chosen band of
followers to the Saxon enclosure, pointed out the tent in
which he supposed Athelstan still lay, and then made a
vigorous rush for the extermination of both the King and
his leaders. The onslaught was so sudden that, for a
moment, there was no resistance, and every man on the
ill-fated piece of ground was slaughtered. The accom-
panying tumult, however, had alarmed the soldiery, and,
snatching up their arms, they quickly cleared the srround
of intruders. The repulse did not trouble the Danes in
any way. They imagined that their main object had
been achieved, and that, with the death of the King,
victory must assuredly be theirs on the morrow.
THK BATTLE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.
With the first streak of dawn they were ready for the
fray, and no sooner had the bright morning light begun tc
illumine the landscape, than the different tribes were
moving towards the Saxon lines. The shock of battle,
when the rival hosts came together, was terrible in its
fury, and was sustained with savage bitterness. The bow
played its part for a time, and "many Northern wight*
were shot over shields"; but it was with sword and
spear and mace that the issue was eventually decided.
There had been discomfort in the allied ranks when the
golden-haired Athelstan was seen at the head of hi»
forces. There was terror in the ranks when he now
led his stalwart warriors to the very base of the Danish
standard. With edge of sword and weight of hammered
steel, as the old bards tell us, they clove the bucklers, and
hewed the helmets, till the hope of Anlaf cringed before
them. "Scottish sailor and Norwegian shipman were
fated to fall, and the field was gory with swordsmen'a
blood." But the carnage still went on. It had com-
menced when the sun rose on morning tide — " a mighty
globe to glide over the ground as God's candle bright" —
and it was only " when the great light sank to its settings
that the allies, wearied of the fray, turned for the shelter
of their homes. Even then the strife was unfinished.
The surviving Saxons got themselves together, in linked
order, and "followed the footsteps of the foul foe the
livelong day." They could not prevent Anlaf reaching
his ships, nor yet stop the headlong flight of Constantiue
to his mountain wilds ; but. though both escaped, it was
with a sadly diminished following. Five kings and seven
earls had been left dead on the field, and thousands of
their warriors lay in pitiable heaps around them. The
ruler of the Scots, say the chroniclers, had no cause to
exult in the communion of swords. " Here was his
kindred band of friends o'erthrown " ; and his fair young
son he "left on the slaughter-place, mangled with.
wounds." The Southern loss was nearly as severe, and
included two near relatives of the King. " Greater car-
nage," it is said, "had not been seen in the island since
Angles and Saxons first made their appearance." But
the sacrifice was overlooked in the eternal honour that
the victory brought to Athelstan — victory so complete
and decisive that has not inappropiately been called the
Waterloo of Early Britain. Minstrels sang so eulogis-
tically of the famous deeds by Brunnaburg, that the con-
queror came to be called the "lord of earls," the "giver
of bracelets," and to be regarded as a warrior against
whom it was utter folly to contend. It was now that
Athelsan began to designate himself " King of the Eng-
lish "—a title which the popes and bishops had given to
several of the early Bretwaldas, but which had never,
until now, been used by the sovereigns themselves. It
seemed, indeed, as though a strong master-hand had, at
last, been found, and that the country was about to be
consolidated under one prosperous ruler. Already the
September X
1889. J
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
417
court of this brilliant king was the home of many dis-
tinguished scholars, and the training ground of not a few
Continental princes ; while the country itself was show-
ing signs of agricultural and mechanical advancement
that was far ahead of anything previously attained. Just
when everything was at its brightest, however, the king
suddenly died, and all hope of continued peace was at
once abandoned. As William of Malmesbury puts it, the
life of Athelstan was " in time little — in deeds great." It
was in all ways a memorable reign— as full of good works
as of stirring incidents — and its premature close was justly
regarded as a national calamity.
THE DANES AGAIN ON THE WAR PATH.
When the throne was rendered vacant, in 941, Edmund,
the brother of Athelstan, was only 18 years of age. He
was a youth of much promise, and, from the elegance of
his manners and the refinement of his tastes, it was ex-
pected that the country must quickly show signs of greater
culture. Unhappily, however, he had but little time
allowed for his contemplated improvements. He had
barely received the crown when the people of Northum-
From Harp«r'i Mftguin*. Copyright, 185V, by JUrp«r <k j
THZ KINO'S OAIBN, DUNMAH BAISE, CUMBERLAND.
bria rose in rebellion against him. Anlaf was recalled
from Dublin to act as their leader ; Wulstan, the Arch-
bishop of York, gave his adhesion to the new movement ;
and then — being joined by a force of Norwegians under
Olaus — the malcontents felt themselves prepared to assail
some of the Saxon stronghold?. They advanced as far
south as Tamworth, took the town by storm, and carried
away a large quantity of plunder ; but the loss of life that
had attended the operation was a source of much subse-
quent weakness. Having fallen back on Leicester, the
Northern force was surprised by a powerful army, under
Edmund, and a disastrous battle seemed inevitable.
Owing, however, to the good offices of the priests, all
further fighting was averted, and a peace arranged that
was very favourable to the North. Odo, the Danish Arch-
bishop of Canterbury — who accompanied the Saxon army
— seems to have been brought in contact with Wulstan of
York, and the result of their deliberations was a divi-
sion of the Kingdom in accordance with the plan adopted
by Alfred the Great. Anlaf was to rule all the lands
north of Watling Street— the line between Chester and
London — and Edmund had to content himself
with the territory to the southward. As an addi-
tional inducement for the stoppage of strife, it
was also arranged that, in case of either monarch
dying, the survivor should reign over the united
land. "It thus happened," says Sir Francis
Palsgrave, "that Edmund consented to disinherit
his brothers, and the chance of survivorship might
have placed all the English nations beneath the
supremacy of the Dane. Sad terms these for a
descendant of Alfred ; and such as must lead us
to suppose that Edmund was either reduced to
great straits, or that he was betrayed by his
counsellors."
SAXON RECOVERY.
Fortunately or unfortunately for the country,
Anlaf died in 943, and Edmund lost no time in
sending a powerful army across the Humber to
claim the fulfilment of the bond. There were
already a couple of claimants for the Northern
tKrone ; but as they had only an insignificant
following, they were easily expelled, and the
ountry was again under Saxon sway by the spring
of 944. Having thus established his power over
the Danes, Edmund turned his attention against
the Britons of Cumbria. They were accused of
having allowed Anlaf's adherents a right of way
over their territory, and had to be punished
severely for their non-adhesion to the laws of
neutrality. The task was beset with many diffi-
culties, as Dunmail, or Donald, their chief, was a
warrior of considerable power. In a battle that
was fought on the high grounds between Thirlmere
and Grasmere, however, the Cumbrian king was
killed, the remnant of his array scattered, and his
27
418
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
sons cruelly blinded by order of the Saxon ruler. The
cairn, which still crowns the pass, at the foot of Helvellyn,
is said to mark the resting place of the "last king of rocky
Cumberland," and to be near the spot on which the
fiercest of the conflict was waged. The territory thus
acquired was given to Malcolm, King of the Scots, on
condition that he would become the co-operator of Ed-
mund by sea and by land, and the alliance thus formed
was followed by a brief, but very welcome, interval of
profound peace. WILLIAM LONGSTAFF.
Brinkburn Priory, though a comparatively modern
foundation, occupies a site of great antiquity. It stands
on an admirably sheltered peninsula, formed by the
windings of the river, and there are still traces of earth-
works about the position which are supposed to have
been constructed by the Britons. The place was also
known to the Ciesars. It is only a mile or two from the
spot at which the Devil's Causeway crossed the Coquet,
and the piers of a Roman bridge may yet be seen in the
bed of the stream at low water.
The groat is only a sample of many coins that were
struck during Athelstan's reign. It was this king who
decreed that all money should be uniform in value — a sys-
tem that had not previously prevailed — and that it should
only be minted in specified towns. York was one of the
favoured places enumerated. It is interesting to note
that, although previous monarchs had used the words
"Rex Saxonuui " after their names, Athelstan was the
first to inscribe his coins "RexTotius Britannise " — thus
bearing out the contention of Sharon Turner, as men-
tioned in our last article.
The "artificial heap of unhewn stone" shown in our
sketch from Harper's Magazine will be familiar to
many readers. According to popular tradition, the
loose pebbles not only cover the remains of the Cum-
brian king, but indicate the site of the conflict which
proved so disastrous to his cause. Similar mounds, for
like purposes, are to be found in many parts of Ireland
and Scotland — some of them being over 100 yards in
diameter at the base, and having a height of 40 or 50 feet.
Though "Dmimail Raise" is insignificant when com-
pared with these larger accumulations, it is equally in-
teresting, as it ranks amongst the English mementoes
of battles to be found in the Northern Counties. Two or
three centuries later, military events were celebrated by
trophies that were a little more artistic. It is doubtful,
however, whether the crosses and obelisks that mark the
struggles at Otterburn, Flodden, Hedgeley Moor, Aln-
wick, and so many other places, are either so appropriate
or so enduring as the rough memorial on the Cumberland
watershed.
flONDAY, Jan. 7, was the fiftieth anniversary of
the great storm in the North popularly known
as Windy Monday. The most comprehensive
account of the event is given in Mr. T. Fordyce's con-
tinuation of Sykes's Local Records, from which we take
the following : —
Soon after midnight (January 6-7, 1839) the wind
shifted from S. to W.S.W., and" gradually increased in
fury until about six o'clock in the morning, when its
violence was perfectly frightful. It is impossible to
describe the sensation felt during this period. Im-
penetrable darkness veiled the face of nature, and when a
sudden crash awoke the inmates of a dwelling, the; kn»w
not where to look for shelter amidst the ruin which
surrounded them. At length morning dawned on a scene
of devastation such as few have witnessed. Bricks,
elates, and tiles, in broken fragments, lay scattered over
the streets in every direction, as if the town had stood a
siege. No one ventured abroad that could possibly avoid
it, and every thoroughfare was literally deserted. The
injury done to public buildings in Newcastle was very
great. The Infirmary had three stacks of chimneys
blown down. The roof of the west wing was almost
stripped, and twelve large trees in the garden were
uprooted. At the Museum, a sheet of lead weighing
nearly two tons was torn from the roof and carried for
upwards of 100 yards. St. Thomas's Church had four
pinnacles destroyed. Much apprehension was at one
time entertained for the safety of the beautiful steeple of
St. Nicholas, but it withstood the tempest admirably.
The balustrades of the Royal Arcade were completely
destroyed, and the glass domes on the roof were mure or
less broken. The Grey Monument was observed to rock
to and fro when the storm was at its height, but it
suffered no injury, A tall chimney attached to the brew-
house of Mr. Strachan, Barras Bridge, between fifty and
sixty feet in height, fell with a fearful crash upon the
workshops of Messrs. Burnup and Co., much to the con-
sternation of the men, who, however, escaped. A tall
chimney at Elswick Lead Works, another at Mr. Burt's
Steam Mill in Thornton Street, and a third at Mr.
Davidson's Tobacco Manufactory in the Side, were
blown down. The bark mill of Mr. Beaumont, in Darn
Crook, also received much injury, the wands of the mill
being torn off with great violence, and, after hovering a
little time in the air, fell into St. Andrew's Churchyard
with a tremendous crash. A shed, upwards of three
stories high, belonging to Mr. Arundel, skinner, Gallow-
gate, was completely demolished. A sheet of lead,
weighing 18 cwt. 2 qrs. U Ibs., was torn from the top of
Mr. Baird's house in Northumberland Street, passed a
few inches above the head of a person near the
spot, and was driven with such violence against
the house of Mrs. Coward, on the opposite side
of the street, that the glass, frames, and shutters of
two windows were shivered to fragments. The inmates,
who were in the parlour, perceiving the lead coming,
rushed out and escaped unhurt. At Byker, owing to the
high position of the village, the damage to property was
very great, and a little girl was killed by the overturning
of a waggon. The river presented an extraordinary spec-
tacle, and it may be noticed as one of the most striking
evidences of the violence of the wind, that at the proper
time of high water the tide had not risen more than six
inches above low water mark. The Fox steamboat was
blown from its moorings, driven against the bridge, and
sunk. It is truly wonderful that in such a scene of devas-
tation as the town presented so few injuries should have
been sustained by individuals. A female, however, of
the name of Hodgson, had her arm broken in consequence
of being driven by the wind against a wall, and a man
named Hugh Hutchinson was thrown down and rolled
over and over like a ball for some distance. There were
several other persons thrown down during the day in
various parts of the town. In Gateshead the storm raged
with even more serious effects than in Newcastle. Nearly
every house upon the Fell was unroofed or otherwise
injured. The beautiful chimney of the Brandling Junc-
tion Railway Company, 115 feet in height, was blown
down, and a man named Henry Hawks had one of his
legs broken. A chimney at Messrs. Abbot and Co.'s, 75
feet high, fell with a fearful crash, and a man named John
Errick was killed, while another person narrowly escaped.
Scotswood Bridge was impassable throughout the day,
and a man who attempted to traverse it on his hands and
knees was blown against the chains and had his arms
broken. The destruction of trees in the country was
prodigious. At Ohopwell, upwards of 20,000 trees were
uprooted. Capheaton, Blagdon, Woolsington, Fenham,
and many other seats were . extensively injured. The
most distressing accident occurred at the house of Mr.
Orange, stationer, Bedford Street, North Shields. Mrs.
Orange and the servant were in the kitchen, and what is
remarlBable, almost an instant before the catastrophe, she
inquired whether the servant remembered the wind
that occasioned the fall of Mr. Spence's chimney three
September 1
1889. J
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
419
years ago, and before an answer could be given a stack of
chimneys fell upon the roof, carrying down the upper
storey and burying Mrs. Orange in the ruins. She was
quite dead when got out ; the servant escaped. In
Sunderland, the large chimney attached to Mr. Richard
sou's steam mill was blown down, and two men, named
Robson and Moore (brothers-in-law), were killed on the
spot, and a third had his leg broken. At Morpeth, the
hurricane did considerable damage, unroofing many
houses, blowing down chimneys, &c. The Royal Victoria
Pavilion, belonging to Billy Purvis, standing in Old-
fate Street, was shivered to pieces, the scenery, dresses,
c., blowing about the streets in all directions. Upwards
of 250 trees were uprooted in the park and grounds about
Alnwick Castle.
The following personal recollections of the casualties
which occurred on Windy Monday were supplied to the
Newcastle Weekly Chronicle in 1888 by Mr. John McKay,
an old resident of Newcastle : —
Windy Monday occurred on the 7th of January, 1839.
But only the oldest among us, I imagine, can remember
that dreadful day. I, however, recollect all the incidents
that came under my notice as if they had taken place
yesterday.
Crossing Byker Bridge the other day, I noticed a public-
house called the Tanners' Arms, which reminded me that
upon its site there used to be a windmill that sustained
great damage from the violence of the storm on Windy
Monday. It was completely denuded of the sails, wands,
and other external parts, and presented an appearance
of desolation. Other mills then existed in the neighbour-
hood—one at Walker (now a picturesque ruin), two at
Spital Tongues, or Chimney Mills, as it is commonly
known (one still standing), two in the Barrack Road, one
at the Cowgate, another in Mill Lane (since partly de-
molished), one in Darn Crook (still in existence, but dis-
mantled), and sixteen on the Windmill Hills, Gateshead.
All these structures were more or less affected, but those
at the Windmill Hills were so much injured that they
were never reconstructed, and the visitor to Gateshead
will observe that some of them have been incorporated
with dwelling-houses.
The sacred edifices in Newcastle were considerably
damaged. During the whole of the day fears were enter-
tained that the spires of the parish church of St. Nicholas
would be blown away, and large crowds collected at the
head of the Side and along Denton Chare in anticipation
that the fabric would come down with a crash ; but the
fine old crown weathered the storm, and the only injury
done was to the vanes, which were bent and twisted. The
Scotch Church in Blackett Street, which since that period
has been rebuilt, was denuded of its pinnacles, which fell
upon the roof with destructive effect. St. Thomas's
Church, at the top of Northumberland Street, suffered ex-
tensively. If I remember aright, not one of the pinnacles
was left standing after the storm.
As might have been expected, much destruction was
caused among trees in the neighbourhood, particularly
those around St. Thomas's Church, the limbs and branches
of which were strewn about the streets.
Among the dwelling-houses that suffered may be men-
tioned that of Miss Peters, in the Westgate. This house
was the property of the late William Wharton Burdon.
The whole of the lead was stripped off the roof, and landed
near the Vicar's Pump, which wag situate opposite to what
is now the Savings Bank, in Westgate. Many other
dwellings were, of course, damaged, but I think the
devastation was greatest in St. Nicholas's Churchyard.
In the Plummer Chars, on the Quayside, I remember,
the roof of one of the houses was lifted bodily off.
Nearly all the chimneys were blown from the buildings
erected by Mr. Grainger in Nelson Street, Market
Street, Grainger Street, and Nun Street.
The storm did serious damage to craft on the river.
Numerous boats and small vessels were driven from their
moorings, some of them drifting down the river. The
force of the gale was so great on the Tyne Bridge that it
wa» perilous to cross it, inasmuch as the waves from the
river were washing over the parapet. Much excitement
was caused when it was known that a man intended to
brave the danger, and a crowd assembled to witness the
attempt. The adventurer got on very well until he
reached the centre of the bridge, when he suddenly dis-
appeared. Afterwards he was observed making hi's way
on his hands and knees to the other side, which he safely
reached amid the cheers of the spectators.
The streets presented a destrted appearance, for the
slates from the houses, flying about in all directions, put
pedestrians in imminent danger. Moreover, it was im-
possible to make headway against the wind. Many of
those who did venture out were blown great distances
along the streets.
Another reminiscence of the storm was supplied to the
same journal on January 19, 1889, by Mr. Henry Kerr.
That gentleman wrote :—
On the 7th of January, 1839, I had just turned
my sixth year, and the storm, it seems to me, was
the starting point of my memory — and, certainly a
significant one. I then resided with my parents in a
village on the English road between Dumfries and Annan,
and in, as I believe, the very focus of the btorm, which
catne almost direct from the west. There were no
railways in Dumfriesshire in 1839, nor for many
years afterwards— Carlisle being the terminus, so
to speak. The South of Scotland was first opened up
by the Caledonian, and the Glasgow and South Western
was not opened for traffic till about 1848. I have a vivid
recollection of the havoc made by the storm in the woods
for miles around. Tlie noise of the wind, which blew
steadily from the west, was unlike anything of the kind I
have since heard ; it was a loud, prolonged, and terrible
roar, without an instant's cessation. After daylight— and
the roaring of the wind was most appalling during the
darkness— I watched from the kitchen window the effects
of the wind on a clump of trees not far distant. The
largest trees (and some of them were three or
more feet in diameter) were either torn up by the
roots or snapped right through a few feet from the
ground. When the trees broke, we could hear the report
even amid the horrible roaring of the storm.
The smaller trees bent to the wind, and others, of a
considerable girth, were pressed nearly to the ground
without breaking ; and when the storm abated, which it
did rather suddenly, they resumed their normal position,
and seemed but little the worse. Many of the trees
torn up by the roots brought with them a large
quantity of earth, and in some instances they resembled
the gable ends of houses. Some tall and thick
hawthorn hedges near our house were curiously
affected by the storm. For some yards the hedges were
rooted out of the ground, showing large gaps, as
if the hedges had been entirely grubbed up. In other
cases the hedges were flattened to the ground, but the
tenacious roots held fast in the earth, and, after the storm
had passed, they gradually resumed their normal position,
and seemed but little the worse for their temporary
"flattening." Several large hay and straw ricks in a
farm yard near were blown away, some wholesale and
others in detail. The wind seemed to grasp the rick
like an irresistible but invisible anaconda. After
rocking slightly to and fro in the inexorable grasp
of the monster, the rick was launched into the
air, and blown away in wisps, like clouds scudding before
a violent breeze. Where the corn and hay went to the
farmer never knew.
When the storm was at its height, soon after daylight,
I noticed a man on the road near our house. The road—
the mail coach road — was in a hollow a few yards below
our house, and was comparatively sheltered by houses
and high hedges. The man was coming from the
eastward up the road, and, despite the most strenuous
exertions, he was several times completely blown
over and rolled back, like a log of wood, several
yards along the road. He was finally compelled to
crawl on all-fours under the shelter of the hedge, which
was so tall and thick that it would have foiled a charge of
cavalry. Even in the hedge bottom he was frequently
unable to make any headway, as the terrible wind seemed
almost to suffocate him.
420
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
\
Sfptamher
A neighbour was awakened early in the morning by the
outside heavy shutter of the window having broken loose
from iu fastenines. As it threatened to dash in the
window, he hastily arose, and, though the wind
was roaring most terribly, he went to the door
to fasten, as he imagined, the shutter. As he
himself afterwards described it, as soon as he got
outside the door he was swept away like a withered leaf.
At a distance of about a dozen yards from his door he was
carried right through a thick hawthorn hedge (where, by
the way, he left his " breeks " in pawn), and then pitched
into the bottom of a large hay-rick, fortunately more
frightened than hurt. Here he lay coiled up amongst
the hay, thanking his stars, no doubt, that he had pitched
so softly. In the district to which I refer many houses
were partially blown down or unroofed, and some, prin-
cipally farm outbuildings, were entirely demolished.
The woods on the Rockhall estate (where Scott's " Red
Gauntlet" held cruel sway in the memorable "killing
time ") presented a singular appearance after the
storm. In many places, very large trees were torn up by
the roots, and in their fall they had demolished smaller
trees. Some large American and Norwegian pines, of a
great height and girth — and some of them were at least
six feet in diameter — were snapped across, a few feet from
the ground, almost as clean as if they had been cut by a
knife. Some of the forest trees were almost denuded of
their branches, while the bare trunks stood up like the
masts of a shattered ship.
This terrible storm seemed to be general over a part of
the South of Scotland, and over England as far south
as Cheshire. In North-East Lancashire it was most
severe. It levelled the many high factory chimneys like
ninepins. An old Lancashire man lately described to me
the havoc created by the hurricane of "Windy Mon-
day," which is termed in the district the "Great Storm."
lie said, "Eh, meestur. we'll nivversee such a 'dooment '
till the Day o' Judgment ! The factory chimleys went
doon like blades o' grass before th' win'." A Cumbrian
friend, who has a vivid recollection of the storm,
has told me that it was equally severe on the banks
of the Esk and Liddel, where there was enormous
destruction of growing timber. The fine woods
on the Netherby, Naworth, and other estates on
both sides of the Border were devastated as if they
had been thrown down by a Brobdignagian reaping
machine. This remarkable hurricane is best known iu
the South of Scotland as the " Seventh of January."
Ten years ago (1879) John Rowell, of Twizell, county
of Durham, supplied the Weekly Chronicle with the fol-
lowing account of his experiences on Windy Monday : —
I started for my work, along with a few others, about
half-past three in the morning, having about a mile and
a quarter to go, which occupied us an hour and a half,
taking shelter wherever fence or rising ground afforded
the least cover from the force of the wind, but only to
stumble over others either stretched at full length or upon
hands and knees. Some laughed, some swore, and others
prayed. Struggling onward and onward, we at length
arrived at the pit, which no man dared to descend. There
were no cages in those days, be it understood, but by
hooks and chains we were let down the pit, which made
the danger much greater than it would have been at the
present day. But our homeward journey was attended
with no fewer difficulties than was our journey thither.
We chose to return by the railway, and succeeded until
we reached a cutting known as the "sandy cut," where
the wind swept through with double force, when I sensi-
bly felt my feet leave the ground ; and where I should
alight I knew not, but dreaded being dashed upon the
iron rails. Most fortunately for me, however, I was
thrown among sand, where, after recovering a little, I
crawled upon my hands and knees to the end of the cut-
ting, and down the embankment to the foot of a thick
hedge, when ten or twelve other lads came tumbling over
the embankment beside me, crying out, "O, dear ! " I,
however, had neither power nor inclination to help them,
but crawled through under the hedge, and proceeded
homeward by the "low way," under cover of banks and
braes, and arrived at Shield Row to hear chimney tops
come crashing down in all directions. No one spoke to
another on our homeward journey, for few could speak,
and those who could were afraid to do so. There were,
however, no accidents of a serious nature.
, tiu
OBERT BOLRON— the Titus Gates of the
North of England— was born in Newcastle,
and, at the proper age, was bound apprentice
to a London jeweller, named Deale. With Mr. Deale,
whose place of business was at Pye Corner, where the
Great Fire of London was stopped, he is said to have
remained about a year, and then ran away and enlisted
for a soldier. Some time afterwards, being at Tynemouth
with his regiment, he was shipped on board the Rainbow
frigate, which had been put into commission to fight the
Dutch. From this service also he made his escape, and
striking across country, found his way to Barnbow Hall,
in Yorkshire, the seat of Sir Thomas Gascoigne (with one
of whose retainers, a man named Richard Pepper, he
seems to have been acquainted), and received hospitable
entertainment. Upon Pepper's recommendation he was
appointed by Sir Thomas to superintend his collieries —
on the Tyne say some writers, but the evidence points
rather to Yorkshire — the kind-hearted old baronet
believing his story that he had been brought up among
coalpits, and understood the winning and working
of them. Here he married Mary Baker, a servant
in Sir Thomas's household, and might have prospered,
but evil genius followed him. He was accused of
idleness and peculation, and Sir Thomas was obliged
to withdraw his confidence. It was not until, having
let him the farm of Shippon Hall, he could get neither
rent nor money lent, that the baronet had recourse to
legal measures. He brought an action of ejectment
against Bolron, and this proceeding so exasperated the
ex-soldier that he planned a deep scheme of revenge.
Securing the assistance of one Lawrence Maybury, a
footman at Barnbow, who had been dismissed for theft,
he proceeded to put it into execution.
Late at night, on the 7th July, 1689, upon the sworn
information of these two men, Sir Thomas Gascoigne, an
old man of eighty-five, was apprehended, taken before a
justice, sent to London, and committed to the Tower on
a charge of high treason. He lay there, sorely troubled
with cold and other hardships, till the following
February, and then was put upon his trial. Bolron and
Maybury swore that Sir Thomas, Sir Miles Stapleton,
and others, conferring together at Barnbow, agreed to
contribute large sums of money to introduce Popery
into the kingdom, murder the King, and subvert the
Government, and that in particular §ir Thomas
solicited Bolron personally to kill his Majesty, and
offered him £1,000 for that service. The proceedings,
September 1
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
421
which occupy many pages of "Howell's State Trials,"
afford melancholy reading. The judges seem to have
believed Bolron and his fellow conspirator ; but the jury
pronounced a verdict of Not Guilty. Sir Thomas was
acquitted, and, standing erect and firm, as he had done
throughout the trial, left the court with these touching
words : — "God forgive them. Let us pray for them."
While Sir Thomas lay in prison, Bolron busied himself
with other prosecutions. He appeared before the Lord
Mayor of York and accused one John Andrews of
being a Romish priest, alleging that he had seen him
administer the sacrament to ten persons at Northallerton.
He preferred a charge against Robert Dolman, of York,
a Catholic gentleman of ancient descent, whose name, he
averred, had been mentioned at the Barnbow conferences
as one of those who were willing to assist in re-establishing
Popery and founding a nunnery near Ripley. He swore
also that "being on search with his assistants for priests
and Jesuits," he had found in the house of Lady
Widdrington a man in bed who called himself Francis
Collingwood, and whose trunk contained Popish books
and vestments. Then, turning his attention to his native
town, he endeavoured to make victims ot Sir Thomas
Haggerston, of Haggerston, Bart., and Thomas Riddell,
Esq., a son of Sir Thomas Riddell, of Fenham. His
charges against these persons were that Robert
Killingbeck, a Romish priest, being at one of the
conferences at Barnbow, where it was concluded to
murder the King and all Protestants that would not
turn Catholics, promised, "in the name of his master,
Thomas Riddell," that he would contribute liberally
for the carrying on of such design, and that in a list
of the actors and contributors engaged in the plot
he (Bolron) had seen the names of both Riddell and
Haggerston, with the sums they had respectively
agreed to pay. In none of these cases does it appear
that the implicated person was put upon his trial ;
the magistrates evidently did not believe the story
which the informer told. He secured one victim only —
George Tweng, clerk, of Heworth, near York, a nephew
of Sir Thomas Gascoigne, who, being tried at bar, and
found guilty, on Bolron 's evidence chiefly, was executed
with accustomed barbarity. The last case in which he
is known to have been engaged, that of Sir Miles Staple-
ton, was, fortunately, a failure, though, as appears from
the record in Howell, the prisoner had a narrow escape.
While his disreputable mission lasted, Bolron was
treated by the Government as a person of consideration
and credit. The judges were deferential to him, the law
officers of the Crown upheld him as a highly meritorious
and loyal subject, and the Privy Council went so far as
to trust him with a general warrant, which authorised
him to enter private houses, at all hours, in search of
prohibited books, concealed vessels and vestments, and
hidden priests. What became of him after the trial of
Sir Miles Stapleton is not known. He undoubtedly died
and was buried ; but how and where nobody knows and
nobody cares. RICHARD WELFOHD.
at
Sir George Bowes he straitway rose,
After them some spoyle to make ;
Those noble erles turn 'a back again,
And aye they vow'd that knight to take.
That baron he to his castle fled,
To Barnard Castle then fled hee ;
The uttermost walles were eatlie [easy] to win,
The earles have wonne them presenthe.
— Old Ballad.
| T was in the December of 1569, during the
Northern or Nevill's Rebellion — that ill-
advised rising of the friends of the un-
happy Scots Queen — that Sir George Bowes and his
brother Robert so ably defended the Castle Barnard
against the Catholic insurgents. For eleven days the
garrison stoutly withstood the determined assaults of the
besieging army, but on the 10th of the mouth they were
obliged to surrender the ancient fortress. To the credit
of the Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland, the
sturdy defenders were generously dealt with, and
permitted to depart in possession of their arms,
ammunition, and baggage. These two unfortunate
noblemen, the leaders in the revolt, were greatly beloved
by their retainers and the Northern people generally.
Their great estates they had well-nigh impoverished "by
doing deeds of hospitality," and from that cause, it
seems, they were masters of little ready money. Percy
could command but 2,000 crowns, while Nevill had
not a coin at his disposal. Being thus unable to pro-
cure subsistence for their followers, the rebellion, some-
times called the Rising in the North, speedily collapsed.
But the Nemesis — the carnage — was to follow !
"Though this insurrection," says Hutchinson, "was
suppressed with so little bloodshed in warfare, the
Earl of Essex [Sussex], a.nd Sir George Bowes, marshal
of the army, delighting in slaughter, put vast numbers to
death by martial law without any regular trial. Sixty-
six people ['petty constables,' Hume has it] were executed
at Durham. . . . Many others were put to death at
York, and some were removed to London. Sir George
Bowes made an inhuman boast that in a tract of country
sixty miles in length and forty in breadth, betwixt New-
castle and Wetherby, there was scarce a town or village
wherein he had not sacrificed some of the inhabitants to
his thirst of blood."
According to Hume, no less than 800 persons are said
to have suffered by the hands of the executioner. The
old ballad runs : —
Wi' them full many a gallant wight
They cruellye bereav'd of life :
And many a childe made fatherlesse, '
And widowed many a tender wife.
422
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/ September
"The number of offenders is so grate," writes Pilking-
ton, first Protestant Bishop of Durham, pitifully,
"that few innocent are left to trie the giltie." Sir
George Bowes, of Streatlam Castle, was the only
powerful person in the North who attempted to
oppose the insurrectionists. No wonder at Bishop
Pilkington declaring that in "this county the sheriff
cannot procure juries," when all the leading men were
either involved in, or in sympathy with, the Rebellion.
Fifty-eight noblemen and gentlemen of noble extraction,
or of other distinction, we are told, were attainted of
high treason or outlawed, and their possessions forfeited.
It is, however, with the defender only of Barnard Castle
that I am dealing.
Barnard Castle and Manor (the estate of the Earl of
Westmoreland) was forfeited to the Crown ; and the
demesne lands, with some mines, were demised by Queen
Elizabeth on lease to Sir George Bowes, who was by
special commission made Knight-Marshal, north of Trent,
for Ins "singular services to the Queen." Sir George was
the son of Richard Bowes and his wife Elizabeth, the
daughter of Sir Roger Aske, of Aske. Sir Richard's
mother was a Conyers, of Cowton, in Yorkshire, by
whom the family of Bowes gained large possessions. She
was the wife of Sir Ralph Bowes, and lived to a (treat age,
giving lands and large sums of money to pious uses ; and
she is remembered by bequeathing, in 1524-, a consider-
able sum for "the purchase of a thousand masses."
Leland says that "the Bowes were gentlemen in the
bishopric of Durham, long afore Henry theV.'styme,
and had the chief land and house of theyr name that they
have there .... Syr William Bowes that was
in Fraunce with the Duke of Bedeford (brother
to Henry the V.) did builde a fundamentis, the
manor place of Stretlam, in the bishopricke of
Durham, not far from Barnardes Castelle." Sir
George Bowes became the heir general to this ancient
family, and the Dawdon estates, near Seaham, and other
possessions of the Bowes, in the eastern part of Durham,
devolved to him. He was on many commissions in
treaties with Scotland, was appointed ambassador to that
country, and had other distinguished marks of confidence
conferred upon him. He died in 1580-1." A portrait of
the famous Knight-Marshal, painted in his 58th year,
still hangs, or did hang till quite recently, in one of the
apartments of the ancestral home of the family, Streatlam
Castle.
Regarding the descendants of the Barnard Castle hero,
the historian of the Bishopric says : — " His eldest son, Sir
William Bowes, was frequently employed in embassies to
Scotland, and was treasurer of Berwick -upon-Tweed to
the time of James I., when the garrison was discharged.
He died without issue male, and his brother George
Bowes of Biddick [Bowes' House] dying in his lifetime,
he was succeeded by his nephew, Sir George Bowes of
Bradley Hall, in Weardale. But the Streatlam estate did
not descend to him ; for by virtue of a settlement, made
on the second marriage [the first was to Dorothy, daughter
of Sir William Mallory] of Sir George, the Knight-
Marshal, with Jane, the daughter of Sir John Talbot,
it came to the issue of that marriage, Sir Talbot
Bowes. He failing in issue, his second brother, Thomas
Bowes, Esq. , who was born at Barnard Castle, succeeded
him, from whom, in a lineal descent, the Streatlam
estates came to the late Lady Strathmore, as only child
of George Bowes, Esq. [of Gibside], the last male heir of
this house."
The story of the hapless Lady Strathmore, who sub-
sequently married the Irish adventurer, Andrew
Robinson Stoney (Bowes), is, though romantic, sad and
pitiable, and is narrated in full in vol. i. of the Monthly
Chronicle, 1887. N. E. R.
Surftant
Durham.
j|XE of the most interesting transactions in
the time of the Commonwealth, so far as
the North of England was concerned,
was the proposed erection of a College at
In 1650, "several persons of fortune" in the
city and county of Durham, the county of Northumber-
land, and the town and county of Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
addressed the Lord Protector, Cromwell, setting forth
the disadvantages arising from the great distance of this
part of the country from Oxford and Cambridge, and
praying that the houses of the dean and prebendaries,
which were going to decay, might be converted into a
college for the instruction of youth. Cromwell's answer
came from Edinburgh, just before the "crowning mercy "
of Dunbar. He highly approved of the suggestion, which
he recommended to Parliament in a letter to Lenthall,
the Speaker, in which he said it was " a matter of great
concernment and importance which (by the blessing of
God) might much conduce to the promoting of learning
and piety in these poore, rude, and ignorant parts, there
being also many concurring advantages to this place, as
pleasantness and aptness of situation, healthfull aire, and
plenty of provisions, which seeme to favour and plead for
theire desires therein. " "And besides the good, so obvious
to us, which those Northern Counties may reap 'thereby,
who knows," continued the Protector, "but the setting
on foot this work at this time may suit with God's present
dispensations, and may, if due care and circumspection
be used in the right constituting and carrying on the same,
tend to, and by the blessing of God produce, such happy
and glorious fruits as are scarce thought on or forseen."
The subject was again pressed upon the Parliament in
the following year, by petition from the grand jury at the
Durham county assizes ; and thereon a committee of the
House reported " that the said houses (of the Dean and
September )
1839.
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
423
Chapter) were a fit place to erect a college or school for
all the sciences and literature." It was not, however, till
1657 that "Oliver, Lord Protector of the Common-
wealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the
dominions thereto belonging," issued his letters patent
for the erection of the new college. It is a remarkable
document, showing no small skill on the part of its
author. A synopsis of the proposed constitution, which
is too long to give here, may be found in the Rev. J. L.
Low's "Diocesan History of Durham." That gentleman
says: — "It was in many respects an admirable scheme,
not the least of its merits consisting in giving an interest
to the nobility and gentry in carrying it out. " But the
new college soon excited the jealousy of the ancient
Universities, both of which protested against its estab-
lishment, and particularly against the power of confer-
ring degrees being granted to it. This protest would
have had no weight with the Lord Protector, but
his death unhappily prevented the completion of the
scheme. The provost and fellows of the new institution
made application to his son and successor, Richard, for
power to carry it out, alleging that it had been "left au
orphan scarce bound up in its swaddling clothes," though
it had been " planted by a hand which never miscarried
in any of its high and magnanimous achievements." But,
as. is well known, Richard's power lasted only a very
short time ; and at the Restoration, the new seminary,
from which so much good wa^s expected, shared the fate of
the Commonwealth itself.
It is a singular fact that George Fox, the founder of the
Society of Friends, assumed to himself the consequence,
and what he sincerely thought the merit, of having been
the means of preventing Durham becoming the seat of a
University during the interregnum. He tells us in his
journal that, when he came to Durham in 1567, he found
a man there who had come down from London "to set
up a college there to make men ministers of Christ, as
they said." And he goes on to say : — "I went with some
others to reason with the man, and to let him see that to
teach men Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, and the seven arts,
which was all but the teachings of the natural man, was
not the way to make them ministers of Christ ; for the
languages began at Babel ; and to the Greeks, that spake
Greek as their mother- tongue, the cross of Christ was but
foolishness ; and to the Jews, that spoke Hebrew as their
mother-tongue, Christ was a stumbling-block ; and as for
the Romans, who had the Latin and Italian, they perse-
cuted the Christians ; and Pilate, one of the Romans, set
Hebrew, Greek, and Latin a-top of Christ when he
crucified him ; and John the Divine, who preached the
Word that was in the beginning, said that the beast and
the whore had power over tongues and languages, and
they are as waters." Thereupon said he to the man : —
"Dost thou think to make ministers of Christ by the
natural and confused languages which sprang from Babel,
are admired in Babel, and set a-top of Christ by a perse-
cutor ? Oh, no ! So the man confessed to many of these
things, and, when we had thus discoursed with him, he
became very loving and tender, and after he had
considered further of it, he never set up his college."
After a lapse of one hundred and seventy years, the
idea of a Northern University was revived. Bishop Van
Mildert, the last of the prince-bishops who filled the see
of St. Cuthbert, in conjunction with the Dean and
Chapter, made application to Parliament in 1832 for leave
to appropriate lands for the foundation and maintenance
of a University, for the training of divinity students and
conferring degrees in other faculties. The application
was successful, and the Dean and Chapter were
empowered to give up for this purpose an estate at
South Shields of the net annual value of £1,710. The
Bishop also gave temporary assistance to the extent of
£1,000 for the first year, and of £2,000 for subsequent
years, until his death in 1836. Besides these benefactions,
his lordship gave up the Castle of Durham, for the use of
the one college of which the foundation at first consisted.
But the intentions of Dr. Van Mildert respecting the
endowment were not for some years fully carried out,
in consequence of the appointment in 1833 of the
Ecclesiastical Commission, whose duty it was to render
the property of the Church more available than it had
hitherto been in promoting the purposes for which it was
intended. In 1841, however, on the recommendation of
these Commissioners, an order in council was procured,
by which other Chapter estates, situated in the immediate
neighbourhood of the city of Durham, and of the average
net annual value of £3,700, were made over for the same
object. This order attached the office of Warden per-
manently to the Deanery, and annexed a canonry in the
Cathedral to each of the professorships of Divinity and
Greek, so that the institution had thenceforward at its
disposal a net sum of £5,410 annually, exclusive of the
fees of students and other benefactions subsequently
made to it.
The University was first opened for the reception of
students on the 28th of October, 1833, when forty-five
young men were entered upon the books. It consisted at
this time of a Warden (Archdeacon Thorpe), a Professor of
Divinity (Rev. H. F. Rose), a Professor of Greek (Rev.
H. Jenkins), a Professor of Mathematics (Rev. James
Carr), and readers in natural philosophy, moral philo-
sophy, chemistry, languages, law, and medicine.
The Act of 1832 had vested the government of the
University in the Dean and Chapter, empowering them,
with the consent of the Bishop, to frame all necessary
regulations for its establishment and continuance. In
pursuance of this power, a statute was made in July,
1835, by which the Bishop was declared visitor, and the
Dean and Chapter governors, the affairs of the University
being ordered to be arranged by a Warden, a Senate, and
a Convocation.
In 1837, the work of the institution was completed by a
424
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I September
\ 1889.
Royal Charter, which made the University a body cor-
porate, with perpetual succession and a common seal. The
document was formally received in Convocation, sitting in
the magnificent Castle Hall, which was characterised by Sir
Walter Scott, on bis visit to Durham, as a room which in
proportion and beauty was equal, if not superior, to the
finest halls in either Oxford or Cambridge. This was on
the 8th of June in the above year; and a number of
degrees were granted on the
occasion.
Convocation consisted origin-
ally of the Warden, and of a
certain number of doctors and
masters in the faculties of di-
vinity, law, medicine, and arts,
from the Universities of Oxford
and Cambridge. At present it
consists of all such persons,
besides such of the original
members as have been regularly
admitted to the like degrees in
the Univer-sity of Durham,
and have conformed to the re-
gulations thereof. The Senate,
as at present composed, consists
of the Warden, the Professors
of Divinity, Greek, and Mathe-
matics, the two Proctors, and
live other members of Convoca-
tion, one of whom is elected by
convocation, one by the fellows
of the University, one by the
Newcastle College of Medicine,
and one by the Newcastle Col-
lege of Physical Science, while
one is appointed by the Dean
and Chapter.
The University now contains
four teaching faculties : those
of Arts and Theology being
carried on at Durham itself,
and those of Science and Medi-
cine at Newcastle-upon-Tyne ;
and, roughly speaking, the-
number of students at each
place is about two hundred.
There are many valuable foun-
dation scholarships, private
foundations, exhibitions, fel-
lowships, and prizes attached
to the University ; and there
has been a long succession of
eminent professors and tutors,
some of whom occupy or have
occupied very prominent situa-
tions.
The University has the power of founding as many
colleges or halls as may be necessary. It contains at
present one college and one hall. University College
occupies the Castle of Durham and the buildings adjoin-
ing. Bishop Hatfield'i Hall, with its chapel, is situated
in the North Bailey, and is in near proximity to the
Cathedral, Castle, University Libraries, and Lecture
Rooms. The members of each society are subject to the
PROCESSION OF BOATS ON THE WEAR.
September
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
425
same discipline, are under the same tutors, and are
eligible generally to the same endowments. The average
annual expenses of a student at University College, in-
cluding those of the University as well as the College,
are calculated at £80 to £85 ; at Bishop Hatfield's Hall
at £70 to £77.
No subscription or test is required of any member of
the University, with the exception that no person can
become a licentiate in theology, or take any degree in
theology, unless he has previously declared in writing that
he ia bona fide a member of the Church of England as by
law established. The public divine service of the Univer-
sity is that of the Cathedral Church of Durham, but no
student who is not a member of the Church of England is
obliged to attend the services.
There is an excellent library attached to the institution.
It was founded by Bishop Van Mildert, and has since
been largely increased by the addition of other collec-
tions, particularly that of the late Dr. Routh, the learned
President of Magdalen College, Oxford, consisting of
upwards of 20,000 volumes. It is accommodated partly in
the same building as Bishop Cosen's. which also serves as
the Convocation House, and partly in the adjoining
building, erected for the Exchequer of the Palatinate by
Bishop Neville. With the library of the Dean and Chap-
ter, Bishop Cosen's, and the University library, few places
are better supplied with the means of study and research
out of London and the two ancient Universities. There
is likewise a Museum attached to the institution, and
an Observatory besides.
The undergraduates of the University, having this
year resolved on holding a Commemoration Day, so as to
rid themselves of what they have for some time regarded
as a sort of reproach, seeing that Oxford has its world-
famous Commemoration, Cambridge its May Week, and
every public school in the kingdom its Speech Day and
other annual galas, it was duly celebrated on the 24th and
25th of June. Nearly a thousand tickets were issued for
the various events connected with it. The proceedings
began with a cricket match against Old Harrovians,
when the 'Varsity ground, the finest in the North of
England, presented a very animated and pleasing appear-
ance, being thronged with students in their many-coloured
*lblazers," and their lady friends in their quite-as-many-
coloured dresses. The match had a most exciting finish,
and finally ended in a win for the home team by five runs.
In the evening, the University concert attracted a large
gathering ; and next day Convocation was held in the
magnificent Castle Hall, which has recently been enriched
with a fine oak screen and a dado of oak. The proceed-
ings lasted about an hour, after which there was a garden
party in the Castle grounds, at which was present a large
gathering of both University and Chapter dons. In the
evening, between nine and ten o'clock, there was a proces-
sion of boats on the Wear, to see which the townspeople
turned out in creat numbers ; and a pretty sight it was,
as the boats, decked with Chinese lanterns and flambeaux,
passed and repassed between Hatfield Hull and the
Prebend's Bridge. Several of the gondolas were excep-
tionally attractive, much ingenuity and skill having been
GARDEN PARTY IN THE CASTLE GROUNDS.
426
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
( Ht'ph'inber
brought to bear on their decoration. The grand massing
of the boats took place immediately below the bridge,
from which the view was both weird and bewitching.
As the craft crowded together, with one containing a
representation of Cleopatra's Needle in the centre, the
scene was one blaze of light, whilst the occasional burn-
1869, he was chosen to succeed him. The dean has his
residence in the College. WILLIAM BROCKIE.
ing of coloured lights, and the sending up of rockets, lit
up the wooded banks of the Wear and the old grey
towers of the Cathedral overhead, producing an effect
such as can seldom be witnessed elsewhere.
The combined offices of Dean of Durham and Warden of
the University are occupied by Dr. William Charles Lake,
who succeeded Dean Waddington in 1869. He is the son
of Captain Lake, was born in January, 1817, and was
educated at Rugby under Dr. Arnold, whence he was
elected, in 1834, to a scholarship at Balliol College,
Oxford, where he graduated B.A., taking first-class
honours in classics. He also obtained the Latin Essay,
became fellow, and tutor of his college, proctor, and
assistant preacher and public examiner in classics and in
modern history. He was appointed by Lord Pautnure
member of a commission to report on the state of military
education in France, Piussla, Austria, and Sardinia, and
submitted, in 1856, conjointly with Colonel Yolland, HE.,
a report on the subject to both Houses of Parliament. He
was again appointed, in 1858, member of the Royal Com-
mission, under the presidency of the Duke of Newcastle,
to report on the state of popular education in England.
In the same year, he was presented by his college to the
living of Huntspill, Somersetshire ; and was appointed by
the Bishop of London preacher at the Chapel-Royal of
Whitehall. On the death of Dr. Waddington, in July,
THE HEAD OF THE SIDE.
Mr. James Hunter, of Ivy Street, Scotswood Road,
Newcastle, informs us that the photograph from which
we made our drawing of the Head of the Side, page 312,
was really taken from a sketch made by himself on the
spot in 1877, just before the old buildings were de-
molished. The drawing, he adds, is now in the posses-
sion of Mr. W. Crossling, Lily Crescent, Jesmond.
EDITOR.
THE BIDDICK PITMAN.
Since printing Mr. Boyle's account of the claimant to
the Earldom of Perth, which appears in the present
volume, page 145, we have received from Mr. Richard
Welford a copy of an engraved portrait of Thomas
Drummond, published some years ago by R. T. Edgar,
at 129, Pilgrim Street, Newcastle. The portrait was
drawn by Wass and Co., and engraved by Nicholson.
EDITOR.
THE WEDDERSTONE.
This is the name of a stone which stands in a field
near the village of Catton, in Allendale, Northumber-
land. Tradition states that several years ago a notorious
sheep-stealer infested this part of Northumberland.
He was the terror of the neighbouring farmers: in
the first place, because he appeared to be a good judge
of mutton, from the fact of his taking the best animal
of the flock ; and, in the second place, because, although
September \
1889. I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
427
he bad paid a visit to every sheepfold for several milea
around, and to many where a strict watch was kept,
he remained unsuspected, neither was there the slightest
suspicion of whom the thief might be. At length, however,
the invisible became visible. It appears that his method
of carrying off his booty was to tie the four legs of
the animal together, and then, by putting his
own head through the space between the feet and the
body, carry it away on his shoulder. On his last visit
to his neighbour's flock, the animal which he had selected
for his week's provision being heavy, he stopped to rest
himself, and placed his burden on the top of a small stone
column without taking the sheep off his shoulder. The
animal became restive, commenced struggling, and- so
slipped off the stone on the opposite side. Its weight
being thus suddenly drawn down round his neck, the
poor thief was unable to extricate himself, and was found
on the following morning quite dead, his victim proving
his executioner. Such is the story which appeared in
Chambers'! Journal some forty years ago.
F. BURY, Halifax.
THK TOWN HALL ORGAN".
At a Service of Song in the Town Hall, Newcastle, a
party of men from Northumberland were among the
visitors in the gallery. On taking their seats, the con-
versation turned on the organ, when one of the number
said, " Wey, whor is the organ ? " When it was pointed
out to him, he said with a downcast lip, " Wey, aa thowt
it wes yen of them thit torns wiv a handle ! "
POTATOES.
Scene : A shop not a hundred miles from Seaton Burn.
Enter a miner's " canny dowter " for half-a-stone of
potatoes. Shopman : " They're a penny up, the potatoes,
to-day." Canny Dowter: "Are they? Wey, then, let
us hev a half-steyne of yesterday's ! "
ABRAHAM'S BOSOM.
Two old fish wives met in Shields market the other day
when the following conversation ensued: — "Hie, Betty,
hinny, ma canny bairn hes getten away." " Hes it,
Peggy? An' whor hes it gyen te ? " " Wey, hinny, it's
gyen te Jerusalem's arms." "Wey, is't deed, hinny?"
"Aye, is't." "Then, ye mean it's gyen te Abraham's
bosom, hinny." " Wey, hinny, ye knaa aa's ne scollard ;
yell knaa the gentleman's name better than aa de ! "
SHIP AHOY!
Some years ago, the son of a well-known Sunderland
brewer and shipowner, who was blest with a short
memory, had occasion to hail one of his father's vessels
named the Swan, which was lying off in the tier in the
River Wear. Having forgotten the name of the ship, he
bawled out, "Me father's ship ahoy!" "Whatdeye
mean, ye f euyl ? " cried a bystander on the quayside. This
called forth the rejoinder, " It's like a deuk, but it's not a
deuk ; it's like a geuse, but it's not a geuse ; — me fathor's
ship ahoy ! "
Urrrtft=€mmtrg ©fcituarico.
On the 12th of July, the remains of Mr. James Defty,
an old colliery official, who had died two or three days
previously, in his 83rd year, were interred at Thornley.
The deceased, who was a native of Philadelphia, had
for many years charge of Woodhouse Colliery, near
Bishop Auckland, until it was closed in 1875, when he
retired into private life.
Mr. Daniel M'Millan, monumental sculptor, died at
Alnwick on the 16th of July, in the 58th year of his age.
On the 19th of July, the death was announced of a well-
known agriculturist in the Shotley Bridge district — Mr.
Matthew Ridley, of Snow's Green Farm. He was 69
years of age.
There died, at the residence of his father, 21, Lily
Crescent, Newcastle, on the 18th of July, Mr. Robert
Mowbray, who had lately returned home after eleven
years' absence in Australia, owing to the delicate state of
his health. Early in life he was prominently associated
with the Prudhoe Street Methodist body. The deceased
was 39 years of age.
After a brief illness, Mr. Richard Ferguson, a retired
gentleman, who was one of the first to build a detached
villa on the slopes of the Red Hills, famous in history as
the scene of the battle of Neville's Cross, died at Durham,
on the 21st of July. He was about 60 years of age.
On the 22nd of July, the death took place of Mr. John
Robson, of the Shepherd's Inn, Bishop Auckland, and
formerly a tradesman in Pilgrim Street, Newcastle. The
deceased took a very active part in the local volunteer
movement, and in 1866 succeeded in carrying off the
Dragon Cup, which was presented to him on the Wimble-
don Range by the Prince of Wales. Mr. Robson was 67
years of age.
On the 25th of July, Mr. John Watson, proprietor of
the Avenue Theatre, Sunderland, died at his residence in
that town.
The death occurred very suddenly on the same day of
Mr. Alderman J. W. Robinson, of Gateshead, aged 71.
He came from Weardale to Gateshead 46 or M years ago.
Starting business as a provision dealer in Bottle Bank,
he gradually prospered, and entered the wholesale line
on a very extended scale. About twenty years ago he
became a member of the Town Council, and in 1878 was
elected Mayor of the borough. So ably did he discharge
the duties of chief-magistrate, that his brother-councillors
re-elected him in the following year. The deceased
gentleman was also a borough magistrate, and was one
•of the original promoters of the Children's Hospital for
Gateshead.
On the 28th of July, Gateshead was called on to lament
the loss of another of its public men — Mr. Benjamin
Biggar, J.P., who died, also suddenly, at his residence,
Vernon Terrace, in the 68th year of his age. For many
years the deceased gentleman was a member of the Town
Council of that borough, and also an alderman of one of
the wards, but gave up his connection with municipal
428
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{September
1889.
matters some time since. He was twice Mayor of the
borough— in 1861 and 1862. Mr. Biggar was also an
ardent supporter of the turf and of various athletic
exercises.
The death was announced, as having occurred on the
26th of July, of Lieut-General Daniel), C.B., who, up till
a very recent date, had been stationed at York as com-
mander of the military forces in the Northern District.
On the 27th of July, Mr. \V. J. Malcolm, one of the
oldest tradesmen in the city of Durham, and a promi-
nent freemason, died in the 65th year of his age.
The death was announced, on the 30th of July, of Mr.
A. R. Lowrey, Castle Vale, Berwick, formerly borough
treasurer of that town. Mr. Lowrey, who was upwards of
70 years of age, was a justice of the peace, and had only a
few weeks previously celebrated his golden wedding.
Mr. Marshall Cresswell, a local songwriter, died at
Dudley Colliery, Northumberland, on the 1st of August.
Deceased was born at Fawdon Square, near Newcastle, in
1833, and was consequently 56 years of age at the time of
his death. Mr. Cresswell was an active supporter of
friendly societies ; and it was principally through his
efforts that a court in connection with the Order of
Foresters was established at Dudley Colliery.
On the 29th of July, intelligence reached Jarrow of
the death of Mr. Richard Denton, under-manager of
the new shipbuilding yard of Martinez, Riveis, Palmer,
and Co., at Bilbao. The deceased, who was 37 years of
age, had only recently left Jarrow for Spain.
Mr. Thomas Wilson Batty, who was the representative
of Messrs. Bailey and Leetham, shipowners, in Newcastle,
until 1887, when he was appointed manager for the same
firm at Reval, Russia, died at Reichenhall, Bavaria, on
the 30th of July.
Mrs. George Crawshay, wife of the well-known iron
manufacturer, of Gateshead, and a daughter of the late
Sir John Fife, Newcastle, died at Tynemouth, on the 3rd
August, in the 63rd year of her age.
On the 4th of August, Mr. John Deniston, formerly
connected with industrial and commercial pursuits in
Sunderland, died at Cardiff.
The death was announced, on the 7th of August, of Air.
C. II. Hines, of Kim Cottages, Duns, founder of the
Hines Coal Distribution Fund at Sunderland for the
benefit of widows and other needy persons. The deceased
gentleman, who was 72 years of age, was formerly a
solicitor in Sunderland.
Intelligence reached Hexham, on the 9th of August, of
the death of Mr. James Burn, author of " The Auto-
biography of a Beggar Boy," and for some years a frequent
contributor to the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle. His
sketches of men and manners 50 or 60 years ago were quaint
and picturesqiie, and were read with much interest. He
began life, as he himself states in his book, as a beggar
boy, and, after spending some years as a wandering
vagrant with his stepfather, a discharged soldier, he
served his apprenticeship to the hatting business in
Hexham. Here he married his first wife, a Miss Wilson, •
of Sandhoe. In 1834-, he commenced business as a hat
manufacturer in Glasgow, but not prospering in that line,
he opened in the same town a tavern known as the
Hatters' Arms. Soon after this, he had the misfortune
to lose his wife. In the year 1838 he again married, his
second wife being a native of Carlisle. When over sixty
years of age, he was induced to emigrate to the United
States : but. after soiournine there a few years, he re-
turned to this country. Some twenty years ago he
revisited Hexham, where his eldest daughter was then
and is now living. In 1871, he obtained a situation in
the service of the Great Eastern Railway, in which he
remained for ten years, until he was eighty-one years of
age, when his health gave way. He shortly after re-
ceived a grant from the Royal Literary Fund, made
arrangements for the publication of a revised and en-
larged.edition of his "Autobiography," and went to end
his days with his daughters at Hammersmith, where he
died peacefully on the 6th of August, in the 89th year of
his age.
On the 10th of August, Mr. Robinson Watson, senior
partner in the firm of Watson, Sons, Dixon, and Co.,
drapers, Stockton, died very suddenly at his country resi-
dence, Stainton Vale, Cleveland.
©entrotucjf.
JULY.
10. — Jarrow Town Council decided to sanction Sunday
music in the Recreation Grounds.
— On this and the following day the annual show
meeting of the Durham County Agricultural Society
was held at Sunderland. The exhibits throughout were
of high average quality.
11. — General Stevenson, commanding the Northern
District, and Colonel Stockley, R.E., visited the Tees
mouth, and inspected the proposed site for the battery
of quick-firing guns at the South Gare Breakwater.
12. — The summer Assizes for the city and county of
Durham were opened at Durham, before Mr. Justice
Cave. There were only 21 prisoners for trial. One of
the chief cases was that in which David Jones, labourer,
was charged with the manslaughter of Joseph Hall, at
Monkwearmouth, on the 21st of June. The prisoner,
however, was acquitted.
— Mr. James Craig, familiarly known as the Ouseburn
hero, was presented by the Mayor of Newcastle with the
silver medal and the address on vellum awarded to him
by the Royal Humane Society for his bravery in saving
life from drowning, this recognition of merit being accom-
panied by a sum of £65, subscribed by his admirers in the
district ; while his Worship, on his own behalf, added to
these gifts a handsomely mounted pipe in case. (See ante,
page 287.)
13.— A grand carnival and sale of work, postponed from
a previous day on account of the rain, were held at Bishop
Auckland, iu aid of the Bishop Lightfoot Young Men's
Church Institute.
14.— The new Roman Catholic Church of St. Benet, on
the Causeway, Monkwearmouth, was opened by Bishop
Wilkinson.
— The first of a series of Sunday band performances was
given on the Town Moor, Sunderland.
15. — It was announced that Mr. T. Gordon, a native of
Haltwhistle, Northumberland, and lately engineer and
surveyor to the borough of Leicester, had been appointed
chief engineer of the London County Council, at a salary
of £1,500 per annum.
September 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
429
— Mr. J. C. Stevenson, M.P., laid the foundation stone
of a new Presbyterian Church at Arthur's Hill, Newcastle.
— It was stated that two miners working in the Harvey
seam at East Howell Colliery, near Ferry hill, on firing a
shot, discovered, among the fallen stone, alive and unin-
jured, a perfect specimen of the grey toad ! The creature
was declared to have no mouth, but where the aperture is
usually found a dark strip was visible, affording evidence
— so the wonderful story ran— that a mouth had once
existed.
— The twenty-third annual conference of the North
Eastern District Union of Young Men's Christian Asso-
ciations was held on this and the following day at South
Shields, under the presidency of Mr. Edward Moore, J.P.
16. — Anew lecture hall in connection with theWesleyan
premises in Beaumont Street, Newcastle, which had been
erected at a cost of £5,000, was formally opened by the
Rev. Joseph Bush, president of the Wesleyan Conference.
— An inquest was held at Sunderland on the body of
Ann Garry, who had died, as the result of an accident, in
her 99th year, and who was said to be the oldest in-
habitant of Monkwearmouth.
17.— At the Durham Assizes, James O'Flanagan, physi-
cian and surgeon, of Houghton-le-Spring, who had on the
previous evening been found guilty of having libelled Mr.
E. J. Meynell, County Court Judge at Durham, but had
been recommended to mercy on the ground that he was
at times not responsible for his actions, was set at liberty
onshis own recognisances, to come up for judgment when
called on.
— The body of a diver named Richardson, who had been
accidentally drowned while engaged on a sunken steamer,
was found by a second diver in Beadnell Bay, on the
coast of Northumberland.
18. — It was announced that a new lifeboat, the cost of
which had been presented to the Royal National Life-
boat Institution by Mrs. Stoker, of Beverley, had been
stationed at Blyth.
— Miss Frances H. Close, of the Kensington Infirmary,
London, who had received a medal and bronze cross for
her services to the wounded soldiers during the Egyptian
campaign, was appointed matron and superintendent of
nurses at the Newcastle Infirmary.
19.— It was announced that, by a large majority, the
Durham miners had refused to accept the terms offered
by the masters, which included an immediate advance of
5 per cent., and further increase of 5 per cent, in three
months' time, with an inquiry into the condition of. the
coal trade at the expiration of the second three months,
so that if a further increase were warranted it would be
conceded. An advance of 2£ per cent, on wages was
officially made known under the sliding scale arrange-
ment, of which this was the last declaration. The Dur-
ham miners having, by a large majority, rejected the
original offer of two advances of 5 per cent., the masters
eventually offered an immediate advance of 10 per cent,
and this the men agreed, by a small majority, to accept.
A strike was consequently avoided.
— At a meeting of working men in Newcastle, a Radical
Association was formed for Newcastle and Gateshead,
and a committee was appointed to draw up a programme
for the new organization.
20. — At York Assizes, a' verdict, with £50 damages,
was awarded to Mr. Edward Clark, solicitor, Newcastle,
as plaintiff in an action for libel against Mr. E. R. Ship-
ton, secretary of the Cyclists' Touring Club, and editor of
the Monthly Gazette and Official Record.
— An exhibition of the articles of co-operative manu-
facture was opened by Mr. H. R. Bailey, at Morpeth, the
principal speaker on the occasion being the Marquis of
Ripon.
21. — The first of a series of Sunday sacred concerts was
held in Rockcliff Cricket Ground, Whitley.
22. — It was announced that the Bishop of Durham had
appointed the Rev. Herbert Kynaston, D.D., late Prin-
cipal of Cheltenham College, to the vacant Professorship
of Greek at Durham University. On the 8th of August,
Dr. Kynaston was installed as a Canon of Durham
Cathedral.
— M. Charles de Lesseps, vice-president of the Suez
Canal Company, and son of the eminent French engineer,
visited Sunderland as the guest of Mr. James Laing,
chairman of the River Wear Commission ; and on the
following day he laid a large block on the new pier in
course of construction by the Commissioners at Roker.
23. — In prosecution of a tour which he was making
through Europe, the Shah of Persia, accompanied by a
large suite, arrived at Rothbury from Edinburgh, and
was received by Lord Armstrong, whose guest he remained
over the night at Cragside. On the following worninj;,
his Majesty and party proceeded by special train to
Newcastle, which was reached shortly before one o'clock.
The Shah, on alighting, was officially received by the
Mayor on behalf of the Corporation, a large number of
430
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f September
the members of which, including the Sheriff, and other
officials, as well as a crowd of the general public, were
present on the railway platform. A suitable address,
read by the Town Clerk, was presented to his Majesty,
who, in replying, said he appreciated very much the wel-
come which had been tendered to him. The Shah and
attendants were then driven in carriages through the
city, and ultimately to the Elswick Works of Sir W. G-
Armstrong and Co., of which, after luncheon in the
offices of the company, a complete inspection was made-
The Shah and party departed for Bradford between four
and five o'clock.
— A severe thunderstorm passed over Newcastle and
district.
24.— Mr. U. A. Ritson, J.P., Newcastle, laid the foun-
dation stone of a class-room intended to be added to the
Wesleyan Sunday School at Castleside.
— The property and plant of the North Shields and
District Tramway Company were publicly sold for
£1,800.
— An interim dividend at the rate of 6 per cent, per
annum v/as declared by the directors of the Newcastle
and Gosforth Tramways and Carriage Company, Limited.
25. — It was announced that out of a sum of £15,000
awarded by the Government for the support of University
Colleges in Great Britain, £1,200 would be granted to
the Durham University College of Science in Newcastle.
—For the first time in the history of the Northumber-
land Agricultural Society, its annual show was opened at
Tynemouth, and extended over three days. The total
number of visitors was 19,372, and the receipts for ad-
missions amounted to £986 4s. 6d.
—The back portion of the Black Boy Inn, situated in
the Groat Market, Newcastle, suddenly fell down, bury-
ing in the ruins two women, \\ ho were afterwards rescued
with difficulty.
—The fifty-sixth annual show of the Cleveland Agricul-
tural Society was held at South Stockton.
27. — The various friendly Societies in Consett and dis-
trict held a united demonstration in the grounds of
Shotley Spa, in aid of a fund to perpetuate the memory
of the late Mr. Jonathan 1'riestrnan, J.P., by enabling
poor and necessitous persons to be sent to the Whitley
ami other convalescent homes.
— A license was granted to the Tyne Theatre by the
Finance Committee of the Newcastle Council, instead of
by the magistrates, as formerly, the change being brought
about by the new Local Government Act.
28. — A new Roman Catholic school-chapel was opened
at Tyne Dock.
30. — By invitation of the Mayor and Mayoress of New-
castle (Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Richardson), about a thou-
sand ladies and gentlemen attended an enjoyable garden
party in Jesmond Dene.
— In the Court of Appeal, constituted by the Master of
the Rolls (Lord Esher), Lord Justice Lindley, and Lord
Justice Bowen, the appeal of the Byker Bridge Company
in the case of the Attorney-General v. the Corporation of
Newcastle, was argued. Their lordships, on August
9th, dismissed the appeal.
31. — A disastrous fire occurred in the large bonded
stores of Messrs. Crisp and Robinson, Mill Dam, South
Shields.
— An amicable settlement as to wages was effected
between the Cleveland mineowners and their men.
— Mr. George Hannay laid the foundation stone of new
Sunday schools and an extension of the church, in con-
nection with St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Westoe
Lane, South Shields.
— The first annual show of the Berwick and Border
Kennel Club was held at Berwick.
AUGUST.
1. — An agitation against the price of meat was initiated
at Murton Colliery.
— A destructive fire broke out at the shipyard of
Messrs. J. L. Thompson and Sons, North Sands, Sunder-
land, the damage being estimated at £1,000.
— A very disorderly meeting was held in connection
with the recently formed Newcastle and Gateshead
Radical Association.
2. — The annual inspection of the Northumberland Hus-
sars was made on Newcastle Town Moor, by Colonel
Duncombe, who said he would be very happy to report
favourably of the regiment.
—At Seaham Harbour, late at night, a little girl named
Caroline Winter, eight years old, was decoyed by a shab-
bily-dressed stranger to a lonely cave on the sea-beach,
where she was outraged and murdered. No trace of the
murderer has, up till now, been detected.
3. — William and Francis Garrison, two sons of the late
William Lloyd Garrison, the eminent anti-slavery advo-
cate, passed through Newcastle en route for Edinburgh.
— The Victoria Jubilee Infirmary, Tynemouth, the
foundation-stone of which was laid amid the rejoicings of
Jubilee Day, was opened by Earl Percy.
— Captain Wiggins, of Sunderland, sailed from St.
Katharine's Dock, London, in command of the steamer
Labrador, bound for the river Yenesei, Siberia, by way
of the Kara Sea.
4. — The steamer Triumph, which had lain embedded at
the mouth of the Tyne since its collision with the Spanish
steamer Rivas, on the 22nd of October, 1888, was success-
fully floated by a Hamburg firm of salvors.
5. — It was announced that the will of Mr. John
Milling, draper, of Newcastle, and of Harlow Manor,
Harrogate, had been sworn at £71,806 16s. 7d.
— It was reported that by the general order to the Royal
Artillery, just issued, in order to reconstitute the great
regiment, the northern regular brigade of the batteries
would be abolished in common with several other
brigades.
— The cycling track at the Recreation Ground, Moor
Edge, Newcastle, was opened in the presence of Mr.
Alderman Hamond and several other members of the
City Council.
— The Merrybeut and Darlington Railway was offered
for sale by public auction, but no bid was made.
—The annual meeting of the Northern Union of Me-
chanics' Institutes was held at Newburn, under the pre-
sidency of Mr. John Watson Spencer.
— A new Congregational Hall was opened at the village
of Winlaton.
— The twenty-third annual Legislative Council of the
British United Order of Oddfellows was held in New-
castle, under the presidency of . Mr. Henry Gregory,
Grand Master, Chesterfield.
— The autumn meeting of the Institute of British Car-
riage Manufacturers was opened in Newcastle, the pro-
September \
1889. I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
431
ceedings, which lasted two days, being presided over by
Mr. G. N. Hooper, of London.
6. — The Cleveland ironmasters decided to grant to the
blastfurnacemen an advance in wages of 4 per cent, above
the sliding scale allowance, making an increase of 5 per
cent, above the standard rate.
— The Royal Scotch Arms Hotel, Newgate Street,
Newcastle, was sold by public auction to Mr. Farquhar
Laing, for £19, 000.
7.— By a majority of 25 against 22, the Newcastle City
Council decided against the introduction of sacred music
into the public parks or recreation grounds on Sundays.
8. — Mr. Alfred Cradock, a member of the Civil Service,
and son of Mr. Joseph Cradock, of Stockton, wholesale
grocer, was out rabbit shooting in the neighbourhood of
London, when a twig caught the trigger of his gun, and
the weapon exploded. The charge lodged in Mr. Cra-
dock's head, and killed him.
9.— It was stated that probate of the will, dated 26th
January, 1888, of the late Mr. Jonathan Priestman, J.P.,
of Derwent Lodge, Shotley Bridge, Durham, colliery
owner, who died on 21st December last, aged 63 years,
had been granted, the value of the personalty being af-
firmed at £97,945 6s. Id. The will, dated 1st March, 1856,
with codocils made the 24th March, 20th August, and
4th December, 1888, of the late Mrs. Jane Frances May-
nard, of 4, South Park Road, Harrogate, who died on 4th
May last, and was the widow of Mr. Thomas Christopher
Maynard, of Durham, solicitor, was also proved about
the same time, the personalty being valued at £7,403
4s. 6d.
— It was announced that Mr. John H. Amos, formerly
Committee Clerk under the Corporation of Newcastle,
had been appointed Chief Clerk to the Tees Conservancy
Commissioners, vice Mr. Joseph Dodds, at a salary of
£800 per annum.
—At the half-yearly meeting of the North-Eastern
Railway Company, a dividend of 6£ per cent, was de-
clared ; and a sum of £500 was voted to the Stephenson
engineering department of the Durham College of Science
in Newcastle.
10.— Thornley Colliery, after a suspension of operations
for five years, was re-started under the ownership of the
Weardale Iron and Coal Company.
(general ©ccurrcntejs.
JULY.
12.— The death was reported of Signer Giovani Botte-
sini, musical composer, and a noted performer on the
contrabass.
16.— Sergeant Reid, of Glasgow, won the Queen's Prize
at the National Rifle Association's meeting at Wimble-
don.
— A young man named Lennox went up in a balloon
at Manchester with a parachutist. The latter came down
safely, but the balloon collapsed, and Lennox was killed.
17. — Another horrible murder was perpetrated in
Whitechapel, London, presumably by the person known
as "Jack the Ripper." The victim, who was horribly
mutilated, was a washerwoman named Alice Mackenzie,
about forty years old. No clue to the murderer was
obtained.
—Death of Lord Ashburton (Alexander Hugh Baring),
after a sudden illness, aged 54 years.
— A workmen's congress was commenced in Paris, and
continued for several days,
— The result of an election for West Carmarthenshire
was as follows :— Lloyd Morgan (Gladstonian), 4,252 ;
Williams Drummond (Conservative), 2,533 ; majority,
1,719.
19.— The result of East Marylebone election, caused by
the resignation of Lord Charles Beresford, was as fol-
lows : — E. Boulnois (Conservative), 2,579 ; G. G. Leveson-
Gower (Gladstonian), 2,086 ; majority, 493.
— Mr. Parnell, leader of the Irish party in the British
House of Commons, paid a visit to Edinburgh, when the
freedom of the city was presented to him.
—An action for slander by Mr. William O'Brien, M.P.,
against the Marquis of Salisbury, Prime Minister, was
commenced at Manchester. The plaintiff claimed £10,000
damages. After the case had occupied the attention of
the court for several days, a verdict for the defendant
was returned.
25. — In the House of Commons, Mr. W. H. Smith pro-
posed that a grant of £36,000 be made to the Prince of
Wales for the benefit of his family. After an important
discussion, the proposal was carried.
27. — Her Royal Highness the Princess Louise Victoria
Alexandra Dagniar, eldest daughter of the Prince and
Princess of Wales, was married at Buckingham Palace to
Alexander William George. Duke of Fife.
30. — A co-operative demonstration, promoted by the
executive committee of Xo. 3 section of the Co-operative
"Union, was held at Keswick.
31. — The trial of Mrs. Maybrick, on a charge of having
murdered her husband, Mr. James Maybrick, by arsenical
poisoning, was commenced at Liverpool Assizes. On
August 7 the jury returned a verdict of guilty, and the
prisoner was sentenced to death. The verdict was re-
ceived with extraordinary demonstrations of disapproval.
—The Marquis of Salisbury, Prime Minister, was the
principal speaker at the annual banquet given by the Lord
Mayor of London to her Majesty's Ministers.
—Death of Admiral Baillie, of Dryburgh Abbey, Kelso;
and of Dr. Horatius Bonar, a well-known hymn writer,
aged 81.
The Parnell Commission was continued during July.
On the 16th, Sir Charles Russell and the other counsel for
the Irish party withdrew from the case. On the 25th,
the 112th day, all the witnesses had given evidence, and
Sir Henry James asked for an adjournment in order that
he might have time to prepare his speech. The court
adjourned until the 24th of October.
AUGUST.
1. — News was received of a terrible fire which occurred
at Loochow, China, on June 27, and lasted for three days,
during which 87,000 dwellings were destroyed, and 1,200
persons were burned to death. 170,000 individuals were
obliged to camp out for shelter, and many of these died
from want and exposure.
, 3.— The Emperor of Germany arrived at Spithead, and
was to have been present at a grand review of the British
fleet, numbering 20 armourclads, 35 cruisers, 18 gunboats,
and 38 smaller vessels— the largest fleet ever gathered
together in English waters ; but, owing to the inclement
weather, the ceremony was postponed until the 5th, when
everything passed off with success.
— A force of Egyptian and British soldiers, under
432
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
iber
General Grenfell, completely routed the dervishes at
Toski, Soudan, who were marching northward with the
object of attacking Egypt. Wad-el-Njumi, the com-
mander of the dervishes, twelve of his emirs, and fifteen
hundred fighting men, were killed, while a thousand
prisoners were taken. The British and Egyptian loss
amounted to 17 killed and 131 wounded.
5. — Death of M. Felix Pyat. a well-known French
revolutionist.
— The remains of Carnot, Marceiu, La Tour d'Auvergne,
and Baudin, French heroes, having been disinterred,
were deposited with much ceremony in the Pantheon,
Paris.
— The town of Spokane Falls, Washington Territory,
United States, was destroyed by fire. The damage was
estimated at 15,000,000 dollars.
7. — An Afghan soldier fired at the Ameer of Afghan-
istan, and wounded him in the head.
8.— Death of Benedetto Cairoli, Italian patriot, at
Naples, aged 63.
— Death of Mr. W. K. S. Kalston, a well-known writer
on Russian subjects, from an overdose of chloral, aged 60.
MILLET'S "ANGELUS."
"The Angelus," a celebrated picture by the great
French painter, Jean Francois Millet, which fetched the
extraordinary price of £22,120 at the sale of the Secretan
collection in Paris on July 1, has since passed into the
hands of American dealers, owing to the refusal of the
French Government to purchase it for the French nation.
Millet, who died in 1875 at the age of sixty, devoted him-
self mainly to the representation of actual life among the
French peasantry. He was born of a peasant family,
near Cherbourg, and lived in frugal simplicity in the forest
of Fontainbleau, working industriously for small pay.
The fame of his genius has extended far and wide since
his death, while his character has been presented in an
interesting light by many biographical comments. The
picture, as will be seen from our engraving, shows a couple
of peasants in an attitude of devotion as they hear the
bell of the neighbouring convent sounding the Angelus
at the close of day.
Printed by WALTER SCOTT, Felling-on-Tyna
TIbe
Chronicle
OF
NORTH-COUNTRY'LORE*AND*LEGEND
VOL. III.— No. 32.
OCTOBER, 1889.
PRICE 60.
23imm
, tfte JSurftam
j|N the llth of July, 1823, there died in Old
El vet, in the City of Durham, aged 92 years,
Mr. James Brown, commonly called Baron
Brown, widely known throughout the North
as the Durham Poet. A short account of his "life, char-
acter, and behaviour " may be found in the second volume
of Sykes's "Local Records," and a more "full, true, and
particular account " in Hone's "Every Day Book," fur-
nished to the industrious compiler by a Durham corre-
spondent, who signed himself " D." The sum and sub-
stance of both were inserted by Mr. Richardson in the
second volume of the legendary part of his " Local His-
torian's Table Book." From these sources, supplemented
by a few particulars otherwise gleaned, we shall piece
together our own narrative.
Brown was born, according to his own account, in Ber-
wick-upon-Tweed, but seems to have left that place at a
very early age. While still comparatively a young man,
he kept a rag shop in the Side, Newcastle, and was in the
habit of attending the fairs in the neighbourhood, from
Belford to Darlington, and from Sunderland to Hexham,
with ready-made clothes for sale. During his residence
in Newcastle, his first wife died. Of this person we are
told he always spoke in terms of affection, and it has been
supposed that his wife's death affected the poor man's
mind to such a degree that he became throughout the rest
of his life ever ready to be "tossed to and fro, and car-
ried about with every wind of doctrine." He believed in
every mad fanatic who rose up to diffuse opinions con-
trary to reason and common sense. The wilder the
theory, the more congenial to his mind. He was succes-
sively a believer in Elspeth Buchan, William Huntingdon,
and Joanna Southcote.
A few years after becoming a widower, he married a
Sarah Richardson, of Durham, a respectable though
very eccentric character, who was the proprietress of a
theatre in the City of St. Cuthbert, and possessed some
other little property there. On forming this second
match, he removed to Durham to reside, and there he
passed the rest of his life.
. ^yvowu
*fc «H
28
About the year 1794, Brown first came before the New-
castle public as a religious poet, having published a
rhapsody explanatory of some passage in the Apocalypse.
The frontispiece was a hideous engraving of a beast with
seven heads and ten horns, meant to represent that which
434
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
\
Oclolwr
John the Divine saw in his vision, as related in the
thirteenth chapter of Revelations. Of this plate he
always spoke in terms of rapture, and some averred that
it was from his own design ; but Mr. Hone's correspon-
dent was rather inclined to think that it was the work of
some of those waggish friends whom his eccentricity drew
around him. Pluming himself upon the poetic merit as
well as intrinsic exegetical value of his Apocalyptic rhap-
sody, Mr. Brown thenceforth dubbed himself, or was
dubbed by others, "The Poet Laureate of Newcastle."
He even believed that the Archangel Gabriel had seen
and approved of his symbolical drawing of the beast.
Our Poet Laureate's peculiar muse seems to have been
Melpomene, for all his poesy was of a serious cast. His
biographer in the "Table Book" says of him: — "Like
Dante, his imagination was gloomy ; he delighted to de-
scribe the pains of hell, the rattling of the chains, and the
torments of the damned. The mount of Sisyphus was his
Parnassus, the Styx was his Helicon, and the pale forms
that flit by Lethe's billows were the Muses that inspired
his lay." His poems consisted chiefly of visions, pro-
phecies, and rhapsodies, suggested by some part of the
sacred volume, of the contents of which he had an astonish-
ing recollection. "His song," according to the same
writer, "was, like that of the witches in Thalaba, unin-
telligible to all but the writer, on whose mind, in reading
it, meaning seemed to flash like strong inspiration." The
only two lines in Brown's works that have any meaning
in them to uninspired readers are said to run thus—-
When men let Satan rule their heart,
They do act the devil's part.
His last, and, as he esteemed it, his best work— his monu-
ment more durable than bronze — was a pamphlet pub-
lished in Newcastle in 1820 by Messrs. Preston and
Heaton at the reasonable price of one shilling. It was
not exactly a typographical gem, nor was it got up exter-
nally with that artistic taste which beseems the produc-
tions of a poet laureate. But it was not one of his weak-
nesses to publish his works in an expensive form ; for he
had faith that, if they only possessed true merit, they
would find readers, though their form was ever so
homely. On his once being shown the fine quarto edition
of Wordsworth's " White Doe of Rylstone," and told that
he ought, in justice to himself, to publish in a similar
style, his answer was that " none but the devil's poets
needed fine clothes." His masterpiece bore on the
title page — "Poems on Military Battles, Naval Vio-
tories, and other Important Subjects, the most extra-
ordinary ever penned, a Thunderbolt shot from a Lion's
Bow at Satan's Kingdom, the Kingdom of the Devil, and
the Kingdom of this World, reserving themselves in Dark-
ness for the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, as Jude,
the Servant of God, declareth. By James Brown, P.L."
This singular work was decorated with a whole-length
woodcut portrait of the author treading on " The Devil's
Books," like St. George on the Dragon, and blowing a
trumpet to alarm sinners. It was the work of a junior
pupil of Thomas Bewick — Sykes says of Bewick himself —
and it had certain "curious verses at top and bottom,'
the purport of which we are not told.
During the Parliamentary contest for Durham in 1820.
a number of copies of an election squib, said to have been
"written by a humble individual in connection with a
Northern newspaper," entitled "A Sublime Epistle,
Poetic and Politic, by James Brown, P.L.," were sent to
him anonymously for distribution. These he turned to
his own emolument by selling them at sixpence a copy,
after printing an explanatory address on the back of the
title, wherein he called himself 8.S.L.D., the " Slayer of
Seven Legions of Devils."
Amongst his strange ideas was one that he should
never die, but be taken up to heaven visibly, even as the
prophet Elijah was, according to the inspired word of that
worthy old woman, Elspeth Buchan, ''the comforter."
Under this delusion, when ill, he refused all medical as-
sistance, quoting the words of the Apostle James in his
justification. This he could do very fluently, for even
when he was long past the patriarchal age of four score
years and ten, his memory was still so retentive that it was
almost impossible to quote any passage of Scripture to
him without his remembering the book, the chapter, and
frequently the verse from whence it was taken.
At the age of ninety he was induced to sell the little
property he had acquired by marriage for a palty guinea
a week, to be paid during the life of himself and Mrs.
Brown and the life of the survivor. The property which
he parted from in consideration of this weekly stipend,
under the impression that the purchasers were "taken
in," as he "would never die," was a leasehold house in
Sadler Street, for the theatre had been pulled down.
This house was conveyed to two Durham tradesmen,
Robinson Emmerson and George Stonehouse, by whom
the allowance was for some time regularly paid ; but on
the latter becoming embarrassed in his circumstances, the
payment was discontinued, and poor Brown and his aged
partner were thrown on the world without a farthing, at
a time when bodily and mental infirmities bad rendered
them incapable of earning a livelihood. After this cala-
mity, Brown became for a few weeks an inmate of the
poorhouse, which he subsequently left for a lodging at an
obscure inn, where he died at the advanced age of ninety-
two, in a state of utter penury. His wife died about a
year afterwards in the parish poorhouse. The mortal
remains of both were interred in the churchyard of St.
Oswald.
James Brown was, like Billy Martin, uncommonly sus-
ceptible to flattery. The Wags of Durham took full ad-
vantage of this, and all his life long he was ever and anon
receiving letters in rhyme, purporting to come from Scott,
Byron, Shelly, Southey, Wilson, and other great poets.
He had likewise communications in prose from the King
of England, the Emperor of Morocco, the Sultan of
•Octoberl
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
435
Turkey, the Shah of Persia, the Czar of Muscovy, the
Great Cham of Tartary, &c. All these he believed to be
genuine, and he was in the habit of showing them as
curiosities to his friends, who were frequently the real
authors.
In the year 1821, when he was in his ninetieth year,
.he received a large parchment, signed G. K, attested by
George Canning and Robert Feel, and having attached to
it a huge seal, which he believed to be the Great Seal of
the United Kingdom. This document purported to be a
patent of nobility, creating him " Baron Brown, of Dur-
ham, in the County Palatine of Durham." It recited that
this title had been conferred on him in consequence of a
translation of his works into Sanscrit, Hindostani, or
Persian — we forget which, but it does not much matter —
having been the means of converting the Mogul Empire to
Christianity. From that moment he assumed the name
and style of Baron Brown, and had a wooden box made
for the preservation of his patent.
Of the poetic pieces which Brown was in the habit of
receiving, many were close imitations of the styles of the
authors whose names were affixed to them. One com-
munication, "from Mr. Coleridge," was a burlesque of
the " Ancient Mariner, '' and began —
It is a lion;s trumpeter,
And he stoppeth one of three.
Another, " from Mr. Wilson," commenced thus : —
Poetic dreams float round me now.
My spirit, where art thou ?
Oh ! art thou watching the moonbeams smile
On the groves of palm in an Indian isle?
Or dost thou hang over the lovely main,
And list to the boatman's boisterous strain 1
Or dost thou sail on sylphid wings,
Through liquid fields of air,
Or, riding on the clouds afar,
Dost thou gaze on the beams of the evening star,
So beautiful and so fair ?
O no ! O no ! sweet Spirit of mine,
Thou art entering a holy strain divine,
A strain which is so sweet,
Oh, one might think 'twas a fairy thing,
A thing of love and blessedness
Singing in holy tenderness, —
A lay of peaceful quietness,
Within a fairy street ?
But, ah ! 'tis BROWN, &c., &c.
A piece "from Walter Scott " opened with —
The heathcock shrill his clarion blew
Among the heights of Ben Venue,
And fast the sportive echo flew
Adown Glenavin's Vale ;
But louder, louder was the knell
Of Brown's Northumbrian penance-bell ;
The noise was heard on Norham Fell,
And rung through Teviotdale.
