Freemen Issue 29 December 2021 by rineypublishinglimited

ISSUE 29 DECEMBER 2021

CONTENTS 3

Editorial

4-5

View from the Chair

6-9

Events

10-12 Superintendent’s Report 13

EDITORIAL

A Commendable Achievement

14-15 The Tanners and the Taxman 16-17 Bird Box Project 18-19 Swearing in Ceremony 20

Ian Miller’s Birthday

Michaelmas Guild

1718

22-23 Finding my Past 24-25 Nothing New Under the Sun 26

Newcastle United Football Club

Visitor’s Tales

28-29 A Surprise Canadian Cousin 30

Communications and Engagements

Notice Board

Photographs courtesy of Steve Brock Photography, Keith Hall, Kevin and Lauren Batey, Jim Johnson, Ann Wilson, Lou Talintyre. Grapic design courtesy of Whiteleaf Design www.wleaf.co.uk. Thanks to article contributors; Robert C. Glass, Dr Peter Blenkinsop, Tom Charlton, Barbara Nesbitt, Jim Johnson, Ian Miller, Keith Hall, Kevin Batey, David Wilson and Helen Birkett. Special thanks to Sue Riney-Smith of Riney Publishing.

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This Summer saw the return of carefully controlled events and we’re delighted to bring you the highlights of some of these. This includes the welcome return of the Great North Run, Mela and Armed Forces Picnic to name a few. Better communications and engagement across the whole Freemen of Newcastle community is very much a priority going forward. Your thoughts and ideas for improvement are very welcome and you are invited to join Stewards Committee on the various projects we are running, which range from agriculture and land management, events planning, governance, archiving and property management amongst many others, just contact us at admin@freemenofnewcastle.org for more information. For the first time, we’d like to introduce you to some of our business partners and we have included their comments throughout this issue, which hopefully go some way to highlighting the high regard for Freemen within our diverse operational networks.

Town Moor Money Charity is available for all Freemen, widows and eligible children who find themselves in financial difficulty. University students can also receive a TMMC grant at 18 years, although they need to be sworn in at 20 to continue receiving it. In addition to the grants, we are often able to assist with one-off costs. Contact us at admin@freemenofnewcastle. org if you would like to apply. …And finally, it’s our great pleasure to report that this issue has more stories and articles submitted by Freemen than ever before. We are always happy to share your stories, so keep them coming in. www.freemenofnewcastle.org

You may remember in our last issue that Chairman David Wilson sent a letter of condolence to HM Queen on the loss of HRH Prince Philip. We received the letter shown above in acknowledgement

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Town Moor Superintendent our own Town Moor Herd has had a good season, reinforcing our strategy for cattle purchase and sale. Climate Change mitigation continues to be an important national and international priority. In this issue, you will read that we are continuing our environmental protection in many different areas and will ensure that the Town Moors continue to have a significant role in achieving this locally without impacting on grazing or the character of the Moors. Chairman David Wilson leads members of the Stewards Committee in laying a wreath on Remembrance Sunday

VIEW FROM THE CHAIR

t long last the World is beginning to come to terms with Coronavirus. Most restrictions have now been lifted and vaccines are readily available. Of course, we are conscious of the need to remain cautious and take appropriate actions to keep ourselves, our families and colleagues safe. With this in mind, the Stewards Committee are delighted that, whilst taking appropriate Covid safe measures, we were able to hold Close Guild in our traditional venue of the Guildhall on 10th October.

backlog of applicants, arranged with the Lord Mayor’s Office.

We have been concerned that the Covid-19 pandemic has delayed the swearing-in of new Freemen, you can read in this issue about a special swearing-in event held to address the

Despite the pandemic, there has been demand for cattle in 2021. This has allowed us a successful grazing season, with healthy herds on all of the grazed Moors. Under the management of the

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In common with most other organisations, we have had instances of staff needing to isolate. However, due to the efforts of our Team, our operations have not been impacted and we have continued to maintain the Town Moors and keep the open spaces open to the public and in excellent condition. Whilst we still observe a strict low risk approach to Covid-19 we have now reopened the office to external visitors.

