johndawsonjune1955

i am very sorry to hear Joan Marley died. my condolences to all the family

Blyth shipyard announced its closure on world cup day 1966 and closed in 1966. the last ship was the Rowgate then Marinex by Blyth Shipyard launched in 1967. Gregson and co ltd took the yard over the dry docks and launched Marinex 4 on july 1st 1990. it was a sand and gravel dredger. They built some smaller ones. 11 Liberty boats for the admirralty. they left Blyth 2 and three at a time they got the order in July 1970. 32 fibre glass ice patrol boats for the Admirralty 1970. 1971 they began a stone freeze trawler desined by AHay and Smart of Liverpool. in 1972 it was took to the Tyne to complete and called Princess Ann

What a fantastic outcome. A piece of history being returned to its rightful place. Really kindhearted of that family to return it.

don't recognise anyone, but will show it to johnny rae ask him, it'll be nice to get names

i will see if i can find out a bit more on Hartford Camp as it is interesting and i like to really delve into topics like this.

After World War Two there was a huge shortage of houses in Bedlington and Hartford Camp was the ideal solution to the problem with the Nissen huts on the site. Sometime in 1948 many families decided to move into them. However, they were deemed squaters by the authorities. In 1949 the council decided to make it legal for the families to stay there and began a project to repair the huts and install essential services. A school for the juniors was erected in late 1949 to help cater for the children as there was over 350 failies on the site by then. The school even had a canteen and lots of space for the children to play and enjoy themselves. Please note that the older children of the camp went to school in Bedlington, itself. If my memory serves me right the families were eventually rehoused during 1956-57 ? The later events after this date are as it is now, with the gypsy site and the country park being set up during 1974- to late 1976. Never been down there for many years, but wondering if there is anything left now ?

Hartford Camp

Hartford Camp

Hartford Camp

Put you some pics up too m8.Can you remember Johnn Raey ?

Yup your right Keith.I used to do them up many years ago, but just the E model and GT Used them for a few month and sold them on.

1971. i love the mk3 cortina. had a few of them.

Bedlington Station booking office 1966

This is from 1952

Oh, the memories. 1971 this one

This one from 1965

Here you are folks. Bedlington Station. Enjoy the memories. This one from 1971.

Many thanks for pointing to this report. Anything like this is a help

Yes, hope its good, as i am interested in this. I dont think she meant to kill herself, just disrupt the race, but either way it was dangerous and she died. Lets hope they shed more light on it tho

Just to let you all know that Channel 4 at 8 pm on Sunday is secrets of the sufragettes. Its about Emily W Davison and why she died. Footage too. Get it your diary

Great pics those Keith. The photographer concentrated on the family but what good images of the pit ect. Thanks for sharing those Keith.