Ringing " the penance-bell " was a favourite expression
•of poor Brown's. It is said to occur three or four times
in each of his several poems, as —
We toll'd the devil's penance-bell,
And warned you to keep from hell, &c.
These burlesques were chiefly produced by the law and
medical students of Newcastle and Durham, and the
.young gentlemen of the Catholic College of Ushaw. But
the poet never detected the imposture, and died in the
full belief that he had actually been honoured with all
that distinguished and nattering correspondence.
Furthermore, he had another correspondent, of a far
more exalted character than any of those burdened with
mortal flesh, namely, the Archangel Gabriel, who used to
bring him letters from Joanna Southcote, and to call to
carry back his answers. This " Gabriel " was a young
West Indian, resident in Durham, whose amusement it
was to dress himself in a white sheet with goose wings on
his shoulders, and visit the poet at night, with letters
purporting to be written to him in heaven by the Devon-
shire prophetess. After " Gabriel " left Durham, Brown
was frequently told of the deception which had been
practised upon him, but he never could be induced to
believe that his nocturnal visitor was any other than the
archangel himself. " Did I not, " he once said, " see him
clearly fly out at the ceiling ? "
Of Brown's personal appearance the portrait which ac-
companies the memoir in Hone's "Table Book," from a
drawing by Mr. Terry, is said to give an exact idea.
Our own sketch is copied from it. With all his eccen-
tricities, he was an honest, harmless, and inoffensive old
man.
th,e late
(Chph.an.
HE apprentices of England were formerly
among the Great Powers, and, like other
Great Powers, occasionally forgot that it
was not well to go too far. The "Evil
May Day " of 1517 was witness in London to their
excesses. Jealous, in common with many of their seniors,
of foreign merchants and tradesmen, and more especially
of Frenchmen, they rose up against them, and were
joined by the populace. Fierce were the outrages that
marked the outbreak. Tolerance of strangers in the
trade and commerce of the City was odious to the
rioters, and violently were their prejudices made known.
Hundreds of the misguided throng were made prisoners.
Fifteen, including the ringleader, were singled out for
execution ; and many more stood in peril of death. Four
hundred, bound with ropes, appeared in their shirts
before King Henry in Westminster, with halters round
their necks, and cried aloud for mercy. Their supplica-
tions were earnestly supported by Queen Catherine, and
by the Queens of Scotland and France, then in London :
whereupon their lives were spared, to the great praise of
the royal clemency.
The London apprentices of a later day are described by
the pictorial pen of Sir Walter Scott, whose "Fortunes of
Nigel" has made them familiar to every reader of the
436
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
J October
1839.
Waverley Novels. Brand and other local authors have
not overlooked the apprentices of the Tyne. These
youngsters were by no means what we should call "small
boys." At the time of the Shrovetide riot of the reign of
Charles the First, and for long afterwards, youths were
well stricken in their teens before they were indentured
to Merchant Adventurers ; and, moreover, they were
bound for a term of ten years. Ambrose Barnes, the
famous Puritan Alderman, was 18 or 19 years of age
when he came from the Tees to the Tyne to enter upon
his long servitude. In 164-6 he was bound apprentice to a
Merchant Adventurer and " Boothman " — a significant
phrase, carrying back the imagination to olden times,
when booths and stalls were places of business among
our forefathers ; and, indeed, even in living memory,
there were shops in Newcastle unguarded by glazed
windows — a comparatively modern innovation in our
Northern metropolis. In Barnes's days, when the
Scottish Covenanters were on foot, it is related that
tracts in promotion of their cause were thrown in
by night, by unseen hands, at the open fronts of the
inhabitants of Newcastle ; several of which were sent
up to London for the consideration of the Government.
Unlighted were the thoroughfares ; and the principal
householders were required to relieve the gloom of winter
by placing lamps over their doors, accomplishing little
more than the making of darkness visible. The well-
known story of "Jack Scott" (Lord Eldon) shows us
that not only the Covenanters could readily intrude
their pamphlets on the tradespeople, but that the school-
boys of the last century had them considerably at their
mercy. The youngsters of the Koyal Grammar School,
stealing down the Side in the more dismal nights of the
year, bent on fun and mischief, would send someone in,
crawling on hands and knees, to an unsuspecting owner.
Up rose a small head opposite the feeble flicker of the
dim lamp or candle. One single puff, and out went the
light ! Out, too, went the roguish urchin ; and off ran
the little throng in search of new victims. Street lamps
there were none ; not even the twinkling stars of oil ; and
night larks were little restrained in their progress by the
old Dogberries.
The exuberance of the youth of Newcastle in Tudor
times may be measured by the severity of a statute
framed to keep it in check. It was enacted in the
month of November, 1554, by the Merchants' Company,
when Cuthbert Ellison was Governor and also Mayor.*
This "Act for the Apperell of the Apryntices " quaintly
exclaims in its graphic beginning :— " What dyseng,
cardeng, and mummyng ; what typling, daunseng, and
brasenge of harlots ; what garded cotes, jagged hose
lyned with silke, and cutt shoes ; what use of gitterns
by nyght ; wha', wearynge of berds ; what daggers ys by
* The spelling of the oM enactments is corrected from Mr. J. R.
Boyle's " Vestiges of Old Newcastle and Oateshead."
theim worne cross overthwarte their backs, that theis
theire dooings are more cumlye and decent for rageng
ruffians than seemlye for honest apprentizes ! " The
writer of the Act, having thus relieved himself of his hot
indignation, proceeds to the enactments for a reformation
of abuses. Apprentices were not "to daunse, dyse,
carde, or mum, or use gytterns"; "cuthose, cut shoes,
pounced jerkens" were forbidden; and "berds" were
not to be tolerated. As for garments, they must " weare
none other hoses than slopped of course clothe, whereof
the yarde not to exceed ij»." "Shoes and cotes to be
of course clothe, of houswifes making." "No straite
hoose" to be allowed, "but playne, without cuffs,
pounseng, or gardes." Exceptions there were, but only
few in number. The apprentices of Mayors, Sheriffs,
and Aldermen were alone exempt from the operation of
the humiliating statute.
Ten years afterwards, there was another curious piece
of legislation about apprentices. No Border youth, born
in Tynedale, Redesdale, or such like places, was to be
indentured, "the parties there brought up being known,
either by education or nature, not to be of honest conver-
sation." This disqualification, however, gradually ceased
to be regarded; although not until 1771, says Brand,
was it repealed.
In the autumn of 1603, when the Tudors were gone out
and the Stuarts had come in, the Merchant Adventurers
were again legislating as to their apprentices. These
difficult juveniles were prohibited from dancing, dicing,
carding, mumming, or using "anye musick, either by
nyght or daye, in the streetes. " Their apparel of cloth
was to be under ten shillings a yard ; or of fustian, of or
under three shillings per yard. They were not "to
weare any velvate or lace on their apparell, neither anie
silke garters, silk or velvat girdles, silk pointes, worsted
or Jersey stockings, shoe-strings of sylk, pumppes pan-
tofles, or corke shoes, hatts lyned with velvitt, nor double
Cypres hatt-bands, or silk strings, nor clokes and
daggers, neyther anie ruffed bands, but fallinge bands,
plaine, without laice, stitcht,"or anie kind of sowen worck ;
neither shall they weare their haire longe, nor locks at
their eares like ruffians. "
One privilege, however, they had; and yet we may
doubt whether it was prized by its possessors. A special
place of detention was provided for their discipline.
Thither, to the Apprentices' Prison in the West Gate,
were the disobedient and refractory committed ; and a
gaoler was appointed over them, with a salary of forty
shillings a-year.
Whether Tudors or Stuarts reigned, there was law-
making against the apprentices, and disregard of the
statutes ; and when the Monarchy was passing into
eclipse for a season, still the work of regulation went on.
In the year 1649, it was ordered that every apprentice of
the Merchants' Company should "cutt his haire ffrom ye
crowne of the heade," and "keepe his fforheade bare."
>ber\
19. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
437
" His lockes, if any, shall not reach belowe the lapp of his
•eare ; and the same length to be observed behynd. And if
in caise any be sicke, he shall weare a linnen capp, and no
other ; and that without lace. And they shall weare no
beaver hatts, nor castors. If their hatts be blacke, they
shall have blacke bands ; if gray hatts, then bands
suetable ; but neither gould nor silver woorke in any of
them; neither ffancies nor ribbins att their hattbands. The
cloath for their apparrell shall nott exeede ffourteene or
ffifteene shilling the yerde. They shall weare no stuffe
of silke or Camnell haire. Their clothes shall be made
plaine up, without lace or any other triraeinges, except
buttons ; and them onely in places needfull, and no better
then of silke. Their bands shalbe plaine, without lace or
scallope. They shall weare no cuffs, boothostopps, white
or cullered showes, or showes of Spannish lether, longe
nebd showes or bootes. No silke garters att all, noe
sbowstrings better than fferrett or cotten-ribbin. No
gloves butt plaine ; nor bootes butt when they ride."
Implicit obedience was demanded, but not in every
case obtained. At a Court of the Company, held on the
5th of October, 1649, nine of the apprentices refused to
•conform, and were allowed till the 7th of December
to consider their course ; when three of the number,
"shewing themselves disobedient and very obstinate,
were first In open court " — (where a dish is said to have
been kept by the edge of which their hair was cut round) —
" made exemplary by shortninge their hayre, and taking
from their clothes superfluos ribbining ; and after for
their wilfull obstinacy were comitted to prison, where
each was allowed no more money than two pence in
bread and one quarte of table beare per diem. " Eleven
days of this diet in durance overcame their contumacy.
Their spirits broken, they petitioned the Governor and
Fellowship "to passe by and be oblivious of all their
misdemeanors," promising on their enlargement to
observe the ordinances.
Conceive the mortification of these young gentlemen,
passing to and fro in the presence of their fair towns-
women, cropped and costumed as commanded by the
Company ! It is recorded of the shorn youths, in one
of the volumes of Brand, that a brother of the fraternity
was " complained of for mocking them, and calling them
'the Company's cowed tupps,' in the coarse and homely
language of that age."
Not only the costumes, but the creeds of the apprentices
were strictly supervised. On the 26th of January, 1656-7,
the Merchants' Company made an order bearing upon
the religion of the youths committed to their care. Listen
to the preamble of the ordinance ! " Whereas, in these
late tymes (wherein iniquity abounds), wee find by woef ull
experience a great apostacy and fallinge off from the truth
to Popery, Quakisme, and all manner of heresy and
unheard-of blasphemy and profainenes." Having laid
this alarming foundation for action, they resolve "that no
Popish recusant, or Quaker, or any who shall not attend
duely on his maister at the publicke ordinances, or any
base-begotten, crooked, or lame, or any other way de-
formed," be taken apprentice, on pain of being fined a
hundred marks.
Still were the Merchant Adventurers legislating over
their apprentices when the Commonwealth was gone, and
the Restoration had run its course, and the Stadtholder
filled the English throne. But not against heresies was
their governance directed ; personal blemishes were not
now matters of anxiety ; sports and gaieties, ruffles and
wigs were to be dealt with on the 24th of November, 1697.
The apprentices were forbidden "to go to dancing or
fencing schools, musick houses, lotteries, or playhouses, to
keep horses, dogs for hunting, or fighting cocks, till they
had served seven of their ten years." They were "to use
no gold or silver trimming on their apparel or hats, nor to
line any garment with any sort of silk ; to wear no point
lace, nor any embroidery at all ; no ruffles at their
breasts, necks, or sleeves ; and, lastly, no long wigs, nor
any short ones above the value of 15s."
The reader will now have some imagfi in his mind of
the apprentices of former days. Mirny of them were sons
of the gentry and yeomanry of the Nortli of England.
Likely leaders, therefore, the apprentices might find if
they were wanted ; and an occasion arose in the year
1633, when "at Shrovetide there was a riot of the appren-
tices, on account of a new limekiln and ballast-heap
having been made without the gate of the town called
Sand Gate."
Shrovetide, 1633, fell on the 5th of March. The Lords
of the Privy Council heard of the tumult within a week
of its occurrence. The Mayor (Lionel Maddison), with
others of the inhabitants, wrote to them on the subject
on the llth of March, stating that the apprentices had
pulled down a limekiln belonging to Christopher Reasley,
which stood on the Ballast Hills without the walls.
Some of them had been arrested, and the Mayor and
others were conveying them to prison, when their
comrades made fast the gate (Sand Gate) ; and although
the captives were lodged in gaol, they were subsequently
rescued by those at liberty. The rioters then assembled
on the Ballast Hills, and held possession of them for two
days, endeavouring to pull down Reasley's house, and
partly effecting their purpose. With pikes and halberts
they withstood the Mayor and magistrates, who could
get little assistance from the burgesses ; for, indeed, the
townspeople secretly aided the rioters. Some few arrests
were made ; but the writers, at the date of their letter,
apprehended further wicked doings.
"The pretence of this insolence," wrote Secretary Sir
John Coke on the margin of the communication, "was
that the limekiln had been erected in prejudice of the
drying of their clothes, and their walks after service."
Henry Lord Clifford and Francis Earl of Cumber-
land were at this time Lords-Lieutenant of Cumberland,
Westmoreland, and Northumberland. The former of the
438
MONTHLY CHRONIG.LE.
1 October
\ 1889.
two wrote to the Mayor on the 12th, regretting such an
outbreak in a town hitherto so well governed; and
suggested that, if the authorities had assembled the
train-bands to apprehend the rioters, and had had good
guard and watch over the prisoners, the delinquents had
not been so easily rescued, and the tumult would have
been sooner ended. They had, he said, the Sheriff of the
County dwelling amongst them, and the Deputy-Lieuten-
ants to assist them ; and if the disorder increased, he (Lord
Clifford) would not fail to give his best assistance.
For all which comfortable criticism the Mayor and his
brethren were no doubt duly grateful. On the 13th, the
Vice-President and Council at York were writing to
Thomas Viscount Wentworth (the Lord Strafford of an
after-day), reporting to his lordship, as Lord-President of
the North, what measures they had taken on hearing of
the riot. They had first ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to
attach persons who were by name complained of ; then
they had written to the neighbouring Sheriffs to support
the Mayor ; and they proposed to give directions to
proceed against the offenders as they should find cause.
The Mayor and his friends again wrote to the Lords of
the Privy Council on the 26th, gratified that the King
approved of their efforts in suppressing the riot. They
had doubted their power to call out the train-bands;
besides, the trained bands consisted of townsmen ; and
not finding such forwardness as they expected in them to
assist the Mayor, they feared to add thereby more
strength to the rioters. All had been quiet since the riot
was suppressed. The Council of the North had arrested
most of the delinquents, who were now at York to be
censured by that tribunal. Until they were thence
dismissed, the writers could not send the chiefest of
them to London as directed.
At the sessions in Newcastle, on the 29th of March,
an indictment was found against Edward Glavering
[Clavering] and others, for the riot and misdemeanour
committed by them in the destruction of the limekiln of
Christopher Reasley, situated on the West Ballast Hills,
and in other unlawful acts in connection with the riots.
\Vhat was done with them the Calendar of State Papers
sayeth not, and we have failed to ascertain in other
quarters.
Secretary Coke, making notes on the communications
received from Newcastle, lets us know in what directions
his thoughts were running. He attributed the disturb-
ance, not to the pretence of destroying the limekiln built
on the town drying and pleasure ground, but to a desire
in the Commons to have a change in the local government,
and stated various circumstances connected with the
audit of the Corporation Accounts, and the last election
of Mayor, from which he drew this inference. Coke had
misgivings that the masters as well as the apprentices
had brought about the disasters.
We have seen that a Clavering was indicted as one of
the rioters : a Bulmer was also implicated in the fray.
His petition of April 16, 1634, to King Charles, occurs in
a volume of the Calendar of State Papers. Being (said
he) one of the Trinity House of Newcastle, and a steers-
man of the barge to carry his Majesty and divers of the-
nobility down the Tyne (June 5, 1633), he did then show
the King and the Lords a certificate from the Trinity
House of the (treat abuse concerning that river ; for which
relation, and no other cause that he could imagine, the
Mayor and Aldermen, having property in the staiths and
quays whence the abuse arose, had taken so great malice
against him, that in his absence, in a suit at York,
followed by the town, they procured him to be fined
500 marks, as being one of those who animated the boys
to the late pulling down of a house and limekiln, the
evidence against him being only that of some lewd
persons whom he had before punished, and he in his
answer having expressed his innocence ; yet, not so
satisfied, they use other unjust persecutions against him.
Prays the remission of the fine, or a reference to the
Lords of the Admiralty.
The Secretary of the Admiralty, Edward Nicholas, is
preparing, May 3, for a meeting of the Board, and makes
notes of the business requiring the attention of the Lords.
"Three men in custody of messengers," he writes:
" Buhner, Fenn, and Billings." Then in the margin of
his memorandum, he has this jotting: — -"!Fenn and
Billings, on their discharge of Boult, to be discharged."
About a fortnight afterwards, there is a petition of
Edwaid Bulmer, mariner, to the Admiralty : — Has
continued in custody three weeks, and understands the
messenger is suddenly to ride with him to York. Is so
weak, by age and infirmities, as to be unequal to so long
a journey, without great danger. Prays time for his
appearance at the Court in York, on sufficient security.
(" To present his security for £1,000," is Secretary
Nicholas's note.)
The security was found ; the bond approved ; and
Bulmer discharged, with an obligation to appear in York
on an appointed day. On the 30th of June, he was
petitioning the Vice-President and Council of the North.
He had been informed against, among others, for riots
committed at Newcastle ; for which (he says) he, with
the rest, was most justly censured at this table, he being
then employed by the Merchant Adventurers for a
voyage to Hamburg, and unable to attend at the
hearing of the cause. Acknowledges his censure to be
just, and submits thereto, but beseeches them to consider
his great loss by the Dunkirkers, and in other ways (these
Dunkirkers preying on English shipping along our coasts
to the reproach of the Government).
An order of the Court was made, mitigating the
mariner's fine to £40 ; on payment of which, or security,
the pursuivant bad warrant for his discharge. Bond was
accordingly given ; and before the year ran out the
penalty was paid. And so ends our Shrovetide story of
the riot of 1633 on the West Ballast Hills.
October
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
439
It is curious, now-a-days, to read of the apprentices in
past times as a community and a power — ruffling gallants
of the night, with tinkling "gitterns" in front, and
deadly daggers " crosse overthwarte their backes."
Shortly before the Shrovetide riot, thousands of "scrolls"
are said to have been cast abroad in London for the
gathering together of apprentices to demolish houses of
ill-fame ; and shortly after it there was a talk of their
pulling down obnoxious places of worship. They seem to
have been regarded as ready for any raid. When the
cry of "Clubs" was heard, the London apprentice, as
described by Sir Walter Scott, rushed to his staff, and
his master saw no more of him till the affray was ended.
But the world changes, and the apprentices with it. The
"gittern" of the streets has given place to the piano of
the house. Sumptuary laws have been repealed by time,
and the Apprentices' Prison has followed them into
forgetfulness.
In the year of the riot under the town-walls, King
Charles came to Newcastle, arriving among the burgesses
ere the month of June was full three days old. On the
morrow, with his suite, he dined with the Mayor and his
brethren. His Worship knelt to his Sovereign, and rose
to his feet "Sir Lionel Maddison." Next day, June 5,
the king went on board the barge of which Edward
Bulmer was steersman, bound for Tynemouth Castle ;
and we may be sure his Majesty had pointed out to him,
in passing, the Ballast Hills, where clothes were dried
and citizens promenaded, and where so recently had
happened the memorable riot. How different now the
scene — afloat and on shore !
Eft* Cut=$)wrs<r
j|N ancient costumes the purse was slung
from the girdle, and the thief of the
period appropriated it by cutting the
leather straps by which it was suspended.
Hence the name of cut-purse. Autolycus, rogue and
vagabond, was of the profession, and was proud of his
accomplishments. When he discourses on his craft, he
says : — " To have an open ear, a quick eye, and a
nimble hand is necessary for a cut-purse : a good
nose is requisite also to smell out work for the other
senses." His was the consideration of the subject as
a fine art ; but the lofty view of his profession was not
shared in by the world at large. A stern statute, 8
Elizabeth, 4, sets forth : — "Whereas there are a certain
people, of a fraternity, or brother-hood, that puts in
practice that art, or mystery, of cutting of purses, and
that do combine secretly, to spoyl the true subjects of
this realm, be it therefore enacted, that whosoever be
found guilty of taking away monies, &c., in such sort,
from any person, or persons, shall not have the benefit
of clergy." The popular mind was strongly disposed
to take this view of the business and to mete out vague
terrors to the offender. Cut-purse thus became an
epithet descriptive of the sum of all villany. Doll
Tearsheet displayed her copious vocabulary to the
admiration of Sir John Falstaff and the confusion of
ancient Pistol, and she is wrought up to the highest
pitch of anathema when she cries, " Away, you cut-purse
rascal ! " It was her superlative degree in infamy. This
association of the word was recognised by the Mayor
and burgesses of Newcastle-upon-Tyne at an early period,
and they used it as an object lesson to offenders against
their charter laws.
At the very time when Shakspeare was writing, there
is an entry in the Newcastle municipal account book
which reads — "Auguste, 1593, Paide for two purses of
lether which should have bene cutt in the Towne
Chamber and was not, by a Frenchman, 8d." This is
explained by reference to a petition which was after-
wards presented by the authorities of Newcastle to
James I., in which they pray his Majesty "to confirm
all their ancient grants and charters, and to give them
further powers, especially of the river Tyne." They set
forth, among many articles, that : — "Whereas there hath
been an ancient custome in Newcastle, that every master
of any ship, who is known to cast any ballast at sea,
between Souter and Hartly, or within fourteen fathom
water of the haven, to the hurt of the said river, was
brought into the towne chamber ; and there, in the
presence of the people, had a knife put into his hand,
was constrained to cut a purse, with monies in it, as
who should say he had offended in as high a degree as
if he cut a purse from the person of a man, whereby he
might be so ashamed that he should never offend again
therein ; and others, by his example, were terrified from
trespassing in the like kind." These ancients of New-
castle were a picturesque old people, who, in their
unsophisticated manner, made the dry procedure of a
trial sparkle with dramatic incident. All their ways
seem to lead us on to the masque and antique pageantry
of the times. Their delight was in minstrels, waits, and
dancers, as their accounts for payment show us. Their
plays and shows, on the high carnival of " copy-cristy "
day, embraced "The Three Kings of Coleyn," "The
Deliverance of the Children of Isrell out of the
Thraldome, Bondage, and Servitude of King Pharo,"
"The Offering of Isaac by Abraham," and many other
pious performances. They seem to have fully entered
into the spirit of the miracle play, which at once taught
its solemn lesson and at the same time gave the pleasure
of a spectacle. It was but one step from this to the
cut-purse scene in the "towne chamber," where, "in
the presence of the people," a little drama was enacted,
showing the moral turpitude of the offence of ballast-
casting. All that was required was a knife " to cutt "
withal, and an expenditure of eightpence, as we have
440
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I October
seen, for purses. The chief actor was found in the person
of the skipper of a "crayer " of Harwich, or of a "hoy "
hailing from Yarmouth, who was constrained to make
a '"bizon" of himself before all men. The "two puraei
of lether which should have bene cutt, and was not, by a
Frenchman," show the occasional transition of the action
from its serious moral aspect to the broadest farce.
Probably the scene proceeded smoothly with the French-
man in the solemn dumb show which he could not under-
stand till the knife was put into his hand. With what
grimace, gesticulation, and final explosion of laughter
from clerks, witnesses, and the Worshipful presence
itself the scene at last closed, we need scarcely be told.
The entry " should have bene cutt, and was not, by a
Frenchman," sufficiently explains alL
It is to the work of Ralph Gardner, of Chirton, Gent.,
that we are indebted for contemporary details of this
ceremony. In his "England's Grievance Discovered "
(A.D. 1655), he says of the many items included in the
petition to Kinc; James — •" All these articles are broke,
except the fifth, for cutting purses, and the ninth
article." The Mayor and burgesses clung tenaciously
to the ancient form. But, whatever may have been the
moral effect of the performance in the old time before
them, it had become in Gardner's days a vain and
venial show. "The mayor and burgesses of Newcastle-
upon-Tyne," he says, "do force masters of ships to cut
purses, in their open court, for gain to themselves, and
imprisions them if they refuse. They force all masters of
ships to swear against themselves, and notwithstanding
they have swore the truth, others are called in to swear
against them, which is for a fine's sake, which profit
accrues to the mayor, burgesses, and witnesse, for their
own use." All the poetry had now gone out of the scene ;
for, according to Gardner, a sordid spirit that looked
only at fees and fines was in the air of the town chamber.
No ringing merriment now in that sombre apartment if a
" Frenchman " wonderingly gazes and cannot be got to
understand the customs of the Northern port. Not in
Gardner's time would he be allowed to depart amid the
laughter of the crowd and the loss of eightpence to the
municipality. The court had become a star chamber,
and we have not only a verbal description of the altered
condition of the play, but Gardner gives us the actual
pictorial representation which is here reproduced. In
this the plot has thickened since the early times, and the
picture is made up of a series of incidents set forth in
panoramic fashion. Here, on the left hand, at the angle
of the wall \G\ enter the shipmaster, to whom an oath is
being administered. He swears that he "did not cast
ballast at sea, between Sowter and Hartly, or within
fourteen fathom water, to the hurt of the river of Tyne."
But the figure on the extreme right [DJ in chair of state,
with insignium, is his Worship the Mayor, before whom
standing, cap in hand, is the villain of the piece. He is
" a poor drunken fisher-man, or other, and maketh oath
that the master did cast ballast, when in truth he did
not." This witness receives part of the fine, for it was
ordered that "such rewards as shall be given to every
wherry-man, or fisher-man, or other that shall truly
present any offence against the Tyne Conservancy, shall
be taken out of such fines, mulcts, and amerciaments, as
shall be imposed upon any the delinquents." On such
testimony it is proved that the master has forsworn
himself. "Then the master's oath is invalid, and laid
aside, and he is forthwith commanded to pay a fine of
five pounds, or else to cut a purse with sand and money
in it, and so much as is therein, he must pay, or is sent to
October I
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
441
prison, and there to lye till he doth pay it." On the wall
which forms the background of our picture are hung
three purses. The shipmaster [A] is in the act of cutting
one of them. According to Gardner, he must pay the
five pounds fine, "orrfsecut a purse." Now, if this was
left as an alternative, the master, in electing to cut the
purse rather than pay the fine, must have trusted to
his chance of cutting a purse holding sand only. The
ignominy of submitting to the degrading ordeal was in
itself punishment sufficient, and it would, if optional, be
adopted only as a last resource in hope of averting the
fine. But sand and money bulge out each purse to an
equal bulk, and there is probability that the unfortunate'
skipper cuts down a purse containing, not five pounds, but
an even larger sum of money, which "the clarks telling
the mony " [D] are eager to finger. The little drama
closes with the passage of the action to the grated
windows shown in the upper left hand corner of the
plate. Within is the appearance of a ghostly figure. It
is the ill-fated shipmaster in prison, " who there doth
lye" till he pay the uttermost farthing.
Gardner gives the case of a captain who was fined £20
for casting ballast, and a further £2\ for denying on oath
that he had cast it. "Some drunken fisher-man, or
other," swore that he saw it done, although he and
another stood a quarter of a mile away from the ship
at the time. The vision of these men became preter-
naturally acute on such occasions. One of the ship's
company had cast, not ballast, but two or three straw
mats out of one of the ship's port-holes, and the captain
plaintively argues : — "This could do no harm by reason
of its swimming to sea." "No harm," adds punctilious
Gardner "other than endanger the choaking of the
fish ! " But the cut-purse ordeal had now become a
mere plan for extorting a cumulative penalty, and of
the actual knife and purses, as they lie in the collection
of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
we can only say with the author of the "Pitman's
Pay":—
The "cut-porse " points te by-gyen times,
When truth was niver sowt in wells —
When Justice punish'd captains' crimes
Without the fash o' weights and skyells.
R. OLIVER HESLOP.
g'tf iQlatrtf, fjffrtftttnt=
HE islands and islets off the coast of North-
umberland are, almost without exception,
of much interest on account of their
sacred and historic associations. Holy
Island, the largest in area, will ever be memorable as
the spot which was chosen by St. Aidan in A.D. 635 for
the seat of his bishopric, and so became, in the words of
the Bishop of Durham, " the true cradle of English
Christianity." Fame Island has the fame of St. Cuth-
bert for its undying heritage. Coquet Island was the
site of a small Benedictine monastery as early as A.D. 684,
and the scene of an important interview between Elfleda,
the abbess of Whitby, and St. Cuthbert. St. Mary's
442
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
(October
Island, the subject of this paper, has but one claim to
distinction— its connexion with the celebrated Priory of
Tynemouth.
The idea that solitude was favourable to the develop-
ment of the religious life was very prevalent during the
earlier ages of the Church, and the few barren inhospitable
islets off the coast were soon appropriated by lonely
recluses. When two of them settled on the same spot,
they regarded each other with jealousy and dislike, as
did Elwin and Bartholomew on the Fame, and anything
but a saint- like spirit was manifested. One of the monks of
Tynemouth, St. Henry the Dane, retired to Coquet Island,
and another appears to have withdrawn to the bleak rock
now known as St. Mary's Island. We have the authority
of Mackenzie for stating that there was formerly a her-
mitage on the islet, though whether the historian had
any documentary evidence of the fact may be doubted.
A little chapel dedicated to St. Mary was founded here at
an early period, but every trace of it has long since dis-
appeared. The only guide to its site is the inlet in the
rocks known as St. Mary's Bay, to which fishermen still
run for shelter when caught in a storm. According to
tradition, a lamp was kept burning in the sanctuary
during the night for the benefit of passing ships. In the
tower hung a bell which was rung to summon aid in the
event of a shipwreck on the coast. Attached to the chapel
was a cemetery in which it was customary to bury the
bodies of drowned sailors. Interments took place in it
until about a century ago. It is said in the district that,
towards the end of last century, while the Russian fleet
was lying off the coast, it suffered from the ravages of
cholera, and that permission was obtained from the
authorities to inter the bodies of the victims of the
dreadful disease on St. Mary's Island instead of
burying them at sea. While some additions were
being made to the inn on the island a short time since,
seven skeletons were discovered, one of which is still kept
in the cellars. The lawn on the east side of the house
is the site of this graveyard, and cannot be built on,
being consecrated ground. It is recorded that in April,
1810, a number of fishermen who were rescued during a
storm by the Blyth lifeboat, were landed at Bates Island.
This is another name for St. Mary's Island. It may have
been called after tome person of the name of Bates, or the
name may have been derived from the circumstance of
fishermen baiting their lines here. The " old standards "
say that a pood deal of smuggling was formerly carried on
in the island. The contraband goods were transferred
into boats from the lugger and then run into a deep wind-
ing gully called "The Smugglers' Creek," on the north
Bide of the island, near the gable end of the present inn,
and so conveniently and quietly landed.
The island is a little boss of sandstone belonging to the
coal-measures, and was no doubt at one time connected
with the mainland. Around it are accumulations of tidal
deposits— coarse pebbles and boulder beds. Rising from a
low reef which is covered with masses of twin-bladder
wrack and the other varieties of fucus, it forms a pictur-
esque object from nearly every point of view, and
sketches are continually being made of it, many of them
finding their way to the walls of the Bewick Club. The
only house on the island is the well-known inn of Mr.
John Ewen, a long, low building facing the west, partly
thatched and partly tiled. A potato patch in front of it,
with a privet hedge for a fence, shows that even such an
exposed and bleak spot as this may be cultivated to good
purpose. At one end of the house is a bare bleached ledge
of rock overlooking the little haven, at the other is a bit of
green turf with a flagstaff upon it, banked up from the
sea. Many rare birds en route from the northern parts of
Europe, and even from the plains of Central Asia, find
their way to the island, where, sad to say, they are fre-
quently shot. Of these feathered immigrants we may
mention the hoopoe, the hooded merganser, the blue-
throated warbler, and Pallas's sand grouse (of which there
are two beautiful specimens in the principal room of the
inn). Mackenzie relates that, in December, 1763, there
was found in the stomach of a woodcock which was shot
here a diamond of considerable value.
Anyone visiting the island in the autumn of 1739 would
have seen oh the sea-banks immediately opposite a gibbet
with the body of a murderer upon it, the chains clanking
and creaking in the wind. The unfortunate man was
Michael Curry, who was executed at the Westeate on the
4th of September, 1739, for the murder of Robert Shevil,
the landlord of the Three Horse Shoes Inn at Hartley,
and then, as was the custom of the time, hung in chains
within sight of the scene of the crime.
They set him on high,
That all the ships of the world might stare at him
passing by.
From that time to the present the spot where the
gibbet stood has been known as "Curry's Point." In.
the map of Lieutenant Andrew Armstrong and Son,
published in 1769, there is a representation of the ghastly
object, which was no doubt standing at the time.
WM. W. TOMLINSON.
at ^Harft 'SCtoift
SCtoeetr.
anlr
IJenrg Chapman,
MAYOR AND MEMBER OP PARLIAMENT.
FAMILY of Chapmans held high office
in Newcastle for the greater part of a
century. They made their appearance
upon the lists of mayors, and sheriffs, and
members of Parliament in 1545, and their exit in 1628,
since which date, with the single exception of 1834, the
October >
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
443
name finds no entry there. Three members, at least, of
this family were men of mark — Oswald Chapman, Henry
his son, and Henry his grandson. A few paragraphs will
suffice to show the position which each of these worshipful
persons occupied in the municipality and in the State.
Oswald Chapman, elected Sheriff of Newcastle at
Michaelmas, 1545, and Mayor for the municipal year
1558-59, laid the foundation of the family fortune by
marriage. He was united, about the time of his
shrievalty, to Marion, daughter of Henry Anderson —
an alliance that brought him into kinship with most of
the leading families of the town, and gave him position
and influence. His name appears in the charter which
Edward VI. granted to the Newcastle Merchant
Adventurers, and in the list of their worshipful
governors. During his mayoralty, he was called upon
to take a muster of the men capable of bearing arms in
the town, and was appointed a member of a Royal
Commission "for Assigning Places to Load and Discharge
Merchandise " within the port of Newcastle and the
creeks of Hartlepool and Whitby.
In his will, which bears date October 6, 1566, he
appears as the owner of a mansion in the Close, wherein
he resided, with cellar, parlour, and packing loft, garden
and orchard ; a house in Pilgrim Street, "at the head of
the Painter-heugh " ; another in Javel Group ; a fourth
adjoining his own dwelling ; and lastly, that remarkable
house on the Tuthill, which in after years became a
Nonconformist meeting-place, and still stands with faint
traces of its former magnificence, crumbling to dust. He
was also the owner of salt pans in Wellington fields, and
of property in Gateshead.
Henry Chapman, so named after his maternal grand-
sire, followed his father's footsteps in public life, and rose
to greater heights of honour and usefulness. He inherited
the family mansion and other property, subject to the life
interest of his mother, and being appointed Sheriff in
1581, rose to the mayoralty in 1586, was elected Mayor
again in May, 1597, on the death of Ralph Jenison, and
filled the office for the third time in the municipal year
1608-9. At the Parliamentary election in October, 1597,
just after his second mayoralty ended, he was sent to
represent his native town at Westminster, and a similar
honour was conferred upon him in the first Parliament
of James I. A member of the Hostmen's Company, and
a large coalowner, he took a prominent part in the heated
discussions that arose out of the coal monopoly, defended
the fraternity against the complaints of the citizens of
London, and espoused their cause in ihe violent quarrel
that sprung up among the burgesses of Newcastle
respecting the apportionment of the Grand Lease of
Gateshead and Whickham. In the "Great Charter" of
Queen Elizabeth, he is named as one of the aldermen, and
is included among the fraternity of Hostmen, which then,
for the first time, was created a body corporate.
When King James I. came to the throne, the town
petitioned for further powers over the management of
the river Tyne, and in 1613 his Majesty sanctioned
the appointment of a Tyne Conservancy Commission,
consisting of the Bishop of Durham and certain justices
of the peace belonging to the county palatine, with six
aldermen of Newcastle. This arrangement did not
satisfy the townspeople, and four years later they
succeeded in ousting the bishop and his colleagues, and
obtained a new commission in which Newcastle had the
preponderating influence. Henry Chapman, as one of the
aldermen, was a member of both the old and the new
commissions, and his name is attached to the periodical
reports which the conservators made to the Privy Council.
He appears to have had his residence at this time in
St. John's, for a subsidy roll of 1621 places him at the
head of the assessments on goods in that parish, his
contribution being 16s., while no other parishioner was
called upon to contribute more than 13s. 4d.
The domestic influence that encompassed Alderman
Chapman had helped his fortune; his own abilities had
placed him at the head of his family. Through his
mother he was related to the Andersons, Mitfords,
Dents, and Fenwicks, and other local houses of wealth
and reputation. One of his brothers, Matthew Chapman,
had been Sheriff of Newcastle in 1603, and was steering
for the mayoralty when death removed him ; his sister
Agnes was the wife of an influential burgess — Roger
Nicholson, Sheriff in 1583-84-, and Mayor in 1588-89 ; his
daughter (or perhaps his step-daughter, for, although
married, he does not seem to have had grown-up
children) was united to Sir John Howland ; his nephew,
named after him, Henry Chapman, had been Sheriff and
member of Parliament, and was filling the office of Mayor
when the subsidy roll above-quoted was written.
A great mortality occurred among public men in
Newcastle during the month of April, 1623. Twelve
of the more prominent citizens, nearly all of them
merchants, were stricken. Among them were Cuthbert
Gray, father of the author of the " Chorographia " ;
Francis Anderson, who had twice filled the highest
office in the municipality ; and Claudius Delaval, the
King's Receiver. Onn of the first to succumb to the
prevailing malady — probably the plague — was Alderman
Henry Chapman. The Register of St. Nicholas' Church
shows that, on the 19th of the month, he was buried in
the great necropolis of the town, among the Andersons
and Ellisons, Carrs and Shaftos, Ordes and Selbys, and
other notable townsmen whose lives and actions form
the historical records of Newcastle.
CFbroarJ) CEjjarlton,
PHYSICIAN, SCHOLAR, AND ANTIQUABY.
No North-Countryman needs to be told that the Chari-
tons of Northumberland form a very numerous, and
belong to a very ancient, family. Their origin, and their
manner of coming hither, no antiquary has discovered,
444
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I October
V 1889.
and no genealogist has been able to trace. The valley of
the North Tyne was their principal home; from the
upper reaches of that wild and thinly populated vale they
made the country ring in the olden time with daring and
lawless deeds. They were tho " sufficientest and ablest
men " upon the Borders during the reigns of the Tudor
sovereigns, as successive Wardens of the Marches found
to their cost, and more than one Scottish chieftain re-
membered for the rest of his life. The State Papers of
Henry VIII. and Elizabeth are loaded with complaints
of their bold adventures and tales of their wild misdeeds.
Although hunted and captured by Royal troops, fined
and imprisoned by judges of assize, and occasionally
"hanged up in chains upon a pair of gallows," for
"terrible example of semblable offenders," they helped
to keep the Borders in a state of ferment and unrest for
generations. From time immemorial] Charltous have
lived in Northumberland ; a glance at local directories
will show that no fear need be entertained of the name
dying out.
One of the principal branches of the Charlton family
has been settled from an early period at Hesleyside, near
Belli ngham, and at that place Edward Charlton was born
on the 23rd July, 1814. He was the second son of William
John Charlton and Katherine Henrietta, daughter of
Francis Cholmley, of Brandsby — a lady whose progenitors
included Englefields and Ferrers, Cliffords and Conyers,
Flomptons and Wai tons, and other notable North-
Country families. At the age of ten he was sent to
Ushaw College, and entered the juvenile class (Under-
low), where he had for companions Ralph Platt, Manna-
duke Salvin, Randolph Frith, Richard Gillow, Evan
Buller, and other lads who have since become widely
known in various spheres of public usefulness. Canon
Frith remembers him as a boy of tender constitution
and gentle habits, who, avoiding the rougher games
of the playground, devoted himself to books and study,
secured good places at the "readings up," and by ur-
banity of manner and kindness of heart won the con-
fidence of his teachers and the affection of his school-
fellows. At Ushaw he remained six years, passing
through the various " schools " of the college with credit
and success, and in October, 1830, being then in the
School of Natural Philosophy, he was removed to Edin-
burgh University.
The profession which he had selected to follow through
life was that of medicine. His studies at the University
were directed to that end, and on the 21st April, 1837, at
the age of twenty-two, he graduated M.D., and had the
gratification of receiving his diploma signed with tne
eminent names of Carpenter, Christison, Simpson, and
Balfour. Seeking, then, more extended experience, he
went to Paris, entered the School of Medicine in that
city, and distinguished himself by a thesis upon "Pneu-
monia amongst Old People," which obtained the honour
of publication ("Collection des Theses," &c., 1839-1845).
Returning to Newcastle about the year 184-0, he com-
menced practice in the unfinished thoroughfare of Hood
Street. In May, 1842, upon his marriage, he removed to
Eldon Square, and there he resided for the rest of his
life.
Dr. Charlton's career as a physician in Newcastle was
exceptionally brilliant and successful. In him were com-
bined the dexterous skill which establishes confidence, the
urbane manners which create popularity, and the solid
capacity which builds up reputation and fame. Thus,
while acquiring a large and remunerative practice among
the well-to-do classes of the three Northern Counties, he
was at all times accessible to the indigent sick, and de-
voted no small part of his time to the medical institutions
which public charity has founded for the treatment of the
poor. He was one of the physicians of the Infirmary
from 1853 to his death, and gave his services in the same
capacity for some time to the Fever Hospital and the two
local Dispensaries. His professional skill and the re-
markable success which attended his practice brought
him honours and honourable appointments. When the
University of Durham established a Medical College in
Newcastle, he became one of its professors, a member of
council, and, in his turn, president. From that Univer-
sity he received the honorary degrees of M.D. and D.C.L.;
from Stockholm came to him an honorary membership of
the Royal Swedish Academy of Medicine; from the
British Medical Association he received the honours of the
October!
1839. J
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
445
presidency, when, in 1870, that learned body held in New-
castle its 38th itinerant Conference.
Outside of his profession, Dr. Charlton was widely
known as a scholar, scientist, and antiquary. Early ac
quaintanceship in Edinburgh with Edward Forbes had
given him A knowledge and love of natural history which
enabled him, npon his settlement in Newcastle, to assume
the office of co-secretary of the Natural History Society
of Northumberland and Durham, and to become a contri-
butor to its published Transactions. He was one of the
founders of the Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club, and a
promoter of the amalgamation of that body with the
Natural History Society— a union which was happily
effected in 1864, under his presidency. JFor some years
he officiated as co-secretary with Dr. Bruce of the New-
castle Society of Antiquaries ; in the official publication
of that society, the " Archaeologia JSliana," are numerous
papers which attest his zeal in antiquarian research and
display hia skill in literary composition. From early
youth he was a member of the Newcastle Literary and
Philosophical Society ; in later years he became one of its
vice-presidents ; and on several occasions he delivered to
its members lectures of great interest and value. The fol-
lowing list of his papers, pamphlets, and lectures is by no
means exhaustive, but may serve to show the versatility
of his genius and the services which he rendered to local
history and to antiquarian literature : —
1847. An Account of the Late Epidemic of Scarlatina
in Newcastle and its Neighbourhood.
1859. Memoir of Professor Munch. Manx Society's
Transactions, vol. XT!!.
1859-65. Papers on (1) The Great Auk, [2) The Orni-
thology of North Tyne, and (3) Bellingham Church, in
the "Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club Transactions," and
a paper, (4) on the Sessions of the Liberty of Tynedale,
in the "Natural History Society's Transactions."
1845-74. Lectures at the Literary and Philosophical
Society, Newcastle, on (1) European Volcanoes ; (2) The
Ballads and Legends of Northern Europe ; (3) The Runic
Inscriptions of Great Britain ; (4) Society in the North of
England in the last Century.
1850-74. Papers in the " Archteologia j^Eliana "—(1) On
an Ancient Saxon Cross from the Church of Rothbury ;
(?) On a Mediaeval Water-Ewer of Metal in the form of a
Mailed Horseman, discovered near Hexham ; (3) On an
Enamelled Bronze Cup. and a Celt and Ring Mould
belonging to Sir W. C. Trevelyan, with Observations on
the Use of Metals by the Ancient British and the
Romans ; (4) On the Monumental Stone with Ogham
Inscription from the Island of Bressay ; (5) Description of
a Roll of Prayers formerly belonging to Henry VIII.
when Prince ; (6) Leaden Box and Crosses from Rich-
mond ; (7) Umbo of a Roman Shield found near Matfen ;
(8) On an Inscription in Runic Letters in Carlisle Cathe-
dral ; (9) Notes on North Tynedale in 1279 ; (10) The
Inquisition after the death of Adam de Charlton of
Tynedale ; (11) Early German Versions of the Bible ; (12)
North Tynedale in the 16th Century ; (13) Ancient Vases
from Malta ; (14) Implements of the Saxon Period found
near Lanchester; (15) The MS. of Gower's Confessio
Amantis; (16) Old Recipes ; (18) Jacobite Relics of 1715
and 1745 ; (19) Ecclesiastical Vestments ; (20) The Orkney
Runes ; (21) Roman Caricature of Christianity ; (22)
Runic Inscription on Baronspike.
Dr. Charlton died somewhat suddenly on the 14th May,
1874, at his house in Eldon Square, Newcastle, and was
interred in the family vault at St. Oswald's Catholic
Cemetery, Bellingham. He was twice married— first to-
Eliza Janet, daughter of James Kirsopp, Esq., of the
Spital, Hexham, and secondly to Margaret, eldest daugh-
ter of Mr. Serjeant Bellasis. By the latter he had seven
children, one of whom, Mr. W. L. Charlton, of Carrie-
teth, near Bellingham, inherits his father's taste for an-
tiquities, and has rendered useful service in ensuring the
accuracy of the foregoing narrative.
ffibroarfc Chicken,
SCHOOLMASTER AND POET.
In former Days when Trade was good,
And Men got Money, Cloaths, and Food ;
When Landlords were not too severe,
And Tenants broke not ev'ry Year ;
Then Collier Lads got Money fast.
Had merry Days while it did last ;
Did feast and drink and game and play.
And swore when they had nought to say.
And thus the Colliers and their Wives
Liv'd drunken, honest, working Lives;
Were very fond of one another.
And always marry'd one thro' other.
The reputation of Edward Chicken is founded upon a
poem of about seven hundred lines, from which the fore-
going verses are extracted. "The Collier's Wedding " —
for that is the name of the poem — is a story of the rough
courtship which preceded, and the still rougher cere-
monies which accompanied, marriage among local toiler
underground in the " good old " days, " when George the
First was king." The original, written in the year 1720,
is not very pleasant reading. It bears strong traces of
the impurities that characterised a preceding age, while
it is entirely wanting in that refinement of suggestiveness
by which the poets of the Restoration managed to veil
some of their grossness from the unsophisticated readers
Our forefathers, apparently, saw nothing amiss in the
poem. They enjoyed the coarse humour of it, for in 1778,
Thomas Saint was issuing a fifth edition of the book
unpurged and unpurified. A modern version, edited by
William Gail, and published by T. and J. Hodgson, in
1829, is toned down to suit ears polite. If the little
coarseness that remains can be tolerated, the reader will
obtain from Chicken's masterpiece an interesting account
of customs that fortunately have fallen into disuse, and
of manners that, happily, have passed away.
The author of "The Collier's Wedding" was a native
of Newcastle, born in St. John's parish in the year 1698.
His father, a weaver, died when the children were younst,
and his mother's means being limited, he was educated
with his brother Robert (who became a clergyman, and
died curate of Bishopwearmouth in 1743) at the parish
charity school. Nothing is known of his early life, and
the little that has been preserved of his later career was
collected by Mr. Cail from his descendants. He appears
to have been brought up to his father's trade, for the
books of the Incorporated Company of Weavers show
446
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I October
1 1889.
that in 1718, when he had attained his majority, he took
up his freedom in that company. Three years after-
wards, being a young man of ability, he received from the
fraternity the appointment of clerk, and about the same
time he was elected parish clerk of St. John's. His ac-
quirements, and the confidence which his official conduct
inspired among his friends and neighbours, encouraged
him to open a school, and in this adventure he was suc-
cessful. He occupied the house which, under the de-
nomination of "The Three Tuns," still stands at the
corner of Newgate Street and Low Friar Street, facing
poem of 194 lines, in foolscap folio, entitled "No ! This
is the Truth,"— a satire upon the election of 1741. A
search among old book catalogues of the last century
has failed to find a copy of this particular "truth." The
late John Bell had one in his multifarious collection, and
showed it to Mr. Oai], who evidently did not consider
it worthy to be reprinted.
The parish registers show that Chicken married Ann
Jordan, of Newcastle, and that he died on the 2nd of
January, 174647. A son and two daughters survived him.
The daughters died unmarried ; the son, named after his
J i I_.f$Br
«— ' «=-J|w.o.ci«ei< -^."~
-
the site of the White Cross. There he kept his school,
and being a man df strong individuality of character,
became a sort of oracle and arbiter among his fellow-
townsmen. Mr. Cail, remarking that he was familiarly
known by the soubriquet of "The Mayor of the White
Cross," tells the following anecdote illustrating the
humorous way in which on one occasion he rendered an
important service to a neighbour who sought his aid in a
time of trouble : —
A neighbour in great poverty and anxiety of mind went
to the "Mayor of the White Cross " for advice, who, in
deploring his situation, felt at a loss how to relieve his
necessities ; he, however, advised the man to keep up his
spirits, and he would endeavour to adopt some means for
his relief. On the Saturday morning following he got a
few acquaintances to sit round a table in the street, and
in front of his house, smoking tobacco, and drinking ale,
for the purpose of exciting the attention of the country
folks who were coming to market; nor was he disap-
pointed, for presently many inquiries were made to know
the meaning of this novel proceeding, when Chicken,
availing himself of the interest he had excited, told the
bystanders a lamentable tale of the distress of his desti-
tute neighbour, and how easy it was by their united
means to relieve him from his pecuniary difficulties.
They could not resist the appeal to their humanity, and
in a few minutes a larger sum was collected than was
necessary to relieve the wants of his poor neighbour.
Besides "The Collier's Wedding," Chicken published a
father, Edward, entering into holy orders, became succes-
sively curate of Bridlington and Hornsea, Yorkshire, and
died at a comparatively early age. The Rev. J. R. Boyle
— a contributor to the Monthly Chronicle — has recently
called public attention to the disappearance of the poet's
tombstone, upon which, until about a dozen years ago,
"between the south wall and the footpath " of St. John's,
might have been read a record of his parish clerkship of a
quarter of a century.
An autograph of the author of "The Collier's Wed-
ding " is attached to a receipt for the rent of two houses
in the Castle Garth belonging to the Corporation of New-
castle, by the chamberlains of which august body he ap-
pears to have been for the time employed.
8br. 13, 1724. Reced of Cath : Longmoor five pounds
five shillings in full for half year's rent for two Messuages
in Castle Garth, due Michaelmas 1724, viz. for Johnson's
Mess : £2 15s. Od. ; Longmoor do. £2 10s. Od.=£5 5s. Od.
October I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
447
Clumt.to
DIXON, a Sunderland cork-cutter,
was a man of highly refined taste, keen critical
acumen, an inextinguishable love of whole-
some sterling literature, a most industrious caterer for
local libraries, museums, schools of art, and art galleries,
and a kind and constant adviser and director of young
men and women in whom he saw the least indication
of a taste for art and literature.
In consequence of the reputation which he thus ac-
quired, he came to have, perhaps, the widest circle of artis-
tic and literary correspondents of any man in the North of
England. Professor Max Milller, John Ruskin, Charles
Kingsley, F. D. Maurice, Thomas Carlyle, John Stuart
Mill, Richard Owen, Joseph Mazzini, Lord Brougham,
Bishop Colenso, Walt Whitman, W. B. Scott, Alphonse
Legros, W. M. Rossetti, Tom Taylor, Henry Irving,
Frances Power Cobbe, J. E. Boehm, George Rolleston,
Edward Burne-Jones, and many other highly distin-
guished persons entered into hearty correspondence with
him. A selection from the hundreds of letters he thus
received, now in possession of his son, Mr. William Bell
Scott Dixon, of Hutton Rudby, Yarm, would, if pub-
lished, form one of the most interesting collections of the
kind. Amongst them are about forty letters received
from Ruskin, independently of the interesting series of
twenty-five letters on the Laws of Work, which the
illustrious art-critic addressed to him, and which were
afterwards published under the title of " Time and Tide
by Wear and Tyne "—a work which has gone through
more than one edition, with Mr. Dixon's notes. These
letters relate to a variety of social and other questions,
including education, co-operation, the duties of masters
and servants, legislation, &c., in all which subjects Mr.
Dixon took the deepest interest. Max Miiller had such
confidence in Dixon's judgment, in matters quite out of
the ordinary line, that he sent him down the proofs of his
" Lectures on the Science of Language." When Messrs.
Hales, Furnival, Child, and Chappell were getting
up their edition of Bishop Percy's Folio Manuscript, in
1866, they consulted him as to the derivation and meaning
of a number of North-Country words, a tolerably ex-
tensive and accurate knowledge of which he had amongst
his other accomplishments. At the same time, he wrote
little himself, except letters to all sorts of distinguished
people.
Among the local artists in whose progress he took a
kind and helpful interest we need only name Messrs.
William Crosby, James Stokeld, William Rutledge, J.
B. Tate, William Pae, and Mr. J. Gillis Brown, Jun.,
to the last-named of whom we owe the striking likeness
of Mr. Dixon taken from the last photograph he
ever sat for, a few months before his death, by Mr. J. T.
Robinson, of Frederick Street, Sunderland. Mr. Brown
has likewise furnished us with the view of Mr, Dixon's
residence and workshop in Sunderland Street, which
appears on the next page.
Mr. Dixon died on the llth of July, 1880. The duty
having been laid on the present writer of communi-
cating the sad news to his friends at a distance, he
received letters from many of them expressing their deep
regret that he had been cut down so unexpectedly in the
midst of his days — he being a comparatively young man.
Mr. Rossetti wrote with respect to him : — " I never met
with one of equal worth to his in single-minded devotion
to the intellectual good of others." Mr. W. B.
Scott wrote : — " Of all the men I have ever known,
he was the most intellectually interesting, considering the
complete absence of ability in any specific direction, and
general negative character in literary attainments.
Appreciating the genius of others was his power, and
aiding the development of it his pleasure — a power and a
pleasure so rare as to make him unique in my experience."
And Max Miiller wrote : — "You know that Thomas
Dixon was not a learned man ; but I can assure you that
his letters, in spite of occasional mistakes in spelling,
showed a clearer insight into the true objects of all my
writings, and conveyed to me more useful criticisms, than
many a review in our best weekly, monthly, or quarterly
journals. How he found time to do all he did, and to
read all he read, and to think out all that he thought out
for himself, is still a riddle to me. Nothing gives me a
stronger faith in the intellectual vigour and moral strength
of the English people than that such a man as Thomas
Dixon could have lived and passed away almost unknown,
except to his friends and fellow-citizens. We must not
448
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
October
judge England by its so-called head or capital city, but by
its backbone that runs through the provinces, and by its
noble heart, that beats so strongly in the breasts of such
men as Thomas Dixon— a provincial cork-cutter, if you
like— but a truer, nobler man than many a duke or
marquis." W. B.
. (Sflto'd Cfturcft, Sttvitam.
HE visitor to Durham who has time and
inclination to see any of the less frequented
places of interest in and about that city
would do well in the first place to turn
into the street which leads from the south-east corner ot
the Market Place. This is Claypath. After proceeding
a little way, he begins to ascend a gentle hill, but before
he reaches its summit the street changes its name, and
becomes Gilesgate, or Gillygate, as the people used to call
it. It is a street margined with old-fashioned houses, all
of them delightfully unlike each other.
After a very brief descent from the first hill, the road
again begins to ascend, this time to reach a greater height
than before. But before we attain its summit, a short
avenue on our right conducts us into the graveyard of St.
Giles's Church. We have before us parts at least of amosfr
venerable structure. Although, as we shall afterwards
find, almost the whole of the south side is modern, this
north side, upon which we come first of all when we enter
the churchyard, appears, except for the addition of the
new porch, just as it has done for many centuries. The
church was built by Ralph Flambard, Bishop of Durham,
and dedicated by him on the third of the Ides of June
(the llth day), in the year 1112. He at the same time
founded the hospital of Kepier. But of Flambard's
church only the north wall of the nave, with its two
small round-headed windows, now remains.
In the warlike events which attended William Comyn's
attempt to seize the bishopric of Durham, in the years
1140 to 1144, this church occupied a not unimportant
place. Comyn had usurped the possessions of the see, and
had held possession of the Castle of Durham for nearly
three years, when William de St. Barbara was elected
bishop. This election took place in March, 1143, but it
was not till the following August that the new bishop at-
tempted to enter his diocese. On entering the county he
proceeded to Bishopton, and spent a few days in the
castle of Roger de Conyers, who seems to have been the
chief amongst the barons of the bishopric who had resisted
the claims of Comyn. Conyers collected an army in the
bishop's support, attended by which he marched to
October I
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
449
Durham. The bishop and hia followers believed that on
their arrival either Comyn would yield or his attendants
would abandon him.
" But," says the continuator of Simeon's History of the
Church of Durham, " in these their anticipations they
were miserably mistaken. For not only did he not repent
of his sins, but he did not sue for peace ; nay, rather, the
messengers who were dispatched to him to speak for peace
were rejected by him ; some he did not admit at all ;
some he drove away ; some he cast out with threats and
revilings. Next he caused his soldiers to march out, and
when those who were on the bishop's side drew near the
walls, he drove them back as if they had been enemies.
The bishop's company thereupon returned to the church
of St. Giles, at some little distance from the walls, and
there they and the bishop spent the night. In the next
morning, William, accompanied by a concourse of his
adherents, broke open the doors, and rushed into the
church with his armed men; and there you might have
seen soldiers in their armour, with drawn swords
in their hands, running up and down between the
altars; archers — some intermingled with weeping and
praying monks, others brandishing swords over their
heads, while the whole church was filled with loud and
tumultuous outcries. The troops could with difficulty be
held back from injuring the monks ; indeed, they had
nearly killed one of them by throwing a stone at him.
They left a company of men-at-arms and archers within
the church, which they fortified as if it had been a castle ;
and it seemed to afford them intense joy that, in the very
house of peace, they had dishonoured God ; they lighted
their fires, they snuffed up the fumes of the meal which
they were cooking as if they were the sweet-smelling
savour of incense ; instead of the voice of praise, there
were heard the loud shoutings of the watchmen, and these
sounded to a far distance, being intermingled with the
blowing of horns."
The bishop retired from the conflict, but after a second
unsuccessful attempt to gain possession of Durham, he
approached its walls for the third time in August, 1144.
The Earl of Northumberland had collected an army
on the bishop's behalf, but as it approached the
city, " the adherents of William [Comyn] issued forth and
set fire to the hospital situated near the church of St.
Giles, and burnt to the ground the entire vill that be-
longed to it. They also committed to the flames that
portion of the borough [of St. Giles's] which belonged to
the monks. "
That powerful bishop, Hugh Pudsey, was a benefactor
to the hospital of Kepier, and by him the chancel of St.
Giles's was built. This was done about the year 1180.
The portions of the chancel which are of this date are the
north wall, with its walled-up doorway and its one round-
headed window, the lower part of the east wall, and so
much of the south wall, with another round-headed win-
dow, as now remains.
The lower portion of the tower is of early English date,
and was built early in the thirteenth century. Its most
noticeable features are the corbels on which rests the arch
opening into the nave.
In the year 1414, Bishop Langley granted an indul-
gence of forty days to all persons who should contribute
towards the repair of this church. At this period the
upper stages of the tower were built, and the walls of the
**k!
29
450
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f October
nave were raised in a way which is very obvious in the
exising north wall. At the same time the west window,
of three lights, was inserted in the tower.
Such is the ancient history of this church. In 1876 it was
greatly enlarged. A south aisle and an organ chamber
were added, and for this purpose the south wall of the
nave, and part of that of the chancel, were taken down.
The present east window was inserted at the same time.
Inside the church we shall not find many things to in-
terest us. At the west end, beneath the tower, is the
font, a large rude basin, measuring 2ft. 9in. in diameter,
and 1ft. 2iin. in depth. It is probably contemporary in
date with the earliest part of the church. On the south
side of the chancel, within the communion rails, and lying
on a barbarous modern sham altar-tomb, is a monumental
effigy carved in wood. It is the figure of a man, attired
in plate armour, his head resting on his helmet, which is
surmounted by his crest — a cock's head. His hands are
joined in the attitude of prayer. From a band which
passes over his right shoulder his sword is suspended.
His feet rest on a scroll, in which two skulls are partly
wrapped, and on which are the words,
HODIK MICHI
CRAS TIBI.
"To-day is mine, to-morrow thine." The crest on the
helmet is that of a family of Heath, of London and Nor-
folk, one of whom acquired the estates of Kepier Hos-
pital. There is a shield bearing the arms of the same
family on one end of the altar-tomb. John Heath, to
whom I have just alluded, purchased the Kepier estates
in 1568. He was a friend of the famed Bernard Gilpin,
with whom he joined in founding the Kepier School at
Houghton-le-Spring. Heath died in August, 1591, and
was buried in the chancel of St. Giles's. The effigy just
described is without doubt his.
The church possesses three bells, one of which, inscribed
in Latin, "The Bell of St. Giles," is believed to be more
than 500 years old, whilst the second, which also bears a
Latin inscription, "Holy Mary, pray for us, "dates pro-
bably from the time of Henry VIII. The third bell is
dated 1640, and is inscribed in Latin, "Glory to God
alone." J. R. BOYLE, F.S.A.
at
PUTTING DOWN HEliELS.
[H1LE in the hey-day of his prosperity, Ed-
mund was stabbed to death in his own hall,
and a younger brother, Edred, was called
upon to succeed him. Though puny and
weak in body, this youth was a prince of unusual vigour,
and had the benefit of some exceedingly wise advisers.
Having settled his affairs in Wessex, he made an im-
posing entry into Northumbria in 946, and there, at a
place called Taddenscliffe, Wulstan and all the Danish
chiefs renewed their oaths of fealty. There was plenty of
feasting and revelry, and every indication that good re-
lations would continue ; but no sooner had the king left
the district, than arrangements were made for another
revolt. Eric, the son of Harold Blaatand, King of Den-
mark, was invited to co-operate, and as he brought with
him a number of savage sea kings and their men, the
fighting speedily commenced. The Saxon governors
having been expelled, Eric seized their possessions, and
was in 948 made ruler of the recovered land. Provoked
by this rebellion, Edred again led his army to the North,
and began a system of indiscriminate spoliation and plun-
der. York was captured; the town and monastery of
Kipou were burnt to the ground ; and horrible scenes of
devastation were witnessed in many other places.
Wherever met with, the Danish forces were overthrown ;
and, as if dissatisfied with these successes, many non-
combatants were very cruelly used. When satiated with
blood, and in possession of heaps of plunder, Edred re-
placed his governors, and then began his march to the
South. But the Northumbrians were constantly hover-
ing round his flank and rear, and ever on the look-out for
a suitable chance to strike. They got their opportunity
in the vicinity of Castleford. Noticing an unusually
wide space between the leading column and the rear-
guard, they succeeded, by a daring movement, in sur-
rounding the latter body, and in cutting nearly every
man to pieces. Enraged at this disaster, the king called
a halt, and, after threatening terrible reprisals, re-
commenced his course of destruction. This was too much
for the Northumbrians. They seemed to realise that they
were now face to face with an utterly relentless foe, and
that a crushing disaster was about to overtake them. To
avert the calamity, Maccus, a Norwegian chief, and Osuli
of Bambrough, headed a conspiracy against the newly"
elected Eric. Accompanied by several Northern nobles
they chased him to Steinmore, and there, forgetful of
their promised support, put him to death in 949. A son
and brother of the unhappy prince fell with him, and
an end was thus put to the whole batch of pretenders.
POWER OP DCNSTAN.
Though Edred was now in undisputed possession of the
throne, the North continued in a state of great unrest,
and one chief after another gave trouble. As a final
effort at tranquillity, the matter was left in the strong
hand of a priest — Dunstan of Glastonbury — and he did
more, perhaps, to give stability to the kingdom than any
other person. Suspecting that Wulstan, the Northern
archbishop, was the chief incentive in the different
risings, he had him cast into prison at Jedburgh ; and
this step he followed by sending many of the Northum-
brian leaders in bondage to the South. Humbled, and
apparently crushed, the unhappy Danes were condemned
to pay heavy pecuniary fines ; Northumbria itself was
October!
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
451
annexed to the Wessex crown; the royal title was
abolished ; and the administration of its affairs put into
the hands of an earl appointed by the king. Osulf, one
of the murderers of Eric, was the first person to exercise
this new power, and he continued at his post with varying
success till after the death of Edred in 955.
EFFORTS TO BREAK UP THE NORTHERN TOWER.
But though its dignity was thus lowered, Northumbria
— for a time at least — continued to exert a powerful
influence in the affairs of the nation. As Edred left no
children, the two sons of his brother and predecessor
found strong factions to advocate their respective claims.
Edwy, a boy of 15, was chosen by the West Saxons ;
while Edgar, who was a couple of years younger, was
allowed to rule as a vassal king over the extensive terri-
tory of Mercia. If the elder prince had swayed his sceptre
wisely, this arrangement might not have been disturbed.
Edwy, however, was hot and impulsive. An unfortunate
quarrel with Dunstan led to the flight of that wily priest,
and furnished Odo with a pretext for again inciting the
Northumbrians to rebel. Without a thought as to the
consequences, the intrepid Danes proclaimed Edgar as
their chief, made him master of nearly all the lands
north of the Thames, and, three years afterwards, in 958,
helped to establish his authority over the whole realm.
Dunstan was at once recalled by the king, and one of his
first acts, after his elvation to the headship of the Church,
was to devise a scheme for still further weakening the
Northumbrian power. Having split the district into
three sections, he made Kenneth, King of the Scots,
absolute ruler of all the lands beyond the Tweed ; and
.also confirmed the rights of that monarch over the old
British settlements in Cumbria. The territory between
the Tees and Tweed, which then became Northumberland,
was retained by Osulf ; while the ancient Kingdom of
Deira, allotted to Earl Oslac, became the modern York-
shire. The effect of this dismemberment was very marked.
It wholly changed the character of the Scots. They
swarmed into the lowlands like men determined to make
the most of their opportunity, and were soon in possession
of Edinburgh as their seat of government. With a
powerful race holding the Cheviots against them, and
with earls favourable to the Saxon king, it is not
surprising that the Danes should have settled down so
qnietly. There was no attempt to interfere with their
independence in purely local affairs ; but they were given
to understand that a quick retaliation might be expected
from both their northern and southern boundaries if they
did not live in harmony with their fellows.
THE BENEFITS OF UNION.
It was thus, by the strong hand of a priest, that the
benefits of union were first made intelligible to this war-
like people, and that the blessings of peace were secured
for the terribly stricken land. The supremacy of the
West Saxons was at length fairly established, and there
was an obedience rendered to Edgar such as no sovereign
of Britain had ever received before. His ships, "number-
ing from 4,000 to 5,000," were so constantly cruising round
the coast that the sea kings were at last beaten on their
own element, and forced to seek plunder elsewhere. It is
needless to dilate upon the pomp of this reign, or to de-
scribe the magnificent scenes that were witnessed during
its twenty years of tranquillity. It will be sufficient to
say that the divided Northumbria shared in the general
prosperity ; and that, as the old chroniclers put it, "The
earth seemed to be more fertile, and the sua to shine
brighter under Edgar, than in the reign of any other
king."
A DANISH REVIVAL.
Our task might fairly end here, as from this time the
kingdom of Northumbria ceased. It may be well, how-
ever, to refer briefly to the part played by the district
during the next century. There is absolutely no local re-
cord connected with the brief reign of Edward the Mar
tyr — 975 to 979 — and not for a few years after the acces-
sion of Ethelred the Unready. But by 982 the Vikings
were again on the war path. Under Sweyne, an exiled
son of the King of Denmark, they invaded Mercia, cap-
tured Chester, overpowered London, and ravaged the
whole of the intermediate territory. The country smoked
with fires kindled by the pirate hordes. Time after time
were they bought off with gold, but this only acted as an
incentive for their return. In 993 — having formed an
alliance with Olave, King of Norway — they landed on the
Northumbrian coaat, stormed the castle at Bamborough,
and were instantly joined by three chiefs of Danish origin
who had been appointed to guard the shore. Imitating
the example of their leaders, the people joined Sweyne's
forces in a body, and accompanied him on an expedition
which did "unspeakable harm" to the midland and
southern portions of the country. Almost the whole of
these vast areas were laid waste by 998, and both famine
and sickness were added to the horrors that prevailed.
The invaders had again to be bought off, and the drain
thus entailed on his impoverished exchequer nearly drove
Ethelred frantic.
THE SAXON RETALIATION.
In was while goaded to desperation by a sense of his
wrongs, that the feeble king conceived his brutal scheme
for a cold-blooded massacre of the Danes. Aided by a
452
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{
October
1889.
chosen band of accomplices, he quietly matured his plans,
and then struck a blow which caused the utmost amaze-
ment and horror in all parts of the land. It was not
before the 13th November, 1002, that the butchery couid
safely begin; but the order had no sooner passed the
royal lips than it was carried out with the utmost
ferocity. There was no pity. The good fell with the
bad ; the innocent child with the hardened ruffian ;
the peaceable neighbour of years with the swaggering
invader of yesterday. Neither age not sex could turn
aside the assassin's sword. Blood ran like water in
thousands of hamlets, and atrocities of the most fiendish
description were witnessed in the more populous towns.
But the bloody outbreak was as foolish as it was cruel,
and failed utterly to accomplish the end desired. Though
the Danes of the South were practically exterminated,
their brethren of the North had escaped unharmed,
and the,y lost no time in reporting the dreadful occur-
rence to their allies in the Baltic. Sweyne's anger at
the news is said to have been terrible, and he forthwith
commenced preparations for a war of revenge. His ships
were magnifient specimens of their class, and his men all
young, brave, and hardy. They reached the South Coast
in 1003, carried flame and desolation wherever they went,
and did not cease their victorious progress till the very
poverty of the land compelled their departure.
THURKILL'S TREACHERY.
Amid the horrors resulting from the Danish massacres,
it may readily be supposed that the condition of England
was wretched in the extreme. Treason was rampant
everywhere. It pervaded all classes— churls and jarls
alike — and was quite as conspicuous amongst the Saxons
as the Danes. Elfric of Mercia gave trouble enough in
this way ; but Edric Steorn — a man of low birth, and as
clever as he was unscrupulous — seemed to possess a genius
for intrigue which speedily brought, fresh disasters upon
the already stricken land. His influence at Court became
so great, indeed, that he married Ethelred's daughter, and
drove from the Royal presence many men who were
striving zealously for the national weal. He thus ousted
Wolnuth — the father of the famous Godwins— and then,
after treacherously selling information to the still trouble-
some Danes, he openly joined the invaders with 10,000
men. This took place during Thurkill's formidable
descent on our coast in 1009, and was followed by con-
sequeuces of the most serious kind. When augmented by
Edric's contingent, and supported by old levies of dis-
contented Northumbrians, Sweyne's great captain was
practically irresistible. His march from the Lincolnshire
sea-board was the forerunner of a brilliant succession of
triumphs. So many towns were taken, and so much pro-
perty destroyed, that the spirit of the Anglo-Saxons was
completely broken, and they were again compelled to
secure a cessation of hostilities by means of enormous
money bribes. This time, however, there was an im-
portant change in the articles of agreement. Instead of
being asked to leave the country, as on former occasions,
the Danes were now engaged as its defenders, and pledged
to maintain its integrity against all the enemies of the
English king.
SWEYNE'S NEW INVASION.
It has been thought that Thurkill's compact was in-
tended to be deceptive, and really meant to bring about
more certainly the downfall of Ethelred. Additional
weight is given to this suggestion from the fact that Edric
— who hated the Saxon ruler — was a warm supporter of
the bargain. But whatever the motive, the act was re-
garded by Sweyne — who was now King of Denmark — as
eminently dangerous to his own influence. He was
exceeding wroth at the apparent treachery of his vassal,
and lost no time in avenging it. Gathering together a
mighty fleet, he took the water in the spring of 1013,
and was soon forging his way up the Humber. "The
vessels," we are told,
" were adorned with
bright and fantastic
imagery, and glittered
with gold and silver.
Lions, dolphins, eaeles,
and dragons rose above
the prows, and the sea
foamed beneath the
oars of the ships which
— vieing with the gay
and splendid barks of
eastern seas — seemed
rather prepared for
festal triumph than for
battle. But this bar-
baric pomp — like the
trappings of a war-
horse — excited the
pride and energy of
the rude warriors who
manned the vessels,
and, by displaying the
wealth and power of
their leader, added to the panic of his enemies."
After rowing as near to the city of York as the
depth of water would permit, Sweyne made a dash
for the Northern capita], and was speedily in pos-
session. Earl TJchtred and his garrison offered no re-
sistance. They seemed, indeed, to hail the advent of the
invaders with pleasure, and speedily ranged themselves
under the banners of the advancing host. After this ex-
ample, the whole of the Danelagh rose in support of
Sweyne ; and, therefore, leaving his fleet under the com-
mand of his son, Canute, the intrepid leader turned his
face southward with confidence and hope.
THE DANES AT LAST PBE-KMINENT.
It Boon became apparent that this was not a mere
plundering expedition, but an invasion for the purpose of
October \
18H. I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
453
conquest. As the men marched through the well-wooded
valleys of Mid-England, they exultingly stuck their lances
into the soil, or threw them into the brawling streams,
as a token of entire dominion over the country. The
course of the advancing columns could have been easily
tracked by deplorable evidences of fire and sword, and
many broad acres of smiling land were rendered waste
and desolate. The western strongholds having capitulated
without a struggle, Ethelred seems to have realised the
hopelessness of his position, and to have fled from his
kingdom in dismay. Then the gates of London were
opened to the invader also, and the whole country was at
the mercy of the conquering Dane. After many attempts,
the sea kings had secured absolute pre-eminence in the
long-coveted isle, and Northumbria, with its strong ad-
mixture of Norsemen, had helped most materially to
bring about this result.
THREE YEARS OF ANARCHY.
On the death of Sweyne, which occurred only six weeks
after his grand triumph, there was a renewed struggle for
the throne. Ethelred was brought from his hiding place
by the Saxon nobles, and Canute was put forward by the
leaders of the North. This led to more fighting ; and,
what with betrayal, bribery, murder, and losses in battle,
the scenes of bloodshed were again almost continuous.
There was no cessation of strife during the few remaining
years of Ethelred's inglorious reign, and all the efforts of
his valiant son, Edmund Ironsides, were equally power-
less to stop it. Chiefs were ruthlessly slaughtered in
banqueting halls, armies were sold wholesale, and great
earls were engaged in predatory expeditions against their
neighbours. The Northumbrians offended Canute by a
destructive incursion into Mercia, and— at the instigation
of the still plotting Edric — their famous leader, Uehtred,
was brutally put to death. The dead hero was succeeded
by Eric — a Norwegian brother-in-law of the Danish King
— and this noted warrior rendered valuable aid in the
many campaigns that preceded the great peace with the
Saxons. WILLIAM LONGSTAFF.
Though the small vessel figured on p. 451 is
known as "Harold's ship," there is no reason
to doubt that it was constructed after the
model prevalent in Edgar's day. Alfred was
the first king to impart anything like sym-
metry of outline to his sea-going craft, and,
except in matters of ornamentation, there was
little change until after the Conquest. The
sketch is known as a restoration from the
Bayeux tapestry — the wonderful scroll of
needlework in which the wife of William the
Conqueror depicted the scenes and incidents
that culminated on the field of Hastings. It is
an unquestionably genuine representation of
the English fleet of this early period, and was
not unlike the ships in which the followers
of Duke William crossed the Channel. Com-
pared with an illustrated manuscript of the
time of Canute — a copy of which is preserved
in the British Museum — it would appear that
while the English and Norman ships were
lighter than those of the Danes, the arms and
accoutrements of the three peoples possessed
amny striking points of similarity.
The vessels from the Baltic coast, as shown in our second
sketch (p. 452), were heavier in build than those of either
Norman or Saxon, and were supplemented with a variety
of very terrible accessories. Sharp prongs of iron were
not unfrequently attached to the prows, and used very
effectively for the purpose of running down an enemy.
But though the Norsemen thus anticipated the leviathan
rams of the present day, they were themselves only
adapters of a much older idea. The driving of beaked
vessels against each other was a popular method of naval
warfare m the Mediterranean, at least twelve or fifteen
centuries before the Vikings commenced their depreda-
tions in England. It is interesting to note that the great
battle of Salamis— nearly 500 years before Christ— is said
to have been won by the judicious handling of similarly
equipped craft.
Jbtr^td at fletocaotk.
j|ANY centuries back, the Quayside was a for-
tified place. Before the town walls were
built, there can be no doubt that the Danes
often enough paid their undesirable visits to
the banks of the Tyne. Indeed, tradition hath it that
they were accustomed to lie, at such time, at the part of
the river known long after their day as Dent's Hole ; that
is, the Danes' Hole ; though we now know that Dent's
Hole was named after the local family of Dent, who
owned the adjoining manor. Then, later on, we had our
good friends the Scots paying us attentions that were
sometimes found to be more free than welcome. It wap,
therefore, only prudent that, when our forefathers were
about it, they should defend their town from hostile at-
tacks, even on the water side. But when "old times
were changed, old manners gone," the Quayside section
of the town wall was discovered to be an obstacle to the
development of trade ; and so it came to pass that, in
1763, workmen began to raze it to the ground. After
they had knocked down the old wall, they proceeded to
divide the east end of the Quay, from Spicer Lane to
THE HIGH CRANE, QUAYSIDE.
454
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
Sandgate, by iron rails, and to construct a descent to the
portion adjoining the river by several steps. This arrange-
ment answered for a while ; but, some years after, the
roadway was raised and levelled, and so transformed
into a fine broad wharf. Since then our Quay has been
continuously and watchfully strengthened and improved
whenever the occasion seemed to arise for any such
treatment.
The time was coming when this local Rialto was to
receive its baptism of nre. Men of middle age remember
that season of trouble and anxiety right well. Those of
them at all interested in the Quay in the year 1854 will
recollect the quaint, old-fashioned appearance which its
buildings then presented. Queerest of them all, perhaps,
was the Grey Horse public-house, with its bold projec-
tion seeking, and not in vain, to usurp part of the foot-
path. On the night of the 5th of October in that year,
that great fire occurred which has already been described
in the Monthly Chronicle. (See vol. ii., p. 549) As in so
many matters more, out of this immediate evil came
future good. In place of the old chares and time-worn
houses and shops thus so decisively destroyed, there arose
those handsome stone-fronted buildincrs which have so
often attracted the attention of passing 'travellers alon^r
the High Level Bridge.
If some chares were swept away by the calamity, it
must be admitted that there are still plenty left. In
former days tliere were no less than twenty of these
narrow lanes leading from the Quayside to the streets on
its northern boundary. It was difficult, long before this
great fire, to identify the situation of some of these by
their names as given in old documents ; and of course the
task is by no means easier now. But some of them,
at any rate, we may recall to mind. Starting, then,
from the west, we note the first of the number — the
Dark Chare. It was so close that the houses in it nearly
touched one another at the top. Then there was Grindon,
Granden, or Grinding Chare. In this chare stood the re-
GRINDING CHARE, QUAYSIDE, XKWCASTLE.
mains of a remarkable house, traditionally called St.
John's Chapel. It had suffered from the ravages of
change prior to the explosion, which only completed what
had thus been already begun. Then there were the Blue
Anchor, Peppercorn, Pallister's, Colvin's, and Hornsby's
QUAYSIDE, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE.
October!
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
455
Chares— all forgotten now. Plummer, or Plumber,
Chare is still in existence, and is supposed to have been
named after a Robert Plumber who in 1378 was one of the
bailiffs of the town.
HOHNSBT'S CHARE, QUAYSIDE, NEWCASTLE.
Fenwick's Chare, next in order, was so named after its
owner, Alderman Cuthbert Fenwick, who had his resi-
dence in it ; for it must be remembered that these chares
had some of the best houses of Newcastle at one time,
though warehouses of various kinds now are formed in
their place. The Park, or Back Lane, occurred next.
Bourne in his plan of the town calls this the true
Dark Chare, and so illustrates the difficulty that the in-
quirer has at getting to the exact truth in regard to these
obscure places. Broad Garth, which came next, is not to
be confounded with the much better known Broad Chare,
still to come to. And then there came Peacock's Chare,
or Entry, where that remarkable man, Thomas Spence,
kept his school.
And now we have reached the Custom House, built in
1765, passing which we come to Trinity Chare, so-called
because it is the back entrance to the Trinity House,
which also has already been described. (See vol. iii., p.
176. ) The window of the dining-room of the Three Indian
Kings (a well-known Quayside hostelry) looks into Trinity
Chare. The three kings are usually understood to be the
three wise men from the East who brought gold, frankin-
cense, and myrrh, in tribute to the infant Christ and his
virgin mother. The sign is not an uncommon one with
ancient inns.
Next to Trinity Chare is the Broad Chart. Though
narrow enough to our modern notions, it is certainly the
broadest chare in this locality, and almost the only one
that will admit a cart. It was the common thoroughfare
of the town in the olden days ; now it is given up to huge
warehouses and to establishments devoted to the refresh-
ment of the inner man. Two houses figured in our illus-
trations on pages 456, 457, were interesting specimens of
the old architecture of the locality. Both pictures are
copied from sketches in the late Mr. John Waller's copy
of Mackenzie's "History of Newcastle," now the pro-
perty of Mr. J. W. Pease. The High Dykes Tavern is
supposed to have somehow got its name from the fosse or
ditch which surrounded the town walls, and which was
called the King's Dykes. The house shown in our other
GRAIN WARKHOUSE, QUAYSIDE
456
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
(October
1 1889.
October, I
1889. I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
457
. KM mi
[! -|J tl J"^T" mfr lll-» f3
458
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I October
I 1889.
picture is alleged to have been the mansion of the Lid-
dells of Ravensworth.
Beyond Spioer Lane, the next opening from the Quay-
side la the Burn Bank, where Fandon Burn used to run
down into the Tyne. It was a dangerous place enough at
one time. "It lies," wrote Bourne in his day, "very
low, and before the heightening of the ground with bal-
last, and the building of the wall and key, was often of
great hazard to the inhabitants. Once, in particular. ;i
most melancholy accident occurred in this place. In thu
year 1320, the 13th of King Edward III., the river Tyne
overflowed so much that one hundred and twenty laymen
and several priests, besides women, were drowned, and,
as Gray says, one hundred and forty houses were de-
stroyed. '
Byker Chare, which comes next, is by Brand styled
Baker Chare. The name is accounted for easily enough
on the theory that it was obtained from Robert de Byker
and Laderine his wife, who had lands in Pandon. On
the Quay here is the chemist's shop long associated with
the name of Anthony Nichol, alderman and mayor of
the town in his day, and known on the turf as the owner
of the celebrated race-horse, The Wizard. Cock's
HOl'SE WHERE LORD ELDON" WAS BORN.
Chare comes next : so named from Alderman
Cock, who lived in it. Then comes Love Lane.
In the seventeenth century it was Gowerley's
Rawe. Here was born John Scott, afterwards
Earl of Eldon. But it is a mistake to say, even
with Mackenzie, that his brother William, after-
wards Lord Stowell, and one of our foremost
authorities in maritime law, was born here also.
That is not so. He was born at Heworth,
whither his mother had been wisely removed
for greater safety, as all Newcastle at the time
was in a state of alarm at the rising of the
young Pretender. It is also a common mistake
to suppose that the large old-fashioned house on
the west side of the lane was John Scott's birth-
place. It was on the east side (faithfully depicted
in our illustration), and was long ago converted into a
granary.
Before we leave this part of the Quay, we ought to
make mention of that remarkable candle which illumi-
nated it in the year of grace 1770, by way of celebrating
the release of John Wilkes from the prison to which he
had been sent for the publication of the famous " No. 45 "
of his North Sriton. One Mr. Kelly manufactured a
candle, which consisted of forty-five branches, cast forty-
five lights, and weighed just forty-five half pounds.
"The magistrates," we are told, "adopted cautions for
the preservation of the peace ; but the entertainments
were conducted with the greatest order and decorum."
We proceed along the riverside on our way eastward,
leaving behind us the old historic Quay of centuries to
note the peculiarities of the new. Ancient buildings we
find here and there also in this comparatively modern
neighbourhood ; but, speaking generally, we cannot fail
to remark that we are now in a neighbourhood sacred to
the trade of the Tyue.
The stores and workshops of the Tyne Steam Shipping
Company now claim our attention on our left hand ; and,
a little further, beyond the ancient "Swirle," we find
the huge pile of brick buildings known as the Grain
Warehouses, with their iron doors, their ponderous lifts,
and their many storeys. Near these warehouses is the
eighty-ton crane— another striking example of Tyneside
energy ; and beside and beyond it are wharves from
which steamers run to London, Hamburg, Rotterdam,
Copenhagan, Malmo, and other ports. And so we come
to the end of the Quay proper, for the next building to
be observed is the Sailors' Bethel, a neat and commodious
chapel which stands in a continuation of the Quay called
Horatio Street, and forms a lasting monument of the
energy and public spirit of Mr. W. D. Stephens, J.P.
Sooth to say, this part of the town is not over inviting,
though the signs of business enterprise and also of rigid
economy of space are both evident enough. We continue
THE GLASSHOUSE BRIDGE.
October 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
459
on until we come to the little bridge across the streamlet
called the Ouseburn, which gives its name to the district.
The road by the river, from the end of Sandgate to this
bridge, is called the North Shore, and is devoted to busi-
ness purposes strictly. The roadway over the stream is
usually known as the Glasshouse Bridge, and consists of
one arch of stone. We gather from Bourne that it was
originally a wooden structure. "But," says he, "in the
year 1669, when Ralph Jennison, Esq., was mayor, it was
made of stone by Thomas Wrangham, shipwright, on
account of lands which the town let him. The passage,
however, over it was very difficult and uneven until the
year 1729, when Stephen Coulson, Esq., was mayor, [and]
it was made commodious and level both for horse and
foot." The little bridge was so named from the circum-
stance that the glass trade had long been carried on in its
vicinity.
