January 2022
Criminal Spirits – Gin and Whisky Smuggling in the Borders
Speaker : Graeme Watson
An empty ship that is fully loaded, a person that turns into a mule and a hearse with no body but full of spirit were three 19th Century conundrums put before Glendale Local History Society at their latest meeting.
Graeme Watson from Yetholm was the conundrum setter and his subject was smuggling in the Scottish Borders. Borders exist to control movement across them – movement of people and goods, often at a price – and where money is involved people will always try to get round the rules.
In the early 19th Century, the commodity was alcohol, specifically water of life from Scotland and mother’s ruin from the continent. While governments today may recognise the harmful effects of society's addictions, they have always recognised their potential as a lucrative source of revenue – hence domestic taxation and import duty imposed on wines and spirits. Where government enacts there will always be those who choose to evade.
In the Borders this was done in two ways – illegal stills concealed in the Cheviot hills and the secreting of whisky into England from Scotland. This latter was made somewhat easier and more lucrative because until the 1850's there were differential rates of duty either side of the border. Is there a lesson for our own times in that?
So, it was with Gin from the Continent. The levying of import duty led to large quantities of gin being landed on the Northumbrian coast and taken by packhorse into Scotland by little known routes across the Border. Boulmer to Yetholm was a favourite and in one notorious case a gang was intercepted on Old Berwick bridge. A pitched battle ensued between Revenue Men and Smugglers with death and injury on both sides.
With the stakes so high violence was an inevitable accompaniment to the “trade" – something that with hindsight has been glossed over. Even in their own time the “gentlemen" were romanticized in popular culture. Men they may have been, but gentle is some way from the truth!
So, what brought it to an end? Various legislations and more effective policing through the 19th century had an effect but like much else in history things don't go away but reappear in another form.
So, to put those conundrums into the 21st century. Customs and excise still discover yachts with hidden compartments stashed full of contraband, travellers are regularly intercepted with stuff hidden about their persons and not all conveyances are what they appear - closer inspection sometimes reveals a lot more!
The next meeting of Glendale Local History Society will be on February 9th when Derek Sharman will give a talk on The Barony of Wooler in the 13th. Century.
CJB (13/01/22).
Criminal Spirits – Gin and Whisky Smuggling in the Borders
Speaker : Graeme Watson
An empty ship that is fully loaded, a person that turns into a mule and a hearse with no body but full of spirit were three 19th Century conundrums put before Glendale Local History Society at their latest meeting.
Graeme Watson from Yetholm was the conundrum setter and his subject was smuggling in the Scottish Borders. Borders exist to control movement across them – movement of people and goods, often at a price – and where money is involved people will always try to get round the rules.
In the early 19th Century, the commodity was alcohol, specifically water of life from Scotland and mother’s ruin from the continent. While governments today may recognise the harmful effects of society's addictions, they have always recognised their potential as a lucrative source of revenue – hence domestic taxation and import duty imposed on wines and spirits. Where government enacts there will always be those who choose to evade.
In the Borders this was done in two ways – illegal stills concealed in the Cheviot hills and the secreting of whisky into England from Scotland. This latter was made somewhat easier and more lucrative because until the 1850's there were differential rates of duty either side of the border. Is there a lesson for our own times in that?
So, it was with Gin from the Continent. The levying of import duty led to large quantities of gin being landed on the Northumbrian coast and taken by packhorse into Scotland by little known routes across the Border. Boulmer to Yetholm was a favourite and in one notorious case a gang was intercepted on Old Berwick bridge. A pitched battle ensued between Revenue Men and Smugglers with death and injury on both sides.
With the stakes so high violence was an inevitable accompaniment to the “trade" – something that with hindsight has been glossed over. Even in their own time the “gentlemen" were romanticized in popular culture. Men they may have been, but gentle is some way from the truth!
So, what brought it to an end? Various legislations and more effective policing through the 19th century had an effect but like much else in history things don't go away but reappear in another form.
So, to put those conundrums into the 21st century. Customs and excise still discover yachts with hidden compartments stashed full of contraband, travellers are regularly intercepted with stuff hidden about their persons and not all conveyances are what they appear - closer inspection sometimes reveals a lot more!
The next meeting of Glendale Local History Society will be on February 9th when Derek Sharman will give a talk on The Barony of Wooler in the 13th. Century.
CJB (13/01/22).
February 2022
The Barony of Wooler and the Feudal Estates in North Northumberland in the 12th and 13th Centuries
Talk by Derek Sharman
What was going on in Wooler and Glendale in Norman times and who controlled what happened in our area in mid-medieval times? This has always been something of a mystery, as, unlike the rest of England, there is no Domesday book record to give us an account to build on. Derek Sharman has been exploring the records to help fill this gap and, in this talk, he shared his thoughts with Glendale Local History Society. The Earldom of Northumbria had once stretched across a wide area from the Tees to the Firth of Forth, but by the time the Normans came in 1066, it consisted of Durham and Northumberland, with a boundary between England and Scotland beginning to settle along the Tweed. Initially, the Normans under William the Conqueror had accepted the loyalty of the Saxon Earl, but when the latter switched to the Scottish king, his lands were devasted in a second ‘harrying of the North’ in 1080 (the first harrying had been of Yorkshire in 1069). Although some Saxon families were able to retain control over their lands, this must have been a very hard time for many in our area. In the reign of Henry 1st, however, things began to settle down. To promote this stabilisation, the king in 1107 created two new baronies in North Northumberland, one in Wooler and the other at Wark on the Tweed. This complemented the existing Earldom of Bamburgh, once the seat of the Earl of Northumbria, and the ‘ecclesiastical liberties’, lands associated with the inheritance of St Cuthbert, now attached to the lands of the Prince Bishop of Durham.
Our speaker explained that North Northumberland became a patchwork of different types of medieval landholdings. In Anglo-Saxon times, all land belonged to whoever was the king. The King’s earls owed him duties of loyalty and support, a system which then escalated through lesser ranks. The Normans elaborated such arrangements into the sophisticated categories which we know as the feudal system. Some lands were directly held by the Crown, with all dues in service, in kind and in cash going to the King. Elsewhere, the king operated with different forms of sub-contracting. In our area, the lands linked to the Bishopric of Durham were controlled through laws and courts organised by the Bishop, and all feudal dues went to Durham. The area of Norhamshire and Islandshire was managed in this way. In some cases, the old Saxon families were allowed to carry on managing their lands, so long as dues were paid to the King, usually via the Earl of Bamburgh. Lands around Etal were held in a form of ‘thegnage’, and those from North and South Middleton to Roddam in a form of ‘drengage’. A barony was somewhere in between in status. Barons could not make laws and had to pay fees to the king (representing the services of a number of knights), but could set up other fee-paying services, such as establishing mills and creating ‘burghs’, market places which in turn paid fees. Within this framework, most lesser folk worked as ‘bondmen’ to someone above them, or as serfs to bondmen or lords.
The Barony of Wooler, by the early 13th Century, covered a swathe of land from the hills to the sea. Wooler itself was in the south west corner. It looks as if this territory included lands not already claimed by the ecclesiastical liberties and the thegnages and drengages. From 1107 until the mid 13th Century, the Barony was held by the Muschamps family. These came originally from Normandy, but the first Baron, Robert, seems to have been born in the Midlands just after the Conquest. During this time, the lands in our area began to recover from the disruption of the conquest and subsequent ‘harrying’. Investments were made in stocking Glendale with oxen, cattle, sheep and horses, and in 1199, Wooler was established as a ‘burgh’. Never fortified, by the early 13th Century, the ‘demesne’ or manor, of Wooler itself, one of several in the Barony, was recorded as having 114 burgesses, paying rents to the Baron, along with fees for charging tolls, setting up stalls in the market place and paying for court business in the town court. The Muschamp family seem to have been reasonable overlords, though in the 1170s Robert’s grandson Thomas joined the Scottish king William the Lion in besieging Alnwick Castle. This rebellion being defeated, he had to flee, during which time the Barony was managed by the Sheriff of Northumberland. Thomas’s son Robert was allowed to reclaim the Barony. Wooler flourished under his management and that of his son, another Robert, becoming a centre for the wool trade. But, as with many families at this time, there were only daughters left to succeed to the Barony. The lands were increasingly divided among the different families into which the daughters had married – de Fords, Greys and Herons, and the Barony of Wooler fades from view. The prosperity of the area also began to decline, as tension built up between the Kings of Scotland and England for control of the area, ending with Edward Ist’s capture of Berwick in 1296. With national armies marching back and forth across the area, the returns from farming and from trading must have fallen. Then, in the 14th Century, conditions got worse with bad harvests and the plague added to the difficulties. From then on, our area becomes a contested border zone, with its distinctive history of reiver feuding and depopulation.
