Canny lass

@Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) @AvrilG St Andrews wouldn't have a graveyard as it wasn't a parish church. All burials would take place at St Peters (West Sleekburn). As for the Methodist churches in Britain, the majority didn't have graveyards either. Their members were also 'parishioners' of the churches parish and were buried in the churchyard of the parish church. The Methodist church was allowed to do christenings and marriages and at some point the Methodist ministers were even granted permission to conduct marriage services within the parish church. Multi-denominational chapels in graveyards and crematoriums, together with municipal burial grounds solved the problem.

@AvrilG Living in Ashington makes things a lot easier for you! Pop along to the Northumberland Archives at Woodhorn. I'm pretty certain that they will have taken care of the parish records from St Peters (West Sleekburn). You can find their opening hours at https://www.northumberlandarchives.com/. I don't think you need to book before visiting. They can do a search for Edward’s grave, verify which cemetery and give you the plot number of his grave. I forgot to mention that St Peters (West Sleekurn) got a new cemetery when the original was full. It is located next door to the Forresters Arms on Wansbeck Terrace in West Sleekburn, and just opposite the site of the old St Peters church and cemetery. Just when it was opened, I can't be sure but it is registered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as having a few war graves from WW1 so it was there at the time of Edward's death. It might be worth having a wander round the gravestones to see if any names ring a bell.

So sorry about this mistake! It should of course say Edward's death and not Edwin. My sincere apologies.

I don't know if you know the area at all so I thought you might like these as well. The first, and larger, of the photos is St Andrew (Cambois) and the second, smaller, photo is St Peter (West Sleekburn. I'll get all of these off to your in-box now.

This report, from the Blyth News 18 March 1928 is quite long so it is in two separate files. Read them one after the other the coroner's comments are the second part.

The news of Edwin's death, or rather the coroner's inquiry into Edwins death, was quite widely reported in the North East. It must have been a trying time for the family. Here are some of the newspaper reports: More following.

@AvrilG We try to help when we can! Would you like me to post the cuttings here (they are digital copies) or would you like them sent to your private in-box?

Hi Hi @AvrilG! Welcome to the forum. If Edward was 2 years and 10 months, rather than ‘almost 2’ then I believe that the following is his obituary, published in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle on March 15 1929. My 11-year experience of rummaging through old documents, digital or hard copy, leads me to believe that the churchyard you refer to is Cambois Churchyard. Old newspapers, and therefore digitalised copies, can vary in quality due to the ravages of time. I can understand your mistaking Cambois for Cambels. The letter ‘i’ can look very much like the letter ‘l’ in faded or blurred print (compare the ‘li’ in ‘Bedlington’ next to the MORTON name). Likewise, ‘e’ and ‘o’. It might help you in your search to know that St Andrews (Cambois) was a small church built in the 1860s as the mission church of St Peter (West Sleekburn). West Sleekburn is often referred to as Bedlington Station, as in the obituary. St Andrews didn’t have the full status of a parish church but was supported by the parish. You could say that St Andrews was a ‘subsidiary’ of St Peters (West Sleekburn) which was the parish church of both West Sleekburn and Cambois. St Andrews was, therefore, served by the vicar of St Peters with the help of a non-stipendiary priest until its consecration in 1998 when it became a parish church. All parish records for St Andrews would be held at St Peters (West Sleekburn) until that date. Andy has given you a link to St Andrews and here you can see where St Peters is. Good luck with your search! I have some newspaper cuttings about Edwards death if you would like them.

PS Your great grandfather was still at the same address in Bedlington in 1914, before moving to Walker, Newcastle. His business appears in Kelly's Directory of that year.

Hi @Richard Norton and welcome to the forum. Here is a map f and some photos that might interest you. The map is from 1922. In 1911 Henry was living and working in the building located between the Post Office and the Workingmen's Club. I've underlined these in red on the 1922 map so you can see the approximate area within the Market Place. In the following photo of the Market Place (1930) I've arrowed the house in which Henry lived and worked - the one with the white awning. I have no idea if he rented or owned the property but as he states that worked "at home" it's safe to say he lived on his work premises. The building is easy to locate from the 1901 and 1911 census records where it is always in the same location in relation to The Turks Head public house (the first PH to the right of my red line on the map). This next photo, date unknown) shows the market place from a different angle. I've arrowed the building again and you can clearly see the Post Office to its right, though Hub's Pork Butchers has now become Kiddies Corner. The Tudor style building to the far right is the Howard Arms. The larger building to its left is the Turks Head. The Fish & Chip shop to the left of Henry's house was previously the Workingmen's club - Henry's neighbour in 1911. I hope this is of some help.

Englishmen and scotsmen may well have been the same thing back then. A scotsman once told me that a Geordie was ”a scotsman wi his brains bashed oot”. Cheeky b……!

A proper little oasis!

Thank you Malcolm for this interesting series of 'factoids'. It's been an eye-opener learning how the well-oiled wheels of local politics function, don't function and even grind to a stand still on occasions. This sort of transparency, is something that is invaluable. Keep up the good work!

... why not give it another go, Malcolm. I think these would be much appreciated. When I've had 'foreign' family and friends with me on visits they've loved hearing the history.

Very nice indeed! What a transformation! Huge thanks to everybody that was involved.

