Horton was a Parish comprised of five "townships"
West Hartford, East Hartford, Bebside, Cowpen and Horton. As one would expect the Parish Church lay within the "township" area of Horton. *
Within the area of Horton Township there were a few communities named Horton ( High Horton, close to the boundary with East Hartford township, Horton close to the church and Low Horton)
After the sinking of the Forster Pit, c1860, then later the Richard Pit, c1870, just to the east of the Low Horton community, a new community grew up around the pit shafts. The first houses were Sinkers Row. (erected for the sinkers who dug the big black hole, then moved on)
Initially called , Seaton Delaval, Forster Pit, after the owners of Seaton Delaval
mines, the community became known as New Delaval.
( My Ireland-born ggf John Gallagher , married Ireland-born Mary Maley in Blyth in 1864, He gave his address as "The Forster Colliery, Horton ", she "Hartley Colliery")
At one stage the mine owners built a short railway line from Seaton (Old) Delaval to the pit head, to train-in miners from Seaton Delaval etc, as there was insufficient housing in New Delaval.
Eventually the colliery had, after Sinker's Row, Double Row, South Row, North Row, Middle Row and New Row.
Sinkers Row would have been close to the Golf Club club house. The site of South Row is today's Plessey Road.
My ggm's brother Patrick Maley/Malley lived at 5, then 2 Sinkers Row from 1871 census.
Gen mentioned the Time Team... I dont know if in jest or seriousness ?
In the past, Blyth Family History Society, were discussing making a bid to have the TT to come and find the " Lost Village of Horton". I don't know whether they went through with the plan or not.
I was born in Bebside Colliery ( village) ,about 2 miles, north-west of New Delaval, in 1941 and my and others stamping ground, after we got fed up playing in the middens and up the pit heaps, was the open fields from the River Blyth to line of old Plessey waggonway/Plessey.
In my time along what is now B1505 road , there were several groups of say four-five dwellings , some in use, many abandonedand derelict. Other houses were dotted around east of this line. Although not experts, we just called all these places just Horton, in relation to say the church.
*In 1861 the whole of Horton Parish contained 6787 inhabitants. Horton Township held 368. ( East Hartford 13, some township that, West Hartford 62, Bebside 53- and Cowpen "township" 6291- Bebside Colliery with it 1000 folk lay not in Bebside T but in Cowpen T- as did much of town of Blyth)
Please excuse my length, but it is "roots"
Michael Dixon