Heres some interesting bits on the Ironworks CHILDREN'S EMPLOYMENT COMMISSION 1842. This gives a good insight into chidren working at the Bedlington Ironworks. Hope you all find it usefull May 12th. Michael Longrdge, Esq. Proprietor of these works. The apprentices are bound to Mr. Longridge, and the man who instructs them in the business has the benefit of their work, upon the payment of the wages stipulated in the indenture, which generally begin at 4s. a-week with boys of 14 years of age rising 1s. generally, per week each following year, until the 2 last years, when they increase 2s. per week. This scale applies to the works in general. Younger boys, who work about the forges and mills, are the servants of the proprietor, though paid by the men. The men are paid by the ton of iron wrought, the iron and coals being delivered to them and they find the requisite labour and so pay the boys. Proprietors find houses and fuel for the foremen and principal men, not for others. The terms of payment for children are determined mostly by the custom of payment for particular work. The men mostly prefer their own children in such cases, if the business be a good one; but proprietors would not permit children under 10 years of age to be employed in these works. The men here are very superior to the men at iron works in these parts. Perhaps with 60 men here Mr. Longridge would do as much work as some other works would with 80 men, even though some of those 80 should he higher paid. The men, perhaps 2 or 3, may throw on coals for half an hour on Sundays. Here the men repair their furnaces on Sundays. Nothing can be done by the masters for boys after they are actively engaged in the works in the way of education. No certificate of education, as in the Factories Act, could be enforced in an iron manufactory. Any compulsory enactments relating to education would be unnecessary, and not likely to be beneficial. James Davison. Aged 11 last April. Has been in these works about 5 or 6 weeks. Draws the door of the furnace. Comes at 6 o'clock a.m. to work; gets his breakfast about half-past 7 a.m.; his sister brings it -coffee and bread-and-butter - as much as he can eat. Dinner is brought him by his sister or mother, about 1 o'clock; it is generally meat of some kind and potatoes - quite enough. Gets tea after he goes home, about 6 o'clock. Goes to bed about 8 or 9 o'clock, without having anything more. Is well clothed; washes his face and neck, and breast every night when he goes home; does not change his clothes before going home; no boys do that here. Works every day in the week; is paid 8d. a-day, i.e., 4s. a-week. Father is a furnaceman. Is very healthy; never works over-time. Reads (fairly), writes his name; goes to no school except on Sundays and goes to chapel (Primitive Methodist) on Sundays twice. Was at Bedlington Iron Works School ever since he was 5 years old till he came here. John Watson. Aged nearly 14. Strikes to a chain-maker here. Has been here about 3 years; used to wok at the planishing forge for a few days; then went to the old forge for about half a year, to trail the iron away from the hammer when it had been beaten; then went to striking about a quarter of a year; then went into the rolling-mills for about 2 years and lifted the iron on to the rolls with a hook and a chain; then came to his present work with the chain-makers. Comes at 5 o'clock every morning; brings his breakfast with him and eats it about half-past 8 to 9, stopping work for that half hour, and sitting down upon the bench; breakfast is coffee (warmed upon the fire of the shop) and bread-and-butter. Dinner is sent him, and brought by his sister at 10 minutes to 1; is about 10 15 minutes eating his dinner; gets an hour allowed for dinner but walks about the yard the rest of the time. Dinner is meat and potatoes, mostly every day; gets enough to eat. Gets tea between 4 and 5 after he goes tome, and afterwards washes and goes to bed between 9 and 10. Father is a cartman at a flour mill. Gets well clothed; gets warm clothing in winter. Never works over-time now; never works at night now. When he worked at the forge, used to work in the day-shift one week and in the night-shift another. In the day-shift used to work from 12 o'clock in the day till between 11 and 12 at night and in the night-shift from 12 at night till. 11 and 12 in the day Got then 5s. and afterwards 7s. a-week. In the rolling-mills, the last year, worked in the same shifts and for the same hours as in the forge. The first year in the rolling-mills worked from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.; just once worked from 6 a.m. till 3 a.m. the next morning, that is 21 hours, without going home; this was when they were going to put the jigger up and did not work the next day. In the rolling-mill got 7s. a-week wages. His present work is striking. Swinging the hammer about and blowing the bellows makes him bad sometimes; it makes his back work and his arms, mostly at first, till he got used to it. There are holidays - at the 2 days at Easter, 1 at Good Friday, 3 at Whitsuntide, 1 day at Christmas and 2 days New Year. Can read (fairly); goes only to Sunday school and chapel sometimes, not very often; can write his name. Father is a waggon-man. Thomas Winter. Aged 16 next month. Has been here about 7 years. When he first came, at 9 years old, drew the door for the furnace for 6 months; next trailed iron out at the forge for two and a half years; worked then from 12 to 12, in (alternate) 3 days night-shift and 3 days day-shift; next went to the rolling-mill, lifting the iron up. from 6 to 6, very often longer, if they were throng; sometimes till half-past 6 or 7; never much later than 7 o'clock. Next went to strike to the jobbing smith, at mending the tools, for about a year. Two years was striking at the engine-smith 5 (the locomotive factory); then came to the forge about a year. Is now labouring in the yard in getting the iron ready for the furnaces. Now labours from 6 till 6, sometimes till 7, and gets 11s. a-week for this. The longest hours he worked was at the forge, generally from 4 in the morning till 6 and sometimes 7 at night, constantly. Was getting coals in and assisting the hammer-man. Some of the little boys are put upon sometimes; thinks they work too long hours. Can read (fairly); can write his name; goes to no school now; mostly goes to church or chapel. eremiah Davidson. Aged 13 last April. Has been here about 2 years, at different jobs; is now at the rolling-mill and has been there about a year and three quarters. Comes at a little before 6 a.m., and goes away at from 5 to 6, or sometimes 7 o'clock; not often. Gets 8d. a-day generally. Generally draws the door at the furnace by a chain hanging down. Does this all day; the heat sometimes makes his head ache; not often and makes hint sweat many times; drinks a good deal of water. A good bit since, he wrought till 12 o'clock at night, from 6 in the morning, only once to get some iron finished. Once or twice, a long time since, he worked till 8 o'clock at night: last night he wrought