We continue onwards, and find ourselves next at the
River Police Station. Then we turn away at right angles
to the Mushroom, and, proceeding northwards, speedily
find ourselves in St. Lawrence Street, the end of our
journey, where there is nothing to detain us. For only a
very small portion of the ancient " fre chappell of Saynt
Laurence in the Lordshippe of Byker" remains to give
us pause. This chapel was founded, according to a docu-
ment issued when the monasteries were suppressed, " by
the auncesters of the late erle of Northumberland toward
the fyndinge of a prieste to pray for their sowles and all
christen sowls and also to herbour such (sick) persons
and wayfaring men in time of nede. " Edward VI.
granted this chapel to the Corporation in 1549 ; in 1782
Brand found its remains converted into a lumber-room
for an adjoining glasshouse.
Our engravings of the High Crane, Grinding Chare,
Homsby's Chare, and the Glasshouse Bridge are repro-
duced from Richardson's "Table Book.'' The High
Crane was situated near the Guildhall at the west end
of the Quay.
Slab
tt
[IE scarcely need remind our readers how, as
may be read in Sir Walter Scott's famous
story, Mr. Francis Osbaldistone, when newly
returned from Bordeaux, whither his father
had sent him to learn the mysteries of trade, completely
lost the good opinion of the old man — a shrewd matter-of-
fact London merchant — through expressing his strong
dislike to the formal drudgery of a counting house, and
his preference for a literary career ; how he was sent
down into Northumberland to rusticate at the house of
an uncle, Sir Hildebrand Osbaldistone, of Osbaldistone
Hall ; how he arrived on his journey north at the town
of Darlington, in company with a very timid fellow-
traveller named Morris ; and how he met with the
renowned Rob Roy there, under the designation of
Robert Campbell, a cattle-dealer from the Highlands of
Scotland. In those days when journeys were chiefly
performed upon horseback, it was the custom for the
landlords of inns to entertain with a dinner such persons
as halted over the Sunday at their hostelries. Licensed
Victuallers on the Great North Road were then truer to
their name than now, when the " Flying Scotchman "
carries its burden of passengers right- through from
London to Edinburgh at whirlwind speed in the course
of fewer hours than the journey once took days. On
such an occasion, when Mr. Francis Osbaldistone and his
companion were about to sit down to partake of their
host's beef and pudding, Boniface informed them, with a
sort of apologetic tone, that a Scotch gentleman was to
dine with them.
"A gentleman? — what sort of a gentleman?" said
Morris, somewhat hastily, his mind probably running
upon gentlemen of the pad, as they were then termed.
" Why, a Scotch sort of a gentleman, as 1 said before."
returned mine host : " they are all gentle, ye mun know,
though they ha' narra shirt to back ; but this is a
decentish hallion — a canny North Briton as e'er crossed
Berwick Bridge — I trow he's a dealer in cattle."
"Let us have his company, by all means," answered
Morris ; and then turning to Frank Osbaldistone, he gave
vent to the tenor of his own reflections. "I respect the
Scotch, sir ; I love and honour the nation for their sense
of morality. Men talk of their filth and their poverty,
but commend me to sterling honesty, though clad in rags,
as the poet saith. I have been credibly informed, sir, by
men on whom I can depend, that there was never known
such a thing in Scotland as a highway robbery.''
"That's because they have nothing to lose," said mine
host, with the chuckle of a self-applauding wit.
"No, no, landlord," answered a strong deep voic«
behind him, "it's e'en because your English gaugers
and supervisors, that you have sent down benorlh the
Tweed, have ta'en up the trade of thieving over the
heads of the native professors."
"Well said, Mr. Campbell," answered the landlord:
" I did not think thoud'st been sae near us, mon. Bin
thou knows I'm an outspoken Yorkshire tyke. And
how go markets in the South ? "
"Even in the ordinar," replied Mr. Campbell; "wise
folks buy and sell, but fools are bought and sold."
"But wise folks and fools both eat their dinner,"
answered their jolly entertainer; " and here a comes — as
foine a buttock of beef as e'er hungry man stuck fork in."
80 sayine, he eagerly whetted his knife, assumed his
seat of empire at the head of the board, and loaded the
plates of his Sunday guests with his good cheer.
" It was then, " says Frank Osbaldistone, tellinfr
his own tale through the agency of the Author of
"Waverley," his amanuensis, "that I contemplated,
with an impression of dislike, the first Scotchman I
chanced to meet in society. There was much in him
that coincided with my previous conceptions. He had
the bard features and athletic form said to be peculiar to
his country, together with the national intonation and
slow pedantic mode of expression, arising from a desire to
avoid peculiarities of idiom or dialect. I could also
observe the caution and shrewdness of his country in
many of the observations .which he made, and the
answers which he returned. But I was not prepared
for an air of easy self-possession and superiority with
which he seemed to predominate over the company into
46C
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
October
which he was thrown, as it were, by accident. His dress
was as coarse as it could be, being still decent. His
conversation intimated that he was engaged in the cattle
trade, no very dignified professional pursuit. And yet,
under these disadvantages, he seemed, as a matter of
course, to treat the rest of the company with the cool
and condescending politeness which implies a real or
imaginary superiority over those towards whom it is
used. When he gave his opinions upon any point, it
was with that easy tone of confidence used by those
superior to their society in rank or information, as if what
he said could not be doubted, and was not to be ques-
tioned. Mine host and his Sunday guests, after an effort
to support their consequence by noise and bold averment,
sunk gradually under the authority of Mr. Campbell,
who thus fairly possessed himself of the lead in the
conversation. I was tempted, from curiosity, to dispute
the ground with him myself, confiding in my knowledge
of the world, extended, as it was, by my residence abroad,
and in the stores with which a tolerable education pos-
sessed my mind. In the latter respect, he offered no
competition, and it was easy to see that his natural
powers had never been cultivated by edvication. But I
found him much better acquainted than I was myself
with the present state of France, the character of the
Duke of Orleans, who had just succeeded to the regency
of that kingdom, and that of the statesmen by whom he
was surrounded ; and his shrewd, caustic, and somewhat
cynical remarks were those of a man who had been a close
observer of the affairs of that country."
According to the best authorities, this is a life-like
sketch, so far as it goes, of the manners and address of
the Scottish Robin Hood. We may supplement it
with the following passage, from the Introduction to
"Rob Roy," written in 1829 :—
His stature was not of the tallest, but his person was
uncommonly strong and compact. The greatest peculi-
arities of his frame were the breadth of his shoulders, and
the great and almost disproportionate length of his arms ;
so remarkable, indeed, that it was said he could, without
stooping, tie the garters of his Highland hose, which are
placed two inches below the knee. His countenance was
open, manly, stern at periods of danger, but frank and
cheerful in his hours of festivity. His hair was dark red,
thick, and frizzled, and curled short around the face. His
fashion of dress showed, of course, the knees and upper
part of the lee, which was described to me as resembling
that of a Highland bull, hirsute with red hair, and
evincing muscular strength similar to that animal. To
these personal qualifications must be added a masterly
use of the Highland sword, in which his length of arm
gave him great advantage— and a perfect and intimate
knowledge of all the recesses of the wild country in which
he harboured, and the character of the various individuals,
whether friendly or hostile, with whom he might come in
contact. His mental qualities seemed to have been no
less adapted to the circumstances in which he was placed.
Though the descendant of the bloodthirsty Ciar Mhor, he
inherited none of his ancestor's ferocity. On the contrary,
Rob Roy avoided every appearance of cruelty, and it is
not averred that he was ever the means of unnecessary
bloodshed, or the actor in any deed which could lead the
way to it. His schemes of plunder were contrived and
executed with equal boldness and sagacity, and were
almost universally successful, from the skill with which
they were laid, and the secrecy and rapidity with which
they were executed. Like Robin Hood of England, he
was a kind and gentle robber, and, while he took from
the rich, was liberal in relieving the poor. This might in
part be policy, but the universal tradition of the country
speaks it to have arisen from a better motive. All whom
I have conversed with, and I have in my youth seen some
who knew Rob Roy personally, gave him the character of
a benevolent and humane man "in his way."
Every one who has turned over the pages of the
splendid Abbotsford edition of the Waverley Novels,
enriched with illustrations embodying the forms of the
men, scenes, and things that the great Wizard of the
North worked up into such a wonderful web of narrative
and description, must have formed his own notion of the
face of the famous Highland cateran, there engraved from
an original picture in the possession of Mr. Buchanan, of
Arden. It fully bears out all that Sir Walter Scott says
of him in the above extract. Nobody would have taken
Rob Roy for a thief, even a gentle one, and such a man
could have become an outlaw only in a lawless country.
Under more favourable circumstances he might, judging
from his looks, have been another Martin Luther.
It was sometime about the year 1714 that Mr. Francis
Osbaldistone and Mr. Robert Macgregor Campbell are
stated to have "foregathered " in the inn at Darlington.
The former is said to have pursued his route northwards
next morning, towards the old family mansion of his
Jacobite uncle, Sir Hildebrand, at Osbaldistone Hall, and
the latter likewise went on his way, following his osten-
sible business as related in the novel. Osbaldistone Hall
is identified by some writers with Chillingham Castle,
famous all the world over for the breed of wild cattle still
preserved in the large and beautiful park which surrounds
it. (See Monthly Chronicle, vol. i., p. 272, and vol. ii., p.
129.) Others, however, contend that Sir Walter had Bid-
dlestone Hall in his mind.
Rob was accustomed to visit Stagshawbank once a
year on the occasion of the great cattle fair held there at
Whitsuntide. He was well known to mos-t of the English
dealers and farmers who frequented that great annual
gathering. The sobriety and caution of his ordinary
demeanour are said to have been conspicuous, while his
general intelligence was beyond the common. He used
also to frequent the chief cattle fairs further south — Dur-
ham, York, Lincoln, Nottingham, Leicester, and Barnet,
at which latter place he could sell his droves of kyloes or
runts to the best advantage, his principal customers
being well-to-do Essex marsh-land farmers, with better-
lined purses than the generality of English farmers then
had. Newcastle and Morpeth were about as familiar to
him as Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Falkirk; and, although it
stands not on the face of the record, we may be sure that
he had occasionally set his huge Nuremburg silver watch
by St. Nicholas' church clock, or by that in the tower of
All Saints' church, on his way up or down Pileritn Street
and the Cowgate to or from the bridge — the line the
Scotch drovers then took with their "camstairy Iwastn."
October!
1889. I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
461
E
It was generally understood that, besides his honest
trade of cattle dealing, Rob did a good deal of business in
the way of secret political agency, carrying information
from the heads of the Jacobite party in Scotland to their
sympathisers in various parts of England — chiefly Catho-
lics, and particularly Northumbrians. In this latter
capacity, he had, of course, relations with the Radcliffes,
.Forsters, Shaftoes, Hodgsons, Sandersons, Swinburnes,
Charltons, Blacketts, Biddies, and others ; and his visits
to Dilston, Beaufront, Bavington, Capbeaton, Bywell,
Benwell, and other places, ostensibly paid by him as a
drover, had really for their object the conveying of secret
intelligence necessary for the accomplishment of the
plot then in busy preparation, which eventuated in the
Rebellion of 1715.
We cannot give the account of Rob Roy's career in more
authentic words than those of his kinsman, Baillie Nicol
Jarvie, who thus epitomises it in the novel : —
" Robin was anes a weel-doing, pains-taking drover as
;e wad see amang ten thousand. It was a pleasure to see
im with his belted plaid and brogues, with his target at
his back, and claymore and dirk at his belt, following a
hundred Highland stotts, and a dozen o' the gillies as
rough and ragged as the beasts they drave. And he was
baith civil and just in his dealings, and if he thaught his
chapman had made a hard bargain, lie wad gie him a
luckpenny to the mends. I liae kenn'd him gie back five
shillings out o' the pund sterling."
"Twenty-four per cent.," said Owen — "a heavy dis-
count."
" He wad gie it though, sir, as I tell ye ; mair especially
if he thought the buyer was a puir man and couldna stan
by a loss. But the times cam hard, and Rob was venture-
some. It wasna my faut — it wasna my faut ; he camia
wyte me. I aye told him o't. And the creditors, mair
especially some grit neighbours o' his, grippit to his living
and land ; and they say hia vyife was turned out o' the
house to the hill-side, and sair misguided to the boot.
Shamefu' \ shamefu' \ I am a peacefu' man and a magis-
trate, but if ony ane had guided sae muckle as my servant
queen, Mattie, as it's like they guided Rob's wife, I think
it suld hae set the shabble that my father the deacon had
at Bothwell-brigg a-walking again. Weel, Rab came
hame, and faund desolation, God pity us ! where he left
plenty ; he looked east, west, south, and north, and saw
neither hauld nor hope — neither bield nor shelter — sae he
e'en pu'd the bonnet ower his brow, belted the broadsword
to his side, took to the brae-side, and became a broken
man."
Rob's insolvency was caused by the bad faith of a part-
ner, who absconded with their joint funds, and the author
of his outlawry was the Duke of Montrose, against whom
he ever afterwards carried on a fierce predatory war.
Like many outlaws before him on the Highland Line,
which extended in an irregular curve along the Grampian
range from Cardrosa in Dumbartonshire to Ballandal-
loch in Strathspey, he was in the habit of levying black
mail on his Lowland neighbours, especially those of Len-
nox and Menteith. Such as paid him the tribute peace-
ably he undertook to protect, or to make good any loss
they might sustain through the ravages of other High-
land caterans ; and such as refused payment were pretty
sure to be made to rue it, when they rose some fine morn-
ing to find all their cattle swept off to the hills, and per-
haps their barns and stackyards burned. Rob lived this
sort of life for the best part of twenty years, defying the
civil and military authorities, being enabled to do so by
the disturbed political condition of the times, and by the
bitter enmity which existed between the rival houses of
Argyle and Montrose, on the borders of whose territories
the old allodial lands of the Clan Gregor lay, in Glengyle
and Glenfallach, and on the Braes of Balquidder, at the
head of Loch Lomond, Loch Katrine, and thereabouts.
Seventy or eighty years before Rob's day, the Clan
Gregor had been put under the ban of the law, and the
name itself forbidden, by the Government of James VI.,
which thought to pacify these wild districts by playing
off one turbulent clan against another, and so weakening,
if not exterminating, them all. The proscribed Macgre-
gors were hunted through the country like wolves or
foxes by the Campbells, Camerons, Macnabs, Macdonalds,
and other hostile clans ; and though they made a brave
resistance, and killed many of their pursuers, they were
at last overcome. Commissions were thereafter sent
through the kingdom for fining those who had harboured
any of the clan, and for punishing all persons who had
kept up any communication with them ; and the fines
so levied were given by the king to the Earl of Argyle.
Alexander Macgregor, the chief of the clan, after suffering
many vicissitudes of fortune and many privations, at last
surrendered himself to Argyle, on condition that he
should grant him a safe conduct into England to King
James, that he might lay before his Majesty a true state
of the whole affair since the commencement, and crave
the royal mercy ; and as a security for his return to Scot-
land he delivered up to Argyle thirty of his choicest men,
and of the best reputation among the clan, as hostages
to remain in Argyle in custody till lie should come back
from London. But no sooner had Macgregor arrived in
Berwick on his way to the English capital than he was
basely arrested and brought back by the earl to Edin-
burgh, and, by his influence, executed along with the
thirty hostages. Argyle hoped, by this means, ultimately
to annihilate the whole clan ; but the Macgregors, though
deprived of house and hold, name and fame, increased in
numbers, and the race soon became more illustrious than
ever, under various surnames, particularly under that of
Gregory. Argyle, who acted in this treacherous manner,
was the celebrated Archibald the Grim, the leader of the
Scotch covenanting party during the great civil war.
It was the grandson of this great earl— John, Duke of
Argyle, the equivocal hero of Sheriffmuir — that Rob Roy
Macgregor took as his chief and patron, and whose sur-
name of Campbell he thought proper to assume, his own
clan-name being still tabooed. But he was Macgregor for
ever when on his own native heath, and he was too sensible
of the wrongs his people and himself had suffered from
both the great rival parties in the State to care very much,
in his heart of hearts, which of them got the upper hand.
His making himself busy in the Jacobite interest previous
to the insurrection of 1715, was probably prompted by
462
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I October
no real sympathy with or love for the Pretender or his
cause. He perhaps rather prosecuted these intrigues
with a view to his own private purposes of revenge and
restitution than from any deep feeling of genuine loyalty
or principle of legitimate kingly right. If he had any wish
that the king over the water might enjoy his own again,
it could not be because the Stuarts had been old friends
of the Macgregors, for they had ever been among their
worst enemies. And so, when the fortune of war wavered
in the balance at Sheriffmuir, and a hundred good broad-
swords thrown on the side of the Chevalier de St, George
(proclaimed, a short time before, James VIII., by the
grace of God, &c. ) might have turned the scale in favour
of the Jacobites, neither Macgregor nor his men joined in
the contest at all. Owing to their remaining thus neu-
tral, the battle of Sheriffmuir, where both sides claimed
the victory, was tantamout to a total defeat of the Earl
of liar.
But the Whig Ministers of King George showed small
gratitude to the Macgregors for their timely abstention at
so critical a juncture from active hostility to the Han-
overian cause, for when an Act of Grace was passed in
1717 by the King and both Houses of Parliament, grant-
ing a free and general pardon to all persons who had
committed any treasonable offences before the 6th day of
May of that year, among the special exceptions were "all
persons of the name and clan of Macgregor, mentioned in
the Act of the first Parliament of Charles I., intituled
Auent the Clan Gregor. ' " A previous Act had rendered
it unlawful for any person in that part of Scotland north
of the water of Leven or the river Forth " to have in
custody, or to use, or bear broadsword or target, poniard,
whingar, or dirk, side pistol or side pistols, or gun, or any
other warlike weapon, in the fields, or in the way coming,
or going to, from, or at any church, market, fair, burials,
huntings, meetings, or any occasion whatever within the
said bounds, or to come into the low countries armed as
aforesaid."
But Rob Roy, singular to tell, managed to escape the
lash of the law, and to retain his national arms, down
to the day of his death, which took place peacefully at
an advanced age, about the year 1733, at the hamlet of
lialquidder, at the east end of Lochvoil, in the land of his
fathers, where his grave is still pointed out in the church-
yard. His sons Robert and James were not so fortunate
as himself; for, attempting to follow the footsteps of
their redoubtable and widely-renowned father, in a quieter
and better regulated age, they fell into the hands of jus-
tice, and were both hanged.
!)" £tokoe.
THE FAIR FLOWER OF NORTHUMBERLAND.
| HIS ballad is well known about the English
Borders, and was evidently inspired by the
ballad of "The Ungrateful Knight," printed
in "The History of Jack of Newbery,"
1596, and written by T. D., or Thomas Deloney, the
"ballading silk weaver" who died about 1600. Though
vulgarly handled, it has in its form recognisably the
smack of old ballad literature. Joseph Ritson printed
it in his "Ancient Songs, 1790." A Scottish version is
given in Kinloch's Ballads under the title of "The
Provost's Daughter," and differs only in the burden and
in some minor incidents. It begins : —
The provost's daughter went out a walking
(A May's love whiles is easy won) ;
She heard a fair prisoner making his meane (moan),
And she the fair flower of Northumberlonde.
And it finishes with the boast —
She's nae the first the Scots hae beguiled,
And she's still the fair flower of Northumberlonde.
The ballad embodies a strong national sentiment, perhaps
not yet even wholly eradicated. "The Scots," said all
Englishmen of old, "are ever fair and false." Theknight,
who is here represented as playing so ungallant, per-
fidious, cruel, and therefore unknightly a part, may be a
mere eidolon of the ballad -makers, or he may very pos
sibly have had an actual existence as a living monster.
There can be no doubt, at any rate, that many fair dam-
sels have been decoyed away from home, even as the Fair
Flower of Northumberland is alleged to have been, to be
left by their heartless seducers at the place which Irish
adventurers call Strip Hill.
The tune is taken from a manuscript collection made
by the late James Telfer, schoolmaster, of Saughtree,
Liddesdale, which is now in the possession of the Anti-
quarian Society of Newcastle.
was a Knight, in Scot - land born
Fol - low my love come o - ver the strand, Was
^nr-ff-f— N I 7^— : p • ?~ i
^f^TT^iB^ r N^
ta - ken pris' - ner and left for - lorn, E - ven
=S=
—v— L- • — ^ — *—
by the good Earl of Nor - thum - ber • land.
October
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
463
Then was he cast in prison strong,
Follow my love, come over the strand,
Where he could not walk nor lay along,
Even by the good Earl of Northumberland.
And, as in sorrow thus he lay,
Follow my love, come over the strand,
The Earl's sweet daughter passed that way,
And she the fair flower of Northumberland.
And passing by, like an angel bright,
Follow my love, &c.,
The prisoner had of her a sight,
And she the fair flower of Northumberland.
And aloud to her this knight did cry,
Follow my love, &c.,
The salt tears standing in her eye, —
And she the fair flower of Northumberlaud.
" Fair lady," he said, " take pity on me,
Follow my love, &c.,
And let me not in prison dee,
And you the fair flower of Northumberland. "
" Fair sir, how should I take pity on thee,
Follow my love, &c.,
Thou being a foe to our countrie,
And I the fair flower of Northumberland ?"
"Fair lady, I am no foe," he said,
"Follow my love, &c.,
Through thy sweet love here was I stayed,
And thou the fair flower of Northumberland. "
" Why should'st thou come here for love of me,
Follow my love, &c.,
Having wife and bairns in thy own countrie.
And I the fair flower of Northumberland !"
" I swear by the blessed Trinity,
Follow my love, &c.,
That neither wife nor bairns have I,
And thou the fair flower of Northumberland.
"If courteously thou wilt set me free,
Follow my love, &c.,
I vow that I will marry thee.
And thou the fair flower of Northumberland. "
"Thou shalt be lady of castles and towers,
Follow my love, &c.,
And sit like a queen in princely bowers,
Even thou the fair flower of Northumberland.1
Then parted hence this lady gay,
Follow my love, &c.,
And got her father's ring away,
And she the fair flower of Northumberland.
Likewise much gold got she by sleight,
Follow my love, &c.,
And all to help this forlorn knight,
And she the fair flower of Northumberland.
Two gallant steeds both good and able.
Follow my love, &c.,
She likewise took out of the stable,
And she the fair flower of Northumberland.
And to the gaoler she sent the ring,
Follow my love, &c.,
Who the knight from prison forth did bring
To meet the fair flower of Northumberland.
This token set the prisoner free,
Follow my love, &c.,
Who straight went to this fair lady.
And she the fair flower of Northumberland.
A gallant steed he did bestride,
Follow my love, &c.,
And with the lady away did ride,
And she the fair flower of Northumberland.
They rode till they came to a water clear,
Follow my love, etc.,
" Good sir ! how shall I follow you here,
And I the fair flower of Northumberland ?
"The water is rough and wonderful deep,
Follow my love, &c.,
And on my saddle I shall not keep,
And I the fair flower of Northumberland."
" Fear not the ford, fair lady !" quoth he,
"Follow my love, &c.,
For long I cannot stay for thee.
Even thou the fair flower of Northumberland."
The lady prickt her gallant steed.
Follow my love, &c.,
And over the water swam with speed,
Even she the fair flower of Northumberland.
From top to toe all wet was she,
Follow my love, &c.,
'• This have I done for love of thee,
Even I the fair flower of Northumberland."
Thus rode she all one winter's night,
Follow my love, &c..
Till Edenborough they saw in sight,
The fairest town in all Scotland.
" Now choose," quoth he, "thou wanton Flower,
Follow my love, &c., .
If thou wilt be my paramour,
And thou the fair flower of Northumberland.
" For I have a wife and children five,
Follow my love, &c..
In Edenborough they be alive,
And thou the fair flower of Northumberland.
"And if thou wilt not give thy hand,
Follow my love, &c.,
Then get thee home to fair Enpland,
And thou the fair flower of Northumberland.
'• This favour thou shalt have to boot,
Follow my love, &c.,
I'll have thy horse ; go thou on foot.
Even thou the fair flower of Northumberland."
*'O false and faithless knight," quoth she,
Follow my love, &c.,
" And canst thou deal so bad with me,
And I the fair flower of Northumberland ?
" Dishonour not a lady's name,
Follow my love, &c.,
But draw thy sword and end my shame,
Even I the fair flower of Northumberland."
He took her from her stately steed,
Follow my love, &c.,
And left her there in extreme need,
And she the fair flower of Northumberland.
Then sat she down full heavily,
Follow my love, &c.,
At length two knights came riding by,
And she the fair flower of Northumberland.
Two gallant knights of fair England,
Follow mv love, &c.,
And there they found her on the strand,
Even she the fair flower of Northumberland.
She fell down humbly on her knee,
Follow my love, &c.,
Crying, " Courteous knights, take pity on me,
Even I the fair flower of Northumberland.
" I have offended my father dear,
Follow my love, &c.,
For a false knight that brought me here,
Even I the fair flower of Northumberland. "
They took her up beside her then.
Follow my love, &c.,
And brought her to her father again,
And she the fair flower of Northumberland.
Now, all you fair maids, be warned by me,
Follow no Scotchman over the strand,
Scots never were true, nor ever will be,
To lord nor lady nor fair England.
464
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
Central J>tatt0w ftirttl,
j]OR Borne time past it has been found that the
accommodation at the Central Station Hotel,
Newcastle, has been inadequate to the de-
mands of so important an hostelry. The authorities of
the North-Eastern Railway have, therefore, determined
to extend the hotel by the addition of a large building
to the east of the present edifice. The extension will
consist of a frontage of 165 feet in Neville Street, with
a width of about 50 feet. A new and commodious
entrance, which will project some twenty feet from the face
of the building, will be made in that part which adjoins
the old hotel. Mr. William Bell, the company's archi-
tect, has entire control of the arrangements, and the con-
tractor for the work is Mr. Walter Scott, of Newcastle,
of whom we now proceed to give a few biographical par-
ticulars. Our sketch shows Mr. Bell's design.
Some forty years ago there arrived in Newcastle a man
who, at that time, gave few indications that he was to
become one of the most prominent men in the North of
England. Walter Scott was then a skilled artisan, and
he came to Tyneside to seek employment as a mason.
We believe that his first job of any importance was at
the Central Railway Station, which was then in course
of erection. He afterwards commenced business for him-
self, and, in course of time, he undertook many im-
portant contracts. From small beginnings, he came to
be one of the largest contractors in the North, and has
undertaken the erection of many of the principal build-
ings, railways, and other concerns in this district that
have been initiated within the last quarter of a century.
Nor have his operations being confined to our own neigh-
bourhood, for he has constructed bridges, docks, and rail-
ways in almost all parts of the country.
Walter Scott was, we believe, born at Abbey Junction,
near Carlisle. This village derives its name from the
Abbey of Cistercians, said by several writers to have
been founded by Prince Henry, son of David, King of
Tit f/ev S fatten.
tyres f/e~an-7j n £. 188 f.
— J .**=*** """" V&Ff *Lt --k "* «V
*r3SSL,™<*- .J>
October I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
465
Scotland, about the year 1150. Other writers, however,
suggest that the founder was Alands, sou of Earl
Waldeof ; but from the Crown Rolls it would appear that
it was a foundation of King Henry I., and that Alands
only restored the edifice. The remains of the abbey have
been renovated, and are now used as the parish church.
It was in this historic region that Walter Scott
passed his early years. On completing his apprentice-
ship, he, like many others, sought "fresh woods
and pastures new " for his energies, Newcastle being
the town he selected. How the subject of this notice
has won for himself a high position amongst his fellow-
citizens is sufficiently well known. Shrewdness, fore-
sight, keen intelligence, perseverance, combined with
geniality and unobtrusiveness, are his characteristics,
and it was in recognition of these remarkable abilities that
he was, some eight years ago, elected to represent the
Elswick North Ward in the Newcastle Council.
Mr. Scott's energies have also found vent in a direction
altogether unexpected, when the nature of his own busi-
ness is taken into consideration ; but this is only another
proof of his versatility and power to direct and control.
The establishment of a provincial publishing house, which
now equals in importance that of the foremost book firms
in the metropolis, is a grand achievement of itself.
Indeed, the concern has assumed almost phenomenal pro-
portions. From the Felling Works there has been, and is
being, issued literature of the popular class which has
found its way all over the world. The Canterbury Poets,
the Oxford Library, the Camelot Classics, and the Great
Writers Series, need no recommendation, as they are
firmly established in public favour. Then there is a series
of popular novels, books for the young, valuable
science lectures delivered before the Tyneside Sunday
Lecture Society, and many other important works. In-
deed, thirty or forty thousand good and useful volumes
are issued every month from Mr. Scott's famous establish-
ment on the Tyne.
Besides the works just indicated, Mr. Scott is under-
stood to be concerned in a multitude of other enterprises
—coal mines, iron works, soap factories, &c. Altogether
he is one of the most remarkable men of our time ; yet,
he is, withal, as modest and as retiring, as gentle and aa
unassuming, as when he began life in Newcastle as a
journeyman mason at the Central Station.
in ttu fJcrrtftmt
IJEPROSY, which Celsus characterises aa
the most atrocious and filthy, hateful and
incurable of all diseases [marbus atrocis-
simus et fcedissimus, el m&xim& invirus et
incurabilit], was once much more prevalent in Western
Europe than it now is, and far from uncommon in our
own country, where it may be said, indeed, to have been
unknown for ages past.
The term Leprosy has been very vaguely used both by
medical and other writers. But the best authorities now
restrict it to the disease known as Black or Tuberculous
Leprosy [Lepra nigricam five tuberculosa], which is the
malady that prevailed to such an extent and caused such
well-founded alarm and widespread suffering in Britain,
France, Germany, and other parts of the Continent in the
466
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f October
Middle Ages, and which is still frequently met with in va-
rious warm climates. The Greeks knew the black leprosy
as elephantiasis, from the dark scales with which the skin
of those suffering from it is covered, and the abnormal
swelling of their legs, which was such as to make them
resemble those of the huge Indian beast, though on a
small scale.
The persons most likely to be affected with this loath-
some disease were those whose occupation exposed them
to cold and damp or sudden variations in temperature,
and who led a precarious and irregular mode of life.
Old writers enumerate soldiers, brewers, cooks, laun-
dresses, butchers, coachmen, porters, smiths, hunts-
men, scullermen, and labourers, as peculiarly liable
to suffer from it. Moreover, it was held to be, and
doubtless was, very infectious ; and, therefore, leprous per-
sons were segregated from the general community, and
either consigned to lazarettos or lazar-houses, where they
might herd together more like brute beasts than human
beings, or obliged to "dwell in a several house," like
Uzziah, King of Judah, all the days of their lives. It
• was the magistrate's duty to appoint a physician to
inspect such as it was deemed necessary to set apart from
the rest of mankind on account of their being leprous ;
and lazar-houses were established in almost every town in
England and Scotland in the days when leprosy was
common.
Thus, to begin with Newcastle. The Hospital of St.
Mary Magdalene was founded in the beginning of the
twelfth century by King Henry I., for a master, brethren,
and three sisters, and for the reception of persons afflicted
with leprosy, with a view to check the baneful progress of
the disease, which had been brought to England by the
Crusaders, and doubtless also by poor palmers and other
pilgrims wearily returning from the Holy Land. The
situation was, as always in the case of such establish-
ments, outside the wall of the town ; and here the poor
wretches were cut off from the rest of society, after having
been formally sentenced to civil death by a particular
religious service. Pious monks and nuns voluntarily
devoted their lives to the service of the house ; and
contributions and endowments flowed in upon them
from the wealthy and benevolent. But the charity
soon came to be abused ; for, as in course of time all
persons suffering from skin diseases were indiscriminately
classed as lepers, multitudes of idle and filthy persona
contrived to obtain a living by ranking themselves aa
so afflicted. The hospital was consequently filled to
repletion, and huts had to be erected on the waste ground
outside to lodge some of the patients. Aa the refuge was
•ituated close beside the road leading to Jesmond, then a
much-frequented place of pilgrimage, the ears of the
pious passers-by were constantly assailed with doleful
cries of " Unclean 1 Unclean ! pity the poor lepers ! "
reiterated until they dropped an alms into the lepers'
dish set down on the roadside, near the Barras Bridge,
for the purpose. The wretched, but unfortunate,
suppliants, dressed in a peculiar garb, consisting of a long
mantle and a beaver hat, carried in their hands a wooden
clapper or crake, somewhat like that used by crow-herds
to scare away rooks from the cornfields, with which they
rattled so as to attract attention.
At length, on the almost total disappearance of the
disease from Britain, about the beginning of the six-
teenth century, through the more general adop-
tion of cleanliness and ventilation and the use
of more wholesome and digestible aliment, St.
Mary Magdalene's Hospital began to be used "for
the comfort and help of the poor folks of the town
that chanced to fall sick in time of pestilence " — a con-
tingency very often occurring in those days, when whole
towns and districts were liable to be depopulated, over and
over again, by such scourges as the Black Death or the
Sweating Sickness. The institution was dissolved by
statute in Henry VIII. 's time, but was re-established by
James I. in 1611 ; and in Bourne's time it had fourteen
persons residing in it, each of whom was allowed a room,
coals, and eight shillings a month, while fifteen others
were out-patients, with different allowances, some receiv-
ing four shillings and some half-a-crown per month.
When Mackenzie wrote, in 1826, part of the old hospital
buildings was still remaining, behind the Bay Nag public-
house, at the top of Northumberland Street, adjoining to
which was the Magdalene, or, as it waa vulgarly called,
the Maudlin Meadow, and also, close at hand, St. Mary
Magdalene's Well. In the following year, an Act was
obtained enabling the Mayor and Council, who are, by
Eoyal Charter, the patrons of the institution, to dispose
of the grounds belonging to it upon building leases of
ninety-nine years ; and in 1830, the remains of
the hospital were pulled down and the present
St. Thomas's Church was erected on its site, while the
Magdalene Field was enclosed to form the churchyard of
the new church. A new hospital was erected in the "Sick
Men's Close, " which is traditionally said to have got its
name from the plague-stricken inhabitants of the town
being removed during the epidemic to tents pitched there,
to be buried, when they died, in the Maudlin Barrows,
or burying place of the hospital, from which the Barras
Bridge derives its name, or at the place nigh to Jesmond
called the "Dead Men's Graves."
An hospital was founded at Bolton, in the pariah of
Edlingham, sometime before the year 1225, by Robert de
Boos, Baron of Wark, for a master, three brethren,
three chaplains, and thirteen leprous laymen. It
was dedicated to the Blessed Mary and St.
Thomas the Martyr. The Archbishops of Canter-
bury and York, the Bishops of Durham, Wells, and
Lincoln, the Deans of York and Lincoln, and the
Abbots of Rievaulx, Melrose, and De Valle Dei, signed
their names to the charter as witnesses. The Abbot of
Rievaulx and the Prior of Kirkham were appointed
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
467
governors of the hospital ; and the founder endowed it
with the following estates :— The villa, lordship, impro-
priation, and advowson of Bolton, and a waste of 150
acres ; a corn mill and a tenement at Mindrum ; lands at
Paston and at Kilham ; the villa, manor, impropriation,
and advowson of Stroxton or Straunston, near Grantham,
in Lincolnshire, and the estates of the Pauntons within
that lordship; an estate at Elwell, in Swanesland, in
Yorkshire, with pasturage for 300 sheep, near the river
Humber ; a corn mill and a tenement at Middleton, near
Ualton ; and lands at Garton, also in the county of
York. The master, chaplains, and brethren were to keep
a good table, dress neatly, and provide themselves with
proper necessaries and conveniences out of their annual
revenues, and apply the remainder to the relief of the
poor and the succour of helpless strangers. At the dis-
solution in Henry VIII. 'a time, the hospital came, with
the manor and vill, into the possession of the Collinir-
woods of Eslington ; and the other estates fell into the
hands of other lay improprietors, who profited as they
had influence and opportunity by the new state of things
the Reformation introduced.
The Benedictine nuns of Holystone had an hospital at
Alwinton, near the confluence of the Coquet and the
Alwine, but whether it was ever used as a lazar-house we
cannot ascertain. There was likewise an hospital at Catch-
burn, in the parish of Morpeth, built under the influence
and patronage of Roger Lord Merley, the second of that
name. St. Leonard's Hospital, which stood on the hill
above the village of Mitford, in an airy situation, was
founded about the same time as that of St. Mary Magda-
lene in Newcastle, by Sir William Bertram, the first of
the name, in whose favour the manor and castle of Mit-
ford and its dependencies were erected into a barony.
The Hospital of St. Mary Magdalene at Bamborough
was licensed by King Edward II. in the year 1316, just
before the outbreak of a grievous famine and mortality in
Northumberland, during which we are told that "the
quick could hardly bury the dead : there was a
great corruption of cattle and grass ; some people
ate the flesh of their own children ; and thieves
in prison devoured those who were brought in, and
greedily ate them half alive." It must have been about
the same time that St. Leonard's Hospital, which stood a
little to the west of Tynemouth, on the road to Newcastle,
•was founded for the reception of diseased persons, par-
ticularly lepers. Every vestige of this place has now
disappeared, but the ruins are said to have existed
down till about sixty years ago. The fishing village and
bathing station of Spittal, in the parish of Tweedmouth,
opposite Berwick, owes its name to an hospital for lepers
and other sick persons, which was founded there, close to
the sea shore, on the verge of what was then an exten-
sive moor, by King Edward I. Another hospital stood
on the north side of the Tweed, between the sea and the
town of Berwick ; it was dedicated, like most other estab-
lishments of the kind, to St. Mary Magdalene, and the
fields in the midst of which it stood are still known as the
Maudlin or Magdalene Fields. The township of Spittle,
in the parish of Ovingham, undoubtedly owes its name
to its having been the site of a lazar-house. Hexham
Spital, which stood on an elevated site to the westward of
the town, was founded for leprous persons by one of the
Archbishops of York. The site is now occupied by a
private mansion of the same name, the residence of Mr.
Edward Leadbitter.
On the north side of the Tweed, leprosy was quite as
common from the twelfth to the sixteenth century as it
was in South Britain ; and though in both parts of the
island it chiefly affected the lower classes, yet occasionally
it proved fatal to the very highest personages, King
Robert Bruce, the hero of Bannockburn, having died of it
in 1329. Confining ourselves to the county of Roxburgh, we
6nd that there were five or six lazar-houses within little
more than, twenty miles of each other. Thus there was
one at Roxburgh, which existed previous to 1140, and the
master of which swore fealty to Edward I. in 1296.
There was another at Rutherford, two or three miles off,
dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. At Ancrum, there
was a third, probably constructed of wood, which was
burned down by Sir Ralph Evers in 1544, and again by
the Earl of Hertford in the following year. At Jedburgh,
there was an hospital called the Maison Dieu, on the
banks of the river Jed, the road that led down to
which is still known as the Sick Man's Path.
Finally, there was a lazar-house at Cavers-Douglas, on
the south bank of the Teviot, between Jedburgh and
Hawick, which was destroyed by the English in 1596, and
appears not to have been re-built. The last case of
leprosy known to have occurred in Scotland was met with
in Edinburgh by Dr. Edmondson in 1809.
Turning to Cumberland and Westmoreland, we find
that at Carlisle, without the gates of the city, at the
south end of Botchergate, was the Hospital of St.
Nicholas, which was founded in ancient times by one of
the kings of England, for the reception of thirteen lepers,
men and women, In 1180, a moiety of the tithes of
Little Bampton was given to this hospital, by "Adam,
son of Robert." In 1371, the Bishop of Carlisle, on being
informed that it was being defrauded of a great part of
its revenues, issued "a munition to all rectors and vicars
in the neighbouring parts, requiring them to give notice
to their parishioners that all detainers of threaves of corn
or other goods belonging to the said hospital shall make
full payment or restitution within the space of ten days,
on pain of the greater excommunication." In 1477, both
the hospital and its possessions were given to the prior
and convent of St. Mary's, Carlisle, and they afterwards
descended with the rest of the priory estates to the Dean
and Chapter. At Wigton, Appleby, Kendal, and possibly
other towns, hospitals or lazar-houses existed in monastic
468
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/October
\ 1889.
times, all dedicated to St. Leonard, and all dissolved by
King Henry VIIL
£I)tr.bttrn Hospital.
The history of Sherburn Hospital (see p. 465), situated
two miles to the south-east of Durham, dates from a very
early period. It was founded in the year 1180 by that
princely prelate, Hugh Pudsey, Bishop of Durham, who
did so much to enrich the county palatine by building
churches, castles, bridges, and hospitals, and granting
charters to the burgesses in his diocese similar to those
enjoyed by the burgesses of Newcastle. The object of
its munificent founder was to establish a place of refuge
and residence for persons afflicted with leprosy.
According to its original foundation, the number of
persons, male and female, to be admitted to the hospital
was sixty-five, and they were to be divided into five con-
vents, anil have their spiritual wants attended to by three
priests and four clerks. A procurator, or master as he
was afterwards called, was placed over them as guardian ;
and in order that the hospital might be properly main-
tained, the founder endowed it with his demesne or vill of
Sherburn, with its mill and appurtenances, besides lands
at Ebchester, Witton, Garmondsway, and Sheraton.
The patronage of the churches of Kelloe, Grindon, Sock-
burn, and Bi.shopton were also assigned to it, either by
the bishop himself or some other pious benefactor.
Each leper was to have a loaf, weighing ten marks, and
a gallon of beer daily ; three days in the week flesh meat,
and four days fish, eggs, cheese, or butter. On great days
two dishes were provided for each, particularly on Quadra-
gesima Day, when they were allowed fresh salmon or
other fish, if they could be had, for one of the
dishes, while on Michaelmas Day they were to
have gee.se, — a goose to every four. During Lent, each
had a razer of wheat, to make furmenty, and two razers of
beans to boil.
For their clothing, each had a yearly allowance of three
yards of woollen cloth, russet or white, six yards of linen,
and six yards of canvas ; and the tailor had his meat and
drink the day on which he came to cut out their clothes.
Four fires were allowed for the whole community. From
Michaelmas to All Saints they had two baskets of peat on
double mess days, and four baskets daily from All Saints
to Easter. On Christmas Eve, they had four yule logs,
each a cart-load, with four trusses of straw; four trusses
of straw on All Saints' Eve and Easter Eve ; four bundles
of rushes on the Eves of Pentecost, St. John the Baptist,
and St. Mary Magdalene. And on the anniversary of
Martin de Sancta Cruce, every leper received five shillings
and fivepence in money.
The lepers had a common kitchen and a common cook ;
and the utensils for cooking, &c., were two brazen pots, a
table, a large wooden vessel for washing or making
wine, two ale vate, a laver, and two bathing vats. The
sick had fire, a candle, and all necessaries until they either
got well or died.
Thus things seemed to have gone on for many years,
only interrupted by alarms from the side of Scotland (the
place was once plundered and devastated by the Scots,
but was rebuilt shortly afterwards); and the revenues
of the hospital were augmented from time to time
by bequests made to it by piously disposed persons.
But, about the year 1410, Bishop Langley appointed a
pluralist named Newton master of the hospital; and
under his extravagant management the hospital estates
were almost ruined, and the buildings and outhouses were
suffered to go to decay, Newton being, as Allan, in his
Collections, terms him, "a true chop church," who had
chopped and changed six or eight churches in the single
county of Essex, before he came down to the North to
lay hold of two rich rectories, those of Houghton-
le-Spring and Bishopwearmoutb.
As leprosy had in the meantime become a disease of
comparatively rare occurrence, it was deemed necessary
to revise the constitution of the hospital. Consequently
a faculty was obtained from the Pope by Bishop (then
Cardinal) Langley, empowering him to make such altera-
tions in the rules as he should deem proper, after
taking the best advice in the matter. The new rules
and orders he issued bear date the 22nd July, 1434, and
their general purport was that the master should be in
priest's orders, and that he should keep four chaplains,
four clerks or singing men, and two boy chanters, with
thirteen poor men, who were to be supplied with meat
and drink of the value of tenpence weekly, and likewise
to be allowed 6s. 8d. a year for fuel and clothes. The
regulations likewise directed that, in remembrance of the
original foundation, two lepers should be received
into the hospital if they could be found, but they
were to be kept apart from the rest of the
brethren. The master was also to have the custody
of the goods and buildings of the hospital — a trust
which several of them, however, discharged very badly,
so that in the year 1554 it was reported to the
October!
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
469
authorities that there then was "neither poor man
nor poor woman, neither yet priest nor clerk, nor
child found of the house-charge, saving only two
priests, two clerks, and two children," while the
residue of the revenues, meant only to be poor
men's livings, went together to the private use
of the master.
In order to prevent "the utter destruction of the
hospitil for ever," an Act was passed, in the year
1589, for the incorporation of the charity, under the
name of "The Master and Brethren of Christ's Hos-
pital, in Sherburn, near Durham," with a perpetual
succession and common seal. By this Act the number of
brethren was increased to thirty, to be nominated, with
one exception, in favour of the owners of Thornley, by the
master, who was to be appointed by the bishop, having
no cure or charges of souls elsewhere.
From the period of incorporation, till 1819, there had
at no time been more than fifteen in-brethren, and sixteen
out-brethren ; but in that year Bishop Barrington ordered
a new wing to be erected, containing fifteen apartments,
for the out-brothers, so that the whole might be accom-
modated within the building. Those who, from having
wives, could not comply with the rules of the resident
brethren, were to receive £20 a year for life; but none
were in future to be appointed who were not single or
widowers.
It has been indicated that several of the masters who
have presided over this magnificent charity fared sump-
tuously out of its funds. Previous to 1830, the demesne
lands belonging to the hospital were let by the master
alone at rack rent to yearly tenants, and he was wont to
appropriate to his own use the residue of these rents, and
also of the fines taken on the renewal of leases, after
simply defraying the expenses of the establishment,
according to the strict letter of the bond. It is stated
that one of the masters, Dr. Bell, in the course of his
twenty years' mastership, put into his pocket the sum of
nearly thirty thousand pounds.
The appropriation of large sums of money in this way,
and the increasing income which the estates yielded, led
to an effort to extend the usefulness of the hospital. The
course pursued was to invoke the aid of the Charity Com-
missioners on the one hand, and the interference of the
Court of Chancery on the other; and after months of
investigation in every direction, and careful inquiry of
those cognisant of the hospital affairs, its future career
was arranged in 1857 for the maintenance of fifteen
indoor and fifteen outdoor brethren, with chaplain and
medical officer.
The annual income of the charity is stated to be £5,500.
The Rev. Henry Mitton, M.A., is the present master
and chaplain, with £500 a year salary; and the staff
nnder his charge consists of a surgeon, a receiver, a dis-
penser, a clerk, and a matron or nurse. The Dean of
Durham, the Archdeacon of Durham, the Chancellor of
the Diocese, the Mayor of Durham, and the Chairman of
Quarter Sessions are Governors ex officio, and have asso-
ciated with them in the control of the hospital estates
several county gentlemen, appointed, from time to time,
when vacancies occur, by the Court of Chancery.
Our view of the gateway is sketched from a photograph
by Frith, while that of the hospital itself is copied from
an engraving in Hutchinson's "History of Durham."
£>toallcrto antt tftc
[(HE Chimney Swallow (Birundo rustica)
belongs to the Hirundinidce family of birds.
The Sirundines are distinguished by their
small, delicately-formed body, broad breast,
short neck, and flat head ; their beak is short, flat,
broad at its base, and terminates in a slight hook ; the
gape is so wide as to extend as far as the eyes. These
birds have no crop ; their broad, flat, horny tongue, sharp
at its edge, is divided at its tip, and furnished with small,
tooth -like appendages towards its base. The feet are
broad and feeble, the toes, three of which are placed in
front, are very weak, and the claws are slender. The
wing is long, narrow, composed of nine quills, and sharply
pointed at its extremity ; the tail forked, containing
twelve feathers, those at the exterior often far exceeding
the centre ones in length. The plumage is composed of
small compact feathers, and frequently exhibits consider-
able metallic lustre.
As Mr. John Hancock briefly notes, the swallow, a
general favourite everywhere, is " a plentiful spring and
autumn migrant, arriving in April and departing in
September or October, a little earlier or later, according
to the season." "The numbers," he adds, "of thia de-
lightful harbinger of returning summer, and its con-
veners, have of late years considerably decreased in our
district (Northumberland and Durham), probably owing
to the diminution of insects, consequent upon the vast
increase of chemical and other manufactories." This
falling-off has also been noticed in most of the manufac-
turing districts of the country.
The birds arrive in this country in flocks, mostly, it is
believed, during the night, as few are seen to arrive ;
but in their southern flight the birds, old and young,
often take their departure for sunnier climes in immense
flocks during the day. The old birds, no doubt, show the
way to the young. Sometimes, when cold weather pre-
vails, the swallows, after their arrival, disappear, no
doubt for more genial localities, though in some cases the
birds are thought to re-migrate. It was once a popular
belief — and that acute naturalist, Gilbert White, seemed
to entertain a similar opinion — that many swallows hyber-
470
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I October
I 1889.
Dated in the mud at the bottom of ponds during winter;
but this figment has been long exploded.
Most schoolboys have read the story of the pair of
swallows which were ousted from their nest by predatory
sparrows, and which built up the hole of the nest,
enclosing the intruders in a living tomb. Bishop Stanley,
Mr. Jesse, and other naturalists, vouch for the truth of
the story. Here is Bishop Stanley's version: — "A pair
of swallows, no doubt those of the preceding year, on
their arriving, found their old nest already occupied by
a sparrow, who kept the poor birds at a distance
by pecking at them with its strong beak when-
ever they attempted to dislodge it. Wearied and
hopeless of regaining possession of their own property,
they at last hit upon a plan which effectually prevented
the intruder from reaping the reward of his roguery.
One morning they appeared with a few more swallows,
their mouths distended with a supply of tempered clay,
and, by joint labour, in a short time actually plastered up
the entire hole, thus punishing the sparrow with imprison-
ment and death by starvation. This instance of apparent)
reasoning occurred at a rectory-house in Lancashire ; and
a similar story is on record, near London, of a pair of
swallows calling in the assistance of their neighbours for
the very same purpose."
The swallows love to build in disused chimneys, and in
barns and out-houses, where the nest, not so compact and
well finished as that of the house martin, may often be
seen attached to or under beams and rafters.
The male swallow is an extremely handsome bird, and
the wings, expanding to a width of one foot two inches,
are long and pointed. The tail is much forked, the outer
feather on each side, about five inches in length, being as
long again as the others, and nearly black, shot with,
bronze. The head, neck, and upper part are brownish
black, with steel blue reflections, only seen in certain,
lights. The forehead and throat are chestnut, and there,
is a tinge of the same on the delicate white of the under-
parts of the body. The legs are very short, the toes
slender, and reddish grey. The female resembles the
male, but is scarcely so lustrous in her plumage.
The Swift ( Cypaelus murarius) is one of the largest
members of the swallow family which visit this country,
but, except in favourable localities, where nesting accom-
modation and food are plentiful, it is not numerous. 16
is seldom .seen in or near large manufacturing towns, aa
smoke, no doubt, renders insect food less plentiful than in
country districts where the air is purer. The swifts are
usually later in arriving in this country than the swallows,
and they depart earlier for southern climes. Like the
cuckoo, the swift has "no winter in its year"; neither
can it be said to have "sorrow in its song," as its note is
merely a wild and defiant or jubilant shriek.
This bird has quite a variety of scientific and common
names. It is the Hirundo opus of Linnaeus, Pennant, and
Montagu — opus being derived from apous, "without a
foot," as it was long a belief that the swift, which was so
seldom noticed to rest on the ground, was without feet.
Amongst other popular names, the swift is called the
swift swallow, black martin, screech, screech martin,
screamer, squealer, &c., and the ancient British name
of the bird is martin du — the black martin.
October \
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
471
Mr. John Hancock, writing of the swift a few years since,
related the following most interesting particulars : —
"This fine species nested, thirty or forty years ago, in the
old houses in the Castle Garth in the midst of Newcastle ;
like his relatives, the swallow and martin, it is now rarely
seen in Newcastle. It also built at Lumley Castle, on
the Wear, and being anxious to obtain its eggs, I watched
an individual enter a hole in the parapet several times,
and was astonished, on ascending the building and
capturing the bird, as I supposed in its nest, to
find that this contained only sparrow's eggs. 'The
shortness of the tarsi and great length of wings render
the swift unable to rise from an even surface.' So it is
stated in ' Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology.'
Impressed with this idea, I laid my Lumley captive on
the floor of the room where I was ; it appeared quite help-
less, and rolled from side to side when touched ; becoming
emboldened, I took it out of doors and placed it on the
garden walk, and in a moment it took wing, and went
off as only a swift can. This happened many years ago.
I had, however, a recent demonstration of the same fact.
The spring of 1873 was very cold, and a swift, becoming
apparently benumbed, entered an open window of the
Newcastle Infirmary. After the bird had somewhat
recovered, I had an opportunity of handling it, and of
again trying my old experiment. The swift was laid on
the floor of the apartment, and in an instant it took flight
and flew against the window, but not with sufficient
force to injure itself." Thus Mr. Hancock successfully
confutes the fallacy that the swift cannot rise from the
ground.
The nest of the swift, placed in holes of high walls and
other inaccessible places, is loosely formed of straw, grass,
hair, feathers, and other materials, agglutinised together.
The birds dexterously pick up nesting materials while on
the wing — a fact which may account for the ancient
popular error that the birds have no legs. The rapidity
of the flight of the bird is astonishing. It has been esti-
mated that wild ducks fly at the rate of ninety miles an
hour, swallows rather more ; but the swift, in its migra-
tions, is said to attain a speed of about 200 miles an
hour. If this be true, the birds will arrive in tropical
Africa a few hours after leaving our shores, premising
they do not encounter a strong and sudden head-wind.
The male swift weighs nearly one ounce, and is from
seven to eight inches in length ; bill, very short and
black ; iris, dark brown ; head very broad. The whole
plumage, which is dense and close set, with the exception
of a small patch of greyish white under the chin, is
blackish brown, with a tinge of green, light yellow, and
purple. Taking the size of the bird into consideration,
the wings are of extraordinary length, expanding to a
width of eighteen inches.
Cftrirftrrpfter jltrrtft at
JOHN WILSON, perhaps better known aa
"Christopher North," was born on May
18th, 1785, in a somewhat gloomy house in a
dingy court at the head of High Street,
Paisley, Scotland, which house was afterwards used as a
lecture-room for artisans, and is still preserved as classic
ground, under the name of " Wilson's Hall." His father
was a wealthy man, having realised his fortune in trade
as a gauze manufacturer. The early education of John
Wilson was imparted under the fostering care of the
Rev. George M'Latchie, of Mearns. On the death of his
father, young Wilson was sent to Glasgow University,
and entered as a student in the Latin class for the session
1797-98, attending other classes in due course down to
1803. Whilst engaged in his studies at that seat of learn-
ing, his attention was attracted by the "Lyrical Ballads "
of William Wordsworth. Young Wilson was amongst
the most enthusiastic admirers of Wordsworth's poetry,
and he conveyed his sentiments in a lengthy letter (it
occupies nine pages of the biography written by Wilson's
daughter, Mrs. Gordon), assuring the author of the
pleasure he had derived from a perusal of his poems, and
expressing the delight he would experience on receiving a
letter from him. To this letter Wordsworth replied, and
thus commenced a connection which was, in after years,
to blossom into friendship, and endure as long as life
lasted.
In June, 1803, we find young Wilson entered as a
gentleman -commoner of Magdalen College, Oxford.
His biographer thus refers to him at this period :
"Full of life and enthusiasm, tall, strong, and graceful,
quick-witted, well-read, and eloquent, of open heart
and open hand, apt for all things honourable and
manly, a more splendid youth of nineteen had seldom
entered the 'bell-chiming and cloistered haunts of
Rhedicyna.'" In addition to this, he had almost a
passion for athletic sports, and possessed a fortune of
£50,000. His life at Oxford was extraordinary, his
tastes and sympathies being all-embracing. Everything
was fish that came to his net. At one time he
was discussing the merits of boxing with prize-fighters;
at another time engaged in profound study with
classical veterans and professors of philosophy. He had
no equal in the hunting field, or in breakneck races,
Swimming, wrestling, leaping, walking, dancing, riding,
as no one else did at Oxford, it might have been
thought that he was not a reading man. But he was,
though. One of his contemporaries refers to Wilson's
life at Oxford, as follows : —
Wilson read hard, lived hard, but never ran into vulgar
or vicious dissipation. He talked well, and loved to talk.
Such gushes of poetic eloquence as fell from his 4ips,— I
doubt whether Jeremy Taylor himself, could he speak as
472
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
(October
1389.
well as he wrote, could Lave kept up with him. Every
one anticipated his doing well, whatever profession he
might adopt, and when he left us old Oxford seemed as if
a shadow bad fallen upon its beauty.
In 1805, Wilson, who was suffering from nervousness
and deep gloom engendered by an unhappy love affair
which bad been nipped in the bud by an ever-watchful
mother, sought solace in travel. At first he thought of a
journey to Timbuctoo with Mungo Park, but eventually
decided upon a tour in the North of England and
in Ireland. In a letter afterwards written to a
friend, he says that his expedition was prolific in
adventure and scrape, and made him acquainted with
strange bedfellows, from which it may be concluded that
he indulged his reckless mood to its fullest extent, pro-
bably in the hope of self-forgetfulness. In that letter he
says : "I have bought Rome ground at Windermere Lake,
but whether in future years I may live there, I know
not" He did subsequently decide to take up his resi-
dence at Elleray. There was no suitable dwelling-
house on the estate. The rustic cottage that he
found there was adapted by him as a residence.
It was built of common stone ; French windows opened
to the ground ; and the whole was adorned with jessa-
mine, clematis, and honeysuckle. The principal part
of the dwelling was entered through a trellised
entrance covered with wild roses. The cottage was pro-
tected by a fine old sycamore that spread its branches
over the roof. Wilson often spoke of this noble tree.
"Never in this well- wooded world," he soliloquized,
"not even in the days of the Druids, could there have
been such another tree ! It would be easier to suppose
two Shakspeares. Yet I have heard people say it
is far from being a large tree. A small one it
cannot be, with a house in its shadow — an un-
awakened house that looks as if it were dreaming.
True, 'tis but a cottage, a Westmoreland cottage.
But, then, it has several roofs shelving away there
in the lustre of loveliest lichens ; each roof with
its own assortment of doves and pigeons preening
their pinions in the morning pleasance. Oh,
sweetest and shadiest of all sycamores, we love
thee beyond all other trees ! "
The little cottage nestled beneath the shelter of-
a well-wooded hill, that imparted an aspect of re-
tirement to its situation. A comprehensive view
of Windermere could be gained from the windows,
the Langdales Pikes riveting the eye by their dis-
tinctive configuration.
About this time the poets of the Lake School
were in their glory. Among the genii loci were
Wordsworth, Coleridge, Southey, De Quincey,
Bkhop Watson, and Charles Lloyd. Wilson
soon came to be on intimate terms with these
worthies. He was introduced to De Quincey by
Wordsworth, when the latter was residing at
Allan Bank, near Grasmere. Here is the Opium Eater's
account of the interview : —
At the time I speak of, both Mr.'Ooleridge and myself
were on a visit to Mr. Wordsworth ; and one room on
the ground floor, designed tor a breakfasting-room, which
commands a sublime view of the three mountains — Fair-
field, Arthur's Chair, and Seat Sandal (the first of them
within about 400 feet of the highest mountains in Great
Britain)— was then occupied by Mr. Coleridge as a study.
On this particular day, the sun having only just set, It
naturally happened that Mr. Coleridge— whose nightly
vigils were long — had not yet come down to breakfast ;
meantime, and until the epoch of the Coleridgian break-
fast should arrive, his study was lawfully disposed
to profaner uses. Here, therefore, it was that, opening
the door hastily in quest of a book, I found seated,
and in earnest conversation, two gentlemen, one of
them my host. Mr. Wordsworth was at that time about
thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old ; the other was a
younger man by good sixteen or seventeen years, in a
sailor's dress, manifestly in robust health, fervidut
juventa, and wearing upon his countenance a powerful
expression of ardour and animated intelligence, mixed
with much good nature. "Mr. Wilson, of Elleray" —
delivered as the formula of introduction, in the deep tones
of Mr. Wordsworth— at once banished the momentary
surprise I felt on finding an unknown stranger where I
had expected nobody, and substituted a surprise of
another kind ; I now well understand who it was that 1
saw ; and there was no wonder in his being at Allan
Bank, Elleray standing within nine miles ; but (as usually
happens in such cases) I felt a shock of surprise on seeing
a person so little corresponding to the one I bad half
unconsciously prefigured. Figure to yourself, then, a
tall man, about six feet high, within half an inch or so,
built with tolerable appearance of strength ; but at the
date of my description (that is in the very springtide and
blossom of youth), wearing for the predominant character
of his person, lightness and agility, or, in our Westmore-
land phrase, lishness, he seemed framed with an express
view to gymnastic exercises of every sort.
Wilson's superabundant energy speedily manifested
itself at Elleray. Of his many amusements, boating was
From Htrptt'i M«guto«. Copyright. 1881, by Hupw I Broth«n.
JOHN WILSON : " CHRISTOPHER NOBTH."
October!
1889. J
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
473
one of the principal. This favourite, though occasionally
fatal, diversion on Windermere became, in course of
time, quite a passion with him; for he maintained
at his own expense a small fleet that must have
been a serious drain upon his finances. Many
daring escapades are related of Wilson upon the lake
in company with his faithful boatman, Billy Balmer.
Next to his boats in point of favour came his game-cocks.
It is on record that a main of cocks was once fought in
the drawing-room at Elleray, before the flooring was laid
down. Wrestling was another pet diversion of his.
Though he never appeared in the ring, he steadily
patronised this amusement, astounding the competitors
at the sports by the superior quality of the prizes he
offered. Yet he did not decline to engage in a tussle
with a worthy opponent when a favourable opportunity
presented itself.
The writer of this article, when in Wastdale in the
month of June last, had an interview with a well-known
Cumberland statesman, old Will Ritson, who, in his
youth, was an adept at wrestling and had the honour
of a throw with Wilson. Ritson is a perfect budget of
anecdotes of the celebrated men who have visited
Wastdale. He had acted as guide to Wordsworth,
De Quincey, Wilson, Professor Sedgwick, and many other
famous visitors. Wordsworth, he said, was a very quiet
man, who seldom spoke to anyone ; but he entertains
the highest opinions of Wilson, whom he describes as
"a grand 'un, whe banged 'era aall for fun." The pair
had once a great and memorable encounter. It was
during a hot day in summer that Wilson arrived in
Wastdale. He had heard that there were many tough
customers in that part of the Lake District, and
inquired if anyone waa likely to give him a throw.
He was referred to Ritson. Wilson sought him out.
But Ritson was then engaged in his daily employ-
ment, but promised to meet him on the village green in
the evening. Accordingly, they met and prepared for a
tussle. Ritson speaks of Wilson at that time as a
mighty powerful man, much older than himself, and
seeming to possess the strength and agility of a lion. But
mere power of limb is not all that is required of a wrestler.
And this Wilson soon discovered when he tackled a lad
who had practised the art from childhood. Wilson was
thrown twice out of three throws, but, as Ritson says,
" he was a varry bad 'un to lick." In other games of skill,
such as jumping, Wilson was much the superior man.
Ritson had many opportunities of judging Wilson's
powers. Thus he tells how he indulged in the freak of
tumbling out of a boat into Wastwater, much to the
amazement and consternation of his companions, who,
when they had, as they thought, rescued him, found him
very difficult to hold, as he slipped into the lake as
quickly as they got him out. This was one of his pranks.
Indeed, during the whole of the time he stayed at Wast-
dale, Wilson indulged his bent for practical joking to the
fullest extent. He drank heartily, he quizzed the
parson, and he sang songs. " Ye sud 'a heard him sing,"
says Old Will, " for he had a main strang voice — he was
the grandest singer aa ivvor heard."
From Harper'i Miguiiu.
, by Hupn i Bfotlun.
CHRISTOPHER NORTH'S COTTAGE AT ELLERAY.
474
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/October
\ 1889.
Wilson was a great favourite with everybody in Wast-
dale, and reference to his exploits never fails to
kindle the enthusiasm of Will Ritson, who, though
now over eighty years of age, is always glad to
" hev a crack about the old times " with anyone who
calls upon him at his cottage beneath the shadow of
Buckbarrow at the foot of the lake ; for it must be ex-
plained that he has removed from the hamlet at Wastdale
Head where he dwelt for the greater portion of his life.
It was in 1811 that John Wilson married. The ob-
ject of his affection was Miss Jane Fenny, the belle
of the Lake District, a lady of rare beauty, gentle,
loving, and true. He did not make the usual wedding
tour, but took his bride to his flower-embowered
cottage. It might have reasonably been supposed that
nothing could occur to spoil or mar their wedded
happiness ; but a calamity was in store for poor
Wilson which, on that bright and happy morn when
he made Jane Penny his wife, he never contemplated.
For a time all was perfect peace and happiness ;
Wilson's means were ample for his personal wants and
the requirements of his household. The union was
blessed with lovely children, and the future prospect
was hopeful. But a darkening cloud was to come over
the horizon and leave its effect upon Wilson for the
rest of his life. This was after four years of wedded
bliss. By one foul blow he was deprived of his entire
fortune, and rendered in word, if not in deed, penniless.
This was brought about by an uncle who had acted the
part of the "unjust steward." It became necessary
that Wilson should leave Elleray. He bore his troubles
bravely, sorrowing, but not repining, and, like the hero
that he wad, generously assisted in contributing to the
support of his relative, who had been dragged down in
the same vortex of ruin. So ended Christopher North's
life at Elleray.
When Wilson gave up the estate at Elleray, he went
with his wife and family to live in Edinburgh with his
mother. Four years later, he had won a measurable
degree of success, and was enabled to provide a home
of his own. He studied for the law, was admitted, and
for some time frequented the law courts on the look-out
for business. But he was not destined to be a lawyer.
William Blackwood, the publisher, engaged him to
write for the Edinburgh Monthly Magazine, and later
for Black-wood's Magazine, He waa appointed Professor
of Moral Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh in
1820, and held that office for more than thirty years.
But as his life at Edinburgh forms no part of the
scheme of this article, we may conclude by stating that
he died on April 3, 1854.
atttr
THE BELL TOWER AT MORPETH.
The following extract from Wilson's "Handbook of
Morpeth and Neighbourhood " relates to the bell tower
mentioned in the account of Morpeth on page 166 of the
Monthly Chronicle : — " In Oldgate Street, adjoining the
Market Place, is a stone tower, containing an ancient
clock and a capital peal of bells, which, in consequence of
the church being at some distance from the town, are
used for the ordinary parochial purposes. [A turriolum is
mentioned in a deed printed under date of 1310, and a tur-
rellus in 1343 ; and, in a plan of 1603, a considerable tower
is drawn on the south side of Bridge Street, on the site of
the old gaol.] There are six bells, which, according to
an inscription upon one of them, were the gift of Major-
General Edmoud Main to the Corporation of Morpetb.
The general was M.P. for Morpeth in 1705. The tower
goes by the name of the Clock House, from its containing
a large old-fashioned clock. There is, says Hodgson, a
tradition that the clock was brought from Bothal Castle,
and that it is a very old one. The lowest floor of the
tower was a sort of prison or correction-house of the town,
to which the bailiffs continued to commit offenders against
the law till after 1800. In the records of the Corporation
the following interesting instance is given of the mode of
punishment in vogue at the period quoted : — ' On the 10th
of June, 1743, Mary Clarke, sister of Sir William Brown,
taken in the publick markitt place for picking the pockett
of Jane Holmes of a geanney and a half, was brought
before Mr. W. Cooper and Mr. Thomas Weatherhead, the
then present bailiffs ; the fact being proved against her
by evidence upon oath, he committed her to the Clock
House and wbipted her sevearly all next day. ' "
ERNEST WELLS, Newcastle.
ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE.
Mr. Algernon Charles Swinburne, one of the leading
poets of the day, is the son of Admiral Charles Henry
Swinburne and his wife, Lady Jane Henrietta,
daughter of George, third Earl of Ashburnham.
Admiral Swinburne, who died in 1877, was the second
sou of Sir John Edward Swinburne, of Capheaton,
Northumberland. Mr. Swinburne is, therefore, the
cousin of Sir John Swinburne, the present owner of Cap-
heaton. Born in Pimlico in 1837, Mr. Swinburne in
1857 entered as a Commoner at Baliol College, Oxford.
Though a distinguished student, he left the University
without taking? a degree. He was one of a small band,
all the members of which have since become more or less
distinguished, who wrote the "Undergraduate Papers."
Soon after he left the University, he visited Florence, and
spent some time with the late Walter Savage Landor.
Mr. Swinburne's initial literary efforts, two plays entitled
October \
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
475
"The Queen Mother" and "Rosamond," published in
I860, attracted but little attention. They were immature,
but it was admitted that they exhibited unmistakable
genius. Much more important was "Atalanta in
Calydon," published in 1865. This was allowed to be
one of the most finished works of its class. "Chastelard,
a Tragedy," followed in 1866. The same year saw the
publication of a volume of "Poems and Ballads," com-
posed of pieces many of which had long been written. The
work was severely criticised, and a wordy warfare followed.
The writer was called prurient, indecent, and so forth.
The publisher withdrew the work from circulation ; it
was, however, speedily re-issued by another publisher.
The poet retorted upon his accusers in a scathing
pamphlet, entitled "Notes on Poems and Reviews."
Since then Mr. Swinburne has made many valuable
additions to English literature. Besides essays on Victor
Hugo, George Chapman, and William Blake, he has
issued a work on Charlotte Bronte and several volumes of
poems. Mr. Swinburne possesses the rare faculty of
being able to write in French as fluently and correctly as
in English, some of his compositions in that tongue having
won the warmest praise from distinguished French
critics. E. B., Hexham.
And thus the doorway has been preserved. It is utilised
as the entrance to a gardeners' tool-house dug out of
the solid rock of Boylden HilL J. G. B.
AN ANCIENT DOORWAY.
Visitors to the Mowbray Park, Sunderland, have often
inquired about the history of the fine old doorway
which is built into the mouth of a cave under Boylden
HilL This interesting relic of antiquity once formed the
south entrance to Bishopwearmouth Rectory courtyard.
In 1856, the Rectory Park passed into the hands of a build-
ing company, of which Mr. Rouuthwaite, the father of the
present Borough Engineer of Sunderland, was managing
partner. When the old doorway was taken down (by the
way, it had originally much higher side jambs), Mr.
Anthony Wardropper induced Mr. Rounthwaite to pre-
sent it to the town as a memento of the old Rectory.
STARLINGS AT ALSTON.
The first recorded starling seen in the neighbourhood
was caught in a room at Allenheads, about 50 years ago.
It had come down the chimney. It was taken to the
late Mr. Crawhall, who was then resident there. He
identified the bird, and I believe had it preserved.
Probably it is now in the possession of one of his family.
In Alston itself the starling first appeared in the year
1833 or 1834, when a pair built under the roof of a bouse
situate at the foot of the town and facing up the street.
Since then they have yearly increased in numbers, and
are now very numerous, although not so numerous
this year, I think, as usual. They seem to build year
after year in the same nesting-places, and are not dis-
turbed by repairs to buildings where they have once
located themselves. J. D. Y., The Raise, Alston.
THE PETTING STONE AT HOLY ISLAND.
A beautiful cross of stone, twelve feet high, stands in a
square which was once the Market Place of Holy Island.
The cross, which was rebuilt by H. C. Selby in 1820, ac-
cording to the designs of Mr. John Dobson, of New-
castle, stands on the pedestal of St. Cuthbert's Cross,
erected by Bishop ^Ethelwold. The ancient socket was
called the " Petting Stone," and newly married people
were formerly made to leap over it for luck, a marriage
being said to prove unfortunate if the bride were unable
to stride across it. So, at any rate, says Mr. W. W.
Tomlinson in his " Comprehensive Guide to Northum-
berland." E. R. NESTE, Newcastle.
BARNUM IN NEWCASTLE.
Phineas T. Barnum, the celebrated showman, visited
England in 1858, when he lectured in all the principal
towns on the "Art of Money Making." The Newcastle
Daily Chronicle published a whole page advertisement of
six columns, announcing the visit to Newcastle, together
with a synopsis of the lecture to be given in the New Town
Hall on April 4th and 5th, 1859. The following is a
copy of the report of the first lecture given in the Daily
ChronicU for April 5th : — " Everybody who went to hear
Mr. Barnum was, we believe, agreeably disappointed. A
more entertaining and ingenious oration— for he speaks
without notes— we have rarely heard. The new jokes
were good, and the old were so spiced and peppered
that their relish was fresh. The American reminded us
of the late Alexis Soyer, who served up a dish of the
stalest scraps to make a delicious dish ; but the clever-
ness with which a distinction was drawn between hum-
bug and deceit was 'a thing to be heard.' Mr.
Barnum devoted the first part of his address to the
476
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
\
October
art of making money, and the advice on the whole
was such as would not have been expected from the
Apostle of Humbug. Punctuality, perseverance, strict
accuracy in accounts, and economy, were described as the
essentials of success. In the second part the nature
and uses of humbug were illustrated by a set of large
diagrams, many of which were loudly applauded, and
lastly by a sort of biographical history of the speaker and
the celebrated American Museum. The whole concluded
with the exhibition of the Feejee mermaid, who, while
hideous, is a curiosity worth seeing."
CHAS. WM. F. Goss, Jesmond.
TOE OB TOAD.
A miner who was working in a very low seam, with his
feet in water, and who was obliged to hew out his coal in
a lying posture, saw with some surprise what he con-
ceived to be a toad leaping near his feet every time he
made his stroke. Wondering what could bring the
animal there, he exclaimed, " Aall palm thy gob for thoo
if thoo lowps there onny langor ! " After making another
stroke with the same effect, he levelled a sudden blow
with his pick at the supposed toad, when, with acute
pain, he grasped his foot, and ejaculated, " Me aa'n toe,
bekrike ! "
A DOUBTFUL COMPLIMENT.
The Mayor of a local borough, on being elected to tho
office for the second year in succession, was thus con*
gratulated by a tradesman of his acquaintance : — " Aa'm
varry sorry they've had te giv ye the trouble te stand
anuthor year. A far warse man wad hae dyun, if they
could hae fund him !"
INGBAITTUDE.
Discussing the conduct of a man who had done a shabby
and dishonest action involving ingratitude to a benefactor,
a workman said to the narrator of the story : — " An' wasn't
he 'shein'd of hissel?" To which the reply was : — " 'Shem'd
of hissel ! Wey, man, it wad tyek a mustord plaistor te
bring a blush tiv his cheeks !"
A SINGING! COMPETITION.
Two local vocalists had been engaged singing songs
against each other for a prize, and anxiously awaited the
referee's decision. Turning to one of the competitors,
that official said : — " Yor the warst singor ivvor aa hord i'
ma life." "Hooray, hooray," shouted the other, think-
ing he had won. "Nay, ye needent craw," said the
referee, "for, as for ye, ye cannet sing at aall !"
A PITMAN'S ETIQUETTE.
A pitman, having been invited to dine with a friend
who had risen in the world, was desirous of exhibiting
his best manners. He attacked a plate of roast mutton.
and, having finished it, gathered up all the bones and
"overmatter,"and dexterously threw them into the fire.
"Oh," said his friend, "thor's ne occasion te tyek aall
that trouble; put it on the side o' yor plate." "It's ne
trouble at aall," was the reply; "aacud thraa twice as
far!"
THE GLASS OP WATER.
A country girl who had been at service in a public-
house got a situation in a gentleman's family. The lady
of the house called for a glass of water, which the new
acquisition brought in her hand. "Don't you know that
you ought to put the glass on a tray when you hand it to
anybody ?" said the lady. "Yes, mum," replied Sarah,
"aa wes elwis used te that mesel; but aa didn't knaa
that ye wor used te't tee !"
BIVEB IMPROVEMENTS.
"Greet improvements i' the Tyne, sor," remarked old
Bob Cranky to a gentleman on board a Tyne General
Ferry Company's steamboat going down the river;
" varry different te what it wes when aa wes a lad. Aa
remembor when ma muthor used to tyek us doon te Tyn-
mooth for the day, she elwis carried an umberell wiv hor,
and put it up to keep the sand oot iv her eyes that the
steamboat wheels raised oot o' the bed o' the rivor if it wes
owt like laa tide !"
THE KED NOSE.
Scene : Board School dunng an examination, with a
crowd of parents and friends present. A member of the
Board, who has a fiery nose, and is of great self-import-
ance, has volunteered to catechise. "What is a bouquet?"
Boy: "A bunch of flowers." S. B. member, benignly:
" flight. What then are nosegays ?" Boy, with special
meaning : " Brandy blossoms, sor !"
A PATRIOTIC TTNKSIDEB.
A Tynesider was present at a theatre in Pittsburg,
United States, the play being " The Battle of Bunker's
Hill. " He was an interested spectator until he saw the
English begin to run away. He could not stand this :
so, rising to his feet, he shouted out in a stentorian
Toice :— " Haad on there ! haad on there I Ye've the
reed jackets on the wrang men !"
BUBAL CBTTICISM.
A young artist was sketching near Winlaton Mill,
when a considerable number of the natives gathered
around him. One of them undertook to explain the pro-
gress of the picture. "Aye, aye," he said, "thor's yor
tiles, Jimmy ; them's yor hens, Geordy ; that's yor house,
Bessy; this is ma dunghill; and, begox, thor is aad
Jenny's hoose. Noo, when she comes te the door, watch
the pentor strike her doon wi' yen stroke o' the brush 1"
THE CHEF THAT BOWLED THE PLATES.
Among the exhibits at the Jubilee Exhibition in New-
castle was a model of an iron river steamer which
had been built in a neighbouring shipyard. On on9
occasion a visitor to the exhibition, who was standing
October
1889.
\
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
477
in the vicinity of the model, had his attention drawn
to a sturdy-looking little fellow, apparently a work-
man, who was examining the object with an air of
intense interest. Visitor number one approached the
model and paused. Turning to him with great earnest-
ness, the little man said, " Mistor, can thoo read I'" On
receiving an answer in the affirmative, the inquirer
continued, " Aa wish thoo'd read what's written on
this caird ?" The request was complied with. The
description of the steamer was recited in distinct tones.
"Is that aall?" asked the querist, with a lugubrious air.
That was all. "Nowtelse?" Nothing else. "Is thor
nowt aboot the chep that rowled the plates !" On being
assured that the name and achievements of that indi-
vidual had been omitted from the legend, the little fellow
exclaimed in angry earnest : " Wey, mistor, aa's the chep
that rowled the plates, and they henuot put ma nyem on
the caird at aall !"
Mr. R. H. Wilson, a well-known Northumbrian
agriculturist, and a descendant of a family which has
for generations held tenancies on the Duke of Northum-
berland's estates, died at Hermitage Farm, Warkworth,
on the llth of August.
On the 12th of August, there died at North Seaton
Colliery, where he had resided for several years, Mr.
James Barrass, a prominent member of the Primitive
Methodist community.
On the 12th of August, the Rev. Lewis Paige, rector of
Whittield, Northampton, died at the advanced age of
87. About half a century ago, the deceased gentleman
occupied the position of chaplain of the Borough Gaol of
Newcastle ; and in that capacity it was his painful duty,
in 184-4, to accompany in the cart Mark Sherwood, the
last convict hanged for murder on the Town Moor.
About the year 1847, Mr. Paige also officiated as evening
lecturer at St. Andrew's Church, in the same town ; and
in 1852 he became perpetual curate of Holy Trinity,
Hartlepool, which in 1867 he exchanged for the living at
Whitfield.
Mr. William Fallows, " father of Middlesbrough," died
at his residence, South Field Villas, in that town, on the
14th of August, passing quietly away in sleep. Born at
the picturesque little village of Sleights, near Whitby, on
the 10th of December, 1797, the deceased gentleman was
approaching the advanced age of 92 years. (See page
111.)
On the 16th of August, Mr. Andrew Moir died some-
what suddenly at Derwent Place, Shotley Bridge. The
deceased, who was a native of Durham City, entered the
service of the original Consett Iron Company, and worked
under the Consett Iron Company, Limited, having acted
as foreman blacksmith for nearly forty years. He was a
pioneer of the co-operative movement, having been one of
the founders of the stores at Consett. Mr. Moir was 53
years of age.
The death was announced on the 17th of August of Mr.
Edward Hutchinson, of Lemington, for many years
manager of Messrs. Joicey's engineering works, and
afterwards second manager at Grange Ironworks.
Lady Marjoribanks, widow of Lord Marjoribanks
(formerly Mr. David Robertson), and eldest daughter
of the late Sir Thomas Haggerston, Bart., of Ellingham,
Northumberland, died at Ripley Castle, Yorkshire, on
the 19th of August.
Mrs. Miekle, widow of Mr. William Miekle, for many
years a prominent freeman in Newcastle, and chairman
of the Stewards of the Incorporated Companies, died in
that city on the 18th of August. The deceased lady, who
had survived her husband upwards of twenty years, was
80 years of age.
Intelligence was received on the 19th of August, from
Adelaide, South Australia, of the death of the Rev. R.
Carr, Primitive Methodist minister, and a native of
Whittonstall, near Stocksfield, Northumberland.
On the same day, feeling reference was made at Tyne-
mouth Petty Sessions to the death, since the last sitting
of the court, of Mr. Henry Bell, who had for many years
occupied the chair of that Bench.
The Rev. Samuel Beal, D.C.L., Professor of Chinese in
the London University, and rector of Falstone, Northum-
berland, 1877-80, and rector of Wark-on-Tyne, in the
same county, 1880-88, died, in his sixty-third year, on
the 20th of August.
Mr. Jonathan Priestly, an old Sunderland standard,
expired very suddenly at his residence, Ryhope Village,
on the 21st of August. The deceased was one of the
pioneers of the temperance movement in the North of
England.
On the 23rd of August, Mr. John Jobson, surgeon, of
Bishop Auckland, who held a prominent position in all
public matters, died somewhat unexpectedly in that
town, in the eightieth year of his age. The deceased
gentleman was a nephew of the late Dr. Frost, of New-
castle, under whom he served his preliminaries, and made
a name for himself during the cholera epidemic in
Newcastle and Gateshead in 1831.
Dr. Tennant, who for upwards of thirty years had
practised as a surgeon at Newbottle, and who took an
active part in all social and philanthropic movements iu
the district, died in that village on the 24th of August.
Mr. Thomas Mullen, secretary to the Cleator Moor
Co-operative Society, died at his residence there on the
26th of August, at the age of 34 years. Mr. Mullen, who
was a native of Newcastle-on-Tyne, received the appoint-
ment of secretary to the above society about five years
ago, and by his patient and genial manner won many
friends among the members of the society and the
general public. The remains of the deceased wero
conveyed to Newcastle on the 29th, and the interment
took place at Jesmond Cemetery the same day.
Mr. John Richley, one of the oldest inhabitants of
Spennymoor, died there, at the age of 76, on the 28th
of August.
On the 30th of August, Mr. Marmaduke Watson
Proudlock, manager of the Teesside Iron and Engine
Works, Limited, Middlesbrough, died in that town, in
the 50th year of his age.
On the 31st of August, the day after his 79th birthday,
died Mr. Edward Fenwick Boyd, of Moor House, Leam-
nide. The deceased gentleman was the third son of the
late Mr. William Boyd, banker, of Newcastle, a member
of the old firm of Sir Matthew White Ridley and Co.,
and was educated at Witton-le-Wear, whence he pro-
478
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/October
\ 1889.
ceeded to Edinburgh University. The profession which
he adopted was that of mining engineer, and for many
yoars he held the position of mineral agent for the Dean
and Chapter of Durham, the same duties being afterwards
discharged by him under the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
Mr. Boyd was one of the original founders of the North of
England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers ;
and it was largely in consequence of his exertions that the
College of Physical Science in Newcastle was established
and affiliated to the University of Durham. The deceased
was also well known as an artist, having been one of the
pupils of the elder T. M. Richardson.
The death was announced on the 31st of August, of
Mr. T. Stephenson, of Ferryhill, who, in June last,
celebrated his jubilee as a servant of the North-Eastern
Railway Company, whose employment he entered in
1838. The deceased was 74 years of age.
Mr. J. T. Abbott, who for a long period was in
business as a chemist at Darlington, and who was
well-known as a local antiquary, died very suddenly
on the 3rd of September. Mr. Abbott, who was about
67 years of age, showed great knowledge ot heraldry,
and designed the seal for the North-Eastern County
School at Barnard Castle.
Lieutenant Gilbert Elliott Harrison, R.N., son of the
Rev. W. G. Harrison, rector of Easington, died at his
father's residence on the 3rd of September. His most
important service was as 'lieutenant-commander of the
Bramble, six guns, screw-boat of the first class.
Mrs. Preston, wife of Mr. Alderman Preston, of the
Grange, Sunderland, died on the 6th of September, at
the age of 53.
at
AUGUST.
8. — A horse was killed and several persons were
severely injured by being stung by bees which had
escaped from a hive at Dipton, in the county of Durham.
10.— A girl named Mary Isabella Chicken, belonging to
Backworth, was drowned by the upsetting of a pleasure-
boat on the Tyne at Hexham.
11.— The Rev. Dr. Joseph Parker, of the City Temple,
London, a native of Hexham, preached in West Clayton
Street Congregational Church, Newcastle, at the morning
service.
12. — The new No. 3 gateway of the Hudson Dock
North, at Sunderland, was opened by Mr. James Laing,
chairman of the Wear Commissioners ; and the large new
steamer Mombassa, built by Mr. Laing at the Deptford
yard for the British India Company, passed through the
gateway into the dock.
—The Committee of Visitation of Lloyd's Registry of
Shipping arrived in Newcastle from the Tees, and in the
course of this and following days made a general inspec-
tion of shipbuilding yards on the Tyno. The committee
also visited the river Wear.
— Steps were taken for the formation of » new society,
under the title of the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Equitable and
Industrial Co-operative Association, Limited.
13.— Mr. Robert Reid, station-master at the Central
Station, Newcastle, was presented by the railway servants
with an illuminated address on the attainment of his six-
tieth birthday, and the fortieth year of his service under
the North- Eastern Railway Company. On behalf of his
wife, he was also presented with a valuable silver salver.
— Janet Dodds, a young woman, employed as a farm
servant, committed suicide by drowning in the river at
Corbridge.
14. — A young man named John Graham, manager for
Mr. D. M. Ward, boot and shoemaker, King Street,
South Shields, was drowned while bathing in the sea at
that town.