Derek Sharman gave us a helpful window into the complexities of life in the two centuries following 1066, during which those working the land had to provide a share of produce, work their lord’s land for a set number of days, and sometimes pay fees in cash as well. Not quite slaves, working people had to get permission from the lord to travel outside the area and to get married, all generating yet more payments in cash and kind to the lord. We were left with many questions, particularly about the town of Wooler – its origins, its scale, what was traded in the market, and its place in the defensive structure of the area. Archival records for this period are sparse and we were very grateful to our speaker for giving us a flavour of what he has been able to discover so far.
Ph 9.2.22
The Barony of Wooler and the Feudal Estates in North Northumberland in the 12th and 13th Centuries
Talk by Derek Sharman
What was going on in Wooler and Glendale in Norman times and who controlled what happened in our area in mid-medieval times? This has always been something of a mystery, as, unlike the rest of England, there is no Domesday book record to give us an account to build on. Derek Sharman has been exploring the records to help fill this gap and, in this talk, he shared his thoughts with Glendale Local History Society. The Earldom of Northumbria had once stretched across a wide area from the Tees to the Firth of Forth, but by the time the Normans came in 1066, it consisted of Durham and Northumberland, with a boundary between England and Scotland beginning to settle along the Tweed. Initially, the Normans under William the Conqueror had accepted the loyalty of the Saxon Earl, but when the latter switched to the Scottish king, his lands were devasted in a second ‘harrying of the North’ in 1080 (the first harrying had been of Yorkshire in 1069). Although some Saxon families were able to retain control over their lands, this must have been a very hard time for many in our area. In the reign of Henry 1st, however, things began to settle down. To promote this stabilisation, the king in 1107 created two new baronies in North Northumberland, one in Wooler and the other at Wark on the Tweed. This complemented the existing Earldom of Bamburgh, once the seat of the Earl of Northumbria, and the ‘ecclesiastical liberties’, lands associated with the inheritance of St Cuthbert, now attached to the lands of the Prince Bishop of Durham.
Our speaker explained that North Northumberland became a patchwork of different types of medieval landholdings. In Anglo-Saxon times, all land belonged to whoever was the king. The King’s earls owed him duties of loyalty and support, a system which then escalated through lesser ranks. The Normans elaborated such arrangements into the sophisticated categories which we know as the feudal system. Some lands were directly held by the Crown, with all dues in service, in kind and in cash going to the King. Elsewhere, the king operated with different forms of sub-contracting. In our area, the lands linked to the Bishopric of Durham were controlled through laws and courts organised by the Bishop, and all feudal dues went to Durham. The area of Norhamshire and Islandshire was managed in this way. In some cases, the old Saxon families were allowed to carry on managing their lands, so long as dues were paid to the King, usually via the Earl of Bamburgh. Lands around Etal were held in a form of ‘thegnage’, and those from North and South Middleton to Roddam in a form of ‘drengage’. A barony was somewhere in between in status. Barons could not make laws and had to pay fees to the king (representing the services of a number of knights), but could set up other fee-paying services, such as establishing mills and creating ‘burghs’, market places which in turn paid fees. Within this framework, most lesser folk worked as ‘bondmen’ to someone above them, or as serfs to bondmen or lords.
The Barony of Wooler, by the early 13th Century, covered a swathe of land from the hills to the sea. Wooler itself was in the south west corner. It looks as if this territory included lands not already claimed by the ecclesiastical liberties and the thegnages and drengages. From 1107 until the mid 13th Century, the Barony was held by the Muschamps family. These came originally from Normandy, but the first Baron, Robert, seems to have been born in the Midlands just after the Conquest. During this time, the lands in our area began to recover from the disruption of the conquest and subsequent ‘harrying’. Investments were made in stocking Glendale with oxen, cattle, sheep and horses, and in 1199, Wooler was established as a ‘burgh’. Never fortified, by the early 13th Century, the ‘demesne’ or manor, of Wooler itself, one of several in the Barony, was recorded as having 114 burgesses, paying rents to the Baron, along with fees for charging tolls, setting up stalls in the market place and paying for court business in the town court. The Muschamp family seem to have been reasonable overlords, though in the 1170s Robert’s grandson Thomas joined the Scottish king William the Lion in besieging Alnwick Castle. This rebellion being defeated, he had to flee, during which time the Barony was managed by the Sheriff of Northumberland. Thomas’s son Robert was allowed to reclaim the Barony. Wooler flourished under his management and that of his son, another Robert, becoming a centre for the wool trade. But, as with many families at this time, there were only daughters left to succeed to the Barony. The lands were increasingly divided among the different families into which the daughters had married – de Fords, Greys and Herons, and the Barony of Wooler fades from view. The prosperity of the area also began to decline, as tension built up between the Kings of Scotland and England for control of the area, ending with Edward Ist’s capture of Berwick in 1296. With national armies marching back and forth across the area, the returns from farming and from trading must have fallen. Then, in the 14th Century, conditions got worse with bad harvests and the plague added to the difficulties. From then on, our area becomes a contested border zone, with its distinctive history of reiver feuding and depopulation.
Derek Sharman gave us a helpful window into the complexities of life in the two centuries following 1066, during which those working the land had to provide a share of produce, work their lord’s land for a set number of days, and sometimes pay fees in cash as well. Not quite slaves, working people had to get permission from the lord to travel outside the area and to get married, all generating yet more payments in cash and kind to the lord. We were left with many questions, particularly about the town of Wooler – its origins, its scale, what was traded in the market, and its place in the defensive structure of the area. Archival records for this period are sparse and we were very grateful to our speaker for giving us a flavour of what he has been able to discover so far.
Ph 9.2.22
March 2022
‘Old Churches of Northumberland’
Speaker: Peter Regan
Our speaker gave a stimulating and concise account of “What makes Northumbrian churches distinctive…”. He revealed some true gems, focussing on the pre Reformation ─ from the Saxon to the late Mediaeval era. His impressive images illustrated typical architectural styles and sculptured art defining the culture of the time.
Commonalities found in many old Northumbrian churches include the use of local stone, often with the re-use of Roman stone, with striking examples found in Saxon churches along the Tyne Valley at Bolam, Corbridge and Hexham. A very early Saxon church exists at Escomb, Co. Durham, dating from 670 AD. Only three complete Anglo-Saxon churches exist, typically tall and narrow with few windows. Most have seen later additions and reconstruction, such as St Bartholomew’s at Whittingham, St Gregory’s at Kirknewton and St Mary’s on Holy Island. Mostly local architects and builders were used but Norman masons were also commissioned ─ pre Norman Conquest ─ leaving their trade-mark arches at entrances and as chancel arches, and sometimes in windows, in many of these historic churches.
Usually these local old churches enjoyed the patronage of ancient Border families, e.g. Percys, Selbys, Greys at Chillingham and Horace St Paul a benefactor of St Mary and St Michael, Doddington. At Doddington the chancel and sanctuary are unusually at the west end of the church and here there is a fine ‘Watch House’ used for twenty-four hour guard against body-snatchers. Watch-houses are typically found in church yards on main routes, in this case to Edinburgh, as at Belford and Alnwick too.
