Info on historical Bedlington buildings

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

@Maggie/915 (and @Canny lass and naturally everyone else) - have you, and the Bedlington Local History Society seen this info on the namebooks.org.uk site?

John Krzyzanowski - Admin on the Facebook group - Bygone Bedlington, has just posted this :- 

This is the link to the start of the info, page 49, on Bedlington :- 

http://namebooks.org.uk/browse/main/?OSref=341&Page=49.0&fbclid=IwAR0i24og16aebFF-_vMkCMpqiZ7nZBGROyV2ADKGPUYhR4KhSQAhwq1YgGs

Page 49 :

 

On my Desktop PC the link is shown as 'Not Secure'🙂

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

Had a bit clart this morning and if you select the 'BROWSE' option :- 

you get the page with the full index for all the 1860 parishes :-

[Canny lass]

That's an excellent information source! handy tool to have in the research tool-box. Haven't had time to have a good rummage through the site yet but looking forward to doing so during the coming week.

[Canny lass]

I had my first tentative rummage today! It's wonderful! Here are some of the places that cropped up:

Cadger's Highway

Gravy Hill

Cow Gut

Pancake Well

and my all time favourite - Shinny Gripe Lug.

 

... and, did anyone know of any of the following drinking eastablishments in the shire:

The Brown Bear Inn (Beer House)

The Prince of Wales

The Lord Byron Inn

The Sir Colin Campbell (Beer House) 

Can't wait to start researching.

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

3 hours ago, Canny lass said:

I had my first tentative rummage today! It's wonderful! Here are some of the places that cropped up:

Cadger's Highway

Gravy Hill

Cow Gut

Pancake Well

and my all time favourite - Shinny Gripe Lug.

 

... and, did anyone know of any of the following drinking establishments in the shire:

The Brown Bear Inn (Beer House)

The Prince of Wales

The Lord Byron Inn

The Sir Colin Campbell (Beer House) 

Can't wait to start researching.

All ne to me - Iv'e never spotted them on any of the old maps🙂

[Canny lass]

On 11/09/2021 at 20:14, Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) said:

All ne to me - Iv'e never spotted them on any of the old maps

Same here!

Started researching The Sir Colin Campbell. This is described in The Northumberland Name Book as a Beer House: "An ordinary new house licensed for the sale of ale and porter" an is situated "27 chains S of Whinny Hill Farm". This seems, to me, a rather 'modest' sort of establishment to be having such a 'high-fallutin' name - 'The Sir Colin Campbel'. 

The gentleman in question, Colin Campbell (1792 – 1863), was a Scottish born, British soldier, who attained the rank of Field Marshall and now lies buried in no less than  the centre isle of Westminster Abbey.  He had 50 years of service and was distinguished for his efforts in both the peninsula wars and the pacification of India. His services in the latter earned him the title ‘Baron Clyde of Clydesdale’  also known as ‘Lord Clyde’. What, if any, his connection to the Shire of Bedlington is/was I haven’t been able to ascertain.

Could this humble beer-house be the fore-runner of the Lord Clyde at Choppington that later became The Swan? Eggy, what’s the earliest map you’ve seen The Lord Clyde on?

[Canny lass]

Forget that, Eggy. I've just found both of them on the same map from 1866:

 

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

55 minutes ago, Canny lass said:

Forget that, Eggy. I've just found both of them on the same map from 1866:

 

[lilbill15]

https://www.rct.uk/collection/420868/colin-campbell-lord-clyde-1792-1863 XxR 

[Canny lass]

Very stylish gentleman. It would be nice to think that he had some connection to the shire.

[Canny lass]

I’m still looking for a connection between Sir Colin Campbell and Bedlington. Today I had a look at the 1861 census for Bedlington, District 8 which is described by the enumerator as comprising:

 

“Whinny Hill, a farm house and two cottages an off farm planted by Mr Robt. Swann Bedlington,

Scotland Gate, being one row of Double two stories houses & a few Back Cottages there is two Publick Houses. A few trades man shops & houses the private dwellings being mostly all occupied by coal miners.