— At a meeting of the Jarrow Town Council, a letter
was read from Lady Northbourne announcing her inten-
tion of presenting to the town as a free gift the ground
necessary for the extension of the Recreation Ground.
— It was officially intimated that his Honour, Judge
Holl, had been transferred from the County Court of
Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, &c.) to the
County Court of Berkshire, &c., and that Mr. Digby
Seymour, Q.C., had been appointed to the County Court
of Northumberland. Mr. Holl concluded his duties in
Newcastle on the 30th of August.
15. — It was announced that an advance of wages had
been conceded to Jthe limestone quarrymen of Weardale
and Fawcett.
— The Cowen Challenge Cup, in connection with
cycling, won by Mr. W. Illston, of Birmingham, was
formally presented at the Crown Hotel, Clayton Street,
Newcastle.
• — A conference of delegates representing the National
Association of Blastfurnacemen was held on this and the
following day at Middlesbrough.
16. — A new school-room, added to the Grammar School
of Morpeth, was opened amid considerable rejoicings.
17. — It was stated that the new way to the Quayside of
Newcastle, from Gibson Street and the New Road, vid
Wood's Lane (formerly Wood's Entry), had been com-
pleted, and was now open to the public.
— The ceremony of placing a wreath of flowers on the
grave of the late Mr. Thomas Thompson was performed
October \
1889. I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
479
in the Cemetery, Jesmond. As stated on page 286 of
the present volume, the late Mr. Lewis Thompson
left £15,000 as a poor's rate gift to Byker township,
on condition that the Guardians should deposit, once
a year, a memorial garland of the value of not less
than two shillings upon the tombstone of the late
Mr. Thomas Thompson, of Byker. his father. The
wreath, which was composed of beautiful white flowers,
was borne from the gateway of the cemetery by Mr.
Scott, one of the Byker Guardians. At the graveside, it
was handed to another of the Guardians, Mr. L. Arrow-
smith, and by the latter it was handed to Mr. James
Coltman, who placed it on the grave.
— The remains of a human skeleton, and close to them
an earthen pot, were discovered on the banks of the
Tarret Burn, near Bellingham, in North Tyne.
— A discussion, arising out of the estimates, took place
in the House of Commons, on the subject of the Edling-
ham burglary, but nothing practical resulted from the
question.
18. — The body of a man named William Hill was found
in the lake in the Bull Park Recreation Ground,
Newcastle.
19. — A debit-balance of 15 guineas was reported as the
result of the first year's operations of the Newcastle Tree
Culture and Protection Society.
—A very alarming accident occurred at Byhope, near
Sunderland, on the North-Eastern Railway. The through
express from Leeds, due in Newcastle at a quarter-past
seven o'clock at night, after having run with great speed
down the incline from Seatou, jumped from the rails just
where they take a sharp curve at Ryhope Station. The
engine fell over upon its right side, and, the couplings
between the tender and the first carriage having snapped,
the carriages rushed past the fallen locomotive, and, after
jolting and oscillating fearfully, they, too, toppled over to
the right. Some of the carriages were smashed, and
between twenty and thirty people were sorely injured.
Fortunately, however, no one was killed. The carriages
were the property of the London and North- Western
Railway Company, and the train was one of the fastest
run on the North-Eastern system.
20. — The twenty-eighth annual meeting of the United
Kingdom Billposters' Association was held in Newcastle.
— The sale by public auction was commenced of the
machine tools, engines, boilers, shafting, and other plant
at the old and well-known works of Messrs. Hawks,
Crawshay, and Sons, Gateshead, Mr. Goulty, of Man-
chester and London, being the auctioneer. The sale
closed on the 29th. (See Monthly Chronicle, 1887, page 28. )
2L— The Queen's Prize for the highest aggregate
scoring in connection with the annual meeting of the
National Artillery Association at Shoeburyness, was won
by the 6th detachment of the 4th Durham, (West
Earlepool) whose score was 114- points.
22.— Mr. E. M. Bainbridge, J.P., founder of the firm
of Messrs. Bainbridge and Co., drapers, Market Street,
Newcastle, and Mrs. Bainbridge, celebrated their golden
wedding at Heatherlea, Wolsingham.
23.— An association was formed at Gateshead in
furtherance of the movement for a weekly half-holiday to
shop-assistants.
— It was announced that the will of Mr. Alexander
Petrie, late of Stockton-on-Tees, shipowner, had been
proved, the value of the personal estate amounting to
upwards of £33,000.
24.— Damage, estimated at from £12,000 to £15,000,
was done by a fire which broke out at the West Marsh
Stores, Middlesbrough, belonging to Mr. John Frederick
Wake, general dealer.
— Captain G. C. Coates was elected a member of the
Newcastle Board of Guardians for Jesmond township.
— A new lifeboat was launched at the fishing village of
Cresswell, in Northumberland.
25. — The fourth annual demonstration and church
parade of the friendly and trades societies of the borough
of Tynemouth were held, collections being made on behalf
of the Tynemouth Infirmary.
— The new railway station at North Shields was
opened for traffic.
26. — An extraordinary and sad occurrence took place in
Newcastle, whereby two men in the employment of the
Corporation lost their lives. James Mills, mason, and a
labourer named William Hewitt were engaged in the
repair of a sewer in Lime Street, in the district of Ouse-
burn, about three o'clock in the afternoon, when a deluge
of rain came down with such force that, before the men
were aware of the approach of the flood, they were carried
from the place where they were working into the Ouse-
burn, and from that stream into the Tyne itself, where
they were drowned. A gallant attempt to rescue them
while they were being borne down the stream was made
by Mr. J. W. Liddle, of the firm of Liddle, Henzell, and
Co., glass manufacturers, who succeeded in getting hold
of one of the men, but was obliged to relinquish his hold
owing to his perilous position. The bodies were after-
wards recovered.
28. — In prosecution of the programme of annual naval
manceuvres in connection with the British fleet, an
attack was made upon Tynemouth early this morning.
The bombarding vessels, of which there were three,
seemed to be little more than a mile off the coast ; and
although the weather was hazy, they were distinctly
visible to the onlookers, except when they became
enveloped in their own smoke. Sunderland, Hartlepool,
and Seaham Harbour were also fired upon, and the
mimic warfare that took place created considerable
excitement.
29. — It was announced that several fresh disclosures of
ancient features had been made in the Alnwick Parish
Church, by opening out the walled-up north clerestory
windows.
—A shark was caught off Beadnell, on the coast of
Northumberland.
— Alma Beaumont, of Omaha, United States, a cele-
brated parachutist, made a successful ascent from the
grounds of the North Shields Cycling Club, Hawkey's
Lane, in that town. She descended safely in a field close
to the North Shields Park, after reaching an altitude of
about 15,000 feet. On the 31st, she made another ascent
from the Cycling Grounds. When she was descending,
however, the parachute became entangled in the lightning
conductor of the Water Works chimney, 65 feet high.
Here she hung for some time, until she was rescued from
her perilous position by means of three ladders lashed
together with pocket handkerchiefs. Miss Beaumont
made ascents from Stockton on the 4th of September,
and from South Shields on the 7th of that month, ascend-
ing on the latter occasion to a height of 18,000 feet before
she shot down in the parachute.
480
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/October
I 1889
30.— The Central Exchange News Room and Art
Gallery, Grainger Street, Newcastle, was re-opened, after
having been cleaned and renovated, the ceremony being
performed by the Mayor. There was inaugurated at the
same time a loan exhibition of works of local art, specially
arranged in view of the approaching meeting of the
British Association.
31. — A demonstration of trades unionists was held at
Sunderland, with the object of assisting dock labourers
and others on strike in London and protesting against
the sweating system.
— A very successful review of members of classes in
the county of Durham connected with the St. John
Ambulance Association was held in Gibside Park by
Surgeon-Major Hutton, about 500 certificated men taking
part in the demonstration.
— The Atkenceum recorded the fact that at Cilurnum,
on the estate of Mr. John Clayton, of the Chesters, a very
perfect specimen of the Roman bandmill for grinding
corn had just been brought to light.
©tneral ©crarrencejs.
SEPTEMBER.
1. — A demonstration of the North-Eastern Railway
servants, on the subject of the hours of labour, was
held at Darlington.
2.— A commencement was made with the erection of
new buildings for the Salvation Army in Bath Lane,
Newcastle.
— A new station erected by the North -Eastern Railway
Company at Elswick was opened for traffic.
—The Theatre Royal at Jarrow, the Royal Hotel, and
twelve shops and dwelling-houses were offered for sale,
but the desired price was not realised.
3.— The employees of Messrs. Bainbridge and Co., met
in the carpet-room of that establishment, in order to
congratulate Mr. and Mrs. E. M. Bainbridge on the
celebration of their golden wedding, and to make them
presentations in recognition of the event, and as a mark
of their esteem and affection.
— In presence of a considerable number of spectators,
Dr. Hodgkin, on behalf of the Tablet Society, uncovered
a memorial slab erected on the shop at the corner of
Grainger Street and Nelson Street, Newcastle, formerly
occupied by the late Mr. Joseph Barlow, bookseller,
the stone bearing the following inscription: — "To
commemorate visits to this city, and to a bookshop
in this house, by Guiseppe Garibaldi, in 1854; Louis
Kossuth, in 1856 ; and W. Lloyd Garrison, in 1876."
On the same occasion, and under the same auspices,
Dr. Bruce unveiled a tablet on a house in Sandhill,
opposite the Guildhall, and on which had been carved
the following words: — "From one of the windows of
this house Bessie Surtees eloped with John Scott, after-
wards Lord Chancellor Eldon, on November 22, 1772."
7. — It was announced that the Right Rev. Henry
O'Callaghan, D.D., Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham
and Newcastle, had taken up his permanent residence
at Rome.
8.— In the presence of a large assemblage of spectators,
Bishop Wilkinson, Auxiliary Bishop of Hexham and
Newcastle, performed the ceremony of the " solemn
blessing of the foundations of the new church of Our
Lady and St. Oswin, at Tynemouth.
AUGUST.
13. — The British Medical Association held it« fifty-
seventh annual meeting at Leeds.
!*• — The French High Court of Justice pronounced
General Boulanger guilty of conspiracy, and on the
following day found him guilty of misappropriation of
public funds.
15.— Naval manoeuvres, which assumed the form of a
sham naval war between Ireland and England, com-
menced to-day.
20.— Lightning struck the Eiffel Tower at the Paris
Exhibition, but did no damage.
22.— The sentence of death on Mrs. Maybrick, who
bad been convicted of the murder of her husband, was
commuted to penal servitude for life.
23. — A train conveying Barnum's circus was wrecked in
New York State, U.S. Thirty-five valuable animals
were killed.
21— The Queen commenced a visit to North Wales, her
temporary residence being Pal<S Hall, LlanderfiL
27.— More than 100,000 dock labourers came out on
strike in London, and for a time the docks, wharves, &c.,
were almost deserted, trade being greatly impeded.
— A man named Graham shot the Niagara Falls in a
barrel, narrowly escaping with his life.
28- — The village of Khenzorik, near the Russian
frontier of Armenia, was destroyed by an earthquake.
Over a hundred persons were buried alive.
29.— Death of Mr. Charles H. Anderson, Q.C., M.P.
for Elgin and Nairn. He was born at Burnston Vicarage,
Yorkshire, in 1838.
30.— Parliament was formally prorogued until Novem-
ber 16.
— News was received from Japan to the effect that
10,000 people had lost their lives, owing to disastrous
floods. Twenty thousand were rendered homeless.
SEPTEMBER.
3.— The twenty-second annual Trades Union Congress
opened at Dundee, and was continued until the end of
the week.
*• — Death of Mr. Joseph Bottomley Firth, M.P.
—Mr. Edward Laman Blanchard, a well-known thea-
trical critic and writer of pantomimes died in London,
aged 69 years.
5.— A serious fire occurred at the Mauricewood Iron-
stone Pit, Penicuik, Midlothian. Many persons were
killed.
— An explosion took place in a factory at Antwerp in
which dynamite cartridges were in course of preparation.
The fire extended to two stores containing petroleum,
half a million gallons of which were consumed by the
flames. Within a radius of a mile the windows of nearly
every house were destroyed, numerous buildings being
partially unroofed. About 200 persons were killed, and
many injured.
6.— A man named Brodie descended Niagara Falls in
an indiarubber suit. He was rescued in an unconscious
state, covered with bruises, and suffering from internal
injuries.
Printed by WALTBB Soon, Felling-on-Tyne.
Gbronicle
OF
NORTH-COUNTRY*LORE*AND*LEGEND
VOL. III.— No. 33.
NOVEMBER, 1889.
PRICE Go.
iv Stafnt dTctttoufc,
$2 tlje late 3am«
flR. JOHN FENWICK, of Newcastle, con-
tributing, in 18*5, a paper to the "Table
Book " of Mr. Richardson, on " The
Gathering Ode of the Fenwyke of North-
umberland," described the Fen wick family as of Saxon
origin, the name being taken " from their ancient fastness
in the fenny lands in the vicinity of Stamfordham."
There they had their tower of strength in the time of
Henry III., and till England passed under the sway of
Henry IV., when Sir John de Fenwyke acquired Wal-
lington by marriage with Mary, daughter of William del
Strother (a name associated with the mayoralty of New-
castle in the days of Edward the Third). The older seat
of the Fenwicks was then suffered to fall into decay ; the
stronghold became a farm-house ; the tower — Fenwick
Tower — was pulled down in 1775, when a stone chest was
unearthed containing some hundreds of gold nobles of
Edward III., supposed to have been hidden away when
King David made a raid into England in 1360, and two
sons of the Sir John of that period were carried off by the
Scots. Wallington Hall, which the family acquired in
the century after the invasion, was in the reign of Henry
VIII. "made a note of" by Leland as "the chiefest
house of the Fenwicks." There they dwelt in high esteem
and influence.
"The illustrious house of Percy always ranked the
Fenwyke among the most constant of its retainers " ; and
Mr. Richardson, of North Shields, publishing in 1816 the
Gathering Ode which we now reprint, " supposes an in-
road of the Scots to have taken place in the absence of
the Percy in Palestine, and that this ode, in the manner
of the Highland pibroch, was used for the gathering of
31
the Fenwyke to repel them." In those old days, the
"alarm wisp," glowing on the outstretched spear, new
over Northumberland as a call to arms.
Pipe of Northumbria, sound !
War pipe of Alnwicke ;
Wake the wild hills around,
Summon the Fenwyke.
Percy at Paynim war,
Fenwicke stands foremost :
Scots in array from far,
Swell wide their war host.
See fierce from the Border,
Wolf-like, he rushes :
Drives southward the Warder,
Gore-stream forth gushes.
Come Spearman, come Bowman,
Come bold-hearted Trewicke ;
Repel the proud foeman,
Join lion-like Bewicke.
From Fenwicke and Denwicke,
Harlow and Hallington :
Sound bugle at Alnwicke,
Bagpipe at Wullington,
On Elf Hills th' Alarm Wisp
Smoulders in pale ray ;
Maids, babes that can scare lisp,
Point trembling the bale-way.
Leave the plough, leave the mow,
Leave loom and smithie ;
Come with your trusty yew,
Strong arm and pithy.
Leave the herd on the hill,
Lowing and flying ;
Leave the vill, cot, and mill,
The dead and the dying.
Come, clad in your steel jack,
Your war gear in order ;
And down hew, or drive back,
The Scot o'er the Border.
And yield you to no man ;
Stand firm in the vanguard ;
Brave death in each foeman,
Or die on the green-sward;
482
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
November
1889.
John do Fenwyke occurs as Hieh Sheriff of Northum-
berland in the reigns of Edward II. and IIL Eobert de
Fenwyke succeeds under the latter king ; and in the time
of Richard II. comes as Sheriff John de Fenwyke de
Fenwyke Tower. In later days, the Fenwicks held the
same office— through the times of the Tudors to those of
the Stuarts. In the reign of James I.. Sir John Fen wick,
Knight, was elected one of the members for Northumber-
land, and five times afterwards he was returned ; till in
the Long Parliament when Crown and Commons had
come to blows, he was expelled for absenting himself and
giving his services to the King. He was subsequently
taken prisoner, with others, between Banbury and North-
ampton, by the Parliamentary forces ; and at Marston
Moor his son John, fighting for the Royal cause, was
slain. In 1646, he was restored to his seat for the county
by a vote of the House (126 to 73).
On the expulsion of Sir John, William Fenwick was
elected a county member. In two of the Parliaments of
Oliver Cromwell, Northumberland had three members;
and bath William Fenwick, of Wallington, and Robert
Fenwick, of Bedlington, were of the number. The for-
mer, afterwards Sir William Fenwick, Baronet, was also
elected under Richard Cromwell. His sou John, sent to
the Convention (or Healing) Parliament of 1660, which
voted the Restoration, retained his seat throughout the
reign of Charles II., and into that of his brother James.
His last election followed the accession of the latter
monarch, when all over the country the Tories had pretty
well their own way. The attempt to exclude James from
the throne had failed ; and now his supporters were in
great elation, and rode on the crest of the wave. The
contests for the new Parliament mainly ended in their
favour, and were marked by singular fervour and excite-
ment. Demonstrations of loyalty ran high in town and
country. " In Northumberland, " says Macaulay, "the
triumph of Sir John Fenwick, a courtier whose name
afterwards obtained a melancholy celebrity, was attended
by circumstances which excited interest in London, and
which were therefore not unworthy of being mentioned
in the despatches of Foreign Ministers. Newcastle was
lighted up with great piles of coal The steeples sent
forth a joyous peal. A copy of the Exclusion Bill, and a
black box resembling that which, according to the popu-
lar fable, contained the contract between Charles II. and
Lucy Walters, were publicly committed to the flames,
with loud acclamations." (Despatch of the Dutch Ambas-
sador, April 10-20, 1685.)
Keen as was the interest taken by our forefathers on
the Tyne in the " black box," how many of their descen-
dants know anything about it now, or of the King's
mistress, Lucy Walters? Lucy was mother of the youth
who became Duke of Monmouth and Duke of Buccleuch,
and seemed at one time in a fair way, not to the scaffold
on which he perished, but to the throne on which his
hopes were fixed. It was reported, and widely believed,
that Charles had secretly married his favourite,
and that the contract was lodged in the sable casket
whose representative was publicly burnt in Newcastle by
the supporters of James, to mark their indignation at the
fiction which assailed his title to the crown.
"It was afterwards remarked as a curious circum-
stance, that among the zealous Tories who went up with
the Bill " against Monmouth " from the House of Com-
mons to the bar of the Lords, was Sir John Fenwick,
member for Northumberland. This gentleman, a few
years later, had occasion to reconsider the whole sub-
ject; and then came to the conclusion that Acts of
Attainder are altogether unjustifiable." (Macaulay.) All
parties had resorted to them in turn, with more or less of
excuse for the unconstitutional device. The age was dis-
turbed and troublous. The Prince of Orange was brought
to the English throne by means which, if not crowned by
success, would have recoiled on heads that took part
in them ; and the Jacobites, passing into the shadows of
the new reign, risked their safety in plots and con-
spiracies.
Sir John Fenwick, who had married the Lady Mary
Howard, eldest daughter of the first Earl of Carlisle, was
zealous in his attachment to the interests of James, then
an exile at the Court of Louis XIV. of France. Early in
William's reign he was conspicuous in opposition. That
laborious chronicler, Narcissus Luttrell, whose "Brief
Historical Relation of State Affairs " extends from 1678 to
1714, makes an entry in March, 1689 : — " Letters from the
North of England say that some disturbances are likely
to break out there : that the Lord Preston, Lord Griffin,
Sir John Fenwick, Colonel Oglethorpe, are there, foment-
ing the same on behalf of the late King James." In
April, "causing some disturbances," Sir John was ap-
prehended, and removed to London ; and in May was
sent to the Tower. In October, he was brought, with
others, before the Court of King's Bench by habeas corput
and admitted to bail ; and on the last day of term, in
November, he was discharged.
Not long after, he was in trouble again. The Jacobites
had been warmed into new life by a disaster to the arms
of William. Mons, one of the most important of his
fortresses in the Netherlands, fell into the hands of
France. The King of England had suffered a reverse,
and the drooping spirits of the Jacobites revived in
this gleam of sunshine. " The joy of the whole party,"
says Macaulay, "was boundless. Nonjuring priests
ran backwards and forwards between Sam's Coffee
House and Westminster Hall, spreading the praises
of Louis. In the Park the malcontents were in the
habit of mustering daily ; and one avenue was called the
Jacobite Walk. They now came to this rendezvous in
crowds, wore their biggest looks, and talked sedition
in their loudest tones. The most conspicuous among
these swaggerers was Sir John Fenwick, who had, in the
late reign, been high in Royal favour and in military com-
November \
1889. J
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
483
niand. In his exultation he forgot the courtesy which
man owes to woman. He had more than once made
himself conspicuous by his incivility to the Queen.
He now ostentatiously put himself in her way when she
took her airing, and, while all around him uncovered
and bowed to her, gave her a rude stare and cocked his
hat in her face. The affront was not only brutal, but
cowardly. For the law had provided no punishment for
mere impertinence, however gross ; and the King was the
only gentleman and soldier in the kingdom who could not
protect his wife from contumely with his sword. All
that the Queen could do was to order the park-keeper not
to admit Sir John again within the gates. But long after
her death, a day came when he had reason to wish he
had restrained his insolence. He found, by terrible
proof, that of all the Jacobites, the most desperate as-
sassins not excepted, he was the only one for whom
William felt an intense personal aversion."
Dangers thickened round about Sir John Fenwick.
Luttrell takes note, in the month of May, 1692, of a
proclamation for discovering, seizing, and apprehending
him, and also Sir Theophilus Oglethorpe and others, for
high treason. He had fled and disappeared, and there
was hot pursuit, which came close on his heels. On
the night of the 13th, " a messenger, with a file of
musqueteers, went to his lodgings to search for him ;
and he got away, leaving his breeches, with some
guineas in them, behind him." (Luttrell's "Brief
.Relation of State Affairs.") He had escaped for a
season, but was soon caught ; and being examined, was
admitted to bail. Two or three years go by ; and in
June, 1695, we have him seized as being "concerned
in the late Jacobite riot in Drury Lane." In July,
there was a trial at the Old Bailey, when some prisoners
were convicted, some acquitted. Sir John was of the
latter number.
The daughter of King James, Queen Mary, had died
near the end of 1694. William was left alone, and the
Jacobites had more lively hopes of a restoration. A
Blighter barrier, as it now seemed, stood between their
party and its fortunes. Macaulay depicts some of the
leading conspirators who were stimulated into greater
activity by their prospects of success :— Robert Charnock,
George Porter, Cordell Goodman, &c., whose "design
was imparted to Sir John Fenwick." "He, if his own
assertion is to be trusted, was willing to join in an
insurrection, but recoiled from the thought of assassina-
tion, and showed so much of what was in his mind as
sufficed to make him an object of suspicion to his less
scrupulous associates. He kept their secret, however, as
strictly as if he had wished them success." (Macaulay.)
Luttrell refers, in March, 1696, to the trial of Sir
John Friend at the Old Bailey, when Montgomery and
Fenwick, with the Earl of Ailesbury and others, were
named in the evidence of Porter and Blair, as being at
several meetings where it was agreed to levy forces for
King James in England. Next day a proclamation was
issued for the apprehension of the implicated parties,
Lord Montgomery and Sir John Fenwick, for high
treason in conspiring against the life of the King.
There were rewards offered for all who were "wanted";
and of the hunted Jacobites none were in greater peril
than Sir John. "His birth, his connections, the high
situations which he had filled, the indefatigable activity
with which he had, during several years, laboured to
subvert the Government, and the personal insolence
with which he had treated the deceased Queen " (we
are quoting Macaulay), "marked him out as a man fit
to be made an example. He succeeded, however, in
concealing himself from the officers of justice till the
first heat of pursuit was over. In his hiding-place he
thought of an ingenious device which might, as he
conceived, save him from the fate of his friends Charnock
and Parkyns. Two witnesses were necessary to convict
him. It appeared, from what had passed at the trials of
his accomplices, that there were only two witnesses who
could prove his guilt. Porter and Goodman. His life
was safe if either of these men could be persuaded to
abscond."
Lord Ailesbury, one of the conspirators, was in the
Tower. His friends, and Sir John's, raised money to
purchase the absence of evidence, and began with Porter.
Chancy, a periwig-maker, and Donelagh, a disbanded
captain, were set upon him. Three hundred guineas
down, three hundred afterwards, an annuity of three
hundred, and King James's pardon ; these were the
golden lures held out to him for making his exit to
France ; and he seemed to be overcome. But, carrying
his news to another market, he went off to Whitehall
with the tale, and received instructions how to proceed.
The day came when the proposed compact was to be
carried out. The parties to the bargain met at an
alehouse in Drury Lane, where the three hundred guineas
were paid down, and bills shown for the three hundred
more. Porter then gave the signal, and a State
messenger entered from an adjoining room, where he
had heard all that passed. The bills were seized ; the
tempters were taken into custody ; and ere long the poor
barber was in the pillory.
Next City Sessions a bill of indictment was preferred
against Fenwick ; Porter and Goodman supported it ;
and it was returned as true. Fenwick's arrest was
imminent ; his conviction certain if he were found ;
and he made his way in haste to the .coast for the
Continent. At Romney Marsh he was to lie in wait for
a convenient vessel. Two smugglers had at this time
been seized on a charge of harbouring traitors, and were
to be conveyed to London. "Mr. Kitson, the messenger,
who was sent down to Romney Marsh to bring up tha
prisoners" (so writes Luttrell in June, 1696), "mett in
his return near Rochester Sir John Fenwick (mentioned
in the proclamation) and another gentleman, well
484
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
\
November
mounted and armed. Sir John, knowing the messenger,
threatened to kill him if he stopt him ; BO he made his
escape." Sir John knew the messenger, as well as the
messenger knew him. Familiar was the face of the
baronet to his countrymen ; few more BO ; and, pistol
in hand, he dashed forward, and was free. The
messenger, on spying his prize, had promised the
smugglers pardon and pay if they stood by him ; and
they did BO. But Fenwick was too well-mounted to be
stayed ; and he was safe — for a season. The hue and
cry was raised ; church-bells were set a-ringing ; the
country was up ; the fugitive, beset on every side, was
found. His pursuers "took him at New Romney in
bed with Mr. Webber, the Jacobite solicitor, who was
the next day to have embarked." (Luttrell.) The ship
came to the shore, and showed English colours ; but
practised eyes detected under the national flag a
French privateer ; and when she had lingered a
while, and saw her errand to be hopeless, she sheered
off to sea.
Sir John so far eluded the vigilance of his captors
"as to scrawl with a lead pencil a short letter to his
wife. Every line contained evidence of his guilt. All,
he wrote, was lost. He was a dead man ; unless, indeed,
his friends could, by dint of solicitation, obtain a pardop
for him. Perhaps the united entreaties of all the
Howards might succeed. He would go abroad. He
would solemnly promise never again to set foot on
English ground, and never to draw sword against the
Government. Or would it be possible to bribe a juryman
or two to starve out the rest ? ' That, ' he wrote, ' or
nothing, can save me.'" (Macaulay.) His note was
intercepted by the way. Sir John himself was borne
to London, and brought before the Lord Justice. His
courage was high, his tone defiant. The letter was laid
before him — the letter which he had expected was in
the hands of his wife ; and his bearing changed. To
the Lord Steward (the Duke of Devonshire), with whom
he had been on friendly relations, he addressed himself,
offering to disclose all he knew about the Jacobites, and
throwing himself on the King's mercy. The duke
advised the postponement of the trial until the pleasure
of the King, who was in the Netherlands, should be
known. His Majesty was consulted accordingly, and
directed that the prisoner's confession should be received
in writing, and sent over to him abroad.
Fenwick was now to confess, and what was he to say ?
He was unwilling to die, but still more unwilling to do
harm to his party. What he did, in this critical dilemma,
was clever, but far from wise. He wrote a paper that
might injure his political opponents, but be innocent as
to his friends. Damage might accrue to the men in
power. He might sow distrust in the mind of William.
But William was too astute a statesman to be moved by
the device. He saw through it all.
By the advice of his counsellors, the King gave
Fenwick reluctant audience ; and they met at Ken-
sington, where William called his attention to the fact
that instead of giving an account of the doinga of his
friends and accomplices, with which he must be fully
acquainted, he had done nothing but relate hearsay
tales about others ; his confession, apparently, being
only a contrivance to screen those who were really in
league against him, and make him suspect and discard
those in whom he had good reason to place confidence.
If he hoped for any favour, he must then and there make
full disclosure of what he knew of his own knowledge.
Fenwick asked for time. The King inquired for what
purpose. He could need no time, save for the production
of another such paper ; while what was wanted was
simply a statement of what he had done and seen and
heard ; and this could be given at once, without pen and
ink. Fenwick was unmoved : he refused to say anything.
"Be it so, "said the King: " I will neither hear you, nor
hear from you, any more."
Fenwick returned to prison, leaving great perplexity
behind him. The boldness of bis demeanour, so different
from the anxiety and dejection he had exhibited in
his cell, was unintelligible for the moment ; but the
explanation came. He had received word from his
wife, on the eve of the interview, that Goodman had been
won, and there was but one witness left, leaving his life
no longer in danger. Goodman had been bought over to
France. Fenwick was safe, or thought so. But he was
not to escape. He was not to profit by the purchase of
Goodman. A method remained, with many precedents,
and one which Fenwick had been eager to employ against
the Duke of Monmouth. It was now to be resorted to
against himself.
The Commons met on the 6th of November, 1696. The
Earl of Orford boldly laid the confession of Fenwick
before the House, and demanded justice for himself and
his colleagues. "If we are innocent, clear us. If we are
guilty, punish us as we deserve. I put myself on you as
on my country, and am ready to stand or fall by your
verdict." Fenwick was sent for from Newgate, and
brought to the bar. He declined to say anything, and
was removed. His confession was pronounced false
and scandalous. A Bill of Attainder was moved
for, and a storm arose ; the Tories surprised and
indignant, the Whigs warm and resolute. Leave to
bring in a bill was obtained by 179 votes to 61, and it
was read by 196 to 104. Fenwick was heard against
the bill by counsel on the 13th. Three days the
excited proceedings went on. Porter was interrogated.
Goodman was shown to be absent with Fenwick's privity,
and through the intervention of his friends. Secondary
evidence of what he would have proved was then
admitted. His confession on oath was put in. Grand
jurors who had found the bill against Fenwick gave
an account of what Goodman had sworn ; and their
November!
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
485
testimony was canfirmed by petty jurymen who had
tried and convicted another conspirator.
Protracted sittings in the Commons ensued. For
fifteen hours without intermission the Speaker was
once in the chair. Intense was the public interest,
and crowded the House ; for strangers were freely
admitted, as into a court of justice. The choicest
spirits of Parliament took part in the proceedings, and
lent them a marvellous attraction and charm for English-
men. The bill was passed by 189 to 156. Three to one
for bringing in the bill; the votes little more than
equal on the last division. From 118 the majority had
come down to 33.
The Lords, too, had animated debates and narrow
divisions. Secondary evidence was heard by 73 to 53.
The bill had its second reading by 73 to 55 : its third,
by 68 to 61— a bare majority of seven votes. In the
course of the proceedings, when it had become certain
that the Bill would become law, Sir John was brought
to the bar. He was face to face with death, and it was
thought that in such a strait he might speak. But be
declined to say anything unless he first had promise of
the King's pardon, and was removed.
The King signed the bill on the llth of January, 1697.
The Lady Mary fell at his Majesty's feet with a petition
for her husband's life ; she appealed to the Lords ; she
begged that banishment might be substituted for death ;
but all that could be gained for Sir John was a brief
delay of execution, and an exchange of Tower Hill for
Tyburn.
In the coach of his kinsman, the Earl of Carlisle, he was
conveyed to Tower Hill, where, on January 28, 1697, he
suffered death on the block, meeting his fate with courage
and dignity. " He behaved, " observed Macaulay, "with
a firmness which had not been expected from him." He
is stated to have been in his fifty-second year, but was
probably somewhat older ; for he was in Parliament in
the year 1660, and would hardly be there at the age
of sixteen.
Sir John was buried by torch-light, near the altar of St.
Martins's-in-the-Fields, close by his three sons, Charles,
William, and Howard, who had died at the ages of fifteen,
six, and one and a half. His widow, "as a testimony of
respect for the memory of Sir John Fenwicke, Baronet,
of Fenwicke Castle," erected a "monumental pillar" in
York Minster ; and on this memorial, some ten years
later, was inscribed her own death and burial : — "Here
lyeth the body of the Right Honourable the Lady Mary
Fenwicke, relect of Sir John Fenwicke, Baronet, of
Northumberland, and daughter of Charles Howard, Earl
of Carlisle. She died on the 27th October, 1708, in the
fiftieth year of her age. Her life was a patrimony to the
poor and friendless ; and her many virtues make her
memory precious."
$0vtft=e:0tmtvfi
at
|o|)rt
NEWCASSEL IS MY NATIVE PLACE,
AND BOBBY NUNN.
JlOBERT NUNN, or Bobby Nunn, as he was
more familiarly called, was a Newcastle
institution about fifty years ago. He was a
slater to trade, and met with an accident
which caused the loss of his eyesight by a fall from a
roof whilst he was yet an apprentice. Being afterwards
unable to follow his trade, he supported himself by his
talents as a musician, attending at night with his fiddle
the different merrymakings and dance meetings in the
town ; and as he had also written many local songs of
excellent merit, which he sung with considerable humour,
his services were for many years in great demand at
social gatherings.
At the period of which we write, female benefit societies
and their accompanying annual or " box " dinners were
the order of the day ; every inn had its society, from the
Royal Oak down to the Shamrock ; and a right royal
day was that on which the dividend was declared and
paid, a red-letter day in the ladies' calendar. The
interior of the hostelry was all bustle and confusion to
get the " gyuse " roasted ; extra help was specially
engaged to get the viands properly prepared ; and woe
betide the "cyucks" if the joints "wassent up to the
mark." The great dinner was on all occasions presided
over by the worthy clerk, or "sec," as he was termed,
who was "Al" with the fair ladies, a great favourite
with the landlord, and a popular individual in every
society. Precisely as old "Sin' Nick" chimed the hour
of two, members assembled for the attack ! The rule was
for each member to bring her own kuife and fork, which
were usually carried in a clean white napkin. Adorned
in a dandy frilled cap with showy ribbons, and in her
clean white apron, each member really looked like a ship
in full sail. Of course the ladies tried to outvie each
other with their caps. Ample justice having been done
to a substantial feast, and the dividend having been
received, tables were cleared for the dance, in which the
members' husbands joined after work hours. It was on
occasions like these that Bobby Nunn was the monarch
of the day, and reigned supreme. Perched on a table at
one end of the room, like old King Cole he sat in state,
rasping away on the fiddle for bare life, while "aad
wives " and their guidmen whirled away to the old tunes,
"Be Sharp Before it's Dark," "The Holey Ha'penny,"
&o, During the evening at short intervals he enlivened
the assembly with songs of his own composition, such
as "The Wise Bairn," "The Quarter o' Curns,"
"Jocker," "The Styen Cellars Ne Mair," and a host of
others, now forgotten.
486
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I November
1839.
Bobby was a quiet, respectable man, with a happy,
chubby face, and one who could keep any company in a
roar of laughter. During the day, Bobby added a few
shillings to his slender income by turning the big wheel
for a wood turner named Johnny Scott, or Scotty, who
worked for Mr. Thomas Thompson, cabinet-maker,
Pilerim Street. At that time everybody had a fine four-
post bed, and Scotty turned the bed poles. It was heavy
work and scant pay for poor Bobby ; but he was happy
through it all, crooning over and singing his songs or
whistling from morning till night.
Many of his songs, written on passing events, and
sometimes rather coarse in consequence of the mixed
companies he amused, are now forgotten ; but several
are yet to the fore, and have taken their places as
standards among Tyneside songs.
Poor Bobby died in Queen Street, at the head of the
Long Stairs, Newcastle, on the 2nd May, 1853, aged 45
year?.
The tune of our song has been used in all parts of the
United Kingdom, one sett being sung as Scotch in
"We've Aye been Provided for, and Sae will We Yet,"
and another forming the foundation of the Irish
"Wearin'o" the Green." Several local ditties have also
been written to it.
New • oas - sel is my native place, Where my
mo-ther sitrhed for me ; I was born in Re\v
eas - Bell Chare, The centre of the Kee, Where in
ear - ly youth I sport - ed Quite
free from care and pain, But, a - las 1 those days are
gone and past, They'll never come a - gain.
No, they'll never come a - gain. They'll
never come a • gain, A - las ! those days are
They sent me to the Jub'lee School,
A scholar to make me,
Where Tommy Penn, my monitor,
Learned me my A, B, C ;
My master to correct me then
He often used the cane,
But I can say with confidence
He'll never do't again.
No, he'll never do't again,
He'll never do't again,
Yes, 1 can say with confidence
He'll never do't again.
Now like another youth I had
A love to grace my side,
I often whispered in her ear
That she should be my bride ;
And when I kissed her ruby lips,
She cried, " O fye, for shame !"
But with " Good night " she always said,
" Oh, mind come back again,
Oh, mind come back again.
Oh, do come back again,"
But with " Good night " she always said,
"Oh, mind come back again."
At length I had to go to trade ;
I went to serve my time ;
The world with all its flattering charms
Before me seem'd to shine ;
When plenty cash was in my store,
I never did complain,
Alas ! those days are gone and past,
They'll never come again,
No, they'll never come again,
They'll never come again,
Alas ! those days are gone and past,
They'll never come again.
At length to church I gladly went
With Nancy to be wed,
Tile thoughts of matrimony came
And troubled then my head.
The priest that tied the fatal knot
I now could tell him plain,
That, if I was once more single,
He should never tie't again.
He should never tie't again,
He should never tie't again,
If I was once more single
He should never tie't again.
Now like another married man,
I have with care to fight,
So let all joy and happiness
Among us reign to-night,
And with a bumper in each hand.
Let every heart proclaim,
That happy may we separate,
And happy meet again.
Yes ! happy meet again,
Yes, happy meet again,
Happy may we separate,
And happy meet again.
gone and past, They'll never come
gain.
The late Robert Emery, a local poet of some reputation,
and a friend of Bobby Nunn's, wrote a lament on the
poor minstrel's death, which, as it gives a graphic picture
of Bobby's life, and is also sung to the same melody as
the foregoing song, may fitly be introduced here :—
THE SAN0GATE LASSIE'S LAMENT FOE THE DEETB
OF BOBBY NUKN.
Oh ! hinny, Mall, aw's very bad —
My heart is like to break, —
The dowly news aw's grieved to say
Hes nearly deun the trick ;
For Dick the Deevil on the Kee
Declared to me to-day.
Norember 1
1889. J
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
487
While Bobbin' sair, that deeth had tyen
Poor Bobby Nunn away.
Poor Bobby Nunn away,
Poor Bobby Nunn away.
He sobbed an' cried that deeth had tyen
Poor Bobby Nunu away.
Aw's ne way superstitious, Mall,
But still aw think it queer,
That Bobby Nunn lookti shakey like
The last time he was here ; —
Lang Jenny Brown, before she deed,
And Peg that sell'd broon ware,
Swore they'd never rest in hiven
Without Bobby Nunn was there.
Without Bobby Nunn was there, &c.
Noo Jin and Peg were fond o' spree —
Bang'd a' for threesom reels —
Two smarter lasses ne'er were seen
Pra' Sandgate doon to Shields —
But noo they're gyen to their lang hyem,
And to keep up the fun,
They've sent sly deeth, in spite wor teeth,
To steal poor Bobby Nunn.
To steal poor Bobby Nunn, &c.
Head meeting days were spent in glee.
When Bobby took the chair —
Whene'er we saw his sonsy face
Wor steam got up for fair.
His merry sang and fiddle good
Did banish care and pain,
But cruel deeth has stopp'd his breeth —
He'll never sing again !
Oh I he'll never sing again, &c.
The happy days o' Christmas
Ne joy to us will bring.
E'en Peter Nichol's bonny birds
Most dowly dirges sing.
But while Tyne's stream runs to the sea,
Nunn's fame can never set,
He always was Newcassel's pride
And sae will he yet.
And sae will he yet, &c.
(Savtmn*, of dftirtrm.
jjMONG the men of renown whom the great
national rising of 1642 brought to light, not
the least remarkable was a spirited brewer at
Chirton, near North Shields, named Ralph
Gardner, whose resistance to the "tyrannical oppression"
of the old Corporation of Newcastle, with his well-known
work entitled " England's Grievance Discovered in
Relation to the Coal Trade," has rendered his name
familiar as a household word to most dwellers on the
Tyne. "The tone of the Commonwealth," it has been
said, " rings through all Ralph Gardner's writings." At
the time he wrote his book, he was only twenty-eight
years of age — a man broken in fortune, but not in spirit,
by persecution. His clear mind perceived all the evil
flowing from the absurd monopoly given to Newcastle, by
royal charter, of the trade and commerce of the North-
East of England ; and he indignantly scorned the idea
that the people of Shields, or of any other place on the
estuary of the Tyne, should neither bake nor brew, nor
steep malt, nor build ships, unless they had inherited
from their fathers, or chose to buy or obtain by service,
the freedom of the favoured town of Newcastle.
Ralph Gardner, or Gardiner, it appears, was the son of
Devereux Gardiner, gent, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and
(probably) grandson of Nicholas Gardiner, of Mearcefern
(Mason), in the parish of Ponteland, in the county of
Northumberland, yeoman. All that we know of his
father is that he was bred to the legal profession and
wrote a beautiful hand, and that, having failed apparently
to secure a livelihood by practising law, he accepted the
post of writing-master to Queen Elizabeth's Grammar
School in Newcastle, which he retained down till 1632,
when — for what reason history sayeth not — he got hia
leave from the Common Council, who presented him,
however, with £10, "in respect of his poverty for a full
discharge to depart the school." It was while Devereux
Gardiner was thus engaged that his son Ralph was born,
on the 29th of August, 1625. The lad seems to have got
a good education, and Dame Nature had endowed him
with a dauntless spirit. Of his youth we know nothing ;
but in his twenty-third or twenty-fourth year he was
established as a brewer at North Shields, and resided in
a two-storeyed house at Chirton, near that town, which
house was taken down in 1856 to make way for a new
mansion then about to be erected on its site by Mr.
Collingwood, of Lilburn Tower, for Mr. John Foster
Spence, of North Shields. Our picture of Gardner's
house is copied from a sketch, "drawn and etched by
John Storey," which appeared in Philipson and Hare's
edition of "England's Grievance," 1849.
The Free Hostmen of Newcastle claimed, on the
authority of a clause in Queen Elizabeth's Charter, to
bake and brew for all the ships in the port of Tyne. This
right Ralph Gardner disputed. He asserted that charter
law was in opposition to both common and statute law ;
and, at that particular epoch, when Monarchy was
overthrown and a free Commonwealth established, he
had every reason to expect that his interpretation would
be adopted. The Corporation of Newcastle wag still
strong, however, even though Cromwell was at the helm.
The Chirton brewer got intimation that he was to give up
his business — "to surcease brewing." This he would not
do ; and actions at law were consequently brought against
him. Heavy fines were imposed and costs accumulated.
In August, 1652, he was cast into Newcastle Gaol,
"upon a bare arrest," as Thomas Salkeld, gent.,
afterwards deponed, "and actions laid for upwards of
nine hundred pounds where twenty pounds could not
be recovered." He was kept locked up in that place
"from all comforts," in a tower above thirty-six feet
high, and destitute of the most common conveniences.
He offered good bail, freemen of Newcastle, who were
accepted and entered in the book, " and two days after
razed out again, and he still kept there." He desired to
be admitted to defend his own case in court, but this
was refused ; desired to go with a keeper to counsel,
490
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
November
Dr. David Ross Lietch, a brother of Mr. Thomas C.
Lietch, Town Clerk of Tynemouth. The facts are also
stated at length in Brockie's " History of Shields."
Though bearing marks of the haste and unpropitious
circumstances in which it was composed, the
"Grievance," with its pictorial illustrations, is one
of the most curious monuments of the manners and
customs of the times, and is specially valuable as
throwing light on the municipal, commercial, and
social history of Newcastle. Copies of the original
edition, printed in London in 1655, in small quarto,
having become extremely rare, it was reprinted at
Newcastle in 1796 by the Akenheads. This, too, has
become scarce. Mr. Brockett's copy of the original
edition sold for £20 9s. 6d., and Mr. Thomas Bell's
copy, though imperfect, likewise brought a high price.
A copy of it is also in the possession of Mr. Robert
Spence, of North Shields, banker, who, after infinite
labour, has been able also to secure a copy of the plan to
original edition.
[OCK HALL, the property of Mr. C. B. P.
Bosanquet, is situated about four and a
half miles noth-east of Alnwick, in the
county of Northumberland. The surround-
ing scenery is romantic, and the hall commands a fine
prospect of the adjacent country. Tho hall now consists
of an oblong tower, nearly rectangular ; a smaller
tower to the south-west, irregular in shape, with
curious angles; and a tower to the north-west, contain-
ing one square room. The north-east front of the hull
was probably built in the seventeenth century as a place
of residence, and not as a place of strength. All the rest
has been added during the present century. At the
north-west front is an addition with corbie-stepped gables
erected for the father of the present owner. Mr. F. R,
Wilson is of opinion that there is in the masonry now
visible no proof of anything older than Elizabethan
times : but it is surmised that there was a Norman pele
long before that period, inasmuch as there is evidence
that the estate, which is co-extensive with the township of
Rock, was held by service of half a knight's fee in the
reign of Henry I. ; and whoever held it would require a
defensible place of residence. This view is supported by
the fact that a little Norman chapel incorporated in the
hall has been in existence from early times — probably
from the time of King Stephen.
There is no Domesday Book for Northumberland, but
the Testa de Nevill, our oldest authority, says that
between 1219 and 1252 William de Rok held Rok under
William de Vescy, Baron of Alnwick, by service of half
a knight's fee of ancient feoffment. An inquisition made
in 1289 informs us that Thomas de Rocke held Rocke, and
that it was then worth £20 a year ; and an inquisition in
131+ says Thomas de Rokk held the vill of Rokk. In
1346 Robert de Tughalle held the vill of Roke by a service
of a quarter of a fee, and in 1368 by service of one fee-
In 1359 Bishop Hatfield gave permission to Robert da
Tughalle to cause divine service to be performed in his
oratories of Rock and Scremerston. Rock and Scremer-
ston appear to have passed by marriage to the Swynhoes
before 1386, and continued to belong to that family until
about 1547. John de Swynhow died in the latter year,
and Rock passed to his sister Margery, who married,
first, Edmund Lawson, of the Crainlington family, and,
second, Robert Lawson, of Usworth. The estate passed
to William, Margery's son by her second marriage. In
1620 we find Sir Ralph Lawson, of Burgh, and others,
conveying the manor of Rock to John Salkeld the
younger, of Hull (Hulne) Abbey. This John Salkeld's
grandson, Colonel John Salkeld, appears to have lived at
Rock until 1705 ; but during part of this time one Ralph
Thoresby and his father appear to have owned part of the
estate, but not the house. Colonel Salkeld was suc-
ceeded by the Proctors, who had formerly owned Shaw-
don, and who at the time owned Proctor's Steads or
Dunston Hall— Elizabeth Fenwick, granddaughter of
Colonel Salkeld, having married Thomas Proctor. In
1732 the estate was sold to Lord Jersey ; in 1752 a fire
reduced the house to ruins, in which state it remained
for more than half a century ; in 1794 Mr. Peter Holford
bought the estate from Lord Jersey ; and in 1804 his son,
Robert Holford, made it over to the grandfather of the
present owner.
The Salkelds are the most interesting of the families
who have occupied the house ; it is thought that Colonel
Salkeld planted the old limes and horse chestnuts which
now beautify the gardens. The hall and grounds bear
evidence of the great architectural and landscape taste of
the later owners.
at
CANUTE AND HIS CHIEFTAINS.
j]FTER the unfortunate Ironsides had been
murdered, in 1017, and Canute had assumed
supreme authority over the entire kingdom,
there came a period of much-needed quiet.
But if internal wars ceased to cause serious trouble, there
was plenty of jealousy and assassination to keep men
active. The brother of Edmund was slain, his sons were
banished, and a long list of distinguished offenders were
done to death through the misrepresentations of Edric
Steorne. This wretched schemer seems to have been
always ready for disreputable work. No matter what
king, or what nationality, was in the ascendant, he had
November I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
491
never failed to worm his way into favour with the winning
side. It is satisfactory to know that he eventually met
with a suitable reward, and that to Northumbria belongs
the credit of his undoing. The recital reads like a page
of Eastern romance. While discussing state matters
with the king, Edrio is said to have loudly complained
about the insufficiency of his rewards for many notable
services. He had been made Earl of Mercia, but
was dissatisfied with the way in which his power was
restricted. His discontent was exceedingly unpalatable
to the rude chiefs around him, as many of them thought
the honour could have been more worthily bestowed.
Canute justified his own watchfulness on the ground that
the betrayer of one king, and the murderer of another,
was not unlikely to be lacking in loyalty to their successor.
Eric of Northumbria was a sullen listener to the wrangle
that ensued, and, provoked by the audacity of his
dangerous colleague, he brained him with a battle-axe.
It was a sensational sequel to a life of treachery and
crime, and illustrates not inaptly the savage lawlessness
of the time. The carcase of Edric was thrown into
the Thames, and "the ghastly head, spiked upon
the highest gate of London, announced to the populace
that a wretch had at last paid the penalty of his
misdeeds."
CHANGED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE.
In the years that immediately ensued, the lot of the
Anglo-Saxons was a most unenviable one. They were
insulted, plundered, and sorely oppressed by Danes of
all degrees ; and it was only when Canute had firmly
established bis authority, and realised the importance
of having a united people, that the tyranny and
persecution ceased. He banished Thurkill and Erio
from his realm ; put Northumbria under the more
gentle sway of Siward ; and kept a pretty tight grip
on the lesser chieftains everywhere. In course of time
Dane and Saxon stood shoulder to shoulder on many a
foreign battle field, and won victory after victory against
the troops of Norway and Sweden.
THE BRITONS OF CUMBRIA.
By 1031 Canute had become the greatest monarch of
his day, and the wisdom of his rule was rapidly bringing
about a state of prosperity in England that had never
been previously equalled. There was only one cloud on
the horizon, and that was in the North. Cumbria, it
will be remembered, was still governed by a British
chieftain, though it owed allegiance to the Xing of the
Scots. Ethelred had endeavoured to tax the Cumbrians
in 1008 — during his efforts to raise a land and sea force
for the repulsion of the Danes — but all his demands for
money were resisted. Malcolm, a son of King Kenneth,
was residing in Cumbria at the time, and he strongly
supported the action of the Britons. They were always
able, he said, to repel the Danes by their own power, and
could neither submit to buy peace off their enemies nor
pay others for assisting them. Offended by this fearless
reply, Ethelred had ordered Earl Uchtred to enforce his
demands, and an army of Northumbrians forthwith took
the field. They encountered the allied forces at Carham-
on-Tweed, but, in the fighting that ensued, were rather
roughly handled. Owen the Bold lost his life, and the
hamlets of his people were burnt ; but these disasters
only increased the martial ardour of the Scots, and, in a
pursuit across the Border, they fully avenged the losses,
of their friends. Although this action led to nothing
serious at the time, it was not forgotten. The Cumbrians
steadily refused to supply the funds sought by Ethelred,
and they also resisted similar demands from Canute in
the early days of his reign. When, however, the Dane
had established himself securely on the throne, and had
settled accounts with his Norwegian and Swedish
enemies, he summoned Malcolm — who was then King
of Scotland — to acknowledge himself a vassal for Cumbria
to the Crown of England. Malcolm refused compliance,
on the ground that he could not owe allegiance to a
usurper ; but when he saw the vastness of the army
which Canute sent to the northern frontier, he realised
that conflict was hopeless, and lowered his colours without
a blow. In the terms agreed upon, it was decided that
Duncan, a grandson of the Scottish ruler, should be put
in possession of Cumbria, and should then make the
submission required. In this way, Canute got what he
sought, the dignity of Malcolm was preserved, and the
remaining years of the great Dane's reign were allowed
to be spent in peace.
POWER OF THE GREAT EARLDOMS.
During the turbulent reigns of Harold Harefoot and
490
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
Dr. David Ross Lietch, a brother of Mr. Thomas C.
Lietch, Town Clerk of Tynemouth. The facts are also
stated at length in Brookie's " History of Shields."
Though bearing marks of the haste and unpropitious
circumstances in which it was composed, the
"Grievance," with its pictorial illustrations, is one
of the most curious monuments of the manners and
customs of the times, and is specially valuable as
throwing light on the municipal, commercial, and
social history of Newcastle. Copies of the original
edition, printed in London in 1655, in small quarto,
having become extremely rare, it was reprinted at
Newcastle in 1796 by the Akenheads. This, too, has
become scarce. Mr. Brockett's copy of the original
edition sold for £20 9s. 6d., and Mr. Thomas Bell's
copy, though imperfect, likewise brought a high price.
A copy of it is also in the possession of Mr. Robert
Spence, of North Shields, banker, who, after infinite
labour, has been able also to secure a copy of the plan to
original edition.
JOCK HALL, the property of Mr. C. B. P.
Bosanquet, is situated about four and a
half miles noth-east of Alnwiuk, in the
county of Northumberland. The surround-
ing scenery is romantic, and the hall commands a fine
prospect of the adjacent country. The hall now consists
of an oblong tower, nearly rectangular ; a smaller
tower to the south-west, irregular in shape, with
curious angles ; and a tower to the north-west, contain-
ing one square room. The north-east front of the hall
was probably built in the seventeenth century as a place
of residence, and not as a place of strength. All the rest
has been added during the present century. At the
north-west front is an addition with corbie-stepped gables
erected for the father of the present owner. Mr. F. R,
Wilson is of opinion that there is in the masonry now
visible no proof of anything older than Elizabethan
times : but it is surmised that there was a Norman pcle
long before that period, inasmuch as there is evidence
that the estate, which is co-extensive with the township of
Rock, was held by service of half a knight's fee in the
reign of Henry I. ; and whoever held it would require a
defensible place of residence. This view is supported by
the fact that a little Norman chapel incorporated in the
hall has been in existence from early times — probably
from the time of King Stephen.
There is no Domesday Book for Northumberland, but
the Testa de Nevill, our oldest authority, says that
between 1219 and 1252 William de Rok held Rok under
William de Vescy, Baron of Alnwick, by service of half
a knight's fee of ancient feoffment. An inquisition made
in 1289 informs u« that Thomas de Rocke held Rocke, and
that it was then worth £20 a year ; and an inquisition in
1314 says Thomas de Rokk held the vill of Rokk. In
1346 Robert de Tughalle held the vill of Roke by a service
of a quarter of a fee, and in 1368 by service of one fee-
In 1359 Bishop Hatfield gave permission to Robert de
Tughalle to cause divine service to be performed in hia
oratories of Rock and Scremerston. Rock and Scremer-
ston appear to have passed by marriage to the Swynhoea
before 1386, and continued to belong to that family until
about 1547. John de Swynhow died in the latter year,
and Rock passed to his sister Margery, who married,
first, Edmund Lawson, of the Cratnlington family, and,
second, Robert Lawson, of Usworth. The estate passed
to William, Margery's son by her second marriage. In
1620 we find Sir Ralph Lawson, of Burgh, and others,
conveying the manor of Rock to John Salkeld the
younger, of Hull (Hulne) Abbey. This John Salkeld's
grandson, Colonel John Salkeld, appears to have lived at
Rock until 1705; but during part of this time one Ralph
Thoresby and his father appear to have owned part of the
estate, but not the house. Colonel Salkeld was suc-
ceeded by the Proctors, who had formerly owned Shaw-
don, and who at the time owned Proctor's Steads or
Dunston Hall— Elizabeth Fenwick, granddaughter of
Colonel Salkeld, having married Thomas Proctor. In
1732 the estate was sold to Lord Jersey ; in 1752 a fire
reduced the house to ruins, in which state it remained
for more than half a century ; in 1794 Mr. Peter Holford
bought the estate from Lord Jersey ; and in 1804 bis son,
Robert Holford, made it over to the grandfather of the
present owner.
The Salkelds are the most interesting of the families
who have occupied the house ; it is thought that Colonel
Salkeld planted the old limes and horse chestnuts which
now beautify the gardens. The hall and grounds bear
evidence of the great architectural and landscape taste of
the later owners.
ij> e&arrf at
CANUTE AND HIS CHIEFTAINS.
j]FTER the unfortunate Ironsides had been
murdered, in 1017, and Canute had assumed
supreme authority over the entire kingdom,
there came a period of much-needed quiet.
But if internal wars ceased to cause serious trouble, there
was plenty of jealousy and assassination to keep men
active. The brother of Edmund was slain, his sons were
banished, and a long list of distinguished offenders were
done to death through the misrepresentations of Edric
Steorne. This wretched schemer seems to have been
always ready for disreputable work. No matter what
king, or what nationality, was in the ascendant, he had
November I
1889. r_
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
491
never failed to worm his way into favour with the winning
side. It is satisfactory to know that he eventually met
with a suitable reward, and that to Nortlmmbria belongs
the credit of his undoing. The recital reads like a page
of Eastern romance. While discussing state matters
with the king, Edrio is said to have loudly complained
about the insufficiency of his rewards for many notable
services. He had been made Earl of Mercia, but
was dissatisfied with the way in which his power was
restricted. His discontent was exceedingly unpalatable
to the rude chiefs around him, as many of them thought
the honour could have been more worthily bestowed.
Canute justified his own watchfulness on the ground that
the betrayer of one king, and the murderer of another,
was not unlikely to be lacking in loyalty to their successor.
Eric of Northumbria was a sullen listener to the wrangle
that ensued, and, provoked by the audacity of his
dangerous colleague, he brained him with a battle-axe.
It was a sensational sequel to a life of treachery and
crime, and illustrates not inaptly the savage lawlessness
of the time. The carcase of Edric was thrown into
the Thames, and "the ghastly head, spiked upon
the highest gate of London, announced to the populace
that a wretch had at last paid the penalty of his
misdeeds."
CHANGED CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE.
In the years that immediately ensued, the lot of the
Anglo-Saxons was a most unenviable one. They were
insulted, plundered, and sorely oppressed by Danes of
all degrees ; and it was only when Canute had firmly
established his authority, and realised the importance
of having a united people, that the tyranny and
persecution ceased. He banished Thurkill and Eric
from his realm ; put Northumbria under the more
gentle sway of Siward ; and kept a pretty tight grip
on the lesser chieftains everywhere. In course of time
Dane and Saxon stood shoulder to shoulder on many a
foreign battle field, and won victory after victory against
the troops of Norway and Sweden.
THE BRITONS OF CUMBRIA.
By 1031 Canute had become the greatest monarch of
his day, and the wisdom of his rule was rapidly bringing
about a state of prosperity in England that had never
been previously equalled. There was only one cloud on
the horizon, and that was in the North. Cumbria, it
will be remembered, was still governed by a British
chieftain, though it owed allegiance to the King of the
Scots. Ethelred had endeavoured to tax the Cumbrians
in 1008 — during his efforts to raise a land and sea force
for the repulsion of the Danes — but all his demands for
money were resisted. Malcolm, a son of King Kenneth,
was residing in Cumbria at the time, and he strongly
supported the action of the Britons. They were always
able, he said, to repel the Danes by their own power, and
could neither submit to buy peace off their enemies nor
pay others for assisting them. Offended by this fearless
reply, Ethelred had ordered Earl Uchtred to enforce his
demands, and an army of Northumbrians forthwith took
the field. They encountered the allied forces at Carham-
on-Tweed, but, in the fighting that ensued, were rather
roughly handled. Owen the Bold lost his life, and the
hamlets of his people were burnt ; but these disasters
only increased the martial ardour of the Scots, and, in a
pursuit across the Border, they fully avenged the losses,
of their friends. Although this action led to nothing
serious at the time, it was not forgotten. The Cumbrians
steadily refused to supply the funds sought by Ethelred,
and they also resisted similar demands from Canute in
the early days of his reign. When, however, the Dane
had established himself securely on the throne, and had
settled accounts with his Norwegian and Swedish
enemies, he summoned Malcolm — who was then King
of Scotland — to acknowledge himself a vassal for Cumbria
to the Crown of England. Malcolm refused compliance,
on the ground that he could not owe allegiance to a
usurper ; but when he saw the vastness of the army
which Canute sent to the northern frontier, he realised
that conflict was hopeless, and lowered his colours without
a blow. In the terms agreed upon, it was decided that
Duncan, a grandson of the Scottish ruler, should be put
in possession of Cumbria, and should then make the
submission required. In this way, Canute got what he
sought, the dignity of Malcolm was preserved, and the
remaining years of the great Dane's reign were allowed
to be spent in peace.
POWEK OF THE GREAT EARLDOMS.
During the turbulent reigns of Harold Harefoot and
492
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{Noven
188'.
Hardicanute — 1035-10*2 — Northumbria was enjoying a
peaceful existence under the wise sway of the great
Earl Siward. Its people were never, probably, more
prosperous, and they had certainly never enjoyed
greater quiet. Even when the Danish line of kings
had ceased, and Edward the Confessor had ascended
the throne, their immunity from warlike enterprises
was happily continued. Having a strong alliance
with Leofric of Mercia, they were able to watch
the intrigues of Earl Godwin and his sons, and not
unfrequently to checkmate them. The members of this
latter family had rendered
valuable aid in securing the
restoration of the Saxon
line, and their rewards had
been enormous. Godwin
himself was made Earl of
Wessex ; Harold, his son,
was appointed earl of an
enlarged East Anglia ; and
Sweyne, another son,
governed the area com-
prised within the present
counties of Gloucester,
Somerset, Hereford, Oxford, and Berks. In the eyes
of the Saxon people, Edward's chief source of offending
was his partiality for the Normans. He had lived
amongst them, had his friends amongst them, and,
not unnaturally, introduced them and their ways into
English life when he was brought here to rule. On
one of them, Ralph — a half-foreign nephew — he had
actually bestowed the earldom of Worcester. With
this fancy of the king the Northumbrians heartily
sympathised. It would be difficult to say whether
love for the Normans or hostility to the Anglo-Saxons
had most influence in directing their policy ; but there
can be little doubt that their attitude, now and after-
wards, helped very materially to place the country in
Norman hands. They frustrated many of the earlier
attempts of Godwin to get rid of the intruders, and, for
a time, secured his banishment from the country. When
he returned, in 1052, and forced the king to reinstate
him in his earldom— as well as make restitution to his
sons, Harold and Sweyne, also — the Northumbrians and
Mercians were bound to acquiesce, and the prospect of a
strong Saxon supremacy appeared more assured than at
any time since Edgar.
DEATH OF SIWARD.
Every move seemed to favour the Godwin party after
their restoration to royal favour, and they did not fail to
wield their vast influence to the detriment of the
Normans. While in the midst of their triumphs, the
founder of the family died, and the event led to a
somewhat important re-adjustment of power. Harold
at once transferred his affections to Wessex ; but, in
order to appease the jealousy of the North, he induced
the king to send Algar, a son of Leofric, to guide the
destinies of East Anglia. Matters remained in this
condition until 1054, when the commencement of a war
with Scotland paved the way for still more momentous
changes. This quarrel across the Border bad a special
interest for the Northumbrians, and they took the field
with unmistakable fervour. Duncan, the king, had been
murdered by Macbeth, and Malcolm Canmore, the
rightful heir, had been driven into exile. Duncan's
wife was a daughter of Siward, and it was to assist his
own grandson, therefore, that the doughty old earl had
gathered up his forces. He directed his assault both by
land and by sea, and, after one or two successful battles,
was able to satisfactorily accomplish his object. But
although Macbeth was slain, and Malcolm was restored
to the throne of his ancestors, the victory was a costly
one for England. Siward's eldest son, Osberne, fell in
the fight at Dunsinane, and the father was utterly
prostrated by his bereavement. Honours were showered
thickly upon him when he led his stalwart warriors back
to their quarters, but the popular applause was powerless
to drive away the melancholy that possessed him.
Within a year, his gallant heart had ceased to beat, and
Northumbria had lost a governor whose simplicity of
character had earned the admiration of all men, and
whose sagacity and foresight were worthy of his
undoubted valour.
INFLUENCE OF THE GODWINS.
The death of Siward, though a sad blow for the
Anglo-Danes across the Humber, was regarded with
ill-concealed pleasure by the Saxon chieftains of the
South. Godwin's ambitious sons looked upon the
calamity as an additional step towards their own
aggrandisement, and they were not slow to take
advantage of it. Acting under strong pressure,
Edward was induced to grant the vacant earldom of
Northumbria to Tostig, another of Harold's brothers,
and the bulk of the kingdom was then under the
family control. Deeming themselves strong enough
for all contingencies, they lost no time in ousting
Algar from his oft-begrudged possessions in East
Anglia, and driving him for shelter into Wales. While
there seeking allies, the death of his father, Leofric,
in 1056, caused a vacancy in Mercia also. Supposing,
naturally enough, that he would be allowed to occupy
the dead earl's place, Algar returned to his old home.
But he was not permitted to remain. The alleged
treasonable practices that had ensured his ejection
from East Anglia were held to be sufficient to prevent
his rule in any other place, and he was again driven into
exile. The result was a terribly destructive war. Algar
had allied himself with his British neighbours on the
west, and Harold called for the assistance of bis brothers
to put down the revolt. It was not an easy undertaking.
The Northumbrians were only half-hearted in the work,
and the Britons were too expert to be readily caught
November!
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
49S
in their mountain retreats. The rapidity of their
manoeuvres, indeed, seldom failed to frustrate the
plans of their assailants: and hence it happened that
a somewhat remarkable change took place in the
military accoutrements of the Saxons. Harold had no
alternative but to reduce the weight of metal in
the helmets of his followers, and to construct their
shields and breastplates of leather. When thus
lightened, they were better qualified for rapid
marches ; and, being aided by a powerful fleet on
the coast, eventually succeeded in bringing their
adversaries to their knees. Algar was banished, as
the best means of counteracting his influence in the
country ; but the conquerors were compelled, for the
sake of peace, to grant the Mercian earldom to his
eon Edwin.
BEBELLION AGAINST TOSTIG.
While matters were thus gloomy for Mercia and
Wales, the Northumbrians created a very acceptable
diversion. They had not been happy during the long
campaign against their old friends, and, therefore,
when Tostig afterwards began to add cruel treatment
to the general severity of his rule, the people rose
against him in a body. They were the hardiest and
most warlike men in the land, and they soon made
their power felt. Marching to York, in 1065, they
speedily put the tyrant to flight, killed 200 of his body-
guard on the banks of the Ouse, and pillaged both his
treasury and armoury. Having taken this bold step,
the insurrectionary party ignored the authority of the
king also, and proceeded to the election of a new chief.
Siward's only son, Waltheof, was deemed too young for
the appointment, and the popular choice fell upon
Morcar, another of the sons of Algar. This young
warrior accepted the offer, and, after being duly
installed, took charge of an expedition against the
Saxons of the South. As amongst his followers were
many of Edwin's men from Mercia, and not a few
of the Britons of Wales, his command was eminently
fitted for the work of conquest. When he had
reached Northampton, however, he was confronted
by Harold — who had just returned from his famous
mission to William of Normandy — and a conference
was arranged between the leaders of the opposing
forces. Harold tried, of course, to secure the peaceable
reinstatement of his brother ; but the Northumbrians
declined absolutely to sanction any such adjustment of
the pending dispute. Tostig, they said, had tyrannised
over them, and they would have no more of his sway.
"A proud chief, "they added, "is to us unbearable, for
we have learnt from our ancestors to live free or die."
Under these circumstances, and being doubtful of the
result of a conflict, Harold wisely allowed the election
of Morcar to stand, and promised to have it confirmed
by the king.
NORWEGIAN SUCCESSES IN THE NORTH.
When Tostig realised that Northumbria was lost to
him, he laid all the blame on his brother, and became
one of his most inveterate opponents. But though he
at once began to intrigue against the Saxon power,
there was little response from any quarter until after
the death of Edward the Confessor in January, 1066.
Matters then began to assume a very gloomy aspect.
Harold's elevation to the vacant throne was regarded
as a breach of faith by the Normans, and Duke William
at once made preparations for asserting his own claims
to the realm. Tostig's services were accordingly utilised,
and he was given a few ships with which to harry the
English coast. Owing to the keenness of the outlook, the
scheme was not very successful. After futile descents
had been made on the Isle of Wight and East Anglia,
he made a dash up the Humber ; but here again he
was driven off by the forces of Edwin and Morcar.
Finding all his efforts useless, he set sail for Denmark
in the hope that the then king — a descendant of the
fiery Sweyne — might attempt the conquest of the island.
Being baulked once more, he tried his blandishments on
Hardrada, King of Norway. Here he was more success-
ful, and, by the end of summer, a fleet of 200 war ships
and 300 store ships were in readiness for the projected
work. Having touched at the Orkneys — where they
were reinforced by a large contingent of pirates and
adventurers — the allies sailed for the Tyne, and
succeeded in plundering many towns on its banks.
Whitby and Scarborough shared the same fate. Aa it
was not deemed advisable to linger over any of these
exploits, a move was next made for the Humber, and
the vessels, branching off at the Ouse, proceeded to
Riccal, a place not far from the city of York. Here
the invaders landed, and, after being joined by a
section of the natives favourable to Tostig, proceeded
494
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
Norember
to devastate the district in all directions. Morcar
and Edwin hastily feathered their forces, and gave
battle at Water Fulford, near Bishopsthorpe. The
result was a severe defeat for the Northumbrians. As
the old chroniclers put it, " there was much of the
English slain, drowned, and driven away in flight, and
the Norsemen had possession of the place of carnage."
York was next assailed ; but as it capitulated after a
mere show of resistance, the strangers settled down, as
they supposed, to the peaceable enjoyment of their
newly won dominions. WILLIAM LONGSTAFF.
In our concluding sketch we have a fair representation
of the lightly accoutred fighting force of the Saxons.
With the exception of the metal skull cap, the only
protection — whether by shield or leg guards — was of
padded leather. But while this was the uniform
of the rank and file, there were special regiments —
both of Saxon and Dane — that went into action with
much more effective coverings of ring or mascled
armour, and were supplied, in addition, with ponderous
head pieces of hammered steel. It is not easy, in the
face of conflicting accounts, to say precisely how the
chieftains were arrayed ; but Strutt, who devoted much
attention to the subject, has figured them in chain mail
from head to heels. In the description of Godwin's
famous present to Hardicanute, we get one of the
most reliable accounts of the military equipment of the
period. Having constructed a gorgeously decorated
barque, the great earl had it manned by eighty of
his thegns. Each of these warriors is said to nave
had a gilded helmet on his head ; a triple hauberk on
his body ; a sword, with hilt of gold, by his side ; a
battle-axe, damasked with silver, on his shoulder ; and
a shield, on his left arm, that was bound and embossed
with even greater magnificence.
at a Ecrrtrn-
pASES of suspended animation have, from time
to time, been recorded in different parts of the
world. One of these, resting on evidence
which may be variously regarded, is very closely asso-
ciated with the North of England. It is that of Mrs.
Erskine, wife of the Rev. Henry Erskine, an eminent
Nonconformist divine of more than two centuries ago.
This gentleman was one of the thirty-three children of
Ralph Erskine, who belonged to a family that origin-
ally descended from the ancient house of Mar. Henry
Erskine was minister of Cornhill-on-Tweed, which then
formed part of the county of Durham. Ejected from his
living in 1662, under the terms of the Act of Uniformity,
he afterwards resided several years at Dryburgh, the last
resting place, as is generally known, of Sir Walter Scott.
Seized afterwards by a company of soldiers, he had
the honour of testifying before the "bluidy Mackenzie"
and a committee of the Scotch Privy Council. Con-
demned as one who preached in "conventicles," and
sentenced to fine and imprisonment, he was transported
to the Bass Rock, where he remained for some time ; but
through the kindness of influential friends, his penalty
was ultimately commuted into banishment from the
kingdom of Scotland. Erskine then returned to Eng-
land ; but, as he still continued his irregular preaching
practices, he was apprehended and imprisoned at New-
castle-upon-Tyne. King James's proclamation of indul-
gence setting him free once more, he entered upon the
pastoral charge of a dissenting place of worship at
Moneylaws, in the county of Northumberland.
It was while he was living at Moneylaws that,
according to tradition, his wife, to all appear-
ance, died, and was actually placed in the family
vault. Mrs. Erskine wore a valuable gold ring, which,
as it could not be easily removed from her finger,
was buried with her. This circumstance being known to
the sexton, he thought it a pity that so precious an article
should be left among the mouldering remains. Accord-
ingly, he opened the grave at night, seized hold of the
lady's hand, and tried to pull off the ring. Finding it
difficult to do so, however, and fearing discovery, the
fellow whipped out his jack-knife, and was in the act of
cutting off the finger to secure the coveted treasure, when,
to his amazement and horror, the supposed corpse sat up
in the coffin. As may readily be imagined, the grave-
digger quickly fled ; and Mrs. Erskine, thus restored to
activity, made the best of her way home, where her well-
known knock at the door startled her husband, who is
said to have exclaimed, " If my wife had not been dead,
I could have sworn that that was her knock."
The worthy lady — so the old story runs — survived
this extraordinary experience many years, and bore
several children, including a son named Ralph, who
was born in 1685. This son became the Rev.
Ralph Erskine, V.D.M., minister of Dunfermline from
1711, when he was twenty-six years old, to 1752. In con-
junction with his brother, the Rev, Ebenezer Erskine,
who was four years older than himself, he became the
founder of the Secession Church, which, by a series of
amalgamations, has become the United Presbyterian
Church of Scotland. The Rev. Ralph Erskine was the
author of what are known as "The Gospel Sonnets," to
which is added another very quaint poem, entitled
"Smoking Spiritualised." As a further example of his
proclivities in this direction we may quote the following
epitaph, which he composed on the death of his first wife,
Margaret Dewar, who died on the 22nd of November,
1730, after having borne him ten children.
The law brought forth her precepts ten,
And then dissolved in grace ;
This vine as many boughs, and then
In glory" took her place.
Her dying breath triumphantly
Did that sweet anthem sing,
" Thanks be to God for victory !
O death ! where is thy sting ? "
In the biographical sketch of the Rev. Ralph Erskine
which accompanied a volume of his poems published in
1803, no reference ia made to the remarkable occurrence
NoYerober \
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
495
to which he is alleged to have owed his parentage on the
maternal side. Very recently, however, the circumstances
have been fully stated and argued pro and con. in the
Newcastle Weekly Chronicle. Mr. R, A. Hill, writing
from Stirling on the 4th of October, 1888, stated that
the story of the interment and subsequent resurrection
of Mrs. Erskine had been known to him from his earliest
childhood as an actual occurrence. "The incident,"
Mr. Hill added, "has been handed down from one
generation to another in our family ; and the ring
referred to is in my possession now." With such evidence
and data to guide them, readers must form their own
conclusions.
©nwr&m tit
JIN intimation appeared in the Newcastle
Chronicle on the 4th of February, 1848,
that the committee of the Mechanics' Insti-
tution had engaged Mr. Ralph Waldo
Emerson to deliver two lectures in the Lecture Room,
Nelson Street, on Wednesday and Thursday, February
9th and 10th— the first on "Shakspeare, the Poet, "the
second on "Napoleon, the Man of the World." The
price of admission to each lecture was one shilling to
the body of the room, and one shilling and sixpence
to the reserved seats. The advertisement was signed
by the then secretaries of the institution, Mr. J. L.
Thornton and Mr. Metcalf Rcss. The Chronicle, in
the following week, gave a brief notice of Mr. Emerson's
visit, stating that the audience was a good one, and that
the lecturer was frequently applauded. It also published
the following brief report of the oration on Shakspeare : —
Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American author and
lecturer, delivered a lecture on Shakspeare, the Poet, in
the Lecture Room, Nelson Street, to a numerous audi-
ence. The lecturer, in investigating the characteristics
of the poet's genius, remarked that the history of the
man furnished no insight into the mind of the poet, so
as to elucidate the causes and explain the process by
which his genius was able to exert a power so talismanic
and universal. Shakspeare, in the age in which he lived,
maintained his incognito complete. The age, rich as
it was in great men, failed to recognise the poet of
mankind ; and it was only during the present age that
his genius had been appreciated, or that his history
could be written. The lecturer also showed how true
genius, having once proved its power to be original,
thenceforward established its claim to become a universal
borrower from the writings of others, inheriting, so to
speak, the fruits of other men's labours. Shakspeare's
object, however, was to exhibit the beautiful, not so
much for the sake of its relation to the true, as for
its own sake. Cheerfulness was his prevailing character-
istic ; amusement was the object to which his powers
were always directed ; and the poet was still wanted
who should prove that unrivalled powers of fancy were
ever compatible with universal wisdom.
Mr. Emerson was the guest of Mr. George Crawshay,
who then resided in Westgate Street. Mr. Crawshay
has kindly supplied us with the following memorandum
of his recollection of the New England philosopher : —
April 27, 1888.
Emerson was a delightful inmate ; so exalted, so gentle,
and so pure ; his presence did one good. We had much
conversation. I have four letters from him, in one of
which he says that he continued to be occupied with
the subjects of our conversation. He induced me to get
the "Bhagavad-Gita," a translation from the Sanscrit,
and predicted to me a great infusion of Oriental thought
into English thought. The grounds of his prediction,
which has come true, were that in this respect there was
a vacuum in England which would necessarily be filled
up. At the time of his visit I was full of Charles
Fourier's ideas, and they were the chief subject of
discussion. That a great truth underlay Fourier's
extravagances was our common view. G. C.
The four letters to which Mr. Crawshay refers have
also been placed in our bands, with permission to copy
them. As everything that Emerson wrote is of interest
to the world at large, we are pleased to have the privi-
lege of printing them here :—
2, Ferry Street, Higher Broughton,
Manchester, December 24, 1847.
Dear Sir, — Your kind note was received last night, and
awakens the warmest interest. It is not yet quite
certain that I am to lecture at Newcastle, but on such
a showing as yours I see not how I can avoid going
thither. I believe I must frankly accept your invitation,
and make you a short visit, whether I go to the Insti-
tute or not. Will you let me keep this good hope before
me? and when I see the opportunity of realizing it, I
will write to you.— Yours respectfully,
R. W. EMERSON.
2, Ferry Street, Higher Broughton,
Manchester, February 7, 1848.
Dear Sir, — I find that I am promised to your Mechanics'
Institution at Newcastle on Wednesday evening next,
so that I am setting forth on my journey northward
to-day, and promise myself the privilege of visiting
you on Wednesday p.m. I hope it will be mv good
fortune to find you at home. If affairs have chanced
to call you thence, I shall blame my imprudence in not
giving you earlier notice of my designs on you. — Yours
respectfully, R. W. EMERSON.
Edinburgh, Monday Evening, Feb. 14, 1848.
My Dear Sir, — Forgive me the strange slowness in
keeping my promise ; bnt I have been in a whirl ever
since I left your door, and could ill command a minute or
a pen. But the train kept its word and arrived at or near
8'15. A porter came at once to the carriage window to
see if Mr. E. was within. Dr. Brown was waiting for
me. Your message had been faithfully forwarded, and
happily the lecture had been appointed for 8^ o'clock. I
was driven to the Phil. Society's rooms, where I found
kind secretaries with hot coffee, and the audience were
kept waiting by apologizing directors only fifteen
minutes, so that all prospered well. There was a great
company, so the forewarning was important. I have
seen Professor Wilson and Lord Jeffrey, and to-day
dined with De Quincey. I trust that Mrs. Crawshay
is in firmer health,* though the weather is so wild. I
am still revolving many good things I learned at your
house, and shall not have done with them for a long
time. But in the present haste must postpone all to a
future note. — Yours with great regard,
R. W. EMERSON.
2, Ferry Street, Higher Broughton,
Manchester, March 2, 1848.
My Dear Sir, — Your kind note found me still in Scot-
land, where I had a pleasant visit, and satisfied on
many points and persons my Western curiosity. Thence
I came to Ambleside, where I spent a couple of days
* Mrs. Crawshay, who was a daughter of the late Sir John Fife,
died on August 3, 1389, aged 63.
496
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f Morember
I 1889.
most agreeably ; saw Wordsworth for an hour and a half ;
had much talk with Miss Martmeau of her coming book ;
eaw the excellent family of the Arnolds, and particu-
larly Mr. Greg, under whose guidance I had a good
ride on horseback among the mountains and waters;
and yesterday returned home hither. I think to set
forth toward London to-morrow, perhaps may stop at
Birmingham one night, and I mean to remain in or
near London until 1st May. If you shall be there in
that interim, and will send your address for me to Mr.
Chapman, 142, Strand, I shall not fail to see you.
These wondrous French news must occupy you fully
in these days and hours. I desire to be kindly remem-
bered by Mrs. Crawshay, and am yours, with best
regards, R. W. EMERSON.
tyaudt at
j]OUE or five years ago the old house shown
in our engraving, which is copied from a
photograph by Mr. J. P. Gibson, still
existed in Gilesgate, Ilexham. But it has
since given place to business premises.
The style of the house was Early Jacobean ; it had
prominent bay windows, and was unmistakably of some
note in its earlier days. It was rather unique in having
the Royal motto on its lintel, boldly cut in black
letter : —
HONI SCUT QVI MAL Y PENS
W.S. . . . ANNO DOMINI. 1638.
The final letter of the motto was omitted for want of
space, while the third and fourth letters in the second
line were almost obliterated. The windows had all been
mullioned ; the door was iron studded ; and a room on
the left hand had an enormous fireplace, some 10 feet
wide. Tradition has it that the house belonged to one
of the county families, many of whom had residences in
Hexham, just as in these modern times many have town
residences in London.
Gilesgate has still other old houses which bear
interesting inscriptions. One of these is over the door
of the Skinners' Arms. The inscription is as follows : —
C.D. 1613 I.D.
Reason doth wonder, but Faith he can tell
That a Maid was a Mother, and God was a Man ;
Let Reason look down, and Faith see the wonder,
For Faith sees above, and Reason sees under.
Reason doth wonder what by Scripture is meant.
Which saith that Christ's body is our sacrament ;
That our bread is his body, and our drink is his blood,
Which cannot by reason be well understood ;
For Faith sees above, and Reason below.
For Faith can see more than Reason doth know.
Perhaps we may just add a word or two about the
trade of Hexham when these old houses would be in their
palmy days. The staple trades then were weaving,
hatting, gloving, and tanning. With the exception of
the last-named, all these trades are now things of the
past. A century or so ago, however, they gave employ-
ment to a large number of workpeople. Wright, in his
OLD HOUSE AT HEXHAM.
No»ember \
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
497
"History of Hexham," written half a century ago, gives
the following table to show the extent to which the
leather trade was then carried on : —
Men and boys employed as leather-
dressers and glove-cutters 71
Boys employed as dusters 40
Women in Hexham and its vicinity
employed as sewers 1,000
1,111
Raw skins used annually 80,000
Skins of dressed leather imported
annually 18,000
98,000
There were annually made and exported 23,504- dozen
pairs of gloves. But the glory of " Hexham tans " has
departed.
Cfttu-cft.
ALTWHISTLE, a village in appearance, is in
reality a genuine old-fashioned country
market town, pleasantly situated in the
valley of the South Tyne. It impresses
the visitor with a sense of its airy healtlifulness, and with
its easy-going and leisurely circumstances. It has wit-
nessed its stirring scenes in the old days of Border feud
and warfare ; but those times have for ever passed away,
and, except for the record they have left in the pages of
history, and the evidence of their necessities which we
find in the peel towers and castles of the North Country,
would now be forgotten. An interesting fragment of one
of these ancient strongholds may still be found in the
rear of the Red Lion, perhaps the principal hostelry in
Haltwhistle.
Such annals of the history of Haltwhistle church as we
32
possess, though scanty, are deeply interesting. In former
times the position of the vicars of this parish was any-
thing but enviable. When, in 1311, Robert Bras, the
King of Scotland, invaded Northumberland, ravaging the
district of Gilsland and a great part of Tindale, and over-
running the country as far as Corbridge, his followers
carried off the then vicar of Haltwhistle, one Robert de
Pykwell, a prisoner. On the 13th October, 1311, there
occurs a letter from the Bishop of Durham, addressed to
Pykwell— "We have recently heard, from the confused
story of trustworthy persons, that thou hast been captured
by the Scots, the enemies of the king and kingdom of
England, and detained in captivity to the imminent
danger of thy death, and that thou art not able, without
a most costly redemption, to escape from their audacious
hands." Whereupon the bishop proceeds to license the
vicar to farm out "the fruits, rents, offerings, and
profits " of his vicarage for one year, in order to raise the
sum needed for his liberation. Pykwell does not seem to
have long survived his captivity. In September, 1316, a
successor, David de Harrays, was appointed to the living,
and, as we meet with no subsequent mention of Pykwell,
it is almost certain he was dead.
But those were troubled times. The king was inces-
santly engaged in war, to bear the expenses whereof, sub-
sidies were being constantly levied on the nation. When,
therefore, Edward, by brief, calls upon the Bishop of
Durham, in February, 1312, to collect the contributions at
which they were assessed from certain of his clergy,
amongst whom occurs the vicar of Haltwhistle, for a sum
of £10 10s. bd., we are not surprised to tind the bishop
replying, " the goods of the vicar of Haltwhistle are
not to be found, because they are destroyed by the Scots.'
Shortly afterwards, in another return, the bishop tells the
king that he can levy nothing at present towards the
royal subsidies on the vicars of Nor-
haro, Bywell St. Peter's, Haltwhistle,
Hilderton, or the parson of Oving-
ham, because all their goods, as well
as the churches and villages in their
parishes, are entirely burnt and de-
stroyed by the Scots." Again and
again, the same story is repeated in
later returns — "Their churches are
burnt, and their parishes destroyed."
In 1385, the church of Haltwhistln
was appropriated to the Priory of
Tynemouth. The Scots still harassed
the country, and Tynemouth suffered
severely from their repeated invasions.
The maintenance of the walls and
towers of the convent, which, like
Durham, was
Half church of God, half castle
'gainst the Scot,
exceeded the monks' resources. They,
498
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I November
therefore, petitioned the king and the Bishop of Dur-
ham for the appropriation of Haltwhistle Church.
