March 2026
Angels of the North – more notable women of the North East
Speaker: Joyce Quin, Baroness Quin of Gateshead
The Society was entertained by an excellent talk by Joyce Quin, following publication of the book she had co-written with Moira Kilkenny (a previous speaker to the Society) ‘Angels of the North - Vol 2: More Notable Women of the North East’. I thought her talk sufficiently provocative to use ChatGPT and Wikipedia to find out more about the women whom Joyce, necessarily, had insufficient time to discuss in detail. This report has taken ages therefore!
Joyce was ‘piped in’ by Dr. Anthony Robb, who is well known to many of us, and what a talented Northumbrian piper he is. He wore Northumbrian plaid and full regalia and was thanked by Joyce, who is President of the Northumbrian Pipers' Society.
In her introduction Joyce reminded us that the previous Sunday, 8th March, had been International Women’s Day. She went onto explain that the book referred to ‘notable’ women and not necessarily those who were famous. Thus she described how, in 1417, two servant girls, being women, could not approach the shrine of St. Cuthbert in Durham Cathedral so they dressed as men to do so. They were caught and then made to dress as men in procession at St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle to explain why they were being punished. As Joyce observed, this was an odd way for the authorities to punish them as it gave publicity to the cause the women were espousing.
Joyce then referred to the characters whom Moira and she included in their second volume, beginning with Professor Rosemary Cramp, the first female professor at Durham University. Professor Cramp, an archaeologist, worked on St Paul’s monastery in Jarrow and St Peter’s Church in Monkwearmouth, and was pre-eminent in the field of Bede and the Anglo-Saxon period.
Susan Auld was the first woman in the UK and possibly the world to obtain a degree in naval architecture, studying at Newcastle which was then part of Durham University. She was descended from one of the founders of Swan Hunter Shipbuilders. During World War 2, she worked extensively on the battleship HMS Anson and the aircraft carrier HMS Albion, but most importantly she is credited with designing the landing craft used at D-Day.
Mary Midgley was a famous philosopher associated with work on human relationships with animals, arguing that we humans are a kind of animal. She was also associated with ‘Gaia’ (I recommend that you look it up as it is interesting).
At the other extreme, Hannah Hawkswell is included as a TV personality, a farmer from the North Pennines. Although Hannah would describe herself as a proud Yorkshirewoman, her farm is now in County Durham and her closest town is Barnard Castle which has always been so.
Joyce explained that the women had to have an association with Northumberland and Durham, which she and Moira had defined as the North East region, and she demurred at the suggestion that York or Harrogate could be included.
Space and time precludes me including all the women to whom Joyce referred but they included Bella Reay, the footballer of Blyth Spartans; and Ellen Wilkinson, Cabinet Minister in the Attlee government. Mabel Philpson was the first woman to be elected as an MP (for Berwick-upon-Tweed). She had been an actress and Gaiety Girl and was the first manifestly working class female MP. Her husband’s 1922 election to the seat was declared void, so she stood and won in the subsequent bye-election. Although she disliked speaking in the Commons she was effective, and her Private Member’s Bill became the Nursing Homes Registration Act of 1927. As soon as her husband decided that he did not want to take the seat she retired from politics, as the reason she had stood in the first place was ‘to keep the seat warm’ for him.
Finally Joyce drew our attention to Maud Burnett who was only the fifth woman to be a mayor; in her case of Tynemouth. Maud worked hard on nursery education, especially for the children of the fisherfolk of Cullercoats whose fathers were out at sea and whose mothers spent their days gutting and selling fish.
It was a fascinating and illuminating talk and the audience were very appreciative of it, so much so that the books which Joyce had brought sold out.
Peter Davies
Speaker: Joyce Quin, Baroness Quin of Gateshead
The Society was entertained by an excellent talk by Joyce Quin, following publication of the book she had co-written with Moira Kilkenny (a previous speaker to the Society) ‘Angels of the North - Vol 2: More Notable Women of the North East’. I thought her talk sufficiently provocative to use ChatGPT and Wikipedia to find out more about the women whom Joyce, necessarily, had insufficient time to discuss in detail. This report has taken ages therefore!
Joyce was ‘piped in’ by Dr. Anthony Robb, who is well known to many of us, and what a talented Northumbrian piper he is. He wore Northumbrian plaid and full regalia and was thanked by Joyce, who is President of the Northumbrian Pipers' Society.
