johndawsonjune1955

There was also the Unitarian Chapel there too, who remembers that. it was demolished in 1981. In the 1970s i remember the Lord Clyde very well. How many of you remember the man George, who would stand outside having a ciggy with his white apron on ? Was that George Maddison. I think there were two brothers and they lived at Scotland Gate, none of them married to my knowledge. The Railway Tavern pub was a good place for a pint too. They say that John Wade was a very tall fella and had many antique oil lamps on display. It was originally called the Railway Hotel and built in 1860. the houses and shops that were on either side of the Willow Bridge were built over a ten year period that began in 1860.

I grew leeks on two occasions. At Widdrington Club i came 9th out of 38 and was really chuffed. That was in 1982 and i retired from leeg growing I decided to come out of retirement in 2008 and entered at Guide Post Club. I was hoping to do really well and it never happened for me i was second last Never mind tho on a happier note i win the biggest and best two onions. Everyone was asking for onions off me with that result. Never mind i will never enter another it took a lot of time up, but good luck to those who still do it, they keep our tradition alive.

Our websites are revamped fully. We will be getting our archives online over the coming year and hope that they will be of interest to all of you. We will be putting a huge number of photographs online too along with archive clips of our area. Our new forum is also up and running on http://www.sixtownships.org.uk Our other sites are http://www.sixtmedia.org.uk and at http://history.sixtownships.org.uk Have a look as we are to begin putting a few archives up on monday and try our new forum. You get instance access to it and hopefully we can get some good topics going. I of course will still be using this forum and as always look forward to the topics as they are so interesting.

Muters were drink manufacturers and Wade were farmers.

It is said that the main breeders in 1822 were Ned and John Coates sons of the vicar. Many a tradesman in the town too took an active part in it at the same time including Ned Stoker, Joe Aynsley was said to be extremely devoted to the breed.D Did you know badger baiting and !*!@# fighting were principle hobbies in this area until it was made illegal ?

yes he was a character Dr Ivory and he thought the world of the coal miners. I would go in for a sick note and he would say "How long do you want John??" Brilliant. Other times was "I havent had a rabbit pie for ages" i would say "No problem Doctor, i will drop you a couple off" Then a day or two late after being out for rabbits, call into the surgery and leave them wrapped in a bag at reception for him. Next time you saw him "Thanks for the rabbits John" Brilliant doctor and a big miss. I remember Danny Swann who told a group of us in the club that he was out for a walk and Dr Ivory saw him. It was a wednesday, and he said to Danny "You going to MOrpeth for !*!@# & Hen Day Danny" No Doctor i can't afford it this week. "Can't have that Danny, heres a fiver, just give me it back when you can afford too." Danny got to Morpeth that day thanks to Dr Ivory. What a man he was.

Thanks for that info. A very interesting point with camping out at the shops.

yes, remember me dad having that prob. I an pleased its more humane these days tho.

thanks for your comment. hope you enjoy it as much as i do too. Great stuff coming soon. "Our Colliery Villages" Its all about a representative that got a job in 1901 to go around the colliery villages of Northumberland & Durham. It will give you all an insight into what it was actually like in those days over 110 years ago. Just thinking now, how times have certainly changed.

Anyone want to include pics on our auto home page slideshow please email them to us and view at sixtownships.weebly.com have a look the sites coming on well. Its your memories and Your heritage.

Yes they were in a good job wern't they and you had to keep them happy.

What a terrific story and a good WW2 fact on the limit of pigs and other animals. Was it true that it was only certain times of the year they killed the pigs ? i think i remember nov or dec at the late part of the year on pig killing day. i think the pig was also starved for about 1 or 2 days prior to this killing. Pigs were regarded as an important food supply too. The hams and larger sides of bacon were an essential part of the diet for the coming months.