The king's license mentions that the priory is "situa-
ted in the marches of Scotland," "to which priory
the adversaries and enemies of our kingdom of Eng-
land are able to come dryshod; and the possessions
of the said priory and its rents and profits, on ac-
count of the invasions of the Scots, assailing those
parts for many years past, are so diminished, that
the said prior and convent, and their household and
servants, serving God within the said priory, are
unable to maintain the ammunition of the walls and
towers surrounding the said priory on the one hand,
and the walls circumvallating the said priory after the
fashion of a castle and great fortress on the other. On
which account the castle, towers, and walls of the said
priory are much decayed on every side ; the people, who
with their goods are received into the said castle and
priory in the time of civil war, cannot be comfortably
maintained; and the hospitalities and charities which the
said priory was accustomed to dispense " cannot be sup-
ported unless some remedy be afforded. For all these
reasons the king calls upon the Bishop of Durham to appro-
priate the church of Haltwhistle to the priory. The
bishop complied with the request, imposing, however, the
condition that the prior and convent of Tynemouth should
pay the vicar of Haltwhistle his accustomed stipend, as
well as 13s. 4d. a year to the bishop himself and his suc-
cessors, and 6s. 8d. a year to the prior and convent of
Durham. The rest of the income of the church of
Haltwhistle was to go to the priory of Tynemouth.
Haltwhistle Church is an edifice about which there is
much to interest every visitor. It is a building in what is
called the early English style of architecture, and was
evidently erected about 1250. Except its modern altera-
tions and restorations, it is all of one date.
The church consists of a nave with two aisles and a
chancel. The nave is divided from its aisles by arcades,
each of four pointed arches. The pillars are cylindrical,
and have round capitals, the upper portion of each of
which — technically called "the abacus" — is eight sided.
The moulding which covers the arches — called the " hood-
moulding " — on the sides towards the nave, is what is
known as the "nail-head moulding," from its resemblance
to a row of old-fashioned pyramid-shaped nailheads. All
the windows in the church are what are known as lancets.
In the clerestory of the nave — that is, in the walls which
are above the roofs of the aisles and above the arches also
— there are three windows of this kind on each
side. There are two windows under a single
arch at the east end of each aisle. There is a beautiful,
though much restored, doorway on the north side of the
nave, formerly the principal entrance to the church, but
now opening only into the vestry. The font, which stands
near the west end of the church, is a remarkable piece of
workmanship. It is six sided, and' each side is covered by
sculpture of the rudest description. On one side is the
representation of a face, evidently meant for our Saviour's ;
on the next side an intricate knot is carved ; the third
side bears a thistle, the fourth a cross, the fifth a fleur-de-
lis, and the sixth another knot. Near the ritn is the
following inscription : —
a p IVLT THE 29 1676
R. P. are the initials of Robert Priestman, who was at that
time Vicar of Haltwhistle.
Close beside the chancel arch, high up in the north-
east and south-east corners of the nave are stone brackets,
one on each side. There have been many ingenious sug-
gestions as to what was the original purpose of these
brackets. There can, I think, be no doubt that they were
intended to carry images. Near to the east end of the
south aisle, and in the south wall, is a small and very
rude piscina, the uses of which I explained in the account
of Norton Church. (See page 346.) This part of the
church was evidently used, before the reformation, as a
chantry.
We now come to the chancel, the architectural features
of which do not require lenethy description. The prin-
cipal of these is the beautiful east window, consisting of
three lofty lancet lights, each of which has shafts at its
sides, with bases, bands and capitals, and a trefoil head,
in the moulding of which we again meet with the
nail heads. There are four lancet windows on each
side of the chancel. In the south wall are three sedilia,
priests' seats — each with a trefoil head, and separated
from each other by clustered shafts. Here, also, there is
a piscina, much of which is modern, but its original minia-
ture nook-shafts constitute an unusual feature of great in-
terest and beauty.
The Church of Haltwhistle, like many of our old
churches, has a "low-side window," though here, as in
the majority of cases, it is walled up. Some reader may
ask, What is a low-side window ? It is a small window,
or, perhaps I ought to say, opening, at the west end of the
chancel, in the side wall, almost always on the south, though
very rarely we find it on the north, low down and near the
ground and looking into the churchyard. It is sometimes
of one light, sometimes of two. Originally it was never
glazed, but was closed by a shutter, the iron hinges of
which, in a few cases, still exist. The same reader may
again ask, What was the purpose of these low-side
windows? It is easier often to ask questions than to answer
them, and this is a case in point. Long and learned
papers on the purpose of these low-side windows have
been written and read and discussed and printed.
Theories without number have been put forward. The
briefest statement of the various opinions of learned
antiquaries would fill pages of this magazine ; and still,
perhaps, the question remains unanswered. They had
probably several uses, and, whatever might be their
principal purpose, I have no doubt that they were used
as confessionals, and for the administration of the sacra-
November)
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
499
ment during periods of pestilence, and to infected persons
at all times. The low-side window at Haltwhistle is of
two lights, and square headed, and was doubtless an
insertion of the fifteenth century.
There are several monuments of the departed in this
church of the very highest interest. One of these is the
recumbent effigy of an armed knight, which lies on the
north side of the chancel, within the communion rails.
It has, as the visitor will see, been terribly muti-
lated. Not only has the figure lost its legs and all
the features of its face, but even the shield once
attached to its right arm has been destroyed. The shield
existed in the time of John Hodgson, the historian, and
bore a device which proved that the effigy represented some
member of the ancient family of Blenkinsop. The
costume of the effigy, so far as its mutilated state enables
us to judge, belongs to the latter portion of the fourteenth
century. It is probably the effigy of Thomas de Blenkin-
sop, lord of Blenkinsop Castle, a personage who appears
to have taken an active part in the military affairs of the
North in his day, having been at one time Governor of
Roxborough Castle. He died between 1386 and 1389, at
the age of about 50 years, and is said to have then
borne arms for 30 years. But there is an older memorial
of a Blenkinsop on the other side of the chancel. This is
the largest and most elaborate of the three grave covers. All
these ancient grave covers have points of resemblance to
each other, which render it almost certain that they are
the work of one sculptor ; and a very excellent sculptor
he evidently was. The designs of all the crosses are very
beautiful, though the Blenkinsop's cross bears the palm.
It is proved to be a Blenkinsop's monument by the coat of
arms upon it, which a herald would describe as "a
fesse between three earbs" — garb being an old word for a
corn-sheaf. These three slabs may all belong to about
the year 1350. On the Blenkinsop stone we see a sword,
a bag (with another corn-sheaf on it) and a long staff re-
presented. The sword indicates that the person com-
memorated was a male, and not, as many people think,
that he was a warrior. The staff and the bag indicate
that he had undertaken one of those pilgrimages to some
distant shrine — perhaps to Rome, perhaps to the Holy
Sepulchre — which were so fashionable in the middle ages.
Another Thomas de Blenkinsop had license granted him
in 134D to crenellate — that is, to fortify — his manor house
of Blenkinsop, which was then described as being in " the
Marches of Scotland," He is probably the person com-
memorated by this beautiful gravestone, and was most
likely the father of the knight whose effigy I have already
described. The Blenkinsops were an ancient and powerful
Northumbrian family. The earliest mention of them
occurs about 1240, when one Ralph de Blenkinsop held
the vill of Blenkinsop. From this time we find them,
through a long series of generations, occupying Blenkin-
sop Castle, till the early part of last century, when the
line terminated in an heiress who married William Coul-
son, of Jesmond, from whom the Blenkinsop-Coulsons are
descended.
The two other grave-covers are, as we know from the coat
of arms upon them, memorials of members of the family of
Thirlwall, another ancient Northumbrian family. They,
like the Blenkinsops, took their name from their estate,
which, in turn, had its designation from the fact that the
famed Roman Wall passes across it. The early Thirl-
walls were called barons. This family also ended in a
female representative, who, in 1738, married one of the
Swinburnes. The early generations in the pedigree of
the Thirhvalls are too chaotic and fragmentary to enable
us with any degree of probability to determine whose
graves these interesting stones covered. We must be
content with the simple fact that they were ancient
Thirhvalls. One Lancelot Thirlwall, who died in 1583,
in his will, desired "to be buried within the parish
church of Haltwhistle, where my ancestors doth lie."
We have still another monument to notice, which,
though more recent in date, is no less interesting. It is a
slab of stone, fixed to the south wall of the chancel, and
which, beneath some strange sculptures, bears a
long rhyming inscription. It commemorates one
John Ridley, "lord of the Walltown," who married
his relative, Elizabeth Ridley, the sister of Bishop
Nicholas Ridley, who, as everybody knows, was
martyred at Oxford in 1555. The bishop, in the
letter in which, just before his martyrdom, he bids his
relatives farewell, thus addresses John Ridley and his
wife: — "Farewell, my beloved brother, John Ridley, of
the Walltown, and you my gentle and loving sister
Elizabeth, whom, besides the natural league of amity,
your tender love which you were said ever to bear towards
me above the rest of your brethren doth bind me to love.
My mind was to have acknowledged this your loving
affection, and to have acquitted it with deed.-?, and not
with words alone. Your daughter Elizabeth I bid
farewell, whom I love for the meek and gentle spirit
that God hath given her, which is a precious thing in
the sight of God." The Ridley inscription, which in
parts is difficult to decipher, reads as follows : —
IHON REDLE THATE SVM TIM DID BE
THEN LARD OF THE WALTON
OON IS HE OVT OF THKS VAL OF MESEEE
HIS BONS LIES VXDER THUS STOX
WB MVST BELEVE BE GODS MERSE
INTO THES WCELD GAVE IIES SON
THEN FOE TO EEDEM AL CIIRESTENS
SO CUEIST HAE8 BBS 80VL WOUK
AL FAF.THFVL PEOPLE MAY BE FAEN
WHEN DATH COMES THAT NON CAN FLE
THE BODE KEPT THE 80VLE IN PAEN
THEOVQH CHRIST IS SET AT LEBERTE
AMOXB BLESED COMFAXB TO REMAEN
TO 8LEP IN CHRIST NOWK IS HE OON
YET STEL BELEVES TO HAVE AOAEN
THROVGH CHRIST A lOTFVIj EESVRRECCION
AL FRF.XDES HAT BE GLAD TO HAER
500
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
S'ovembejr
WHKX 11ES BOVL FROM I'AEX DID GO
OVT 0>' TUE3 WOELD AS DOETH APAER
IS THE TEKR OF OVE LOnD
A: 1&62
x x
Blenkinsop Castle is now a shattered ruin ; Thirhvall
Castle is also a ruin ; and the tower of Walltown, the
ancient home of the Ridleys, has almost entirely dis-
appeared. The conditions of social life out of which
these old fortresses arose no longer exist. Of many of
their occupants even the names have perished. But the
ruins of these ancient homes, and the gravestones on this
chancel floor, call up before us the dim figures of those
valiant knights, the lords of Thirlwall, Blenkinsop, and
AValltown, whose halls and corridors were hung with
armour, whose doors were thickly barred with iron, from
whose battlements missiles and arrows were showered
upon the invader, who themselves went forth from their
fortresses, now to the sanctuary where the bones of their
ancestors were laid, now in defence of their cattle and
their neighbours against the raid of the Border free-
booter, and who. despite the rudeness of their a?e, beneath
their cgats of mail cherished the faith and the humanity
which have ever ennobled our race.
Our view of Haltwistle Church is from a photograph
by Mr. J. P. Gibson, of Hexham.
J. R. BOYLE, F.S.A.
Cftc dFlnatincr I-efcurtr in 23<r=
j1 SMALL volume has lately been published by
Messrs. Simpkin, Marshall, and Co., from
the pen of Mr. G. J. Symons, secretary of
the Royal Meteorological Society, which gives the
history, and explains the reason for the existence, of
the mysterious floating island in Derwentwater. As
far back as authentic records can be obtained, there
has appeared from time to time in the south-east corner
Lake Derwentwater, a small island, which, after a cer-
tain interval of time, has sunk again and disappeared.
The place at which this phenomenon is exhibited is
approximately the same at each re-appearance, namely, a
point off the mouth of the Derwent and about 200 yards to
the west of the place where the Cat Gill Beck pours its
waters into the lake. At this point the ordinary depth of
the water is about six feet. The island, which, when it
rises, appears a few inches above the level of the lake, is
sufficiently firm to allow people to stand on it ; and on
one occasion a band landed on it and played a selection
of airs. Its area has been found to vary on different oc-
casions from a few square yards up to two acres. Now
and again several small islets appear instead of a single
one, and not infrequently it has been found to be
divided by one or more deep clefts. Careful examination
shows that the island consists of a peaty mass several feet
in thickness, having its surface covered by living speci-
mens of various water plants. It is manifest that the
island is merely the highest part of a great blister-like up-
heaval of the peat which here forms the lake bottom, and
that when this blister-like elevation subsides the island is
submerged and disappears. Captain Wharton, the hy-
drographer to the Admiralty, who on one occasion ac-
companied Mr. Symons on a visit to the island, obtained
a section of the peaty mass of which it is formed down
into the lake bottom. The peat was found to rest on &
layer, only a few inches thick, of a diatomaceous earth.
When sticks are forcibly thrust into the materials com-
posing the island bubbles of gas are given off, and these
on analysis are found to be almost identical with that of
fire-damp from Killingworth Colliery. It is only in hot
weather that it rises, generally in the months of July and
August ; and while it has never be'en known to appear
before June 5, it has only once remained up after October
8. It would seem that during warm weather a suf-
ficient evolution of gases takes place to cause the
pi-aty bottom-of the lake at this point to rise in a great
blister. But what are the causes that give rise to an
evolution of gas at this particular spot — an operation that
has been repeated many times during the last 150 years—
it is not easy to suggest. It is equally difficult to assign
a cause for the appearance of this phenomenon at a
definite point with such remarkable peraistency, while
nothing of the kind has been observed elsewhere.
j]N the northern bank of the Uerwent, about
two miles from its source, Walter de Bolbec
founded, in 1165, an abbey for twelve Pre-
monstratensian canons. The site chosen,
called by them Blancalanda, Albalanda, or Glancalanda,
from an abbey of that name in Picardy, was a pictur-
esque and secluded one, the moorland landscape around
it harmonising, in its somewhat monotonous and austere
character, with the colourless life of the little community.
The dress of the canons was white, that is, of undyed
wool, and hence they were known as the " white monks."
The Premonstratensian order, which already at this
time had one house in Northumberland — Alnwick Abbey
— was established by St. Norbert in the early part of the
twelfth century, and derived its name from Pre^ moutre
or Pratum monstratum, the meadow pointed out to the
founder in a dream as the site of his first monastery.
To provide for the temporal wants of these twelve
canons established on his manor, the lord of Bolbec
granted them "the lordship, demesnes, and advowson of
the church of Blanchland, the appropriations and advow-
sons of the churches of Harelaw and Bywell, of Styford,
November \
1889. I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
501
of Shotley, of Apperley, and of the church of Heddon-on-
the-Wall dedicated to St. Andrew— the tithes of the
village of Wulwardhope, and twelve fishes for their table
out of his fishery at Styford in lieu of the tithe-fishes."
The abbey was enriched with several benefactions by the
powerful family of Neville, and in the reign of Edward 1.
had attained a position of some importance ; for its abbot,
in 1295, was one of the few ecclesiastics summoned to
Parliament.
By 1327, the abbey had experienced the usual fate of
religious houses in the North-Country— it was burnt by
the Scots. A band of these marauders, numbering about
twenty thousand, under the Earls of Moray and Douglas,
had overrun the counties of Northumberland and Dur-
ham, wasting the country and seizing more cattle than
they knew what to do with. Guided by the smoke from
the burning villages, the young king, Edward III., with
iin army of 60,000 men, set off in pursuit of them, tra-
versing the fells and morasses between the Wear and the
Tyne. After being detained for a week on the bunks of
the South Tyne by continued rains, without forage or
litter for their horses, or provisions for themselves, and so
unprotected from the weather that their saddles and
girths were all rotted with the rain, they resumed their
march, and in four days received intelligence as to the
whereabouts of the Scots. " As soon as the king heard
the news," says Froissart, "he ordered his army to be
prepared, and turned his horses to feed in the fields near to
a monastery of white monk?, which had been burnt, and
la UTO ' -'t
\ CfcMS
¥?'
.'/
which was called, in King Arthur's time, Blanche Land.
Then the king confessed himself, and each made his pre-
parations according to his abilities. The king ordered
plenty of masses to be said, to housel such as were de-
voutly inclined." Early the next morning, the English
army, with trumpets sounding and banners flying, set
out on its march to Stanhope, where the Scots were en-
camped, "each battalion marching by itself in regular
array, over hill and dale, keeping their ranks according
to order. " Such a spectacle would long be remembered
by the inhabitants of the lovely vale of Derwent.
An interesting story is told in connection with Blanch-
land, which may probably have reference to this inroad
of Douglas. A party of Scots, on their way to despoil
the abbey, were surprised by a mist and unable to dis-
cover the trackway to Blanchland. They wandered
vainly for some time over the fells, and had come to the
Dead Friar's Hill, on the Durham side of the Derwent,
when they were gladdened by the sound of bells which
the canons were linging for joy at their supposed deliver-
ance. Thus guided to the abbey, they broke through the
crates, set fire to the buildings, and after slaughtering
several of the brethren, rode off with much spoil. A
similar story, however, is told of Brinkburn. (See
Monthly Chronicle, 1888, page 71.)
At the dissolution of monasteries, the annual revenues
of Blanchland were estimated at £44 9s. Id. according to
Speed, or £44 Os. 9d. according to Dugdale, a sum equal
to at least twelve times that amount at the present day.
Henry VIII. granted the abbey lands,
&c., to John Bellow and John Brox-
holme. They afterwards came into
the possession of the Forsters, an-1
were subsequently purchased by Lord
Crewe. Bishop of Durham, who left
them in trust for charitable purposes.
The village of Blanchland owes its
existence to the abbey. Under the
shelter of the precinct wall a number
of cottages would spring up for the
accommodation of the dependants and
workpeople of the abbey. The pre-
sence of a monastic community in a
district meant the cultivation of the
land, the draining of the marshes, the
building of bridges and mills, the for-
mation of roads, and the development
of many industries. Blanchlaud is a
good example of a Border village, old-
fashioned and substantial in appear
ance. The houses are of stone, and
have evidently been built from the
ruins of the monastic buildings, the
plan of the village being practically
that of the abbey. The quadrangular
arrangement of the village gives to
>»
502
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
i
November
it, as Mr. Walter Besant has well said, "the aspect
of an ancient and decayed college." The popular writer
just quoted, in his novel of "Dorothy Forster," has
invested Blanchland with a fictitious interest. There
is so much local colour and incident in the story as
to almost give it an historical validity. The most
prominent feature of the village (well represented in
three of our sketches) is the massive gateway tower,
which afforded entrance to the abbey grounds from the
north. The monastic houses of Northumberland were
nearly all protected by towers of this kind, as, for in-
stance, Lindisfarne, Alnwick, Hulne, and Tynemouth.
At the last-named place, we are told, Prior Richard de
Tewing maintained in the fourteenth century as many
as eighty armed men.
The remains of the abbey are, unfortunately, not very
numerous, and are chiefly to be found in the church of
St. Mary the Virgin. The history of the building seems
to be this : It consisted at first of a nave and chancel, in
the Early English style, simple and severe in character.
Later on it was enlarged by the addition of a transept on
the north side and by a chantry on the east. Then the
tower was built at the north end of the transept — a very
unusual position. At some period or other the nave was
destroyed. After the Dissolution, the abbey church be-
came the parish church. It was restored in 1752 by Lord
Crewe's trustees, and again in 1815. In 1844 a baptistery
was added to the chancel on the site of the old chantry.
The nave was never rebuilt, the west wall of the north
transept being continued to the south wall of the chancel.
The only portion of the original Early English building
undisturbed is the north wall of the chancel. On the
south side of the church were the cloisters, 75 feet
square, and around them were ranged the domestic build-
ings in the following order : — The Chapter House and
Dormitory on the east, the Refectory on the south, and the
Kitchen and Prior's House on the west. The foundations
of the Dormitory, still traceable under the turf, show
that its dimensions were 42 feet by 30 feet. The view
below represents the Kitchen and the Prior's House,
now forming the Lord Crewe's Arms, which still retains
its antique character, though altered to meet the re-
November!
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
503
quirements of modern tourists. The Kitchen opened into
the cloisters by a wide segmental arch and the Prior's
House by a narrow pointed one, both of which are shown
in the sketch, together with the greater portion of the
quadrangle, at present a green lawn. In the basement
of the Prior's House is a vaulted passage lighted by two
windows. The masonry above it is of later date. The
position, size, and height of the Refectory are represented
by a building subdivided into cottages. (See sketch on
page 504.) " Before the alterations of a few years back,"
wrote the Rev. W. Featherstonhaugh nearly a quarter of
a century ago, " this building had an entrance from the
adjoining Kitchen with a stone stair giving admission to
what was once a long room above, lighted by six windows.
It was at the time divided by partitions into rooms, to
which access was gained by a passage running the entire
length," and he adds, " I have no doubt we have before
us the shell of the Refectory." Built into the south wall
of this building are several sculptured stones. There arc
still considerable remains of the south wall of the nave.
At its west end is a lancet window, built up, with the
corbel of the cloister roof close by. There are four
interesting tomb slabs in the church. One bears
carved upon it a beautiful cross with a crozier and
chalice ; another a pastoral staff ; a third a bow, arrow,
sword, and hunting-horn, with the name Robertus
Egylston ; a fourth, similar emblems to the third, with
the initials T. E. The two first commemorate abbots,
the two last foresters of the abbey. A few fragments of
painted glass remain in the church and prior's house.
The old churchyard cross is still standing on the left-
hand side of the church walk, its base nearly buried in
504
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
" f November
506
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
November
the earth. The fisliponds of the abbey were situated
m tin- plantation to the east of the Shildou Burn, and
a little further up the same streamlet stood the abbey
mill.
The remains of the abbey are but few, as we have said ;
yet they possess for us a pathetically human interest,
conjuring up to our imaginations the white-clad ascetics
who, despite their mistaken conceptions of life and in-
evitable shortcomings, endeavoured, not vainly, to subor-
dinate their desires to a spiritual ideal.
WM. W. TOMLINSOX.
at
TUitjrt Cnnr futtr
?3r> llicljart) eHclforl).
3oljn Clark, £l.p.,
FOUNDEB OK NEWCASTLE DISPENSARY.
j|N the year 1775, when Newcastle had but
recently lost the services of Dr. Adam
Askew (see vol. i., p. 452), there came hither
from the Borderland a young doctor named
John Clark. He was the eldest son of a farmer at Gradeu,
Roxburghshire, and was born there in May, 174*. He
received his education at Kelso, where his studious dis-
jxjsition so decidedly seemed to point to the ministry as
his future calling that his parents entered him at Edin-
burgh University to qualify for holy orders. There, like
Mark Akenside, he evinced a strong preference for the
study of medicine, and, being allowed to gratify his in-
clinations, he passed his examination and in due time
made his entrance into the profession as surgeon's mate
of an East Indiaman — the T:ilbot, Captain Sir Charles
Hudson, Bart. In that position he remained four years
(1768-72), acquiring experience in Indian and Chinese
waters, and making notes of atmospheric changes and
the influence of climate in health and diseaae. The
result of his studies was given to the profession in a
book, published in 1773, entitled "Observations on the
Diseases which prevail in Long Voyages to Hot Climates "
— a work which procured for him the approbation of the
faculty, and a gratuity of a hundred guineas from the
East India Company. Obtaining a diploma from the
University of St. Andrews, he settled as a physician at
Kelso, where he practised for a couple of years, and then
came to Newcastle.
In his daily rounds the new doctor saw the hardships
arising from the want of medicine and advice which indi-
gent persons endured whose cases excluded them from the
benefits of the Infirmary ; and in the beginning of April,
1777, in conjunction with Mr. Anderson, surgeon, he pro-
posed the establishment of a Dispensary. At a meeting
of the governors of the Infirmary in September following,
the scheme was approved, and a few days later, in an
entry at the foot of the Side, Newcastle Dispensary was
opened.
For many years the success of the Dispensary depended
chiefly on Dr. Clark's exertions, and the annual reports of
the institution were invariably from his pen. His leisure
he devoted to study : and taking up the subject of febrile
disease, of which he had had much experience during his
voyages, and afterwards among the Newcastle poor, he
issued in 1780 a book entitled " Observations on Fevers."
Three years later he published a posthumous tract, by
Dr. Dugald Leslie, on a contagious catarrh which had
raged during the preceding summer, and (having been in
the meantime elected a physician to the Infirmary) he
issued, in 1792, a revised edition of his book on the
diseases of hot climates, to which he added his work on
fevers.
Next to the management of the Dispensary, the success-
ful working of the Infirmary was an object of Dr. Clark's
concern. By disuse and lapse of time, some of the statutes
of that noble institution had become unsuitable and in-
effective. A report upon the defects of the charity was
presented to the governors by the doctor in November,
1800, and he followed up the report by sending to every
subscriber "The Result of an Inquiry into the State of
Various Infirmaries ; a Comparative View of the Success
of the Practice in the Improved and in the Old Infir-
maries ; and a Proposal for the Improvement and Exten-
sion of the Infirmary at Newcastle." The doctor's re-
forming zeal met with proper appreciation. A committee
of governors was appointed to carry out his views, a sub-
scription was opened to provide the funds, in due time
the building was enlarged, and the new arrangements
and regulations he had suggested were put into active
operation.
The extended building contained wards for the treat-
ment of contagious fevers, and when they were completed
Dr. Clark proposed the formation of a Board of Health to
carry rules of prevention into the homes of the poor, as
well as to support fever patients received into the insti-
tution. A committee was formed in January, 1802, for
this purpose, but a difference of opinion prevailed
amongst the Infirmary doctors as to the safety of admit-
ting fever cases at all, and a prolonged controversy ensued.
In the end the dissentients were victorious, and a separate
establishment, known in after years as the Fever Hos-
pital, or House of Recovery, was erected in the Warden's
Close, now Bath Lane.
From boyhood Dr. Clark had been a martyr to dis
orders in the organs of digestion. The worry of con-
troversy and the fatigue of a wide-spreading practica
increased the frequency and augmented the violence of
his attacks. With his friend and patient, Archdeacon
Paley — who was completing, in the intervals of pain, his"
famous work on "Natural Theology "—he went toBux-
November i
1889. i
NORI&COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
507
ton to try the effect of the waters, but returned to New-
castle with little hope of improvement. At the end of
January, 1805, he tried the waters of Cheltenham, and,
experiencing no benefit, removed to Bath, where he ex-
pired on the 19th of April. His remains were interred, at
his own request, beside the grave of another of his
friends, Thomas Charles Bigge, of Benton, in the
churchyard of Weston, near the city in which he died.
Clark,
PREACHER, EDITOR, AND MUNICIPAL REFORMER.
At the close of last century the civic rulers of New-
castle had fallen into a state of lethargy and indifference.
The town's money was wasted, satisfactory accounts of in-
come and expenditure could not be obtained, and nobody
seemed to be responsible. The hour had come for a
thorough overhaul of corporate works and ways, and
with the hour came the man. Him the burgesses found
in the person of Joseph Clark, n tradesman of only
moderate means, but gifted beyond his neighbours with
the power of fluent speech and the ability to wield a
Clark.
trenchant pen. Encouraged by good men and true within
the select circle of the Common Council itself, and
strengthened by the support of his fellow-townsmen
without, he led a spirited movement against municipal
obstruction and mismanagement, and eventually he led
it to victory. For some years after the present century
came in, Joseph Clark was the idol of his fellow-freemen,
and one of the most popular men in the town.
There is not much to tell about the early history of
this earnest local reformer. He was born in Newcastle
on the 25th February, 1770, and, losing both his parents
soon afterwards, was brought up in steady ways and
sober habits by his eldest sister. At an early age, having
heard the Rev. John Wesley preach, he left the Presby-
terian Church, to which his family belonged, and joined
the Methodist community at the Orphan House. There
it was discovered that he possessed unusual gifts of
speech, and means were found for turning them to good
account. Although only seventeen, he was allowed to
officiate as a local preacher. It is said that at the house
of Matthew Hind marsh, plane-maker, whose eldest daugh-
ter, Hannah, be was courting, he had opportunities of
meeting Mr. Wesley, and that the founder of Methodism '
was pleased to commend his abilities and encourage him
to persevere. Thus fortified and sustained, he went from
village to village, preaching and evangelising, and meet-
ing with success beyond his most sanguine expectations.
Hundreds of persons, who could not otherwise be per-
suaded to listen to a Methodist, went to hear " The Lad,"
as he was called, and among those who came to scoff a
goodly number remained to pray. So he continued until
the expulsion of the Rev. Alexander Kilham from the
Methodist pulpit led him to review his position. Sym-
pathising with Mr. Kilham, he seceded from the parent
denomination, assisted in organising the "Methodist
New Connexion," and to that body transferred his ser-
vices as a local preacher and class-leader.
At this juncture Hannah Hindmarsh died, and Mr.
Clark, making his first appearance in print, contributed
to the opening volume of the New Connexion Maya-inc a
loving tribute to her memory. In accordance with her
dying wish, he was united, on Christmas Day, 1799, to
Elizabeth Hiudmarsh, her only surviving sister. Up to
the time of his marriage, his work had been chiefly
religious and denominational. He had published, in
the early part of that year, a 12mo. tract of 28 pages,
entitled "A Plain and Familiar Catechism, Designed
for the Use of Children belonging to Bethel Chapel,
Newcastle, to which are added Directions for Closing
Savingly with Christ, &c., &c.," with a note intimating
that "This book is not sold, but given away." But witli
marriage came the responsibilities of a householder, and
the natural interest of a ratepayer in municipal affairs.
One day in 1806, while on a mission of mercy to an aged
inmate of the Jesus Hospital, he was told that another
inmate had died of starvation, and upon inquiry found
the story true. While the Corporation were feasting
sumptuously, the poor hospital freemen and their widows
were famishing in wretched apartments on £6 a-year —
equal, after making necessary deductions, to about three-
pence a-day ! Mr. Clark went personally to the Common
Council, and, inducing the Mayor and aldermen to visit
these poor people, succeeded in improving their surround-
ings, though he obtained no increase in their income. To
stimulate public interest in the matter, he investigated
508
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
( November
the origin of the hospital, published a succinct history of
the foundation and its endowments, and, after much
delay and many rebuffs, shamed the Corporation into
giving the inmates a better allowance.
The trouble which Mr. Clark experienced in this work
of charity, and the investigations which he was led to
make in the prosecution of his design, gradually led him
to the forefront of a movement for effecting still greater
improvements in local administration. The energy and
persistence with which he had advocated reforms in"
hospital management brought around him municipal re
formers of wider aims who had been waiting for a leader.
With their advice and assistance he issued, in 1808, "The
Newcastle Freeman's Pocket Companion, containing a
Copious View of the Charters granted to the Town and
County of the Town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne ; including
A Particular Account of the Customs and Privileges
I>eculiar to the Free Burgesses of the said Town." Still
further to stimulate the good work he had taken in hand,
he printed, in May following, "A Friendly Address to
the Free Burgesses and other inhabitants of Newcastle."
One of his proposals aimed at securing the appointment
of honest and fearless auditors, and the incorporated
companies, in electing those officers for the year 1803,
took care to appoint only such men as were willing to
carry out his advice. The dummies of previous years,
who signed whatsoever was put before them, were re-
placed by Sir Cuthbert Heron, Mr. Clark himself, and
eighteen others, most of whom were pledged to fulfil their
oaths, and demand bills, receipts, and vouchers for every
item of corporate income and expenditure. Into the
details of the struggle that followed between the auditors
and the Corporation it is unnecessary to enter. They
nuiy be read in the published report of the proceedings,
written by Mr. Clark, or condensed in Mackenzie's
" History."
Mr. Clark was now one of the most honoured men in
Newcastle. The stewards of the Incorporated Companies
opened a subscription to present him with an appropriate
testimonial ot the high sense which they entertained of
his services, and in the evening of the 13th December,
1809, he was the recipient of a massive silver cup and a
service of plate.
During the* following year, fresh discussions arose re-
specting a proposed bill for the improvement of the Town
Moor, and Mr. Clark's services being again requisitioned
he led an agitation against the measure, secured its de-
feat, and wrote a pamphlet embodying the Act of 1774,
" with a Full and Interesting Detail of the Public and
Private Proceedings for obtaining a New Act."
The succeeding three years passed over in comparative
quietude. In the interval Mr. Clark published " A
Report of the Herbage Committee, and a statement of
the Corporation and Stewards' Accounts for the year
ending Michaelmas, 1812," and worked out a benevolent
scheme to erect another home for aged freemen and their
widows in the western part of the town. This latter pro-
posal was approved by the Corporation, and on the 10th
of May, 1814, the day set apart for public rejoicings over
the cessation of war in Europe, be took a leading part in
laying the foundation stone of the new building. Con-
gratulating the assembled Mayor, Aldermen, and Bur-
gesses upon the happy issue of their late dissensions, he
preferred a request that the edifice might be named
"The Peace and Unity Hospital ; Peace as commemora-
tive of the repose then effected for Europe after a war of
twenty years' continuance ; Unity as commemorative of
the unanimity with which, as a body, they had entered
upon the work." This request, adds the reporter, was
loudly cheered and readily adopted. Under the name
of "The Peace and Unity Hospital" the building was
opened, and by that name it continued to be known until
it had served its purpose and was absorbed into the
\Vestgate Police Station.
During all this municipal warfare Mr. Clark had kept
up his religious ministrations, and associated himself to
a moderate extent with political movements. A few days
before the stone-layinsr ceremony he was the chief speaker
at a great meeting in Newcastle, convened by the Mayor,
to petition against a prouosed increase of the duty upon
foreign grain. A few weeks later he published a con-
troversial tract entitled " Methodistical Inconsistency
Exposed in a Letter addressed to Abraham E. Farrar,
Preacher in the Old Connexion of Methodists, being a
Itefutation of his Aspersions on the late Rev. A. Kilham,
an Exposure of his False Insinuations and Mis-state-
i::ents on the subject of Methodist Preachers' Salaries,
&c., &c. " His bookshop in Newgate Street, with its
invoice-head view of the premises, engraved by Thomas
Bewick, was a rendezvous for local reformers, and a
centre of religious, municipal, and political propaganda.
It became, in 1816, the depository of the "Sunday School
Union of Newcastle," formed that year by George Fife
Angas and his co-workers. From his printing office ad-
joining was issued in 1817 an enlarged edition of the
"Freeman's Pocket Companion," with the added title of
"The Newcastle Remembrancer." There, also, the fol-
lowing year, Mr. Clark started the Northumberland and
Newcastle Monthly Magazine, a publication which, under
his editorship, ran into two volumes, and was withdrawn
because, by a new Act of Parliament (60 Geo. III., cap.
9), periodicals containing matter relating to Church or
State were rendered liable to newspaper stamp duty.
In 1823, when laid aside by illness, he published "Five
Discourses on Practical and Important Subjects," a book
commended by a writer in the Ifeio Connexion Mayazine
for its "early Methodist style" and general usefulness.
During the next twelve or thirteen years he preached but
seldom, and wrote less. At the end of that period he
retired from business, and, purchasing a house at the top
of Arthur's Hill, passed bis remaining days in peace and
quietness. In this calm retreat he lived to the great age
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
50!)
of eighty-one years, and, dying on the 17th January, 1851,
was buried in the adjoining cemetery.
By his marriage with Elizabeth Hindmarsh, who
survived him, Mr. Clark had nine children. One of
them, Mr. George Noble Clark, surgeon, inheriting no
small share of his father's vigorous intellect, and moie
than even his father's longevity, is still amongst us,
bearing with serenity and cheerfulness the burden of
eighty-five years spent for the most part in the service of
his fellow-townsmen. To his courtesy we are indebted
for the portrait which illustrates this sketch, copied from
a painting by Ramsay.
.Sir foh.it ffilarjcrtng,
A NORTHUMBRIAN BOYALIST.
At the beginning of the troubles with Scotland which
produced the Civil War and sent Charles J. to the scaf-
fold, the ancient house of Clavering of Callaly, in North
Northumberland, was represented by Sir John Clavering,
Knight. He was a bold, high-spirited, and courageous
man, a loyal and devout servant of the king, a worthy
descendant of illustrious ancestors who had come over to
England under the banner of the Conqueror, fought their
way into the favour of successive Norman and Plantagenet
monarchs, and founded noble and gentle families over
half the kingdom.
Sir John Clavering was one of the Commissioners of
Array for the Northern Counties, and when, in the spring
of 1640, the Scots threatened to enter England and seek
redress of grievances by force of arms, he set himself the
task of keeping watch over their movements. The
English military authorities did not think that danger
was impending. They ridiculed the idea of the Scots
marching across the Border into Northumberland, and
their defensive movements were in consequence halting
and dilatory. Sir John Clavering did not share their
opinions. He was one of the few North-Country gentry
who believed that threats to invade England were not
mere "Scotch brag." To Lord Conway, who was
entrusted with the defence of Newcastle, he had sent
several warnings that the Scots were preparing in
earnest, resolved upon a southward march if their de-
mands were not conceded. Conway, however, remained
sceptical, and took little heed of Sir John's forebodings.
To him, and those who surrounded him, the thing was
incredible.
On the 15th August, the news which Sir John sent to
Conway was serious. He wrote that his son, " more
forward than wise," had ventured into the Scottish
camp at Chousley Wood, seen nine regiments on the
ground, and heard that eight more were expected, found
that they had 10,000 sheep, 500 cattle, and a fortnight's
store of other provisions, and learned that every half-
dozen soldiers would be provided with a canvas tent,
"a free gift of their dear sisters of Edinburgh," so that
they would spoil no hedge or grove in England. The next
day, Sir John reported that some Scotch Covenanters,
farming ground on this side the Border, were driving all
their goods into Scotland, and that he had sent some of
' his own people to watch the approach of the invaders, in
order that timely notice might be given to "Gaieshead
beacon." There could no longer be any doubt that the
Scots were in earnest. Not more than a couple of days
passed, and that which Conway had doubted and derided
actually occurred. The Covenanters crossed the Tweed
Here they were in Northumberland; "a world of men,"
as Sir John had described them, " but so careful not to
harm that they have been ordered by strict proclamation,
on pain of death, not to disturb man, woman, or child,
nor to take the worth of a chicken, or pot of ale, without
paying for it." "The Highlanders," he added, "have
bows and arrows ; some swords, some none ; the nakedest
fellows that ever I saw. They say they are 35,000 strong
at least ; but this I can assure you, that when the first of
the troops were in Millfield the rest were not come from
Cornhill, which is six miles off — five men deep in every
rank of the foot." On the morning of the 25th of August
Sir John's son, both forward and wise on this occasion,
was writing to Conway that 400 horsemen had come to
Whittingham and bespoken breakfast, "behaving very
civilly, calling for nothing without payment," and in
their march ': singing psalms all the way." By the 29th,
Sir John Clavering's warnings had been verified — the
Scots were in possession of Newcastle, and Conway was
flying away to Darlington.
In the stormy years which followed, Sir John Claver-
int; continued faithful to the traditions of his family.
He took up the Royal cause warmly, and three of his sons
—Robert, Ralph, and Thomas— followed his example.
Taken prisoner at the latter end of 1644, he was kept
in confinement, first at Yarmouth, then at Norwich, and
lastly in London, where, towards the close of 1647, having
been "barbarously used in many prisons and common
gaols," he died. His three fighting sons also were unfor-
tun.-»te« The heir, Sir Robert Clavering, died of a fever
while serving in the Royal army ; Ralph and Thomas,
making good their escape from the defeat at Preston, fled
beyond the seas, and remained exiles during the greater
part of the Protectorate.
Restored to their own again, the direct descendants of
Sir John Clavering lived at Callaly down to a recent
period. Although sympathisers with the Jacobite move-
ments in 1715, they preserved their estates unharmed.
In other respects their lives were uneventful ; they pro-
duced no more men of mark for the service of king and
country.
Sautes <£lauerittg,
ALDERMAN AND MAYOR OF NEWCASTLE.
Robert Clavering of Callaly, grandfather of Sir John
Clavering, the Royalist, had four sons, the youngest of
whom, named James, came to Newcastle, served his time
510
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
\
November
to a merchant, and entered into business. He married in
January, 1588-9, during his father's Mayoralty, Grace,
daughter of Alderman Roger Nicholson, and thus became
related to four notable local families— Nicholsons, Ander-
sons, Chapmans, and Mitfords. Under the influence of
these relationships, he was drawn into public life. At
Michaelmas, 1599, he was elected to the Shrievalty of
Newcastle ; at the samp period in 1607, and again in 1618,
he was elevated to the higher position of Mayor ; during
both Mayoralties he was honoured by the Merchants' and
Hostmen's Companies, the two most wealthy and power-
ful guilds upon Tyneside, with the office of Governor.
In all the local movements of his time he took a leading
l>art. When the charitable foundations of the town had
fallen into decay he was one of the notables to whom was
entrusted the task of placing them upon a sound and
useful footing. When King James I. granted to the
Corporation of Newcastle the conservancy of the Tyne,
he was one of the aldermen appointed to devise means
for the better regulation and improvement of the naviga-
tion, and to see that articles sanctioned by the Privy
Council for the preservation of the river were faithfully
observed. Kis town residence was in the Close, and
there, surrounded by other local magnates, whose gardens
and orchards sloped upwards towards the Castle on
the one side, or flanked the clear waters of the Tynu
on the other, he dispensed the hospitalities incident to his
position and his time. There he brought up his family —
among them John, founder of the Axwell Claverings,
Sheriff of Newcastle during his father's Mayoralty, and
Mayor himself in 1629-30 ; Grace, who married Roger
Liddell, of Darwencrook, near Ravensworth ; and Mary,
afterwards wife of Thomas Butler, whose daughter, Mary
Butler, married Ambrose Barnes. And there, also, at
the end of April, 1630, it may be supposed, he died. For
in that year, when his son John was filling the office of
Mayor, and Dr. Jackson, the most celebrated of New-
castle's many vicars, was preparing to resign his living,
the register of St. Nicholas' Church contains an entry of
his burial:— "May 2, Mr. James Claverinjr, alderman,
buried."
Alderman Clavering's descendants include three or four
notable men. His grandson, named after him, James
Clavering, was elected M.P. for the county of Durham
in the Parliament of 1656 57, received a baronetcy from
Charles II. in 1661, became Mayor of Newcastle at
Michaelmas, 1663, Governor of the Hostmen's Company
the year following, and was High Sheriff of Durham in
1673. "Mr. Barnes would pleasantly tell, yet with :i
mournful sort of pity," writes the biographer of Ambrose
Barnes, "how, speaking one day seriously and closely
to Sir James Clavering concerning a life to come, and
what a call old age is to prepare for it : ' Ay, cousin
Barnes,' says Sir J., 'you say true ; I hope I shall be
saved, for I never make visits on Sundayes, but keep
within doors, and read Dugdale's Baronage of England ! ' "
A later descendant, Sir Thomas Clavering, the seventh
baronet, who married a daughter of Jashua Douglas,
Town Clerk of Newcastle, and gave his name to Claver-
ing Place, was chosen M.P. for Shaftesbury in 1754, and
for the county of Durham in 1768, 1774, 1780, and 1784.
His brother John, entering the army, rose to the dis-
tinguished position of Lieutenant-General Sir John
Clavering, K.B., and having married a daughter of Earl
Delawarr, became the father of Charles John Clavering,
Sheriff of Newcastle in 1790, High Sheriff of Durham
from 1829 to 1833 — a man of high culture and of great
taste and discrimination in the fine arts.
&tvtet$ at fktontstlc,
;flcrnlle j&trett anb ^cotjsrooofj float).
j]E propose now to set forward towards Scots-
wood Road from the well-known corner
where Grainger Street ends by joining
Neville Street. For otherwise we should
slight our famous Central Railway Station sadly ; and
that would never do.
It was in the year 1847 that the need of a new and
central railway station, commensurate with the growing
requirements of the town and neighbourhood, was felt to
be imperative. Accordingly, on the 13th of September in
that year, building operations were commenced, which
continued for nearly three years. At last, August 29th,
1850, Queen Victoria came to Newcastle to open the new
station. Her Majesty was received in all form by the
corporate authorities, and by a detachment of the 33rd
Regiment, then stationed at the barracks. There were
also present Earl Grey, as Lord-Lieutenant of Northum-
berland ; Sir Walter Trevelyan as High Sheriff ; and
many other dignitaries of the district. The Royal party
consisted of the Queen, the Prince Consort, the Princess
Royal, the Prince of Wales, Prince Alfred, and the
Princess Alice. An elegant luncheon was prepared for
the visitors ; corporate addresses were presented ; and
there was much firing of cannon and so forth. It need
not be added that the streets were thronged. The visit,
however, was a very brief one, lasting twenty minutes
only, after which Royalty proceeded northward.
As to tin- station itself, it is of the Romano-Italian
style of architecture, with ornamental work of the Doric
order. Its principal front is about six hundred feet long,
and the station occupies altogether an area of about three
acres. It was built by the York, Newcastle, and
Berwick, and the Newcastle and Carlisle Companies,
jointly, at an original cost of about £90,000. Of course,
alterations and repairs, &c., must have since added con-
siderably to that sum. The architect was Mr. tTohn
November 1
1889. J
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
511
Dobson, whose skill and genius were never better shown
than in the beautiful curved roof of the building,
In 1850, on the 30th of June, and, therefore, prior to
the formal opening, the station was en file, on the occa-
sion of a banquet given within its precincts to Kobert
Stephenson. In addition to the conventional adornments
of banners, devices, and the like, it was appropriately
bedecked with handsome views of the Menai Tubular
Bridge, the Berwick Viaduct, and the High Level Bridge,
in honour of the celebrated engineer whose name will
ever be associated with these great works. The Hon.
H. T. Liddell, M.P., was in the chair on this occasion, in
graceful recognition of the helpful hand held out to
George Stephenson in his early struggles upward ; the
vice-chairs were occupied by the Mayors of Newcastle and
Gateshead (Messrs. Crawhall and Hawks); and about
four hundred persons sat down to dinner.
Across the road from the station stood the Railway
Arcade public-house (so called from a covered archway of
glass which gave communication into Westgate Koad).
In 1855 it was kept by one Beardsmore. On the 22nd of
December, in that year, about four in the morning, P.C.
Ellison, being on duty close at hand, heard cries of
"Murder ! murder ! " in a female voice. They proceeded
from the back premises of this public-house. Ellison
hastened thither and knocked at the door, which was
forthwith opened to him by the landlord. On entering
the premises, the policeman found Mrs. Beardsmore lying
in the passage, bleeding; and he ascertained that she
had sustained some severe wounds on the head. After
seeing to the removal of the woman for surgical treat-
ment, he apprehended her husband on the charge of
having thrown her out of an upstairs window. This
charge, on the death of his wife a few days later, was
altered to one of manslaughter, on which Beardsmore
was, in due time, put upon his trial before Mr. Baron
Martin. It was conclusively proved that both husband
and wife were dissipated characters ; it was also shown
that on this fatal night they had had a serious quarrel ;
and, accordingly, Beardsmore got off with a sentence of
six months' hard labour. This is the only tragedy asso-
ciated with the name of Neville Street — a name which
was given to it in remembrance of the Earls of Westmore-
land, who had their town house on the site of the Literary
and Philosophical Institution. The thoroughfare was
opened so recently as the year 1835, being then formed to
advance the interests of the new Cattle Market, of which
we must now say something. We pass on the way to the
Cattle Market St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral,
which is adorned with a lovely spire, designed, by Messrs.
Dnnn and Hanson, though the main building was de-
signed by the celebrated Pugin.
There are veterans amongst us who can remember the
time when Newcastle butchers had to travel to Morpeth
on its market day to make their bargains. This arrange-
ment no doubt suited the graziers and farmers of the
district of which Morpeth is the centre well enough, but
it was found an irksome one by their Newcastle cus-
tomers. There was the coach fare to pay. There was
the man or boy — sometimes both — to think about. These
had to make the journey on foot the night before, and
usually broke their fourteen miles' walk at some con-
venient spot on the roadside, where they slept in the open
air. Moreover, the road was not a particularly safe one.
For these reasons a beginning was made, in a small way,
with a cattle market at Newcastle about the year 1830 or
1831. For a long time the ground between the Infirmary
and Marlborough Crescent proved sufficient for all the
purposes of the market. Then new pens were erected for
large cattle to the westward of the Infirmary.
The Infirmary was in the first instance the result of a
kindly thought on the part of some members of a con-
vivial society which was about to break up in 1751, who
desired to leave behind them a charitable memento' of
their merry meetings for the benefit of posterity.
Amongst them was Joseph Airey, George Headlam,
Ralph Headlam, Richard Burdus, and Richard Lambert,
a young surgeon. The latter is supposed to have been
the author of a letter inserted in the Newcastle papers in
advocacy of the project, signed B. K. In remembrance
of this letter, one of the wards of the Infirmary is still
called B. K. A house in Gallowgate was secured, to
begin with, as a temporary hospital. Soon another house
was needed, and secured. Subscriptions for a permanent
building flowed in freely, amongst them being a shilling
found in the poor's box, wrapped up in a paper containing
these lines : —
To serve the needy, sick, and lame,
This splendid shilling freely came,
From one who knows the want of wealth,
And, what is more, the want of health.
Beneath this roof may thousands find
The greatest blessing of mankind ;
And hence may millions learn to know
That to do good's our end below ;
That vice and folly must decay
Ere we can reach eternal day.
The famous Joseph Butler, Bishop of Durham, laid the
foundation stone of the present structure in September,
1751, and it was ready for patients thirteen months later.
An addition was made to it in 1801-2. The hundredth
anniversary was celebrated in 1851, when a further en-
largement was made. Since that time still other addi-
tions have been carried out.
Some eminent physicians have been connected with the
Infirmary at various times, as, for instance, John Clark,
"the greatest benefactor of the afflicted poor that ever
appeared in Newcastle." (see page 506); Adam Askew,
ancestor of the Askews of Pallinsburn; John Rotherham,
author of "A Philosophical Essay on Water"; and
Edward Kentish, a clever man with some odd opinions,
as when he argued that the French Revolution was " a
moral and political epidemic," to be cured by " a cooling
regimen and free ventilation." The institution has had
some remarkable patients too, but we have only space for
2
M
U
a
33
514
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
one, to wit, " Radical Jack," who died here in 1848, at
the age of 54. His real name was John Dennis, and he
gained his living by hawking cheap periodicals, though
he was said to have received an excellent University
•education. He was certainly a man of ready wit and
great command of language, but — ah, that fatal but ! —
" for years he was hardly ever sober. "
We have not forgotten that in going from Neville
Street to the Cattle Market we have passed the site
where once stood the celebrated Forth House. But the
ancient Forth, completely transformed in its character
and surroundings within living memory, has been de-
scribed in a previous volume. (See Monthly Chronicle,
1887, page 167.)
Scotswood Road, which begins beyond the Cattle
Market, was only commenced in the summer of 1834. It
has been growing ever since, and is now a long thorough-
fare of shops and public-houses. The streets which run
off from Scotswood Road are, in their names, suggestive
of the rural character of this neighbourhood up to a
recent time. Amongst them we have, for instance, Pine,
Laurel, Sycamore, and Maple Streets. As we progress
onwards, we come to the famous Elswick Ordnance
Works of the preat firm of Sir William Armstrong,
Mitchell, and Co., which are amongst the industrial
glories of their time, and give employment to thousands
of artizans in their various departments.
In August, 1846, a thunderstorm did considerable
damage in Scotswood. A row of houses called Green-
how's Terrace, fell to the ground, and fifteen persons were
also struck down. Some of these were dreadfully
scorched, but they all eventually recovered.
In the next year, in the month of April, a young man
made his appearance at the house known as the Ord
Arms, Scotswood, then kept by one John Cox. He took
lodgings here, stating that he had come to Newcastle to
be trained by Harry Clasper for a skiff race to be rowed
shortly at Manchester. The young man's name was John
Bourne, and he was respectably connected. To a Scots-
wood publican of that day, the thought of having for
lodger an oarsman training under the redoubtable Harry
was a pretty considerable bait. Cox swallowed it ; and
at night lodged the new comer in his own bedroom.
Behold ! in the morning the lodger had vanished, and
with him £200 had gone also, as a chest of drawers
broken open too surely testified. The thief, captured at
Normanton railway station with all the money upon him,
was transported for ten years.
Scotswood Road has its tragedy, young as it is. On
October 22nd, 1854, the bodies of two young women, de-
cently dressed, were found drowned in the Tyne. They
turned out to be those of Ellen and Isabella Robinson,
fifteen and thirteen years old respectively, daughters of
Ezekiel Robinson, who lived in Duke Street. How came
they in the river? Well, there had been a slight family
•quarrel, which induced Ellen to rush from the house at
midnight. Isabella followed her. Ellen, who was of a
very passionate temper, jumped into the water. Isabella
followed, hoping to save her, and both were drowned.
JKartin antr tire
j|HE House Martin (Hirundo urbica) is de-
scribed by Mr. Hancock as "a common
spring and autumn migrant, arriving and
departing with the swallow. " It often builds
its neatly-constructed nest in the corners of high windows,
as well as under the eaves of houses, where its pleasant
twitterings may be heard all day long during nesting
time.
The martin usually rears two broods in the year, and
sometimes a third. Occasionally, when the time for mi-
gration arrives, the last broods are left to perish by the
parents, so strong is their migratory instinct. Gilbert
White remarks that the same nest is resorted to from
year to year. The rough exterior of the clay-built nest
under the eaves is familiar to most people.
The male is about five inches and a quarter in length.
The bill is short and black ; iris, brown ; head, neck, and
nape, glossy black, which glistens in the sunlight ; chin
and breast white. The female resembles the male, but is
not so brightly coloured.
The Sand Martin, or Bank Martin ( Hirundo riparia),
generally makes its appearance in this country before its
relatives the chimney swallow and house martin. It is
November 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
515
^generally found nesting in sandbanks and quarries in the
neighbourhood of water. The sand martin differs from
the swallow and house martin, owing to its lesser size
and brown and white plumage, though in its flight it has
the characteristics of the other members of the family.
In the Northern Counties, as Mr. Hancock remarks, it
*' breeds wherever there is a sandy declivity."
"The sand martin," says Mr. Broderip, in his "Zoo-
logical Recreations,'' "is a miner, and excavates his
•dwelling in the sandbank, as the ancient Egyptian carved
•his temple out of the solid rock. Look at the bill of this
itt
little bird. Though small, it is hard and sharp ; and
well our sapper knows how to use it ! Clinging to the face
•of the sandbank with its sharp little claws, and closing its
bill, the bird works away with its natural pickaxe, till
hardened sand comes tumbling down on all sides. Round
he goes, now with his head up, now down, till he has
planned his circular cave as regularly almost as compasses
could do it, and yet he does not turn it out from a fixed
point in the centre, but works from the circumference.
When he has well-broken the ground, he tunnels away as
truly as an engineer ; and while the bird works into his
excavation, he shifts his position as the necessities of the
case require ; now he stands on the floor, now he clings to
the roof with his back downwards ; and how carefully
•does he remove the rubbish from the upward inclined floor
with his feet, taking care not to disturb its solidity."
The length of the male is about four inches and
three-quarters ; bill nearly black, and very short ; head,
crown, neck, and nape light brown ; chin, throat, and
breast white, the latter having a band of light brown,
•with a few spots of the same below it, across its upper
part, and light brown also on the sides; back, light
brown. The wings reach beyond the end of the tail,
and expand to a width of one foot.
j]HEN it was made known that the British
Association would visit Newcastle in 1889,
preparations upon an extensive scale were
commenced by the local committee.
Accordingly, everything was in order when the scientists
assembled in their hundreds in St. George's Hall on
Wednesday evening, September llth, to listen to the
inaugural address of Professor W. H. Flower, Director of
the Natural History Department of the British Museum,
who succeeded Sir Frederick J. Bramwell in the presi-
dential chair. The association had previously visited
Newcastle in 1838, when the Duke of Northumberland
was president, and again in 1863, when Lord Armstrong
(then Sir William Armstrong) had that honour conferred
upon him.
Incidentally we may mention that it was at the
meeting in 1838 when the announcement was made that
the Sirius had arrived in Liverpool after performing
the then unprecedented feat of crossing and recrossing
the Atlantic by steam. The subject of ocean steam
navigation was first broached at the Bristol meeting of
the British Association, whereat Dr. Lardner remarked
that " it was a great experiment which had not yet been
attended with any satisfactory result." Speaking in the
Mechanical Science Section at Newcastle in 1838, he
controverted a garbled version of his words which had
been put into circulation. Whatever he did say on
that occasion, he stated, had been very much perverted.
Unquestionably he did express a discouraging or
unfavourable view as far as regarded the probability
of ever maintaining an unbroken intercourse by
means of steam navigation between Great Britain
and New York. Soon after the Bristol meeting, he con-
tinued, au article appeared in a quarterly periodical on
"Steam Navigation," which article contained a toler-
ably fair statement of what he had expressed ; and so
far as that article might have been termed erroneous,
he did most willingly acknowledge his error. He had
been charged with declaring that the transit by steam
navigation between Great Britain and New York was
a physical impossibility. He never had given expres-
sion to such a statement, or anything equivalent to it ;
and any person who looked at the article in the Edin-
burgh Review, the periodical to which he alluded, would
see that he did not make such a statement, but one
very different. It is not too late, we think, to correct
the misrepresentation under which the memory of Dr.
Lardner has suffered.
Sir William Armstrong delivered in the Town Hall
in 1863, before an audience of 3,000 people, an address-
of an eminently practical character. Indeed, it was
described at the tiice as the first address since Prince
516
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
A
November
1889.
Albert's which had recognised the importance of con-
veying scientific truths in an intelligible manner to the
general public. Sir William dealt with the question of
the duration of our coalfields, and the future supply
of fuel and motive power.
Lor.1 Armstrong was present to hear the inaugural
address of Professor Flower this year, accompanied by
the Mayor of Newcastle (Mr. T. Richardson), the Sheriff
of Newcastle (Mr. William Button), Sir John Lub-
bock. Sir F. J. Bramwell, Mr. John Morley, M.P.,
and a large number of other persons of note.
Professor Flower gave an interesting exposition of the
PROFESSOR W. H. FLOWER.
educational influence of museums, and impressed upon
his audience the importance of classification by competent
men, so that students might without difficulty find the
subjects of their inquiry. In closing his address, he
declared he saw the strongest grounds for the belief that
natural selection, or survival of the fittest, was a
universally acting and beneficent force.
The chief feature of the second day's proceedings was
the delivery of the presidental addresses in the different
sections, the places of meeting being in the various public
halls and institutions of the city. In the Mathematical
and Physical Science Section, Captain W. de W. Abney,
C.B., dealt with the subject of photography, remarking
that the discovery of the action of light on silver salts
was one of the marvels of the century. In the Section
devoted to Chemical Science, Sir Isaac Lowthian
Bell, Bart., who was Mayor of Newcastle at
the time of toe meeting in 1863, demonstrated
the rate of progress of the metallurgy of iron
with and without the aid which chemistry was capable
of affording. In the Geological Section, Professor
James Geikie, LL.D., discoursed upon continental in-
vestigation in the domain of glacial geology. Owing
to the absence of Professor J. S. Burdon Sanderson —
brother of the late Richard Burdon Sanderson, a former
Mayor of Newcastle — the Rev. Canon Tristram read the
professor's address in the Biological Section, which.
SIR ISAAC LOWTHTAN BELL, BART.
dealt with the questions relating to the elementary
endowments of living matter. Special interest centred
in the proceedings of the Geographical Section, because
of the president. Sir Francis de Winton, having shown
an active concern in the exploits of Mr. H. M. Stanley
Sir Francis dwelt upon the importance of applied geo-
graphy, giving as instances the explorations by Captain
Wiggins .in the Siberian Seas, Dr. Nansen in Green-
land, Count Teleki and Mr. Arnut in Equatorial.
Africa, and Mr. Stanley's expedition to Wadelai.
In the Section devoted to Economic Science
and Statistics, Professor F. Y. Edgewoith spoke
of mathematical reasoning applicable to political
economy, contending that such mental discipline was
beneficial to the student. Mr. William Anderson, in
the Mechanical Science Section, supported Mendeleeff's
belief that the supply of petroleum came from inex-
haustible stores, having their origin in the chemical
action of remote ages. In the Anthropological Section,
Sir William Turner discussed the questions of kinship
and heredity, speaking of the Darwinian theory as
heredity modified and influenced by variability.
The deliberations of the succeeding days embraced
November I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
517
almost everything under the sun. Special interest, how-
ever, centred in the addresses delivered by Dr. Nansen on
his Greenland travels ; by Mr. Lumholtz on Queensland
and the cannibalism of the aborigines ; by Mr. Joseph
Thomson on his travels in Africa ; by the Hon. G.
Curzon, M.P., on English and Russian rivalry in
PROFESSOR J. S. KURDON SANDERSON.
Asia ; and by Mr. H. N. Sulivan on the resources
of Siberia and the practicability of a northern sea
route. Many other important topics were broached,
such as the origin of the Aryans, Northumber-
land in prehistoric times, and industrial and social
progress. Mention must also be made of the address
delivered to working men by Mr. Benjamin Baker, C.E.,
on "The Forth Bridge, "and of the interesting evening
lectures given by Professor W. Chandler Roberts- Austen
and Mr. Walter Gardiner, M.A. Altogether the pro-
ceedings of the week were most instructive, and the
visitors appeared to appreciate the hospitality which was
showered upon them.
CastU.
||HE ruins of the old border stronghold of
Willimoteswick stand on a slight eminence,
a short distance from the village of Bardon
Mill, Northumberland. The site is now occupied by a
farm-house and buildings, but one of the towers has been
spared. With the adjacent modern erections it presents
a pleasing feature in the surrounding landscape, especially
from the railway or opposite heights. The tower is
similar in construction to many others on the Borders,
having no distinctive features. It forms the entrance to
Castle.
the farmyard, and, though considerably dilapidated in-
side, its outer walls are still intact, these being in many
places upwards of seven feet thick. The fireplace
measures 10 feet 8 inches in width.
Willimoteswick Castle was the chief seat of the ancient
family of Ridley, and the reputed birthplace of the
Venerable Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, who
suffered martyrdom with his friend Latimer, being burnt
at the stake before Baliol College, Oxford, on the 16th
October 1555. One of the Ridleys of Willimoteswick
was, according to the famous ballad of Surtees, concerned
in the murder of Sir Albany Featherstonehaugh. Ill
1585, on the decease of Nicholas Ridley, who was at the
time sheriff of the county, two men and a woman were
committed to prison by Sir John Forster on suspicion of
having caused his death by witchcraft. Musgrave Ridley
having espoused the Royalist cause, his estates were sold
in 1652, and passed into the hands of the ancient family
of Lowes, who derived their name from the Forest of
Lowes, of which they were lords. Willimoteswick is now
the property of Sir Edward Blackett.
The curious name of the place is said, according to one
writer, "to signify the mote or keep and villa of
\Villiam." According to another, it is derived from the
guillemot, a species of marine bird, known in Northum-
berland as the willowmont or sea-hen, and wick, a village
or hamlet.
These particulars are gathered from Mr. W. W. Tom-
linson's "Comprehensive Guide to the County of North-
umberland," while the drawing is from a photograph by
Mr. J. P. Gibson, of Hexham.
518
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
J November
1 ISS'.I.
Jwhbtmr TOorvnt.
[HE extremity of the long projecting green
peninsula formed by the Tees below Croft,
where the river makes a beautiful curve
of some seven or eight miles between
Newsham and Middleton-one-Row, is occupied by the
little township or manor of Sockburn. It is the most
southern point of the county of Durham. The neigh-
bouring district seems to have been very early settled
and cultivated. No fairer spot could attract the notice
of a stranger in search of a home. As "Drunken
Barnaby " says, here are
Valleys smiling, bottoms pleasing,
Streaming rivers, never ceasing,
Deck'd with tufted woods and shady.
In the troublous times of border and civil war,
Kockburn, guarded on three sides of the circling sweep
of the Tees, did not need even a moat or fosse, tower or
fort. It lay quite out of the track of marching and
marauding troopers — a quiet secluded place like Fincbale
or Dryburgh, especially consecrated by Dame Nature to
perennial peace.
Like many other such lovely nooks, it came soon after
its first settlement into the hands of the Church. Some
authorities tell us that Snaculf, the son of Cycell
(apparently a Saxon with a British patronymic),
bestowed it, at the Norman Conquest, on the prior
and monks of Durham, whose habit it was, says
l.nmbarde, to beg hard, "not for cantles of cheese, as
i)t her poor men do, but for large corners of good
countries, as all their profession used." The truth is,
however, thab this grant was not of our Sockburn in
particular, though it may have included it. but of
Socbyryg, Sockbury, or Sadberge, four miles north-east
of Darlington, from which the Bishops of Durham
derived their former title of earl. Sockburn, as well
us Dinsdale, Hurworth, Haughton, Burdon, and other
places, formed part of the Earldom of Sadberge, held
by tenants in fee socage of the see of Durham. We
may explain to such of our readers as are not learned
in the law, that this sort of tenure was distinguished of
old from tenure by chivalry or knight's service. In the
distribution of lands under the feudal system, the barons
usually kept the more productive or best cultivated lands
to themselves, and conceded to their dependents the more
wild and sterile, to clear them, break them up, and then
plough, BOW, and reap, on condition of giving the lord a
certain proportion, say one-half, of the crop ; at other
times of performing certain specified services, and
occasionally for some purely nominal service, in most
cases converted in course of time into a fixed yearly quit
rent. Sockburn was the toc-lorne or boundary of the
•oc, while Soc-byrijc or Sockburg was its chief town,
where the courts were held. As to the meaning of the
word loc, etymologists and jurists are not agreed. Some-
would have it to be the Norman-French sac, or plough-
share ; others the Anglo-Saxon toe, free ; but when such
great legal authorities as Craig and Blackstone differ, it
is, of course, not for ordinary mortals to decide.
The socage arrangement in this case was of a very
peculiar kind. The house and lands of Sockburn were of
•'awncient tyme," the inheritance of the Congrues,
Cogniers, or Conyers family, having been granted, it is
said, to their Norman ancestor on account of some valiant
action performed by him, emblematically described in
the following legend, preserved in an old manuscript
quoted by Bowes, Surtees, and others:— "Sir John
Conyers, Knight, slew that monstrous and poisonous
vermin or wyvern, and ask or worm, which overthrew
and drowned many people in fight, for that the scent of
the poison was so strong that no person could abide it.
But before he made this enterprise, having but one son,
he went to the church of Sockburn in complete armour,
and offered up there his only son to the Holy Ghost.
The place where this serpent lay was Grayestane."
It is added in the same manuscript, we are told, that
"Sir John lieth buried in Sockburn Church in complete
armour before the Conquest." Whether or not this is an
anachronism we are not prepared to say. At any rate,
many enterprising Normans came over and got lands in
England before the Conqueror's time, especially in the
reign of Edward the Confessor, and Sir John Conyers
may have been one of those for aught we are ever likely
to know.
Whether the Dragon of Wantley (Wharncliffe, near
Rothcrham) was a fair type of this more Northern, as
well as more ancient, but no doubt kindred worm,
tradition does not tell us. The famous monster which
More of Morehall slew—
— Had two perion wings,
Each one upon each shoulder ;
With a sting in his tail, as long as a flail,
Which made him bolder and bolder.
He had long claws, and in his jaws
Four-and-twenty teeth of iron ;
With a hide as tough as any buff,
Which did him round environ.
"Certainly," says Mr. Henderson, in his "Folk-Lore
of the Northern Counties," "in some cases our worms
or dragons possess four legs, and the scaly horror
of a folded tail; but Mr. Surtees, the historian of the
Palatinate, vindicates his countrymen from all charge
of inaccuracy in calling such creatures womu, by
reminding us that 'Dante calls that venerable quadruped,
Cerberus, the great infernal worm."'
The Sockburn worm, judging from the place where he
lay— the Grey Stone — was probably, like his congener
whom Regner Lodbrog slew on the shores of Gothland, a
" miner of the ground," dwelling in a hole in the face of
the river cliff, and coming out to sun himself on fine days
on a lichen-clad rock. But there does not seem to have
been any lady in the case, as there was in Lodbrog's evert
November!
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
519
more widely famous exploit, where, to deliver a beautiful
young princess who had been held in captivity by a
serpent of enormous size, the hero wrapped himself in
nether integuments like those of Bryan" O'Lynn, whence
he was ever afterwards called " Hairy Breeches."
We may further judge of the worm's nature from that
of the "foul dragon in Northumberland " which Sir Guy
of Warwick destroyed. That horrid reptile "had slain
men and beasts down, by twenty mile round about."
He was black as any coal,
Rugged as a rough foal ;
His body from the navel upward,
No man might pierce it, it was so hard ;
His neck was great as any summer ; *
He ran as swift as any destriet ; +
Paws he had as a lion ;
All that he touched he slew dead down ;
Great wings lie had to flight.
For a fouler beast than he
I wiss of none never heard ye.
Of the dragon that Saint George slew we are told that
his breath infected people's blood, so that "every day
in heaps they died."
Among them such a plague it bred,
The living scarce couid bury the dead.
More than that —
Each day he would a maiden eat,
For to allay his hunger great.
In the curious old Romance of Merlin, the two dragons
that lay in a deep well, under the castle which King
Vortigen was building, and that threw down the walls
every night, when there was continually a hard battle
between them, causing the earth to quake, were also
"very foul to behold."
The one was white as milk cream,
The other red as any gleam ;
Grisly they were of sight both.
As for the strong-winged dragon that Sir Eglamore
killed, he was " of such renown " that—
There durst no man come near the town,
By fifteen mile of way ;
And when the knight went forth to encounter him —
Tokens soon of him he found —
Slain men on every hand ;
By hundreds he them told.
We may be told that those worm or dragon stories, so
prevalent in our Northern Counties, and indeed all over
the world, are but old wives' fables.
It is certain, however, that the manor of Sockburn was
for generations held by the presentation of a falchion
to the Bishop of Durham on his first entrance into his
diocese. This service is said to date from the time of
Bishop Pudsey, who purchased from Richard Coeur de
Lion, for himself and his successors, the title of Earl of
Sadberge. And from the time of Pudsey to that of Van
Mildert, the last of the Counts Palatine, each bishop, as
he entered his diocese, was met at Croft Bridge, or in the
* Sumpter horse.
| Horse rode by a knight in a tournament.
middle of the river Tees at the ford leading across to Over
Dinsdale, or wherever else he might cross, by the lord
of the manor of Sockburn, who, after hailing him Count
Palatine and Earl of Sadberge, presented him with the
falchion, and said these words :— "My lord bishop, I here
present you with the falchion wherewith the champion
Conyers slew the worm, dragon, or fiery flying serpent,
which destroyed man, woman, and child ; in memory
of which the king then reigning gave him the manor of
Sockburn, to be held by this tenure, that upon the first
entrance of every bishop into the county ihis falchion
should be presented." The bishop then took the falchion
into his hand, and, immediately returning it, wished the
lord of Sockburn health and a long enjoyment of the
manor.
There is mention made of this tenure at the inquest
held on the death of Sir John Conyers (not the worm-
slayer, of course) in A.D. 1396. The falchion also appears
in painted glass in a window at Sockburn Hall, and,
together with the worm, is sculptured in marble on the
tomb of the ancestor of the Conyers family. In April,
1826, the steward of Sir Edward Blackett, then lord of
Sockburn manor, presented the falchion to Dr. Van
Mildert, the last Prince Bishop of Durham, on Croft
Bridge. Since that prelate's demise, the palatine rights
and privileges have been vested in the Crown. The late
bishop to whom the ancient service was tendered was
Bishop Villiers, on which occasion the train was brought
to a standstill for the purpose on the railway briclgs
over the Tees at Croft.
Unfortunately for the correctness of some of the details
of the legend, the falchion bears on one side of the hilt
three lions of England gardant — arras which were not
borne till the reign of King John, and could not well,
therefore, have belonged to a hero before the Conquest ;
while the figure shown in the old church as that of the
veritable Sir John Conyers who slew the worm is in chain
armour, with his legs crossed, and therefore does not
date earlier than the Crusades. The effigy is, in fact,
said by Leland to be that of the Sir John Conyers who
married Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of Lord Bromflete,
in the reign of Henry VI.
Like many others of the same kind, this legend has
exerted the ingenuity of antiquaries to discover its
meaning. Pennant thinks it relates to some victory
over the Scots, whose ravages sometimes extended thus
far. Hutchinson imagines the dragon slain by Conyers
may have been some Danish rover, who went sacking and
plundering the country till he met with his death here.
And Surtees observes, that it would be no difficult
matter, perhaps, " with less of theory than is admitted
into very grave works," to connect the falchion legend
of Sockburn with the real exploits of the Constable
Roger de Conyers at Bishopton, Comyn playing the
part of Dragon.
We find a full account of this transaction (which
520
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{No;
member
has been already mentioned in Mr. Boyle's account
of St. Giles's Church, Durham, page 448), in the third
chapter of the continuation of Simeon of Durham's
Church History. Condensed, it is as follows : — During
the civil war between Kinsr Stephen and the Empress
Matilda, William Comyn, the Chancellor of the King
of Scots, was violently intruded into the see of Durham.
He carried himself with a high hand. He expelled the
archdeacon and such others of the clergy as opposed him.
He compelled the townsmen to take oaths of fealty to
him. He broke into the houses of those whom he had
exiled, and plundered and destroyed them. He bestowed
lands on whomsoever he would. And he received the
homage of all the barons, with the soln exception of
Koger de Conyers. When he found that he could not
extort homage and the oaths from Roger, he despatched a
considerable body of troops to Bisliopton, where Conyers
resided, with orders to seize the place. But Roger,
having- been apprehensive that something of the kind
would be likely to occur, had taken care to fortify his
house. Comyn's soldiers, therefore, thought it best to
withdraw without trying its strength. Shortly after-
wards, the duly-elected bishop of the diocese, having
received an invitation from several of the barons, made
his appearance at Bishopton, where he received the
homage of such persons as offered it to him of their own
free will. Then Roger de Conyers, and the barons who
had gathered round him, supported by a body of troops,
conducted the Bishop towards Durham, hoping that
Comyn would repent of his evil deeds, or that they would
be able to induce his adherents to abandon him. In these
anticipations, however, they were miserably mistaken.
After a deal of fighting, and no small amount of sacrilege,
the bishop was forced to retire once more to Bishopton.
The cruelties perpetrated by Comyn after this are
almost too horrible to be told. Simeon's continuator
says : —
His soldiers were incessantly making forages ; they
ranged through every spot in the whole district ; what-
ever they could lay their hands on they plundered ; their
inroads ceased neither day nor night ; all that came in
their way was destroyed ; the produce of the fields they
ruined either by treading it down or by depasturing
cattle upon it j and thus the land which had been culti-
vated became barren and devastated by being trodden
underfoot. Just as effectually as locusts give proof of
their presence by nipping off the leaves and flowers
from a tree, so wherever these men passed it became a
wilderness Even to hear of their doings
was terrible ; but to see them was something yet worse.
Their insolence was not confined to ravages and
plunderings only, but was extended to the most cruel
bodily torments, inflicted not in secret, and in the
darkness of the night, and upon only a few individuals,
but perpetrated openly, and in the sight of day, and upon
men of the nobler rank. . . . Men were hung from
the walls of their own houses, cords being tightly twisted
round their middle, and heavy armour or large stones tied
to the neck and feet, so that the extremities of the body
were bent towards the ground, which, however, they did
not touch. Upon one occasion more than twelve persons
were discovered together suspended in this manner.
Others of them they plunged into the bed of the river
in the depth of winter. After having broken the ice with
which it was covered, and having tied ropes round them,
they alternately dragged them out of it and thrust them
back again, feeding their cruelty with such a spectacle of
misery. The feet of some they thrust through holes made
in the wall, and thus exposed their naked bodies to the
extremity of the cold, leaving them in misery all the
night long. . . . Everywhere throughout the town
(of Durham) there were groans and various kinds of
deaths. In consequence of such horrible proceedings, the
place, which had hitherto been so highly honoured, now
became a terror to all, and was surnanied the Place of
the Tortures of Hell.
Copyright, 18SI, by l
WINDERMERE LAKE : SOUTHWARD VIEW.
November 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
521
This dreadful state of things lasted, we are told, for the
best part of a year. At length Comyn began to convert
the Church of St. John of Merrington into a castle, with
a view to keeping the people of South Durham in effectual
•check. When this act of profanation became known to
Roger de Conyers and two other barons of the bishopric,
Geoffrey Ercolland and Bertram de Bulmer, they thought
that it was much better to die for the sake of religion than
to leave unpunished such insults as these which were thus
offered to God. So, having levied all the forces they
could assemble, they marched to the spot and put a stop
to the unhallowed work. The bulk of the workmen and
their defenders were either shot down, burnt to death, or
taken prisoners, and awful judgments fell upon the rest,
some of them suddenly becoming mad, and gnawing their
own tongues till they died. Roger de Conyers then
marched towards Durham and took possession of the
town. But Comyn held out for some time in the Castle.
At length the Archbishop of York happening to come
into the neighbourhood, the usurper managed to make
an arrangement with him, whereby he surrendered the
Castle into the custody of Conyers, to be held in trust
for St. Cuthbert, but got off scot free himself.
We may safely say that this William Comyn, if all
that we have here told of him be true, was one of the
worst worms that ever laid waste any part of the county
of Durham ; and that Roger de Conyers, in freeing the
county from such an intolerable pest, as well deserved to
have a falchion presented to him, in memory of the deed,
as if it had been a real winged dragon he had slain. We
know thai he was rewarded with the constable's staff and
the wardenship of Durham Castle ; and if the green acres
of Sockburn were added to the gift, as Surtees seems
inclined to think they were, Roger de Conyers was still
not overpaid.
There is no real evidence of the earlier possession of
Sockburn by the Conyers family than these transactions,
which took place, as we have said, in Kmg Stephen's
time. The grey stone, however, whereon the winged
dragon sunned himself is still pointed out in a field
adjoining Sockburn Church, which was given by one of
the Conyers family to Sherburn Hospital.
JJINDERMERE is the largest of the English
Lakes. By many authorities it is called
Winandermere ; but in 791, when Ethred
slew the sons of Elfwald on the east shore
of the lake, it was written Wonwaldremere. It is often
termed the "river-lake" from the circumstance that it
hardly deviates from the straight line. Its length is
about ten miles, and its greatest breadth about a mile.
Many streams flow into it, the most important of which
are the Brathay, the Stockgill, and the Blelham. Its
waters, abound with perch, pike, trout, and char. The
latter are supposed to have been introduced by the
Romans. They are of two kinds — the silver and the
golden. A problem which naturalists have not yet
satisfactorily solved arises from the fact that all the
silver char, in November and December, go up the
Brathay to spawn, whilst trout go up its twin stream,
the Rothay. On the other hand, the golden char never
leave the lake.
The central part of Windermere is studded with
islands, which form a fine feature of the landscape.
Prominent amongst them is Belle Isle, or Curwen's
Island ; but Lady Holm, on which at one time stood a
chapel dedicated to the Virgin, Thompson's Holm, House
Holm, Hen Holm, and Rough Holm are scarcely less
interesting. Belle Isle is about thirty acres in extent.
It contains a gentleman's residence, erected in 1776. This
From Hurper'i Mngaz!
Copyright, 1881, by Harper A Brothen.
WINDERMERE LAKE : NORTHWARD VIEW.
522
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
November
structure forms a perfect circle, fifty-four feet in diameter,
surmounted by a dome-shaped roof. This island was
formerly the property and residence of the Philipsons, a
Westmoreland family of distinction in the troublous
times of Charles I. During the civil war between the
King and the Parliament, there were two brothers, both
of whom espoused the Royal cause. The elder, to whom
the island belonged, was a colonel, and the younger
brother a major, in Charles's army. The latter, from his
daring and prowess, was known as Robin the Devil.
After the King's death, Colonel Briggs, of Cromwell's
army, then resident at Kendal, hearing that the major
was hid ing at Belle Isle, proceeded thither with numerous
followers for the purpose of arresting him. The major,
however, withstood a siege of eight months until re-
lieved by his brother the colonel. The major afterwards
formed a project for revenging himself upon Colonel
Briggs. One Sunday morning, he started for Kendal
with a body of horse. Arriving at that town, he was
told that his opponent was in the church at prayers.
He proceeded to the door of that edifice, where he posted
his men ; then he rode up the aisle of the church in
search of Colonel Bripgs. That officer, however, was not
present. The congregation, after recovering from their
surprise, attempted to seize the bold intruder; but he
dashed away. As he was making his exit from the
church, his helmet came in contact with the arch of the
doorway, and was knocked off ; the saddle girths of his
horse gave way, and he fell to the ground stunned. With
the help of his followers, however, he escaped, after a
desperate struggle, and returned to Belle Isle. The
helmet now hangs in Kendal Church.
Windermere has a beauty all its own. Without
possessing the grandeur or sternness of Wastwater,
Ennerdale, or Ulleswater, or the sublimity and variety
of Derwentwater, it strongly appeals to the lover of
nature. The scenery around the head of the lake is
imposing and diversified. The extended view north-
ward, which will be found on page 521, is taken from
a height above the east shore about half-way down
the lake. This is the landscape which called forth the
following panegyric from Professor Wilson: — "There
is nothing to compare with it in the hanging gardens
of Babylon. There is the widest breadth of water, the
richest foreground of wood, and the most magnificent
background of mountains, not only in Westmoreland,
but in all the world." Windermere is the subject of
some of Wordsworth's verse. Many of the poet's
younger days were spent near the lake, and he recalls
these happy times in beautiful lines.
atttr €mnn«ntartt&
A NORTHUMBRIAN BAKE-STICK.
Bake-sticks, whereon, in Northumberland, the morning-
cakes of peas and barley-meal were toasted in front of
the fire, have now become a rarity, much sought after
by the antiquary. The bake-stick represented in the
accompanying sketch belonged to a family of the name of
Heron. This specimen is more artistic in design than
many of the old articles, which have now been super-
seded by toasting forks. JAMES THOMSON, Shawdon.
A CLOWN AND HIS GEESE ON THE TYNE.
On Monday, 14th January, 1845, a very curious scene
was witnessed by many thousands of spectators on the
river Tyne. A man named Wood, who had been acting
as clown in the pantomime at the Theatre Royal, New-
castle, had himself drawn down the river in a tub by four
geese, from the King's Meadows to Tyne Bridge. Of
course, the announcement of the freak had the effect of
attracting vast numbers of people to witness it, and the
banks, the quays, and the bridge itself were densely
crowded. It was rather a novel way of announcing
his benefit, and it seems that it was success-
ful, for Mr. Wood had a bumper house at
night. Although the geese were harnessed to the
tub, and the clown appeared to drive them with
a small switch he held in his hand, the tub was
really drawn by a small steamboat, the rope being hidden
Noremberl
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
523
under water. It may be remembered that a terrible
disaster took place in the following: year at Yarmouth
through a similar occurrence. A popular circus clown
named Seal went through the same performance on the
Yare, when the Suspension Bridge, being the principal
"coign of vantage," was densely packed with people.
The bridge was unequal to the weight and pressure of the
enormous crowds. It consequently gave way, precipi-
tating most of the sightseers into the water. Great
numbers were drowned. The awful calamity had the
effect of putting a stop to this extraordinary mode of
advertising. WALLOON, Newcastle.
THE SPIRIT LEVEL.
A master mason in a small way in a Northumbrian
town had a great craving for drink, and after a "bout"
was so ill-natured to those over whom he had authority as
to be almost unbearable. On one of these occasions,
working along with a newly-engaged apprentice, he told
the boy to fetch the spirit level. The lad knew nothing
about the article in question, and was afraid to ask any
questions, butthe word "spirit " decided his course. He
went to the inn the mason patronised, and brought a
bottle of whisky, which he handed to his master and
awaited the result. The mason sat down on the stone he
was dressing, and taking a long, steady pull at the bottle,
he said, "Weel, laddie, that wasna exactly what aa
wanted, but aa'll myek't de ! "
SIMPLE ARITHMETIC.
A Board School teacher was endeavouring to explain a
question of arithmetic to a very dull scholar. "Suppose
you had elevenpence in your pocket on Monday morning,
and were to pay me fourpence for your school fees, how
would you ascertain what amount you had remaining ? "
"Wey," drawled out the hopeful, " aa wad coont it,
sor ! "
GRACE BEFORE MEAT.
"How many of your parents, children, say grace?"
asked a Sunday school teacher. "What's grace, sor?"
asked one of the big boys. "Why, Jemmie," exclaimed
the teacher, " is it possible you don't know what grace is?
Doesn't your father say something before you begin to
eat?" "Oh!" said Jemmie, "yes, sor, he dis; he elwis
says, ' Dinnet myek pigs o' yorseh ; that's all the butter
thor is i' the hoose ' ! "
A DIRTY FACE.
A boy entered the bar of a local public-house the other
day for the purpose of vending evening papers. One of
the customers noticed that the lad's face was dirty, and
remarked, "Why divvent ye wesh yor fyece?" "Ne
'casion, sor," said the lad, "it's gan te rain ! "
MISTRESS AND MAID.
"Jane, if you want to be a really good servant, don'b
have to be told twice to do the same thing." "Wey,
that's not ma fault, ma'am," says Jane; "it's ye that's
elwis telling us twice te de the syein thing, when ye
knaa aa cannot de twe things at a time '."
SUPERSTITION.
Some time ago a woman, carrying a baby, went into a
public-house in Newcastle, and ordered half a glass of
spirits. At the same time she requested the barman to
bring some salt for luck, as that was the second house
that the child had entered. The man returned with the
articles and handed them to her with the remark : —
" Aa's sorprised ye're se surporstitious, living, as ye de,
in the nineteenth centory." "Yor wrang thor, onny-
way," the woman observed : " aa live in Gray's Entry !"
THE TROMBONE AND THE BULL.
After a brass band contest at a northern village, the
" trombone " was going home late. He was proud of the
day's success, and had stayed behind till not the length of
the road, but the breadth of it, became the serious question.
As he entered a field, the fading light glittered on his brass
instrument, and roused the anger of a bulL A loud bellow
followed, and at once awakened the muddy brain of the
self-complacent Geordy. "Get away, man," he shouted.
"Who telt ye at ye wor a player ? Aa'll blaa ye laa E for
aquairt." Suiting the action to the word, he slid out
the trombone to its fullest length, and blew as if it had
been his last. The bull, now maddened, gave a yet louder
bellow, and charged at the object of its rage. Geordy
tumbled head over heels, but at once recovered himself.
Reaching forward to gather up the severed portions of
his trombone, he triumphantly remarked: — "Ye may
be a varry strang man, but y'or ne musicianor !"
Mr. Thomas Simm, a cattle salesman well known
throughout the North of England, died on the 10th of
September.