In her introduction Joyce reminded us that the previous Sunday, 8th March, had been International Women’s Day. She went onto explain that the book referred to ‘notable’ women and not necessarily those who were famous. Thus she described how, in 1417, two servant girls, being women, could not approach the shrine of St. Cuthbert in Durham Cathedral so they dressed as men to do so. They were caught and then made to dress as men in procession at St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle to explain why they were being punished. As Joyce observed, this was an odd way for the authorities to punish them as it gave publicity to the cause the women were espousing.
Joyce then referred to the characters whom Moira and she included in their second volume, beginning with Professor Rosemary Cramp, the first female professor at Durham University. Professor Cramp, an archaeologist, worked on St Paul’s monastery in Jarrow and St Peter’s Church in Monkwearmouth, and was pre-eminent in the field of Bede and the Anglo-Saxon period.
Susan Auld was the first woman in the UK and possibly the world to obtain a degree in naval architecture, studying at Newcastle which was then part of Durham University. She was descended from one of the founders of Swan Hunter Shipbuilders. During World War 2, she worked extensively on the battleship HMS Anson and the aircraft carrier HMS Albion, but most importantly she is credited with designing the landing craft used at D-Day.
Mary Midgley was a famous philosopher associated with work on human relationships with animals, arguing that we humans are a kind of animal. She was also associated with ‘Gaia’ (I recommend that you look it up as it is interesting).
At the other extreme, Hannah Hawkswell is included as a TV personality, a farmer from the North Pennines. Although Hannah would describe herself as a proud Yorkshirewoman, her farm is now in County Durham and her closest town is Barnard Castle which has always been so.
Joyce explained that the women had to have an association with Northumberland and Durham, which she and Moira had defined as the North East region, and she demurred at the suggestion that York or Harrogate could be included.
Space and time precludes me including all the women to whom Joyce referred but they included Bella Reay, the footballer of Blyth Spartans; and Ellen Wilkinson, Cabinet Minister in the Attlee government. Mabel Philpson was the first woman to be elected as an MP (for Berwick-upon-Tweed). She had been an actress and Gaiety Girl and was the first manifestly working class female MP. Her husband’s 1922 election to the seat was declared void, so she stood and won in the subsequent bye-election. Although she disliked speaking in the Commons she was effective, and her Private Member’s Bill became the Nursing Homes Registration Act of 1927. As soon as her husband decided that he did not want to take the seat she retired from politics, as the reason she had stood in the first place was ‘to keep the seat warm’ for him.
Finally Joyce drew our attention to Maud Burnett who was only the fifth woman to be a mayor; in her case of Tynemouth. Maud worked hard on nursery education, especially for the children of the fisherfolk of Cullercoats whose fathers were out at sea and whose mothers spent their days gutting and selling fish.
It was a fascinating and illuminating talk and the audience were very appreciative of it, so much so that the books which Joyce had brought sold out.
Peter Davies
February 2026
Cornhill (Coldstream) to Alnwick – a journey through time
Speaker: Allan Colman
Allan started his presentation with a map of the route of the former railway line between Cornhill and Alnwick, which showed that trains setting out from Cornhill stopped at Mindrum, Akeld, Wooler, Ilderton, Wooperton, Hedgeley, Glanton, Whittingham, and finally Alnwick.
Cornhill station was known as Coldstream station even though it was on the opposite side of the Tweed at Cornhill-on-Tweed. It was built there because landowners resisted a railway passing through Coldstream. The station at Cornhill also served the Kelso line as an important transport link for both agricultural goods and passengers.
In 1881 it was proposed to build a railway from Rothbury to Wooler but following objections it was decided to accept the alternative and cheaper option of a railway from Alnwick to Cornhill. The project was authorised in 1882 with the Cornhill branch intended to link the communities of north Northumberland with Alnwick. Construction was started by the North Eastern Railway in 1884. The line initially opened to freight and then to passengers in 1887.
A large grand station was built at Alnwick and the route planned to avoid crossing the Duke of Northumberland’s estate. In 1887 the impressive Alnwick station was opened. The line was a single track with passing places. Following the First World War there was a decline in passenger rail services. Eventually buses offered a more competitive alternative during the 1920s and by 22 September 1930 the line closed to passengers. However, it did remain open for freight. Some of the old railway carriages were used as self-catering tourist accommodation during the 1960s.
Allan presented photographs and information about each of the stations, highlighting what was originally built and what can still be seen today. He also described significant events and issues which impacted the railway line and its future; for example, the brief resumption of service during the Second World War to serve RAF Milfield.