Square, squat towers are another characteristic (with an exceptionally rare spire at the 13th century church of St Bartholomew at Newbiggin ─ a good landmark for seafarers). They can be found as fortified Pele Towers, guarding against the then Border warfare. Fine examples include St John’s at Edlingham and St Anne’s at Ancroft. Many have flat, “invisible”, roof tops making it hard to discern a roof at all!
Colder temperatures in these northern latitudes led to chimneys ─ owing to the need of fires in vestries. External ‘bellcotes’ (bell towers), with examples at Ford, Chillingham and Bellingham, add another distinctive feature.
Remoteness in this rural county marks another distinction of Northumbrian churches. One such example is St Cuthbert’s at Cosenside in Redesdale ─ it stands in solitary state in a moorland field, west of Elsdon ─ where once industrial activity supported a thriving community. This treasure, now all but deserted, is one of 20 churches dedicated to St Cuthbert and is said to have been a resting place for his coffin en route to its final resting place; it has a characteristic Norman Arch, and bellcote. Similarly, Chollerton church displays many ancient features including an outside staircase leading to a fortified tower with fireplace and chimney; few gravestones dating before the 1700s exist but one dated 1669, with Latin inscription, is found here. Other sculptured gravestones revealed fascinating art work and symbolism were illustrated.
Additionally, illustrative examples of varying architectural styles were explained, Early English (1180-1275), Decorated (1275- 1380), and Perpendicular (1350-1520), leading to the conclusion that these unique churches of our wider area “… and why they should be visited”.
Our thanks to Peter, who received interesting questions and had a (church) cat amongst his audience!
‘Old Churches of Northumberland’
Speaker: Peter Regan
Our speaker gave a stimulating and concise account of “What makes Northumbrian churches distinctive…”. He revealed some true gems, focussing on the pre Reformation ─ from the Saxon to the late Mediaeval era. His impressive images illustrated typical architectural styles and sculptured art defining the culture of the time.
Commonalities found in many old Northumbrian churches include the use of local stone, often with the re-use of Roman stone, with striking examples found in Saxon churches along the Tyne Valley at Bolam, Corbridge and Hexham. A very early Saxon church exists at Escomb, Co. Durham, dating from 670 AD. Only three complete Anglo-Saxon churches exist, typically tall and narrow with few windows. Most have seen later additions and reconstruction, such as St Bartholomew’s at Whittingham, St Gregory’s at Kirknewton and St Mary’s on Holy Island. Mostly local architects and builders were used but Norman masons were also commissioned ─ pre Norman Conquest ─ leaving their trade-mark arches at entrances and as chancel arches, and sometimes in windows, in many of these historic churches.
Usually these local old churches enjoyed the patronage of ancient Border families, e.g. Percys, Selbys, Greys at Chillingham and Horace St Paul a benefactor of St Mary and St Michael, Doddington. At Doddington the chancel and sanctuary are unusually at the west end of the church and here there is a fine ‘Watch House’ used for twenty-four hour guard against body-snatchers. Watch-houses are typically found in church yards on main routes, in this case to Edinburgh, as at Belford and Alnwick too.
Square, squat towers are another characteristic (with an exceptionally rare spire at the 13th century church of St Bartholomew at Newbiggin ─ a good landmark for seafarers). They can be found as fortified Pele Towers, guarding against the then Border warfare. Fine examples include St John’s at Edlingham and St Anne’s at Ancroft. Many have flat, “invisible”, roof tops making it hard to discern a roof at all!
Colder temperatures in these northern latitudes led to chimneys ─ owing to the need of fires in vestries. External ‘bellcotes’ (bell towers), with examples at Ford, Chillingham and Bellingham, add another distinctive feature.
Remoteness in this rural county marks another distinction of Northumbrian churches. One such example is St Cuthbert’s at Cosenside in Redesdale ─ it stands in solitary state in a moorland field, west of Elsdon ─ where once industrial activity supported a thriving community. This treasure, now all but deserted, is one of 20 churches dedicated to St Cuthbert and is said to have been a resting place for his coffin en route to its final resting place; it has a characteristic Norman Arch, and bellcote. Similarly, Chollerton church displays many ancient features including an outside staircase leading to a fortified tower with fireplace and chimney; few gravestones dating before the 1700s exist but one dated 1669, with Latin inscription, is found here. Other sculptured gravestones revealed fascinating art work and symbolism were illustrated.
Additionally, illustrative examples of varying architectural styles were explained, Early English (1180-1275), Decorated (1275- 1380), and Perpendicular (1350-1520), leading to the conclusion that these unique churches of our wider area “… and why they should be visited”.
Our thanks to Peter, who received interesting questions and had a (church) cat amongst his audience!
March 2022
GLHS outing to Howick Hall and gardens
On 16th March, 14 GLHS members had a tour at Howick Hall, walking through parts of the garden and arboretum, and enjoying the recently refurbished ground floor rooms which are open to the public.
Howick Estate and house
The Grey family has owned land at Howick since 1319, and lived there since 1597. For many centuries they also held land in Tilmouth, Doddington, Chillingham, Coldmartin, Kirknewton, East & West Chevington and Wooler.
A survey of Howick in 1715 described a “most magnificent” extended pele tower and additional blocks including “a handsome court and gateway”. In 1781 Sir Henry Grey commissioned architect William Newton to build a new family seat – so the site was cleared, Howick Burn canalised and the village moved to make way for the fine Georgian house we see today.
GLHS outing to Howick Hall and gardens
On 16th March, 14 GLHS members had a tour at Howick Hall, walking through parts of the garden and arboretum, and enjoying the recently refurbished ground floor rooms which are open to the public.
Howick Estate and house
The Grey family has owned land at Howick since 1319, and lived there since 1597. For many centuries they also held land in Tilmouth, Doddington, Chillingham, Coldmartin, Kirknewton, East & West Chevington and Wooler.
A survey of Howick in 1715 described a “most magnificent” extended pele tower and additional blocks including “a handsome court and gateway”. In 1781 Sir Henry Grey commissioned architect William Newton to build a new family seat – so the site was cleared, Howick Burn canalised and the village moved to make way for the fine Georgian house we see today.
Photo by Michael Ormsby
The house was enlarged in 1809 to accommodate the 2nd Earl’s 15 children. Then, following a fire in 1926, the house was made smaller with a new north portico and a light-well in the centre above the ground floor.
The family
Members of the Grey family have largely been involved in public service, variously acting as High Sheriffs of Northumberland, MPs, Prime Minister, Secretary of State for the Colonies, Governors of countries in the Empire, admirals and generals.
The 1st Earl Grey was awarded the title in recognition of his military leadership in the Napoleon Wars. The 2ndEarl Grey is the most distinguished member of the family. He was a radical Whig, campaigning for the abolition of the slave trade and for Catholic emancipation. As Prime Minister (1832–4) he ensured the passing of the Great Reform Act and the Slavery Abolition Act throughout the British Empire; he also set up the Royal Commission for Municipal Corporations (which established the basis of local government as we know it).
The 3rd Earl’s brother was Private Secretary to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who in 1849 stayed at Howick when they opened the High Level Bridge in Newcastle. The 4th Earl served in South Africa then as Governor-General of Canada.
The gardens and the arboretum
The 5th Earl saved Howick by paying off the debts incurred by his ancestors’ political ambitions. He and his wife shaped the gardens, influenced by the more informal designs and planting of William Robinson. In 1930, to mark their 25th (Silver) wedding anniversary they planted Silverwood with their favourite (and then fashionable) rhododendrons.
The 5th Earl’s daughter Lady Mary inherited Howick (the title moved to a distant branch of the family with no connection to the estate). She married Evelyn Baring, who became Lord Howick, 1st Baron Howick of Glendale, after a distinguished career as Governor of Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), High Commissioner for Southern Africa, and Governor of Kenya.
