Saint Cuthbert And Bedlington Church

[Maggie/915]

The book reprinted by Rev Osgathorp in 1949,gives slightly more information to later editions.

The books are of Bedlington Church by the Rev A Campbell Fraser, MA

Sketches by Mrs A E MacLeod

I grew up in the knowledge that the monks fled from Lindisfarne and the Vikings first and then again from the Normans.

The date Saturday the 12th Dec 1069 is mentioned.

I am attempting to reproduce the page but it is only a hand held.

[Maggie/915]

Then there was a vicar who buried his horse in part of the Graveyard.

Also the poet who asked the Vicar to be quicker because he was keeping folks from there dinners.

Both items are history.

Which is important?

[Malcolm Robinson]

I just wrote up that one about the horse and the vicar! Wonder if the headstone is still there?

[Maggie/915]

Henry Coates vicar at St Cuthbert's from 1788 it seems erected the tombstone to his horse Wheatley.

Weddell who was said to be the Plessey Poet wrote a poem accusing him of having shot the horse to save it's keep. Corn and hay was expensive, at the time it seems.

Life in Bedlington has never been dull.

Sorry cannot send the picture because I am in exile from home and wi-fi.

How would we survive without our Internet access!

I feel a new topic coming on!

[Maggie/915]

The Tombstone appears to say:-

A. D. 1801

Steady the Path ordain'd by nature's God

And free from human vices, Wheatley trod

Yet hop'd no future life- his all he liv'd

The turf he grazed his parting breath received

And now protect his bones:disturb them not

But let one faithful horse respected rot.

Maybe the bones are now under someone's

house.

[Maggie/915]

The sermons of this vicar were long.

Bob Charlton wrote

I pray Mr Vicar. Do try to be quicker

In teaching us miserable sinners

Our bellies are croaking, and its truly provoking

To be kept so long from our dinners!

Wonder if it worked!

[Malcolm Robinson]

The book I read said the horse was buried next door to the graveyard.

Vicar Coates also seems to have played a part in awarding apprenticeships to paupers in Ashington?

Now where did I file that bit?

[Maggie/915]

I have lost a post.

Guess now I will double post!

I understood the stone was moved because the housing estate was being built.

[Keith Scantlebury]

If its next door to the graveyard it could have been in what became the school field. So chances are, the new Vicarage will be built over it.

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

I learned that St Cuthbert's Church was originally laid,probably a wood building,and consecrated,in the year 611 ad.[yes...not 1611....but 611ad.!]

The Saxon's built the stone church,and the original Chancel Arch still stands with typical Saxon zig-zag pattern.

The Norman's came and destroyed most of the Church,rebuilding it with their own designs.

Apparently,with the Norman's,religion didn't play a part in their building work,it was more to be of a grand scale to show enemies and people of the lands they concquered,how superior they were with their building skills.Symbols of power,so to speak...if it's true what you read!!

..Then what about the recent vicar who had the ridulously horrific idea,of burying the historic font in the Church grounds....so future Archeologists

could make a sensational find in their day.......[he happened to be an Archeologist!]

[Malcolm Robinson]

HPW,

I am working on a heritage project, can you tell me where the 611AD date comes from and can it be substantiated?

Also who was the recent vicar?

[mickypotts]

I can clearly remember when I was at the infants school next to the church we would have play time in the field past the graveyard on church road,

about 3/4 of the way down the wall on the back of the field was a small stone marker close up to the wall and we were always told by the teachers that it was the vicars horse buried there, anyone else recall this?

[Malcolm Robinson]

Is that where the new vicarage is now micky?

[Keith Scantlebury]

Is that where the new vicarage is now micky?

It is Malcolm

[Keith Scantlebury]

The book reprinted by Rev Osgathorp in 1949,gives slightly more information to later editions.

The books are of Bedlington Church by the Rev A Campbell Fraser, MA

Sketches by Mrs A E MacLeod

I grew up in the knowledge that the monks fled from Lindisfarne and the Vikings first and then again from the Normans.

The date Saturday the 12th Dec 1069 is mentioned.

I am attempting to reproduce the page but it is only a hand held.

An early memory of mine was the Vicar that caught fire. He used to be a regular visitor to our house when we lived in the Market Place, he married my parents and later christened me at St Cuthberts. It was the afore mentioned Osgathorpe. Cannon Osgathorpe as he was then, was warming his backside in front of our coal fire when he got a bit too close , he was in his work claes and they whent ahaad. My mother chucked the dish water over him to put it out.

[Maggie/915]

His grave is in the church yard.

Near the vestry.

Osgathorp claimed his bible saved him from death in a World War.

He seemed very old so I assumed the first but I was young and he seemed ancient.

I have a confirmation list that reads like a who's who of Bedlington.

The days when you knew everyone, or the family did. For old pictures etc we need to write down people time and place.

My mother and father were the font of all names.

I just enjoyed the history of it all, still do

[mickypotts]

Well with google street view I see that there are now 3 houses standing where the playing field was from the church down to Towers close, if you go between the 2 houses on Church road until you hit the tree line in the back yard that is where the gravestone was, there was a stone wall then a small field and then the vicarage, the ground was probably undisturbed when they built the houses since it was in the back

[mickypotts]

I see they kept the original stone wall and rebuilt it with original stone to allow for the houses, that was a nice touch of preservation

[Symptoms]

I remember that stone wall too. At one section it enclosed a grazing field (probably where streetview shows Tower Close) and the wall was about 5' tall. The field ran across to the back of Patterson's yard where they used to park their removal lorries - access to the yard was from Front St. Again, I've looked at streetview and the only opening looks to be through an arch lower down Front St than I remember (I had a recollection it was right next to the Vicarage). The field always had a few cows and a couple of horses in it and I'm sure they belonged to the Pattersons. We used to 'nick' across the field as a shortcut to get to the yard ... I knew the son but can't recall his given name as he, like most of our mates, were known by nicknames - his was Patterninny. He'd be 60ish now and I think he may have joined the Peelers.

[Maggie/915]

The old vicarage and the garden parties held by The Osgathorps are good to remember.

Not quite like the version in The Leek Club.

I remember everyone being friendly and kind.

The house and garden must have their own history.

Wonder when the house was built?

[Keith Scantlebury]

The old vicarage and the garden parties held by The Osgathorps are good to remember.

Not quite like the version in The Leek Club.

I remember everyone being friendly and kind.

The house and garden must have their own history.

Wonder when the house was built?

Brilliant those garden parties, weren't they

[Andy Millne]

The house and garden must have their own history.

Wonder when the house was built?

The main part of The Old Vicarage was built in 1835 with the older wing built 18th century. I don't have an exact date for the older part but I'm digging.

[Symptoms]

GGGG - "I don't have an exact date for the older part but I'm digging." They're not that old surely?

[Andy Millne]

GGGG - "I don't have an exact date for the older part but I'm digging." They're not that old surely?

haha, I'm told that's how people found out about old things before the Interwebs.

[Maggie/915]

The vicarage is a lovely old house.