Blyth History.

[blythian]

Hey all

Just thought i'd pop by an drop this link

http://books.google.co.uk/books?pg=PA1&dq=history%20of%20Blyth%20Northumberland&ei=v2cjTr2_Aoqx8QPAls2bAw&ct=result&id=-YoHAAAAQAAJ&output=text

Its a FREE e-book called The History of Blyth by John Wallace written for Baron Grey and printed in 1868 at John Robinsons Printers, 17 Freehold Street

It's a very intrestng read, for example,  never knew of the Dutchwarship entering the harbour and landing, s on so fourth. As well as the history, the author goes on to mention the last names that have went extinct in the male line within Blyth during his life-time, thought it might be of interest Along with mentioning many Blyth vessels that were lost at sea.

He also goes on to give a little history of Bedlington and also at the end of the appendix, a short history of Cowpen (and the name dosen't mean a place to keep ya coo's! )

ALSO, i was very proud when i read it was a Blyth man and Blyth ship that discovered and claimed the New South Shetland Islands and kind of saddened that this bloke isn't as revered as Willie Carr, though he did discover them in a typical BLythian fashion...completely by accident, though i do feel there should be some sort of, monument, i  suppose to what he achieved. Might not have been Captain Cook, but he's a Blyth bloke and he should be remembered for what he discovered.

[blythian]

Hey all,

Just curious to know where Cowpen Lodging House was. My Patrick Costello was keeper of the one in Jarrow, but upped sticks and moved to run one in Cowpen, he's still in Jarrow in 1881 so i dunno when they moved.

Though i am more curious to know of it's location to, being a Blyth lad


Any help would be appreciated

Marty

[Michael Dixon]

Marty,

 On the 1891 ( 4237-91-11) Patrick and and family and 37 lodgers were in 33 Croft Street, Cowpen Quay, within the "township" of Cowpen.

 When Cowpen ( Urban District Council) merged with Blyth ( Urban District Council) in 1907, Croft Street changed name to King St .

In 1960s I frequented King Street ( Coronation W M Social Club).

http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/005986FS.htm      shows 1897 Ordnance map including Croft St, running parallel to r/way line. ( The dotted line running to river side marked boundary between the parishes of Horton (Cowpen)and Earsdon(Blyth) )

1920 edition map shows street as King St.


Michael

[peteloud]

I was looking for information on the air-sea rescue boats that were stationed in Blyth harbour when I was directed to this RootsChat thread. After reading about the boats I came across the postings by Wilkinson & pityackafromblyth

The mentioning of Tiny Miller, The Simmons shop and Dr Baird brought back a load of memories. There were only three houses in Middle Street, Dr Baird's, the house of Ella Simmons and our house. Above our flat lived Tiny Miller, and the front half of the flat, partitioned off, was 'bottom Dodd's shop'.  I now realise that our house must have been about the worst house in the area, but I didn't know it at the time, and it didn't bother me one bit. In those days an 'ootside netty' and a galvanised bath on a nail in tha back yard was normal.  Although when I was 10 year old and we moved into a new council house it was undreamed of luxury.

Somewhere in RootsChat I have posted a map of Newsham & New Delaval, I doubt if I could find it now, but it's on this website of mine,
http://www.peterloud.co.uk/photos/Northumberland/School_Photos/School_Photos.html
The webpage also includes some photos of New Delalval Infants School and Newsham Junior School.
I could rabbit on for ages about old times in New Delaval, but I'd better get back to the research I'm doing on the air sea rescue boats.

[Michael Dixon]

 The above was your second post to this message board .

Your first post was made 2 Nov 2010, under the topic of " South Newsham,  Blyth" . It was the 79th reply posting under this topic.

Clicking on you name will enable you to see all your postings.