On behalf of the Freemen of Newcastle, I was honoured to lay a wreath as part of the Remembrance Day service and parade at Eldon Square on 14th November. Our City and Armed Forces presented an excellent memorial and display of which we should all be proud. We are delighted that the lifting of restrictions has enabled us to work with organisers to facilitate several major events and we have included some of these for your information. One such event was the return of the Great North Run, with the run starting

and finishing at the Town Moor. The Great Run organisers and other key stakeholders have expressed great thanks to the Freemen for their support, acknowledging that without it the event could not have taken place. This is one of the many instances where the Freemen of Newcastle work to support our City’s national status, economy and business development.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Freeman of Newcastle upon Tyne to deliver three fantastic tree/woodland/hedgerow schemes on the Town Moor in line with the North-East Community Forest initiative in support of tackling global climate change”. Lloyd Jones CMLI, Landscape Officer Newcastle City Council.

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EVENTS

“It was a great pleasure to work with the Freemen of Newcastle on the 2021 Great North Run. Without their support, the event would not have happened and I’m sure I speak for all involved when I say it was an amazing and successful event”.

GREAT NORTH RUN

t was our great pleasure to work with the Great North Run organisers again this Summer. Due to Covid considerations the decision was made to start and end the run on our amazing Town Moor. This meant a great deal of extra work for our Town Moor Superintendent and his team, but everyone involved agreed it was a worthwhile and rewarding experience. Our cover star this issue is Keith Hall (Master Mariners, Colliers), a Freeman of the City who has been a valued member of the Stewards Committee for over 20 years and is Chairman of the Town Moor Money Charity. This was Keith’s 30th Great North Run and the organisers arranged for his allocated running number to be 80 to commemorate his 80th birthday this year. You can find his fabulous media interview on our Facebook page and on our website www.freemenofnewcastle.org Keith has raised many £1000’s for charity over the years; his chosen charity this year was the Parachute Regiment Association, Tyneside Branch. A proud Parachute Regiment

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Nigel Gough, Race Operations Director for the Great North Run

Keith Hall making new friends – with Andy Burnham, MP Greater Manchester

veteran, this is a charity very close to his heart. Keith joined the RAF parachute training school at Abingdon Berks and trained on static balloons and Hastings and Beverly Aircraft. Keith told us “The RAF instructors decided that with the aircraft flying at 120 mph and just over 1,000 feet high they would “ask me to leave the aircraft!” this happened some eight times over that month. Eight jumps mean you gain your “wings”. Over the next three years my total came to around 30 aircraft exits. So, I have a great affinity with the RAF, they looked after me well in my late teens

Lou Talintyre

and early 20s, however the Parachute Regiment was my home” Lou Talintyre (Cordwainers) completed her very first Great North Run on the same day. Proud Freeman, Lou wore the Freeman crest on the front of her vest and her Cordwainer Company crest on the back. Well done Lou!

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MELA

Monday 13 September 2021

H D Wilson Chairman The Freemen of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne Moor Bank Lodge Claremont Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4NL

ewcastle Mela is a vibrant, multicultural and family friendly event which takes place in the heart of the City in Exhibition Park, during the August Bank Holiday weekend. This year, we were delighted to see the return of the Mela on Sunday 29th and Monday 30th August. The Freemen of Newcastle are proud to work alongside Newcastle Mela organisers to present this free event, based around Pakistani, Bengali, Indian and other South Asian cultures.