Choppington Colliery,  is just a new one? The miners cottages are close adjoining and comprises one row (Cross Row) of Double houses these houses have two rooms on the ground floor & two sleeping rooms, or garrets above there are other four Rows of single Cottages being all nearly two storey Houses, that is one room, one garret, one pantry, one Ash pit & privy  & one Garden.

Peas Bush is an old sort of a place being formerly an off onstead for Choppington farm but now occupied by Choppington Colliery”.

Here is the 1866 map again but this time covering the whole of that area:

 

Following the enumerator’s route, it’s not difficult to identify The Sir Colin Campbell beer house in the enumerator’s book for 1861. As he says, “There are two Publick Houses”  in his district and, as his enumeration route starts at Whinny Hill Farm and works its way to Peas Bush, the first must be the Choppington Inn and the second must be The Sir Colin Campbell.  Looking for it in the enumerator’s book I was hoping to find the residents with a good old Scottish name who had proudly named there beer house after a fellow Scot. I was disappointed.

In 1861 the building is a public house called the Traveller’s Rest. The innkeeper , named Elliot, was born in Cawsey Park, Northumberland and his wife in Hartley. However, they do seem to have some Scottish connection having a 14 yo daughter who was born in Scotland.

The OS map, published 1866 was based on surveys done 1858 to 1859. so it’s possible it was renamed after the survey but before Sir Colin Campbell was raised to the peerage in 1859.

The name Scotland Gate has had many explanations over the years and no one really knows its origins. My wanderings in the area, via the census of 1861 caused me to think of yet another.

At that time, the area we know as Scotland Gate today has no name on the map, but we can see that it is basically one long street fronting the main road between Whinny Hill Farm and Choppington Colliery. ‘Gate’ in place names, often originates from the Old Norse gatu/gata meaning street. Looking at the census today, I was surprised to see the number of people born in Scotland who are living there. I counted 25 people in 15 families. Could Scotland Gate simply refer, locally, to a street where many Scots lived?

Edited September 14, 2021 by Canny lass

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

1 hour ago, Canny lass said:

In 1861 the building is a public house called the Traveller’s Rest.

Not that this will help your cause but I can't resist mentioning the Travellers Rest in the mid to late 1960's. 

The Travellers Rest was the pub every dart player, and anyone else from their pub would want to go to. For an away match at any other pub it was your own transport or public transport to get there. The Percy Arms dart team hired a minibus when they were away to the Travellers and the team and any other person that could be crammed into the minibus spent the rest of the evening, including a lock-in at the Travellers. Normally after a darts match the home team landlord would come out with a couple of plates of sarnnies - plate of cheese chunks with crackers and a dish of pickles. The away team would grab a sarnnie, sup up and get back to their pub for the last hour but that didn't happen at the Travellers. The away team stayed at the Travellers till well after closing having a few more pints plus the best spread of food laid on at any of the darts matches = Yorkshire puddings - roast tatties - plate upon plate of sarnnies - cheese and crackers - pickled onions - crfisps and probably food I have forgotten. Well after 23:00 minibus back to Bedlington 

 

[lilbill15]

Just harking back to Colin Campbell and Lord Clyde, a short pub crawl to the Alma Arms/?Tavern Glebe Road,Bedlington. Major General Sir Henry Havelock KCB was a British general who is particularly associated with India and his recapture of Cawnpore during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Wikipedia pub at East Sleekburn carries his name, all national heroes from Crimea and India or sites of notable campaigns. Seems to have been a general (forgive the pun!) trend when naming pubs, possibly Scotlandgate’s Scots immigrants felt a closer connection to the Clyde reference?

