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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.

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.

I think you may have understood me. I was referring only to EV sales in Sweden. I can't speak about Europe as media reports are unreliable. As I'm sure you've noticed, I am no great fan of newspapers. They cater for their potential readers and their advertisers (as you rightly point out). The problem is (in relation to EV production and sales - and just about everything else) that different newspapers report the situation differently to suit clients needs and readers' expectations. For every report that says sales are decreasing you'll find another which says sales are increasing. I based my statement on statistics from Mobility Sweden (MS), the branch organisation for producers and importers of vehicles, who publish statistics of newly registered vehicles every month. Sales of EVs are down 21% this year here.

@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 :-

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.