Newcastle Asian Arts and Music C/o 2 West Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 9HB Mobile: 07794346684 Email: karen@newcastlemela.co.uk

Dear David On behalf of Newcastle Asian Arts and Music (NAAM), I want to offer my sincere thanks for the support that you have given once again to Newcastle Mela 2021. Newcastle Mela is of huge significance to the cultural landscape of the North East, to our local Asian communities and to the wider community of Newcastle and beyond. The support that you commit to offering year on year makes all of this possible. Your support is vital in allowing us to achieve NAAM’s vision - to enrich our local culture and further community cohesion. Newcastle Mela has become a popular and much anticipated cultural event which attracts visitors to the region and draws in very positive media attention, regional and national. Newcastle Mela continues to attract a growing, diverse audience through a programme of fun, entertainment and creative artistry, delivering South Asian culture right into the heart of our communities. This success is as a direct result of your support and I want to offer our thanks once again for making this possible. I look forward to our organisations working together for many years to come. With this in mind would it be possible to get a direct contact who we could speak with regarding funding for future years. Please also pass on my thanks and gratitude to Jim, Kevin and the rest of the team. Best regards

Mela offers opportunities for emerging artists and performers to show off their talents, as well as delicious food, clothes and jewellery – an excellent place to meet new people and pick up gifts and treats for yourself! Newcastle Mela is a long-standing event and is one of a series that take place nationally in major cities each year. The Mela is designed to appeal to all ages and races with everyone welcome to come along and enjoy and has become a vital part of the Newcastle Community.

Taj Mohammed Chair, NAAM

www.newcastlemela.co.uk www.facebook.com/newcastlemelaofficial

The Freemen are co-owners of the Lord Mayor’s coach, having jointly purchased it with the late Freddy Shepherd and his brother Bruce to save it from leaving the City when the council put it up for sale to cut costs and raise funds.

ARMED FORCES DAY PICNIC On 27th Jun, it was our great pleasure to welcome the Armed Forces onto the Town Moor for their annual picnic and excellent range of exhibits.

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Kevin and Davie with Matthew Thornhill, Gemma McDonald and Lynsey Cordiner

We are delighted to continue our work with Matthew Thornhill of Newcastle City Council and Gemma McDonald and Lynsey Cordiner of Walking with the Wounded who deliver employment, mental health, care co-ordination and volunteering programmes in collaboration with the NHS to get those who served and their families whether mentally, socially or physically wounded, back on their feet and making a positive contribution once more. Marking out the hedgerows

Three projects are currently in progress, scheduled for completion in the 2021/2022 planting season.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT N

ewcastle Town Moors cover an area of 900+ acres making it larger than Hyde Park and Hampstead Heath combined and also larger than New York City’s Central Park (843 acres) The Town Moors reach Spital Tongues to the west, the City to the south, Gosforth to the north and Jesmond to the east. Whilst tree planting is important (see below) the moors themselves act as a giant sponge providing a natural flood defence for the city as well as a safe and vital habitat for wildlife which needs grassland to thrive and survive.

Tree Planting

We have commenced an ambitious programme of tree and hedge planting projects within the Town Moors of Newcastle. In doing so we have considered: • The aspiration of the Freemen to ensure that we, through management of the Town Moors, play a full role in contributing to Climate Change Mitigation.

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• Supporting the needs of Newcastle City Council climate emergency declaration. • Enhancing biodiversity. • Visual impact of the Town Moors. • Providing environments to encourage and support wildlife and insects. • Enhancing wildlife corridors. • Improving the overall air quality of the city. • Supporting the development of the North East Community Forest

The projects include planting on the Town Moor at: • Nuns Moor at Cowgate/Fouracres Road; • Nuns Moor South at Brighton Grove/ Barrack Road; • Nuns Moor South at Barrack Road/ Walter Terrace.

Cattle and Grazing

ll cattle are naturally grazed, grass fed with no additional requirement for manufactured supplements.

Drinking water is supplied from mains water system to ensure that there is no contamination from untreated water sources. Our staff perform daily checks on all grazing herds ensuring the daily health and welfare of all cattle. Any issues that may be identified are immediately acted upon. There is no mixing of herds to minimise the risk of any disease transmission. All cattle

“We have worked with Kevin and the team for many years now and we’re delighted to support the Freemen of Newcastle in their vital work to secure the grazing areas of the Town Moors” Peter Tinker, Scott Fencing

Mother and baby are thriving

In August, we installed new cattle pens on Dukes Moor.

are registered via the “farm records” system and have the necessary ear tags with all movement of cattle recorded and tracked via individual cattle passports.