On the same day, died Mr. Richard Potts, a typical
English farmer of the old school. He was engaged in
that capacity fot about 45 years at Harton, after which
he became tenant of the Flatts Farm, near Chester-le-
Street, which he held for about thirteen years. The
deceased gentleman was in his 78th year.
Intelligence was received at Morpeth, on the llth of
September, of the death of Assistant-Paymaster Brumell,
in charge of H.M. ship Urgent, in Jamaica. The
deceased, who was only in his 28th year, was the third
son of Mr. Francis Brumell, solicitor, and Town Clerk of
Morpeth.
Margaret Morton, widow of John Morton, an old
Chartist, died at 34, Spring Street, Newcastle, on the
18th of September, in the 69th year of her age. The late
524
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/ NfoTember
I 18T
1889.
Mr. Morton, formerly a master tailor at Hanley, was a
friend of Mr. Thomas Cooper, and also spent his
declining days in Newcastle.
On the 19th of September, the Rev. Frederick L.
Catcheside, son of the late Mr. M. Oatoheside, formerly
of Riding Farm, Hexham, was accidentally drowned by
the capsizing of a boat in the Inner Harbour at Storno-
way, in Scotland.
Mr. Jonathan Goodbody, tobacco manufacturer, of
Clara, King's County, Ireland, who was 77 years of age.
and had been attending the meetings of the British
Association at Newcastle, died suddenly at Darlington,
on the 20th of September.
On the same day, Dr. John Wilson, J.P., the first
surgeon of the Jarrow Division of the 1st Newcastle and
Durham Engineer Volunteers, died at Bankshill, near
Lockerbie.
On the 20th of September, also, Mrs. Allhusen, wife of
Mr. Christian Allhusen, the well-known chemical manu-
facturer, and a daughter of Mr. John Shield, son of the
author of "My Lord 'Size" (See Monthly Chronicle,
1887, p. 38), died at Stoke Court, Buckinghamshire, her
age being 76 years.
Mr. Boysman Harland Frampton, jeweller and jet
manufacturer, of 66, Grainger Street, Newcastle, died at
Hudshaw House, near Hexham, on the 23rd of Septem-
ber, at the age of 46.
On the 24th of September, Mr. Joseph Robinson, J.P.,
shipowner, of Etal Villa, North Shields, died at South-
port, in the 74th year of his age. He had recently made
arrangements for the erection of a new Wesleyan Church
in North Shields, at an estimated cost of £7,500, at his
own personal cost.
On the 23rd of September, the Rev. Ephraim Cohen, for
several years second reader at the Jewish Synagogue in
Newcastle, died at his residence, Canonbury, London.
On the 25th of September, the death was announced, at
the age of 75, of Annie, widow of Mr. John Vaughan,
the founder of the Cleveland iron trade.
Miss Mary Thirlwell, of Haydon Bridge, a soprano
singer of a high order of merit, died on the 25th of Sep-
tember.
Mr. Robert Lamb Armstrong, of the firm of T. and R.
L. Armstrong, land agents, and a prominent Freemason,
died at his residence, 21, Leazes Terrace, Newcastle, on
the 27th of September, in the 37th year of his age.
On the 28th of September, the Rev. Father G. Joseph
Porter, a priest of the Dominican order, and formerly
of St. Andrew's Catholic Church, Newcastle died at
Leicester.
On the 1st of October, the death was announced of the
Rev. Julius Shadwell, M.A., of Coin St. Aldwyn,
Fairford, Gloucestershire, and for many years Rector of
Washington, in the diocese of Durham.
Mr. Robert Forth, who for many years carried on the
usmess of chemist and druggist in CHve Street, North
Shields, but retired from active work some years ago
id on the 1st of October. The deceased, who had
reached the ripe age of 72, was for a considerable time a
member of the Tynemouth Town Council.
Mrs. Robb, wife of Mr. William Robb, and daughter of
the late Mr. John Ridley, one of the oldest and most
espected families of Hexham. died in that town on the
d of October, her age being 74 years.
On the 3rd of October, Mr. Michael Watson, a musical
araposer of considerable reputation, and the son of a pro-
fessor of music at Newcastle, died at East Dulwich, in
the fiftieth year of his age.
On the 6th of October, feeling pulpit reference was
made by the Rev. A. Latimer to the death of Mr. James
Ban-as, miner, of North Seaton, and a prominent member
of the Primitive Methodist body, having been for many
years on the plan of local preachers in the Blyth Circuit.
The death was announced, on the 8th of October, of
Mrs. W. S. Glass, net Magdalene Smith Elliott, an
earnest and devoted church-worker at Sunderland.
Captain George Innes. an old Sunderland standard,
died at his residence in that town on the 8th of October,
in the 74th year of his age.
at
©cctrmncejs.
SEPTEMBER.
9- — On this and the following evening, a public debate
took place in the Central Hall, Newcastle, between Mr.
Charles Bradlaugh, M.P., and the Rev. Marsden Gibson,
M. A., of St. Thomas's Church in that city, on the ques-
tion, "Has Humanity Gained from Unbelief?" Mr.
Bradlaugh supported the affirmative, and Mr. Gibson the
negative side of the controversy. Mr. Joseph Baxter
Ellis presided on the former, and Mr. E. Girling on the
latter occasion. There were large audiences at both
meetings.
—The members of the Stockton and Middlesbrough
Water Board and a large number of gentlemen journeyed
by special train to Barnard Castle, whence they were
driven in conveyances to the site of the Blackton Reser-
voir, at which place the Mayor of Stockton (Mr.
Alderman Nelson) performed the ceremony of cutting the
first sod.
—In connection with the twenty-sixth annual meeting
of the British Pharmaceutical Society, a conversazione
was held in the Durham College of Science, Newcastle,
at which the president of the Conference, Mr. C. Umney,
F.I.C., F.C.S., of London, received the officers and mem-
bers of the society. The proceedings of the Conference
commenced in the same place on the following morning,
and extended over a couple of days,
-It was announced that a small steamer, the Holbrook,
had been chartered to carry a cargo of coals from Cardiff
to Newcastle, for one of the Italian war ships being built
at Elswick.
10.— A young man named William Henry Porter, of
Warrington Road, Newcastle, was drowned by the up-
setting of a skiff in which he was sailing on Derwentwater
Lake.
— A man named Joseph Bell, residing in Newcastle, was
drowned while bathing in the river Tyne opposite the
Bill Quay boat landing.
H-— The n'rst sod of the Gosforth portion of the Ouse-
burn-Gosforth sewerage scheme was cut by Mr. S. H.
Farrer, chairman of the Gosforth Local Board, at Dene
Houses, near Haddrick's Mill.
—In the presence of a large and brilliant assemblage,
the annual meeting of the British Association for the
Advancement of Science was opened in St. George's Drill
Hall. Newcastle, the president of the year being Professor
Norember 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
525
Flower, director of the Natural History Department of
the British Museum. (See page 515.)
— Concurrently with the commencement of the pro-
ceedings of the British Association, the autumn flower
show of the Durham, Northumberland, and Newcastle
Horticultural Society was opened in the Leazes Park.
The exhibition remained on view three days; but the
weather, unfortunately, was unfavourable most of the
time, and the receipts suffered to a corresponding extent.
The total sum obtained was estimated at about £500.
14-. — At a meeting of the Council of the Durham Miners'
Association, it was decided to apply for a further advance
of 15 per cent, in wages.
—The Marquis of Londonderry visited Seaham Har-
bour for the first time since his retirement from the office
of Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, and received a most en-
thusiastic welcome from the inhabitants, an address being
THE MAKQUIS OP LONDONDERRY.
presented to him by the Seaham Local Board. On the
evening of the 20th, he was entertained to a banquet in
the Exchange Hall, Stockton, by the South-East Durham
Conservative Association and the South-East Durham
Liberal Unionist Association. The chair was occupied by
Mr. Thomas Wrightson.
15. — The annual Sunday demonstration and church
parade of the Hebburn united friendly and trade societies
was held, collections being made in aid of the Newcastle
Infirmary funds.
—In the Tyne Theatre, Newcastle, Piofessor Silvanus
P. Thompson, Principal of the Technical College, Fins-
bury, lectured under the auspices of the Tyneside Sunday
Lecture Society, on "The Colours of Polarised Light."
Mr. A. G. Vernon Harcourt, secretary of the British
Association, presided.
16. — A man named Dorie made a balloon ascent from
the Belle Vue grounds at Stockton, descending by para-
chute in a garden at Seaton Carew. The height he at-
tained was 3.'; miles.
17. — Miss Alma Beaumont, who had been announced to
make a balloon ascent from the Ashbrooke Cricket
Ground, Sunderland, being too unwell to undertake the
feat, one of her assistants, a young man named Stanley,
ascended to an estimated height of 10,000 feet, when he
jumped off and descended steadily by means of the para-
chute, alighting near Fulwell House. (See page 479. )
18. — The members of the English Arboricultural Society
held their fifth annual excursion at Alnwick Castle.
— There was a large and fashionable audience, including
many scientific visitors to the British Association, at the
Town Hall, Newcastle, to hear Mr. Hamish M'Cann's
cantata, "The Lay of the Last Minstrel."
— The first general meeting of the South Durham and
North Yorkshire Veterinary Medical Association was
held at Darlington.
19. — Eliza Walker, aged 56 years, the wife of William
Walker, a man employed as horsekeeper at Peggy Pit,
near Philadelphia, in the county of Durham, was found
dead under mysterious circumstances in her house there.
The man, going out shortly afterwards, threw himself
beneath a set of coal waggons on the railway, and was
immediately killed. The coroner's jury found that the
woman had died from suffocation, and that the man had
committed suicide.
21.— At Deaf Hill Pit, Trimdom Colliery, a large
boiler exploded with great violence, shifting the other
boilers from their position, breaking the side of the boiler
house, and killing a man named James Prior.
— The old sports and pastimes known as the "hop-
pings " were revived in the village of Preston, near North
Shields.
23. — Mr. Barker and Mr. Fenwick, the former of whom
had held the position since the 3rd of February, 1827,
formally tendered their resignation as clerks of the Tyne-
niouth Petty Sessional Division of Northumberland.
24. — It was announced that during the enlargement of
the old schoolhouse at Whickbam, the workmen came
upon what appeared to be the remains of a still older
building, and a splendid specimen of a Roman quern,
— The discovery was reported, by Mr. F. R. Wilson, in
the Church of St. Michael and St. Mary, at Alnwick,
of a statue of Henry VI. (See page 479. )
— Mr. OwenSeaman, M.A., late .scholar of Clare College,
Cambridge, commenced in connection with the Cam-
bridge and Durham University Extension Scheme, a.
course of lectures, in the Literary and Philosophical
Society, Newcastle, on "The Poetry and Teaching
of Robert Browning."
— The annual conference of the North of England
Temperance League was held in the Friends' Meeting
House, Skinnergate, Darlington, under the presidency of
Mr. Arthur Pease.
— Henry Ernest Searle. the champion sculler of the
world, accompanied by Mr. Christopher Crane and Mr.
John H. Clasper, of Putney, arrived on a short visit to
Newcastle, the party meeting with a very enthusiastic
reception.
25. — A new Presbyterian Church was opened at Black
Callerton.
— The Marquis and Marchioness of Londonderry
visited Hartlepool, and formally opened the Headland
Protection Works and Promenade, constructed at a cost
of £25,000. The protection scheme was the outcome of
long deliberation as to the best method of protecting the
headland from the ravages of the sea, which, in the course
526
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
November
of centuries, has cut out the cliffs into many fantastic
shapes, such aa the Elephant Rock, shown in the small
engraving annexed. The Henry Smith School and a
new wing of the Hospital were inaugurated on the same
occasion.
26.— The Newcastle Scottish Association, established
for the promotion of the social, mental, and physical
well-being of its members, was inaugurated by a dinner,
under the presidency of L)r. Farquharson.
—The Eagle, believed to be the largest vessel ever
built on the Tyne. was launched from the yard of Messrs.
K. and \V. Hawthorn, Leslie, and Co., Limited, Hebburn,
for a Russian company.
— The annual meeting of the ministers and delegates of
the Durham and Northumberland Congregational Asso-
ciation was held at Morpeth, under the presidency of the
Rev. D. Young. B.A.
27. — A Home for Cripples, transferred from inferior
quarters at Whickham, was opened by the Mayor uf
Newcastle, at Wallsend.
28. — A further advance of 3 per cent, in wages was con-
ceded to the miners of Northumberland.
— The first competition for a presentation silver cup
took place in connection with the Tynemouth Volunteer
Life Brigade, at Tynemouth.
— The twenty-fifth anniversary of the Seaton Delaval
Co-operative Society was celebrated by a tea and public
meeting, among the speakers on the occasion being Mr.
G. J. Holyoake.
— Sir George Trevelyan, M.P., as President of the
Hexham Division Liberal Association, addressed a pub-
lic meeting in the Town Hall, Hexham.
— A verdict of manslaughter was returned by the coro-
ner's jury at Sunderland, in connection with the death of
David Stevens, joiner and cabinet maker, aged 67, and a
warrant was issued for the arrest of a man named Michael
Kirkwood, of Jarrow, the alleged inflicter of the fatal
injuries.
—Mr. Willoby tendered his resignation of the office of
magistrates' clerk in the Norham and Islandshires petty
sessions, which he had held for a great number of years.
— At the County Hotel, Newcastle, Messrs. Walton
and iiee, of London, auctioneers, submitted for sale
several estates in Northumberland. The lots included
the Benbridge estate, in the parishes of Mitford and Mor-
peth, the property of the Earl of Carlisle ; the Softley
estate, Slaggyford, near Alston, the property of the Earl
of Carlisle ; and the Threepwood estate, near Haydon
Bridge, which belonged to the late Mr. William Bewicke.
Mr. C. J. Bates, of Langley Castle, Heddon, and
Wylam, became the purchaser, for £16,200, of Threep-
wood Hall, Threepwood Farm, Low Hall Farm, &c.
The lots actually disposed of at the sale realised £33,480,
four lots which remained unsold being the subjects of
subsequent private negotiations.
30. — At the annual meeting of Sir W. G. Armstrong,
Mitchell, and Co., Limited, Elswick and Low Walker,
a dividend was declared at the rate of 11 per cent.
— Twelve memorial stones were laid in connection with
the new Wesleyan Chapel at Walker Gate, including a
temperance stone by Mrs. W. D. Stephens.
— Mr. Thomas Allen Reed, the eminent phonographic
reporter, of London, lectured on "Shorthand and Our
Boys," under the auspices of the Newcastle and District
Shorthand Writers' Association.
OCTOBER.
1. — A conference of Liberal Unionists was held in the
Central Hall, Hood Street, Newcastle ; and in the even-
ing a great meeting, under the presidency of Lord Arm-
strong, was held in the People's Palace, Percy Street, the
principal speaker being the Right Hon. Joseph Cham-
berlain, M.P. A counter demonstration took place
simultaneously in the Haymarket, the chair being oc-
cupied by Mr. Thornton, president of the Newcastle and
Gateshead Radical Association. On the following
morning, Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain were entertained to
breakfast in the County Hotel, Newcastle, Mr. G. A.
Fenwick being in the chair. The guests afterwards left
for Cragside, on a visit to Lord and Lady Armstrong.
— A telegram, received to-day, and dated Vardoe, Sep
tember 27, stated that the steamer Labrador, Captain
Wiggins, had reached the mouth of the Yenesei, where-
she waited twelve days for the river steamer, but in vain^
Captain Wiggins then thought it prudent to return.
2. — The new College of Medicine, erected in Bath Road,
Newcastle, at a cost of £31,000, was publicly opened by
the Mayor, Mr. T. Richardson. The president, Dr.
Heath, presented a cheque for a thousand guine as
towards the liquidation of the debt, which it was stated
amounted to £10,000.
3. — It was announced that the Shah of Persia bad pre-
sented his portrait and autograph to Lord Armstrong.
— An explosion suddenly took place on board a barge
which was conveying ammunition to the newly built
Italian cruiser Piemonte, at Jarrow Slake, near the mouth
of the Tyne. One man, named John Dewdney, was
blown away and killed, and other two persons sustained
injuries. The crew, consisting of three men and a boy,
were in the employment of Sir W. G. Armstrong, Mit-
chell, and Co., at Elswick.
4. — At Wooler, a new Mechanics' Institute, intended
to supersede the old library, was opened by the Countess
of Tankerville. Lord George Hamilton, First Lord of the
Admiralty, was present at a concert in the new building
in the evening.
— The blastfurnacemen in the Northern iron trade re-
ceived an advance of 1£ per cent, in their wages under
the sliding scale.
— It was reported that a salmon, named "Jumbo," one
of a number which had been shown in a tank during the
November 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
527
Exhibition at Tynemouth Aquarium, some years ago,
and on whose dorsal fin, before being returned to the sea,
a silver ring had been placed, had been caught at Oving-
ham.
— The presentation of prizes to the successful students
of the evening classes in connection with the Durham
College of Science took place in the lecture-theatre of the
College at Barras Bridge, Newcastle, the chair being
occupied by Mr. John Philipson, J.P. The nineteenth
session of the College was opened on the 7th.
—The inaugural meeting of session 1889-90 of the North-
umberland and Durham Medical Society was held in the
library of the Durham University College of Medicine,
Newcastle, the address being delivered by Professor
Lawson Tait, of Birmingham.
— Mr. W. S. Burton was elected secretary of the New-
castle Chess Club.
— A letter was published from Robert Browning, the
eminent poet, intimating his intention, on his return
home from Italy, to forward a subscription towards the
restoration of the tombstone of Charles Avison, the great
musical composer, in St. Andrew's Churchyard, New-
castle, in accordance with a suggestion made in the New-
castle Weekly Chronicle by Mr. John Robinson.
5. — This afternoon, on the invitation of Mr. Arthur
Brogden, manager and originator of the Swiss Choir, by
whom a series of popular concerts was being given in the
Town Hall, Newcastle, a large number of children,
representing members of the Dicky Bird Society estab-
lished in connection with the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle,
assembled in that building, to enjoy a specially provided
entertainment. An eloquent address, inculcating precepts
of kindness to the lower animals, and illustrated by a
number of interesting anecdotes, was delivered by Mr.
W. Digby Seymour. Q.C., LL.D., Recorder of Newcastle,
the newly appointed County Court Judge ; and equally
appropriate and judicious was the vocal and instrumental
programme afterwards contributed by Mr. Brogden and
his talented staff of performers. The Mayor of Gates-
head (Mr. Alderman John Lucas) proposed a vote of
thanks, which was carried with deafening cheers. There
were present in all 3,044- young persons, and the entire
proceedings passed off in the most agreeable and satis-
factory manner. Mr. Brogden, in addition to so gener-
ously providing the delightful entertainment, contributed
£5 towards the funds of Uncle Toby's Christmas Toy
Scheme.
— A branch of the Newcastle Amateur Choral Society
was formed at Jarrow.
— Miss Alma Beaumont, the American parachutist,
made an ascent from Jarrow, and after reaching a height
of 1,200 feet, descended into the river Tyne near Howdon
Dock, whence she was immediately rescued, little the
worse for her immersion.
6. — The Rev. J. H. Jowett, M.A., entered upon his
duty as pastor of St. James's Congregational Church,
Bath Road, Newcastle.
— A boy named George Frederick Paul, ten years of
age, was accidentally shot dead at Stockton.
7. — By a majority of 12 votes to 4, the Tynemouth
Town Council resolved to apply for the necessary au-
thority to light the borough with electricity.
— The picture "Christianas ar!Leones,"which was shown
at the Royal Academy last year, as the production of
Mr. Herbert Schmalz, a native of Ryton-on-Tyne, and
a grandson of J. W. Carmichiiel, was exhibited at the
establishment of Messrs. Mawson, Swan, and Morgan,
Newcastle.
8.— The Right Hon. Edward Stanhope, her Majesty's
Secretary for War, and General Viscount Wolseley, ac-
companied by Mr. Nepean, director of naval contracts,
and Mr. Fleetwood Wilson, private secretary, paid a visit
of inspection to the works of Sir W. G. Armstrong,
Mitchell, and Co., at Elswick, Newcastle.
— In continuation of a movement commenced some days
previously at Hawick, in Scotland, a number of scholars
came out on strike against certain alleged grievances, in
the shape of home lessons and too long hours of study in
schools, at Jarrow, West Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, and
Berwick. The offenders at Berwick received a sound
flogging.-
— A railway guard, named William Holmes, was acci-
dentally killed while shunting some empty waggons at
Blaydon.
9.— Mr. W. Digby Seymour, Q.C., LL.D., entered
upon his duties as County Court Judge in Newcastle, and
received the congratulations and good wishes of the mem-
bers of the Bar, and of the Mayor of Newcastle, on behalf
of the public.
— It was stated that Barras Bridge Presbyterian
Church, Newcastle, formerly under the pastorate of the
Rev. George Bell and the Rev. J. B. Hastings, M.A.,
but which had been superseded by the new church at
Jesmond, had been sold for £4,250.
— The twenty-first annual service of song by Wes-
leyan Methodist Choirs in Northumberland and Durham
was held in the Town Hall, Newcastle, under the presi-
dency of the Mayor.
10.— A portrait of Mr. J. C. Stevenson, M.P., painted
by subscription, in recognition of his services in connec-
528
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
NOT ember
tion with the Tyne Improvement Commission, was for-
mally unveiled at a meeting of that body this afternoon.
The hon. gentleman was, on the same occasion, presented
with a silver tea and coffee service.
24. — Death of Eliza Cook, composer of the popular tu:ir
"The Old Arm Chair," aged 71.
(general ©cturrences.
SEPTEMBER.
11. — The Hon. William Henry Wentworth Fitzwilliam,
M.P., died from injuries received by being thrown from
his horse.
15. — A man named Walter Campbell swam through the
Whirlpool Rapids, below Niagara Falls, clad in a cork
jacket.
18. — A number of soldiers invested a house in Losowiks,
Servia, in which a number of brigands had taken shelter.
The latter were commanded by a woman named Staka
Lekics, who died fighting at the head of her band.
19. — Her Majesty's screw gun vessel Lily, belonging to
the North American squadron, struck on a rock off Point
Armur, Newfoundland, and sank. Seven of the crew
were drowned.
— About 170 persons were killed at Quebec by a mass
of rock, weighing several thousand tons, falling on a
number of dwelling houses. Similar falls of rock occurred
in 1841 and in 1852, with the like fatal results.
21. — Death of Mr. Henry Brougham Farnie, dramatic
author.
22. — A general election took place in France. The
final results were : — Republicans, 354 ; Anti-Republicans,
211.
23. — Mr. Wilkitt Collins, author of "The Woman in
Whitu " and numerous other novels, died, aged 65.
TVILKIK COLLTXS.
ELIZA COOK.
26. — The body of a man named George Gordon was
discovered in a wardrobe in a furnishing establishment in
Manchester. Suspicion rested on a man named Dukes,
against whom a coroner's jury returned a verdict of
wilful murder.
27. — The result of the voting in the Sleaford Division
of Lincolnshire, to fill the seat rendered vacant by the
acceptance by Mr. Henry Chaplin of the post of Minister
of Agriculture, was as follows :— Chaplin (C), 4,386 ;
Otter (L), 3,078 ; majority, 1,308.
— A young lion escaped from Wombwell's menagerie,
at Birmingham fair.
OCTOBER.
2. — The passenger steamer Corona was blown to piece
by the bursting of her boiler at New Orleans, U.S., and
nearly all on board perished.
4. — A terrible railway collision occurred near Man-
chester, three persons being killed and many injured.
6. — Sir William Tindal Robertson, member of Parlia-
ment for Brighton, committed suicide by cutting his
throat with a razor. He was born in 1825. The deceased
gentleman became blind, owing to disease, in 1873.
7. — A fierce storm raged over ] arts of England and
Ireland. Much damage was done, and many ships were
wrecked.
— Death of The O'Donoghue, formerly member of
Parliament for Tralee.
— The polling for the election of a member of Parlia-
ment to succeed the late Mr. Fitzwilliam in the represen-
tation of Peterborough took place to-day, with the
following result : — Alpheus Cleophas Morton (Gladstonian
Liberal), 1,893 ; Robert Purvis (Liberal Unionist), 1,642
majority, 251.
9. — A Parliamentary election for Elgin and Nairn,
owing to the death of Mr. C. H. Anderson, M.P., resulted
as follows :— J. Seymour Keay (Gladstonian Liberal),
2.573 ; C. B. Logan (Liberal Unionist), 2,044 ; majority,
529.
Printed by WALTER SCOTT, Fellintr-on-Tyne.
tlbe
Gbronicle
OF
NORTH-COUNTRY*LORE*AND*LEGEND
VOL. III.— No. 34.
DECEMBER, 1889.
PRICE GD.
ILtwfc at
»all.
1DEN HALL, the seat of the old Border
family of the Musgraves, is a compara-
tively modern mansion, in the Italian style
of architecture, situate about five miles
from Penrith, in Cumberland. It is surrounded on all
sides by gently sloping, thickly wooded uplands, and
stands in a spacious park whose attractions are enhanced
by the meanderings of the Eden.
" The manor of Eden Hall was," says William Whelan
in his "History of Cumberland," published in 1860,
"given by the Conqueror to Henry FitzSwein, but how
long it continued in his family we have no account. In the
reign of Henry III. Robert Turp occurs as possessor of the
manor, and on his demise it descended successively to his
son and grandson, the latter of whom dying without male
issue, Eden Hall came to his two daughters, co-heirs, one
of whom, Julian, became the wife of William Stapleton, in
1327. It continued to be held by the Stapleton family
for five descents, when Joan, second daughter and co-heir
of Sir William Stapleton, Knt., brought it in marriage to
Thomas de Musgrave about the 38th Henry VI. (1459-60),
and it is still in the possession of his family and name."
Sir Richard Courtenay Musgrave, mentioned as the
" present baronet " by Whelan, died in London at the
beginning of 1881. At the general election of 1880 he was
elected member for East Cumberland, having been de-
34
530
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
\
December
feated at two previous elections. As a canvasser, Lady
Musgrave did splendid service for her husband, and it
was probably owing to her influence that he was success-
ful in his third campaign. The heir to the baronetcy at
the time of his father's death was only nine years old.
Within two years of Sir Richard's death, his wife was
married to the Hon. Henry Brougham, of Brougham
Hall, some two miles distant from Eden Hall. Since
then Mr. Brougham has inherited his father's title, and is
now Lord Brougham and Vaux.
Eden Hall is only one of the vast number of old family
residences round which the traditions of the ages that are
gone have wrapped their tendrils ; but the particular
legend which has immortalised this old mansion occupies
a unique position among the numerous pieces of folk-lore
in existence at the present day. The knights of Mus-
grave, from their Norman progenitor downwards, appear
to have been equally well fitted to wield the ponderous
lance in battle fray or to pour out amorous supplication
in lady's boudoir.
Some time during the mediaeval ages (it would destroy
the delightful vagueness of the whole story to dabble in
dates) there appears to have lived at Eden Hall a doughty
descendant of the old Musgrave stock, whose Christian
name, tradition hath it, was Richard. Richard, although
prone for a long time to a somewhat indiscriminate affec-
tion for the fair sex, ultimately fixed his mind upon the
daughter of a neighbouring baron, who, unfortunately,
had been promised in marriage to her cousin Theodore.
Margaret, however, had no yearning for her cousin, but,
on the contrary, became violently attached to the roy-
stering knight of Eden Hall. Stolen interviews were
frequent, and not even the vigilant eyes of all the
guards and seneschals the old baron could muster were
able to keep Richard out of their young mistress's garden.
All went merry as a marriage bell, until the demon
Jealousy stepped in to put an end to the courtship.
Margaret, in a fit of contrariness, consented to her
union with Theodore ; and Richard, with his palfry
Caliph for companion, resolved to rusticate for a short
time in the woods.
A few hours only had elapsed since the knight's quarrel
wth "mistress mine," when, feeling in want of rest, he
flung himself upon a mound of grass, after tethering his
horse to an oak-sapling near. It was whilst thus listlessly
reclining that a sight presented itself to his vision the like
of which u had probably never been the lot of mortal man
to behold before. Under his very eyes a crowd of gro-
tesque-looking elves were holding high revelry round a
festal board that groaned beneath a heavy load of
nectar and ambrosia. Oberon was master of the cere-
monies, and set a bad example to his elfin associates by
his ceaseless attention to a huge goblet, which he ulti-
mately managed to drain of its precious contents. Richard
gazed at the noisy crowd in wonder and amaze, but burst
into a ringing laugh on seeing the king of the fairies ac-
complish this feat. Whether the idea entered the
knight's head that to deprive Oberon of his cup would ba
to do him a service, we are unable to say, but certain it is
(at least so sayeth unimpeachable tradition) that Richard
rose suddenly, seized the goblet which the king had been
using, fastened it in his waist-belt, and mounted his
horse, all before Oberon and his subjects had time to
gather their probably rather scattered wits together. By
the time, however, that Caliph had covered a couple of
yards the fairy throng were in full cry after him and his
master, resolved if possible to regain the stolen cup. On,
on, dashed the pursuers and pursued at reckless, breath-
O'er the stone and through the brier.
O'er the dry land, through the mire,
Down the cliff and up the hill,
Faster, faster, faster still.
Richard, however, succeeded in reaching a stream, and
so obliged the elves to give up the chase, as they were
unable to cross running water. Oberou now began to
bargain for the cup, offering for it a ton of gold or a ton
of pearls or a diamond of unprecedented value. But the
knight proceeded on his way, after having been admon-
ished by the fairy king to remember —
Your luck shall be
While shines the sun and flows the sea ;
But broken once that magic glass,
The star of Eden Hall shall set,
And in its chambers weeds and grass
Khali spring through marble green and wet,
Unsheltered from the storms of Heaven
By roofs that time's neglect has riven,
While owls and bats and unclean things
O'er long-quenched hearths shall fold their wings.
Richard's first desire on reaching home was to imbibe a
draught of liquor from the cup. This he had no sooner
done than it was announced to him that Theodore (who,
by-the-bye, had not yet married Margaret) had fallen
from his horse and broken his neck just in front of the
hall gates. In this occurrence he recognised the mis-
chievous hand of Oberon, and, fearful lest by drinking
more he should kill someone else, he took the goblet and
locked it up in a brass-bound cupboard along with the
family relics. On the following day, Richard had the
great good-fortune to rescue both Margaret and the baron
from imminent death at the hands (or, to be more accu-
rate, horns) of an infuriated stag. The gratitude of the
old man knew no bounds, and the incident, moreover,
served to rekindle the amorous flame in the bosoms of the
two aforetime lovers ; and tradition goes on to state that
they were married upon the spot.
Another legend regarding the cup is, that the butler
of the family, having gone one night to draw water at the
well of St. Cuthbert, a copious spring in the grounds
of Eden Hall, surprised a group of fairies disporting
themselves beside the well, at the margin of which
stood the drinking glass. The butler seized the glass,
and a struggle for its recovery ensued between him
December 1
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
531
and the fairies. The elves were worsted, and, therefore,
took to flight, exclaiming :
If this glass do break or fall,
Farewell the luck of Eden Hall !
The wild and hare-brained Philip, Duke of AVharton, is
said, on one occasion, to have nearly destroyed the Luck
of Eden Hall, by letting it drop from his hands ; but the
precious vessel was saved by the presence of mind of the
butler, who caught it in a napkin. A boon-companion of
the duke's, named Lloyd, composed a burlesque poem in
reference to it, written as a parody on "Chevy Chase,"
commencing thus :
God prosper lone from being broke
The luck of Eden Hall !
The goblet, a representation of which is here given, is
preserved at Eden Hall as one of the most cherished heir-
looms of the family. It is a tall tumbler of very thin
S.
glass, green and specky, expanding in easy curves from
the bottom upwards, ornamented on the outside with a
geometrical design in crimson, blue, and yellow, and hold-
ing about an English pint. Its real history cannot now
be ascertained, but from the letters I.H.S. inscribed on
the leathern case containing it, which, with good reason,
is believed to be workmanship of the fifteenth century, it
has been surmised that the vessel was originally used as
a chalice.
Various poems have been written on the Luck of Eden
Hall. The most famous is translated by Longfellow from
the German of Uhland. The ballad gives the reader to
understand that the goblet was broken to pieces; but
the present condition of it does not bear out the state-
ment. Longfellow's translation is as follows : —
Of Eden Hall the youthful lord
Bids sound the festal trumpet's call ;
He rises at the banquet board.
And cries, 'mid the drunken revellers all,
"Now bring me the Luck of Eden Hall ! "
The butler hears the words with pain,
The house's oldest seneschal,
Takes slow from its silken cloth again
The drinking glass of crystal tall ;
They call it the Luck of Eden Hall.
Then said the lord : " This glass to praise,
Fill with red wine from Portugal ! "
The grey-beard with trembling hand obeys ;
A purple light shines over all.
It beams on the Luck of Eden Hall.
Then speaks the lord, and waves it light,
" This glass of Hashing crystal tall
Gave to my sires the fountain sprite ;
She wrote on it, // (feis jrZass doth fall.
Farewell then, O Luck of Eden Hall!
" 'Twas right a goblet the fate should be
Of the joyous race of Eden Hall !
Deep draughts drink we right willingly ;
And willingly ring, with merry call,
Kling ! klang ! to the Luck of Eden Hall ! "
First rings it deep, and full, and mild.
Like to the song of a nightingale ;
Then like the roar of a torrent wild ;
Then mutters at last like the thunder's fall,
The glorious Luck of Eden Hall.
" For its keeper takes a race of might,
The fragile goblet of crystal tall ;
-It has lasted longer than is rieht ;
Kling ! klang ! — with a harder blow than all
Will I try the Luck of Eden Hall."
As the goblet ringing flies apart,
Suddenly cracks the vaulted hall ;
And through the rift the wild flames start ;
The guests in dust are scattered all,
With the breaking Luck of Eden Hall.
In storms the foe, with fire and sword ;
He in the night had scaled the wall.
Slain by the sword lies the youthful lord,
But holds in his hand the crystal tall,
The shattered Luck of Eden Hall.
On the morrow the butler gropes alone,
The grey-beard in the desert hall.
He seeks his lord's burnt skeleton,
He seeks in the dismal ruin's fall,
The shards of the Luck of Eden Hall.
"The stone wall," saith he, "doth fall aside,
Down must the stately columns fall ;
Glass is this earth's Luck and Pride ;
In atoms shall fall this earthly ball.
One day like the Luck of Eden Hall ! "
532
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
J December
\ 1889.
e&ffrrf at $€rrtftum&rtff.
XIL
HAEOLD TO THE RESCUE.
PHEN the Norwegian raids in Yorkshire were
reported to the Saxon King, he was (guard-
ing the Southern coast against the threatened
attack of the Normans. Though he tho-
roughly understood the danger that menaced him, there
seemed no alternative but to leave the visionary foe of
the Channel in order to repel the actual invaders of the
North. Deciding with his accustomed energy, and dis-
playing even more than his ordinary skill, he appeared
amongst his adversaries with a suddenness that sadly
disconcerted them. The Norwegian monarch and his
traitorous ally were still rejoicing over their victory on
the Ouse, indeed, when Harold — who was supposed to be
miles away — dropped upon them as if by a miracle.
Hardrada and Tostig at once fell back upon the Derwent,
and, having crossed at Stamford Bridge, took their stand
on some gently rising ground to the eastward. The posi-
tion would have been a strong one under any circum-
stances ; but with a river in front, and only one narrow
bridge to cross by, it seemed to promise disaster to all
assailants. Every point of 'vantage was seized by the
Norsemen, and considerable military skill was displayed
in protecting them. All round the hill they gathered— in
ranks of equal depth — and with shield touching shield,
the kneeling warriors in the foremost line raised a verit-
able rampart of bucklers. Each man's spear, too, was
firmly fixed in the ground, with the points at such an
angle as to constitute a barrier against the attacks of
cavalry. Behind this formidable obstacle stood a host of
brawny soldiers, armed with lance and battle -axe ; while
further in the rear, and more towards the summit of the
hill, were grouped the bowmen, whose object it was to
harry and discomfit the attacking force before it could
get to close quarters. On the very top of the eminence
— surrounded by a fine array of mounted chieftains —
stood the banner of the appropriately named "Land
Ravager," and, as it gently responded to every passing
breeze, the Saxon onlookers might well have been ex-
cused if they had declined the effort to reach it. But
there was no shrinking on the part of Harold or his fol-
lowers. They calmly rested while the invaders prepared,
and noticed, without misgivings, that even the ap-
proaches to the bridge were occupied in force by their
opponents.
TOSTIG'S FIDELITY TO HIS ALLY.
There seems to have been a hope, indeed, that the
Saxons would find an ally in the Norwegian ranks who
would help materially to equalise the chances of the an-
ticipated encounter. Such at least was the expectation of
Harold. Knowing his brother's changeableness and
love of power, he despatched twenty mail-clad horsemen
to seek an interview with Tostig, and to name the terms
on which he might rejoin his offended brethren. But
terrible as had been the previous delinquencies of this
misguided youth, it should be remembered, to his credit,
that he now managed to keep his word faithfully. He
had bound himself to Hardrada. and he refused to desert
him in1 the hour of trial. Tostig listened patiently while
the Saxon emissaries offered to restore him to the earl-
dom of Northumberland ; but, on their message being
concluded, he raised his handsome face to the thegns, and
inquired — "What territory will Harold give in compen-
sation to Hardrada ? " Indignant at such a query, one
of the horsemen replied, with some bitterness, that only
seven feet of English ground could be granted to the
Norwegian, and even that must be used for his grave.
"Ride back, ride back," cried the spirited Tostig, "and
bid King Harold make ready for the fight. When the
Northmen tell the story of this day, they shall never say
that Earl Tostig forsook King Hardrada, the son of
Sigurd. He and I have one mind and one resolve, and
that is either to die in battle, or to possess all England."
After this bold defiance, there was no alternative but to
fight, and the opposing armies completed their plans for
the morrow's strife.
THE STRUGGLE AT STAMFORD BRIDGE.
It was while smarting under his brother's defiance that
Harold, at daybreak on the morning of the 25th Septem-
ber, 1066, ordered the vanguard of his army to attack the
Norwegian position. The first aim of the assailants was
to force back the defenders of the Derwent Bridge, in
order to secure a clear and uninterrupted passage for the
Saxon host. But the task was by no means easy. The
approach was narrow, and keen blades, in stalwart hands,
soon raised a mound of dead and dying men. Matters
were becoming critical, indeed, when Harold brought up
December (
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
533
a detachment of horse, and sont them at a gallop into the
midst of the foe. The charge was perfectly successful,
and the scattered Norsemen were speedily retreating
towards their comrades on the hill. If the old chroniclers
are to be believed, however, the bridge was not yet won.
A Norwegian, of gigantic strength, stepped into the road-
way, and, like Horatius of old, hewed down all who came
within reach of his flashing brand. One Saxon ** brave"
after another rushed to the fray, but only to succumb to
the death-dealing blows of the champion. When matters
had grown a trifle serious, the end came somewhat unex-
pectedly. What could not be accomplished in open fight
was effected by a clever stratagem. Putting off in a
swine-tub — the only vessel available — a Saxon soldier
paddled towards the bridge, and, while passing beneath
the loosely-timbered flooring, contrived to thrust a javelin
into the heroic defender's body.
ATTACK ON THE HILL.
The obstacle having been thus removed, Harold led his
now irritated followers towards the hill, and a fierce
attack was at once made upon the position. It was too
strong, however, to be easily stormed, and many hardy
Saxons were slain during their mad efforts to get within
the Norwegian circle. Neither cool courage nor impetu-
ous charges seemed of the slightest use, and it thus be-
came necessary to try different tactics. At three in the
afternoon, when the battle had waged six or seven hours,
the bulk of Harold's horsemen made a determined dash
toward's Hardrada's banner, and, for a moment, it
seemed as if the enemy's lines must be penetrated. But
the men held firm, and the Norwegian King — conspicuous
by his dazzling helmet and sky blue mantle — galloped
forward to compliment them on their steadiness. It was
at this period, while the Norsemen were jubilant about
their success, that the Saxon cavalry began a somewhat
precipitate retreat. Deeming their victory now assured,
and fearing to lose the full benefit of their triumph, the
invaders left the ranks, threw down their shields, and set
off in headlong pursuit. Deaf to the remonstrances of
their leaders, and never suspecting a rally, the chase was
continued as far as the level plain. Then came the re-
taliation. While Tostig and Hardrada were using every
effort to get their men again together, the Saxon troopers
turned, and, coming at a gallop along the riverside, bore
down all opposition. They were speedily in the midst
of the demoralised foe, and being ably supported by the
infantry— who now swooped upon the rear — an indiscri
minate slaughter ensued. There was no quarter either
asked or given. With unsparing ferocity, " the hot
swords leapt from bleeding wounds," and curdling gore
stained every spear. Having thrown away their armour,
and being thus practically defenceless, the Norwegians
were utterly unable to retrieve the fortunes of the day.
Their skulls were made to resound with the blows of
glittering weapons, and death overtook them in thousands
as they rushed panic-stricken amid the Saxon ranks.
Hardrada, shot in the neck, was one of the victims of this
carnage ; Tcstig shared his fate ; and quite a brilliant
muster roll of savage chieftains lay with them on the land
they had hoped to conquer.
CAPTUKE OP THE FLEET.
It was only a very insignificant body of Norsemen who,
by a quick retreat, succeeded in reaching the vessels they
had left in the Ouse. Their escape from the field, how-
ever, was useless. The Saxons were at their heels,
"hotly smiting," all through the flight, and arrived in
ample time to capture the fleet before a single vessel
could get under way. In the first flush of excitement
many of the craft were burnt ; but, on Harold reaching
the spot, he put an end to the ruthless destruction, and
ordered all the remaining prisoners to be spared. Olaf, a
son of the Norwegian King, was saved by this timely
decree, and so also was the Earl of Orkney. On being
brought before Harold, they were magnanimously par-
doned ; and, having sworn that they would " for ever
maintain faith and friendship with England," were
allowed to return with their followers to Norway. Five
hundred vessels were required to bring them across the
sea ; but twenty were sufficient to carry them back. The
contrast thus presented made a strong impression on
Olaf's mind, and gained for his subjects a long period of
relief from all external wars.
THE DISASTER AT HASTINGS.
Though magnificent the victory, it undoubtedly proved
fatal to the Saxon rule in England. Harold had lost;
many men in his efforts for Northumbria, and the people
were by no means grateful. They had always opposed
the Saxon leader's assumption of the Crown, and now
that their own district had been cleared of intruders, thev
left him to meet his other troubles without any adequate
support. And those troubles were not long in making
themselves apparent. Three days after the triumph at
Stamford Bridge, the Normans effected a landing at
Pevensey, and, having made secure their position, began
at once to ravage the Sussex coast. Harold was feasting
at York when intelligence of this new danger reached
him. Calling together his shattered forces, and request-
ing Morcar and Edwin to follow with all the men they
634
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
(December
could raise, he returned to the South by forced marches.
London was reached with almost incredible speed, and
every available fighting man having been summoned to
the standard, the Saxon army was led against the foe. It
was this precipitancy, perhaps, more than any other
cause, that brought about the world-famous reverse at
Senlac. Delay could have done no harm, and it might
have led to a much-needed augmentation of our own
ranks. There was a possibility, too, that some of the
Northumbrians might have so far changed their tactics
as to render aid to the Saxon forces. They were known
to favour the claims of Edgar Atheling in preference to
those of Harold, and, under ordinary circumstances, would
have certainly held aloof. Seeing, however, the gravity
of the crisis through which the country was passing, they
could hardly have failed to sacrifice their own feelings for
the general weal. Had they done so, the discomfiture of
the Normans would have been certain. But Harold
would listen to no adviser who recommended him to wait.
He sought the invaders with dodged determination, took
up a position to intercept their advance on London, and,
on the 14th October, fought a battle in which he lost both
life and sceptre, and left his country an easy prey to the
rapacity of the conquerors.
NORTHUMBRIAN REVOLT AGAINST DUKE WILLIAM.
It is unnecessary to give any minute description of the
events which immediately ensued. The Northumbrians
and Mercians discovered, when too late, how terribly
they had erred by refusing their support to Harold.
In»tead of Duke William contenting himself with the
acquisition of Wessex— as they had fondly hoped— he
soon made it apparent that he meant to carry his
operations very much further afield. The movement in
favour of Edgar Atheling was quickly suppressed,
Mercia was occupied, and Northumbria was threatened
with a similar fate if peace and order were not rigorously
preserved. But with such a population threats were
practically useless. By 1068 they were in open rebellion
against the Conqueror's rule, and, on being defeated, had
to submit to the presence of Xorrnau garrisons in both
York and Durham. More plotting followed, and a mas-
sacre of the strangers resulted as a matter of course.
Twelve hundred men, under Robert Comyn, were
slaughtered during the first night of their sojourn on the
Wear ; and a little later, when aided by Scots and Danes,
three thousand more were exterminated in the stronghold
of the Ouee.
THE CONQUEROR'S FIENDISH RETALIATION.
This was too much for the patience of the Norman
King. Placing himself at the head of an immense army,
William began, in 1069, what was called a campaign of
retribution. His first act, on reaching the Humber, was
to buy off the hostility of the Danes. The way thus
cleared, he commenced his operations in earnest, and
carried them to the end with almost fiendish brutality,
York was captured, after a six months' siege, and every
man, woman, and child fell victims to the mad cry for
vengeance. Swarming next to the northward, they
prosecuted with the utmost vigour their organised plan
of devastation — "wasting the cultivated fields, burning
towns and villages, and massacring indiscriminately
flocks, herds, and men." Durham escaped because its
people had fled in terror; but ita defences were seized
and utilised by the overrunning host. For sixty miles
the country was turned into a desert, and not a thing was
left on which the panic-stricken fugitives could subsist
Famine succeeded murder, and tens of thousands of those
who escaped the Norman soldiers were done to death by
the more terrible pangs of starvation. "A havoc more
Decpmber >
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
complete and diabolical was never perpetrated, " and its
effects were still apparent more than half a century
afterwards. With this terrible visitation, the dreams of
Northumbrian independence vanished. The power of
the province was broken for ever, its lands were divided
amongst the Norman chieftains, and the people who aban-
doned Harold found taskmasters infinitely harder than
any of the lords of Wessex could possibly have become.
It was a sorry ending for a district which, under king or
earl, had so greatly influenced the destinies of the land for
so many eventful centuries. WILLIAM LOKGSTAFF.
The dotted lines on our plan show the course of two
great Roman roads. As we have already indicated, most
of the early battles were fought near these old highways
— a circumstance which seems to justify the belief that
they formed the chief means of transit till the advent of
the Normans. Judging from the map, they would seem
to have constituted the most favoured routes for some
centuries afterwards. From Pontef ract to Knareaborough,
indeed, every town has a record of siege and strife ; and
the intermediate plains have been selected for some of the
most sanguinary and destructive encounters in our his-
tory. It would not be possible, in the whole length and
breadth of England, to find a district so brimful of
stirring memories as that lying to the west and south of
Stamford Bridge.
In the famous keep of York Castle — as shown in our
first sketch — we have a fine specimen of an Early Norman
stronghold. Its site, originally, was occupied by a British
camp ; and when this was afterwards seized by the
Romans, it formed a base for all their subsequent opera-
tions to the northward. Agricola and Hadrian frequently
occupied it ; Severus died there ; and, according to many
authorities, it was the birthplace of Constantino the
Great. It was the scene, too, of many stirring incidents
during the Anglian invasions; it was the spot from which
Edwin mainly directed his Christianising efforts ; and it
played a prominent part in not a few of the struggles
with the l)anes. In later times its record has been
equally eventful. It was the meeting place of the first
Parliament mentioned in our history ; and within a few
miles of its massive tower were decided some of the most
decisive struggles that occurred during the wars of the
Roses and the Commonwealth.
The Bayeux tapestry — the most remarkable of all his-
torical records — is the source from whence the picture of
Harold is taken. Though there are many eccentricities
of drawing and colouring, the importance of this renowned
scroll of needlework is beyond question. It may be
doubted whether, with " four shots in his locker," Harold
tried as quietly to take the arrow out of his eye as he is
represented to be doing ; and it may not unnaturally be
objected that nothing in horseflesh ever looked like
Queen Matilda's models. But allowance being made for
small matters of this kind, there can be little doubt that
the work gives us a throroughly reliable description of
the armour, weapons, and accoutrements of the Norman
and Saxon soldiery, as well as many valuable insights
into the manners and customs of an extremely interesting
period.
Our third illustration will possess an especial attraction
for North-Country people. It depicts the Conqueror, at
the siege of York, bestowing upon his nephew the
Northern possessions of Edwin and Morcar. According
to Camden, the charter was in these words : — " I, Wil-
liam, surnamed the Bastard, King of England, do give
and grant to thee my nephew, Alan Earl Bretagne, and
to thy heirs for ever, all the villages and lands which
of late belonged to Earl Edwin in "Yorkshire, with the
knights' fees and other liberties and customs, as freely
and honourably as the same Edwin held them. " It was
to protect the lands thus acquired that Alan built,
"amid a landscape of wild beauty," the castle of stern
grandeur which still rises above the valley of the Swale at
Richmond. The drawing appears among the Cotton MS.
in the British Museum ; but it is said to have originally
held a place m the " Register of the Honour of Rich-
mond." It was reproduced in colours about fifty years
ago by a publisher at York, and a copy of it was dis-
played in the window of a London print shop only a few
months ago.
SHORT and uninviting lane, on the north
side of Gilesgate, Durham, now known as
Station Lane, but formerly, I believe, called
Magdalen Gate, leads past what is now
the goods station of the North-Eastern Company, but
was at one time the passenger station also, to a neigh-
bourhood of retired gardens. One of these is a genuine
old-fashioned English garden, most carefully kept, and
the evident pride of its occupier, Mr. Thomas Coates,
builder, of Gilesgate. This garden encloses the ruined
chapel of the hospital of St. Mary Magdalen, said to
have been founded by one Sir John Fitz Alexander.
From Mr. Coates's garden and its ancient ruin, a
pleasant footpath, winding by the hedegrows of verdant
grass fields, brings us by a rapid descent to the bank of
the Wear, and the splash and ripple of the water, as it
flows over the stones of a ruined mill-dam, greets our ears.
On reaching the river, we turn to our right, and in a few
minutes find ourselves before the venerable gateway of the
Kepier Hospital. This establishment was founded by
Bishop Flambard in 1112. There can be little doubt that
its original site was near the church of St. Giles, and that
it was removed at some subsequent period, possibly by
Bishop Pudsey, who seems to have been a second founder,
and to have remodelled the constitution of the hospital.
He ordered that the house should consist of thirteen
brethren, who should be bound to chastity and the
renunciation of worldly wealth, and to obedience to the
master appointed by the bishop. Of the thirteen, six
were to be chaplains, and were to celebrate mass for the
souls of Pudsey himself and of Flambard, the first founder
of Kepier. All the brethren were to sleep in the dormitory.
The chaplains were to have new boots twice every year,
but the labouring brethren were to be content with shoes
with leather thongs. All other things, as stuffs, linen,
and bed clothes were to be provided as they were needed
at the discretion of the master of the house. By another
charter the same bishop granted the brethren of this
house, amongst many other privileges, pasture for their
cattle in his fields, and pannage of mash and acorn for
their hogs in his forest, as well as a singular permission
that their dogs at Rookhope and in the vaccary of Wear-
dale should not have their forefeet amputated,* but that
* Referring to the barbarous custom of cutting dogs' feet,
D. D. D. writes from Rothbury to the Newcastle Weekly
Chronicle: — "The stipulations of Bishop Pudsey were a
536
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I December
X 1889.
the shepherds should lead them in leashes to guard their
cattle from the wolves.
During the long series of invasions of England by
Scottish forces under Robert Bruce, the hospital of
little more lenient than those of Odonel de TTmfravill,
who, in 1181, granted to the monks of Newminster (Mor-
peth) a lease of common rights in Alwin and Kidland
(Upper Ooquetdale) for 29 Tears. 'The dogs of the
monks to lack one foot, that toe lord's wild animals might
have peace.' In 1168 (1+ Henry II.) Ralph Fitz-Main,
the king's forester in Northumberland, renders an account
to the sheriff of 22s. lOd. from the men of Northumber-
land who did not cut the feet of their dogs. This cutting
was called 'eicpeditation,' and consisted in cutting out
the balls of the forefeet of dogs, for the preservation of
the king's game. The balls of mastiffs were not cut off,
only the claws of each forefoot."
Kepier was fired by the invaders. This happened on the
15th June, 1306. The muniment room was destroyed,
together with all the charters of the hospital. The bishop
ordered a commission to inquire into the losses the brethren
had sustained, and also what lands they had previously
possessed. The result was the preparation of a long list
of grants that had been made to the hospital in time
past, and which shows that at that period its property was
extensive and valuable.
The invasion of the Scots was not the only trouble that
overtook the brethren. In 1351 they suffered from the
ravages of the plague amongst their tenants, from the
sterility of their land, which in that year had scarcely
yielded seed corn, and from a murrain in the preceding
December \
1889. £_
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
537
year, which had carried off 600 sheep. In consequence of
these losses, the bishop granted an indulgence of 300 days
to all persons contributing to the necessities of the
hospital.
The history of this house is chiefly a record of the
successive grants by which it was enriched. When
the dissolution of hospitals was effected by Henry
VIII., all these possessions came into the hands of
the Crown. They were at first granted to Sir William
Paget and Richard Cock, but shortly afterwards reverted
to the Crown, and were then granted to John Cockburn,
lord of Ormeston. By him they were sold in 1568 to John
Heath, of London, the Elizabethan gentleman whose
effigy lies in the chancel of St. Giles's Church. Heath's
grandson, Thomas Heath, sold part of the Kepier estates
in 1630 to Ralph Cole, of Gateshead, son of a blacksmith
and grandfather of a baronet.
Of the hospital itself nothing remains but the gateway,
a triple archway flanked by the apartments of the porters.
The outer and middle arch have been provided with doors,
and some of the hinge-staples still remain. Over the
front are two shields, from one of which time has erased
the bearings, but the other still shows three crowns, the
arms, possibly, of Tynemouth Priory. The gateway itself
is vaulted, with beautiful bosses in the centres. The sup-
porting ribs are rapidly decaying, and here certainly, if
anywhere, some measure of judicious restoration is needed.
The whole of this structure may be appropriated to the
early part of the fourteenth century. The apartments
above the gateway are occupied as the residence by two
respectable people in the humble ranks of life. The
newel stairway by which these upper rooms were formerly
reached is partly broken away, and its basement is now
used as a coal-hole.
Beyond the gateway we enter a lane, and turning
through a garden gate on our right we find ourselves
immediately at the entrance of the Kepier Inn, a large
building chiefly constructed of brick, but having an
open arcade, fronting the sunny south, built of stone.
We see at once that we have before us a house
which has seen better days. When we enter,
and ascend its broad, balustered oak staircase, and
pass into its great hall, of which the walls are still covered
with the remains of splendidly carved panelling, we
shall be still more impressed with a conviction of the past
dignity of the mansion. This was the residence of the
Heaths and the Coles, and was probably built by the
second John Heath, in the latter years of Queen Elizabeth.
J. R. BOYLE, F.S.A.
jjE derive additional pleasure from a beauti-
ful scene when it is presented suddenly
and unexpectedly to our gaze. Abundant
confirmation of this truism is afforded
us when, after passing through the colliery village of
Pegswood, we drop, as it were, 'on to Bothal, half-hidden
in the green valley of the Wansbeck. Our Anglian fore-
fathers had considerable judgment when they fixed on
this lovely spot for a settlement. The name signifies a
mansion-house or hall, says Mr. Longstaffe. " The
538
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
( December
t 1889.
•tudent of the authorized version of Exodus reads that
Pharaoh went into his house. The student's ancestors
read that Pharaoh went into his botlc,"
The village is not a large one, consisting merely of a
few pretty cottages standing amid small flower gardens
on each side of the Morpeth and Newbiggin road in a line
with the castle and the church. These cottages are mostly
of modern construction, built of the close-grained sand-
stone of the district. They are entered through
trellised porches which are in summer bright with the
blooms of climbing plants. Rich meadows and pas-
tures overspread, like a mantle, the rising ground on
the west side of the village. On the east are the
Bothal banks sweeping round in a picturesque curve.
Overlooking, and here and there overhanging, the
river are larches and pine trees in stately ranks, with
birches and hazels amongst them. Brackens and whin
bushes, with several kinds of underwood, find a foothold
on the steep slopes. Near the bridge over the Bothal burn
rise, in full leaved glory, the beech, the ash, and the elm,
with other of the more majestic woodland trees. The
Wansbeck from about Bothal Mill to its confluence with
the Bothal burn makes a bend which is marked in the
Ordnance Survey Map, "Gardener's Wheel." It then
doubles as it were on its course, enclosing a triangular
piece of ground called Bothal Haugh, which is crowneil
by a red-brick building, Elizabethan in style, the resi-
dence of the Hon. and Rev. W. C. Ellis. Huge boulders
scattered along the channel of the river break its current
into foaming eddies and miniature whirlpools. Bothal
Mill, about a quarter of a mile to the south-west of the
village, close to the river, is evidently of some antiquity, for
the oldest tombstone in the churchyard is that of a former
miller — Robert Watson, who died in 1711.
The antiquarian attractions, and, indeed, the chief
picturesque features, of Bothal are the church and the
castle. The former, which is dedicated to St. Andrew,
must have been founded at a very early period, for several
raginents of Anglian crosses were discovered during a.
recent restoration of the church. It was evidently rebuilt
during the latter part of the twelfth century, when the
Norman style was passing into the Early English. Por-
tions of the chancel and a number of carved stones at the
west end of the north aisle belong to that date. The
north aisle with its arcade is Early English work, the
south aisle with its arcade Perpendicular. In addition to
such features as the Early English sedilia and piscina, the
low-side window and squint, the curious recess in the
north east angle of the north aisle, the fine fragments of
fourteenth century stained glass in the tracery of some of
the windows, and the beautifully carved grave covers, the
interior of the church contains a magnificent altar-tomb
of alabaster supporting the effigies of Ralph, Lord Ogle
(died 1513), and his wife, Margaret Gascoigne.
An account of the castle, together with a drawing from
Allom's Views, will be found on page 257.
The history of Bothal is an unevenful one. Much ex-
citement no doubt would be shown in the village when, in
October, 1336, Edward III. and his army passed through
it, and again in 1410 when Sir Robert Ogle, seeking to
dispossess his younger brother of his property, inherited
in accordance with an entail made by his father, laid
siege to the castle, finally carrying it by assault.
The sketch of the village is taken from a drawing by
Mr. Robert Wood, of Newcastle.
WM. W. TOMLINSON.
at
'ft to (ft
airtr
$tcl)arb Sfflelforu.
Jleu. Jttcljarti
Jtt.JL,
A POPULAR CLERGYMAN.
j]HE old chapel of St. Thomas the Martyr at
the north end of Tyne Bridge, united by
charter of James I. to another distinct in-
stitution, the hospital or eleemosynary
house of St. Mary Magdalene, formed a convenient ap-
pendage to the Church in Newcastle, for its emoluments
provided a welcome augmentation to the ofttimes inade-
quate stipends of the local clergy. Held under civic pa-
tronage, the office of master of the united foundations was
usually filled, in conjunction with a lectureship or curacy
— also in the gift of the municipal body — by a member of
some well-known Newcastle family. Hence we find in
the list of past masters the familiar names of Scott,
Brandling, Ellison, Carr, Jenison, Bonner, Davison,
Featherdtonehaugh, Clayton, and Ridley. Few of these
official personages rose to eminence in the Church ; still
fewer to notable positions outside their vocation. The
most prominent man among them, Dr. Robert Jenison,
made his mark at the beginning of the Puritan revolt
by taking the Solemn League and Covenant, and admin-
istering it to his fellow-townsmen — a service which Par-
liament rewarded by bestowing upon him the vicarage of
Newcastle. His successors, silver-tongued Outhbert
Sydenham, who converted Ambrose Barnes, and sturdy
Samuel Hammond, "of the Congregational Judgment,"
were "intruders," appointed under the Commonwealth,
and possessing no local influence or connections. As soon
as Charles the Second came back the Corporation resumed
the practice of giving the mastership to their own kith
and kin, and with the same result.
When Dr. Henry Ridley became master in 1786, he
found that the local clergy performed the clerical duties
of St. Thomas's, and after a trial of the system he de-
termined to make an important change. In May, 1808,
he engaged a curate, the Rev. Robert Wasney, to perform
December 1
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
539
exclusively the ecclesiastical duties of the office. Mr.
Wasney was a preacher of great gifts, and his appoint-
ment produced remarkable results. The old buildine.
yielding to the exigencies of business across the bridge,
had twice suffered curtailment, yet the accommodation
provided had always been in excess of the public require-
ments. But after Mr. Wasney took possession of its
pulpit the place proved inadequate to the needs of the
congregation. After many negotiations, it was agreed
that the Corporation should purchase the chapel, pull it
down, and widen the thoroughfare, and that a new edifice
for public worship should be erected in the Magdalene
Fields at the Barras Bridge. While the details of the
scheme were under discussion, Dr. Ridley died, and the
mastership was given to the Rev. John Smith, vicar of
Newcastle. Within a year of his appointment, Mr. Smith
also died, and on the 26th of July, 1826, the office was
conferred upon the Rev. Richard Clayton.
Mr. Clayton was a youthful scion of a family that for
the better part of a century had been associated with
Clayton.
ecclesiastical and municipal life in Newcastle. His
grandfather had been master of St. Thomas's Chapel
before its amalgamation with the Mary Magdalene Hos-
pital. At the time of his appointment, his father had but
recently retired, after thirty-seven years' service, from the
important position of Town Clerk of the borough, and his
brother John, who still lives amongst us, venerable and
venerated, had succeeded to the father's place and power.
The new master was but a young man of twenty-four,
but he had been well trained, first at Percy Street
Academy, then at Harrow, and afterwards at University
College, Oxford. Assisted by the influence and acting
under the guidance of his brother, he entered with ardour
into the scheme for the reconstruction of his chapel, and
had the satisfaction of conducting it to a happy issue. In
May, 1828, the erection of St. Thomas's Church, Barras
Bridge, the elegant design of Mr. John Dobson, was for-
mally begun; in October, 1829, Mr. Clayton laid the
corner-stone, and a twelvemonth later the edifice was
consecrated and opened for public worship.
With the completion of St. Thomas's, a new impulse
was given to Church life in Newcastle. Mr. Wasney con-
tinued his ministrations as curate, and was as popular in
the new building as he had been in the old. " His voice
was clear, full, and sonorous, and after being a few times
heard could strike terror or pour consolation into any
heart ; could warm the affections, please the fancy, and
inform the judgment. He rose and fell with his subject ;
his eye flashed fire, or melted into tears ; he stood like
Moses over the broken tables of the law, wept like
Jeremiah over the desolations of his country, or reasoned,
like Paul, on righteousness, temperance, and judgment
to come." Mr. Clayton was a warm friend and admirer
of his subordinate, and worked heartily with him. At
first, no doubt, it was the eloquence of the curate that
brought worshippers to the church ; but after Mr.
/f/°K Robert fjfssney.
Wasney's decease it was the gifts of the master that
drew them. Fluent in speech, and impressive in manner,
the preaching of Mr. Clayton attracted a large congrega-
tion of intelligent and well-to-do citizens. Amiable and
tolerant towards conscientious Nonconformity, he was
by common consent placed at the head of religious and
philanthropic movements in which Churchmen and Dis-
eenters were able to co-operate. Thus there gradually
grew up around him a large body of devoted friends,
540
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
December
1889.
both within and without the Church, who followed his
lead in schemes of local benevolence, and strengthened
his hands in the perils of ecclesiastical controversy. Of
this latter element, engendered by the Tractarian move-
ment, there was in Newcastle, as elsewhere, no lack. His
natural disposition was averse to theological disputation
but the clear and decided views which he held upon
Church questions were firmly maintained and piously
exemplified. Staunch and true to the old order of public
worship, beset his face rigidly against " Puseyite inno-
vations." A plain but hearty service, accompanied by
congregational singing, and followed by fervent preach-
ing, were the characteristics of Divine worship at St.
Thomas's, and those who wanted " millinery and mum-
mery." "posturing and Popery," by which alliterative
designations the practices of High Churchmen were de-
rided, might go elsewhere. In a little book about
Jesmond Church, Councillor Cutter, whose father was
for many years officially connected with St. Thomas's,
tells us that —
Mr. Clayton was a sound Churchman, and, as the great
festivals of the Church came round, there was always a spe-
cial sermon suitable for the occasion ; but all ritualism and
high-churchism ho had an utter contempt for. No clergy-
man professing Tractarian principles was ever invited to
in-each at St. Thomas's. When a stranger came to of-
ficiate, and asked, "Have you any chanting? " his usual
reply was, "No, we don't like boys to sing it out for us
here ; \ve like to say it ourselves."
Mr. Clayton's career terminated while he was yet in
liis prime. He was called away, after a short illness, in
October, 1856, at the age of fifty-four. The majority of
his congregation, driven from St. Thomas's by the ap-
pointment uf Vicar Moody as his successor, erected in
Jesmond Road the handsome edifice which, whether
called by its original designation, "The Clayton Memo-
rial," or by its more modern appellative, "Jesmond
Church," keeps his memory ever green. Over the vestry
door, worshippers read the following inscription : — "This
church, consecrated to the Glory ot God, January 14th,
1861, was erected to the memory of the Rev. Richard
Clayton, M.A., who was for 30 years Master of the Hos-
pital of St. Mary Magdalene, and the faithful minister of
St. Thomas's Church, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He died
8th October, 1856, aged 5+ years."
Our portrait of Mr. Clayton is from a painting oy
William Bonnar, R.S.A., and that of Mr. Wasney is
copied from a picture in the possession of Mr. Councillor
Cutter.
(Cock,
JOURNALIST.
Upon the lists of residents in Newcastle the old name
of Cock is no longer to be found. The families that bore
it have died out, or have removed, or by euphonious
transmutations have changed their patronymic into Cook
and Cox. Once it was common in the town. Cock's
Chare, near the site of the ancient Sand Gate, preserves
the memory of Alderman Ralph Cock, Mayor of New-
castle in 1634, and his four well-favoured and well-
dowered daughters, known through all the country-side
until their marriages into the knightly and worshipful
families of Milbank, Davison, Marley, and Carr, aa
"Cock's canny hinnies." In some of the fine old houses
that face the Guildhall (in one of which lived Alderman
Cock's father), and upon tombstones and monuments
in St. Nicholas' Church, are still to be seen the arms of
the family : — Azure, a plate between three cocks argent.
But with the exception of the gifted journalist whose
career is sketched below, no person bearing this old
Newcastle name has come into prominence betwixt
Tyne and Tweed since Alderman Ralph and his family
departed.
William Cock was the eldest son of Joseph Cock,
master mariner, who for the best part of half a century
commanded one of the old "traders" that sailed, as
regularly as wind and weather permitted, between New-
castle and London. He was born in 1805, and, after
receiving the usual schooling, was apprenticed to Mrs.
Hodgson, the printer and publisher of the Newcastle
Chronicle. In the Chronicle office worked his uncle,
Mr. Thomas Penman, after whom one of his younger
brothers, Thomas Penman Cock (who died about twenty
years ago a captain in the service of the Tyne Steam
Shipping Company), had been named. Mr. Penman
was — or shortly before had been — master printer of the
Chronicle, and under his supervision the lad worked out
his term. Among his fellow-apprentices were Michael
Benson and John Selkirk, both well-known local men in
after years, the former as a printer in the Side, and the
latter as a reporter for the Courant, and, subsequently,
in partnership with his brother James, as a general
printer, and publisher of the "Newcastle Town Council
Reports. "
Soon after his apprenticeship expired, Mr. Cock
emigrated to America, and obtained employment as a
compositor in the office of the New York Mirror, edited
by Theodore S. Fay, novelist, literary free-lance, and,
later on, Secretary of Legation at Berlin. While there
he developed a faculty for writing racy articles upon
current topics, and, receiving encouragement from Mr.
Fay, he became a regular contributor to the Mirror.
Poems, tales, sketches, and essays flowed from his pen
most of them marked by considerable humour, and many
of them distinguished by a quaintness of thought and meta-
phor that attracted readers to the paper and brought troops
of friends around the author. A collection of his lightet
productions, published in two volumes by Mr. Fay under
the title of "Crayon Sketches by an Amateur," had a
large circulation in New York, and was popular all over
the Northern States. He wrote, also, the libretto of an
opera, founded upon Sir Walter Scott's poem of "Rokeby,"
for which Mr. Henry Berkeley, afterwards M.P. for
Bristol, composed the music. The opera was performed
December \
1889. j
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
541
in the Park Theatre, New York, by a company composed
of the leading artistes of the time, and was pronounced to
be an unqualified success.
Mr. Cock returned to Newcastle in 1831, married a
Miss Twizell, and settled down to a literary career among
his friends and kindred. Welcomed back to the old
Chronicle office in which he had been trained, he as-
sumed the duties of assistant editor, retaining at the same
time his connection with the New York press — the Mirror,
the Evening Post, and the Home Journal. Some time in
the year 1840, through the influence of Mr. Berkeley, he
undertook the editorship of the Bristol Mercury, then the
leading Liberal paper in the West of England. At
Bristol, as in the States, his gifts were highly appreciated,
and a prosperous career seemed to be opening out before
him ; but very soon after his settlement a series of
domestic bereavements, almost unexampled in number
and frequency, fell upon him, and cast darkening shadows
over his life. In rapid succession he lost wife, father,
mother, brothers, and children. These afflictions, acting
upon a delicate constitution, hastened his own death,
which occurred at Milton Villa, Lampblack Hill, Bristol
on the 18th August, 184-7. Two only of his children sur-
vived him, a son who died about fifteen years ago, and a
daughter, now the wife of Mr. S. O. Watson, merchant,
Newcastle.
dole anb £tr fluljolass ffiolt.
The founder of the family of Cole, of Newcastle and
Brancepeth, was a flourishing tradesman in the straggling
and struggling town of Gateshead at the close of the six-
teenth century. Two of his four sons, Ralph Cole and
Nicholas Cole, came over the water to Newcastle to push
their fortunes, and were successful. Ralph died without
leaving lawful issue ; from Nicholas descended the two
public men whose names stand at the head of this article.
Ralph Cole, second son of Nicholas, and grandson of
the founder, was a Newcastle merchant-adventurer and
hostman. His uncle Ralph had given to him, in 1617,
Scots House and Gilbert Leazes, and like others of his
race he had speculated successfully in commerce. Occu-
pying, therefore, by virtue of his wealth, a considerable
josition at both ends of the Great Bridge of Tyne, the
municipality of Newcastle admitted him into their select
family council. In 1625, a few months after the accession
of Charles I., they conferred upon him the freedom of the
town and appointed him Sheriff ; in 1633, shortly after
the King returned from his coronation in Scotland, they
elected him Mayor, and at the same time, to do him still
further honour, they put his son Nicholas — who had mar-
ried a Liddell of Ravensworth — into the Shrievalty.
Three years before his mayoralty began, the owner of
Scots House had bought from the Heaths the fertile lands
of the dissolved hospital of Kepier ; three years after hia
mayoralty ended, honourably ambitious to found a county
family, he had purchased, in trust for his son Nicholas, the
feudal castle and rich domains of Brancepeth.
What manner of man Ralph Cole was at this time con-
temporary records tell. Passing through Newcastle in
August, 1633, when he occupied the post of chief magis-
trate, three Norwich soldiers, beholding him in his robes
of office, set him down in their diary as " fat and rich,
vested in satin." Writing in April, 1638, the curate of
Brancepeth, noting his conduct as a country squire, tells
Bishop Cosin, "we like our new lord, Mr. Cole, for his
liberali tie to the poore. Hee sent at Christmas 20s. for
them, and other 20s. at Easter, and yesterday (the court
being at Branspeth) hee gave mee 10s. to be distributed
among them." Thus, in both pictures, we see him drawn
as a right worshipful person— rich and portly in New-
castle, rich and generous at Brancepeth.
Both Ralph and Nicholas Cole were ardent Royalists,
and, in the angry discussions that led up to civil war,
they warmly supported the cause of the King. Triumph-
ing over the Puritan party at Michaelmas, 1640, while the
Scots were in possession of the town, Nicholas Cole was
elected Mayor. Shortly after his election, the Scots, pro-
voked by accumulating arrears of the contribution which
Newcastle had promised to pay, put him and the alder-
men into prison, and "kept them in the dark, allowing
them nothing but bread and water." At length, when
terms of peace had been arranged, the King rewarded the
Mayor's loyalty and his father's devotion by creating him
a baronet.
So well had Sir Nicholas Cole discharged the duties of
his perilous office in the municipal year 1640-41 that, at
the ensuing Mayor-choosing, he was re-elected. Again,
when civil strife was deepening into deadly conflict, and
a strong man was needed at the head of affairs in New-
castle— at Michaelmas, 1643, he was for the third time
appointed to that high and responsible office. Thus it
was his fate to be Mayor of Newcastle during some of the
most memorable events in its history. He had ruled his
fellow-citizens during the earlier occupation of the Scots,
and now he was to advise and control them during the
greater part of a protracted and bitter siege by the same
invaders. Before the siege terminated he had handed
over the reins of power to Sir John Marley, but he re-
mained in the forefront of the struggle, and, next to Sir
John, took the most prominent part in directing the
town's proceedings. His name, with that of his father,
his brother James, his father-in-law, Liddell, and his
brother-in-law, Sir George Baker, is attached to that tan-
talising correspondence with Lord Leven, the Scottish
commander, which preceded the final assault and capture
of the town.
Upon the Coles and their fellow Royalists in New-
castle the vengeance of Parliament swiftly descended.
Sir Nicholas had been under its ban before, and appa-
rently had received no great harm. On the 20th Septem-
ber, 1642, the House had passed a resolution ordering
542
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
J December
1 1889.
that he as Mayor of Newcastle, bis father-in-law, and
three others should be sent for as delinquents. But
now the order was more peremptory and more compre-
hensive : —
Tuesday, November 19, 1644. — Ordered that the Com-
missioners and Committee of Parliament residing in New-
castle do forthwith send up in safe custody, these delin-
quents following: -vide licet, Sir Thomas Liddell, Baronet,
Sir Nicholas Cole, Knight and Baronet, Mr. Ralph Cole,
James Cole, Sheriff [brother of Sir Nicholas], Sir George
Baker [and three-and-twenty more].
A few days later the House devoted the greater part of
a sitting to the consideration of civic government and
ecclesiastical promotion in Newcastle. Appointing a
local committee to sequester the estates of local delin-
quent?, they passed this stern resolution : —
Thursday, December 5, 1644. Resolved, &c. That
. . . Sir George Baker, Knight, Recorder, Sir Nicholas
Cole, Baronet, Thomas Liddell, Barunet, Sir Francis
Bowes, Knight, Ralph Cole, and Ralph Cock, Aldermen
of that Town, .Tames Cole, Sheriff, be displaced and
removed from their offices and disabled and disfran-
chised ; and. likewise, the rest of the Aldermen and other
Officers there who have been in Rebellion against the
Parliament, as they shall be presented to the House, be
displaced and removed irom their Offices.
By a subsequent order of Parliament, Ralph Cole was
committed prisoner to London House, and James Cole
and Sir George Baker to Southwark Compter. The name
of Sir Nicholas Cole does not appear in the list, and his
whereabouts, while his friends were in prison, is un-
known. Ralph Cole, as apjiears by the journals of the
House, compounded for his delinquency in July, 1646,
paying £4.000 as a penalty, and his son James, the
Sheriff, in August, paying a fine of £136 6s. Sd. ; but to
no proposal for treating with Sir Nicholas would the
House listen. Within a couple of days of Ralph's com-
pounding, a joint-committee of Lords and Commons
drew up propositions to be sent to the King at Newcastle
for "a safe and well-grounded peace," in which they
made it a condition that certain persons — among them
Sir Nicholas Cole and Sir John Marley — should have no
pardon for their offences.
The resolution by which Parliament sanctioned the
bargain with the elder Cole may be quoted for its inter-
esting details : —
Thursday, July 9, 1646. Resolved. &c. That this
House doth accept of the sum of four thousand pounds
of Ralph Cole, late of Newcastle, Alderman, for a Fine
for his Delinquency. His Offence is : Approving the
sending of a Governor by the King to Newcastle ; joining
with the Earl of Newcastle ; being a Commissioner of
Array, bearing arms himself; arraying the Inhabitants
of that town, and compelling them to carry Arms ;
Complying in the Taking away of the Lives of some,
disfranchising others, burning and pulling down many
houses, sinking Ships in the Harbour there, and other
like Offences. His Estate, Seven Hundred Ninety-five
Pounds for Fifteen Years; One hundred and Fifty
Pounds per annum for One-and-twenty Years; Fifty
Pounds per annum for Two Lives in a Colliery ; and Two
thousand Seven hundred and Seventy Pounds personal
Kstate. But of all which Estate there is issuing Forty-
four Pounds Six Shillings Eight Pence per annum,
SS. Farm i^ent *° the Crown, and Thirteen
v j . , reen
rounds Three Shillings and Fourpenoe per annum for
other Rents.
There are two other entries in the journals which
appear to close the transaction: —
June 12, 1648.— That Mr. Ralph Cole do forthwith pay
fifteen hundred pounds more, as part of his fine, for his
composition, for the Relief of Newcastle, to Sir Arthur
Hesilrige, Governor thereof : Then this House will refer
it to the Committee at Goldsmiths' Hall to review [blank]
Fine set upon him for his Delinquency.
May 22, 1649.— Sir Arthur Heselrigg reports— An Act
for pardoning the Delinquency of Ralph Cole, of Gates-
head, in the County of Durham : Which was this Day
read, and upon the question passed.
Ralph Cole died during the Protectorate, aged about
seventy years. Sir Nicholas lived to see the Common-
wealth fall and Charles II. come back to the throne;
lived to recover and enjoy his forfeited honours. He
does not appear to have taken an active part in public
life after his restoration. The ardour of his early man-
hood had abated. He was even suspected of lukewarm-
ness towards the re-established order of affairs. Guy
Carleton, Dean of Durham, in a letter to the Government,
dated October, 1664, accused him of sympathy with
rebels and disaffected persons in the bishopric— meaning
thereby those whom the Act of Uniformity and the Con-
venticle Act had driven into an attitude of hostility and
resentment. Sir John Marley, too, his old comrade in
arms, failing to persuade him to support Sir James
Clavering for the mayoralty of Newcastle, at the election
in 1665, scornfully wrote of him to Lord Chancellor
Clarendon as "Sir NIC. Cole, who never comes to the
town except to make disturbance." From which, and
similar indications, it may be inferred that the Brance-
peth baronet had become tolerant and forbearing in
his old age, and was no longer prepared to follow his
Royal master in the perilous paths of persecution and
repression.
Sir Nicholas Cole died in December, 1669, leaving the
baronetcy to his son Ralph, who, distinguishing himself
by a love of the fine arts, and exercising a prodigal hospi-
tality, seriously impoverished the family estate. Sir
Ralph's second son, Nicholas, married to the only daugh-
ter of Sir Mark Milbanke, was admitted to the freedom
of Newcastle in 1682, and became Mayor of the town
in the municipal year 1686-7. During his term of office
the great mace of the Corporation was ordered, and
upon that imposing emblem of local dignity and power
his name and ari.is still appear. He and his elder brother
died before their father, and the title descended to
his heir, also named Nicholas, who became the third
baronet. By this time the greater part of the wealth
which Ralph Cole, the Newcastle merchant and hostman,
had accumulated, and the estates which the first Sir
Nicholas had retrieved from forfeiture, had passed into
other hands. At the death of Nicholas the third baronet
in 1710, his brother Mark succeeded to a barren inherit-
ance. He held the title for ten years, and dying a
bachelor was buried at the expense of his cousin, Sir
Ralph Milbanke.
December t
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
543
j]OOLS were not the exclusive possession of
Kings and Queens, for we read that Counts,
Cardinals, Barons, and even Bishops had
their professional jesters. And the fashion
of keeping buffoons passed from sovereigns and private
individuals to corporations, who evidently considered
the merry-maker a necessary part of their retinues.
The "cap-and-bells" seems to have figured pretty pro-
minently in Newcastle-upon-Tyne during the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries, for, on glancing through some
extracts from the local municipal records for the years
1561-1650, I find that several persons are recorded as
having been the wearers of the motley. We learn that at
the same period Thomas Morton, Bishop of Durham,
and many of the gentry, retained these personages
to brighten up the hall and kitchen with their witty
sayings and practical jokes. During King Charles's
abode at Durham, Dicky Pearson, one of the bishop's
fools, meeting the Earl of Pembroke richly and fantastic-
ally attired, aocosted him as follows : — " I am the Bishop
of Durham's fool : whose fool are you t " The Newcastle
characters were indifferently called the "Mayor's Fool,"
the "Town's Fool," and "The Fool." Opinions differ as
to whether these buffoons were employed to raise a laugh
at their masters' expense, or whether they were half-
witted fellows maintained at the expense of the Corpora-
tion. Brand thought that the Newcastle Corporation
anciently kept fools, the same as were to be found in
kings' palaces ; but Alderman Hornby, in his MS. notes
to Brand, controverts this opinion, and contends that the
fools were idiots who were supported by the town
authorities. It would appear that they were engaged
to accompany the mayor and aldermen on public
occasions, such as the proclamation of the Lammas and
St. Luke's Fairs ; and no doubt they were present at all
the corporate feasts, but were especially brought into
requisition at the seasons of Christmas, Easter, Whitsun-
tide, and Michaelmas. It was an ancient custom for
the mayor, aldermen, and sheriff of the city, accompanied
by numbers of the burgesses, to go every year to attend
the feasts of Easter and Whitsuntide at the Forth, where,
forgetting their dignity, they joined the festive throng.
These fairs lasted nine days, and were proclaimed on the
Sandhill. One of the duties of the wearers of the
"cap-and-bells " on such occasions was to go about with
the magistrates, amusing the populace by their quaint and
grotesque motions, their rude and sometimes over-per-
sonal jokes, and by the singing of immodest songs.
The following item is given in connection with these
fairs: — "October, 1576. Paid for a pair of mittens to
Edward Errington, fool, 4d. ; paid for a horse to John
Watson, the fool, for the riding of the fair with
Mr. Mayor, 8d." Errington's death is thus entered in
St. John's Register :— " August, 1589, Edward Errington,
the towne's foole, buried the 23d day of August, died in
the peste." From an earlier record it appears that a
sum of money was in 1535 "paid to Edward Wood,
draper, for cloth and cotton for the fools' coats." After-
wards we find the names of Allon, George Spence, Thos.
Dodds, and Bartye Allyson enumerated as professors of
mirth. Again, during the years 1622-50, a William
Errington, fool, is mentioned. This second Errington
died in 1650, and seems to have been the last of the pro-
fession.
Here are some further items : — Dec., 1561 — Yellow
and blue kersey for the making up of coats and caps ;
linen for shirts and ruffs ; and shoes for the two fools, in
preparation for the Christmas festivity. "October, 1566 —
Item paid for powllinge (cutting the hair) of Bartye Ally-
son the fooll, this yeare, 16d." April, 1591— " Paide to
George Fuster, surgant, for letting John Lawson, foole,
bloud, 8d." In other years, there are charges for a new
knife, a belt, two leather skins, two pockets, a dozen
leather points for Lawson; also "a pair of hose and shoes
for Thomas Dodds, 2s. 8d." Other articles of clothing
are mentioned, such as red russet for their Easter costume,
shirt bands, long coats ; also petticoats, which seem to have
formed part of the attire of fools. Among other entries
are to be found charges for "brode clothe of a skie culler,
to be John Lawson's breeches and jerkers, and skie culler
carse to be stockings and caps for him." " For five yards
of cheche cullered clothe to be a coate; nine yards of
white cotton to be to him a petticott, and a yard and a
quarter of skie cullered carse for his stockings." Under
charge for Lawson we find items for a pair of yellow
stockings, and a reward for "runninge of arrandes aboute
the townes business." In 1598, there are charges for
"brode greene clothe at 8s. 6d. per yard, to make a coate
for Thomas DoddeG, the fool," — " a yard and a quarter of
red carse to garde yt, 5s. 10d., and for a yarde of cottan to
make a petticoate to him. " In 1599 Lawson is down for
a "collered hatt." In 1622 we find John Pithy, chamber-
lain, is repaid for what he "disbursed for cloth and
trimming, and making of Wm. Errington's coate, petti-
coate, and stockenges," and again so late as 1650 there is
a charge for a " payre of shewes. "
If the illuminations of the thirteenth century have done
this strange personage justice, he was an object calculated
to excite the pity and compassion of the spectators rather
than their merriment. He bears the squalid appearance
of a wretched idiot wrapped in a blanket, which scarcely
covers his nakedness, holding in one hand a stick with an
inflated bladder attached to it by a cord, which answered
the purpose of a bauble. During the period of which I
write, a fool's dress consisted of a motley coat, with a girdle,
having bells at the skirt, and sometimes at the elbows.
The breeches and hose fitted close to the body, the colour
of each leg being different. The hood covered not only
the head, but the shoulders, and was crowned by the
644
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
.December
usual cock's-comb. Some jesters carried a staff with a
fool's head at the end of it ; others a staff from which was
suspended a blown bladder with a few peas in it.
The most careful research has failed to unearth any
document giving an account of the witty sayings (if any)
of these fools. CHAS. WM. F. Goss.
2taltmt an tfte
|| HE village of Bolton, or Boulton, so spelt
in old records, has acquired some fame as
being the place where the Earl of Surrey's
army mustered before their final march to Flodden.
It is distant about five miles from Alnwick, at which
town the Earl was joined by his warlike son, the Lord
Admiral. After a Council of War had been held,
the army moved to Bolton. Their march was in a
direct line over Alnwick Moor, past the Cloudy Crag.
They descended what was known at that time as Aberwick
Moor, and crossed the Aln by a ford of the same name,
encamping in front of the village of Bolton upon ground
in every way suited to the purpose. While the army lay
here, it was joined by the Lancashire and West
Riding men.