Sorry, I'm very late with the answers! I've not been allowed to look at a screen since Friday. However, I did get a pair of temporary specs. They are far from the most elegant pair of specs I've ever had but at least I can read now and I'm actually writing this myself so not reliant on family and friends anymore! Answers to the New Year quiz: 1. 31 Dec 1923 2. The Gambia 3. Potomac River 4. David Nixon 5. Potato 6. Chan 7. Edward II 8. left 9. Seraphim 10. Fiat 11. Carrot 12. Mary, Queen of Scots 13. Sooty 14. Sandhurst 15. Four 16. Montague 17. Norway 18. Helium 19. Templars 20. Ounce

..... and just to test the grey matter tomorrow morning: 1. In which year were the chimes of Big Ben first broadcast at New Year? 2. Of which African country is Banjul the capital? 3. On which river does Washington DC stand? 4. Who was the first British magician to become a TV star? 5. If you were served aloo in an Indian restaurant what vegetable you get? 6. Which very common Chinese surname means ‘old’ in English? 7. Which king of England married Isabella of France? 8. On British coins, does King Charles III face left or right? 9. In the celestial hierarchy what is the highest order of angels? 10. Which car manufacturer produced the Panda? 11. Favourite, Figaro and Autumn King are varieties of which vegetable? 12. Who married the Earl of Bothwell in 1567? 13. Who was Harry Corbett’s furry friend? 14. What is the name of the college attended by British Army Officers? 15. How many gold medals did Jesse Owens win at the 1936 Olympics? 16. What is the surname of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet? 17. In which country is the River Glomma the longest river? 18. Which gas is represented by the symbol He? 19. How were the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon better known? 20. What is another name for the Snow Leopard? I’ll bet you didn’t know …. Racing greyhounds have their nose-prints, which are as individual as fingerprints, registered to prevent fraud. Answers on Friday. (They may be a bit late as I've been promised a temporary pair of specs but I have to go to the main hospital in Gothenburg so it'll probably be a whole day job!)

2003. 14 year old girl killed by a bus but it was more towards Bedlington Station than Red Row

Answers to last week's Christmas special: 1. Untidiness and disorder. 2. Green or tan. 3. 48 hours, 11 minutes and 7 seconds. A quiz master who became an international hit during the Covid-19 lockdown is now a World Record holder. Tom Finkill, from Bury, made a name for himself by hosting quizzes online, and now holds the record for the longest livestream quiz. 4. 25 (No el)! 5. The Anglo Saxons. It meant ‘Good Health’. 6. 3 (Dasher, Dancer and Donner). 7. Deep pan, crisp and even. 8. Deck the Halls (with Christmas holly). 9. 1914 10. Mele Kalikimaka 11. Dr Seuss 12. Sugarplums 13. Martin Luther 14. Hula hoops 15. A blessing 16. Strengths 17. Tinsel 18. The German version of mulled wine. 19. A hen. 20. 3 – Indiana, Arizona and Georgia

I've just spent a pleasant half hour in the company of one of my 'bonus' grandsons who has read out loud to me Historical Factoids 1 - 11. We've laughed and cried in equal amounts. Thank you Malcolm!! One thing he said to me was "lt sounds just like you when when you're really peed off with people's ineptitude" (my translation). I'll take that as a complement!!

Well, I hope you'e all got a nice clean chimney because Santa's done his rounds here and is winging his way to the UK as I write. I've told him that you've all been good so you should find something under the tree in the morning. Naturally, I hope you all have a great day! With a lot of help from the family I've managed to scrape together a Christmas quiz tohelp keep you awake when the mince pies, turkey and trimmings have taken their toll and you fel like nodding off in the afternoon. I know, 'it's not Friday' but it is Christmas so get cracking and good luck! 1. Fotball legend David Beckham suffers from ataxophobia. What is he afraid of? 2. What was the colour of Santa’s clothes before Coca-Cola dressed him in red? 3. What is the longest quiz ever? 4. How many letters are there in the Angelic alphabet? 5. Who started the custom of Wassailing? 6. How many of Rudolph’s companions have names starting with D? 7. How did Good King Wenceslas like his pizza? 8. In which Christmas song can you hear “Fa la la la la, la la la la? 9. During WW1, a famous ‘Christmas Truce’ took place, when soldiers agreed to a cease-fire to celebrate the occasion and play football. Which year did this take place? 10. How do you say Merry Christmas in Hawaiian? 11. Who wrote, “Christmas doesn’t come from a store, maybe Christmas is a little bit more?” 12. Visions of which food danced in the heads of children as they slept in the poem “Twas the night before Christmas”? 13. Who claimed that he could “drive away the devil with a fart”? 14. What was banned in Indonesia for “stimulating passion”? 15. What do you call a group of unicorns? 16. What is the longest English word with only one vowel? 17. Which Christmas decoration do the royal family NOT have on their trees? 18. What is glühwein? 19. What is a female turkey called? 20. How many states in USA have a town called ‘Santa Claus’? I'll bet you didn't know: There are no turkeys in Turkey! Answers 30 December.

My OH's eyes did the job for me!

Is that Wilf i can see loitering by the traffic lights? Hopefully it is, cos that means it's officially Christmas! Whoopee!!! A very merry Christmas to everybody. I hope to be a bit more active next year as two eye operations have meant I've had to rely on someone else to read and write for me for a couple of months. Reading has been a little bit easier but only if I lift the laptop to within an inch of my face. However, I'm on the mend now but can't get new specs until the beginning of February when everything is healed. Have a great Christmas and knock hell out of what's left of the year!

Did Bertha Burns also have tea-rooms on Newgate Street in an upstairs location just about where 'Made of Crumbs' cafe is today (according to Google Street view)? There was certainly a cafe there used by farm hands on market days. Farmers themselves used the cafe on Bridge Street where my sister worked but I have a vague recollection of her mentioning that she occasionally had to work somewhere else on market days.

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.