Canny lass

Great stuff! Interesting to read that the owner was named Garbutt. There was another asylum called simply Garbutt's Asylum but I don't know just where in Gateshead it was. The old road passing Dunston Lodge was still there in the 60's and was known locally as Asylum Road.

Correction: That should read DUNSTON Lodge Asylum - NOT Denton. Auto-correct sometimes works overtime when I produce English text. Denton is another area.

Very interesting reading! I might be able to point you in the right direction here. While I am not familiar with Ned’s problems, I did work for some years in both north- and south Tyneside with mental health issues and got to know a great deal about the history and development of mental health services. Unfortunately for Ned, and thousands of others, reform came too late. Ned had already been dead for some ten years before the passing of the County Asylum/Lunacy Act of 1845 which determined that all counties should provide humane care and treatment for their lunatics. Northumberland County seems to have been particularly sluggish in getting to grips with the terms of the act and it wasn’t until 1859 that the Northumberland County Pauper Lunatic Asylum opened its doors to the first ‘patient’ – as they were now to be called. It eventually became St Georges Hospital, Morpeth having had many other names along the way. As I said, this came too late for Ned Cotes, so prior to his demise he would have been cared for under the terms of a previous act – The Madhouse Act of 1774 – which allowed unlicensed practitioners to run their establishments as commercial enterprises whose premises, but not practices, were subject to yearly inspection. This meant that people like Ned could be sent almost anywhere and I know that many of North Tyneside’s lunatics were sent south of the Tyne and vice versa. I have seen Bedlington adresses in old South Tyneside records. Gateshead, on the other hand, sent lunatics north of the Tyne and even chose to build its County Asylum in Stannington outside of Morpeth. It later became known as St Mary’s Hospital. Gateshead, one of my old stomping grounds, had several such establishments during Ned’s time: Bensham Asylum, Wrekenton Asylum, Sherriff Hill Lunatic Assylum and Garbutts Asylum and one other which I think could be of interest in Ned’s case - Dunston Lodge asylum, which I know to have been in use during Ned’s lifetime. Denton Lodge Asylum goes down in asylum history as being one of the most advanced in terms of treatment, not only in Northumberland or even England but in the whole world! It was visited by people from all over the world and had a success rate second to none, better than any other in the UK. I believe it was in use in one form or another right through to the 1930s. I know it was talked about a lot by older nursing staff (1960s) and quite a few elderly patients. That to me sounds like a reason it may have been chosen by the Rev. Cotes for his son. The clients weren’t paupers and Ned’s father was a vicar who I’m sure would seek out the very best help available. I also know that a great deal of documentation from these places is preserved at national. archives.gov.uk - try the Northumberland Archive . If it wasn’t for the fact that Christmas is two weeks away I’d gladly have a poke around myself. But, a woman’s work is never done especially in the lead up to the festive season. Good Luck wishes from a former Llanbradach resident!

I wasn’t implying in any way that you were having a go at local councillors and I apologize if it came across in that way. I also believe that the council members who post here are doing their best in the role of councillor – as well as balancing it with their day jobs and caring for their families. That’s one role more than most of us have, and a big role at that. I’m not sure, however, that “shaming” anybody or any body (such as the local council) into action is the best way to go about achieving results. Surely sensible discourse is the answer and it seems to me that that the two councillors in question do a good job on that front. By transparency, I meant letting people know the lie of the land. I was, of course, speaking for myself, an ex-pat, for whom any information is much valued. I don’t believe it is part of any councillor’s job description to give up their own free time to update people on social media, yet here we have not one, but two who do just that. And, it is worth mentioning here, the role of the councilor is without salary. You say, @_pauls, that there is very rarely any response to comments on their posts and that you would welcome debate. I believe that some meetings are open to the public. I know that at least one of these councillors holds regular surgeries in his constituency. Why not pop along and join the debate there? Malcolm and Russ seem to do a pretty good job, over and above what is required of them, with regard to providing transparency and keeping us up to date.

Here we are again, happy as can be All good pals and jolly good company (on Fridays with corona regulations) 1. What is the name of the vertical bar dividing the panes in a window called? 2. Which rock group was called The Detours and The High Numbers, prior to 1964? 3. What name is commonly given to the Hippocampus? 4. Which letter of the Greek alphabet is equivalent to ‘G’? 5. In what year did the IRA bomb a hotel in Brighton during the Conservative Party Conference? 6. Bluto is the arch rival of who? 7. Which writer was imprisoned as a result of his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas? 8. In which sport has Ard Schenk been a world champion and record holder? 9. Who played the headmaster in Carry on Teacher? 10. How many cubic centimetres are there in a cubic metre? 11. From which island did Bonnie Prince Charlie row a boat to the Isle of Skye? 12. Which of Mr Pickwick’s friends married Arabella Allen ? I’ll bet you didn’t know …. The Silverstone racing circuit is built on abandoned RAF runways. Answers next Thursday!

My sentiments exactly! Something unique to Bedlington!

As you know, I'm a part of the 95% who don't live in Bedlington and that's just one good reason why I appreciate so very much the input of people like Malcolm Robinson and Russ Wallace who do their best to ensure transparency in local politics by keeping us informed. Once a Bedlingtonian, always a Bedlingtonian!