During the severe storms of 1948–9 the line was damaged and the railway bridge just north of Ilderton Station was washed away. It was decided not to repair the bridge which meant the line was spit into 2 sections: Alnwick to Ilderton, and a second section Wooler to Cornhill. The Alnwick to Ilderton section closed on 2nd March, 1953. The Wooler to Cornhill section closed in March 1965.
All that remains of the Coldstream (Cornhill) station are 3 railway cottages and with some searching the remains of the goods’ platform can be found as can some buffer stops amongst the trees nearby. The old railway bridge across the A697 is gone but formerly the line divided in two at Cornill-on-Tweed with one line to Kelso and the other one to Wooler. The Wooler station was the busiest on the line and goods continued to be transported between Wooler and Coldstream until March 1965 serving quarries in the area.
Wooler was the only station on the line with two separate platforms. In later years the station buildings were used as a youth hostel with males and females housed on separate sides of the line.
Allan acknowledged the photographs contributed by the Cornhill-on-Tweed Local History Society and others. It is possible to see the Glanton weigh bridge and office which have been relocated to Beamish museum. Allan also drew attention to the current East Coast Main Line (ECML) from London to Edinburgh and the many stations in Northumberland which have been closed.
Some of the audience had strong links with the Cornhill to Alnwick line, including the last surviving Fireman on the Alnwick service. He remembered the loss of the bridge at Ilderton, as it was his sister who raised the alarm, potentially avoiding further destruction and loss of life.
Another person told us about the chaos caused by the diversion of a Scottish express train on to the Cornhill to Alnwick line due to problems on the ECML at Belford. The branch line was not designed for such a substantial train, which couldn’t manage the steeper gradient & came to a halt. Several locomotives had to be sent to pull the train up to Cornhill & on to Tweedmouth to rejoin the main line.
In the 1980s local school children undertook a project about the railway and their interviews and records are held in Berwick Archives.
Railway memories continue to be a source of pride, nostalgia and perhaps lost opportunity when sadly so many of these railway lines were closed.
Edith Whitehead
Speaker: Allan Colman
Allan started his presentation with a map of the route of the former railway line between Cornhill and Alnwick, which showed that trains setting out from Cornhill stopped at Mindrum, Akeld, Wooler, Ilderton, Wooperton, Hedgeley, Glanton, Whittingham, and finally Alnwick.
Cornhill station was known as Coldstream station even though it was on the opposite side of the Tweed at Cornhill-on-Tweed. It was built there because landowners resisted a railway passing through Coldstream. The station at Cornhill also served the Kelso line as an important transport link for both agricultural goods and passengers.
In 1881 it was proposed to build a railway from Rothbury to Wooler but following objections it was decided to accept the alternative and cheaper option of a railway from Alnwick to Cornhill. The project was authorised in 1882 with the Cornhill branch intended to link the communities of north Northumberland with Alnwick. Construction was started by the North Eastern Railway in 1884. The line initially opened to freight and then to passengers in 1887.
A large grand station was built at Alnwick and the route planned to avoid crossing the Duke of Northumberland’s estate. In 1887 the impressive Alnwick station was opened. The line was a single track with passing places. Following the First World War there was a decline in passenger rail services. Eventually buses offered a more competitive alternative during the 1920s and by 22 September 1930 the line closed to passengers. However, it did remain open for freight. Some of the old railway carriages were used as self-catering tourist accommodation during the 1960s.
Allan presented photographs and information about each of the stations, highlighting what was originally built and what can still be seen today. He also described significant events and issues which impacted the railway line and its future; for example, the brief resumption of service during the Second World War to serve RAF Milfield.
During the severe storms of 1948–9 the line was damaged and the railway bridge just north of Ilderton Station was washed away. It was decided not to repair the bridge which meant the line was spit into 2 sections: Alnwick to Ilderton, and a second section Wooler to Cornhill. The Alnwick to Ilderton section closed on 2nd March, 1953. The Wooler to Cornhill section closed in March 1965.
All that remains of the Coldstream (Cornhill) station are 3 railway cottages and with some searching the remains of the goods’ platform can be found as can some buffer stops amongst the trees nearby. The old railway bridge across the A697 is gone but formerly the line divided in two at Cornill-on-Tweed with one line to Kelso and the other one to Wooler. The Wooler station was the busiest on the line and goods continued to be transported between Wooler and Coldstream until March 1965 serving quarries in the area.
Wooler was the only station on the line with two separate platforms. In later years the station buildings were used as a youth hostel with males and females housed on separate sides of the line.