Our facilities and systems are “Red Tractor” assured beef and lamb standards compliant, our procedures and risk assessments are all deemed to be compliant. We benefit from certified herd health plans and facilitate annual animal health and antibiotic usage reviews. Cattle are also required to be part of an ongoing disease prevention process with treatments administered prior to grazing on Town Moors. Freemen Magazine

A COMMENDABLE

ACHIEVEMENT by Dr Peter Blenkinsop (Coopers)

n 17th July, in blistering 30c heat, my son Adam Blenkinsop (Coopers Company), completed a gruelling 34.76 mile sponsored coastal hike, with 10 other companions, in just over 12 hours, to raise money for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.

HUNTERS MOOR

mining bell pit collapsed on Hunters Moor near the BBC, leaving a hole 7-8 feet wide and 10-15 feet deep. The team secured the site and contacted the Coal Board to have the hole filled and made safe; and whilst this is all in a days’ work for us we’re very happy to report there were no cattle (or people!) anywhere near at the time.

The statistics are quite staggering! Almost 6000 calories burnt, equivalent to 3 times the average recommended daily calorie intake; over £3000 raised in sponsorship; an average walking speed of just under 3 miles per hour throughout each of the 12 hours. Adam is shown giving the thumbs up at the end. I am of course sworn to secrecy as to how many barrels were needed to ensure the recovery of the 11 stalwarts who completed the hike!

STORM ARWEN 26th November will be etched on the minds of all North Easterners as Storm Arwen swept through and devastated many areas with gusts of wind up to 95mph. The wall between Moor Bank Lodge and the Dog and Cat shelter was badly damaged and sadly, we lost a number of trees on the Town Moors and Moor Bank gardens. Making the areas safe was our first priority followed by a major scale clearance exercise to remove damaged

trees and debris.

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shoes and tunics and literally nothing went to waste, with every inch of the skins being used. Even the off-cuts were soaked for months, and the residue would become a very sticky mass which was sold in the marketplace as glue. The lengthy process of curing animal skins and making glue was an extremely odious operation because one of the main curing agents was copious amounts of human urine - this would likely explain why most tanneries were situated far away from the town centre!

THE TANNERS AND THE TAXMAN by Robert C Glass

ome readers will still recall the turmoil brought about by decimalisation in 1971, but despite the challenges this dramatic change in currency brought about at the time, 50 years on, we now take those 100 pennies in every pound completely for granted. However, it’s worth sparing a thought for the Freemen, who for many centuries had to contend with all manner of confusing legal tender to balance their books and keep the tax man happy, and all without a calculator in sight! Most of the ancient trades of the guilds of Freemen existed in a time of great economic turbulence which included the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII between 1536 and 1541. This to the guild of Tanners was a very challenging period, as it was

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formed in 1532 and they therefore had to agree to the registration rules of commerce that existed at that time. The Tanners were first registered as one of nine other companies and strangely were called ‘Mysteries’, however, were later incorporated into a larger company to become first the guild of Barkers and then the guild we are all familiar with - the Tanners. The Barkers traded by stripping the bark off trees (probably for mulch to be used in agriculture) and the Tanners by using already skinned animal skins to make leather. There was always demand for high quality leather to meet the urgent requirement for saddles, bridles, boots,

In the early centuries even the different guilds of Freemen could not escape the watchful eye of the weights and measures inspector (or the taxman). One of the measures that were adopted was called a Fother, also known as a Fozer or a Fodder. How a weight of Fother was achieved was quite extraordinary; in the absence of weighbridges, it was one cart load of goods. Even coal was measured via the same principle, and it had to be heavy enough to be pulled forward by one horse. Three loads pulled one at a time equated to the value of one Chaldron. The accuracy of such a measure is questionable, as it would surely depend on the size of the cart and how strong the horse was! As with any business, taxes had to be paid and the guild of Freemen was no exception. Books or ledgers were diligently maintained so accurate profit and loss could be calculated, and profitability (or otherwise) could be determined. Compared to today, bookkeepers and accountants must have had an arduous task as they had to deal in pounds, shillings, pence and even half pence.