Michael

[pityackafromblyth]

New Delaval.
I have seen an ordnance survey map from the 1930s which shows rows of miners' cottages to the west of Delaval Gardens.  They would have been for employees at New Delaval pit. As a youngster in the early 1950s there was the colliery timber yard in the same location where the cottages once stood. The timber yard was encircled by the single track railway and NCB coal wagons were also stood there at times.
What I want to know is when were the cottages built, and when were they demolished ?  If I recall the contents of the map correctly, there were 4 methodist churches within that area of New Delaval, besides the schools, which leads onto another query - there were no public houses in New Delaval, they were all on the east side of the LNER railway line at Newsham, ie the Black Diamond, the Willow Tree, etc.  Who were the owners of the New Delaval Colliery, and also the land upon which the miners' cottages were built ? If there was a strong Methodist following in that area, would that be the reason for the absence of pubs ?

[peteloud]

Hi pityakafromblyth,

For Xmas I received a copy of "The History of Blyth".  This is a printed copy of a Google scan of the 2nd edition of "The History of Blyth" published in 1869.

This printed version has many scanning errors so last night I started converting the Google scanned images into text to produce what might be a text 3rd Edition ;-)

I am sure it will tell me who owned New Delaval Pit, but I haven't got that far yet :-(

Check out this website, http://www.archive.org/details/historyblyth00wallgoog
From here you can read or download the book.  I think that the pdf file is the most interesting.

[Michael Dixon]

PYFB,

 New Delaval Colliery sunk on a green field site in 1859. Initially owned by Seaton Delaval Coal Company. Initially called The Foster Pit  ( My g grandfather's wedding cert in 1862, records his residence as Foster Pit, )

 From 1927 to nationalisation in 1947 owned by
Hartley Main Collieries Ltd.

Normally as new pits were being sunk, housing,  estimated to be sufficient to house the required number of workers, was simultaneously being built. However they only managed about 300 homes, for a pit that needed 600 men .  

In 1873* 2-300 hewers were "trained" in daily from Seaton Delaval to make up the numbers.

*In the 3rd May 1873 edition of the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle, the reporter remarked that New Delaval had a library to keep folk busy, while Newsham only had pubs. But Newsham folk had " privies" whereas ND folk only had ash pits.

Streets around the pit head were South Row, Middle Row, North Row, New Row. And the earlier ones of Double Row and Sinkers Row ( where the shaft sinkers would have lived while sinking it, before moving on to do the next pit)

Info on ownership from Durham Mining Museum web site.

Michael

[Wilkinson]

Hi Michael, Pete and PYFB,
Michael you've beat me to it as I've got that information filed somewhere in the material passed down the family for four generations.
 Yes PYFB your description of the area is accurate.  I lived in Delaval Gardens (Pete lived across and down the street on the Plessey Road side - Hi Pete) and we often played in the timber yard. Several branches of my ancestors lived in the pit rows and Foster Pit is recorded on their certificates.  Don't know exactly when they were pulled down but would think somewhere about the late 1930's./ early 40's.  My Dad was a milk lad delivering milk for Ernie Harrington. Quote from his memoirs "When I was 12 or 13  (1928 ish) I was offered the job of delivering milk on a Sunday for 2/6d. He left me a 10 gallon can of milk at 102, New Row (Mrs. Delf) together with a hand cart and scoops (half pint and pint) and I delivered and sold the 10 gallons in the colliery rows. I did New Row, Stone Row and Middle Row. After I finished I walked to Blyth Dairy to collect my 2/6d and then walked back home. In the pit rows only dirt rows, a stand pipe every 10 houses and open gutters that took the water from the sidewalk made of builders bricks laid on their sides. The toilets were earth closets across the street and each house made a causway across the dirt road so a visit could be made without going over the shoe tops with mud."

I inherited a set of large scale plans of the pit rows passed down from my Grandad. I've lodged them in Blyth Library if you want to see them.

As for the pubs they were all on the Newsham side of the railway. At that time there was the Victory and The Big Club. The four pubs were the Black Diamond, The Newsham Hotel, the Miner's Arms and the Turk's Head. Later there was the Willow Tree. At the weekend all hell would break loose with fights in front of the Black Diamond.  In contrast on the New Delaval and Horton side the non- conformist churches had strong followings. The Rechabite movement was evident. I have an illuminated Poster certifying that Robert Barker (my gg grandad) was duly admitted a member of the MacDonald Tent No 1391 Branch of the Northumberland District No. 52 of the Independent Order of Rechabites on the thirty first day of March 1889.
Rob