The current Lord Howick, grandson of the 5th Earl, established the Howick Arboretum, a scientific collection of trees and shrubs which was formally opened in 2006. Lord Howick and his Head Gardener have been on more than 30 expeditions, with Kew and/or Edinburgh Botanic Gardens, to temperate regions of the world collecting seeds which are propagated and planted at Howick. For this work the RHS awarded Lord Howick the Victoria Medal of Honour.
The tour was led by Pam Ratcliffe, who’s been a volunteer tour guide at Howick for 13 years. Similar tours take place on most Monday and Friday afternoons.
For more information, please see the Howick website. https://howickhallgardens.com
The family
Members of the Grey family have largely been involved in public service, variously acting as High Sheriffs of Northumberland, MPs, Prime Minister, Secretary of State for the Colonies, Governors of countries in the Empire, admirals and generals.
The 1st Earl Grey was awarded the title in recognition of his military leadership in the Napoleon Wars. The 2ndEarl Grey is the most distinguished member of the family. He was a radical Whig, campaigning for the abolition of the slave trade and for Catholic emancipation. As Prime Minister (1832–4) he ensured the passing of the Great Reform Act and the Slavery Abolition Act throughout the British Empire; he also set up the Royal Commission for Municipal Corporations (which established the basis of local government as we know it).
The 3rd Earl’s brother was Private Secretary to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who in 1849 stayed at Howick when they opened the High Level Bridge in Newcastle. The 4th Earl served in South Africa then as Governor-General of Canada.
The gardens and the arboretum
The 5th Earl saved Howick by paying off the debts incurred by his ancestors’ political ambitions. He and his wife shaped the gardens, influenced by the more informal designs and planting of William Robinson. In 1930, to mark their 25th (Silver) wedding anniversary they planted Silverwood with their favourite (and then fashionable) rhododendrons.
The 5th Earl’s daughter Lady Mary inherited Howick (the title moved to a distant branch of the family with no connection to the estate). She married Evelyn Baring, who became Lord Howick, 1st Baron Howick of Glendale, after a distinguished career as Governor of Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), High Commissioner for Southern Africa, and Governor of Kenya.
The current Lord Howick, grandson of the 5th Earl, established the Howick Arboretum, a scientific collection of trees and shrubs which was formally opened in 2006. Lord Howick and his Head Gardener have been on more than 30 expeditions, with Kew and/or Edinburgh Botanic Gardens, to temperate regions of the world collecting seeds which are propagated and planted at Howick. For this work the RHS awarded Lord Howick the Victoria Medal of Honour.
The tour was led by Pam Ratcliffe, who’s been a volunteer tour guide at Howick for 13 years. Similar tours take place on most Monday and Friday afternoons.
For more information, please see the Howick website. https://howickhallgardens.com
April 2022
Iron Age Northumberland and the Excavations at Hunting Hall Lowick
Talk by Kristian Pedersen
Our Speaker began by announcing that the excavation at Hunting Hall would begin again this year on the 2nd May and encouraged us all to go along to have a look and maybe get involved. The site covers multiple periods from the Bronze Age to early medieval times (ca 1600BC to 600AD)
What first attracted Kristian’s interest was that Hunting Hall was occupied during the Iron Age and so represents an Iron Age Fort in a lowland area. There are many Iron Age hill forts in the uplands in Northumberland and the Borders but many have not been excavated. Kristian pointed out that the lower-lying areas were cultivated extensively and wondered if there was any connection between the hill dwellers and those who lived on the plains. Revisiting the Iron Age to research this might bring interesting answers.
The lowland areas have little to notice on the surface but Lidar investigations have discovered settlements not only at Hunting Hall but also at nearby Kentstone. Our speaker wondered if there could be some connection to the present settlement of Lowick and the Devil’s Causeway, which passes nearby, with some signs of earlier settlements. Kristian speculated about the possibility of hostility between the lowland and upland groups.
The Hunting Hall project came about when there was speculation locally about the name Lowick which suggested a commercial farm on the Low. Lowick is currently not situated on the Low. A search began to find the original settlement near the Low and the Hunting Hall site was discovered. The site is near the current farm, and is a promontory fort above the Low. The Low occupies a glacial drainage valley. Interestingly the Lowick enclosure and promontory fort was dismissed by English Heritage as a slump rather than something to schedule. Promontory forts using a river as a defensive feature are quite common but mostly unexcavated. Hunting Hall is very special site as much of the land has been left as pasture for many, many years which reduces the damage done by cultivation.
The Celtic word ‘low’ is often used to refer to features on the coast but was also used to name areas where water stands in pools as it does by the Low at Lowick.
The excavation began with a few trenches and these trenches eventually joined together. Aerial photographs showed banks and ditches. The initial trench discovered nothing significant but the area was a wonderful place for farming with flat cultivatable land and grazing on flood meadows. A Geophysical Survey showed more detail revealing a pallisaded structure, a rectangular structure and circular structures which are possibly of Bronze Age. The rectangular structure dates far too early to be from the anglo-saxon period.
Where did the people who settled here come from? There is speculation about bubonic plague spreading from Eurasia and causing the movement of people. In the Late Bronze Age more people moved in to Britain (More so in the south rather than the north) but it does not seem that people already here were displaced. Instead, DNA evidence suggests that the immigrant population merged with those already there. There is speculation that there were two phases of immigration to Britain at this time but this is to be properly established.
At Hunting Hall, trenches were dug on the basis of Lidar evidence. Interestingly this tends to make things look more robust and bigger than they really are. At the beginning a trench is opened by a mechanical digger to remove the topsoil and this is examined to a limited extent. The next layer shows discolorations from occupation. At Hunting Hall the search is thorough and not time limited as is the case in commercial digs which are often undertaken for planning reasons. Kristian hopes to use this more thorough method on other sites.
Material has been found indicating settlement in both the Bronze and Iron Ages. Bronze Age cinerary urns have been found within this settlement. The urns may contain the remains of up to 5/6 people plus animal bones. Kristian is not expecting to find Iron Age burials as these are very rare. Lots of artefacts have been found including flint and agate dating to 3000BC; also a Bronze Age socketed axe - 5” or so in length (1200BC to 1000BC).
Dating can be difficult with more than one method being ideal but this makes it very expensive. Radio Carbon dating can date back 80,000 years. Strontium analysis for animal remains can be affected by lime in the soil or lime applied to the land.
There was a lot of stone in the excavations with Iron Age houses built on top of each other, demonstrating a sequence of occupation. The excavation site was made more complex by a drainage trench which crossed the site and also a ditch which too crossed the site.
Economic evidence is also useful with finds of pottery and animal bones. A horse bone (a rib) was found from a small horse. Cattle bones formed 80% of the bones and showed butchery marks. Sheep, goat and pig bones formed 20%. There were no fish bones. The lime in the soil might have helped to preserve bones. Animal teeth were found too and were attractive finds. The pottery found was Iron Age and survived because it was buried. Often referred to as ‘Grot Pot’, this low quality everyday pottery as is easily destroyed when not buried. The top find is a brooch in the form of a metal ring dating to 460/510 AD.
All the soil is bagged and carefully examined which has resulted in interesting finds. A beetle has been found of a type associated with manure. Insect remains can indicate climate conditions, while seeds can give an indication of weeds and crop rotation.
The excavation will this year last two months from the 2nd May. This is an ongoing research project and ultimately Kristian would like to be able to connect this site near the coast with what was going on in the hills.
DI and PH
13.2.22
Iron Age Northumberland and the Excavations at Hunting Hall Lowick
Talk by Kristian Pedersen
Our Speaker began by announcing that the excavation at Hunting Hall would begin again this year on the 2nd May and encouraged us all to go along to have a look and maybe get involved. The site covers multiple periods from the Bronze Age to early medieval times (ca 1600BC to 600AD)
What first attracted Kristian’s interest was that Hunting Hall was occupied during the Iron Age and so represents an Iron Age Fort in a lowland area. There are many Iron Age hill forts in the uplands in Northumberland and the Borders but many have not been excavated. Kristian pointed out that the lower-lying areas were cultivated extensively and wondered if there was any connection between the hill dwellers and those who lived on the plains. Revisiting the Iron Age to research this might bring interesting answers.