One pound would be equal to: • 960 x Farthing • 480 x Half pennies • 240 x One pennies (exactly the same as in Tudor times where 4 Tudor pennies =one Groat) • 80 x Three penny pieces (thrup’peny bit) • 40 x Sixpenny piece (Sometimes called a Tanner – but nothing to do with the guild) • 20 x shillings (also known as a bob) • 10 x two-shilling piece (two Bob and sometimes called a Florin) • 8 x Two shillings and sixpence (Half a crown but locally called half a dollar) • 2 x Ten-shilling notes Finally, just to complicate matters further, there was a coin called a Guinea that was circulated in 1717. Its gold content achieved a value of 21 shillings, but this was replaced in 1814 by a new gold coin called a Sovereign, this disappeared from circulation in England in 1917. Thankfully, today our legal tender is a great deal simpler and since February 1971, the guinea and a myriad of these other confusing coins have disappeared from circulation and slipped into the shadows of history – a sensible move that even the tax man (or woman) would surely approve of! Freemen Magazine

BIRD BOX PROJECT

hen Storm Arwen battered the North East on Friday 26th November, we doubted that the bird box project could go ahead.

Our future Freemen showed their grit and determination when they showed up at Moorbank Lodge as planned, at 11am on Sunday 28th November. After a short briefing from Vice Chairman Nick Atkinson who arranged and organised the event, and local ornithology expert John Jobling, the team set about creating and siting their bird boxes.

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The bird box project demonstrates the Freemen’s continuing commitment to biodiversity and wildlife. Additionally, this was a pathfinder project to engage more with members, bringing the work of the Freemen of Newcastle to a new generation, ensuring its future in the years to come. Huge thanks to Kevin Batey for prepreparing the kits and to Danielle Batey for much needed hot drinks. Nick told us “It was amazing to see so many engaged future Freemen and their parents asking so many relevant questions”

In addition to helping us maintain and repair around 15 – 20 miles of Town Moor boundary fencing, we are very grateful to Peter Tinker of Scott Fencing for donating the wood for the bird boxes, as well as the stakes for the tree planting initiatives. This project was a huge success, so we hope to hold more events giving Freemen

an opportunity to “make a difference” and get involved in our many and varied projects. We are especially keen to involve our young people to build pride in their heritage as Freemen of the City. Contact us at admin@freemenofnewcastle. org if you have any ideas for future projects and if you would like to get involved.

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Lord Mayor, Cllr Habib Rahman with Chairman David Wilson

SWEARING IN CEREMONY

ince January 2020, the pandemic prevented swearing in ceremonies, so we were delighted to be able to arrange two sessions to take place at the Guildhall on 1st November 2021, one at 11.30 am and a second at 2pm. Members of the Stewards Committee arrived early to find that, unfortunately, due to a serious incident on the quayside the previous night, the quayside was cordoned off preventing access to the Guildhall. On speaking to the police, we were informed that the ceremonies would not be able to take place, so to prevent disappointment for those invited to be

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sworn in – some of whom had travelled some distance - we contacted Brenda Joyce at the Lord Mayors office to try and recover the situation. The City Council did not disappoint and thanks to Brenda, her colleague Ian Humphries and the Lord Mayor Councillor Habib Rahman, both ceremonies were re-arranged to take place at 2pm in the Council Chamber at the Civic Centre. We then set about contacting all of those attending to inform of the new arrangements, we also explained to the police on duty at the Guildhall of our problem and of the new arrangements, and we are very grateful that they took it upon themselves to

inform those arriving at the Guildhall of the situation and they re-directed them to the Civic Centre for 1.30pm. It was very pleasing to see all the prospective new Freemen and their families arrive at the Civic Centre and enter the Council Chamber to be sworn in by the Lord Mayor Councillor Habib Rahman, although his first swearing in of new Freemen of Newcastle he took to the task with his usual enthusiasm. The newly sworn -in Freemen of the City of Newcastle are: Sarah Mitchell daughter of Nigel Ward Butchers: Callum son of Janet Day Cordwainers: Jacqueline Elaine Elliott daughter of John Charlton, House Carpenters: Janette Latimer daughter of John Charlton House Carpenter: Emma Imison daughter of Carol Whetstone, House Carpenters: John James son of Carol Whetstone House Carpenters: Kate Watkins daughter of Peter Aylmore