till 7 o'clock, hooking up, or lifting the iron out of the rolls. Is not paid more for working this extra time. Last year he worked at drawing the door from 12 (mid-day) till 6 the next morning and got a day and a half pay for that, or 6d. extra. Never was struck but once, 5 or 6 months since, when one of the men struck him over the legs with a pair of tongs; never told anybody. About three times has been laid off parts of days from having his head had from over-heat; the doctor gave him some stuff to throw up; was bad at times before he came to work here; was never a very strong boy (looks rather delicate). Can read (fairly); writes his name; went to school at the Iron Works School for 2 or 3 years before he came to work; has never been since. Goes to Sunday school and to chapel afterwards. Nicholas Prior. Aged 12. Has been here 2 years; mostly at the forge. Comes there to work at 12 in the day and gets done about 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning; mostly at 1 o'clock. Is wheeling coals for the furnaces and sets away and stops the hammer when wanted, by stopping the water-wheel. Sometimes it is hardish work, when he lifts the iron; and when he pulls the iron out of the furnaces, with hooks, it is very hot but does not make his head ache. Has been off work 2 or 3 times from the work stopping but never from ill health. Gets 6s. a-week, paid by the day, at the forge. Father is an engine-man. Reads (fairly); can write his name. Goes to the (Ranters') Sunday school and chapel regularly. Went to the school of the works here; was there about 2 years. Works in the night-shift every alternate week. William Weight. Aged 10. Has been working here about a year in the boiler-yard and about 2 days in the rolling-mill; in the boiler-yard came to work at 6 o'clock a.m. and left at 6 at night, sometimes 8 and 9 o'clock, but not often; thinks he has worked about 9 times till 8 or 9 at night in the boiler-yard, from 6 in the morning; was obliged to stop; the foreman told him to stop. Sometimes he was sleepy then; was running with rivets all the time, from the furnace to boilers; it was very hot work. The men did not strike him at all. He had half an hour for his breakfast, an hour for his dinner and about 5 minutes for his tea at 6 o'clock. Meals were brought him by his little brother; sometimes he was not very hungry and sent some back and the pigs got it. Never had any resting-time, except at meals; was running about the whole time; his legs were very tired when he was done work. Sometimes he came at 1 in the day and gave over at 12 at night; sometimes he worked from 12 at night till 12 in the day; mostly every other week in the night-shift; perhaps he worked 10 weeks in the night shift and 10 in the day-shift. Used to get 10d. a-day each shift in the boiler-yard. In night-shift be felt often very sleepy; he had no time to fall asleep. His meals were sent twice in the night-shift; got tea before he came. He left the boiler-yard because they we going to get a bigger boy. His brother, about 14, was working with him there, and help him when they were, working from 6 to 6; but they worked in separate shifts when the shifts were on, that is, one at night and one at day. Reads (very well); writes his name goes to Sunday school and to chapel (every Sunday); means to go to a night school in the winter. (Was not at work at the time the returns were made.) Alexander Watson. Aged 13 and 3 months. Cuts the slabs (the plates) at the forge, by a slip of iron under the hammer and of these plates they make boiler plates, after they are rolled at mill. Also wheels coal and slag ashes, and ashes away. Comes to work at 12 at night goes away it 12, or sometimes after it, on the next day. Has been working, every other week, in the night-shift for a year, mostly changing about a little bit. At the forge once he worked 2 shifts of 12 hours each without going home. Is sometimes sleepy and sickish in the shift. Sometimes the heat makes him very sick and 4 or 5 times he has thrown up his food from off his stomach. Was sometimes, perhaps twice, laid off 2 or 3 days each time, when he was working with Harry Hardy at the forge; the heat made him sweat sore and bad; did not have the doctor but got. some physic-salts. Was working about a year at the forge, working night and day-shift (alternately). Has been here in those works nearly a year and a half; was strong and healthy before he came here. Reads (pretty well); writes his name; goes to no school at all now and to church only sometimes. Was at the school of the works more than a year. Matthew Davison. Aged nearly 13, nearly 14 has been here about 2 years and a quarter, at intervals. Draws a door in the forge; works from 11 a.m. and gives over about 12 at night. Every other week he works from 12 at night till 12 in the day; gets 8d. a shift for this. Has felt his head bad very nearly every day, thinks the heat gives him this and makes his head feel light; feels every day nearly very tired and sleepy; sometimes when sitting down to meals he has fallen asleep. Feels very sleepy in the night shift; gets a little rest for half an hour when the coals are in and the heat is in when he sits down upon the sand. The men hit them with their hands when they are not attentive; they do not hurt them much but so as to make them cry. The day before yesterday James Davison a lad (the first witness, No.501.) threw a coal at George Clark and hurt him rather bad. Was not a strong boy before he came to work, had the fever and the measles before, and got himself burnt in a house at Kenton. Knows his letters only, cannot write a, goes to no school now but goes to the chapel on Sundays now and then and to church; was never at school many weeks.

No sorry to say.Rose cottage next to the river was were the trees were planted and one was planted for each of their family. Some became doctors with home tuting and one of the family lives in Nedderton today. The "Seven Sisters" is what they were locally called, and said to be from Longridge, but it was widely off the mark. Them trees was actually 8 in number, but one died off, leaving seven. Will post the full story for weekend. Hope this helps you Maggie

Are we talking about the trees known as the Seven Sisters ? Lets know Maggie

Go to our website at http://www.sixtownships.org.uk The ironworks is in the archive. Now there are two stories on the ironworks , but the best one is by Chris Bergen Also rare pics of Michael Longridge and a promotion card with a enhine on Obituries of Birkinshaw and more Its really being put together at the moment with the interest of doing something really positive to give Bedlington and the ironworks more recognition as i dont belive we have had it in the past. When you look at some of the pioneers associated with Bedlington i really think our group can do something more positive for Bedlington. Anyway have a look and if you got any info to help us look into put in our forum and group members can look into it to build up a psitive piocture of Bedlington's role in the early days with the Ironworks, railways etc.