The lowland areas have little to notice on the surface but Lidar investigations have discovered settlements not only at Hunting Hall but also at nearby Kentstone. Our speaker wondered if there could be some connection to the present settlement of Lowick and the Devil’s Causeway, which passes nearby, with some signs of earlier settlements. Kristian speculated about the possibility of hostility between the lowland and upland groups.
The Hunting Hall project came about when there was speculation locally about the name Lowick which suggested a commercial farm on the Low. Lowick is currently not situated on the Low. A search began to find the original settlement near the Low and the Hunting Hall site was discovered. The site is near the current farm, and is a promontory fort above the Low. The Low occupies a glacial drainage valley. Interestingly the Lowick enclosure and promontory fort was dismissed by English Heritage as a slump rather than something to schedule. Promontory forts using a river as a defensive feature are quite common but mostly unexcavated. Hunting Hall is very special site as much of the land has been left as pasture for many, many years which reduces the damage done by cultivation.
The Celtic word ‘low’ is often used to refer to features on the coast but was also used to name areas where water stands in pools as it does by the Low at Lowick.
The excavation began with a few trenches and these trenches eventually joined together. Aerial photographs showed banks and ditches. The initial trench discovered nothing significant but the area was a wonderful place for farming with flat cultivatable land and grazing on flood meadows. A Geophysical Survey showed more detail revealing a pallisaded structure, a rectangular structure and circular structures which are possibly of Bronze Age. The rectangular structure dates far too early to be from the anglo-saxon period.
Where did the people who settled here come from? There is speculation about bubonic plague spreading from Eurasia and causing the movement of people. In the Late Bronze Age more people moved in to Britain (More so in the south rather than the north) but it does not seem that people already here were displaced. Instead, DNA evidence suggests that the immigrant population merged with those already there. There is speculation that there were two phases of immigration to Britain at this time but this is to be properly established.
At Hunting Hall, trenches were dug on the basis of Lidar evidence. Interestingly this tends to make things look more robust and bigger than they really are. At the beginning a trench is opened by a mechanical digger to remove the topsoil and this is examined to a limited extent. The next layer shows discolorations from occupation. At Hunting Hall the search is thorough and not time limited as is the case in commercial digs which are often undertaken for planning reasons. Kristian hopes to use this more thorough method on other sites.
Material has been found indicating settlement in both the Bronze and Iron Ages. Bronze Age cinerary urns have been found within this settlement. The urns may contain the remains of up to 5/6 people plus animal bones. Kristian is not expecting to find Iron Age burials as these are very rare. Lots of artefacts have been found including flint and agate dating to 3000BC; also a Bronze Age socketed axe - 5” or so in length (1200BC to 1000BC).
Dating can be difficult with more than one method being ideal but this makes it very expensive. Radio Carbon dating can date back 80,000 years. Strontium analysis for animal remains can be affected by lime in the soil or lime applied to the land.
There was a lot of stone in the excavations with Iron Age houses built on top of each other, demonstrating a sequence of occupation. The excavation site was made more complex by a drainage trench which crossed the site and also a ditch which too crossed the site.
Economic evidence is also useful with finds of pottery and animal bones. A horse bone (a rib) was found from a small horse. Cattle bones formed 80% of the bones and showed butchery marks. Sheep, goat and pig bones formed 20%. There were no fish bones. The lime in the soil might have helped to preserve bones. Animal teeth were found too and were attractive finds. The pottery found was Iron Age and survived because it was buried. Often referred to as ‘Grot Pot’, this low quality everyday pottery as is easily destroyed when not buried. The top find is a brooch in the form of a metal ring dating to 460/510 AD.
All the soil is bagged and carefully examined which has resulted in interesting finds. A beetle has been found of a type associated with manure. Insect remains can indicate climate conditions, while seeds can give an indication of weeds and crop rotation.
The excavation will this year last two months from the 2nd May. This is an ongoing research project and ultimately Kristian would like to be able to connect this site near the coast with what was going on in the hills.
DI and PH
13.2.22
June 2022
Glendale Local History Society visits the Excavations at Hunting Hall
On a sunny June morning, a group of GLHS members met up at Hunting Hall Farm to be welcomed by Helen Evans of Lowick Heritage Group, which organises the excavations. From there, we could see the site in the distance, located on a plateau above the wide valley of the Low. We walked over to the site, which had been kindly mown for us the day before so we could see more clearly the sequence of banks and ditches which surround the site in typical Ion Age fashion. Our speaker from April, Kristian Pedersen, was on site to explain the location and tell us about what the recent excavations are revealing.
The site looks over the valley of the Low. Although now just a small stream, the valley was formed by glacial outwash, and may once have had standing water in it. ‘Low’ is an old brythonic name meaning standing water which drains slowly. Lowick means the farm or trading point beside the Low. One idea is that originally Lowick was located here, only moving to its present location in later Anglo-Saxon times. The only Anglo-Saxon material so far found at the site is a brooch, dating from between 460AD and 510AD. However, before then, there has been a sequence of occupation, dating from at least the Bronze Age.
This year’s excavations have focused on two areas. The first is at the north of the trench cleared this year, where a curve of stones has been found, along with some stone slabs, and objects including a spindle whole and what looks like a quern stone for hand-milling. At the time, Kristian wondered whether this was a bronze age cairn, with the slabs covering a burial cist. (see Photo) [Since then, more excavation has revealed a more extensive surface of slabs, along with more domestic material and the idea now is that this is perhaps the floor of a high status iron age roundhouse – such is the continuous need for imaginative interpretation and re-interpretation in archaeological excavation!]
The second area is to the south, in the east-west part of the trench. There is evidence here of stone building and re-building, and some material has been dated to the later Iron Age (late 200BC into the Romano-British period). (See photo). Very careful excavation is also being done in an area thought to be the central hearth of a round house, or perhaps a more industrial activity such as a smithy.
As we looked at what had been excavated and the very intricate excavation being undertaken by the volunteer archaeologists, many from Lowick Heritage Group, who have been working on the site now for several years, Kristian also explained some of the science which goes with careful archaeology. Because the overall project is not time-limited by the deadlines of major funders or an academic grant, it is possible to undertake scientifically-robust soil sampling, which can then be analysed slowly as time and volunteer effort permits. We returned to Hunting Hall farm where the team is able to make use of the Meeting Room there to set up microscopes to analyse the material carefully sifted from the soil samples. This includes animal and vegetable fragments which can then be sent for carbon dating. This is time-consuming work and the team have still to finish looking at a few of the 380 bags of soil collected from last year’s excavation.
Overall, we were very impressed with what a team of volunteers, with the generous leadership of a dedicated archaeologist, have been able to achieve. The site, dismissed by English Heritage as just a waste dump, is emerging as a significant lowland iron age site, probably in occupation from well before the iron age, complementing the much better knowniron age ‘hillforts’ in the uplands. The careful soil analysis should be able to provide much-needed evidence of farming practices and trading relations in this lowland area. The benefit of English Heritage’s neglect is that there are no restrictions on what can be excavated. But it also means that much-needed funding is never easy to find. Each year, Lowick Heritage Group has to search around for the funds to keep going.
We urge all GLHS members to keep in touch with this project. This year’s excavations go on until mid-July. Do go and visit, and consider putting in a bit of your volunteer labour, this year or in subsequent years. And why not make a donation as well? GLHS has made a small donation from us all in thanks for a really fascinating visit.
Text by PH and Photos by MO
Photos:
Kristian Pedersen explaining the site – the flagstones are beside him on the left.