Answers to last week's quiz 1. Jennet 2. KLM 3. A large hat 4. Dirty water 5. 8 848 metres 6. Midway 7. At the time when glass bottles were made by glass blowers. ... their pulmonary strength permitted only the creation of bottles up to 650- 750 ml size. The biggest one, the 750 ml bottle, became the standard bottle. 8. Oil 9. 7 10. Floyd Patterson at the Yankee Stadium, New York. 11. Wireless Fidelity 12. Genghis Khan Re: Everest - What's a few inches between friends! Give yourselves a point whatever you answered. Re: Scorpions - There seem to be conflicting theories on the Internet. I'll get a pigeon away tomorrow for more reliable information New quiz tomorrow.

Me too, HPW!

Here it is! 1. What do we call a female donkey? 2. What is the national airline of the Netherlands? 3. What kind of clothing is a ‘dolly varden’? 4. Between 1830 and 1850, 20 000 people died of Cholera in London. How is Cholera spread? 5. How high is Mount Everest? 6. WW2 seems to have changed course with the battle for a small atoll in the Pacific Ocean. What is the name of the atoll? 7. Why is a standard wine-bottle 750 mls? 8. On what did John D. Rockefeller earn his wealth? 9. Which number did David Beckham have on his shirt when he played for Manchester United? 10. Who did Ingemar Johansson beat to become world champion and where did the fight take place? 11. What does the term ‘wifi’ stand for? 12. Who was the 13th century founder and first emperor of the Mogul Empire? I’ll bet you didn’t know …. Scorpions are not immune to their own poison. Answers on Thursday!

Answers to last week's quiz: 1. Blue 2. The Mayor of Casterbridge 3. Transpiration 4. Doctor Hook 5. Mike 6. True 7. France 8. Coast Guard Station 9. 20 10. The Hummingbird 11. They are stoned to death 12. King Arthur New quiz tomorrow!

Chips inside the stottie or as a side dish?

Magic!

Nice touch with that facemask knob! Must get the OH to include one in his build!

That photo is a couple of years old and it was stripped down to the minimum requirements for transport to one of the compulsory inspections of welding, joints etc. Unfortunately, not a lot has been done the past two years as the epilepsi which followed the head injury meant he could not use welding equipment. Since four weeks ago he's epilepsi free and no longer treated so he'll be back into it as soon as covid-19 allows. The bodywork is aluminium and the 'nose-cone' is complete. I think I may be getting the uypholstery jobs! We have wonderful hats and goggles to match and OH also has a white racing suit (how practical is that, I ask you)! I'll see if I can get him to model them for you.

Not a mechanic but what I call a 'chronic tinkerer'. He takes everything apart just to see how it works. But, he is an engineer who worked mostly with design of cargo and passenger handling requisites on boats - ramps, hoistable decks, container stacking systems - that sort of thing.

Well stocked up om split peas since my last visit to Blighty but thanks anyway! ...and, this may sound strange, but my all-time favpourite stottie filling is Fried pork sausage - split in half lengthways - and orange marmalade! It was also one of my father's favourites to take down the pit in his 'bait'.

Get crackin! 1. In a game of snooker, which colour ball is worth 5 points? 2. In which novel did Michael Henchard sell his wife for five guineas? 3. What do we call the loss of water from the leaves of plants? 4. Who had a hit in 1972 with the song Sylvia’s mother? 5. If A is Alpha and T is Tango what is M? 6. True or false: Glyndebourne Opera House is in East Sussex? 7. In which country is the Vosges mountain range? 8. What do the initials C.G. stand for on an Ordnance Survey Map? 9. How many standard bottles are there in a Nebuchadnezzar? 10. Which is the only bird that can fly backwards 11. If a person is lapidated what happens to them? 12. Whose legendary horse was called Lamri? I’ll bet you didn’t know …. Two army teams once competed in a Tug of War battle for 2 hours and 41 minutes. Answers on Thursday!

There's a few 'golden oldies there! Love the car Vic! My OH is green with envy. He's building a sports car from scratch. Started 2012 and it's coming along nicely.

I'll definitely be making this!

Answers to last week's quiz: 1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai (828m) 2. Pope Francis 3. Alexander Flemming 4. 1912 5. Showaddywaddy 6. 6 months 7. 20, 000 8. 2006 9. David Randolph Scott 10. 7 11. Cambodia 12. Live and let die New quiz tomorrow!

Sorry it's a bit late. Snow shovelling has started with a bang! 1. What is the highest building in the world? 2. By which name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio better known? 3. Who discovered penicillin? 4. In what year did the Titanic sink on her maiden voyage? 5. Which pop group was formed in 1973 by amalgamating the two groups: Choise and Golden Hammers? 6. What is the average life-span of a dragonfly? 7. Approximately how many breaths does an adult male take every day? 8. Which year did Arsenal move from Highbury to The Emirates Stadium? 9. Who dropped a feather and a hammer on the moon to show that, without air, they would fall at the same speed? 10. How many players in a water-polo team? 11. In which country can you find Angkor Wat? 12. In which James Bond novel/film do we meet the character Tee Hee? I’ll bet you didn’t know …. An Ohio law states that pets have to carry lights on their tails at night. Answers on Thursday.

Answers to last wek's quiz: 1. Mahatma Gandhi 2. Edo 3. The libretto 4. Pace, drove or herd, 5. 12 6. To the commemorate Napoleon’s victory 7. Robben Island 8. Ethyl alcohol (drinkable) 9. 1776 10. Homer 11. Silver 12. Lebanon New quiz tomorrow and Christmas special being prepared!

Are you seriously telling me that the Arc de Triumph was built as an armchair for a giant?

21 confirmed!