A black letter tract printed by Richard Fawkes, of
St. Paul's Churchyard, some time between the years 1513
and 1530, places Bolton in Glendale, a mistake easily
accounted for, as perhaps at that time the Vale of Whit-
tingham was considered a part of Glendale. The tract
referred to says :— "The v daye of Septembre his lord-
sbyp in hys approchyuge nyghe to the borders of Scot-
lande mustred at Bolton in Glendayll and lodged that
nyght therein y t felde with all his armye. The nexte daye
beynge the vi daye of Septembre the kynge of scottes sent
to my sayd lor of Surrey a harolde of his called Ilaye,
and demaunded if that my sayde Lorde wolde iustefye
the message sent by the sayd pursevaunte
ruge cros as is aforesayd sygnefyinge
that if my lorde wolde so doo it was the
thynge that mooste was to his Joye end
comforte. To this demaunde my lord
made answere afore dyuers lordes
knyghtes and gentylme nyghe iij myles
from the felde where ys the sayde
harold was apstoynted to tary bycause
he shulde nat vewe the armye that he
commaunded nat oonly the sayde Ruge-
cros to speke and shewe the seyde
werdes of his message. But also gaue
and comytted unto hym the same by
Instruccyon sygned and subscrybed with
his owne hande."
This herald was quartered at a place
called "The Mile," a farm house
standing in a commanding position near a range of
the Cheviots named "The Ryle Hills." This place
is quite three miles distant from Bolton, and a long
way off the line of march that the English army took.
There ia little doubt that the Scottish herald had been
met at Hedgley Ford on the Breamish, and conducted to
"The Mile," where he was kept a prisoner until the
return of Ruge Cros, who had been sent by the Earl of
Surrey with a challenge of battle to the Scottish king.
This ford is about three miles from Bolton, and there
very likely a strong guard was posted. It is rather
remarkable that the fields behind the village of
Bolton still bears the name of "The Guards." The
old road by which the army marched leads direct
to Hedgley Ford, and no doubt guards were posted
along the road to the ford. On the return of Ruge Cros,
the Earl of Surrey divided his army. The Lord
Admiral, with nine thousand men formed the vanguard ;
the Earl himself led the rearguard. " That Stanley might
the vanguard wield " had been refused by the stern Earl.
But on that side the Earl of Surrey
Was deaf, for why, he could not hear ;
For being meved by Stanley's glory,
His rancour old then did appear.
Quoth he, " The King's place I supply,
At pleasure mine each thing shall bide."
Then on each captain he did cry.
In presence to appear that tide.
Thus Stanley, stout, the last of all.
Of the rereward the rule did wield ;
Which done, to Bolton in Glendale
The total army took the field.
All Lancashire for the most part,
The lusty Stanley stout did lead
A flock of striplings, strong of heart.
Brought up from babes with beef and bread.
A spot where such an event took place must be of
interest to many at the present time. It will be seen
from the accompanying sketch that what was called
Bolton Moor at that time is beautiful in situation, as
well as being in every respect adapted for the mustering
December 1
1889. /
NORTB-COUN1RY LORE AND LEGEND.
545
and encampment of a large force. Bolton Chapel stands
close to the field where the host lay, and tradition says
thot the commanders and a number of the officers took
communion in the chancel of the old chapel. Fortunately,
the old chancel is left intact ; the nave was re-built about
forty years ago, and had a transept added to it.
Apart from the incident of Surrey's army being en-
camped there, the spot is extremely interesting. An
ancient leper hospital stood in the ravine behind the
chapel. It was surrounded partly by water and a morass.
A few years ago, a very fine British urn was dug up
close behind the chapel, when a grave was being made. I
have heard of no relics being found on the ground where
the army encamped ; but coins, of various dates, have
been found plentifully in fields adjoining the spot.
The old Aberwick ford, where the army crossed the
Aln, lies further down the river than the bridge seen
in the sketch. The old chapel is hidden by the trees
on the right. I am indebted for the sketch to Mr.
H. P. Taylor, of Shawdon. JAMES THOMSON.
JlNGLAND in 1781 was in the throes of war with
France, Spain, Holland, and the colonies of
America. Threats of invasion greatly dis-
turbed the equanimity of British statesmen. The enemies'
fleets were not only superior on the open seas, but also
masters of the Channel and the North Sea, both of which
were literally swarming with American and French priva-
teers. Commerce was, in fact, almost at a standstill.
The English fleet was helpless : the commanders thereof
could only hope to keep the enemy at bay.
Local shipping was, of course, open to many and
great dangers, and the Newcastle Chronicle of the period
records instances of the capture of vessels bound for
Shields by a noted privateer named Daniel Fall, who com-
manded the cutter Fearnought, of eighteen four-pounders.
This redoubtable sea- wolf had experienced little difliculty
with many of his captures ; but when he attacked the
Alexander and Margaret, of North Shields, commanded
by David Bartleman, a native of Tyneside, he found a
foeman worthy of his steel. Particulars of the engage-
ment appeared in the Newcastle Chronicle at the time.
From these it seems that the fight took place near the
Floating Light off Yarmouth, and lasted three hours.
The enemy was beaten back three times, but, returning
the fourth time, accomplished his object. Captain
Bartleman was severely wounded, while his mate was
killed. The Alexander and Margaret was hulled in about
thirty places, and so was compelled to strike her colours
Being ransomed, she was taken into Yarmouth, where
the injuries of the brave captain received attention.
Notwithstanding that the best medical assistance was
obtained, he died from his wounds. The hero was
accorded a public funeral at Yarmouth. A tombstone
546
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
J December
\ 1889.
erected to his memory in Yarmouth Churchyard bears
the following inscription : —
To THE MEMORY
DAVID BARTLEMAN,
Master of Che bri? Alexander and Margaret,
of North Shields,
Who, on the 31st of January, 1781, on the Norfolk Coast,
With only 3 three-pounders, and ten men and boys,
Nobly
Defended himself against a Cutter,
Carrying 18 four-pounders, and upwards of 100 men,
Commanded oy the notorious English Pirate,
FALL,
And fairly beat him off.
Two hours after, the Enemy came down upon him again.
When totally disabled,
His Mate, DANIEL MACAL'LEY, expiring with loss of blood,
And himself dangerously wounded,
He was obliged to strike and ransom.
He brought his shattered vessel into Yarmouth,
With more
Than the Honours of a Conqueror ;
And died here, in consequence of his wounds,
On the 14th of February following1,
In the 25th year of his age.
To commemorate
The Gallantry of his Son,
The Bravery of his faithful Mate,
And, at the same time, mark the infamy of a savage pirate,
His afflicted father, ALEXANDER BAATLBMAK,
Has ordered this stone to be erected over his
Honourable Grave.
'"Twas j,rreat;
" His foe, though strong, was infamous,
" The foe of human kind.
" A manly indignation fired his breast
"Thank God, my son has done his duly.'1
This interesting memorial of a daring and heroic action
is kept in preservation by the inhabitants of Yarmouth.
David Bartlemnn was a son of Alexander Bartleman,
who, more than a century ago, carried on business as a
shipowner and brewer at North Shields.
Mr. J. W. Carmichael painted a picture of the fight,
which picture is now in the possession of a descendant of
the Bartleman family, Alexander Bartleman Davidson,
master mariner, of Newcastle.
Cftc
0f
Ioh.n £tokoe.
CHRISTMAS DAY IN THE MORNING.
(HE influence of the Scottish Kirk in restrict-
ing the celebration of Christmas festivities
in the Border Counties has left our repertoire
of carols, either religious or festive, very
small indeed; and even those ditties that have been
favourites in the North-Country appear equally popular
in the South, and to be the common property of the Eng-
lish people.
The carol known as " Christmas Day in the Morning,"
after delighting the men and women of a bygone age at
their social gatherings, has experienced the usual fate of a
popular favourite, and has been relegated to the children
of later generations as the melody of a popular round
game.
There are many versions both of words and melody of
this carol ; but the tune we give below is the best known
and most popular in the North.
' I
&=&
i
=^-rH
-0-4
Christ - mag Day, On Christ - mas Day, I
— * — -J—
-> — i — r—
— * F —
» ,
> J —
-j — j — *< —
1 ^
saw three ships come sail - ing by, On
j_<j — -
Christ - mas Day in the morn - ing.
And what was in those ships all three,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
And what was in those ships all three.
On Christmas Day in the morning?
Our Saviour Christ and his ladye.
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
Our Saviour Christ and his ladye,
On Christinas Day in the morning^
Pray whither sailed those ships all three,
On Christinas Day, on Chrbtmas Day,
Pray whither sailed those ships all three,
On Christmas Day in the morning ?
Oh, they sailed into Bethlehem,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
Oh, they sailed into Bethlehem,
On Christmas Day in the morning.
And all the bells on earth shall ring,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
And all the bells on earth shall ring.
On Christmas Day in the morning.
And all the angels in heaven shall sing,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
And all the angels in heaven shall sing,
On Christmas Day in the morning.
And all the souls on earth shall sing,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
And all the souls on earth shall sing,
On Christmas Day in the morning.
Then let us all rejoice amain,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
Then let us all rejoice amain,
On Christmas Day in the morning.
Dr. Edward F. Rimbault, in his " Collection of Old
Nursery Rhymes," first published about fifty years ago,
gives the following words to the same melody : —
I saw three ships come sailing by,
Sailing by, sailing by,
I saw three ships come sailing by,
On New Year's Day in the morning.
And what do you think was in them then,
In them then, in them then,
And what do you think was in them then,
On New Year's Day in the morning ?
Three pretty girls were in them then,
In them then, in them then,
Three pretty girls were in them then.
On New Year's Day in the morning.
And one could whistle, and one could sing,
The other could play on the violin,
Such joy there was at my wedding,
On New Year's Day in the morning.
December 1
1889. f
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
547
Captain
[JOSEPH WIGGINS, F.R.G.S., whose en-
ergy and enterprise have demonstrated
that, through the supposed impenetrable
ice-bound Arctic Seas there is, at a certain
period of the year, a waterway, from which vessels can
ascend large navigable rivers thousands of miles long, and
penetrate into the very heart of Siberia, opening up an
enormous and hitherto almost untouched field for western
commerce, is a native of Norwich. His father, who bore
the same name, was one of three brothers, all coach pro-
prietors. They were the first to establish the system of
running from Norwich to London, or from London to
Norwich, in one day, which was considered at that time a
remarkable achievement.
The future navigator went to sea at thirteen years
of age, joining at Lynn a Sunderland sailing brig,
belonging to his uncle, the late Mr. Joseph Potts,
of Sunderland, builder, and trading to the Baltic and
America. He was apprenticed to that gentleman for
five years, and he made such good use of his oppor-
\xyuAvi .
tunities that by the time his apprenticeship expired
he was mate of the vessel. At twenty-one he was
master of a Sunderland sailing vessel engaged in
the Mediterranean trade. When steam became the
order of the day, he passed an examination so that he
became qualified to command a steam vessel. At the
age of twenty-seven he got the command out of Lon-
don of the largest steamer of that time, the Victoria,
of 4,000 tons burden. He had subsequently great experi-
ence in running steamers in the China, Atlantic, and
other trades, finally commanding his own vessels in the
Southern Seas.
Captain Wiggins afterwards retired from the sea, and
took the Examinership of the Board of Trade for the port
of Sunderland, his duties being to examine captains and
mates of the merchant marine in navigation and seaman-
ship ; but this post he resigned in 1874, after he had held
it for six years, in order that he might realise a wild
dream, as it was then believed to be, of opening out by
sea a commercial route to Siberia.
Chartering a vessel called the Diana, an Arctic yacht
built for sporting, Captain Wiggins on the 3rd of June,
1874-, proceeded direct to the North Cape and thence to
Vardo. As early as the ?.4th of June, he passed into
the Kara Sea ; but that was too early, for he found
an abundance of ice, yet he cruised all round and
surveyed the land for eight weeks. Then he worked
half-way up the Gulf of Obi, and assured himself that
it was all open water. It was not his business to
ascend the rivers, because he knew they were navig-
able, and that there were large vessels upon them to
take passengers and merchandise up the country for
two or three thousand miles. Having demonstrated the
practicability of the sea route, he returned safely home,
after exactly throe months7 absence. It was owing to
this successful voyage, and to the principles thus laid
down by Mr. Wiggins, that Professor Norclenskjold was
enabled in the following year to make his first voyage
to the Yenesei, and ultimately his celebrated voyage
along the Siberian coast and round Behring's Straits
home.
But Wiggins could not afford to charter such a ves-
sel as the Diana every time he went out. So for his
next venture he purchased a little craft, a Yarmouth
cutter, towards the fitting out of which one liberal
gentleman, the late Mr. Edward Backhouse, of Sunder-
land, gave him £100. She was named the Whim,
because, on taking her into the Wear to have her fitted,
he overheard a conversation between a couple of seamen,
one of whom explained to the other that this^ was
" Captain Wiggins's whim." The Whim had the honour
of going to the Kara Sea, but no further, for he could
not attempt to ascend any of the rivers with her. But
he had again demonstrated that that sea was open, and so
he returned to England more hopeful than ever.
The third voyage was made with the Thames, which
Captain Wiggins was enabled to purchase and fit out
owing to a Russian gold mine owner and another gentle-
man having each presented him with a thousand pounds
towards the cost of his next expedition. She was built
at Berwick, and sailed through the Kara Sea in the
middle of July. Some detached ice blocks lay about, but
there was nothing to mar her progress ; and, entering the
mouth of the Yenisei, Captain Wiggins carried the British
548
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f December
1 1889.
Rug for the first time in the world's history up that river
to Yeniaeisk, a distance of upwards of 3, 000 miles. At
Yeniseisk he arrived one Sunday, when thousands of
people flocked down to the river to watch the arrival of
the strange vessel. From this voyage Captain Wiggins
returned home at the beginning cf 1889.
A fourth expedition was undertaken by the gallant
r.avigator a few months later. Setting sail from the
Thames on the 4th of August in a vessel called the
Ijibrador, Captain Wiggins in due course again arrived
at the mouth of the Yenisei. Here, however, he met
with another misfortuue. The river steamer he had
exjiected there failed, for some reason or other, to put
in an appearance. So, after remaining ten or twelve
days, he landed a portion of the cargo of the Labrador,
anil once more sailed for England, reaching London
.•ibout the 15th of October.
Thus ends for the present the intrepid attempt of
Captain Wiggins to open commercial intercourse with
I-.iberia by way of the Kara Sea.
HE oldest fairy tale in the world is believed
to be the one written on papyrus by a
Pharaonic scribe, for the edification of the
young Egyptian Crown Prince, Seti Man-
ppnta, the son of Pharaoh Rameses Mi-amun, who ruled
,n Thebes fourteen hundred years before Christ, and at
whose court Moses was educated. This curious papyrus
was unfolded by a learned German in 1863, and a literal
translation of its contents was read by him to a Berlin
audience in the winter of that year — thirty-two centuries
;ifter it had been written.
A good-si/.ed library would be required to contain all
the rich fairy literature that the fertile human imagina-
tion has invented since the days of Moses and Aaron,
Jannes and Jambres. Fickle fancy has no more pleasant
fielc! to revel in ; but we must not allow her to roam to a
distance here. We must stay at home and speak only of
our own North-Country Fairies.
Brand, in his "Antiquities," under the heading "Fairy
Mythology/' had gathered together a mass of interesting
items, but most of them are drawn from places more or
less far away. All he says with regard to the "good
people" in this part of the country is:— "I have made
strict inquiries after fairies in the uncultivated wilds of
Northumberland, but even there I could only meet with
a man who said that he had seen one that had teenfairief
Truth is hard to come at in most cases. None, I believe,
ever came nearer to it than I have done."
Mr. Henderson, in his "Folk-Lore of the Northern
Counties of England," bas likewise but few references to
the fairies of the two North-Eastern Counties. He tells
us, indeed, of the Elf Stone, which " is described a*
sharp, and with many corners and points, so that, which-
ever way it falls, it inflicts a wound on the animal it
touches." "Popular belief," he adds, "maintains that
the elves received these stones from old fairies, who wore
them as breast-pins at the fairy court, and that the old
fairies received them in turn from mer-maidens." They
are in reality flint arrow heads, fashioned by our ancestors
in what is known as the Stone Age, and now familiar to
all frequenters of local museums, where they may be seen
of all shapes and sizes.
We are most of us familiar with those curious natural
phenomena called Fairy Rings. Some attribute them to
the growth of fungi, spreading from a centre ; others
think they are caused by lightning ; but the vulgar
opinion is that they are spots where the fairies have beeu
dancing in a ring by moonlight, and have trodden down
the grass with their tiny feet, for they are diminutive
creatures, about the size of children five or six years old.'
Friday is the witches' Sabbath, but Wednesday is the
Sabbath of the fairies. Every Friday, however, the
"good people'' divert themselves with combing the beards
of goats.
In the olden time, it was not uncommon for the kitchen
wench in a farm-house to discover, when she rose with the
sun or before it, that the floor had been clean swept, and
every article of furniture put into its proper place, by
some kind sleight-of-hand fairy during the night. These
were the days when great part of this country-side was
still in a state of nature— bogs undrained, fields unfenced,
leys untilled, and the inhabitants almost as rude and un-
tutored, in the schoolmaster's sense, as Zulus or Maoris.
But now the servant girls get no such supernatural help,
but must do the needful work themselves.
Formerly fairies were much addicted to stealing the
most beautiful and witty children they came across,
and leaving in their places such brats of their own a*
were prodigiously ugly and stupid, mischievously inclined,
or of a peevish and fretful temper. These elfish imps
were termed Changelings. Some will have it that the
"good people" could only exchange these weakly ill-
conditioned elves for the more robust children o£
Christian parents before baptism, and that they could not
do so even then if a candle was always kept burning a
night in the room where the infant lay.
The fairies used to be heard patting their butter on the
slope of Pensher Hill, when people were passing in the
dark. A man once heard one of them say, " Mend that
peel ! " Next day, going past again, he found a broken
peel lying on the ground. So he took it up and mended
it. The day after that, when going along the road with a
cart, he saw a piece of bread lying on a stone at the root
of the hedge, at the identical place, with nice-looking
fresh-churned butter spread upon it ; but he durst neither
eat it himself nor give it to his horses. The consequence
December \
is.-'.i. ;
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
549
was, that before he got to the top of the "lonnin," both
his horses fell down dead. And thus was he condignly
punished for his want of faith in the fairies' honour. We
may observe that what is commonly known as Fairy
Butter is a certain fungous excrescence sometimes found
about the roots of old trees. After great rains, and in
a particular state of putrifaction, it is reduced to a con-
sistency which, together with its colour, makes it not
unlike butter; hence its name. When met with inside
houses it is reckoned lucky. Why so, we cannot tell.
There are several round green hills in Durham and
Northumberland which were formerly supposed to be in-
habited underground by the fairies. We have met with
people who knew this to be a fact, because sometimes, in a
fine still summer night, they have themselves lain down
on these green hills, with their ears close to the ground,
and have heard piping, fiddling, singing, and dancing
going on far down in the interior. When questioned as to
whether the sounds might not rather come from some
neighbouring village or gipsy encampment, they would
reply that that was quite impossible. "No, it was the
fairies ; everybody knew it was ; hundreds had heard
them; there could be no doubt it was the fairies."
Indeed, almost every circular mound in the North must
once have been thus inhabited, if all the tales be true.
One such place is the site of the old fortress of the
Conyers family at Bishopton, called the Castle Hill.
Another is a remarkable tumulus between Eppleton and
Helton, consisting entirely of field stones gathered
together . At the top of this is a little hollow, called the
Fairies' Cradle, and there the fairies formerly used to
dance to the music made on a peculiarly sweet toned pipe
by a supernatural minstrel. Ritson speaks of some fairy
hills at Billingham, and Mr. W. H. D. Longstaffe tells us
of a very famous one at Middleton-in-Teesdale, called the
Tower Hill, close to Bounties Lane (originally Pont Tees
Lane). A person informed Mr. Longstaffe that his
grandmother frequently asserted that she had seen the
fairies go from that hill to the Tees to wash themselves,
and to wash their clothes also. Moreover, she once found
a fairy, like unto a miniature girl, dressed in green, and
with brilliant red eyes, composedly sitting on a small
cheese-like stone near her house. She took this strange
creature into the kitchen, set it by the fire, and gave
it some bread and butter, with sugar on it, which it ate ;
but it cried so bitterly that she was obliged to carry it
back to where she found it. She, however, kept the elfish
stone, and it may be in existence until this day. The old
woman preserved it most religiously, not suffering it to
be touched, and always had it under the table in the
pantry, for what purpose is not stated. Ritson deduces
" Ferry Hill" from "Fairy Hill."
Near Marsden, in one of the limestone caves with which
that neighbourhood abounds, is the Fairies' Kettle, a
circular hole in the rock, about five feet deep, filled with
pellucid salt water, the sea covering the place at spring
tides, and occasionally leaving a few little fishes in it, to
swim gaily about in a fairy-like fashion, as in an aquarium
of Nature's own forming.
While the Foul Fiend used to appear in the shape of a
black dog, and his poor deluded hags, the witches, in that
of a hare, the fairies were wont at times to assume that of
a cat. The following tale is told confirmatory of this : —
A Staindrop farmer was crossing a bridge at night, when
a cat lumped out, stood right before him, looked him in
the face earnestly, and at last, opening its mouth like
Balaam's ass, said in articulate vernacular North-country
speech : —
Johnny Reed ! Johnny Reed !
Tell Madam Mumfort
'At Mally Dixen's deed.
The farmer came home and told his wife what he had
seen and heard, when up sprang their old black cat. which
bad been sitting cosily beside the fire, and, exclaiming,
"Is she? Then aa mun off!" bolted out at the door
and disappeared for ever. It was supposed that she was a
fairy in disguise, and that she had gone to attend the
funeral of a relative, through whose death she might have
come in for some legacy.
At Chathill, near Alnwick, there was a large fairy ring-,
round which the children used to dance. But if they ran
round it more than nine times, some evil, it was thought,
was sure to befal them. So they would go the appointed
number, but never more.
The Henhole, on the north side of the Cheviot, is a
chasm in the midst of green slopes and heathy solitudes, so
deep and narrow that the rays of the sun never enter, and
a small patch of snow, called a "snow egg" is frequently to
be be seen at midsummer. Some hunters were one day
chasing a roe, when they noticed issuing from the depths
of the ravine the sweetest music they had ever heard.
Forgetting the roe, which bounded away unheeded,
they were impelled to enter to see who the musicians
were, but they could never again find their way out.
Only one who had been left behind, owing to his being
worse mounted than the rest, hesitated when he reached
the brink of the " hole," and came back to tell the tale.
A widow and her son, a wilful little fellow, in or near
Rothley, in the parish of Hartburn, famed in the days of
border "raids," were sitting alone in their solitary cot-
tage, one winter evening, when the child refused to go to
bed, because, as he averred, he was not sleepy. His
mother told him that, if he would not go, the fairies
would come to take him away. He laughed, however,
and sat still by the fire, while his mother retired to rest.
Soon a beautiful little figure, about the size of a child's
doll, came down the wide chimney and alighted on the
hearth. " What do they ca' thou ? " asked the astonished
boy. "My Ainsell, " was the reply, " and what do they
ca' thou?" "My Ainsell," retorted he, and no more
questions were asked. Shortly they began to play to-
gether, like brother and sister. At length the fire grew
550
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f December
I 1889.
dim. The boy took up the poker to stir it, but in doing
so a hot cinder accidentally fell on the foot of his strange
playmate. The girl set up a terrific roar, and the boy
flung down the tongs and bolted off to bed. Immediately
the voice of the fairy mother was heard, asking "Who's
done it ? " " Oh, it was My Ainsell, " screamed the girl.
"Why, then," said the mother, "what's all the noise
about ? There's nyen to blame."
A cottager and his wife at Netherwitton, on the banks
of the Font, were one day visited by a fairy and his
spouse, with their young child, which they wished to
leave in their charge. They agreed to take it for a cer-
tain period, after which it was to be reclaimed. The
fairy woman frave them a box of ointment, with which to
anoint the child's eyes ; but they were not on any account
themselves to use it. or some misfortune would befall them.
For a long time they carefully avoided letting the least
particle stick to their fingers ; but, one day, when his
wife was out, curiosity overcame prudence in the man's
mind, and he anointed his eyes with the forbidden stuff,
without any noticeable effect. Bvit some short time after,
when walking through Longhorsley Fair, lie met the male
fairy and accosted him. The elf started back in amaze-
ment, but, instantly guessing the truth, came forward and
blew in the cottager's eyes. The effect was instantaneous.
The poor man was struck stone blind. He was led home
by some kind neighbours, but never recovered his sight.
And the fairy child was never seen 7iiore.
A particularly clever midwife once nourished some-
where about Elsdon. A messenger on horseback came
and called her out of bed one night, and told her that she
must instantly rise and go with him to the place where he
had hastily come from, a good distance off, where a lady,
whose friends could afford to pay her handsomely, was in
sore want of her attendance. She must, however, submit
to be blindfolded, as the expected event was to be kept a
secret. The man gave her something in hand, by way of
earnest, and she consented to mount behind him on a pil-
lion. Then fast, fast away they rode. Arrived at their
destination, the howdie was introduced into the room
where the lady lay, and the bandage was removed from
her eyes. It was a very neat and comfortable place, but
a place she had never been in before. After she had suc-
cessfully performed her office, and relieved the mother as
well as could be expected, the man got from an old crone
who was sitting in the room a box of ointment, with which
the midwife was told she must anoint the baby, but be
careful not to let it touch her own person. She accord-
ingly did as she was bid, having no mind to try any such
experiments on herself, as she did not know of what the
stuff consisted. But, feeling an itching in her eye, she
put up her hand unconsciously, and now saw everything
in a different light. Instead of a cosy room it was a wood
she was in. There waa a hollow moss-grown trunk
instead of a fireplace. Glow-worms supplied the place of
lamps, and the lady was evidently a fairy woman. But,
though mightily astonished, the midwife retained her
self-possession, finished her task, was again blindfolded,
got mounted behind her mysterious conductor, and ar-
rived safely home, with a good heavy purse of fairy
money in her pocket. One market-day soon after, she
saw the old crone who had handed her the box, and had
likewise been her pay-mistress, gliding from one basket
to another, among the farmers' and hinds' wives, passing
a little wooden scraper along the rolls of butter, and care-
fully collecting the particles thus purloined into a vessel
hung by her side. After a mutual but silent recognition,
the old elfin lady inquired, "What eye do you see me
with?" "With the left eye," was the innocent answer.
"Well, then, take that!" muttered the crone, as she
startled her with a sudden, sharp puff. From that mo-
ment she was a one-eyed woman.
Another version of the story is that it was a certain
country doctor who received the eye salve from his elfin
conductor, and that, after he had anointed his eyes with
it, he saw a splendid portico in the side of a steep hill, to
which he was taken by his guide. He entered and found
himself in a gorgeously furnished hall fit for a royal
residence. On coming out, after performing his office,
Another box was put into his hands, and he was told to
rub his eyes with its contents. He rubbed only one eye,
however, and with it saw the hill in its natural shape,
palace and portico having vanished. Thinking to cheat,
the devil, whom he concluded his conductor to be, he
feigned to rub the other eye also, and then galloped off
home. But, afterwards, seeing the fairy husband stealing
corn m Morpeth market, he accosted him with the same
melancholy result, losing for ever the sight of both eyes.
It was with tales like these that our grandmothers and
great-grandmothers entertained their hopeful offspring.
df00tfcall at
j|OR grotesqueness and whimsicality, for "divar-
shon and divilment," for fragrant odours and
filthy defilement, football at Workington, as
I saw it on Easter Tuesday last, just "licks all creation."
I have sailed over most of this small planet of ours, and
can honestly say I have seen nothing like it, nor, indeed,
anything approaching it. And each year it gets worse —
or better, just according to whether you like such games
or no.
It has many times been described, but each year there
is some fresh incident in connection with it. I trust that,
being a very ancient game, and played, as I think, in a
manner altogether unique, the following description of it,
though somewhat lame perhaps, may be found interest-
ing. This is how I saw it, and how I have seen it on
several successive years.
Something like seven or eight thousand people of all
December 1
1839. j
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
551
ages and conditions in life are seen trampling, and shov-
ing, and squeezing to look at the players up to their knees
in the horrible filth of a beck not a dozen feet wide,
and the whole of them rammed, and jammed, and twisted
into one immense and apparently inextricable human
knot, as though some mighty sea serpent had been cut up
into six feet lengths and tied together, each compo-
nent part of which was struggling to free itself from
the general mass. Look at the smoke and steam
ascending to heaven from this living human cauldron !
Look at them, panting, struggling, twisting, tumbling.
and striving ! Too hoarse to shout, they can only eject
their bare arms from that living mass, and wave them
either to the east or the west to show in which direction
they want the ball to go, whether, to use a local .phrase,
they are "Uppies" or "Downies." Ah, there it goes
over the heads of the players, and lauds right in the
bosom of a decently-clad looker-on. Before he' knows
what's the matter he is overwhelmed with humanity, the
ball is wrestled from him, and he himself is in the
middle of the beck spluttering and struggling in two feet
of water and ditto of mud.
Now the ball is back agaiu in the same old spot, and
once more the players tie themselves into a knot, and
again the struggle commences. Look at the clothing of
the players. Why, it is a mere mockery ! One fellow
has lost the biggest part of his trousers and the whole of
his shirt, with the exception of one sleeve, which is kept
in position by his paper collar ; and another has scarcely
that much left to cover him. Not one out of twenty has a
whole garment about him, and what he has is completely
saturated with filth from the beck into which the ball
has got and doesn't seem likely to get out. Hulloa !
What's that, the football ? No, it is simply the remains
of a mud-begrimed shirt, that has been ripped off some
fellow's back and flung high in the air. And there goes a
hat, and then an old boot. And what's that going up
now? Ah! " Up with her !" Tis the stiffened remains
of a cat, and down she comes with a dull thud on the
bare back of one of the players, who takes no notice what-
ever. Still the scrimmage goes on, and the awful knot
makes no attempt to untie itself, for the ball is somewhere
in the midst, and, although the stench is enough to put
the pole-cat to shame, no one thinks of giving in.
Look there, now, at those half dozen men on the out-
skirts of the crowd ! They look as though they had been
dragged head first through a sewer a mile long ; but there
is not enough excitement for them in the scrimn:age, it
appears, for ttey have got out of it on purpose to have a
fight. They go at it in the middle of the beck — whack,
plump, splash ! over they all go, under the water and
into the mud— and, as they plough up the bottom
of the beck with their noses, if it wasn't for the
whisky that's in them thp •'••ench would surely
kill them ! " Hi up ! look out there, here she
comes ! Turn round and run, missus ; off you go,
or you'll be trampled to death ! " " Up with her ! "
"Down with her ! " " Yah ! ! " And with a frightful
and prolonged war-whoop the whole seven or eight
thousand begin a stampede towards the east. Look
at that well-known and respectable citizen — Ha, ha, ha !
he's just run foul of one of those black savages out of the
beck, and, though he only embraced him for an
instant, you might think he had fallen into a verit-
able mud-hopper. Good heavens ! there's a child
will be killed ! No, he's just snatched up in time.
" Go on, mister, what are yer stopping on ? "
" Here, just stop it, will yer ?" " Curse yer mis —
"Oh my! let go my hair!" "Hi, look here, if "
"Bla " "Mind yer bustle, missus " "You just
keep your hands to your " "Go on, go on!" "Up
with her!" "Down with her!" "Go back into the
beck, you black devils, and fight it out there, where we
can have a look at you without all this running and
stamping and shoving and bother ''
Yes, as I was saying, this is a rather tame description
of what may be seen at the Workington football play on
Easter Tuesday. SERGEANT C. HALL.
£tmttf at fittocxtitlc.
£h,e Cljsrotrk floati pistrict.
[LSWICK KOAD is an important thorough-
fare of Newcastle, branching off to the
left from the top of Westgate Hill, and
proceeding in the direction of Benwell. We
note on our right hand, at the junction, a cemetery, now
disused for its original purpose. It was intended mainly
for the interment of Nonconformists, and hence it was
recorded of it that, "in this place there are no restrictions
as to rites and ceremonies ; these are left entirely to the
pleasure of surviving friends." The ground was bought
from the late Mr. John Hodgson-Hinde by a shareholding
company, and covers an area of about three acres. The
first interment took place on Sunday, October ISth, 1829,
when the remains of Mrs. Joseph Angus were restored to
their kindred earth. Of the monuments, one of the most-
striking is that erected in memory of the late Mr. Bruce,
schoolmaster, the father of the venerable antiquary, Dr.
Bruce. The remains of Eneas Mackenzie, one of the
historians of Newcastle, are also buried here.
Across the way is a short street leading to St.
Matthew's Church, erected on the site of the vicarage
of St. Paul's. St. Paul's Church itself we shall see a
little further on, in a street leading out of Elswick Road
to the right. Away down the hill in Summerhill Grove
is a building called the Priory (now in the hands of the
Roman Catholic body), which is said to have been built
by Cuthbert Rippon, Esq., of Stanhope Castle, who was
r.
554
MONTHLY CHRONICLE
I December
elected the first member for Gateshead under the Reform
BUI of 1832.
Passing York and Lancaster Streets, suggestive of the
Wars of the Roses, we pause to look at a substantial
stone building now used as a public-house. It is called
Adrianople; the sign of the inn itself is the Adrian's
Head. Probably these names have been given from the
circumstance that the Roman Wall passed over the site
of the building iu the bygone days. Much of this wall
was ploughed up towards the end of the last century.
The neighbourhood was at one time a rather dangerous
one. Thus, on the night of March 7, 1848, as one John
Sinton, a miller, was on his road home, he was accosted
by two women, "Are we on the right road to Hexham ? "
He paused to answer their question, when he was
attacked by three men, who robbed him of £4 15s., a
bunch of keys, and a gold ring. The daring thieves were
never caught.
On the opposite side of the way, down the hill towards
Westmoreland Terrace, is a building known as the
Barber-Surgeons' Hall. Here the College of Practical
Science had its early home, but the place is now
utilised as the parish schools of St. Paul's. The Barber-
Surgeons' Company dates back to the year 1442 at least.
In 1671 they became the Barber-Surgeons and Wax and
Tallow Chandlers' Company. They were stout Sab-
batarians. No barber, apprentice, or servant was to
shave on a Sunday, "neither within the town or without,
by a mile's space." Some of the entries in their books
are curious. For instance, here is a bill of fare for the
members of the company, dated October 28, 1478, in
the reign of Edward IV. : — "To two loins of veal, 8d. ;
two ditto of mutton, 8d. ; one do. of beef, 4d. ; two legs
mutton, 2/Jd. ; one pig, 6d. ; one capon, 6d. ; one rabbit,
2d. ; one dozen pigeons, 7d. ; one fjoose, 4d. ; one gross
eggs, 8^d. ; two gallons wine, Is. 4d. ; eighteen gallons
ale, Is. 6d. ; total, 7s. 6d. " One hundred and twenty-four
men dined off this bill of fare. Again, in the accounts
for 1691, we read : — " Disburst about the man that was
given the company for dissection," amount not stated.
"April 6, 1711, four statues ordered to be bought, not
to exceed fifteen pounds. April 9, 1711, a skeleton
ordered to be bought in London, not to exceed six
guineas. December 11, 1711, ordered by a full vote in
the company, that perry wigg-making be from thenceforth
accounted as a part and branch of the company. June
14, 1742, ordered that no brother shave John Robson till
he pays what he owes to Robert Shafto."
We pass on, and find ourselves at the head of Rye Hill,
a broad street running down to Scotswood Road, and
made up of a row of tall houses, conspicuous amongst
them being the Vicarage, now in the occupancy of the
Rev. Canon Lloyd, Vicar of Newcastle. Opposite it
stands the pretty church of the Hospital of St. Mary
the Virgin, which hospital, as every Northumbrian
knows, stood originally in the Forth, and was for many
generations used for the purposes of the Royal Free
Grammar School. The foundation stone of this modern
structure was laid in 1856. Almshouses for the brethren
were also erected at the same time. The church is in the
Decorated style of architecture, and is adorned with a
lofty and elegant spire. The almshouses are within the
same ground. Here dwell the brethren of the charity.
In Rye Hill itself resides the master of the hospital, the
Rev. Robert Anchor Thompson. Behind the almshouses
is St. Mary's School for Boys. In the immediate neigh-
bourhood is the spacious new building in which the
Royal Grammar School finds an appropriate home, and
the foundation stone of which was laid by the late Lord
Ravensworth.
There are many ecclesiastical buildings in this portion
of Elswick Road and its neighbourhood. The Church of
England, the Wesleyans, the Presbyterians, the Roman
Catholics, and the Catholic and Apostolic Church
founded by Edward Irving, of the "gift of tongues"
fame, are all represented here ; but we may walk on.
until we reach the modest little gate of the Elswick Park.
opposite which, as seen in the annexed engraving, stands a
handsome church of the Wesleyan body, built a few years
ago. The town, and especially the people of Westgate
and lilswick, have reason to be proud of Elswick Park.
They very nearly lost it, though ; for the omnivorous
builder had his eye upon it, and the Corporation seemed
indisposed to secure it. In this emergency some public-
spirited gentlemen advanced the money, purchased the
hall and grounds, and were content to hold them until an
arrangement could be come to with the Town Council,
which was eventually done. A drinking-fountain in the
park records the names of these benefactors : — Joseph
Cowen, William Haswell Stephenson, Thomas Gray.
William Smith, and Thomas Forster.
Let us look at Elswick Hall for a minute or two.
Fifty years ago it was a country residence. It was-
enclosed in a wide extent of ground, well planted, and
laid out in walks. The bouse was surrounded by trees,
and so could only be seen from the river or from its
opposite banks. The grounds extended from Elswick
Lane to Scotswood Road. Adjoining the lodge gate
at the latter place was a plantation, known by the
name of Hodgson's Dene, through which a tiny brook
ran down to the Tyne. The house is built of stone, with
a front composed of four Ionic columns, and, originally,
two wings. An additional wing seems to have been
added at the western end later on. It was built about
the beginning of the present century from designs by
Mr. John Stokoe, of Newcastle, architect ; the old
village of Elswick, long the property of the Jenisons, being
taken down to make way for it. Of old, this place
belonged to the Priory of Tynemouth, which had much
property in the locality. So far back as the year 1330
mention is made of the prior having collieries on his
Elswick estate. The last of the Jenisons to own the
December!
1889. j
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
555
property was one Ralph, who was high sheriff of
Northumberland in 1715, and who represented the county
for many years in Parliament. He sold the estate to
John Hodgson, Esq., whose grandson of the same name
built the hall, and became the father of Richard
Hodgson, member for Berwick and other places, and
of that John Hodgson who was for a time one of the
members for Newcastle, and who was known far and
near as John Hodgson-Hinde. Afterwards it became the
residence of Richard Grainger, and then of Mr. Christian
Allhusen, chemical manufacturer, who sold it, as we
have seen, to the gentlemen whose names we have given
above, and who in their turn transferred it to the Cor-
poration for the purposes already indicated. Models of
556
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f December
1 1889.
the principal works executed by Lough and Noble, the
sculptors, are now housed in the hall.
A few steps further bring us to Elswick Cemetery.
The grounds are very prettily laid out, and in the
pleasant summer time they have numerous visitors.
Amongst other remains buried here are those of two
Chinese sailors who died whilst their vessel was in the
Tyne, and who were buried according to the rites of
their own religion. Some handsome monuments adorn
the cemetery. One of them, unveiled some time ago by
Mr. Joseph Cowen, perpetuates the memory of the
famous Tyneside orator, Charles Larkin. It was erected
mainly owing to the exertions of Mr. John Kirton, an
old friend of the eloquent tribune.
And now we have got to the end of our journey. Alas !
to many amongst us this will probably be in very truth
our last. For the days will come upon us, sooner or later,
uhen the silver cord shall be loosed, and the golden bowl
tv broken, and the pitcher be broken at the fountain, and
the wheel broken at the cistern !
jjURIN'G the dark ages that succeeded the
departure of the Romans from Britain, great
part of the island relapsed into a state of
nature. The self-sown forest resumed its
ancient domain ; the beavers multiplied and dammed up
the rivers ; the low-lying lands were converted into
bottomless quagmires ; and hideous reptiles and other
wild creatures took up their abode where formerly men
had dwelt. Enormous serpents, snakes, adders, or worms,
according to legend, took possession, in all parts of the
country, of congenial ''sloughs of despond," from which
they were wont to emerge daily or nightly to devour
every living thing within their range, either fascinating
them by their basilisk eye or poisoning them with their
venomous breath. Of the popular belief in these monsters
we have existing testimony in the names of places such
as Wormbridge, Wormbrook, Wormsay, Wormley,
Wormiston, Ormiston, Ormesby, Ormside, Ormskirk,
&c. Legends connected with the pestiferous monsters,
whom the much excited imagination of the people
sometimes furnished with wings as well as feet,
converting the "worms" into dragons, are current
from Cornwall to Caithness, as may be seen in any
good collection of British folk-lore.
The valley of the Wear above Durham was a favourite
place of resort for the wild boar, as was likewise that of
the Gaunless, or Garundlesse, about the Aucklands,
Akelands. or Oaklands of the prince-bishops, long before
the mortal remains of St. Cuthbert found their final
earthly resting place on the hill denoted by the Dun
Cow. The town of Bishop Auckland comprises in its
eastern suburbs seven detached portions of the township
of Pollard's Lands, which is said to have acquired its
name from the fact of a champion knight called Pollard,
who had freed the neighbourhood from the ravages of
"a beast men call a bore," having had as much land
granted to him by one of the bishops as he could ride
round while the grantor dined. The knight managed to
compass a circuit enclosing nearly five hundred broad
acres, lying on the east side of the Gaunless, so that he
must either have ridden pretty fast, or the right reverend
prelate must have tarried long at the table. The particu-
lars of the fight with the boar have not been handed down
to us by local tradition, but we may reasonably suppose
them to have been similar in character to those recorded
of " the fair Sir Eglamore " alluded to by Shakspeare in
the "Two Gentlemen of Verona."
In after ages, the legend of the Pollard boar was
changed into one of a serpent, a loathly congener of the
Sockburn and Lambton Worms of the County Palatine
of Durham, the Linton Worm in Teviotdale, and the
worms which we may take for granted once infested the
Worm's Head in Glamorganshire and the Great Onne's
Head in Carnarvonshire. The reptile whom the ancestor
of the Conyers family slew on the banks of the Tees has
its effigies sculptured in marble on the family tomb in
Sockburn parish church, and down to our own times the
manor which the gallant knight got as his "guerison"or
"guerdon "was held by the presentation to the prince-
bishop, on his first entrance into the county, of a falchion,
such as is said to have been used in killing " the worme,
dragoun, or fierie serpent " which had for a long time
"destroied manne, woman, and childe " in the country
round. ( See Monthly Chronicle, 1889, page 518.) But
with regard to the Pollard Worm tradition is by no
means so clear. It is true that the tenure of the estate
called Pollard's Dene was similar to that of the lordship
of Sockburn, for the presentation speech ran as follows : —
"My Lord, I, in behalf of myself, as well as several
others, possessors of the Pollard's Lands, do humbly
present your lordship with this falchion, at your first
coming here, wherewith, as the tradition goeth, he slew
of old a venomous serpent, which did much harm to man
and beast, and by performing this service we hold our
lands."
What is quite certain is that the family of Pollard was
a very ancient one, and that its crest was an arm holding
a falchion. Their possessions in the Auckland district
were very considerable. Hutchinson informs us that
they held of the bishop in soccage by the service of the
falchion thirty-five acres of land in Coundon Moor, the
Eland, the Hakes, and the Westfield, together with
Birtley, Pollarden or Newfield, Innstalalley, Moreflatt,
Gawnesflatt, Quynnyng Meadow, Edirley (Etherley), and
a number of tenements in Bishop Auckland. Besides
these possessions, they likewise owned a parcel of land
called the Halgh (or Haugh), which was held of the Earl
of Westmoreland. One of the family, Dionisia Pollard,
December \
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
557
who died in 1402, is stated to have been seized of part at
least of these properties. But the family became extinct
in the fifteenth year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth
(A.D. 1572-3), after which Pollard's Land passed through
numerous different hands, and was moreover much
divided; but the old form of service by the presentation
of a falchion as soon as possible after the arrival of
a new prince-bishop was still kept up in Hutchinson's
time, that is, down to the latter part of the eighteenth
century, if not later.
It is, perhaps, worth adding that the Pollards seem to
have been a Devonshire family, originally hailing from
King's Nympton, or Nymett, in the union of South
Molton, North Devon, where the church contains a
rich monument to one of them. Sir Lewis Pollard,
Judge of the King's Bench, a younger son of whom.
Captain Nicholas Pollard, accompanied the Earl of
Essex to Ireland in the reign of Queen Bess, and had
a grant of the castle and lands of Mayne, in the
county of Westmeath, on which he or his successor built
Castle Pollard.
(great Kurt at
1761.
IJOST of the people hi the North of England
never took kindly to the Hanoverian
dynasty, at least during the first half cen-
tury of its rule. The popular songs were all
Jacobite, and the health of " the King over the Water "
was a favourite toast, even at gentlemen's tables, so long
as the life of the last of the Stuarts continued to give
some faint hope of a change of government. The term
"Hanoverian" was commonly applied, even down to
the present century, as a stigma of reproach. The first
two Georges and all their surroundings were alike un-
popular ; and when George III. came to the throne, in
1760, the policy pursued in his name, under the in-
fluence of Lord Bute, created such dissatisfaction as to
be really ominous of something like civil war. Fresh
taxes, laid on to subsidise the war on the Continent,
were felt to be a grievous burden ; and the kingdom
having been depleted of regular soldiers for what
was considered profitless service abroad, the augmen-
tation of the Militia force, needed to make up the
deficiency, led to remonstrances from many different
quarters, and eventuated, in Durham and Northumber-
land, in a popular movement, which, had it been joined
and led by any of the gentry, might have produced a for-
midable insurrection.
From the "Annual Register" for 1761 and the local
newspapers for that year, we are enabled to give a compre-
hensive account of the popular commotions that immedi-
ately preceded the Hexham Riot, an event ever memor-
able in the history of that town.
Towards the latter end of the month of February, 1761,
a great deal of disturbance about the balloting for the
militia took place in the Northern Counties. On
Saturday, the 28th, the dissentients having got a paper
printed which gave notice to all in general, that
it was far from the hearts of any of them to be any ways
inclined to be rebellious against his Majesty King
George, but that they desired what common men desired,
which was, that men of estates should hire men for the
militia as they did formerly, assembled at Gateshead, in
number about a thousand, and distributed the paper
among the deputy-lieutenants, who were met there to
ballot for a few vacancies in the East Division of Chester
Ward. The gentlemen, to avoid mischief, agreed to
excuse the people for that time, as only about a dozen
recruits were wanted. The men— chiefly pitmen— there-
upon went peaceably home, but declared that they would
stand to their proposal as in their printed paper, should
ever a general balloting happen again.
After this affair at Gateshead, the pitmen, waggonmen,
husbandmen, and servants, in the county of Northumber-
land, conceiving that the Durham people had got exempt
from the ballot by the demonstration they had made,
assembled on Monday, the 2nd of March, in great
numbers at Morpeth. Not meeting with such indulgence
as they expected, they obliged the deputy-lieutenants and
justices "to quit their duty for their own safety," no
military force being at hand. The rioters then
seized all the lists aud books relative to the
militia from the constables in whose keeping
they were, and tore or burnt them before their
eyes. The next day they went to Whittinghani,
twenty miles away, and acted in much the same manner.
Flushed with such success and reinforced to near five
thousand, they made a similar attempt at Hexham, but
without the like success.
On Monday, the 9th of March, the deputy-lieutenants
and justices of the peace acting for Tmdale Ward held a
meeting at Hexham for the purpose of receiving lists from
the constables of the names of the persons in that ward
liable to be balloted to serve in the mihtia, according to
the uew Act. And having been previously informed that
a great number of persons were determined to oppose the
intentions of the magistracy and defeat the purpose of the
Government, they had a detachment of six companies
from the two battalions of the North York Militia
brought from Newcastle, where they were quartered,
under the command of Major Crowe.
The militiamen, about 240 in number, were drawn up
in the Market Place early in the morning, and formed
three sides of a hollow square, the Town Hall forming the
fourth. Notice was sent round the town by the bellman,
desiring the inhabitants to keep within doors, as it was
feared it might be found necessary to repel force by
558
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
December
force. All the avenues leading to the hall were seized,
aud no precaution was omitted for ensuring order. From
ten till about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, crowds kept
pouring in, to the number of at least five thousand, chiefly
miners, armed with clubs, staves, pistols, and other fire-
arms. They hailed from Slaley, Corbridge, Bywell,
Whittonstall, Prudhoe, Xewburn, Fourstones, New-
brough, Hayrton Bridge, Throckley, Chollerton, St. John
Lee, Stamfordham, Hartburn, Simonburn, Blanchland.
Wahvick, Kirklieaton, Wall, Harlow Hill, Corseu-
side, and other places. Undeterred by the tumul-
tuous assemblage, and confident in the military
force at their back to keep the people in awe, the magis-
trates proceeded to business, and all the men who gave in
their names and had petitions to present were conducted
by an officer through the ranks, two at a time, and carried
up to get a hearing. But their petitions were all deemed
to be of a treasonable nature, as tending to obstruct the
execution of the laws ; for, though they professed duty
and allegiance to the king, yet they declared, one and all,
that they would not be ballotted for. The magistrates
toW them that they could not and would not dispense
with the execution of the law, under which, however
hard it might be, they were obliged, as justices,
to act. And this reply having been communicated
to the people outside, a terrible uproar arose. Horns
were blown to collect reinforcements, and every accession
to their numbers was received with loud huzzas. One of
the men who blew the horns was apprehended at the
instance of Lieutenant Allen, from whose diary we take
the account ; but the magistrates thought proper to
release him, after taking his name and place of abode.
This leniency only emboldened the rioters, who attri-
buted it to the weakness of the authorities. "They
continued, "says Allen, "waving their monstrous sticks,
clubs, and quarterstaffs, in the most insoli-nt manner,
over the heads of our men, for by this time they had come
within reach of our bayonets, with which our front rank
stood charged."
The militiamen had borne these insults for upwards of
three hours, " with the greatest coolness and modera-
tion " ; but although, at one o'clock or a little after, it was
found absolutely necessary to read the Riot Act, the
people did not disperse. Instead, they made a vigorous
rush, broke in upon the soldiers, and one of the ring-
leaders seized the firelock of a member of Captain Biom-
berpr's Company, turned it upon him, and shot him dead
upon the spot. At the same time Knsign Hart (Mr.
Joseph Hart, of Darlington) was shot by a pistol from
one of the mob. The word of command to the soldiers
was then given to fire, and the fire was general from right
to left. What the effect was let Lieut. Allen say :—
The Grenadiers fired but once, which cleared our
front, and in a minute's time there was scarce a man
left but the dead and wounded. As soon as ever
the smoke of the first fire had cleared away,
and I saw that the resistance had ceased, I
ran up and down the line to make the men give over
firing, for many random shots still continued, and the
balls whistled by me, both on right and left : but, provi-
dentially, I received no harm. Thanks be to heaven,
iny endeavours met with immediate success, and I found
Major Crowe and Captain Hill employed upon the same
business. And now we had an opportunity of contem-
plating the bloody scene before us, twenty-four being left
upon the spot, eighteen of whom were dead, and the rest
dangerously wounded. This was a spectacle that hurt
humanity, for. now all resistance was over, compassion
took place. We seized upon all their clubs, but took no
prisoners, because the gentlemen chose to have them ap-
prehended in a regular way by afterwards issuing their
peace warrants. Colonel Duncombe's detachment had
one officer mortally wounded, one private killed upon the
spot, aud three wounded. The man who shot Mr. Hart
was instantly dispatched, as was the other man who killed
the soldier. We had not so much as a single officer or a
soldier hurt, owing, I apprehend, to the care Captain
Revely and I took in keeping our front clear, for when-
ever they attempted to press upon us, we made our men
charge their bayonets, and Revely and I advanced at the
same time and made them give way. So, finding no im-
pression was to be made there, they altered their plan, and
made their attack as before mentioned, which was foolish
and desperate to the last degree.
The number of killed in this deplorable affair amounted
to forty-five, and that of the wounded, more or less
severely, is stated in Wright's " History of Hexham " to
have been about three hundred. Several women and
children were among the sufferers: for ic is an unavoid-
able consequence of such proceedings that the innocent
must suffer with the guilty.
Xext day (Tuesday) was very wet, which, says Allen,
was of service, as it washed the remains of the previous
day out of the Market Place. There was no dis-
turbance at all this day. All was quiet, and the only
evidence of what had so lately happened was the funeral
processions threading the btreets, Ensign Hart and
Private David Greeuock being buried with military
honours, and fourteen of the rioters being consigned to
their last resting places in the course of the afternoon and
evening.
The country round was at once placed under martial
law. A considerable military force was stationed at
Hexham during the ensuing summer, and parties of
dragoons were almost daily engaged in visiting the neigh-
bouring villages and hamlets in quest of concealed rioters,
"skirrine the country round," and inspiring terror
wherever they went.
Several of the ringleaders were arrested and tried
for high treason at the adjourned assizes, held at
Newcastle, on the 17th August, before Sir Henry
Bathurst, of the Common Bench, and Sir Richard
Lloyd, of the Exchequer. Two of the unhappy
men, named Peter Patterson and William Elder, were
convicted and received the following sentence: — "To
be drawn upon a hurdle to the place of execution, on Wed-
nesday, the 30th day of September next, and then and
there severally hanged by the neck; to be severally cut down
alive, and have their entrails taken out and burnt before
their faces ; to have their heads severed from their
bodies, and their bodies afterwards severally divided
into four quarters, and their heads and quarters
December
!
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
559
•disposed of at his Majesty's pleasure." About a week
•subsequently, the High Sheriff of Northumberland
received a respite for both the men to the 5th of October,
on which day a communication was received from the
Earl of Bute, to the effect that his Majesty in council,
having taken the cases into consideration, had judged
it necessary that, for the peace of Northumberland,
an example should on this occasion be made, but that
Elder, who appeared to be the least criminal of the
two, would be respited till the further signification of the
royal pleasure, while the law should be left to take its
course with regard to Patterson.
On Monday, October 5th, accordingly, Peter Patterson
was executed at Morpeth. He behaved, we are told, with
becoming decency ; but the disgusting terms of the
sentence were rendered more horrible in his case than they
need have been with better arrangements. For the noose
of the rope gave way, and he fell to the ground before he
was dead. The cart was then ordered back, and the
man was hung a second time. Subsequently, his body
was dismembered, his head being cut off, his heart taken
out and thrown into a fire, and his four quarters cut
across, but not severed. It is said when he fell to the
ground, on the rope breaking, he exclaimed, "Innocent
blood is ill to shed ! " Patterson was a man about
seventy-four years of age when he paid the penalty of his
indiscretion, and he was supposed to have died worth'be-
tween three and four thousand pounds, which, if the
law was fulfilled literally, would of course be forfeited
to the Crown.
[]EW men of his time were better known in Sun-
derland than Mark Littlefair Howarth, of
whom we give a portrait, surrounded by the
articles with which he used to illustrate his lectures on
temperance.
About the year 1806, a handsome daughter of a family
of the name of Littlefair, residing in Silver Street,
Sunderland, fell in love with a private soldier named
Howarth, belonging to the Royal Artillery, then quar-
tered in the town. When the regiment moved to Wool-
wich, the girl found means to follow her lover thither.
How she fared will be best understood from the words
of her son, Mark Littlefair Howarth, which stand thus
on a printed card dated 1862: — "Fifty-three years
ago, a poor drunken soldier left his wife, who had a
baby in arms, in the Barrack Square at Woolwich ;
and, being left in a state of destitution, she had to
travel home to Sunderland the beat way she could.
Time and changes went on ; the child grew up to man-
hood ; he, alas ! became a drunkard, and went on sadly,
but was stopped in his course, and became a staunch
advocate of the temperance cause, and delivered a lecture
in the Square of Woolwich Barracks, where he and his
mother had been so abandoned." The date of Mark's
birth was found by the register at Woolwich to have
been on the 19th July, 1808. The boy was brought up in
his grandmother's house at Sunderland, under the name
of "Littlefair," as the cruel father's name was most un-
popular with the family. The soldier met with the fate
1. 1 Me fair Hoivarfh
of those who take the sword, and when Mark's sons were
well grown they took their grandfather's name of Howarth
from the marriage register at Woolwich.
A bottlemaker by trade, Mark eventually took up
temperance advocacy. As a lecturer, he was in constant
request. For many years the late Mr. Backhouse paid
him a regular salary to act as temperance missionary and
dispenser of his charities. Mark had a large set of ana-
tomical diagrams painted, to show the drunkard "turned
inside out," and an apparatus for extracting the
alcohol from a bottle of beer. These never failed to
draw a crowded house, the audience keenly appreciating
the racy way in which he screwed up his " still '
with the "prisoner" inside — secured by "the snips,"
as he facetiously termed it — and then showed the "pri-
soner " escaping as he set it on fire !
Few men have been privileged to live such a good and
useful life as Mark Littlefair Howarth. Thousands of
persons, under the influence of his eloquent appeals, took
the pledge at his meetings ; many outcasts were restored
to their friends ; and not a few prisoners were happily
transformed into sober, industrious citizens.
During the latter part of his career, Mark lived very
comfortably with his wife in a house he had purchased in
Princess Street, a pleasant neighbourhood near Tunstall
560
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
December
Road, Sunderlaud. He died, however, at the residence
of bin son, Mr. T. L. Howarth, town councillor, where
he had been removed for a change of air and a little care-
ful nursing. He was in bis 71st year. His remains
were followed to the grave by a large concourse of poor
people who sincerely deplored the loss of their friend,
benefactor, and teacher. J, G. B.
jttaunt.
[JYDAL WATER is situated in the very
heart of what a prominent writer has
called Wordsworthshire— the English Lake
District. It is, perhaps, the smallest of
the lakes proper, but it vies in beauty of surroundings
with any of its larger rivals. Situated as it is close
to the high road between Ambltside and Keswick, most
visitors to the locality are satisfied with the view from
the coach — charming enough there is no denying, but
not to be compared with the combination of grandeur
and picturesqueness to be seen from the opposite shore,
where Nab Scar, clothed almost to the summit with
foliage, dominates the scene, and distant glimpses of
Rydal Park and adjacent tree-clad hills form an attrac-
tive background. Nab Cottage, once the residence of
Hartley Coleridge, nestles at the foot of Nab Scar— a
humble residence, but the ideal of a poet's home.
Rydal Water is adorned with numerous islands, some
of them mere rocks. One of the largest formerly con-
tained a heronry, but the birds do not now nest there.
This island would be, like many others in this and other
lakes, mere rounded clumps, but for the two or three
Scotch pines that, towering aloft like the masts of a
frigate, impart an unwonted air of dignity to it. When
the sun is gilding the adjoining heights with his glory,
when the air is still and the surface of the lake is
unruffled, then Rydal Water reflects every feature of
nature like a mirror, a charming blending of moun-
tain, wood, and water. The view from the foot of
the lake is more extensive than the prospect from the
south shore, the hills being at a greater distance, and
belonging, if the term may be used, really to the
neighbouring Grasmere. Loughrigg Fell, however,
divides its honours between the two, though the more
pleasing view of that eminence is from the head of
Grasmere. The river Rothay, rising in the neighbour-
hood of Dunmaile Raise, near the boundary line between
Westmoreland and Cumberland, rlows through both lakes,
and, passing Ambleside, enters Windermere.
Not far from the foot of Rydal Water is Rydal Mount,
once the residence of the poet Wordsworth. He removed
RYDAL MOUNT.
Copyright, 1681, by Hirper A Brothon.
December 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
561
to this house in the spring of 1813. The death of two of
his children while residing at the Parsonage, Grasmere,
had rendered it impossible for him to remain in a house
so filled with sad memories. Writing to Lord Lonsdale
in January, 1813, Wordsworth says : — " I have found it
absolutely necessary that we should quit a place which,
by recalling to our minds at every moment the losses
we have sustained in the course of the last year, would
grievously retard our progress towards that tranquillity
which it is our duty to aim at." Rydal Mount becoming
vacant soon afterwards, the poet removed thither, and
it became his favourite and last abode. Wordsworth's
house is shown in the drawing on page 560. It was well
adapted to his slender means and simple requirements.
Besides, congenial spirits were near at hand. Dr. Arnold
was at Fox How, Ambleside ; Christopher North resided
in his cottage at Elleray, near Windermere ; and Southey
dwelt at Keswick. Hartley Coleridge was a close neigh-
bour, and Thomas De Qnincey a frequent guest. Words-
worth lived a retired life at Rydal Mount, and here he
abode until his death, which took place on Tuesday,
April 23, 1850. According to his oft-repeated request, he
was buried in Grasmere Churchyard, where a simple stone
marks his last resting place.
|3tprd.
j)AIRY pipes are not very large clay tobacco
or smoking pipes of an old form. They are
frequently turned up with the plough, and
I have seen many of them turned up with the
spade in gardens in Weardale. The shank generally
appeared to have been broken, sometimes close to the
bowl, and in no case have I seen complete pipes, but
frequently with an inch or so of shank. Denham says
they are also met with in Scotland, where they are
From Harper's Magazine.
Copyrijht, 1881, by Harp., 4 BroOi.ro.
WILLIAM WOHDSWOKTH.
36
called "Pech pipes," and in Ireland, in the immediate
localities of Danish forts, where they are called
"Dane pipes."
The question has been asked how
these pipes came to be known as fairy
pipes, inasmuch as these fairies date
back so many centuries, and, tobacco
having only been introduced into Eng-
land in the early part of the sixteenth
century, smoking would not be general
until a later period. There is, however,
evidence that tobacco was very common
more than 250 years ago, and that the
belief in fairies held its ground to even
little more than half a century back.
The following, from the Proceedings of
the House of Commons, was sent to
Motes and Queries in 1877 :—" Wednes-
day, Ap. 16, 1621.— Sir William Stroud
moved that he would have tobacco
banished wholly out of the kingdom, and
that it may not be brought in from any
part, nor used amongst us ; and Sir
Grey Palmes said that if tobacco be not
banished, it will overthrow one hundred
thousand men in England, for now it
is so common that he hath seen plough-
men take it as they are at plough. "
Another contributor to the same
periodical, speaking of the Irish pipes,
says :— " It is strange that nearly all
the ' ancient clays ' are broken in stem
or bowl ; rarely can you meet with an
entire bowl and an unshortened stem
in the same specimen." The writer
562
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I December
\ Itwa.
then goes on to say:— "Some ten years ago I was
living in a Shropshire parish that stretched along the
ridge of Permian rock which looks down upon the valley
of the Severn. There were in this place quarries of
capital grey building stone As far as
I could learn, one of the quarries had been last opened
on the occasion of a cathedral (Worcester) restoration
about 200 or 250 years ago, and, after the stone was
obtained, the labourers, as usual, had filled in the quarry
with the smaller stones and rubble quite up to the
natural face of the rock. In 1865 this quarry was re-
opened, in order to get out stone for building a school-
house, when the workmen, on removing the old debris,
clearing it away to the face of the original working,
found, hewn out of the rock, a little niche, and on the
ledge of it lay a small clay tobacco pipe, with, I was told,
a heap of dust alongside it, which, we may suppose,
was once tobacco : for it would seem that the poor
Shropshire quarryman, now himself gone to dust, had, in
his haste, unwittingly buried his soothing companion, and
now here lay the fairy pipe, on the very spot where the
owner had left it." The writer, having had the pipe in
question brought to him, describes it as a " neat
specimen, quite perfect, tin: shape of it corresponding
to the earlier forms of pipes ; and on the ample butt,
made for the purpose of standing it on the table, bowl
upwards, were the letters impressed, I.M.''
Another correspondent, J. Henry, who had half a
dozen specimens of these old clay pipes, ouly one of
which was complete, refers to " the usual ornamental
bordering round the edge of the bowl, ''and says, " the
only remarkable circumstances connected with these
pipes (his specimens) are that they were discovered whilst
excavating upon the site of the old Lincoln's Inn
Theatre." W. M. EGGLESTO.VE. Stanhope.
***
In the autumn of 1858, a ditch was being cleaned out at
Lungley Old Castle (Langley Old Hall), an interesting
ruin near Witton Gilbert, and a few miles from Durham.
The deposit was a black substance, called by the labourers
" black earth," about four feet in thickness. The ditch
had at one time been the moat of the castle. Here a
number of "fairy pipes" were discovered. The shanks
of the greater part were apparently broken off at about
five or six inches, but a few were about eight or ten
inches long. They bore the name "Henry Holt," and
the date 1692. JOHN- ROWELL, Twizell.
***
Near the little village of Humshaugh, North Tyne, on a
farm owned and cultivated by the late Mrs. Colbeck,
of Walwick Grange, is a conical hill called Fairy Hill.
I recollect that, over forty years ago, when this field was
being wrought for turnips, a considerable number of
so-called fairy pipes were turned up by the plough.
The stems were always broken off within an inch or
two of the bowL Since that time I have resided in
many different parts of South Northumberland, but have
never heard of any fairy pipes being found in any other
part of the county. JAMES TURNBULL, Matfen.
***
About thirty or forty years ago, we used to find pipes
on the banks of the Wear, between the upper and lower
walks at the foot of the Castle, near the steps at
Framwellgate Bridge, Durham, about three or four
hundred yards from the bridge. We called them
"Roman pipes," and had very little trouble in
scratching them out of the bankside.
GKOBDIE HICKIE.
***
I have in my possession some fairy pipes that were
found in the River Tyne, at Low Elswick, about 12 years
ago. JOSEPH ROBERTSON, Newcastle.
***
When the tower of Kirkstall Abbey, near Leeds, fell in
1779, crushing a large portion of the ancient fabric, Dr.
Whittaker a few days after made a singular discovery
there. "He found embedded in the mortar several
little smoking pipes like those used in the time of
James I. for tobacco ; which seems to show that before
the consolations of tobacco had reached Englishmen, they
inhaled the smoke of some other herb." Tobacco was
first brought into England by Sir John Hawkins in 1565 ;
and the abbey of Kirkstall had at that date been dis-
solved twenty -six years. N. E. R., Herrington.
***
I have a few pipes taken out of the ballast hill or heap
that formerly existed at the north end of Beverley Ter-
race, Cullercoats. The bowls are two inches in height,
with a butt and a thick stem. These pipes are very
hard. The stems would appear to have been about four
inches in length. One has no butt, the bowl gradually
rounding off to the stem. The pipes from CulJercoatg
were all given me by resident fishermen of that place, and
they called them "fairy pipes." I have heard it said
that ships formerly loaded at Cuilercoats, and probably
discharged ballast there, which may account for the hill
that existed. HUGH R. RODDAM, North Shie.ds.
HE castle of Hermitage* is situated in the
north-western corner of that wild and deso-
late district known as Liddesdale. It
stands close to the left bank of the
Hermitage Water (a tributary of the Liddel), which owes
its name to a hermit who built his lonely cell near it, and
which has its rise in the mountains separating Dumfries-
shire from Roxburghshire. The position in former times
* A view of Hermitage, reproduced from the " Border An-
tiquities," forms the frontispiece to this volume.
December I
1889. I
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
563
was a strong one. On the south side the river afforded
protection ; and on the north, east, and west, a morass —
the security being further increased by a triple moat fed
from the stream. The castle is one of the largest in the
south of Scotland, being one hundred feet square. There
are, however, distinct evidences of its having been at one
time a single square tower or peel similar to those which
stud the whole of the Scottish Border, and to this tower, at
a subsequent period, were added four large wings. It is
singularly devoid of any attempt at carving or beauty of
architecture, and Sir Walter Scott, commenting on this
point, says : " The windows are few and narrow, and the
whole building was obviously calculated for resistance
rather than magnificence or accommodation." Liddes-
dale. being situated so near the Debateable Land, was the
scene in former centuries of never ceasing turbulence and
strife. The Border clans, more especially in this district,
the Elliots and Armstrongs, were continually at feud,
and the invasions of the English were frequent. Conse-
quently, a castle built in the district would have the
utmost strength as a primary quality, beauty and adorn-
ment being looked on as very minor considerations.
Although the outer walls are still in a good state of pre-
servation, the interior is a complete ruin, but the windows,
fireplaces, corbels, fragments of staircases, etc., help to
give an idea of what it has formerly been.
Many of the great Norman barons who came over at
the Conquest received and held lands not only under
the English, but also under the Scottish king. Among
these was Ranulph or Ralph de Soules. For services
rendered to King David I., of Scotland, at the Battle of
the Standard, in 1138, he received a grant of lands in
Liddesdale, and it was during the lifetime of one of his
descendants, Nicholas de Soules (or Soulis), that Hermit-
age Castle was probably built. This took place in the
earlier part of the thirteenth century ; for in the year
12*4- the English prepared to invade Scotland, alleging,
as one of their reasons, that the Scots had erected a castle
" on the marches between Scotland and England, in the
valley of the Liddel, which is called Hermitage."
The castle continued in possession of the Soulises for
more than one hundred years, and it was of William,
Lord Soulis, the sixth from Ranulph above mentioned,
that so many legends and traditions were told. " He is
represented as a tyrant, oppressing his vassals, harassing
his neighbours, and fortifying his castle of Hermitage
against the King of Scotland." He was fierce, cruel, and
unscrupulous ; and tradition asserts that he was in league
with the powers of darkness. Owing to his constant
tyranny and oppression, frequent complaints were made
to the king, who, at last growing weary of hearing them,
pettishly exclaimed that they could boil him if they
liked and "sup his broo." His hearers took the order
literally, and, having captured Soulis, they boiled him on
the Ninestane Rig (or Ridge), an offshoot from the range
of hills which separates Teviotdale from Liddesdale.
The legend (for legend it is) was woven into a ballad by
Dr. John Leyden, of which the last three verses are
appended : —
On a circle of stones they placed the pot,
On a circle of stones but barely nine ;
They heated it red and fiery hot,
Till the burnished brass did glimmer and shine.
They rolled him up in a sheet of lead,
A sheet of lead for a funeral pall ;
They plunged him in the cauldron red,
And melted him, lead and bones, and all.
At the Skelf-hill, the cauldron still
The men of Liddesdale can show ;
And on the spot where they boiled the pot,
The spreat and the deer-hair ne'er shall grow.
The real fate of Lord Soulis seems to have been banish-
ment and forfeiture of his estates for entering into a
conspiracy against the person of Robert Bruce.
On the death of Bruce the country relapsed into law-
lessness and disorder, and during the early years of his
son David's reign, Hermitage Castle often changed hands
— now being possessed by the English and now by the
Scots, neither side retaining it very long at one time
On one occasion while it was in the hands of the English
it was surprised and captured by Sir William Douglas, a
knight who, from his great bravery, was called the
"Flower of Chivalry." For his service he received a
grant of Liddesdale and Hermitage Castle, and after-
wards bore the title of "Knight of Liddesdale." It was
during his ownership that the horrible crime of starving
Sir Alexander Ramsay to death in its dungeon was com-
mitted.
Douglas and Ramsay had been close friends and com-
panions in arms, and were both distinguished for their
bravery ; but when the king gave the sheriffdom of Rox-
burghshire to Ramsay, instead of, as was usually the
case, to the holder of Hermitage, the jealousy of Douglas
was aroused. In 1342 he seized Ramsay while fulfilling
his duties at Havvick, dragged him off to his castle,
thrust him into a dungeon, and starved him to death.
The unhappy man is said to have subsisted for a con-
siderable period on husks of corn which accidentally fell
from the granary above.
The dungeon, which can still be seen, is a gruesome-
looking aperture about twelve feet square, built in the
thick wall of the castle. Towards the end of last century
a mason engaged in some repairs broke an entrance and
descended to its depths, from which he brought forth some
bones, a swsrd, and bridle bit, which it is generally
supposed were those of the unfortunate Ramsay. The
king, as may be expected, was exceedingly wroth on hear-
ing of this gross outrage, but so weak was his power that
he was forced to give the sheriffdom to the cruel
murderer.
In the year 154-6 Douglas "was taken prisoner by the
English at the battle of Neville's Cross, near Durham,
and is suspected of having obtained his liberty by enter-
ing into a treacherous league with the English monarch."
For this he was attacked and slain shortly after, while
564
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I December
t 1889.
hunting in Ettrick Forest, by another William Douglas, a
near relative of his own The latter in turn received
Hermitage Castle, and for several generations, indeed
almost uninterruptedly till the end of the fifteenth
century, it was retained by the Douglases. During this
jwriod, too, it passed to a younger branch of the family—
the house of Angus.
The Earl of Angus was unable to keep the wild
Borderers at peace, and James IV., seeing the growth of
jx>wer of the Douglases, and fearing that it might some
day be turned against himself, seized upon this as an
excuse for forcing them to exchange the lands and castle
of Hermitage for those of Hepburn, Earl of Both well,
in the valley of the Clyde.
James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, "a glorious rash
and hazardous young man, yet as naughty a man as
liveth, and much given to detestable vices," who was
destined to become the husband of Mary, Queen of Scots,
and who seemed to exercise a magnetic influence over
that unfortunate woman, was created by her Lord War-
den of the Marches. In 1566, while at Hermitage Castle
endeavouring to quell disturbances, he had a desperate
encounter with one of the Elliots, a notorious freebooter
named Jock o' the Park. Bothwell was wounded in the
fray: as a quaint old account tells: — "The said Johne
persevand himself schot and the erle fallin, he geid to
him quhair he lay and gaif him thrie woundis, ane in the
txjdie, ane in the heid, and ane in the hand, and my lord lay
in a swoun quhill his servantes come and caryit him to
the Hermitage." Mary, who was at Jedburgh, heard of
this, and at once set out to visit him. The distance
between the two places was about twenty miles, and the
journey was lengthened by frequent deviations in order
to escape from people hostile to her. The road lay be-
tween Greatmoor and Cauldcleuch Hills, and in a morass
near the source of the Braidlee Bum, at the top of the
fcloi>e which descends to Hermitage, Mary's white horse
became embedded, and the place bears the name of
"The Queen's Mire" to this day. On arriving at the
castle she found Both well's wounds less severe than was
at first supposed, and, again setting out she returned to
Jedburgh the same day, thus riding between forty and
fifty miles.
As students of history well know, Bothwell was forced
Borne years after to fly the country, and he died while a •
I risoner in the castle of Dragsholm, in Denmark, in 1578.
Professor Aytoun pictures the thoughts of the exile
wandering back to his old home in the following beautiful
lines : —
Oh, Hermitage by Liddel side,
My old ancestral tower,
Were I again but lord of thee,
Nor owning half the power
That in my days of reckless pride
I held, but cast away,
I would not leave thee, Border keep,
Until my dying day.
Who owns thee now, fair Hermitage ?
Who sits within thy hall ?
What banner flutters in the breeze,
Above that stately hall ?
Does yet the courtyard ring with tramp
Of horses and of men ?
Do bay of hounds and bugle notes
Sound merry from the glen ?
Or art thou, as thy master is,
A rent and ruined pile ?
Once noble, but deserted now
By all that is not vile.
The castle next became the possession of Francis, Earl
of Bothwell, the nephew of James. He was a man after
his uncle's stamp, and at the end of the sixteenth century
he entered into conspiracy against King James VI. The
plot was discovered, and Francis's lands and properties
were forfeited. Hermitage then passed to the Scotts of.
Buscleuch, in whose hands it has remained ever since.
After this there are few references to it in contemporary
documents, and incidents of historical interest attached
to it almost totally cease. W. E. WILSON.
jjAGTAILS constitute Macgillivray's nine-
teenth family of birds. They are closely
allied to the larks on the one hand and to
the chats on the other, and in their habits
form a link, as it were, between these two families. The
wagtails are slender of form, with straight, thin bills,
long tails, moderately long and stout curved claws,
and long, broad wings. Their favourite resorts are moist
pastures and meadows, and the sides of purling brooks,
ponds, and rivers, where the birds, more especially the
pied wagtails, may be seen nimbly running among the
stones and shingle, snapping up flies and small water
beetles, the tail all the while working up and down as if
it were endowed with perpetual motion.
The pied wagtail (Motacilla Yardlii), Mr. Hancock
tells us, is "a common resident species," in the Northern
Counties. In summer it is a "comtncn object" on the
banks of the larger streams, near which it often nests. It
is, indeed, a familiar bird, and may often be seen feeding
in farmyards among the poultry, and occasionally perching
on the house-tops. It used to be plentiful about Lambert's
Leap and Jesmond Dene, Newcastle, especially near the
picturesque old water mill at the top of the dene. It was
also common about the ponds on the Town Moor.
The birds pair in February, and commence their migra-
tory movement to this country in March— for but few-
stay with us all the year round. In shape and plumage
the pied wagtail looks like a small edition of the magpie,
Its flight is light, undulating, but unsteady. It rises and
falls alternately, renewing the motion of its wings at the
pause of each descent. Its food consists chiefly of insects,
which it searches for in very varjous localities — now
among the stones and shingles of brooks, and again catch-
December
L
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
565
ing insects on the wing. Sometimes it may be seen run-
ning along the ridges of houses catching flies most deftly.
The bird is also said to feed on minnows, the fry of small
fish, and on tiny shell fish. The note is a sharp and
brisk "cheep," repeated frequently when alarmed, at
which time it flies fluttering about as if undecided what
direction to take.
The length of the male is about seven and three-quarter
inches. The bill is slender and deep black, and the iris
of the eye dusky black, with a white speck over it.
Forehead and sides of the head white ; back of the head
on the crown deep black, with a glossy blue metallic tinge
in summer, like the tint on the wing coverts of the magpie ;
neck, in front, white, as is a band on each side in sum-
mer ; on its lower part is a semicircular band of black,
narrowing upwards towards the base of the bill; in the
pring, the interval is filled up with black ; nape deep
black ; chin, throat, and breast white, the sides tinged
with grey ; back above, in summer, deep glossy bluish
black, with sometimes an occasional tinge of green, some-
what like the " shot " feathers in the tail of the magpie.
The wings extend nearly one foot, and reach to within
two and a half inches of the long and mobile tail, which is
black, the outside feathers being edged with white, and
rounded at the end. The upper tail coverts are very long,
of a deep black, with a glossy tinge in summer ; the under
tail coverts are white ; the legs, toes, and claws are deep
black, the hind claw being rather short. The female
resembles the male, but the crescent on the fore part of
the neck is not so large.
The pied wagtail, as most people know, is one of the
birds in whose nest the cuckoo places its egg ; and the
greedy intruder is as carefully fed and reared by the old
wagtails as if it were their own progeny.
The yellow wagtail, or Ray's wagtail (Matacillaflava),
is a spring and autumn migrant. In many parts of the
country, especially where moist meadows abound, it is as
plentiful as the familiar pied wagtail. According to Mr.
Hancock, it was for a few years rather a common species
in Northumberland and Durham, "but of late it has
become somewhat less plentiful." It seldom arrives here
before the beginning of May, and it breeds freely amongsfc
the meadow hay. When the grass is lying in swathes,
yellow wagtails, along with many other kinds of birds,
pipits, larks, mountain linnets, &c., may be seen feeding
on the insects among the grass. Near the time of
autumnal migration the birds flock in family parties,
the old and the young of the year. The male in its
nuptial plumage is a very handsome bird, and its bright
golden and green feathers give it a look not unlike a
canary. It averages about six and three-quarter inches
in length, and the female is about the same length as the
male.
The grey wagtail (Motacilla boarula) is also known
as the winter wagtail. This bird, says Mr. Han-
3?rc
566
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
f December
cock, "is a resident species, "but "the greater number
migrate in winter." It has a wide ideographical
range over Southern and Central Europe ; and it is
also found in Madeira, Java, Sumatra, Japan, and in
many parts of India. It occurs, but never plentifully,
over the whole of England, Ireland, and Scotland, and
its highest northern limit seems to be the Orkney Islands.
In the neighbourhood of Newcastle, it often frequents
Jesmond and Denton Denes. The male averages about
eight inches in length, the tail being nearly as long as
the body ; but the female is rather slimmer and shorter
than her mate.
The grey-headed wagtail (Motacitta neglecta) is a rare
visitor in the Northern Counties, though it has occasion-
ally been found nesting in the immediate neighbourhood
of Newcastle. It was first distinguished from the com-
mon yellow wagtail by the naturalist Gould, who called
the bird MotacUla neglecta, under the belief that it had
been neglected by the Continental writers. It is very
like its relative, the yellow wagtail, in plumage and
shape, the chief difference being that the head of the for-
mer is grey (as its common name implies), while the head
plumage of the latter is creen. The grey-headed wagtail,
which is migratory, like most of the family, arrives in this
country about the middle of April and departs again from
September to October. The bird is active and graceful,
and has all the habits peculiar to the family. It runs
rapidly in the beds and margins of brooks, and often
perches on trees. The male is about six and a half inches
in length, while the female is about a quarter of an inch
shorter.
an tfte
| HE eccentric character whose portrait appears
below is best known to the people of New-
_ castle and Gateshead by the soubriquet of
"Tommy on the Bridge." Tommy, whose proper name
is Thomas Ferns, now nearly or quite blind, has been for
about forty years an orphan, his mother and father
dying before he had attained his fifth year. A paralysis
of the nerves of the hands has prevented him from en-
engaging in active employment, and for thirty years he
has stood upon what is commonly known as the " Low
Bridge " (formerly Tyne Bridge, now the Swing Bridge),
attracting notice by incessantly swaying his arms and
body, and dependent for support upon a not too charitable
public.
atttr
Storfttt
PR THOMAS RIDDELL was the head of
an old and honourable family in the North
of England, giving Sheriffs and Mayors
and Parliamentary Burgesses to Newcastle
from generation to generation. He himself had been
Sheriff in 1601, Mayor in 1604 and 1616, and member
in 1620 and 1627, in which latter year his brother Sir
Peter was his colleague. Much trouble befell him after
the Battle of Newburn, when the Scots occupied New-
castle and Gateshead. Wherefore he thus addresses
King Charles :— " That being an inhabitant in Gateside,
near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the Scots army, now of late,
since their coming thither, have taken and disposed of
all your petitioner's corn, as well that in his garners,
December!
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
being a great quantity, as also his corn in the ground ;
and had spoiled and consumed all his hay, both of the
last year and this year's growth ; have taken and do keep
possession of his two milnes of great value ; have spent
his grass, and spoiled many acres of his ground by making
trenches in it ; have wasted and disposed of his coals
already wreught ; have spoiled and broken his engines,
and utterly drowned and destroyed the best part of his
coal-mines ; have banished his servants and overseer of
his lands and coal-works ; have plundered divers houses
of your petitioner's tenants and servants, and taken and
spoiled their goods, so that they are not able to pay your
petitioner any rents, nor to do him any services. By all
which, your petitioner is already damnified £1,500. And
for all which premises the said Scots have not given any
satisfaction to your petitioner nor his tenants ; whereby
your petitioner and his posterity are like to be ruinated
and undone (most of your petitioner's estate consisting in
the said coalyerie), unless some present course be taken
for your petitioner's relief. Your petitioner's humble
request is, that your Majesty will be graciously pleased
to take the premises into your gracious consideration, and
of your wonted clemency to afford your petitioner such
remedy as to your Highness's wisdom shall seem meet."
The ancient house of St. Edmund's, with its orchards
and gardens, had become the seat of the Riddells after
the Dissolution, and sorely felt the presence of the Scots
under Lesley. The memorial of Sir Thomas hands down
to us a picture of his industrial pursuits, with colliery
and mills, and fields and granaries. But now, pleasant
houses and lands lay waste around him. What local
antiquary has not read the letter said to have been
addressed to the troubled knight in 1644, when General
Lesley was again waging war on the Tyne ? It " found
its way, first," says Surtees, "into a Newcastle news-
paper." Copies of it got afloat, with various readings,
its authenticity not unimpeached. The historian of the
county palatine "suspected a waggish imposture." Shown
to Ambler, a lawyer, Recorder of Durham, "a man of
great wit and humour," he "sent a copy to the editor of a
Newcastle paper " ; or, rather, as the late Rev. Dr. Raine,
of Durham, "had reason to believe," the learned humorist
"was the writer" himself; "the humour it displays
being of a high order, but there is more than enough of
internal evidence to prove its modern origin." Slumber-
ing unobserved until 1862, the "original letter" then
turned up in the earliest volume of the Newcastle
Chronicle, as may be found recorded in the " Archaeologia
.afliana," N.S., (vi. 156). The Chronicle had made its
bow to the world on the 24th of March, 1764 ; and on
the 16th of the ensuing month of June, when it was but
three months old, an intimation was made to one of its
correspondents, viz, : —
IS" The original letter, written at the liege of Newcastle
by the general of the Scots army, is received : our thanks arc
due to the gentleman who favoured us with it, and the public
may expect it next week.
Next week, accordingly, June 23, the letter wa
launched among the "Literary Articles" of the "New-
castle newspaper," and forthwith became famous in
antiquarian circles, labouring, however, under the sore
surmise of many of its readers that it was apocryphal.
Here we reprint it, once more, just as it first stands in
the file of the Newcastle Chronicle: —
Sir JOHN LESLEY'S Letter to Sir THOMAS RIDDLE of Gates-
head, upon the Siege of Newcastle by the Scots, in t/ie
Reign of Charles I.
SIR THAMAS,
BEtween me and Gad it make my heart bleed bleud, to
see the wark gae thro' sea trim a gairden as yours.
I ha been twa times wi my cusin the general, and sae shall
I sax times times mare afore the wark gae that gate : But
gin aw this be doun, Sir Thomas, ye maun mack the
twenty punds throtty, and I maun hae the tagged tail'd
trouper that stands in the stawe, and the little wee trim
gaying thing that stands in the newk of the haw, chirping
and chirming at the newn tide of the day, and forty bows
of beer to saw the mains with awe.
And as 1 am a chivilier of fortin, and a limb of the
house of Rothes, as the muckle main kist in Edinburgh
auld kirk can well witness for these aught hundred years
bygaine, nought shall scaith your house within or without,
to the validoue of a twa penny chicken.
/ am your humble servant,
JOHN LESLEY,
Major general, and captin over sax score and twa men
and some niaire, crowner of Cumberland, Northumber-
land, Marryland, and Niddisdale, the Merce, Tiviotdale,
and Fife ; Bailie of Kirkadie, governor of Brunt Eland
and the Bass, laird of Liberton, Tilly and Whooly, siller
tacker of Stirling, constable of Leith, and Sir John Lesley,
knight, to the bute of aw that.
Sir John Lesley is here made to describe himself as
a pluralist of the first water — Captain, Coroner, and
Constable — Laird, Bailie, and Governor — Major, "Siller
Tacker," and Knight to boot. His craving for the courser
in the stall, the cuckoo clock in the hall, and the corn in
the garner, as ''blackmail" for house and garden and field,
is worthy of an old mosstrooper. The comical com-
munication is highly suggestive of a hoax ; yet suggestive,
also, of many an "ower-true tale" of the levies made in
that bitter period— a period when, as appears by the
records of the Gateshead Vestry, "the great new gate"
was carried off to their quarters by the Scots; "which
gate did hang at the entering into the Town Fields," and
was only recovered by a ransom of fourteenpence '. Town
Fields, and gate by which they were entered, had little
quarter from the Covenanters, who must often themselves,
as well as the Gatesiders and their neighbours, have been
reduced to severest straits.