Allan acknowledged the photographs contributed by the Cornhill-on-Tweed Local History Society and others. It is possible to see the Glanton weigh bridge and office which have been relocated to Beamish museum. Allan also drew attention to the current East Coast Main Line (ECML) from London to Edinburgh and the many stations in Northumberland which have been closed.
Some of the audience had strong links with the Cornhill to Alnwick line, including the last surviving Fireman on the Alnwick service. He remembered the loss of the bridge at Ilderton, as it was his sister who raised the alarm, potentially avoiding further destruction and loss of life.
Another person told us about the chaos caused by the diversion of a Scottish express train on to the Cornhill to Alnwick line due to problems on the ECML at Belford. The branch line was not designed for such a substantial train, which couldn’t manage the steeper gradient & came to a halt. Several locomotives had to be sent to pull the train up to Cornhill & on to Tweedmouth to rejoin the main line.
In the 1980s local school children undertook a project about the railway and their interviews and records are held in Berwick Archives.
Railway memories continue to be a source of pride, nostalgia and perhaps lost opportunity when sadly so many of these railway lines were closed.
Edith Whitehead
Bondagers: reminiscences of female agricultural workers
Speaker: Dinah Iredale, author of ‘Bondagers
Speaker: Dinah Iredale, author of ‘Bondagers
In her talk, which was supported by a film which went far to reveal the details of the system, Dinah explained that the bondager system was unique to Northumberland and South East Scotland. It required married ploughmen, known as ‘hinds’, to provide a female labourer as part of their bond (contract) with their employer. If the hind had no family member who could take on this role, such as when his wife was caring for young children, he had to take on an unmarried female worker, a bondager, who received pay and board and lodging in the hind’s farm cottage. The system probably developed in the mid-18th century because of the need for labour and the difficulty of travel in what is still a remote part of the U.K. with poor transport links.
In the mid-19th century the hind would earn £18-30 a year and in addition receive a tied rent-free cottage, a coal allowance, a potato ground (a small plot to grow food), and sometimes a milk and grain allowance. Bondagers received from the hind £8-12 a year, possibly with a clothing allowance.
Bondagers helped with the seasonal tasks on the farm. They were regarded as unskilled although their work, dealing with potatoes, turnips, grain, and sheep, was very hard. Once hired, whether through local social networks or through the annual hirelings at towns such as Alnwick, Wooler and Kelso, the bondager was expected to live with the hind and his family and this inevitably caused difficulties. Farm cottages were often just a single room, so there was no privacy. Also, although the bondager had money of her own, the hind’s wife did not. Matters were made even more difficult if the bondager did not help in the house and assist with the children – and some would not, reasoning that they had worked all day in the fields.
It was these stresses, reinforced by Victorian views on morality that had already led to legislation stopping men and women working alongside in the pits, together with the Education Acts of the 19th century and improved transport links which enabled women to seek employment in their own right in towns, which eventually led to the demise of the bondager system.
The first attempt to end the system occurred in 1837. Landowners, clergy, and the hinds themselves wrote to local newspapers objecting to the system. Following a further campaign in 1866 the system slowly died out and was gone by the early 20th century, hastened by war, of course.
Dinah reminded us that more details of the system could be found on the website www.bondagers.co.uk.
Peter Davies
In the mid-19th century the hind would earn £18-30 a year and in addition receive a tied rent-free cottage, a coal allowance, a potato ground (a small plot to grow food), and sometimes a milk and grain allowance. Bondagers received from the hind £8-12 a year, possibly with a clothing allowance.
Bondagers helped with the seasonal tasks on the farm. They were regarded as unskilled although their work, dealing with potatoes, turnips, grain, and sheep, was very hard. Once hired, whether through local social networks or through the annual hirelings at towns such as Alnwick, Wooler and Kelso, the bondager was expected to live with the hind and his family and this inevitably caused difficulties. Farm cottages were often just a single room, so there was no privacy. Also, although the bondager had money of her own, the hind’s wife did not. Matters were made even more difficult if the bondager did not help in the house and assist with the children – and some would not, reasoning that they had worked all day in the fields.
It was these stresses, reinforced by Victorian views on morality that had already led to legislation stopping men and women working alongside in the pits, together with the Education Acts of the 19th century and improved transport links which enabled women to seek employment in their own right in towns, which eventually led to the demise of the bondager system.
The first attempt to end the system occurred in 1837. Landowners, clergy, and the hinds themselves wrote to local newspapers objecting to the system. Following a further campaign in 1866 the system slowly died out and was gone by the early 20th century, hastened by war, of course.
Dinah reminded us that more details of the system could be found on the website www.bondagers.co.uk.
Peter Davies