Mount Pleasant Granary 1840s

[loopylou]

Hi, this is my first post on here. Whilst doing research I’ve discovered one of my ancestors (surname Dixon) was born in 1846 at “Mount Pleasant Granary” in Bedlington. I’ve never heard of this place before, does anyone have any idea where it was? In later censuses his birth is down as Sleekburn so maybe it was near here.

All I can find on google about it is another person who was born there in 1851.

 

Thank you 🙂

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

Welcome to the group @loopylou. 

I have seen 'Mount Pleasant' memmtion on the old maps of the area but can't remember having heard about a Granary around that agricultural area. Bedlington Station used to be known as Sleekburn.

This 1859 Map enlarged shows Mount Pleasant :-   

This 1920 map (not enlarged) shows the Sleekburn area with Mount Pleasant still mentioned :-

[loopylou]

Thank you for the welcome 😀

I have seen that farm before, didn’t know it was called Mount Pleasant—interesting. If I remember correctly Mount Pleasant Granary appeared in the 1841 census after Sleekburn Grange and that Mount Pleasant Farm. Seems a bit strange for it to have just disappeared!

Edited October 24 by loopylou

[loopylou]

I wonder if this “Granary Point Jetty” was named after Mount Pleasant Granary…?

“the suggestion was taken up and the rail was completed in 1841, joining the existing wagon way at Bedlington Station, finishing up at Granary Point Jetty, East Sleekburn.”

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Bedlington_Ironworks

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

16 hours ago, loopylou said:

I wonder if this “Granary Point Jetty” was named after Mount Pleasant Granary…?

“the suggestion was taken up and the rail was completed in 1841, joining the existing wagon way at Bedlington Station, finishing up at Granary Point Jetty, East Sleekburn.”

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Bedlington_Ironworks

Had a look at the small amount of info on the area that I have (Evan Martin booklets) and can't find anything to help you

Naturally if anything crops up I will add it to this topic.

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

@loopylou - had a flick throught a booklet on Sleekburn by Stephen B. Martin (Evan Martin's farther) and there is a short reference in it to Mount Pleasant Farm and the granary gets a mention when it was owned by the Watson family of North Seaton :-

 

[Canny lass]

The Watsons must have been there for a very long time. Wm. Watson Esq gets a mention on Armstrongs map from 1769. Almost next door to Mount Pleasant farm and granary is a "seat or noted house" with his name on it. (upper edge of map).

 

[loopylou]

Thanks for the information, a really interesting read! Glad to now know the proximity of where it was.

I was surprised my ancestor was born on a farm given his father was a coal miner and the baptism said “of Bedlington colliery”. Perhaps they didn’t stay long.

[Canny lass]

I can think of a couple of possible reasons for a coal-miner's child being born at the granary. Coal-mining was playing a big part in Bedlington’s industry and miners were ‘imported from many parts of Britain. If you look at the population in 1851 there were almost as many miners from other parts of the country as there were native Bedlingtonians. Housing was at a premium and miners lodged wherever they could get a roof over their head until colliery housing became available. Another explanation for a birth at the granary may be that your relative wasn’t born at home. It wasn’t uncommon that prima gravidas (first-time mothers) went to the home of a female relative, often their mother, when the birth was imminent.