Ushaw Moor Memories

Ralph Wilson

cloughy — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:57:14 +0200

I have been tracing my family history and one of my ancestors was a gentleman called Ralph Wilson.  I think he was born in 1844 or 1845 and lived in the New Brancepeth and Ushaw Moor areas.  I was wondering if this could be the same Ralph Wilson who was the organist at the Methodist Chapel for 37 years.
I recall speaking to my Nana a few years ago about what she could remember or what she had been told about our past.  She said that one of our ancestors (my great great grandfather), William Ellis, had been a preacher at the methodist chapel in Ushaw Moor and that his wife, Thomason (my Nana had thought she was called Jane), had been the organist there.  My research has shown that Thomason's father was called Ralph Wilson, so with my Nana being mistaken about Thomason's name I wonder if she too was mistaken as to exactly which ancestor of ours had been the organist?
Any further information you could give me as to whether the two Ralphs are the same, and as to whether anything is known of William and Thomason would be very gratefully received.  The kind of timneframe we'd be looking at for this to fit in would be very late 19th and early 20th century.
Thank You,
Michael Steel

Victorian Connections? plus New Brancepeth v Sherburn

cloughy — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:52:45 +0200

I thought that I would go back to Victorian times and try and trace a few familiar names that matched the surnames of some pupils from my school days, as follows:

15 Ladysmith - Thomas Wilson wife Catherine and sons John and Richard

15 Temperance Terrace – Henry Forster wife Margaret and daughters Hannah and Isabella

20 --------do---------– James Stoddart and wife Frances

25 - ------do------- --- John Myers wife Sarah and dtr Jane

3 East Terrace Thomas Stoddart wife Isabel and dtr Ethel

7 George Street Richard Brunskill wife Jane and dtrs Hilda, Hannah, Dora and son Richard

10 Albert Street John Brunskill wife Rachael and dtrs Candais, Jane and Hannah

20 William Street John Jackson wife Louisa and son Thomas

18 -----do------- Edward Jones wife Ann dtrs Elizabeth and Mary plus son John

12 West Street John Jolly brother Edward and niece Emily Wray

Of course the above Victorians might not have any connection to my old school chums – but you never know.

Cricket

Back in late June 1935 the New Brancepeth CC second XI continued their good form by beating Sherburn seconds by four wickets. E Sinclair took five wickets for 19 runs and A Marchant four wickets for 27 runs to dismiss Sherburn quite cheaply. J Ayre took at least two catches for New Brancepeth.

Wilf Bell

Born in Ushaw Moor? Plus a Murderer Identified

cloughy — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:54:26 +0200

I took a sample of seventy two families that were living in the Ushaw Moor area from the 1891 census - so that I could get some idea of the extent of the incoming labour force that had been attracted by work in a coal mining community. I could then, by and large, pinpoint the areas from which they had originated. My focus was the head of each family, which in almost every case was a male member of the household. The findings were as follows:

41 heads of families – born in County Durham

8 – Yorkshire

4 –Cumberland

4 -Ireland

4 -Northumberland

3-Norfolk

3-Suffolk

2 -Essex

1 -Derbyshire

1-Kent

1-Somerset

So about 57% of them were born in County Durham but clearly a very significant number were not. I am aware that a few families, that are not included in the sample, came from Wales.

MURDER

Thomas Pyle, a widower, had been murdered in 1882, during the time of the very acrimonious Ushaw Moor Miners’ strike. He was a platelayer employed at the colliery and found dead in Redhills, Durham City. At one time he had lived in Witton Gilbert. Some people had suspected that Thomas Westoe was involved in the murder but in fact it had been committed by Peter Bray. Bray was executed in November 1883 for Pyle’s murder. [source Darrell Nixon who had examined the relevant records].

If you have not yet read the account of the strike I recommend it to you. It has everything – murder, pistol shots, a colliery manager that became out of control, a wealthy colliery owner that lived in a castle, a distressed school mistress and a kindly and constructive Catholic priest.

Best regards

Wilf Bell

1947 - Water Closets, Butter, Street Lamps and Cricket

cloughy — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:46:04 +0200

1947 was about more than just feeling the financial pinch, Dennis Compton’s glorious batting and a shocking winter. Many residents of Ushaw Moor, Browney Colliery and Waterhouses were unhappy about water closet management. At Browney many of the closets were not fit for use and many residents had to visit neighbours to meet their personal and natural requirements. The wagons called fortnightly and were inadequate during the hot summer conditions. At Waterhouses and Ushaw Moor the refuse was emptied into the streets prior to removal on to the wagons but children were often playing nearby. To make matters worse - the wagons were driving around the streets uncovered. There was considerable anger expressed by some at the time and no doubt there was a fear of epidemics – shades of Victorian town life! The stated reason for the uncovered wagons was a shortage of sheet metal but it was said to have arrived so matters could only improve. A new wagon that had been on order for over twelve months was said to be due shortly and that was promising.

A report by a Sanitary Inspector that 252 and a quarter pounds of butter had been condemned in the district brought comments from several councillors. One remarked on the alleged wastage and suggested that grocers should be allowed to sell extra to customers when there was a possibility of butter going bad. This will be linked to rationing which was still very much in place. It was decided that a letter of complaint would be sent to the Food Office.

Accidents and Injuries - 1939-1941

cloughy — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:17:15 +0200

I was chatting to Arthur Hodgson on the phone recently and he recalled an incident that took place in 1941 during a dark wartime night. At that time he was working at Broughs store at the bottom of Station Road. At about 7pm he finished work, got on his bicycle, and started cycling up the road. After travelling about twenty or so yards he collided with a police motor bike. The lights on Arthur's wartime pushbike were legal -being designed so that he could be seen rather than for him to be able to see ahead. The policeman gave him a good ticking off even though the accident was not Arthur’s fault -after all Arthur could not have seen anything owing to the pitch black darkness. I wonder whether the policeman was Jock Allen – who later died in a traffic accident according to a report on site.