Glendale Local History Society visits the Excavations at Hunting Hall
On a sunny June morning, a group of GLHS members met up at Hunting Hall Farm to be welcomed by Helen Evans of Lowick Heritage Group, which organises the excavations. From there, we could see the site in the distance, located on a plateau above the wide valley of the Low. We walked over to the site, which had been kindly mown for us the day before so we could see more clearly the sequence of banks and ditches which surround the site in typical Ion Age fashion. Our speaker from April, Kristian Pedersen, was on site to explain the location and tell us about what the recent excavations are revealing.
The site looks over the valley of the Low. Although now just a small stream, the valley was formed by glacial outwash, and may once have had standing water in it. ‘Low’ is an old brythonic name meaning standing water which drains slowly. Lowick means the farm or trading point beside the Low. One idea is that originally Lowick was located here, only moving to its present location in later Anglo-Saxon times. The only Anglo-Saxon material so far found at the site is a brooch, dating from between 460AD and 510AD. However, before then, there has been a sequence of occupation, dating from at least the Bronze Age.
This year’s excavations have focused on two areas. The first is at the north of the trench cleared this year, where a curve of stones has been found, along with some stone slabs, and objects including a spindle whole and what looks like a quern stone for hand-milling. At the time, Kristian wondered whether this was a bronze age cairn, with the slabs covering a burial cist. (see Photo) [Since then, more excavation has revealed a more extensive surface of slabs, along with more domestic material and the idea now is that this is perhaps the floor of a high status iron age roundhouse – such is the continuous need for imaginative interpretation and re-interpretation in archaeological excavation!]
The second area is to the south, in the east-west part of the trench. There is evidence here of stone building and re-building, and some material has been dated to the later Iron Age (late 200BC into the Romano-British period). (See photo). Very careful excavation is also being done in an area thought to be the central hearth of a round house, or perhaps a more industrial activity such as a smithy.
As we looked at what had been excavated and the very intricate excavation being undertaken by the volunteer archaeologists, many from Lowick Heritage Group, who have been working on the site now for several years, Kristian also explained some of the science which goes with careful archaeology. Because the overall project is not time-limited by the deadlines of major funders or an academic grant, it is possible to undertake scientifically-robust soil sampling, which can then be analysed slowly as time and volunteer effort permits. We returned to Hunting Hall farm where the team is able to make use of the Meeting Room there to set up microscopes to analyse the material carefully sifted from the soil samples. This includes animal and vegetable fragments which can then be sent for carbon dating. This is time-consuming work and the team have still to finish looking at a few of the 380 bags of soil collected from last year’s excavation.
Overall, we were very impressed with what a team of volunteers, with the generous leadership of a dedicated archaeologist, have been able to achieve. The site, dismissed by English Heritage as just a waste dump, is emerging as a significant lowland iron age site, probably in occupation from well before the iron age, complementing the much better knowniron age ‘hillforts’ in the uplands. The careful soil analysis should be able to provide much-needed evidence of farming practices and trading relations in this lowland area. The benefit of English Heritage’s neglect is that there are no restrictions on what can be excavated. But it also means that much-needed funding is never easy to find. Each year, Lowick Heritage Group has to search around for the funds to keep going.
We urge all GLHS members to keep in touch with this project. This year’s excavations go on until mid-July. Do go and visit, and consider putting in a bit of your volunteer labour, this year or in subsequent years. And why not make a donation as well? GLHS has made a small donation from us all in thanks for a really fascinating visit.
Text by PH and Photos by MO
Photos:
Kristian Pedersen explaining the site – the flagstones are beside him on the left.
Excavating later iron age occupation
GLHS members on site
September 2022
The archives of the Duke of Northumberland at Alnwick Castle
Talk by Chris Hunwick
As one becomes a ‘certain age’, we know that doctors and police constables seem to get younger and so it was with the Archivist of the Duke of Northumberland’s estate, Chris Hunwick, who gave the Society an entertaining lecture on what the archives contain and their relevance to the operations of the Duke’s business. Chris trained at Oxford University before working at Manchester Cathedral and gaining his archivist qualifications at Liverpool.
The Percy family originally had estates in Yorkshire and the first Baron Percy bought the barony of Alnwick from the Bishop of Durham in 1309; the charter of which sale still exists. The archives include the documents and seals from centuries ago including one of Robert Bruce. The oldest document found so far dates from the 1120s.
The timing of the lecture was fortuitous as it was the 620th Anniversary to the day of the Battle of Homildon {sic} [now Humbleton, of course] in which Harry Hotspur and the Earl of Dunbar defeated the Earl of Douglas a mile or so from Wooler; a battle to which Shakespeare refers at the beginning of Henry IV Part 1. Hotspur was later to die at the Battle of Shrewsbury when fighting with Douglas against Henry’s armies after Henry refused to allow him to retain the ransoms which he was due for the prisoners captured at Homildon. Chris referred to a piece dated September 1768 by Thomas Percy, a Chaplain to the Duke, which referred to ‘Red Riggs’, so named after the rivulets of blood which ran for three days after the battle. Chris referred to the work undertaken by the Battlefield Trust on this and other battles using information from the Archives.
Chris began by discussing the location of the records which are largely kept in a tower in the south-east corner of the castle and its physical history after various re-building through the centuries. Lesser archives are now housed in a converted farm building and the main archives are being digitalised as vellum and old paper archives in ancient cardboard boxes deteriorate over the years.
The Percy’s were involved throughout the War of the Roses and the third earl was killed at Towton in the Lancastrian cause and another Percy was killed in 1464 at the Battle of Hedgeley Moor [north of Powburn on the A697]. The Percy’s were sufficiently ensconced with the Yorkist Richard III {who as Duke of Gloucester had captured Berwick on behalf of his brother Edward IV in 1482} for the latter to expect them to side with him against Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 but Percy kept out the battle and therefore aided Henry to win and be crowned Henry VII, thus keeping his estates in the process.
The tenth Earl, Algernon, fought against King Charles in the Civil War but did not participate in the execution of the King so also retained his estates.
Chris explained that although there is a direct Percy blood line back to the Norman invasion, it has occasionally been passed through the female line via the junior title ‘Earl of Northumberland’. The male line of the Percy-Louvain house ended with the eleventh Earl, and his heiress married the Duke of Somerset with her granddaughter marrying a Yorkshire knight, Sir Hugh Smithson, who changed his name to Percy and was created the first Duke of Northumberland and Earl Percy in 1766. It is their descendants who now represent the famous old house.
The website for Alnwick Castle indicates that the archives are maintained without cost to the taxpayer. The Duke’s estates include land of 100,000 acres and 100 tenanted farms, and Chris disclosed that the role of the archive is to ‘support the business’ so supplying proof of the Duke’s interests in properties throughout Britain and elsewhere. Thus, the archives are not only a historical resource to us all, they are also an essential commercial resource for the Duke.
PWD
The archives of the Duke of Northumberland at Alnwick Castle
Talk by Chris Hunwick
As one becomes a ‘certain age’, we know that doctors and police constables seem to get younger and so it was with the Archivist of the Duke of Northumberland’s estate, Chris Hunwick, who gave the Society an entertaining lecture on what the archives contain and their relevance to the operations of the Duke’s business. Chris trained at Oxford University before working at Manchester Cathedral and gaining his archivist qualifications at Liverpool.
The Percy family originally had estates in Yorkshire and the first Baron Percy bought the barony of Alnwick from the Bishop of Durham in 1309; the charter of which sale still exists. The archives include the documents and seals from centuries ago including one of Robert Bruce. The oldest document found so far dates from the 1120s.
