History Society 2021/22

[Maggie/915]

This weekend 23rd October 2021

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

@Maggie/915 -  would the History Society be interested in this parish Magazine - Eileen, who gave the magazine to Keith to scan and post has been in touch with me and said she would like to pass the magazine on to the society.

I created an album in Historic Bedlington for the magazine :- 

 

Edited October 21, 2021 by Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)

[Maggie/915]

Eggy I will ask but I am not on the committee and David and Dorothy Cowan will not be there on Saturday  until possibly later .

i would say bring it along and I will give it to the committee members .

In these days of Covid and global warming it is good to have something positive to think about .

Our lives in Bedlington have been amazing . So many many happy memories past and present .

The magazine is testament to our lives and those of our ancestors.

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

12 hours ago, Maggie/915 said:

Eggy I will ask but I am not on the committee and David and Dorothy Cowan will not be there on Saturday  until possibly later .

i would say bring it along and I will give it to the committee members .

In these days of Covid and global warming it is good to have something positive to think about .

Our lives in Bedlington have been amazing . So many many happy memories past and present .

The magazine is testament to our lives and those of our ancestors.

@Maggie/915 if I could, I would pick up and deliver the magazine to the committee but unfortunately I can't🙁

I will pass on your message to Eileen and see if she will deliver the magazine, either to Saturday's outdoor meeting or deliver it to the Community Center and leave it with someone to be passed on to the History Society.🙂

 

[Maggie/915]

Eileen could send me a personal message and I could collect or she can drop it off at mine .

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

14 hours ago, Maggie/915 said:

Eileen could send me a personal message and I could collect or she can drop it off at mine .

Maggie - Eileen Harland is not a member of this group. She is on the Bygone Bedlington Facebook group. I did post a comment to her on the Facebook group, where she posted the mag, but she has not replied yet.

If you want you could send me a message, with your address, on this group and I will send a private message = Messenger, on Facebook to Eileen.🙂

[Maggie/915]

Thanks Eggy 

I have attempted to contact Eileen on Facebook 

You are doing a great job  

The walk today was excellent . So many details about our town . The names on graves have relevance to people we know today or know from the past .

One memory was Miss Smail organist at Saint Cuthbert’s. She died in the 60’s but had an original taste in music .

[Canny lass]

14 hours ago, Maggie/915 said:

One memory was Miss Smail organist at Saint Cuthbert’s. She died in the 60’s but had an original taste in music .

Haven't heard of her, Maggie. Why was her taste in music original?

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

14 hours ago, Maggie/915 said:

One memory was Miss Smail organist at Saint Cuthbert’s. She died in the 60’s but had an original taste in music .

 

10 minutes ago, Canny lass said:

Haven't heard of her, Maggie. Why was her taste in music original?

I have no idea who the Miss Smail would have been ( I have attended St. Cuthbert's on a number of occasions = when relatives have been married in the church) but could she have been the lady from Smail's shop on the entrance to Hollymount Square?    

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

14 hours ago, Maggie/915 said:

Thanks Eggy 

I have attempted to contact Eileen on Facebook 

 

👍

[Vic Patterson]

5 hours ago, Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) said:

 

I have no idea who the Miss Smail would have been ( I have attended St. Cuthbert's on a number of occasions = when relatives have been married in the church) but could she have been the lady from Smail's shop on the entrance to Hollymount Square?    

 

Miss Smail played the organ at our wedding in St Cuthbert's church in 1962, and I do believe she was the shop owner on the corner of Hollymount Square, I think there were two sisters in the shop. My wife would tell me of Ganny Smail's chasing her and friend Maureen while nicking apples from her garden! I'm SURE HPW would confirm this.

[Maggie/915]

Hi Vic 

Todays visit time Saint Cuthbert photo .So pleased you remember this lady .I have taken other photos if anyone interested .

 

[Maggie/915]

That does not read too well .

I blame the friend who recommended the Brockwell Seam and their red wine 

Oyster Bay it seems .

[Canny lass]

Hi Maggie, I'm a bit confused as to who Miss Smail was. According to isabella's gravestone, it was her son - Robert - who died in 1930 who was church organist for 55 years. Did his wife - Jane Isabella take over the job and if so why is she referred to as MISS Smail. Her age and d.o.d. would fit in with Vic's wedding in 1962. The couple don't appearto have had any daughters only a son. I'll check the census register to see if their are any.

PS All photos are very much welcome!

[Maggie/915]

That is the puzzle Canny Lass .

Is the line above referring to this lady. 

[Maggie/915]

It seems mermaids are unusual on gravestones .

[Maggie/915]

Upturned boats for drowning victims .!

[Bedlingtonian]

On 25/10/2021 at 14:51, Maggie/915 said:

Hi Vic 

Todays visit time Saint Cuthbert photo .So pleased you remember this lady .I have taken other photos if anyone interested .

 

Well done Maggie, great picture. I visited St Cuthberts and found what I was looking for today but was disappointed with the stones where the inscriptions had worn off. I am not sure if Woodhorn Archives or ndfsh have anything. Hopefully someone is putting them all on line. There are commercial sites like FindAGrave that do it.   

[Bedlingtonian]

7 hours ago, Maggie/915 said:

It seems mermaids are unusual on gravestones .

From random website:- MERMAID Dualism of Christ – half God, half man

[Canny lass]

I agree with @Bedlingtonian on the above. I can't say if they are common or not in Blighty. I've previously come across one in Cowpen. However, they are quite common in Spain, not only on gravestones but also within churches on stone- and wood carvings.