I was just pondering about pig killing day. Who remembers those days ? it was very common up here in the north and a good day was had by all. The bladder was used by kids for a football, do you remember ? My dad kept pigs at Choppington, where the allotments are today. He had a bit land there at one time. I know when he killed his, as you could in those days, he had a mallet with a point on the end and hit the pig between the centre of its eyes to kill it. You couldnt do that these days. However getting back to the pigs eyes. Just between the eyes was that the pigs skull lacked a complete boney bar behind the eye. When the pig fell it would land on a bed of straw that was prepared before hand, to stop the meat from bruising. After this i remember the next job was to bleed it and scald the carcass to remove the hair. Then chop off the head and remove the internal organs. The people up here were very skilled at pig breeding and killing them. Every part was eaten, except the squeek. Now WW2 you were restricted how many pigs you could keep. Now the government took so many from you and you kept some as they were bred. Maybe someone can put me right on that ? Mind you, never mind your food coupons, if you knew the right person you got what you wanted. Any memories on that passed on from your parents ?

Morpeth began its settlement at the top of the hill near to the castle beide High Church. The settlement then moved north of the River Wansbeck and that is where Morpeth town centre is today. if my memory is right i believe Mitford was an even older settlement than Morpeth and its only about 2 to 3 miles away. Newbiggin is not mentioned until King Ceolwulph who was the 22nd King of Northumbria he reigned from 731 to 737.

Morpeth was, Newbiggin was not . i will hunt some info out and post it for you.

Hi all. Our new website is now online. http://www.sixtmedia.org.uk We are publishing all our archive material over the coming year. It covers all of Bedlingtonshire and includes Bedlington, Barrington, West Sleekburn, East Sleekburn, Netherton, Cambois, Choppington, Blyth, Morpeth, and Tyneside and more. Hopefully it will help those interested in the area. Com oning soon is "Our Colliery Villages" from 1901. What was your colliery village like in that year. Have a look and keep looking back as we expand the website with our archives. It will keep you intrested for many years as we get it all online. Keep your memories and heritage alive and Email us them for to publish online. Its Your Memories and Your Heritage. Also just going online is our sister site http://www.sixtownships.org.uk Finally our other sister site is under major construction at http://sixtownships.weebly.com We anticipate that over the coming year visitors and members will have a huge archive collection online for them to aid in their research. Please be patient as we update our websites and hopefully we can help all who are interested in their heritage. We also have an online shop at http://www.shop/sixtmedia.org.uk

Dr Ivory was a ww2 pilot. he won bravery awards. I believe he moved to Guide Post at a later date and died sometime about 2005 ? maybe just before. cracking dr he was. Im sure it was John his first name, nicknamed "Paddy"

what is known about the Barrington Toll Gate. Lets se if we can build a complete picture on this together. Were your relatives, family or friends involved in it ? why did it begin ? come on lets see if we can get a complete picture of it. i will post some info, i think, off the top of my head, the Fletcher family. they took the toll. i may be wrong, i may be right, i will check my archives over the weekend and post. but lets get this going for interest. did you like my map and info on barrington village ? and, i hope it was helpfull. do you want more pics uploaded ? just let me know, only too pleased to share with you all. Oh, Barrington had a famous inventor for the coal mines too. any info ? more to talk about and interesting it is. Do you remember the clay pit ? I do well, and tremble when i think of the collectables in the tip i shot at with my slug gun and damaged. i should have taken them and i could have been worth i few more bob today. mind you the rats was good fun with the air rifle tho. shot many. did you swim in the clay pit ? lets get the stories flowing.

yes, i know about that terrible incident Ralpie. It was the same in those days all over the county with the severe winters they had in those days. Many a life lost. there was a few at sheepwash too. But to think a glass was cut to memorial glasses ? did the proceeds go to the family to help them ? You know Ralphie in all my time in local history this is actually the first time i have ever come across this and this is through your knowledge. just shows you we are never too old to learn more and its part of our journey in our long heritage and i thank you for this very interesting piece of history. many thanks Ralphie.

