Grange Wood Huts, Ulgham

[LisB2]

Would anyone be able to tell me anything about the Grange Wood Huts, Ulgham? I have a person born there in 1847. Her father was James Conroy a basket maker from Ireland in 1851 and lin 1861 a hawker of earthenware. Would these have been gypsies?

[c-side]

Hi LisB,  Welcome to rootschat 

I'm sorry you've had to wait so long for a reply and even more sorry that I don't know anything about these huts either.  Obviously at Ulgham Grange.

If you go to this link you should be on the page for Ulgham.  At the bottom you will see a link to a map.  If you click on that it will take you to a current map of the locality with options to look at historic maps so you can see what the place looked like in earlier times.

http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N13820

Still no sign of huts but if nothing else this response will bring your post back to the top and perhaps attract attention from someone who knows more

Christine

[Geordie Mag]

Looking at the 19th century map, there  seem to be a lot of things happening in the area around Grange Wood  - a colliery, a reservoir and brickworks. Though late 19th century would be the time of full industrial development there, there would be lots of small scale stuff going on at the time you are interested in, I imagine, and plenty of people around doing it and needing to buy stuff.  Perhaps your huts were a place where people lived on a short term basis, before moving on to the next work opportunity. There are springs marked in the woods, so water would not be a problem. No doubt places like the huts did not attract the attention of those making maps or writing books unless they became a problem, so I suspect you might not find many references to them.
As to the Conroys being gypsies, my guess is that this would be too precise a term. They could be travellers, or they could simply have been, like so many people at the time, seeing an opportunity, and taking it, to make a basic living from the people moving around in search of work.

[LisB2]

Thank you for the response and yes I agree, I should have called them travellers.
In 1851 James Conroy stated he was born in Ireland, his wife in Scotland, but in later years he stated he was born in Cumberland. I'm assuming he was trying to fit in.
Once again thanks for you comments.
LisB2

[Michael Dixon]

 Some maps from the communities.northumberland.gov.uk  site....

Armstrong's 1769  http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/006835FS.htm
       "               "     http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/006952FS.htm

Fryer's 1820          http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/007333FS.htm
   "           "            http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/007344FS.htm

Greenwood's 1828   http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/007389FS.htm


 These early map makers tried to mark buildings on their maps, but not necessarily in accurate numbers, more indicative.

 In Northumberland ( and other northern places) " Grange" was name usual given to the choicest bit of land in the parish/manor, containing farm buildings, all owned by the local lord of the manor.

 The River Line ( later the Lyne) divided Ulgham from Ulgham Grange and would also have provided fresh water for folk living in basic accommodation.

I don't know whether it was  Wood Huts, Grange, Ulgham, or Huts, Grange Wood, Ulgham ?

Michael

[Gen List Lass]

I don't want to mislead anyone but there is an ancient wood between Widdrington Station and Stobswood called Grange Wood. In 1847 Widdrington Station and Stobswood were in Ulgham parish.

I wrote a short history of the area for a parish council report about 2 years ago and cannot remember finding any reference to huts in Grange Wood.

Last week I was reading a booklet on Ulgham village history at Woodhorn (the Northumberland Archive location) but I only skimmed it so cannot tell you about any huts that might have been in the area of Ulgham village. I can have another look next time I'm at Woodhorn.

There are also several woods in Ulgham itself but the nearest to Ulgham Grange is the one where the ford and old mill foundations remain. They lie at the foot of the bank below Ulgham Grange, a fairly large 18th century country house/farm.

Sorry I cannot give any precise detail but I'll keep a watch for any more information.

Gen in Northumberland, England

[c-side]

I never thought about it being that Grange Wood but it's possible.

I should be at Woodhorn on Wednesday as usual - was the Ulgham book you were reading on the shelves with the other local books?  I can have a quick look then.

Christine

[Michael Dixon]

 
 Newspaper Snippets.

 From 1800 to 1870s, there appeared over 70 articles/mentions of Ulgham Grange/Grange Wood in the NEWCASTLE COURANT.

 Below is a selection of these mentions.
~~~~~~~~----------------------

20 March 1824

"                                                  PARDON ASKED

 WHEREAS I,  HENRY WILSON OF WARKWORTH, do hereby ASK PARDON and THANK Mr Ralph Fenwick of Ulgham Grange for his lenity (sic) to me, in not prosecuting me for having encamped on his premises at East Chevington, put my horses in his field and committed other Deprevations on his property on the Night of 12th of March 1824

signed ... HENRY WILSON

Witness Christopher Forster, Robert Mitcheson                         "

~~~~~~~~-

Notices periodically appeared in the paper under the heading of
" WARKWORTH ASSOCIATION", a group of Landowners in the Warkworth area,
dedicated to " detect apprehend asnd prosecute every robbery, felony, theft
 misdemeanour and assault against our person or property. Mr Ralph Fenwick
of Ulgham Grange was one of the many associates.

~~~~~~~~--------

In the 1830s " Mr Watson's Fox Hounds" met regularly at Ulgham Grange Wood, to hunt.
~~~~~~~~-----

Lord of the Manor Mr Ralph Fenwick esquire, dies in 1851,

~~~~~~~~

14th January 1870.

 Front Page Advert

"                                NORTHUMBERLAND
                      Freehold Estates and Coal Mines
                                    FOR SALE

Lot 1 ) The Township of ULGHAM GRANGE, in the Chapelry of ULGHAM, comprising.........................

 The Grange Wood ( Game plentiful)
 The Grange Farm ( let to Mr Tindall)
 Ferney Beds (let to Mr Aynsley )
 Railway
 Public Roads and the Line Burn.

The estate is intersected by the Main Line of the North Eastern Railway and Widdrington Station is almost in the Centre of the prperty.


Lot 2 ) The minerals under Lot 1 above.


 There were 8 lots in total for sale of land, minerals,  etc in the locality.

-------------------------------------------------------------------



Michael

[c-side]

Well, I found the book that Gen mentioned - fascinating read.

It was too big to read in total though I would have liked to so I restricted myself to the sections on the Grange and the Woods.  Loads of info on all the different woods in the locale but no mention of huts that I could see.

Maybe I'll read a bit more next time.

Christine