There are some other interesting symbols on William Colvil's memorial stone:

Arrows (there’s one piercing the waves on the left) are a general symbol for death and nothing to do with the cause of death or being struck by Cupid’s arrows as you'd be forgiven for thinking.

Bones, in this case just a femur (piercing the waves on the right) but more often a skull and cross bones, are a symbol to remind the us of what will become of us too. Bones as symbols belong to a class of symbols known as memento mori - a posh way of saying ’this is a reminder of what will happen to you’. Look out for them. They come in many shapes and forms. I think that might be a coffin in the top right corner.

[Canny lass]

42 minutes ago, Bedlingtonian said:

Hopefully someone is putting them all on line.

I agree! A nice project for any of our photo-enthusiasts. It would make a great gallery album.

[Canny lass]

On 26/10/2021 at 12:00, Maggie/915 said:

That is the puzzle Canny Lass .

Is the line above referring to this lady. 

Make a cup of tea! This may be long:

I´ve had a look at this memorial stone now and from a linguistic point of view, based on the engraver’s use of the punctuation marks and conjunctions, I believe that the organist in question was John Robert Smail, son of Isabella and Edwin. Memorial stones of this type have inscriptions added at various times as family members die. This one is erected in 1888, in first place to the memory of Isabella Smail whose husband is already dead. It may well have been erected by her children, the above mentioned John Robert and his sister, Dorothy Ann. The inscription for Isabella Smail ends with her age and is concluded quite correctly,with a full-stop.

In 1929 the stone is again engraved following the death of Dorothy Ann. This engraving, however, is commenced with a conjunction – ”also”. The conjunction in inital position indicates that this inscription has been added later than 1888, otherwise it would not be preceded by a full-stop. Dorothy Ann’s inscription, like her mother’s, ends with her age and is followed by a full-stop to mark the conclusion. The engraver has said all he/the family wishes to say.

One year later in 1930, the remaining child John Robert Smail, son of Isabella, also dies and he is added to the stone. Again the engraver, probably the same one, starts his inscription with a conjunction ”and”, again, and for the same reason, indicating that it has been added after the 1929 inscription.

Then follows a phrase which is not part of a sentence but does follow a full-stop: ”ORGANIST OF BEDLINGTON PARISH CHURCH FOR 55 YEARS.” At first glance the phrase may seem ambiguous and the question has arisen as to whom it refers: John Robert Smail or his wife, Jane Isabella Smail, the subject of the next following engraving.

Note that he phrase, even though it is not a complete sentence, is concluded with a full-stop indicating that all has been said that should be said. However, the phrase does not commence with a conjunction, indicating that it has been added at the time of John Robert’s inscription and I suggest it is an epithet to John Robert Smail.

An epithet describes an attribute which can be described as characteristic of a person – in this case, a person well known as organist of the parish church. It can also be described as being a repetition of the previously mentioned ie Fred Bloggs, vicar of this parish/ Jackie Milburn, NUFC footballer/Mary Smith, beloved aunt or, as I suggest, John Robert Smail, organist of Bedlington Parish Church for 55 years.

Of course, the two elements of name and epithet do not always occur in that order. It is equally common with the epithet preceding the name: Dr Fred Bloggs/NUFC footballer, Jackie Milburn/beloved aunt, Mary Smith, organist of Bedlington Parish Church is also a possibility - hence the ambiguity.

However, it is possible to disambugate it. I suggest that the next inscription is added in 1968 upon the death of John Robert’s wife, Jane Isabella. I suggest this because, again, the name of the deceased is preceded by a conjunction and follows a full-stop, indicating for the same reason as above, a new addition to the stone. After 1930.

Historical linguistics isn’t the asiest of subjects but I hope this can bring some clarity to your question, Maggie. Myself, I’m 99,9% certain that it’s John Robert. The remaining 0.1% of uncertainty is the full-stop ’before’ the epithet – possibly a stonemason’s error or an incompletely engraved comma or maybe an epithet which came as an afterthought to the relatives of John Robert.

There are other indicators that it is John Robert who is the organist, apart from the inscriptions, but they are found in the family history. I’ll tell you a bit of it in the next post.

[Canny lass]

Amendment to the above:

I asked a former colleague to look at mt text analysis and I just received his reply. He agrees with my analysis and conclusion. However, he points out that there is an omission in my argumentation that is important to its understanding.

Paragraph 7

"Of course, the two elements of name and epithet do not always occur in that order. It is equally common with the epithet preceding the name: Dr Fred Bloggs/NUFC footballer, Jackie Milburn/beloved aunt, Mary Smith, organist of Bedlington Parish Church is also a possibility - hence the ambiguity. "

should read:

Of course, the two elements of name and epithet do not always occur in that order. It is equally common with the epithet preceding the name: Dr Fred Bloggs/NUFC footballer, Jackie Milburn/beloved aunt, Mary Smith, so organist of Bedlington Parish Church, Jane Isabella Smail is also a possibility - hence the ambiguity.

Sorry about that. I'll try to do better!

 

[Maggie/915]

Maybe the lady ,we knew as Miss Smail , was the daughter.

I think the original piece of music she played was Wagner The Ride of the Valkyrie .

[Maggie/915]

Other graves to ponder 
Before they disappear as unsafe.
So very sad to see them destroyed by pollution and the council .( Health and safety issues )