The timing of the lecture was fortuitous as it was the 620th Anniversary to the day of the Battle of Homildon {sic} [now Humbleton, of course] in which Harry Hotspur and the Earl of Dunbar defeated the Earl of Douglas a mile or so from Wooler; a battle to which Shakespeare refers at the beginning of Henry IV Part 1. Hotspur was later to die at the Battle of Shrewsbury when fighting with Douglas against Henry’s armies after Henry refused to allow him to retain the ransoms which he was due for the prisoners captured at Homildon. Chris referred to a piece dated September 1768 by Thomas Percy, a Chaplain to the Duke, which referred to ‘Red Riggs’, so named after the rivulets of blood which ran for three days after the battle. Chris referred to the work undertaken by the Battlefield Trust on this and other battles using information from the Archives.
Chris began by discussing the location of the records which are largely kept in a tower in the south-east corner of the castle and its physical history after various re-building through the centuries. Lesser archives are now housed in a converted farm building and the main archives are being digitalised as vellum and old paper archives in ancient cardboard boxes deteriorate over the years.
The Percy’s were involved throughout the War of the Roses and the third earl was killed at Towton in the Lancastrian cause and another Percy was killed in 1464 at the Battle of Hedgeley Moor [north of Powburn on the A697]. The Percy’s were sufficiently ensconced with the Yorkist Richard III {who as Duke of Gloucester had captured Berwick on behalf of his brother Edward IV in 1482} for the latter to expect them to side with him against Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 but Percy kept out the battle and therefore aided Henry to win and be crowned Henry VII, thus keeping his estates in the process.
The tenth Earl, Algernon, fought against King Charles in the Civil War but did not participate in the execution of the King so also retained his estates.
Chris explained that although there is a direct Percy blood line back to the Norman invasion, it has occasionally been passed through the female line via the junior title ‘Earl of Northumberland’. The male line of the Percy-Louvain house ended with the eleventh Earl, and his heiress married the Duke of Somerset with her granddaughter marrying a Yorkshire knight, Sir Hugh Smithson, who changed his name to Percy and was created the first Duke of Northumberland and Earl Percy in 1766. It is their descendants who now represent the famous old house.
The website for Alnwick Castle indicates that the archives are maintained without cost to the taxpayer. The Duke’s estates include land of 100,000 acres and 100 tenanted farms, and Chris disclosed that the role of the archive is to ‘support the business’ so supplying proof of the Duke’s interests in properties throughout Britain and elsewhere. Thus, the archives are not only a historical resource to us all, they are also an essential commercial resource for the Duke.
PWD
October 2022
The History of Berwick Barracks
Talk by Rt. Rev. Dr Stephen Platten
Most members of GLHS know Berwick reasonably well and the location of the splendid barracks which are to the east of the centre of the town. The Right Reverend, Dr Stephen Platten, retired Bishop of Wakefield and a resident of England’s most northern town, gave a most entertaining lecture on the history of the barracks, the oldest in Britain.
My dearly beloved Managing Director {a.k.a. The Leader of the Opposition} and I habitually walk the ramparts in an anti-clockwise direction and our attention is always diverted to the barracks, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor no less, and built under the direction of Captain Thomas Philipps, a military engineer. Having passed the guardroom by Quay Walls which has a small exhibition of life in the Guardroom and then the Powder Magazine encased in a strong wall in case of explosions, one comes to the barracks themselves. Of course, the attention one can give accompanying grandchildren on the ramparts is limited by the views, even though one’s descendants could fall 20 metres, a prospect their parents may view with little enthusiasm.
Stephen explained the history of the town which pre-dated most of the listeners’ knowledge. For example, Athelstan incorporated Berwick into England in 927 but it was the battle of Carham in 1018, a victory for the Scots, which cemented the town’s strategic significance. The castle at Berwick is notable for being the only English castle which was initially constructed by the Scots, under King David I. Like that of Newcastle and in contrast to, say, Warkworth, the castle is on the north side of the river and a bulwark for the English.
Berwick has had a tumultuous history. From the Scots’ rejection of John Balliol, the protege of Edward I, as their king in 1296, conflict was inevitable and Berwick’s strategic location ensured it was in the middle of any conflicts. Most of us know that Berwick was passed repeatedly from England to Scotland and vice versa until finally secured in 1482 for Edward IV by his younger brother, Richard Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III, whose bear emblem is incorporated in the town’s coat of arms. The House of Commons baulked at how much the campaign cost for such little gain, so the town has even had an indirect influence on the progress of our parliamentary democracy. The ramparts are the longest 16th century walls in Europe and, as Stephen reminded us, are similar to some fortifications of the period in Italy. Indeed, the ramparts were the biggest budgeted cost of Elizabeth I’s reign.
I had always thought that after 1482, and Flodden in 1513 and the death of Scotland’s James IV, Berwick had become more tranquil, but this was not the case. During what was known as the ‘rough wooing’, Henry VIII tried to impose his will on the borders; he wanted to marry his son, later Edward VI, to the infant Mary Queen of Scots. Thus, Berwick’s strategic importance was confirmed.
We learnt that Berwick was a garrison town with troops billeted on the residents, which was very unpopular given their propensity for alcoholic consumption and other activities in so called ‘bawdy’ houses, on which I shall not enlighten innocent readers. The Jacobite rebellions of 1715 (and of 1745) shocked the English establishment and construction of the barracks began in 1717. The barracks required 600,000 bricks and accommodated 600 men and 36 officers. The men lived 8 to a room and 2 to a ‘crib’ bed. They were required to cook and wash in their rooms and each room had a ‘slop’ bucket. Some men had their wives and children in their room with privacy afforded only by a curtain or two. The officers had their own rooms. Men were provided daily with 1½ lb. of bread and a 1 lb. of meat, but the quality of rations was variable, to put it mildly. The regiment ensconced at the barracks was the 25th Regiment of Foot, which later metamorphosed into The King’s Own Scottish Borderers [KOSB].
Initially the barracks were popular as they removed the soldiery from the town’s residents, but the behaviour of the military continued to be problematic. The Board of Ordnance claimed that there were insufficient funds for ‘utensils’, so it was not until the publicans of the town were required to provide or fund them that the barracks could be occupied.
With the accession of the House of Hanover secured, the need for barracks on the border with Scotland was much diminished. This changed with the Napoleonic wars at the end of the 18th century but the barracks were abandoned when these wars ended, and they were only re-occupied in the 1850s. The KOSB returned in 1881 until 1963, although territorial units and cadets continued to occupy it (our plumber informed me that he had had to stay there) and English Heritage is now responsible for the site. The western portion of the barracks is currently unused and there are plans to turn it them into apartments. If this is so, the future of the barracks should be less turbulent than the past, subject only to the travails of conveyancing and leasehold law.
PWD
The History of Berwick Barracks
Talk by Rt. Rev. Dr Stephen Platten
Most members of GLHS know Berwick reasonably well and the location of the splendid barracks which are to the east of the centre of the town. The Right Reverend, Dr Stephen Platten, retired Bishop of Wakefield and a resident of England’s most northern town, gave a most entertaining lecture on the history of the barracks, the oldest in Britain.
My dearly beloved Managing Director {a.k.a. The Leader of the Opposition} and I habitually walk the ramparts in an anti-clockwise direction and our attention is always diverted to the barracks, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor no less, and built under the direction of Captain Thomas Philipps, a military engineer. Having passed the guardroom by Quay Walls which has a small exhibition of life in the Guardroom and then the Powder Magazine encased in a strong wall in case of explosions, one comes to the barracks themselves. Of course, the attention one can give accompanying grandchildren on the ramparts is limited by the views, even though one’s descendants could fall 20 metres, a prospect their parents may view with little enthusiasm.
Stephen explained the history of the town which pre-dated most of the listeners’ knowledge. For example, Athelstan incorporated Berwick into England in 927 but it was the battle of Carham in 1018, a victory for the Scots, which cemented the town’s strategic significance. The castle at Berwick is notable for being the only English castle which was initially constructed by the Scots, under King David I. Like that of Newcastle and in contrast to, say, Warkworth, the castle is on the north side of the river and a bulwark for the English.