Arthur recalled that many years ago Ushaw Moor did not have a doctor of its own and had to use doctors from other villages. Some of the doctors called upon during the late 30s and into the 40s included Dr R Brown and Dr J W Dickinson. It is highly reasonable to assume that because Ushaw Moor was a mining village the doctors would have been even busier than would otherwise have been the case. I am aware that in 1939 two of the frequent Ushaw Moor mining injuries that required treatment involved Frederick Elliott, a hand putter, and Richard Tolson, a hewer of coal. Mr Elliot strained his left foot while pushing tubs and Mr Tolson suffered a severe injury to his back because of a fall of stone.

Arthur went on to mention Pudding Henderson. He was not sure why Mr Henderson had the nickname Pudding but recalled that it was Pudding’s home that was used as a surgery by the various visiting doctors. He recalled that it was situated somewhere behind Whitehouse Lane.

Wilf Bell

Another coach trip down memory lane - 1893-2008

cloughy — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:07:23 +0100

1893 - Septimus Aberdeen [later DCM] was born. For a while he lived in Sleetburn Lane, Alum Waters. He attended New Brancepeth School where he acquitted himself well.

He was a man of which New Brancepeth can be proud.

He fought on the Western Front for over two years and that fact alone is testament to his admirable qualities. His Distinguished Conduct Medal was a tangible reward for coolness and courage. In 1918 Mr Aberdeen became a Second Lieutenant. Later that year he was wounded but he recovered and went on to give fine service. I believe that he married in 1921 but I cannot be absolutely certain about that.

1902 –J Potts the Ushaw Moor schoolmaster died on the 7^th of May

1908 – George Gardiner had been cashier at Bearpark Colliery for a considerable number of years. He died on the fourth of May.

1920s - Both Ushaw Moor and New Brancepeth Cricket Clubs had teams playing in the Deerness and District League together with the likes of Brandon, Browney, Cornsay, Esh Winning and Oakenshaw. Ushaw Moor later put a team in the North East Durham League and regular opponents included Sherburn Colliery, Washington, Littletown and South Hylton.

The Chaytor Connection

cloughy — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:23:03 +0100

Many of you will be aware of Henry Chaytor’s connection with Ushaw Moor Colliery. He resided at Witton Castle and was the owner of the colliery at the time of a very acrimonious dispute that began at the pit in 1881. There is a good summary on this site of the goings on during that dispute. Ushaw Moor historians now have the opportunity to extend, or at the very least review, their knowledge of the Chaytor family by means of a presentation given by a very knowledgeable member of the Witton Park History Group. Express an interest by using the comment button at the end of this article. I have to say that the comment buttons are getting a bit rusty these days. I will go further and say they might fall off.

History is not bunk it’s fun. It exercises the reasoning powers. I am given to understand that generally in schools the pupils have a choice of taking geography or history at 16 – if that is correct the situation is unfortunate because they are both very worthy subjects.

Best regards

Wilf Bell

An Opportunity to Meet Sir Bobby Robson? Plus Notes about Witton Park History Group

cloughy — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 09:52:03 +0100

Whether such a meeting with Sir Bobby comes to fruition largely depends upon your motivation and Sir Bobby’s diary and availability. He has been invited to a DAFT event that takes place at Crook Library on Thursday 3^rd of April at 7 pm - so cross fingers that he and you can make it. Hopefully by now you are aware that Daft is not a derogatory term rather it is a splendid organization that protects and celebrates the magnificent and extraordinary amateur football heritage of bygone years in County Durham. Ricky George is down to attend - Newcastle fans may well recall his spectacular goal against their beloved team in the FA Cup of yesteryear. John Motson, the football commentator and soccer statistician, was said to be a possible attendee last time I heard.

A typical Daft event includes memorabilia, football material, a talk, a few films of those glorious Durham football days and who knows what else!

Notable Servants of Ushaw Moor Cricket Club

cloughy — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:50:17 +0100

Dickie Hope and Peter Metcalfe – Notable Servants of Ushaw Moor Cricket Club

Although Mr Metcalfe has recently passed away his sterling service to cricket will linger on for a very long time and rightly so. I did not know Peter personally but am fairly well informed about his admirable work in cricket circles. Comparing and contrasting Dickie Hope and Peter Metcalfe are not particularly difficult tasks – first and foremost they were the gel that held the essential administration of the game together during their respective decades within cricket.

Of course they operated in very different periods. In the case of Dickie he was one or more of secretary, player and captain during the 1930s, 40s and early 50s He sits proudly within a photograph on the wall of the cricket club bar to this day. During Dickie’s pomp coalmining dominated the landscape in terms of noise, dirt and injuries. Peter came a little later but for a similar length of time. Unlike Dickie Peter ventured beyond club administration into league work that included the disciplining of players. I am given to understand that he was not always impressed with the style of play of Kimblesworth Cricket Club and that came out at his naturally sad but nevertheless celebratory funeral service. Peter had a sense of humour and that is worth a lot in this world! Humour tends to linger when the man has left.

Deerness Junction Cottages

cloughy — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:07:49 +0100

Hi, my mother, nee Isabel Kitching, was born in these cottages (No 5) and moved from them in the 1950's. I wondered if anyone might have a picture of them that could be emailed to me that I could show her (now nearly 80). I believe they were demolished in the 1970's. It would bring back a lot of memories for her I'm sure. She described them as very basic with no running water or drainage with a 5-10 minute walk from the nearest road down a muddy track.

Thank you in advance

Mike Burton