[lilbill15]

One of the most common British Pub names is The Marquess of Granby, (but sometimes The Granby Arms.) This is a tribute to John Manners, Marquess of Granby, son of the 3rd Duke of Rutland. He was an officer in the British Army during the Seven Years War and is credited with raising the characterisation of British soldiering by improving the welfare and morale of the troops. He was one of the most popular officers in the army at that time and many publicans named their pubs after him when they had left the army. There is also a common belief that he paid for old soldiers toOne of the most common British Pub names is The Marquess of Granby, (but sometimes The Granby Arms.) This is a tribute to John Manners, Marquess of Granby, son of the 3rd Duke of Rutland. He was an officer in the British Army during the Seven Years War and is credited with raising the characterisation of British soldiering by improving the welfare and morale of the troops. He was one of the most popular officers in the army at that time and many publicans named their pubs after him when they had left the army. There is also a common belief that he paid for old soldiers to set themselves up in their own pub. Maybe Generals Clyde and Havelock followed suit? x🌈 

[Canny lass]

On 14/09/2021 at 22:03, Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) said:

Not that this will help your cause

On the contrary - I've no memory of there being a Traveller's Rest in the area. Clearly my youth was not as misspent as I believed it to be. 

This Sir Colin Campbell beer house is a mystery. Clearly it was named so at some point between 1858-9, when the area was surveyed, and 1866 when the map was published. The 1871 census also gives the name as The Traveller's Rest and this is presumably the correct name. However, the 1871 census shows it as being occupied by a Scottish couple - James and Elizabeth Miller – both born in Scotland – aged 29 and 24 rears respectively.  They have a daughter aged 4 years  who was born in Bedlington. This suggests that they have lived in the area since about 1866 and could possibly have changed (or at least attempted to change) the name to The Sir Colin Campbell should they have taken over the pub around the time of map's publication.

I've now completed my reading on Sir Colin Campbell, his life and times and now draw the conclusion that he himself had no connections with the shire. However, looking around the Choppington, Guidepost, Scotland Gate area 1861 - 71 it does appear to be  heavily populated wth residents of Scottish origins - more so than Bedlington. It seems to me likely that the name, The Sir Colin Campbell, (and possibly the name The Lord Clyde) may have been a tribute to the man by his fellow Scotsmen.

A question: Does anybody have any idea how far Whinny Hill Farm is from The Traveller's Rest? I've never been any good at judging distances but 27 chains is about 1/3 of a mile. Would that fit the bill? @lilbill15 you n Max have any idea from your walks? Anybody regularly drive that way?

[Canny lass]

On 14/09/2021 at 23:21, lilbill15 said:

Just harking back to Colin Campbell and Lord Clyde, a short pub crawl to the Alma Arms/?Tavern Glebe Road,Bedlington. Major General Sir Henry Havelock KCB was a British general who is particularly associated with India and his recapture of Cawnpore during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Wikipedia pub at East Sleekburn carries his name, all national heroes from Crimea and India or sites of notable campaigns. Seems to have been a general (forgive the pun!) trend when naming pubs, possibly Scotlandgate’s Scots immigrants felt a closer connection to the Clyde reference?

Yes, it certainly wasn't hard to have a pub crawl way back then! I think many pubs in those days were named by the landlord rather than the brewery as is often the case today so it seems reasonable that the landlord would choose something familiar, to him in general and to his prospective clients in particular.

[lilbill15]

Och! @Canny lass, I was down there this morning- glorious Autumn walk from home following the currently bone-dry course of the Green Letch North into Choppington woods and out adjacent to the Travellers Rest, where we did rest, at the bus stop and took the lazy way home. I’m absolutely useless at gauging distance but it’s a 5-7 minutes leisurely walk along to Whinney Hill Farm from the Travellers Rest heading towards Guidepost. I’ve attached a screenshot of the area, the farm 3rd turnoff on the right, just above the road number A1068. Hoping this is of some help?  

Edited September 16, 2021 by lilbill15
Typo

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

3 hours ago, Canny lass said:

A question: Does anybody have any idea how far Whinny Hill Farm is from The Traveller's Rest? 

0.3 miles = 

[Canny lass]

Thanks Eggy! I'd started to wonder if The Traveller's rest and The Sir Colin Campbell maybe weren't the same pub. That proves beyond a doubt that they were!