At Guide Post we had Joe Pearson "Newsagent" in the 60s, at Guide Post. He would sell you 2 or 3 and you got them in a white sweet bag.

the Half Moon was originally Stakeford Manor

Still a mystery, but hopefully given a few possibilities on my post.

Hmmm, well nothing for sure, but just think, the cross is actually a NAIL, upside down, and that is facts. Could it have been that in the past farmers, being a very old profession, brought their livestock to this place and others bought their livestock by paying on that spot, The Nail. Or, had it anything to do with the nailers who had premises not only in the town but the Furnace. In the town Gibson was a prominent business for that. I just don't know until some proof comes forward and it aint yet. In the past many a great speech was done from that spot. I have records of a good few prominent people who did from that spot. Its true that the Market Cross has been moved, but only once do i have written proof of it. Think when Bedlington was being developed. Firstly the side where the Market Cross was removed from, and for those who do not know, i am actually talking about the Market Place Club, was a quarry, as was all the way on that side. The stone was used to build the buildings we have on other side of the road. I can say for sure that the Market Cross was beside the Market Place Club at one time as i only have records to say that, but not twice. The Market Place Club was actually built on the site of the old Quarry. However, and it would be nice to say for sure, but when we talk about Market Place, it means that, and farmers did bring their livestock to the Market to sell. It was the same at Morpeth too, and that is facts that are proven. Sadly we aint got the proof and its a mystery, but we have our opinions. I can also say about the Market Place that in the past there was stocks and pillories there. What a subject now. If you did wrong you were put in either of these and the locals would throw dead mice, rats, stones at you if you were in them. I got proof of that. And, many an eye was put out to with this barbaric action too. There is also the old Pele Tower and it had its gaol. But what really intrigues me is in memoirs which i have i can say that when you were arrested for being drunk, you were put in what the called a "Drunkards Cloak" This was a beer barrel that had two holes cut in the side. Then it was put over the drunks head, his arms put through and chained to stop him/her escaping. They were then left to roam the town and were laughed at by people in the community. Maybe David Cameron should bring back that instead of thinking about putting the price of alcohol up by the minimum charge per unit for this binge drinking and getting drunk. I think that would stop it as i am sure non of us would like going around the town in a beer barrel. Just think if someone asked you to pee in the corner to relieve yourself, haha, that would be something wouldn't it ? well that's it basically, hope we can get proof on its origins, but i have looked for many years to no avail. Lets start a new topic, What was the purpose of Pele Towers and we had one at Bedlington ? I know and you may too, but lets have a conversation on that, and we could expand it a little more as we talk about it. I have so much information on Bedlington Pele Tower and i think it will be of interest to talk about it. Lets have some views on it from our members and i will add some info later on it. Hope i have helped a little here and hope i don't bore you, but isn't it nice to talk about our heritage ? I am a lousy speaker at events,I think i am, but on this superb forum its so much easier as i don't face anyone its me and the computer screen, haha Get some pics online and if your not sure what they are we maybe get some answers. If someone explains how to add video content, i will get some online too. I just found out by a nice member how to add pics and have succeeded in the Barrington topics. I thank him very much for his help. Take care all and get some topics going we are running out.

i can't place his name at moment. i didn't go to school there, but do recall a lot from info past on. i think i even have a pic. look into my archives. i got some here at mo, but nearly all getting cataloged at moment. see what i can do. i remember that summer well as there was a huge concert at the riverside park at Sheepwash. Concerts, beer tents and more. God i wish i could go back to those days. Anyway, i can't, but its our memories Keith, and they are precious to us. This is what this forum is all about, our memories and good to share. Wish we can get another summer like it this year, haha, never know tho might happen. If we do i will invite you down for a cool beer. No concerts but me old 45 rpm discs, haha. Take care Keith

Theres nothing definite for sure on this piece of history. Its a shame really. However, i can confirm that many a great speech was done from this spot and it got the attraction for the narrator. Thomas Burt i can say was one of them.