Gateshead House, long the residence of the old Catholic
family of the Riddells, whatever injuries it may have
sustained during the Civil War of the seventeenth
century, had still a lease of stately usefulness before it.
But another crisis came in the Scottish Rebellion, when
it was in the occupation of the Claverings of Callaly, a
family-connection of the Riddells. The house was
wrecked by a mob in the early morning of January 28,
1746, during the entrance of the Duke of Cumberland.
Sykes thus records the occurrence : —
The family being from home, the house, chapel, &c.,
568
MONTHLY CHRONICLE
December -
were left to the care of the gardener, whose name was
Woodnesa. When the duke and his attendants were
coming down, the mob being anxious to see them, several
of them climbed upon the garden walls to have a better
view, when the gardener, afraid of his master's property,
let loose some dogs upon them, which bit several who
were keelmen. Being exasperated, they attempted to
catch the gardener, who, no doubt, would have fallen a
victim to their rage. Finding the object of their fury
had eluded them, they set fire to the mansion-house, &c.
The residential connection with Gateshead of one of
our most ancient and worthy North-Country houses was
then brought to a lamentable end. " The mansion," says
Surtees, '*bas since been untenanted. Its remains stand
to the east of the chapel, and still exhibit the ruins of a
building in the high style of Elizabeth or James, with
large bay windows, divided by stone mullions and
transoms. A heavy stone gateway faces the street."
This gateway, once leading to "trim garden" and
pleasant hall, alone remains — removed back from the
street — as a link with the olden time.
Qatwl <80ndt,
pR DANIEL GOOCH, who died at Clewer
Park, Windsor, on October 15, 1889, was
one of the fathers of the railway system.
He was born at Bedlington, North-
umberland, in August, 1816. and was educated by
the clergyman of a neighbouring parish.
The Bedlington Ironworks were begun in 1800
by Mr. Longridge, and the river Blyth supplied
the motive power. These fine old works did good
service in the early years of the century, and
there, when Gooch was a lad of five years, the
first malleable iron rails were rolled. The Long-
ridges, the proprietors, were cousins to the
Gooches, and with both families George Stephen-
son became intimate when visiting the district on
colliery matters. In the Bedlington Ironworks
much of the spare time of young Gooch was spent,
and there he acquired his early liking for me-
chanics. When only sixteen, he went to the
Tredegar Ironworks in Wales, passing through
many departments, and increasing his knowledge
of coal and iron and their applications. Thence,
before he was twenty, he entered Stephenson's
engineering works in Newcastle. In 1837 he en-
deavoured to begin large works at Gateshead;
then entered into railway concerns, anu was, after
a short service on the Leeds and Manchester
line, appointed, on Mr. Brunei's recommendation,
locomotive superintendent of the Great Western
Railway Company. That office he held for
twenty-seven years.
As chairman of the Great Eastern Steamship
Company— of which he waa one of the original
shareholders— and through other associations, Mr.
Gooch joined the promoters of the Atlantic Telegraph
Company at a critical time in the history of Transat-
lantic telegraphy. Certainly the most romantic episode
in the history of Mr. Gooch is that in connexion with
the Atlantic cable. It has been well told by one inti-
mately acquainted with the facts, and the story may be
thus extracted : —
The Atlantic Telegraph Company, after many years
of effort and ill-fortune, was, in 1864, almost despairing
of ultimate success. It took six years to form the com-
pany— for it was no easy matter to find men to take up
358 shares of £1,000 each for an enterprise so bold and
unprecedented as a cable beneath the unfathomable
Atlantic ; and when the shares were all allotted, dis-
apppiutment after disapointment awaited the pro-
jectors. Six years more were spent in abortive
attempts to lay a cable. After several entire failures,
expectation was raised high when, in 1858, a message was
sent from the New to the Old World, and hope was felt
that the perseverance of the company was to meet
with its reward. For twenty-five days a feeble whisper
was maintained, and then came utter silence. The
cable was an utter failure. The fortunes of the company
were now at their lowest ebb ; and it was not until 1864
that another attempt was made to carry out the project.
Sir Daniel Gooch, having studied the question and
arrived at the conclusion that the scheme was feasible,
joined the promoters and gave all his energy to tbe
task. It was to be carried out with the assistance of the
Great Eastern Steamship Company and the Telegraph
Construction and Maintenance Company. Sir Daniel
was the chairman of the one and a director of the other,
THE LATE SIR DANIEL GOOCH, BART., O.K.
From Photograph by Hill and Saunderi, Eton.
December 1
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
569
and as their representative he played a prominent part
in the execution of the work. In July, 1865, the Great
Eastern left the shores of Great Britain with a cable
weighing more than four thousand tons. Sir Daniel
Goocb, who had been on board the big ship in her first
Atlantic voyage, again sailed in her, but the ill success
that had attended the previous efforts had not yet
departed. The new wire was as silent as its predecessor,
and another £400,000 had vanished beneath the indigo
waves of the Atlantic. Mr. Gooch was among the few
who still had faith and hope, and they set to work to
raise fresh capital. The Anglo-American Company was
formed. Alterations were made in the Great Eastern,
and in the short space of one year from the time the
ship sailed away on her unsuccessful voyage she was
again ready for sea. On the 1st of July, 1866, she
steamed from the Nore, and on the 13th the eastern end
of the cable was sunk at Valencia. Fourteen days later
came the first communication from Newfoundland. The
labour of years had been successfully terminated, and
after a vast expenditure of money conversation between
the nations of the two hemispheres had become as easy as
between men across the street ; the first grand link had
been forged in the chain of lightning that was to girdle
the earth. At that moment of triumph the first message
was flashed across the ocean. It was from Daniel
Gooch to Lord Stanley, and read as follows :—" Mr.
Gooch has the pleasure to inform Lord Stanley that the
Newfoundland shore end of the Atlantic cable was laid
to-day, and the most perfect communication established
between England and America. God grant it may be a
lasting source of benefit to our country !"
Rewards came for so eminent a service ; a baronetcy
was conferred upon him ; he was returned to Parliament ;
and he was chosen chairman of the board of directors of
the Great Western Railway.
In 1838, he married Margaret, daughter of the late Mr.
H. Tanner, of Bishopwearmouth, who died in 1868 ; and,
in 1870, he took as his second wife Emily, daughter of the
late Mr. John Burder, of Norwood.
Although Sir Daniel Gooch left the North early in life,
and resided mainly at Clewer Park, Windsor, he did not
forget his early association therewith. He had relatives in
Northumberland ; and through a brother he had obtained
an interest in collieries in the Lintz Green district, so
that business ties, as well as those of friendship, kept up
his interest in the district of his boyhood.
HIRTY years after he delivered his two
lectures on the "Art of Money-Slaking," in
the Town Hall, Newcastle (see page 475),
Phineas Taylor Barnum, now in his seventy-
ninth year, has brought over to England his "Greatest
Show on Earth." This gigantic concern, which comprises
380 animals, and employ 1,200 showmen of various kinds,
can only, owing to its enormous proportions, be ex-
hibited in London. The greatest wonder of the
show is the proprietor himself. Mr. Barnum
was born at Bethel, Connecticut, United States
in 1810, and began business at the early age of
thirteen. In 1841, he purchased the American
Museum, by which, in a few years, he amassed a
fortune. Ten years later he managed the affairs of
Jenny Lind during that celebrated vocalist's tour
in America in 1851-2. In 1855, he engaged very
largely in real and personal estate and manufac-
turing enterprises, but was unsuccessful, and became
a bankrupt. After effecting a compromise with his
creditors, he resumed the management of the
American Museum. Being a man of energy and
resource, he speedily retrieved his fortunes. Burnt
out in 1865 and 1868, he then determined to
relinquish the museum ; but the instinct of the
showman was too strong for him, and he re-entered
the field with greater vigour than before. Mr.
Barnum has crossed the Atlantic nearly forty
different times, one of his earlier voyages being
made to exhibit the well-known dwarf, General
Tom Thumb, in England. It may be stated that
Mr. Barnum regards the showman's life as an
altogether higher mission than mere money-
making. "Amuse the public by all means," he
says, "but educate them, and help them to be
better men and women at the same time."
670
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
/ December
\ 1889.
atrtr
SIR JOHN FENWICK.
The reckless career of Sir John Fenwick, with its un-
happy termination, is described in the paper by the late
James Clephan that appears on page 481. From an old
engraving we have copied the accompanying portrait.
The engraving bears no date beyond this inscription : —
"Sir John Fenwick, beheaded on Tower Hill, 1697."
EDITOR.
A PRINCE'S NURSE.
Madame Carette has just recently written a book about
the Empress Eugenie, widow of the late Emperor of the
French. Therein she makes mention of the English
governess of Eugenie's son, known as the Prince Imperial.
This governess was a North-Country woman. Miss Jane
Shaw was a native of Gilling, near Richmond, in the
North Riding of Yorkshire, in which village her father.
Mr. Lawrence Shaw, was in business as a cartwright.
When a little over twenty years of age she was in service
in London, and was one of about a score of English girls
sent over to Paris to be interviewed by the Empress
Eugenie, who wanted a nurse for the Prince Imperial.
Miss Shaw was selected for the post. The unsuccessful
candidates were entertained in Paris for a week, and then
sent back to England with suitable souvenirs of their
visit to the Empress. Miss Shaw subsequently married
M. Thierry, an officer in the Cent Gardes, and secretary
to the Emperor's private charities. After the fatal battle
of Sedan, Madame Thierry was with the Empress in
England, and is said by some to have been the lady who,
on the return of the mourners from the Emperor's funeral,
threw up the window at Camdeu Place and shouted,
" Vive Napol&m Quatre ! " The Prince, as is stated by
Madame Carette, was devoted to his English nurse, and
his kindness extended to her father, to whom the Prince
sent, amongst other things, a valuable watch, and a case
of birds shot by himself. The old gentleman, to the day
of his death, never tired of showing the presents to curious
visitors. Madame Thierry paid occasional visits to her
native village, in some of which she was accompanied by
her husband, whom the villagers regarded with consider-
able awe. The last occasion on which I remember seeing
Madame Thierry at Gilling was about 1874. She and her
husband ultimately settled on their estate in the South of
France, where she died a few years ago.
JEAN SAVALBUB, West HartlepooL
CHARLES AVISON, ORGANIST.
A biography of Charles Avison, organist of St. Nicholas',
Newcastle, and author of " An Essay on Musical Expres-
sion, " appeared in the Monthly Chronicle for 1883 (p. 109).
A portrait in oils of the eminent musician is now in the
possession of Mr. William J. Ions, the present organist of
St. Nicholas' Cathedral. This portrait Mr. Ions has
kindly given us permission to copy. EDITOR.
December 1
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
571
THE SIDE, NEWCASTLE.
Two small and curious views of the Side were printed
in Richardson's Table Book. One shows the ancient
thoroughfare as it appeared at the beginning of the
present century, before the Corporation pulled down
the overhanging houses seen to
, the right of the picture. The
f other represents some of the
| fine old houses in the lower
I part of the Side, where the
I street in 1842, the date of
I Richardson's compilation, re-
tained much of its early char-
I acter. Most of these old places
I have now disappeared. Inter-
j sating as they may be to the
j antiquary and student of history
I (and their picturesque appear-
jance has an indescribable
I charm for the artist), the build-
Jings that remain in the Side,
! one of the busiest thoroughfares
I in Newcastle, are somewhat in-
I congruous, surrounded as they
I are by imposing modern erec-
' tions. It is to be feared that the
time is not far distant when these
ancient structures must all succumb to the march of pro-
gress. Both views are here reprinted, as a supplement
to the article and illustrations previously given in the
Monthly Chronicle, page 311. EDITOR.
FRUITLESS KNOCKING.
As two young men were wending their way home the
other Saturday night, both being rather under the in-
fluence of strong drink, one of them arrived at the door
of his home. He knocked. Not receiving a reply, he
knocked again. Failing to elicit any response, he turned
round to his companion, and said : — " By Jove, Tommy,
if thor's nebody in the hoose, they'll wondor who's
knocking !"
LUCK.
The conversation of a party of workmen in a bar at
South Shields turned one night upon the luck of certain
townsmen in hazardous speculations, when one of the
company, to emphasize his opinion of a certain successful
speculator, said : " Mr. • is the luckiest chep i' the
warld. He can de nowt wrang. Wey, if he wes te
tumble owerboard oot iv a cobble inte the Tyne, where
another man wad be drooned, he'd cum up agyen aall reet
wiv a salmon iv his hands !"
"TOMMY ON THE BRIDGE. "
Last winter, a pitman paid a visit to the Sandhill,
Newcastle, and, observing a waxworks show, paid his
penny, and went in. The first object that confronted
him was a waxwork representation of " Tommy on the
Bridge," a well-known character, whose portrait and
history appear on page 566. Being a little "foggy with
the drink," the pitman imagined that he saw the real
Tommy. He therefore said : — "Wey, Tommy, aa's
weel pleased te see thoo's getten an inside job. Heor's a
penny." Having placed the coin in the hand of the
figure, the pitman left. After havine made a call or two,
he went on to the Swing Bridge. Here he saw Tommy
in his accustomed place. "Whaat!" he shouted, "oofc
aalready ? Wey, ye must be daft te leave yon inside job
for this caad yen ! "
NED CORVAN AND THE BOTTLE.
The late Ned Corvan, a well-known Tyneside character,
was induced to sign the pledge. Meeting a local philan-
thropist shortly afterwards, that worthy, who had heard
of Ned's recent determination, joyfully exclaimed : — " Ah,
Edward, aa's glad to hear ye've thraan away the bottle."
"Aye, aa've thraan it away, sor," replied Corvan ; "but it
bed nowt in't !"
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN.
During a discussion on Scriptural subjects in a Durham
hostelry, the following conversation is said to have
taken place : — " Aa say, Jacob, whaat myed Joseph's
brethren cast him inte the pit?" "Wey," said Jacob,
" dissent thoo see, Geordie? Es Joseph bed a coloured
coat on, they waddent allow him te gan inte the boxes ; "
572
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I December
1 1889.
THE HARMONIUM.
A* two miners near Bebside were going to work one
night, a man happened to be playing a harmonium in his
house. The miners stood and listened. At length one
of them said, "Wey, Geordie, marra, the talligraph's
shootin' hard the neet ! "
Mr. George Henderson, one of the oldest natives of
Chester-le-Street, who in his younger days was accounted
a splendid "whip," died there on the llth of October.
The deceased, who was a blacksmith, but had retired
from business, was 76 years of age.
Sergeant-Major John Breeze, of her Majesty's Body
Guarci, who when quite an infant was picked up at the
mouth of the Tyne, in the year 1819, having been found
lashed to a spar, and who took part in the famous charge
of Balaclava, died on the llth of October.
Mr. Dring, head of the ship-repairing firm of Messrs.
Bring and Patterson, Hartlepool, and a member of the
Hartlepool Town Council, died on the 14th of October,
at the age of 62.
On the 14th of October, Mr. John Dent, shipowner,
died, after a brief illness, at Blyth. Deceased, who was a
native of Newcastle, served his apprenticeship as a sailor
out of the port of Blyth, afterwards attaining the posi-
tion of captain. Mr. Dent was 81 years of age.
Sir Daniel Goocb, Bart., a native Bedlington, and a
friend and contemporary of the Stephensons, died at
Clewer Park, Windsor, on the 15th of October. (See
ante, page 568.)
Mr. Peter McParlane, who had managed the post-office
at East Jarrow for about 36 years, and who was a member
of the Jarrow and South Shields School Boards, died on
'.he 15th of October, in the 65th year of his age.
Mrs. Susanna Gibson, widow of Mr. George Tallentire
Gibson, solicitor, died at her residence, Ellison Place,
Newcastle, on the 17th of October, at the advanced age of
91 years. She was the possessor of considerable property
at the east end of the city, and had lent valuable assist-
ance in the prosecution of improvements in that district.
Mrs. Gibson was for over fifty years a class-leader in the
Brunswick Circuit of the Wesleyan community, and she
was a liberal contributor to the funds of that denomina-
tion.
Mr. Thomas Henry Richardson, for many years secre-
tary to the firm of Messrs. Bolckow, Vauehan, and Co.,
Middlesbrough, died at his residence, in that town, on the
20th of October, in the 54th year of his age,
On the 21st of October, Mr. Michael Young, a native
of the county of Durham, and many years ago known
as a prominent public man in the district, died very sud-
denly ia London, at the age of 70 years. The deceased,
formerly employed as clerk at the Bedlington Iron
Works, left the North for the metropolis about 36 years
ago.
On the 22nd of October, the death was announced, aged
(A, of Mr. Michael Lowes, a well-known Tyneside agri-
culturist, of Farnley, Corbridce.
The death was announced on the 23rd of October, of
Mr. John Robson, of Healeyfield Farm, near Castleside,
at the age of 82 yean. The deceased had lived at the
farm in question for fifty years, and was well known in
Northumberland and Durham.
The death took place, at Summerville, Corbridge, on
the 23rd of October, of Mr. Thomas Sheldon, who was
formerly an inhabitant of Jarrow, and was one of the
first aldermen of the borough.
On the 24th of October, the Rev. Jonathan Scnrr, vicar
of Ninebanks, Allendale, died in his 86th year. The de-
ceased, whose father, the Rev. Thomas Scurr, was rector
of Allendale for some years, had held the living of Nine-
banks and Carshield for about forty years.
On the 25th of October, it was announced that Mr. John
Buckham, who was for over fifty years a well-known
tradesman at Alnwick, had just died at the house of his
nephew at Glanton. Mr. Buckham was within a week of
entering his 79th year.
A local paper of the 25th of October intimated that a
few days previously there died in Manchester, where he
had been long resident, Mr. William Wilson, a native of
Tweedmouth, and youngest brother of the late Mr. John
Mackay Wilson, editor of the "Tales of the Borders."
Mr. William Cochran Carr, of South Benwell House,
Newcastle, died on the 26th October, in the 74th year of
his age. The deceased gentleman, who was a native of
Blaydon, had for many years been associated with the
coal and firebrick trades of Newcastle.
Captain Alfred C. Hill, manager of the Clay Lane
Ironworks, South Bank, and late president of the Cleve-
land Institution of Engineers, died at his residence, Eston
Junction, on the 27th of October, aged fifty-four years.
On the 27th of October, Dr. Mordey Douglas, who was
well known in Sunderland both as a public man and a
medical practitioner, died of consumption, at the resi-
dence of Mr. Samuel Storey, M.P., Holme Lea, Sunder-
land, after an illness of several years' standing, aged 48.
Owing to his malady, he had btea obliged to spend the
autumns and winters in the Canary Islands, where he had
established at Las Palinas an institution for invalids. Dr.
Douglas was for seven years a member of the Sunderland
Town Council, and took a very prominent part in all mat-
ters relating to sanitation. He was a nephew of the
celebrated Dr. Mordey, J.P., who was for some time
Mayor of Sunderland, and whose services in connection
with the outbreak of cholera in Suuderland in 1831 and
1832 brought him the offer of knighthood and the appoint-
ment of surgeon-extra to William IV., both of which
honours, however, he declined.
On the 28th day of October, the death was announced,
in his 91st year, of Lord Teynham, one of the oldest
members of the House of Lords, and who, about thirty
years ago, paid several visits to Newcastle, and addressed
public meetings in furtherance of the political programme
of the Northern Reform Union.
On the 31st of October, the death was announced of
Major-General Sir George Hutt, K.C.B., who served
through the Scinde-Afghan campaigns of 1839-44, and
subsequently held an artillery command in the Persian
war in 1857. The deceased was a brother of the late Sir
William Hutt, long member for the borough of Gates-
bead.
On the 29th of October, Dr. Henry Ridley Dale, who
for some time was professionally engaged in Sunderland,
and held the position of medical officer for Sunderland
parish, died at the residence of his twin-brother, Mr.
December I
NORTH-COUN2RY LORE AND LEGEND.
573
Hilton Dale, Bellsize Park, London. Thedeceased gentle-
man was only 33 years of age.
On the 6th of November, the death was announced, at
the age of 50 years, of Mr. John McCallum, formerly con-
nected with commercial business on the Quayside, New-
castle, and lone an active and zealous worker in connec-
tion with the Brunswick Place and Jesmond Wesleyan
Chapels in that city.
On the 6th of November, the remains of Mr. Matthew
Kllerington, watchmaker and jeweller, of Corbridge, were
interred in the cemetery of that village. The deceased
was connected with nearly all the public enterprises of
the town, and was also the author of a "Guide to
Corbridge."
On the 8th of November, the death was reported from
Batley, of the Rev. George E. Young, a well-known and
popular Wesleyan minister, who was born at Ryton in
1823. When quite a young man, he had preached in
company with Timothy Hackworth, of locomotive fame.
"Robin Goodfellow," in the Weekly Chronicle of the 9th
of November, announced the death, at Gateshead, of Mr.
Christian Borries, the oldest Dane resident on Tyneside.
The deceased was a member of the firm of Losh, Borries,
and Co., Corn merchants, Newcastle, and he was also
Danish consul for a period of thirty years. Mr. Borries
was married to a daughter of Thomas Wilson, author of
the "Pitman's Pay."
sst
Occurrences.
OCTOBER.
11. — A serious boiler explosion took place on board the
steam-wherry Perseverance, lying near the Swing Bridge
in the river Tyne at Newcastle. Several pieces of the
boiler were projected a considerable distance, parts falling
in High Street, Gateshead, St. Nicholas' Churchyard,.
Lombard Street, and Dean Street, Newcastle. A piece
about two tons weight was shot over the Exchange and
Dean Street Railway Bridge. The wherry was sunk,
but, strange to say, nobody was hurt.
— Dr, H. E. Armstrong, Medical Officer of Health,
was elected president of the Society of Medical Officers.
12.— New Wesleyan Sunday Schools were opened at
Matfen.
— Ulgham estate, the property of the Earl of Carlisle,
near Morpeth, was sold by private treaty, to Mr. James
Joicey, M.P. The extent is 2,198 acres, and the annual
rental £2,115. The Cottingwood estate, also the property
of the Earl of Carlisle, in the township of Morpeth, and
extending over upwards of 216 acres, with a rental of
£240, was sold to Mr. J. B. Anderson, who had been
born on the land, for £6,600. Other sections of the
Northumbrian estates of his lordship were subsequently
submitted for sale by public auction. The lots disposed
of publicly and privately during the sales realised upwards
of £205,000.
H.— Lord Herschell, ex-Lord Chancellor, addressed a
public meeting at Durham, in connection with the Durham
County Liberal Federation.
—It was announced that the will of the late Mr. Alder-
man Plummer, of Newcastle, had been proved, the value
of the personal estate being sworn under £45,000.
— An advance in wages of 2d. per day was offered to
and accepted by the miners of Northumberland.
15. — The passenger train leaving Hexham shortly after
7 a.m. came into collision with a Glasgow goods train at
Wark Station, and several passengers were injured.
— Lord George Hamilton, First Lord of the Admiralty,
addressed a political meeting in the Victoria Hall, Sunder-
land.
— At a chapter of the diocese (Roman Catholic) of
Hexham and Newcastle, three names were selected to be
forwarded to the Pope from whom to choose a successor
to Dr. O'Callaghan, as bishop.
16. — A literary and historical club, under the title of
the Stanley Club, was formed at J arrow.
— The Right Hon. James Lowther, M.P., ex-Secretary
for Ireland, addressed a political meeting in the Town
Hall, Durham.
18. — The inauguration of the third winter session of
the Tyneside Geographical Society took place in the North-
umberland Hall, Newcastle when Mr. Charles Marvin
delivered a lecture on "The Geographical Bearing of
the Russian Advance," the chair being occupied by the
Sheriff, Mr. William Button. On the evening of the
20th, Mr. Marvin inaugurated the seventh session of the
Tyneside Sunday Lecture Society, by a lecture on "The
Oil Wells of the World, and the Wonders that Spring
from Them."
574
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
{December
1889.
—At a meeting of the Executive Council of the New-
castle' Royal Jubilee Exhibition, a statement was sub-
mitted, showing that, after all known liabilities had been
satisfied, there remained in hand a balance of about
£*,388.
—At a public meeting in the Council Chamber, Town
Hall, Newcastle, Sir B. C. Browne, Deputy-Mayor, pre-
sented a bronze medal of the Royal Humane Society to
Henry Magnay, for his bravery in saving a boy named
Joseph Lord, nine years of age, from drowning in the
river Tyne. on the 3rd of August. On the 19th the Royal
Humane Society awarded testimonials to Henry Buck-
land, aged 30, and Alfred Hunter, 28, for rescuing Henry
Thompson and George Hall, two youths, whose boat was
upset in Frenchman's Bay, South Shields, on the 24th of
September.
19.— Considerable excitement and some rough conduct
took place in the Constabulary Grounds, Newcastle, con-
sequent on the failure of Miss Alma Beaumont to make
one of her balloon ascents and a parachute descent On
the 27th of the month, however, Miss Beaumont success-
fully carried out the performance from the West End
Football Grounds, Leazes, Newcastle. There was a large
concourse cf spectators.
20.— During a severe thunderstorm, three men were
struck by lightning, at Waterhouses.
21. —An advance of 2i per cent, in wages was granted
to the colliery mechanics of Northumberland.
— It was announced that the picturesque mansion of
Denton Hall (see Monthly Chronicle, 1887, page 135) had
become the property of Dr. W. I'Anson.
—At the Newcastle Police Court, four workmen were
fined 5s. each with costs, with the amount of damage, for
having wilfully taken down the barrier in St. Mary's
Place on the 25th of September, but the Bench ex-
pressed their willingness to grant a case for a higher
court.
23.— A man named William Grant, 27 years of age,
died very suddenly at Shotley Bridge from, as was after-
wards ascertained, the effects of injuries received while
playing at football.
—In the Town Hall, Newcastle, there was opened by
Earl Percy a grand bazaar, in aid of the funds of the
Northumberland Village Homes at Whitley. The amount
realised by the bazaar, which extended over three days,
1 1 £2.100.
25.— A huge fish, measuring 7 feet in length, 8 feet from
tip to tip of the fins, and weighing 60 stones, was found
cast on the rocks at Craster, on the coast of Northumber-
land. Earl Percy, who examined it, expressed the
opinion that it was a sun fish, while other naturalists con-
sidered that it belonged to the dolphin tribe. The finny
monster was afterwards conveyed to Newcastle for ex-
hibition.
26.— The first of a series of popular lectures was given
at the new College of Science, Barras Bridge, Newcastle,
by Professor F. Clowes, D.Sc., principal of University Col-
lege, Nottingham, on " Colliery Explosions and Modern
Means of Preventing Them," the chair being occupied by
Principal Garnett.
— Mr. James Craig, M.P., was interviewed upon the
eight hours question, at the Liberal Club, Newcastle, by a
deputation representing the Newcastle Labour party.
27. — Hospital Sunday, for the nineteenth time, was
held in Newcastle. The list of collections on behalf of
the medical charities was, on this occasion, headed by
Jesmond Church with £97 17s. 8d. Brunswick Place
Wesleyan Chapel came next with £80 Is. 7d.
— Mr. John Evan Hodgson, IR.A., Professor of Painting
at the Royal Academy, lectured at the Tyne Theatre,
Newcastle, on "Hogarth and Sir Joshua Reynolds."
Professor Hodgson, who belongs to a Northumbrian family
of that name, some of whom were at one time proprietors
of the Newcastle Chronicle, was born in London in 1831.
28.— As the result of a poll, Mr. J. D. Pickering was
elected assistant-overseer of St. Nicholas' parish, New-
castle.
— At a meeting of the Cleveland mine-owners, held at
Middlesbrough, Mr. David Dale presiding, it was agreed
to advance the wages of the men 15 per cent., to take
effect from the end of the week, and continue in force till
the beginning of February.
—Mr. Samuel Plimsoll, ex-M.P., addressed a meeting
of seamen at South Shields.
29 — Messrs. Storey and Gourley addressed their con
stituents at Sunderland.
— The ceremony of presenting a pastoral staff to Dr.
Lightfoot, Bishop of Durham, took place in Bishop
Cosin's Library, Durham. The Earl of Durham, chair-
man of the general committee, made the presentation.
— A singular case of death from starvation formed the
subject of a coroner's inquest in Newcastle. The deceased,
a man named Jonathan Vickers, about 57 years of age,
had occupied the upstairs flat of a house in Belgrave
Terrace. He lived alone, and was of very reserved habits.
Nothing having been seen or heard of him for some time,
information was given to the police, who, on the 21st
inst., called at the house, and, receiving no answer to
their knock, broke open the door. The poor man was
removed to the workhouse, where he only partook of a
December 1
1889. /
NORTH-COUNTRY LORE AND LEGEND.
575
little milk twice, and died on the 27th. At the inquest
there was produced a remarkable letter which had been
found in one of the rooms of the deceased's dwelling. It
was addressed to the coroner, Mr. Theodore Hoyle,
and commenced as follows: — "Bidding the world good
night. Death from starvation. Last scene of all."
The writer then went on to state that, to avoid giving
trouble on the inquest, he certified that his death was
due to the above cause alone. "I live," he said, "alone
by myself, and not a soul enters my door, having neither
wife, child, friends, or anything in the shape of such. In
accordance, therefore, with the evidence thus given, and
at my dying request, the verdict must be ' Death from
starvation.' " This letter was dated the 10th of Septem-
ber, and there followed a note, without date, in which, re-
marking that "we are drawing towards the close of the
nineteenth century," he said : " It is getting very late to
hear of death from starvation. The reason simply is
that the workhouse occupies in the present day the anti-
quated habits, manners, and customs of a bygone age. It
is viewed, not as a refuge for distress, but a place of punish-
ment, and of such a nature that it is to be questioned
if some of the most atrocious criminals would not undergo
any penalty to avoid the shocking stigma attached to the
name of pauper — a stigma, in fact, which degrades those
that enter the workhouse below the beasts of the field."
Towards the close, Vickers said : — " I can write no more,
as I am very weak from fasting — not had anything in the
shape of a good substantial meal for upwards of a month."
The jury, in accordance with the dying wish of the
miserable man, returned a verdict to the effect that death
had been caused by starvation. From a letter subse-
quently addressed to the newspapers, it appeared that
Vickers had living many well-to-do relatives in and
around Newcastle, and had himself been a tradesman in
the city. One of his sisters or cousins was the first
wife of the Rev. Dr. Morley Punshon. the celebrated
Wesleyan minister.
30. — At the final meeting of the Local General Com-
mittee in connection with the British Association, it was
stated that the net cost of the late meeting, within a few
pounds, was £3,455. The donations amounted to £1,730 ;
and it was resolved to make a call upon the Guarantee
Fund, which reached £2,680, to the extent of £66 13s. 4d.
per cent. Votes of thanks were accorded to the local
secretaries. Professors Merivale and Bedson, and to the
Mayor.
— The shipyard wages question on the Tyne, Wear,
Tees, and at Hartlepool was settled at Stockton-on-Tees :
an advance of 5 per cent, on piece prices from January
and a shilling per week in time wages having been ac-
cepted.
— In answer to a deputation of workmen who waited
upon them, the directors of the Newcastle and Gateshead
Gas Company intimated their readiness to grant an imme-
diate advance of 10 per cent, in wages, and to adopt the
principle of an eight hours shift early in the ensuing
spring. As the result of a second interview with
the delegates of the workmen, however, the directors
agreed to introduce the eight hours system on and from
the 1st of January, 1890. This arrangement was accepted
by the men.
31. — Hallowe'en was celebrated by an entertainment in
the County Hotel, Newcastle, under the auspices of the
Newcastle and Tyneside Burns Club.
— A series of handsome parting gifts were presented to
Mr. Joseph Snowball, J.P., on the occasion of his retire-
ment from the office of Commissioner to the Duke of
Northumberland.
NOVEMBER.
1. — In the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle, it was announced
that Mr. W. Digby Seymour, Q.C., Judge of the New-
castle County Court, had been elected an honorary mem-
ber of the Dicky Bird Society, and a letter was published
from his Honour, intimating his acceptance of the dis-
tinction.
— The annual municipal elections took place, the chief
feature of interest in Newcastle being the contests in All
Saints' North, All Saints' East, Byker, Elswick South,
Elswick East, and Westgate South Wards, in each of
which a working man candidate came forward. In every
case, however, the representative of the labour party was
defeated, all the old members who sought re-election
being returned by large majorities. The election at
Morpeth involved the reconstitutiou of the Council, four
gentlemen being elected for three years, four for two years,
and four for one year respectively.
— At an extraordinary general meeting of Sir W. G.
Armstrong, Mitchell, and Co., a resolution was passed,
authorising an increase in the capital of the company by
the creation of 200,000 four per cent, preference shares of
£5 each, 50,000 to be issued immediately, and another
50,000 if and when the directors might deem expedient.
Lord Armstrong embraced the occasion to enter into a
defence of the 110-ton gun, as to which some adverse re-
ports had been published.
— The tramway and 'bus drivers, stablemen, and con-
ductors employed at South Shields came out on strike for
an advance of wages, which was conceded ; but as there
was a further dispute as to the removal of a blacksmith,
a settlement was not effected. The services of some new
men were obtained, and the traffic was resumed soon
afterwards.
— Commissioned by Miss Robson, the lessee of the
establishment, Mr. H. H. Emmerson, the eminent local
artist, completed a series of painted canvases for the ban-
queting hall of the Crown Hotel, West Clayton Street,
Newcastle. The subjects depicted were the old sport of
hawking, the game of bowls, a hunting scene, and a
scene at Fountains Abbey. The portraits in the pictures
include likenesses of Sir M. W. Ridley, Dr. Cook,
Colonel A. S. Palmer, Colonel Cowen, Mr. W. E.
Adams, Mr. W. Sharp, Mr. J. B. Radcliffe, Dr. Adam
Wilson, &c.
2. — The twelfth series of People's Concerts, under the
auspices of the Corporation, was commenced in the Town
Hall, Newcastle.
— A cooper named Cornelius Gray, 29 years of age, and
living in Albion Row, Ouseburn, Newcastle, made a des-
perate attempt to murder his wife, Annie Gray, by stab-
bing her with a knife, and afterwards committed suicide
by cutting his throat with a razor.
— Mr. Henry Atkinson, a seafaring man, and a son of
the late Dr. Atkinson, of Wylam, received severe injuries
by being thrown from a horse on which he was riding
near Stamfordham, and died next day.
3. — The well-known lectxirer and author, Mr. Max
O'Rell, lectured at the Tyne Theatre, Newcastle, under
the auspices of the Tyneside Sunday Lecture Society, on
" The American at Home."
576
MONTHLY CHRONICLE.
I December
\ 1839.
4.— Mr. John Morley, M P., received a deputation in
Newcastle from the Labour Electoral Organisation, with
the view of eliciting his opinions on various questions
affecting that body.
— Lord Northbrook was the principal speaker at a
Liberal Unionist demonstration at West Hartlepool ; and
on the following evening he addressed a similar meeting
at Stockton-on-Tees.
—An explosion took place in the " A " pit of Hebburn
Colliery, the property of the Tyne Coal Company. Six
men who were in the mine at the time were so severely
burnt that they all afterwards died.
— Madame Albani was one of the artistes who sang at
the annual Police Concert in the Town Hall. Newcastle.
5.— At a meeting of the West Hartlepool Town Council,
Mr. John Pile, on the occasion of his golden wedding,
was presented with a handsomely executed bust of him-
self, in recognition of his valued servives in contributing
to the commercial prosperity of West Hartlepool, and the
recipient, in replying, presented the bust to the town.
— Earl Spencer visited Newcastle in his capacity of
president of the Liberal Club, in the dining hall of which
he was entertained to luncheon ; and in the evening he
addressed a great public meeting in the Town Hall, the
chair being occupied by Mr. John Morley, M.P.
6. — Under the auspices of the Middlesbrough Liberal
Club, of which he had been elected president, Mr. John
Morley, M.P., addressed a political meeting in the Town
Hull of that borough.
— Lord Bramwell spoke at a political meeting at North
Shields.
9. — It being Hospital Saturday, collections were taken
in the various manufactories and workshops on behalf of
the medical charities of Newcastle and district.
— The elections of Mayor and other leading municipal
officers took place throughout the North of England. In
Newcastle, the gentleman chosen as chief-magistrate was
Mr. Thomas Bell, who occupied the office of Sheriff
duiing 1885-6. Mr. Edward Culley, who had been a
member of the Council since the 19th of March, 1879, was
appointed Sheriff. The retiring Mayor of Gates-head,
Mr. Alderman John Lucas, was unanimously re-elected
to that office.
10. — The total amount collected for the medical
charities at St. Nicholas' Cathedral, Newcastle, on
the occasion of Mayor's Sunday was £150, compared
with £122 10s. 8d. last year.
Central ©ceumnas.
OCTOBER.
12.— The poll of the North Bucks election was declared,
the result being as follows :— Captain Verney (Glad-
stonian), 4,855; the Hon. E. Hubbard (Conservative),
4,647 ; majority, 208.
16.— Lord Fitzgerald, Lord of Appeal in England,
died in Dublin, at the age of 73.
— A telegram from Odessa announced the sinking of the
Russian man-of-war, Nasr-ed-Din Shah, with all hands.
— A colliery explosion, whereby seventy-five men lost
their lives, occurred at Mossfield Colliery, Longton, North
Staffordshire.
19 — Mr. Stafford Allen, who worked with Clarkson,
Wilberforce, Buxton, and others for the abolition of
slavery in British dominions, died in London, aged 83.
— King Luis of Portugal died at Lisbon, at the age of 51.
24. — After much delay, caused by the difficulty of em-
panelling a jury, the trial of the prisoners charged with
the murder of Dr. Cronin was commenced at Chicago.
— At Didsbury, a man named James Dwyer entered
the local branch of the Union Bank, and, after having
shot at and wounded the manager, helped himself to
money from the till. He made his escape, but after-
wards, finding he was in danger of being captured, shot
himself.
25.— An election for a parliamentary regresentative
took place at Brighton, the result being as follows : — Mr.
Loder (Conservative), 7,132; Sir Robert Peel (Liberal),
4,625 ; majority, 2,507.
— Two men, named Grave and Loder, who belonged to
the crew of the steamer Earnmoor, which foundered near
the Bahamas at the beginning of September, arrived at
Baltimore. They told a tale of great suffering at sea in
their boat, having had to consume as food parts of the
bodies of two companions who had died.
30. — The trial of several men and women, including
Father McFadden, for being concerned in the events at
Gweedore, Ireland, which led to the death of Inspector
Martin, came to a somewhat abrupt conclusion, by many
of the prisoners pleading guilty to misdemeanour. Father
McFadden pleaded guilty to obstructing the police. Some
of the misdemeanants were sentenced to penal servitude
for manslaughter ; others to short terms of imprisonment.
Father McFadden was released on his own recognisances.
NOVEMBER.
1. — A new carpet factory which was in course of erec-
tion in Bennie Place, Glasgow, and which had reached
the height of five storeys, suddenly collapsed. Thirty
women who were engaged in the factory were killed,
while many more were injured.
4. — Information reached London that the followers of
Emin Pasha had revolted. The Equatorial Province of
Central Africa was shortly afterwards invaded by the
Mahdists.
6. — Mrs. Edmonds, of Llanelly, was delivered of four
children — three girls and one boy. The boy and one girl
died shortly atter birth.
— A report reached Zanzibar that the members of the
expedition fitted out in Germany for the relief of Emin
Pasha had been massacred by the Massais.
9. — The trial of John Watson Laurie, who was accused
of the murder of Edwin Robert Rose, near the head of
Glen Sannox, Arrau, Scotland, on July 15th last, com-
menced at Edinburgh on the 8th, and terminated to-day.
Laurie was found guilty, and sentence of death was
passed.
—Two prominent Republican politicians of the United
States, Colonel William Cassius Goodloe and Colonel
Amistead Swope, who had quarrelled some time pre-
viously, met to-day at the post office, Lexington, Ken-
tucky. High words passed, when Swope drew a pistol
and shot Gcodloe in the abdomen. Goodloe then drew a
knife, and stabbed Swope thirteen times. Both men
died.
Printed by WALTEB SCOTT, Felling-on-Tyne.
Abbey Junction, near Carlisle, 464.
Academy of Arts, Newcastle, 90, 104, 413.
Adams, W. E., on ''Candyman," 6.
Adams, R, W., on Henry Russell in New-
castle, 331.
Adamson, Lieut, R.N., Memorial to, 186.
Allan, Dame, School at Newcastle, 159.
Albert Victor, Prince, 279.
Alcock, Thomas, 319.
Alderson, Hut, Bellman of Durham, 30L
Allen, Lieut, and the Hexham Riot, 558.
Allhusen, Mrs., Death of, 524.
Alnmouth, 392.
Alnw ick, the Lion Bridge, 41 ; Corporation
of, 139 ; Freeman's Well Dav at, 253 ;
Bull Baiting, 366 ; Discovery of a Statue
of Henry VI., 52S
Alston, Starlings at, 475.
Ambleside, Sun Dial at, 293; Fox How, 368.
Amen Corner, Newcastle, 401.
Anderson, Major, and St. Andrew's Church,
218; James R,, in Newcastle, 241;
Charles H., Q.C., Death of, 480.
Andrews, Mrs., and "The Outlandish
Knight," 19&
"Angelus," J F. Millet's, Sale of, 384, 432.
Animals in the North, Extinct Wild, 49.
Apprentices, Newcastle, 435.
Armstrong, Lord, 1 ; Robert Lamb, Death
of, 524.
Arnold, Dr. Thomas, Residence of, 368.
Arran Tragedy : Sentence of Laurie, 576.
Arthur's Hill/Newcastle, and Sing Arthur,
41.
Aske Hall, Richmond, Yorkshire, 329.
Auckland, St. Helen's, 325.
Avison, Charles, 570.
Ayre, Richard, 326.
Babbies, Sunderland, 16.
Backhouse, James, and the Skeleton of a
Wolf, 49.
Bakestick, a Northumbrian, 522.
Balloon Ascent from Newcastle, Fatal, 117.
Barksby, John, Death of, 239, 282.
Barlow, Joseph, 83.
Barnes, Ambrose, 436.
Barnard Castle, 74 ; Tragedies, 76 ; Sir Geo.
Bowes at, 421.
Barnum in Newcastle, 475 ; portrait, 569.
Barrett, Edward Barrett Moulton, 305, 378.
Bartleman, David, a Tyneside Hero, b45.
Hatty, Thomas Wilson, Death of, 423.
Bear-Baiting, 406.
Beaumont, Miss Alma, Parachutist, in the
North, 479, 525, 574.
Bede, the Venerable, 259.
Bedlington, Northumberland, and Sir Daniel
Oooch, 568.
Bell, Sir Isaac, Bart, 516.
Bell, Thomas, and William Veitch, 156.
Bell Tower at Morpeth, the, 474.
Beverleys and Roxbys, 327.
Beverley, William Roxby, 328, 332.
Bewicke, William, of Threepwood, 315, 331.
Bewick, Elizabeth, Death of, 580.
Bewick Club and its Founders, 193.
Biddick, Pitman of, and the Earldom of
Perth, 145, 426.
"Binnorie ; or, the Cruel Sister," 374.
Blackburn. Henry, in Newcastle, 143.
Blackett Street, Newcastle, 102.
Blackie, Professor, in Newcastle, 143.
Black Horse Inn, Newgate Street, New-
castle, 220.
Blanchland, 500.
Blea Tarn. 128.
Blenkinsops, the, of Blenkinsop Castle, 499.
Blind Asj Turn, Newcastle, 159.
Bloodhound, 36.
Boat Race on the Tyne, 95.
"Bob Cranky's Adieu," 252.
Boldon, Robert, the Spy, 420.
Bolton on the AIn, 544.
Bonar. Dr. Horatius, Death of, 431.
Bonner, Alderman Thomas, and Katy's
Coffee House, Newcastle, 369.
Border, Tales of the, 363 ; Trance, 494.
Borries, Christian, Death of, 573.
Bothal Castle, 257 ; Village, 537.
Bothwell, Earl of. and Hermitage Castle,
564.
Bourne, Henry, 314.
Boutflower, John, Death of, 236.
Bover, Captain, 136.
Bowes, Sir George, and Barnard Castle, 74,
42L
Bowes, John and George, and Gibside, 390,
391.
Boyle, J. R., on the Pitman of Biddick, 145;
Coming and Going of the Judges, 222 ;
St Nicholas' Church and the Scottish
Prisoners, 235 ; Swedenborgianism, 275;
Sanctuary at Durham Cathedral, 289 ;
Norton Church, 345; Katy's Coffee
House, Newcastle, 369 ; Castle Garth,
Newcastle, 406 ; St. Nicholas', New-
castle, 408 ; St. Giles's Church, Durham,
448 ; Haltwhistte Church, 497 ; Kepier
Hospital, 535.
Brabant, Sir Henry, 10.
Bradlaugh, Charles, in Newcastle, 141, 524.
Brand. Rev. John, 11, 314.
Brandling, Sir Robert, 66; Robert, 67;
Charles John, 68.
Breeze, Sergeant-Major John, Death of, 572.
Brewis, George, 13 ; Rev. William, 13.
Bright (John), his Connection with the
North, 206 ; Death of, 240.
Brinkburn Priory, 415.
British Association in Newcastle, 515, 524,
575.
Brockett, John Trotter, 14, 272.
Brockie, William, on Our Roman Roads,
38, 51, 114; Football in the North,
54; the Miser of Keiton, 84 ; Alnwick
Corporation, 139 ; Scenes and Characters
in "Guy Mannering," 202; Durham
University, 422 ; Marshal Wade's Road,
245; Wearmouth Bridge Lottery, 254;
Railway Development, 262.
Brogdcn, Arthur, 527.
Browning, Mrs., her Birthplace, 303, 378;
Robert, and Charles Avison, 527.
Brown, John, D. D. ,122; Lancelot ("Capa-
bility "), 124, 391.
Brown, Baron, the Durham Poet, 433.
Bruce, Gainsford, 47 ; John, 126 ; George
Barclay, 128.
Bruce, Dr. J. C., and Arthur's Hill, 41 ;
Marshal Wade's Road, 245 I Bruce's
School, 275 ; Society of Antiquaries,
286.
Brvan, Michael, 125.
Buddie, Jolm, 150, 162,
Bulmer, William. 164.
Buhner, Sir lievis, Knight of the Golden
Mine, 205.
Bull-Baiting in the North, 365.
Burdon, Sir Thomas, 210; William, 212;
John, 303.
Burdon, Rowland, and the Weannonth
Bridge Lottery, 254.
Burnet, Rev. Canon, on Mrs. Barrett Brown-
ing. 378.
Burial of Sir John Moore, 301.
Burn, James, Death of, 428.
Bury, F., on the WeUderstone, 426.
Butler, Bishop, at Stanhope, 358; New-
castle Infirmary, 511.
Calaly Castle, Northumberland, 295, 37&
Cale Cross, 314, 354.
Cambridge, Death of the Duchess of, 240.
Candyman, 6.
" Canny," 183.
Carey, Robert, Earl of Monmouth, 266.
Carham, Battle of, 293
Carleton, George (Bishop), 213.
Carliol Tower, Newcastle, 1C4.
Carlyle, Rev. J. D.,268.
Carmichael, J.W., artist, 412.
Carnabys of Carnaby, 8.
Caron, Major Le, and the Pamcll Commis-
sion, 144.
Carr, William Cochran, Death of, 572.
Carr, Andrew, Death of, 188 ; Ralph, Sheriff
of Northumberland, 223 ; George, 306 ;
Cuthbert, 307 ; John, the Rev. George,
309; William, 310; Leonard, 354;
Ralph, 355, 377.
Carr-Elhson, Ralph, 385.
Cartington Castle, 20L
Castle Garth, Newcastle, 406, 471.
Cawtborne, Joseph, a Suuderland Char-
acter, 295.
Central Station Hotel, Newcastle, 464 ;
Station, 510.
Chadwick, Bishop, 269.
Chaffinch, the, 324
Chambers, Sir Robert, 287.
Chamberlain, Joseph. M.P., Marriage of,
48 ; in Newcastle, 526.
Chapman, William. 388 ; Henry, 442.
Charlton, John, Death of, 93 ; Dr. Edward,
443.
Charms for Venom, 132.
Chartist Spear, 148.
Chat Moss, 263.
Chester-le-Street, Football at, 180, 191.
Chicken, Edward, 445.
Chiff-Chaff. the, 404.
Chillingham Bull and the Prince of Wales,
113.
Chipchase Castle. 119.
Ohirton, Ralph Gardner of, 487.
Chollerford, 71.
Christmas Day in the Morning, 546.
Clark, John, 506 ; Joseph, 507.
Claverin,', Sir John, 50J ; James, 509.
Clayton, Rev. Richard, 538.
Clennell, Luke, 318.
Clephan, James, on the Sleuth or Blood-
hound, 36 ; William Cramlington, 174 ;
Racing in the Northern Counties, 394 ;
A Mysterious Mail Coach Hobbery, 402 ;
Newcastle Apprentices, 435; Sir John
Fenwick, Jacobite, 481.
Clifford, the Shepherd-Lord, 373, 437.
Close, the, Newcastle, o50.
Clover, Robert, a Gateshead Prodigv, 40.
Clown and his Gei-se on the T\ ne, 522.
Cobbctt, Miss Susan, Death of, 144.
Cock, Wm., 540.
Coke, Sir John, and the Newcastle Appren*
tices, 437.
Cole, Ralph and Sir Nicholas, 541.
Colours of a Regiment in Newcastle, Bury-
ing the, 42.
Collins, Wilkie. Death of, 52a
Colvill, Miss Caroline S., Presentation of a
Fountain by, 382.
Colwith Force, 64.
Comyn, Wm., and the See of Durham, 520.
Conspirators, the Muggleswick, 370.
Conyers, Sir John, 519.
Cook, Eliza, Death of, 523.
Cook, Captain, Monument to, 333.
Copland, Elijah, on Richard Ayre, 326.
Corbridge Veteran, a, William Surtees, 330.
Cork-Cutter, the (Thomas Dixon), 447.
Corvan, Ned, and the Bottle (Local Anec-
dote-), 571
Cotherstone, 76 ; Christening the Calves at,
91.
County Council, Northumberland, 141 ;
Durham, 142.
Cowen, Joseph, and Garibaldi, 130 ; Kossuth,
276 ; Cycling Challenge Cup, 478.
Cox, John, and John Bourne, his lodger,
514.
Coxhoe Hall, 304, 37&
Craig, Jas., a Newcastle hero, 287, 334, 428.
Cram, Henry, and Pompey's Pillar, 375.
Cramlington, William, Sheriff of New-
castle, 174.
Crawshay, George, and Ralph Waldo Emer-
son, 495.
Crewe, Lord, and Blanchlnnd, 501.
Cross House, Newcastle, 377.
Crowdy, 278.
Crow Tree, Newcastle, 190, 275.
Crowlev's Crew, 148.
Cuckoo, the, 181.
Cullercoata, Fairy Pipes Found at, 562.
Cumberland and the Scottish Kings, 199.
Cut-Purse Ordeal, the, 439.
Daggett, William, Death of, 44.
Dame Allan's School, Newcastle, 159.
Damian, Father, Death of, 288, 336.
Dandie Dinmont, 202.
Danes in Northumbrm, 260, 450.
Darlington and Stockton Railway, Opening
of, 264.
Darn Crook, Newcastle, 272.
II.
INDEX.
Davis, E. D., and the Theatre Royal, New-
castle, 23.
Davison, Alexander, 10; Sir Alexander, 321 ;
Inscriptions in Norton Church, 347;
Joseph, Death of, 188.
Davy, Herbert, Death of, 380.
Dawnay, Hon. Guy, Death of, 240.
Dead House, Newcastle, 248.
•• De'U Stick the Minister," 78.
Delaval Papers, 133.
Deloney, Thomas, 462.
Dent, John. Death of, 572
Denton Hall, 574.
De Quinoey on Christopher North, 472.
Devil's Causeway, 114.
Dickens, Charles, in the North, 57, 82,
Dickey of hingswood, 253.
Dickinson, Thomas, 197.
Dilke, Mrs. Ashton, portrait of, 47.
Dinsdalc Spa, 157.
Dixon, Kaylton, 110; Thomas, Cork-
Cutter, 447.
Dobson, John, 105.
Dobson, John, and the Mail Coach
Robbery, 402.
Dodds, Georse, Death of, 44 ; Ralph, 275.
Dodds, Joseph, 189.
Dog, Help, the Railway, 297.
Dogs' Feet, Cutting, 635.
Donkin, Armorer, and Lord Armstrong, 2 ;
J. T. Brockctt, 14.
Doorway, an Ancient, at Sunderland, 475.
Uoubleday, Thomas, ana the Tune of
Captaii. "iover, 136.
Douglas, Dr. Mordev, Death of, 572.
Douglas, Martin, a Sunderland Hero, 235.
Douglas, Sir George, on a Roxburghshire
Poet, 79 ; on a Letter of the Poet of the
Seasons, 199.
Drummond, the Pitman of Biddick, 145, 426.
Duddo Tower and Stones, 200.
Du:i an, Colonel, Death of, 43.
Dungannon, Lord, and John Bright, 207.
Duuuiail Raise, Cumberland, 417.
Durants, the, and the Uuicks Burying
Ground, 249.
Durham-Chetwynd Arbitration, 381.
Durham, Allom's View of, 40 ; County
Council, 142 ; John Bright's election
for, 207 ; Sanrtuarv at Durham Cathe-
dral, 289 • Bun-Dial at, 294 ; Wags of
Durham, 301,434 ; Hut Alderson, 301 ;
University, 422 ; Dean, Dr. Lake, 426 ;
Baron Hrown, 433 ; St. Giles's Church,
448 ; William Conij-n and the See, 520 ;
Kepier Hospital, 535 ; Fairy Pipes, 562.
Eden Hall, Luck of, 529.
Ertlingham Burglary, 46, 95, 189.
Egglestone, William Morlev, on Charms for
Venom, 132 ; on Bishop Butler at Stan-
hope, 368 ; Fairy Pipes, 561.
Eichholtz, Hubert, Death of 381.
Eldon, Lord, 436, 458.
Eldon S-iuare. Newcastle, 104.
Elephant Hock, Hartlepool, 626.
Elk-ray, Christopher North at, 471.
Ellis, Joseph liaxter, Portrait of, 45.
Elswlck Hall, 5c4.
Elswick Road District, Newcastle, 551.
Elswick Station, Opening of, 480 ; 'Works,
Emery, Robert, 486.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, In Newcastle, 495.
Emmerson, H. H. , 193.
Epitaph at Lesbury, 282.
Erimus on a North-Country Mystery, 181.
Ermyn Street, 114.
Krrington, Win. and Edward, Jesters, 543.
Erskiue, Mrs., and the Border Trance, 494.
Eugenie, Empress, and Miss Jane Shaw,
Evans, Canon, Death of, 33L
Explosion, Boiler, near the Swing Bridge
Newcastle, 573.
Fairies, North-Country, 548.
Fairy Pipes, 66L
Fall, Daniel, a Noted Privateer, 545.
Fallows, William, 111 ; Death of, 477.
Farrer, John, and "De'il Stick the Mini-
ster," 78.
Farrington Brothers, Employers of Car-
micbaol, 412.
Fell House, Qateshead, 337.
Fenwiok, Sir John, Jacobite, 481, 570.
Ferns, Thomas (" Tommy on the Bridge "),
556,671.
" Ferry HU1" or " Fairy HiU," 54a
Fish, a Huge, 574.
Fiskin, Rev. William, the Inventor of the
Steam Plough, 91.
Fitzgerald, Lord, Death of, 676.
Fletcher's Entry, Newcastle, 333.
Flower, Professor, W. H., 516.
" Flower of Northumberland, Fair," 462,
Football in the North, 54, 139 ; at Chester-
le-Street, 180, 191 ; at Workington, 550.
Foote, Samuel, the Actor, 134.
Fordyoe, Thomas, Death of, 38L
Forster, John, 67.
Forster, Alderman Thomas, 378.
Foster, Lumley, a Reputed Miser, 239.
Foster, Dorothy, her Visiting Card, 205.
Foulis, Thomas, and Sir Bevis Bulmer, 205.
Fox, George, and the Durham University,
Fox How, Ambleside, 368.
Fraser, William, on Sir Bevis Bulmer, 205,
Frater, Mark, 104.
Freemen's Well Day at Alnwick, 253.
Fynes, Kiohard, and the Blyth Theatre, 94.
Gad's Hill Place, 57.
Gallowgate, Newcastle, 270; Hopping, 274.
Gardner, Ralph, and the Cut-Purse Ordeal,
440 ; at Chirton, 487.
Garibaldi's Sword, 130.
Gascoigne, Sir Thomas, and Robert Bolron,
420.
Gas Lighting in the North, 279.
Gateshead Prodigy, 40 ; Toll Booth, 223 ;
Murder in, 236 : St. John's Church,
Cateshead Fell, 344 ; Gateshead House.
567.
Gaudy Loup, the, 63.
George, Henrv, in Newcastle, 285.
Ghosts atTudhoe.52.
Gibside, Dial at, 294 ; Gibside Hall, 390.
Gibson, Mrs. Susanna, Death of, 572.
Gilpin, Bernard, 375.
Golden Mine, Sir Bevis Bulmer, Knight of
the, 205.
Gooch, Sir Daniel, 568, 572.
Goodchild, Laurence, 406.
Goss, C. W. F. , on General Monk in New-
castle, 235 ; liaruuiu in New castle, 475 ;
Newcastle Jesters, 543.
Grahame, John, and the Lumley Ghost
Story, 339.
Grain Warehouse, Newcastle, 455.
Grainger, Richard, and the Streets of New-
castle, 21, 79.
Grammar School, Royal, Newcastle, 554.
Gray, Alderman Thomas, Death of, 43 ;
Rector Gray, 137.
Gray, William, 280, 313.
Greenfinch, the, 358.
Greenhow and Martineau Families, 133.
Greenhow, Edward Headlara, Death of, 44;
Conrad H., on the Margetta Mystery, 90.
Grey's Monument, Newcastle, 22.
" Guy Manuering," Scenes and Characters
in, 202.
Hall, William Henry, " Captain," 117.
Hall, Rev. Geo. R., andChipchase Castle, 119.
Hall, Samuel Carter, Death of, 240.
Hall, Sergeant (X, on Football at Working-
ton, 550.
Halton Castle, 8.
Haltwhistle Church, 497.
Hanging on Newcastle Town Moor, 27L
Hardcastle, H. M., on Clifford, the Shep-
herd Lord, 373.
Hardy, James, on Calaly Castle, 378.
Hareshaw Linn, 343.
llarney, George Julian, and Garibaldi, 130:
Chartist Spear, 160.
Harold's Ship, 451, 453.
Hartlepool Ginevra, a. 235 ; West, 279, 287 ;
Elephant Rock, 526.
Hartley, Jesse, and Lord Armstrong, 3.
Haweis, Rev. H. R., and Garibaldi's Sword,
131.
Hawks, Crawshay, and Sons, Gateshead, 479.
Haydon Bridge, Sun Dial at, 293.
Haymarket, Newcastle, 275
Hebburn Colliery, Explosion at, 576.
Hedley Kow, 19.
Hedley, William, Death 01, 92; Puffing-
Hedley, Ralph, 196.
Helm Wind, 186.
Help, the Railway Dog, 297.
Henhole, the, on the Cheviot, 549.
Henry VI, Discovery of Statue at at Aln-
wiok, 525.
Herdman, Edward P., on the Author of tho
"Tales of the Border," 363.
Hernaman, John, and Charles Larkin, 22.
Hermitage Castle, 562.
Heslop, Richard Oliver, on "Candyman,1*
6 ; on the Gaudy Loup, 63 ; on Chartist
Spear, 148 ; on " Canny," 183 ; on
Crowdy, 278 ; Cut-Purse Ordeal, 439.
Hexham, Old House at, 496 : Great Riot of.
in 1761, 557.
Highwayman Tragedy, 9L
Hinde, John Hodgson, 551, 555.
Hogmanay, 79,
Hogg, James, the Ettrick Shepherd, 15L
Holy Island, Petting Stone at, 475.
" Horrid War i' Sangyet," 398.
Horse-Racing in the North, 394.
Hoskins, George Gordon, 111.
Hospital Sunday Fund, 95.
Hotspur Club Annual Dinner, 239.
Howarth, Mark Littlefair, 559.
Hudson, Thomas, on " Wandering Willie."
233.
Button, Charles, Birthplace of, 272,
Hutt, .Major-General Sir George, 572.
Jackdaw, the, 231.
Jackson, Ralph Ward, 279.
Jacobite, Sir John Fenwiok, 481.
James, Rev. Octavius, Death of, 95.
Jameson, Jane, Expenses of Execution of,
271.
" January Searle," (George Searle PhillipsX
Death of, 140.
Jarrow, Monastery, 261; Murder and Suicide
at, 383 ; Explosion, 526.
Jeavons, Isaac, and the Chartist Spear, 149.
Jefferson, Kate (Katy's Coflee House, New-
castle). 370
Jennings, Edward, V.C., Death of, 284, 330.
Jesmond Cemetery, Nest on Tomb in, 282.
Jesters, Newcastle, 543.
Jobling, Robert, 194.
Joe Piker, of Toft Hill, 182.
John the Pieman, a Sunderland Character,
295.
Jones, Major Evan R., on Lord Armstrong,
1 ; Ismael, Death of, 237.
Judges, Coming and Going of the, 222.
Katy s Coffee House, Newcastle, 369.
Kelk, Mrs. (a Hartlepool Ginevra), 235.
Kepier Grammar School, 375 ; Hospital, 535.
Kerr, Henry, on the Robin, 32 ; House and
Hedge Sparrow, 86; Skylark, 129;
Cuckoo, 181 ; Rook and Jackdaw, 231 ;
the Magpie, 277 ; Windy Monday, 4191
Ketton, the Miser of, 84.
Killingworth, Races at, 394.
Kingswood, Dickey of, 265.
Kirby Fight, 330.
Kirkstall Abbey, 209 ; Fairy Pints, 562.
Kossuth's Visits to Newcastle, 276.
Kow, The Hedley, 19.
Lake, Dr., Dean of Durham, 426.
Lambton Castle, Durham, 161.
Langdale Pipes, Cumberland, 32.
Langley Castle, 117.
Langley Old Castle and Fairy Pipes, 562.
Larkin, Charles, and John Hernaman, 22.
Lartington, 75.
Latham, Hannah, and the Barnard Castle
Tragedies, 76.
Lecture Room, Nelson Street, Newcastle, 80.
Leprosy In the Northern Counties, 465.
Lesbury, Epitaph, 282.
Lesley, Sir John, and Sir Thomas Riddell,
566.
Library, Public, Newcastle, Bequest and
Gift to, 191.
Lilburne, Master George, and the Muggles-
wick Conspirators, 371.
Lindisfarnc, 228.
Lodore, Falls of, 64.
Londonderry, Marquis of, 341 ; at Seahain
Harbour, 526 ; at Hartlepool, 525.
Longstaff, William, on the Early Wars of
Northumbria, 26, 59. 106, 171, 227,258,
298, 347, 414, 450, 490, 532, 65L
Longstaff e, a F., on the Stote Manby Case,
9EL
INDEX.
HI.
Lottery Offices In Newcastle, 101; Wear-
mouth Bridge, 254.
Lough, Mrs., Death of, 93 ; Models, 141, 556.
Luoas, John, Mayor of Gateshead, Portrait
of, 46.
Luck (Local Anecdote), 571.
Lumley Ghost Story, 339.
Lupton, Francis E., on the Greenhow and
Martineau Families, 138.
Macbeth, James Anderson as, 244.
Macdonald, James, Death of, 140.
Mackenzie on the Side, Newcastle, 314.
Magpie, the, 277.
Maiden Way, 115.
Mail Coach Robbery, a Mysterious, 402.
Mansion House, Newcastle, 35L
Margetts Mystery, the. 90.
Marjoribanks, Lady, Death of, 477.
Markets, Newcastle, 83.
"Marshall, Dr., "of Durham, 301.
Martin, Leopold Charles, 93, 318; House
and Sand, 514.
Martineau and Greenhow Families, 138.
Martineau, Harriet, and the Church at
Langdale, 33 ; Superstition in Wast-
dale, 185.
Marvin, Charles, in Newcastle, 573.
Maybrick, Mrs., Trial of, 431, 480.
Mayoralty, Newcastle, Cost of, a Century
Ago, 174.
McCallum, John. Death of, 573.
Meg Merrilees, 202.
Mercenaries in Northumberland, 326.
Milan, King, of Servia, Abdication of, 102.
Middlesbrough Town Hall, &c., 110.
Miller's Cottage, the, Newcastle, 234, 275.
Millet's " Angelus," 384, 432.
Milling, John, Death of, 188.
Miser of Ketton, 84.
Miss or Mistress, 205.
Mitford, Thomas, Death of, 237; William,
323.
Monday, Windy, 418.
Monk, General, in Newcastle, 235.
Morpeth, 166 ; Bell Tower, 474 ; Execution
of Peter Patterson, 5o9.
Muggleswiek Conspirators, the, 370.
Mump's Ha', 203.
Murder in Gateshead, 286 ; Jarrow, 383 ;
near Carlisle, 384.
Murray, and Football at Chester-le-SL, 180.
Murray, James, 23.
Murrell, Captain, 283.
Musgraves of Eden Hall, 529.
Mutineer, the Pardoned, 247.
Mystery, A North-Country, 181.
Nag's Head Inn, Newcastle, 354.
Naoroji, Dadabhai, in Newcastle, 189.
Newall, Aid. R. S., Death of, 283.
New Bridge Street, Newcastle, 102.
Newcastle — (see Streets) ; Burying the
Colours of a Regiment in, 42; Markets,
83 ; School Board Election, 95 ; Hospital
Sunday Fund, 95, 576 ; Lottery Offices in,
101 ; Eldon Square, 103; Carliol Tower,
104 ; Public Library, 105 ; Fatal Balloon
Ascent from, 117 ; Cost of Mayoralty a
Century Ago, 174 ; Trinity House, 176 ;
Bequest and Gift to Public Library, 191 ;
Newgate, 214; St. Andrew's Church,
217; White Cross, 219; the Black
Horse Inn, 220; Scotch Arms, 221;
Moot Hall — Coming and Going of the
Judges, 222; The Side, Sheriffs Pro-
cession to Meet the Judges, 225 ; Mil-
ler's Cottage, 234 ; St. Nicholas' Church
and the Scottish Prisoners, 235 ; General
Monk in. 235 ; Ridley Villas, 236 ; Tra-
gedy in, 238 ; Turf Hotel, 238 ; Tablet
Fu»d, 239; James R. Anderson in, 241 ;
River Police Station and Dead House,
248 ;" The Quicks Buring Plas in Sid-
gate," 249; Kossuth's Visit to, 276;
Corporation and Byker Bridge, 285 ;
Tramway Men, 285, 288 ; Henry George
in, 285 ; Right Hoa Henry Chaplin in,
285 ; Mystery, 287 ; Old Newcastle on
the Tuthill Stairs, 319 ; X.Y.Z. at New-
castle Races, 323 ; Henry Russell, 331 ;
Tragedy in, 332 ; Fletcher's Entry, 333 ;
Poisoning Case in, 334; Cunninghame
Graham, M. P., in, 334; Thunderstorm,
334; St Michael's and All Angel's
Church, 335 ; Tablet Society, 336, 480 ;
Bull Baiting, 365; Katy's Coffee House,
Newcastle, 369; Cross House, 377;
Pants, 378 ; Temperance Festival, 382 ;
Presentation of a Drinking Fountain by
Miss Carolina a Colvill, 382 ; Races on
the Town Moor, 396; St. Nicholas'
Churchyard and St. Nicholas' Square,
399 ; Amen Corner, 401 ; Castle Garth,
406; Windy Monday, 418; Shah of
Persia, 429; Apprentices, 435; Three
Tuns Inn, White Cross, 446; Central
Station Hotel, 464 ; Leprosy, 466 ;
Barnum, 475 ; Dr. Parker, 478 ; Digby
Seymour, Q.C., appointed County
Court Judge, 478, 527 ; Extraordinary
Occurrence, 479 ; Elswick Station, 480 ;
"Newcasselis my Native Place," 485;
" Sandgate Lassie's Lament for the
Death of Bobby Nunn," 486 ; Ralph
Waldo Emerson, 495; Central Rail-
way Station, 510 ; Infirmary, 511 ; Scots-
wood Road Tragedy, 514 ; British Asso-
ciation, 515, 524 ; British Pharma-
ceutical Society, 524; Thomas Allan
Reed, 526 ; Scottish Association Estab-
lished, 526; College of Medicine
Opened, 526 ; Uncle Toby's Musical
Treat, 527 ; Eight Hon. Edward Stan-
hope, Secretary for War, 527 ; Jesters,
543; Newcastle and the Side, 571;
Boiler Explosion near Swing Bridge,
573 ; Charles Marvin in, 573 ; Ex-
hibition Surplus, 574 ; Presentation
for Bravery, 574 ; Miss Beaumont,
Lady Parachutist, in, 574 ; Hospital
Sunday, 574 : Professor J. E. Hodgson,
574; Jonathan Vickers: Death from
Starvation, 574 ; Municipal Elections,
575 ; Max O'Rcll in, 573 ; Mr. H. H.
Einmerson's Pictures in the Crown
Hotel, 575 ; Mr. John Morley and the
Labour Party, 576 ; Earl Spencer, 576 ;
New Mayor, 576.
Nest on the Tomb, 232.
Nicholas, Grand Duke, at Wallsend, 150.
Nicols, Arthur, Portrait of, 43.
Nicholson, J. I., on the Trinity Hou^e,
Newcastle, 176 ; on Tuthill Stairs, 319.
Noodles, Origin of. 243.
Norham Castle, 151.
North, Christopher, ami Will llitson, 135 ;
at Ellcray, 47L
North, Gas-Lighting in the, 279 ; An Abor-
tive Rising in the, 350; Bull-Baiting,
365 ; Miss Beaumont, Parachutist, 479,
525 ; Fairies, 543.
North-Country Mystery, a, 181 ; Sailors
and Pompey's Pillar, 375.
Northumberland, Wallace's Raids in, 34 ;
Leprosy in, 466 ; Sir John Fenwick,
482 ; Rock Hall, 490 ; Blanchland, 500 ;
Sale of Estates, 526.
Northumberland Street. Newcastle, 158.
Northumhria, Early Wars of, 26, 59, 106,
171, 227, 258, 298, 347, 414, 4oO, 490, 532;
Decline of, 258.
Northumbrian Bakestick, 522.
Norton Church, 345.
Nunn, Robert (" Bobby)", 485.
Nurse, a Prince's, 570.
Oliphant, Laurence, Death of, 96.
Oliver, Stephen, on the Hedley Ko\v, 20.
Ordeal, the Cut-Purse, 439.
O'Rell, Max, in Newcastle, 575.
Osbaldistone, Francis, 459.
O'Shea, John Augustus, 142.
Oswald, the Coming of (Wars of Northum-
bria), 171.
"Outlandish Knight," 198.
Paige, Rev. Lewis, Death of, 477.
Pants, Newcastle, 378.
Parker, Rev. Dr. Joseph, in Newcastle, 478.
Paris Exhibition, Opening of, 288.
Park, William Harle, on the Margetts Mys-
tery, 91.
Parnell Commission, 192.
Patterson, Adam, Death of, 44 ; William, on
Dickey of Kingswood, 256.
Patterson, Peter, Execution of, 559.
Pearson, Dicky, Jtstur, 543.
Pease, Ed. Lucas, Death of, 139 ; Will of, 333.
Penley, Sam, and James Anderson, 242.
Percy Street, Newcastle, 270.
Perth, the Earldom of, the Pitman of Bid-
dick, and. 145, 426.
Petting Stone at Holy Island, 475.
Phillips, George Searle ("January Searle").
Death of, 140.
Phillips, Maberley, on "The Quicks' Burying
Ground," 249.
Philpotts, Dr., Bishop of Exeter, 359.
Piggott, R. , and the Parnell Commission, 192.
Pipes, Fairy, 561.
" Pitman's Pay," 337.
Plough (Steam), Inventor of the, 91,
Plummer, Benjamin, J.P., Death of, 380;
Will of, 573.
Plummer Tower, 105.
Pollard Worm, the, 556.
Police (River) Station. Newcastle, 248.
Pompey's Pillar, North-Country Sailors and,
375.
Ponteland Tower. 367.
Portugal, King of, Death of, 576.
Preston " lloppings," Revival of, 525.
Priestly, Jonathan, Death of, 477.
Priestman, Elizabeth (Mrs Bright), 206.
Priestman, Jonathan, Death of, 92 ; Will of,
431.
Prince of Wales and the Chillingham Bull,
113.
Prince's Nurse, a. Miss Jane Shaw, 570.
Prudhoe Street, Newcastle, 275.
Pudding Chare, 186.
Pudsey, Bishop, and Kepier Hospital, 535.
Purvis, William, 353.
Pyat, Felix, Death of, 432.
Pynian, George, 230.
Quayside Shaver, the, 175 ; Quayside, 453.
Quicks' Burying Ground, 249.
Racing in the Northern Counties, 394.
Riihvay Development, Illustrations or', 262.
Rainhill Competition, 255.
Reckun Dyke, 114.
Ileed, Thomas Allen, in Newcastle, 526.
Reedwater Witches, 151.
lieeves's (Sims) Early Career, 110.
Regner Lalbrog, the story of, 299.
Kevell, Blackett. 0:1 the Invention of tha
Steam i'hmgii, 91.
Richardson, Thumas, Mayor of Newcastle,
Portrait of, 46.
Richardson, T. M., and the Academy of
Arts, 90 ; Sheriff's Procession, 227 ;
M. A. andG. B.,103.
Richardson, Wi-'ham, and Northern Dials,
292.
Riddell, Sir Thomas, and Sir John Lesley,
566.
Riddell, Henry P. A. B., Bequest to New-
castle P. Library, 191.
Ridley, John, " of the Walltown," 499 ;
Nicholas, Bishop of London, and
Willimoteswick Castle, 517 ; Dr. Henry,
538.
Ridley Villas, Newcastle, 236.
Riot, the Great, at Hexham, in 1761, 557.
Kitson, Will, and Christopher North, 185,
473; Francis. J. P.. Death of, 332.
Roads, Our Roman, 38, 51, 114.
Robertson, Joseph, on Fairy Pipes, 562.
Robertson, Sir Wm. Tindal. Suicide of, 528.
Robbery, A Yorkshire, and its Detection,
42 ; A Mystery Mail Coach Robbery,
402.
Robin, the, 31.
Robin of Rcedsdale, 5L
Robinson, John, and the Delaval Papers,
133 ; Dorothy Forstcr's Visiting Card,
205 ; John, shipowner, Death of, 284 ;
James F. , on Gibside and its Owners,
390; J. N., Death of, 427.
Rob Roy in Northumberland, 459.
Robson, J. P., 222, 39a
Roek Hall, Northumberland, 490.
Roddam, Hugh R., on Fairy Pipes, 562.
Rodes, Robert de, 410.
Rook, the, 231.
Rosa, Carl, Death of, 288.
Routledge, George, 85.
Roxbys and Beverleys, 327.
Russell, Henry, in Newcastle, 331.
Rydal Water and Rydal Mount, 560.
Ryhope, Railway Accident at, 479.
Saint, William, Ceath of, 332.
Salkelds of Rock Hall, Northd., 490.
Baiters' Tracks, the, 366.
17.
INDEX.
Sanctuary at Durham Cathedral, 2891
Sanderson. Professor J. S. Burden, 517.
Sandgate Lassie's Lament for the Death of
Bobby Nunn, 48b.
Savaleur, Jean, on a Prince's Nurse, 570.
School Board Election in Newcastle, 95.
Scorer, Alexander, Death of, 284.
Scotch Amis Inn, Newcastle, 221.
Scottish Kii.gs Cumberland and the, 199.
Scott, Walter, Gift to Newcastle Public
Library, 191, Portrait of, 464; Sir
Walter, " Guy Manuering," 202.
Scott, John, Earl of Eldon, 436, 458 ; W. B.
Scott and Thomas Dixon, cork-cutter,
449.
Scotswood Road, Newcastle, Tragedy, 514.
Screes, the, WastwatL-r, Cumberland, 185.
Seasons, Letter of the Poet of, 1S9.
Seven Dials, 294.
Seymour, Judge Digby, and the Dicky
Bird Society, 527, 575.
Shafto, Robert buncombe. Death of, 237.
Shah of Persia in Newcastle, 429.
'•Shakspeare Press.'' Founder of, 164.
Sharp, .Mark, and Lumley Ghost Story, 341.
Shaw, Miss Jane, a PriiKe's Nurse, 570.
S :epherd Lord, Clifford, 373.
Sherlmrn Hospital, 465, 468.
Sherwood, Mark, the last to be hanged on
the Town .Moor, 271.
Shield, John, author of "Bob Crankv's
Adieu," &c., 25i
Side, the, Newcastle, 311, 426, 571.
" Simple Simey" and Ghosts at Tudhoe, 53.
Singleton House, Newcastle, 158.
Sivrord, Earl, Death of, 492.
Skylark, 129.
Sleuth or Bloodhound, 36.
Smith, J. K., Death of, 230.
Snape, Dr. and a Long Word, 187.
Sorkburn Worm, 518.
Sopwith, Thomas, 154.
Soulis, Lord William, an:l Hermitage Castle,
563.
St. Andrew's Chun-h, Newcastle, 217.
Stanley, the Wreck of the, 17.
Starlings at Alston, 475.
"Stepniak" in Newcastle, 190.
Stockton, Parliamentary Election at, 94 ;
a and Darlington Railway, 264.
Stainthorpe, Win., Sheriil's Oth'cer, Hexham,
315.
Sparrow, the House and the Hedge, 86.
Stanhope, Bishop Sutler at, 358.
Staward Peel and Dickey of Kingswood, 255.
Stephens, John, Supt. of River Police, 24&
Stephenson, George, and Charles John
Brandling, 69 ; Hallway Development,
262 ; William, 175 ; Joiiah Charles, of
Toft Hill, 182.
Stewart, Charles Win., fust Marquis of
Londonderry, 341.
St. Cuthbert. 210.
St Giles's Church, Durham, 448.
St. Helen's Auckland, 325.
St. John's Church, Gateshead Fell, 344.
St. Mary's Island, Northumberland, 441.
St Michael's and All Angel's Church, 335.
St Nicholas' Church and the Scottish
Prisoners, 235, 411 ; Cathedral, 400,
408 ; Churchyard and Square, 399
Stokoe, John, North-Country Garland of
Song, 7, 78, 135, 175, 188, 252, 3i5, 574,
3SE, 462, 485, 546 ; on Thomas Forster,
378.
Stole Manby Case, the, 30.
Stranton Church, West Hartlepool, 281.
Strathmore, Lady, 422.
Streets of Newcastle :— Grey Street, 21 ;
Grainger Street, 79 ; Blackett Street
and New Bridge Street, 102; North-
umberland Street and its Offshoots, 158 ;
Newgate Street, 214; Gallowgt.t» and
Percy Street, 270 ; The Side, 311 ; The
Close, 360; St. Nicholas' Churchyard
and St. Nicholas' Square, 399; The
Quayside, 4b3 ; Neville Street and Scots-
wood Road, 510 ; Elswick Road District,
551.
St. Thomas's Church, Newcastle, 160.
Sunderland, Samuel, Robbery of, 42,
Sunderland Babbies, 16 ; Hero, 23b ; Mar-
quis of Hartington in, 285 ; John the
Pieman, 295; Bull Baiting, 365; An
Ancient Doorway, 475 ; Mark Littlefair
Howarth, 459 ; tragedies at, 190 ; Resi-
dence of Thomas Dixon, 448.
Sun Dials, Northern, 292.
Surtees, John, 195; William, a Corbridge
veteran, 330.
Sutton, William, Sheriff of Newcastle, 45.
Swallow, the, 469.
Swallowship, 56.
Sweeper's Entry, Close, Newcastle, 319.
Swift, the, 469.
Swinburne, Algernon Charles, 474.
Switzer. Thomas, and Mr. Delaval, 135,
Tablet Society, Newcastle, 336, 480.
" Tales of the Borders," Author of, 363.
Tate, Thomas, Turnkey at New gate, 215.
Temperance Festival, Newcastle, 382.
Theatre Royal, Newcastle, 22.
Tliierry, Madame (Miss Jane Shaw), 570.
Thirlw'all Castle, 9.
Thomlinsion, Dr., 400.
Thompson, William, Crew of the, and Pom-
pey's Pillar, 375.
Thompson, Lewis, Will of, 286; Lewis, 322;
Thomas Thompson's Grave, 478.
Thomson, J., author of "The Seasons," 199.
Thomson, James, a Roxburghshire Poet, 79.
Thomson, James, on the Northumbrian
Bake Stick, 522 ; on Bolton on the Aln,
544.
Threepwood Case, the, 315.
Thunderstorm in Newcastle, 334.
Tichliorne Claimant in Newcastle, 144.
Tolstoi. Count, Death of, 288.
Tomb, Nest on the, 282.
Tomlinson. W. W., on Alnmouth, 392; St.
Mary's Island, 441 ; on Blanchland,
500; Bothal Village, 537.
" Tcmmy on the Bridge" (Thomas Ferns),
coo, 571.
Town Moor " Stob." Newcastle, 271.
Tracks, Saltevs, tne, 366.
Tragedies, Wrekenton, 141, 190 ; Sunder-
land, 190 ; New castle, 238 ; Scotewood
Koad, Newcastle, 514.
Trnri'-e, Border, Story of a, 494.
Tras!a\v, Cuthbert Home, on the Gaudy
Loup, 63 : on Pudding Chare, 187 ; on
Kirby Fight, 330.
Trinity House, Newcastle, 176.
Trotter, H. J., M.P., Death of, 44.
Tudhoe, Ghosts at, 52.
Turf Hotel, Newcastle, Sale of, 191, 233.
Turnbull, James, on Fairy Pipes, f:62.
Tuthill Stairs, Old Newcastle on the, 319,
351.
Tweed, Thomas, on the Author of " Tales of
the Borders," 363w
Tyerman, Rev. Luke, Death of, 236.
Tvne, Clown and his Geese on the, 522.
Tynemouth Castle, 228 ; Naval Manoeuvres,
479.
Tyneside Hero, A, 545.
Tyson, Joseph, Death of, 188.
Ulgham Estate, Sale of the, 571
Ulric, James Anderson as, 242.
Uncle Toby's Exhibition of Toys, 87 ; Family
(Local Anecdote), 331 ; Musical Treat in
Newcastle, 527.
Union Bank, St. Nicholas' Square, New-
castle, 401.
Veitch, \Vm., Covenanter and Farmer, 155.
Venom, Charms for, 132,
Vickers, Jonathan, Death from Starvation.
574.
Victoria Hall Disaster, Sunderland, 97.
Waddle, William, Execution of, 94.
Wade's (Marshal) Road, 245.
Wagtails, Pied, Yellow, and Grey, 564,
Wags of Durham, 301, 434.
Walker, John, and Lumley Ghost Story, 341.
Wallace's Raids in Northumberland, 34.
Wallsend, Grand Duke Nicholas at, 150.
" Wandering Willie," 233.
Ward, T. Humphry, in Newcastle, 96.
Wardell, John, the Miser of Ketton, 84.
Wars of Northumbria, Early (see North-
umbria).
Wasney, Kev. Robert, 538.
Watchman's Rattle, the, 138.
Wastwater and the Screes, Cumberland, 184.
Water Tower, Newcastle, 353.
Watling Street, the, 51.
Wear, Procession of Boats on the, 424.
Weardale Fairy Pipe, 561.
Wearmouth Bridge Lottery, 254.
Wedderstone, the, 426.
Welford, Richard, " Men of Mark Twixt
Tyne and Tweed." 10, 66, 122, 162, 210,
266, 306, 354, 385, 442,. 506, 558 ; A
Gateshead Prodigy, 40 ; the Press Gang,
135; Gas Lighting in the North, 279;
St. Helen's Auckland Hall, 325 ; Crosa
House, Newcastle, 377 ; Cost of New-
castle Mayoralty a Century ago, 174 ;
Robert Boldon, 420.
Wcrston, Bishop of Sherborne, 416.
Wesley, John, 15a
Whitby Abbey, 230.
W hite Cross, Newgate Street, Newcastle, 219.
Whitton Tower, Rothbury, 136.
" Whittingham Fair," 7.
Wiggins, Captain, 526, 547.
Willimoteswick Castle, 517.
Wilson, E. J., on William Veitch, Covenanter
and Farmer, 155.
Wilson, Thomas, author of "The Pitman's
Pay," 337 ; Professor (Christopher
North), 471, 522 ; John Mackay, author
of "Tales of the Borders," 363; Sir
Jacob, 382.
Wilson, W. E., on Hermitage Castle, 562;
William, Death of, £7i
Windmill, Old, near Walker, 237.
Windsor, Dame Dorothy, and the Stote
Manby Case, 30.
Windermere Lake, 521.
Windy llonday, 4ia
Witham, Henry T. M., and Lartington, 75.
Witherspoon, Robert, Death of, 381.
Wood, Thomas, and Coxhoe Hall, 305.
Wood, the Clown, and his Geeae on tho
Tyne, 522.
Wood', Kev. J. G., Death of, 192.
Word, A Long, 187.
Wordsworth, William, 561.
Workington, Football, at 650.
Worm, the Pollard, 656.
Wrekenton, Tragedy at, 141, 190.
Yarmouth, Sea Fight Off, 545.
Yates, Joseph, and the Barnard Castle
Tragedies, 77.
Yellow Doors Tavern, Newcastle, 352.
Yellowly, Wm., on Extinct Wild Animals
in the North, 49.
Yorkshire Robbery and its Detection, 42.
York Castle, 533.
Younir, Michael, Death of, 572.
X.Y.Z. at Newcastle Races, 323.
Page 44, coL 1, line 20— for " brother " read " cousin " ; line 22, for
"1836" read "1826."
Page 54— tne three last lines of col. 2 should have been placed at
the bottom of col. 2, page 55.
Page 200, col. 1, line 12— delete "about "
Page 273, col. 2, lines 4 and 5 — delete the name of " Alderman
Thomas Forster. "
Pages 304-6-6— for " Mouldron Barrett" read •• Moulton Barrett"
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