Berwick has had a tumultuous history. From the Scots’ rejection of John Balliol, the protege of Edward I, as their king in 1296, conflict was inevitable and Berwick’s strategic location ensured it was in the middle of any conflicts. Most of us know that Berwick was passed repeatedly from England to Scotland and vice versa until finally secured in 1482 for Edward IV by his younger brother, Richard Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III, whose bear emblem is incorporated in the town’s coat of arms. The House of Commons baulked at how much the campaign cost for such little gain, so the town has even had an indirect influence on the progress of our parliamentary democracy. The ramparts are the longest 16th century walls in Europe and, as Stephen reminded us, are similar to some fortifications of the period in Italy. Indeed, the ramparts were the biggest budgeted cost of Elizabeth I’s reign.
I had always thought that after 1482, and Flodden in 1513 and the death of Scotland’s James IV, Berwick had become more tranquil, but this was not the case. During what was known as the ‘rough wooing’, Henry VIII tried to impose his will on the borders; he wanted to marry his son, later Edward VI, to the infant Mary Queen of Scots. Thus, Berwick’s strategic importance was confirmed.
We learnt that Berwick was a garrison town with troops billeted on the residents, which was very unpopular given their propensity for alcoholic consumption and other activities in so called ‘bawdy’ houses, on which I shall not enlighten innocent readers. The Jacobite rebellions of 1715 (and of 1745) shocked the English establishment and construction of the barracks began in 1717. The barracks required 600,000 bricks and accommodated 600 men and 36 officers. The men lived 8 to a room and 2 to a ‘crib’ bed. They were required to cook and wash in their rooms and each room had a ‘slop’ bucket. Some men had their wives and children in their room with privacy afforded only by a curtain or two. The officers had their own rooms. Men were provided daily with 1½ lb. of bread and a 1 lb. of meat, but the quality of rations was variable, to put it mildly. The regiment ensconced at the barracks was the 25th Regiment of Foot, which later metamorphosed into The King’s Own Scottish Borderers [KOSB].
Initially the barracks were popular as they removed the soldiery from the town’s residents, but the behaviour of the military continued to be problematic. The Board of Ordnance claimed that there were insufficient funds for ‘utensils’, so it was not until the publicans of the town were required to provide or fund them that the barracks could be occupied.
With the accession of the House of Hanover secured, the need for barracks on the border with Scotland was much diminished. This changed with the Napoleonic wars at the end of the 18th century but the barracks were abandoned when these wars ended, and they were only re-occupied in the 1850s. The KOSB returned in 1881 until 1963, although territorial units and cadets continued to occupy it (our plumber informed me that he had had to stay there) and English Heritage is now responsible for the site. The western portion of the barracks is currently unused and there are plans to turn it them into apartments. If this is so, the future of the barracks should be less turbulent than the past, subject only to the travails of conveyancing and leasehold law.
PWD
November 2022
A Berwick Boyhood between the Wars: The Memoirs of Jock Wilson
Talk by Dr Elizabeth Wilson
What was Berwick like in the 1920s and 1930s, especially if your parents ran one of the main shops in the town, was on the Town Council and was active in the Methodist church? And how did this family business come to be, and what happened to it as the next generation moved away? Our speaker, Dr Elizabeth Wilson, has recently published a book based on a written memoir produced by her father late in life, and shared some insights from her father’s memoir with us.
Her father was born at the end of World War 1, the third of four children. The first, a daughter, died as an infant, and all the rest were boys. Missing a daughter, Jock’s mother treated him almost as a girl for a long time, although he always felt he lacked attention as his younger brother was disabled and needed a lot of support from his mother. He was also not much good with a ball, so he missed out on enjoying many of the usual boys’ sports. But he was very musical, had a lively personality and engaged in many aspects of local life as he grew up, and of course experienced the life of his parents’ flourishing furniture business.
Our speaker suggested that the driving force behind the business was Jock’s grandmother, Dorothy. Their story shows how people could move from poverty into the established middle class. Jock’s grandfather, Thomas Wilson, came to Berwick as a labourer, living in crowded accommodation in Walkergate, where Dorothy and her husband had a small business dealing in second hand clothes. Both Thomas and Dorothy were widowed early in life, and between them built up the second hand business into dealing in second hand furniture and furniture making. They moved to a store in Marygate and began to do well. Their son Thomas, Jock’s father, became a well known figure in Berwick life, both in church circles and as a town councillor and mayor, having married the daughter of another family doing well in the tailoring business. He weas also active in the Liberal Party. Jock remembers in his account many characters from Berwick commercial life that he knew as a child, including Skelly the butcher and the Cowe sisters.
Jock seems to have been very aware of the differences between the privileged life he lived and the experience of the poorest, such as those in the crowded Walkergate dwellings where his grandparents had grown up. This sensitivity to the cares of others, as well as his organ-playing ability, led to a career on the church. His memoirs finish in 1937, but our speaker updated the story. Both Jock and his elder brother Graham became professionals, Graham as a doctor and Jock as a minister. Graham served in the army medical core in the Second World War, but Jock was a convinced pacifist and went to work instead for the YMCA in Edinburgh. Their parents died during the war and the furniture business was left to the two brothers. But neither of them lived in Berwick so they appointed a manager for the shop, until finally selling it.
Her father’s memoirs are clearly full of insights into life in Berwick in the interwar period. Our speaker told us that A Berwick Boyhood can be obtained from local bookshops.
Patsy Healey
November 2022.
A Berwick Boyhood between the Wars: The Memoirs of Jock Wilson
Talk by Dr Elizabeth Wilson
What was Berwick like in the 1920s and 1930s, especially if your parents ran one of the main shops in the town, was on the Town Council and was active in the Methodist church? And how did this family business come to be, and what happened to it as the next generation moved away? Our speaker, Dr Elizabeth Wilson, has recently published a book based on a written memoir produced by her father late in life, and shared some insights from her father’s memoir with us.
Her father was born at the end of World War 1, the third of four children. The first, a daughter, died as an infant, and all the rest were boys. Missing a daughter, Jock’s mother treated him almost as a girl for a long time, although he always felt he lacked attention as his younger brother was disabled and needed a lot of support from his mother. He was also not much good with a ball, so he missed out on enjoying many of the usual boys’ sports. But he was very musical, had a lively personality and engaged in many aspects of local life as he grew up, and of course experienced the life of his parents’ flourishing furniture business.
Our speaker suggested that the driving force behind the business was Jock’s grandmother, Dorothy. Their story shows how people could move from poverty into the established middle class. Jock’s grandfather, Thomas Wilson, came to Berwick as a labourer, living in crowded accommodation in Walkergate, where Dorothy and her husband had a small business dealing in second hand clothes. Both Thomas and Dorothy were widowed early in life, and between them built up the second hand business into dealing in second hand furniture and furniture making. They moved to a store in Marygate and began to do well. Their son Thomas, Jock’s father, became a well known figure in Berwick life, both in church circles and as a town councillor and mayor, having married the daughter of another family doing well in the tailoring business. He weas also active in the Liberal Party. Jock remembers in his account many characters from Berwick commercial life that he knew as a child, including Skelly the butcher and the Cowe sisters.
Jock seems to have been very aware of the differences between the privileged life he lived and the experience of the poorest, such as those in the crowded Walkergate dwellings where his grandparents had grown up. This sensitivity to the cares of others, as well as his organ-playing ability, led to a career on the church. His memoirs finish in 1937, but our speaker updated the story. Both Jock and his elder brother Graham became professionals, Graham as a doctor and Jock as a minister. Graham served in the army medical core in the Second World War, but Jock was a convinced pacifist and went to work instead for the YMCA in Edinburgh. Their parents died during the war and the furniture business was left to the two brothers. But neither of them lived in Berwick so they appointed a manager for the shop, until finally selling it.
Her father’s memoirs are clearly full of insights into life in Berwick in the interwar period. Our speaker told us that A Berwick Boyhood can be obtained from local bookshops.
Patsy Healey
November 2022.