Scriveners: Leigh Lawrenson daughter of June Hetherington Joiners: Lynn Hawdon daughter of June Hetherington Joiners: Lynn Sheriff daughter of Sheila Mary Chandler Joiners: Mark son of Sheila Mary Chandler Joiners: Claire Sheila daughter of Sheila Mary Chandler Joiners: Lauren Georgia daughter of Julie Margaret Dorward Shipwrights: Elizabeth Mary daughter of Roy Lishman Shipwrights: Andrew James son of Christine Anne Harmieson Smiths:

“We have a centuries old tradition of working with the Freemen of Newcastle. I’m happy to say we have an excellent working relationship with the current Stewards Committee and look forward to our continued successful collaborations” Brenda Joyce, Lord Mayor’s Office

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MICHAELMAS GUILD

IAN MILLER’S BIRTHDAY

n 2020, we planned to celebrate Shipwright Ian Miller’s ninetieth birthday with a lunch in Whitley Bay. There would be twenty of us; Freemen and some partners; all people who knew Ian well and had participated in the visits to local attractions that he had arranged over the years. Josephine Smith of the Shipwrights had the arrangements in place then of course we were thwarted by the pandemic. We assumed that it would be over by the autumn so re-booked for September 2020, coinciding with Ian and Freda’s Diamond Wedding Anniversary. But it wasn’t to be, so the lunch was re-arranged for April 2021. In April, restaurants still weren’t open, so it was delayed again, this time until 4 September 2021 when Ian was almost ninety-one and a half. It was also seventy years since he joined the RAF. We

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met at Trenchers Restaurant in the Spanish City and had a very pleasant lunch of fish and chips. It was really good to see everyone again and the event went very

well. Thanks to Josephine for organising it and to everyone who turned up.

n 11th October, we held Michaelmas Guild in the Guildhall. This was Close Guild, confined to conducting Freemen business with no swearing-in.

Company Stewards re-elected David Wilson as Chairman, Nick Atkinson as Vice Chairman and David Waugh as Honorary Treasurer. Jim Johnson, Keith Hall, Alan Bainbridge, Chris Atkinson, Phil Powell, Paul Anderson and Helen Birkett were re-elected to Committee. We would like to extend a very warm welcome to Barbara Nesbit (Shipwrights) who became a member of Stewards Committee

Michaelmas Guild began with opening prayers from Canon Clare McLaren

at Michaelmas Guild. Barbara is already a member of the Editorial Team for this magazine and is also a member of the Engagement Strategy Project Team, so she is well used to working with a number of Stewards Committee members and brings a wealth of experience to the table. We very much look forward to working with Barbara on future projects. Freemen Magazine

I later subscribed to Ancestry UK and other family history sites and researched their records for many years. This proved successful in discovering my family tree but on several occasions, I hit stumbling blocks when I discovered the number of Charltons with the same names and similar dates of birth. Researching family trees can become very frustrating and I was seriously considering giving up my research, however, three things happened; number one was my wife pestering me about concentrating my research solely on the Charlton male family line and ignoring the female line, thereby missing out on at least 50% of the information available. You can only ignore a wife for so long, so I opened the research process as instructed! The second was an offer of help from a lady from Australia who originated from Eachwick, Ponteland, a distant cousin who had completed 35 years research into her family tree and the third event was taking a DNA test that proved my origins were in Newcastle, Northumberland, and the Scottish Borders and most of my links to the past were female relatives who had also taken DNA tests. The results really joined up the family tree.

FINDING MY PAST

by Tom Charlton of The Hostmen’s Company.

bout 1974, during a conversation with my father I found out that my grandfather was a Freemen of the City. My father had not joined as my grandfather was not a company keeper (which means he had become a Freeman but had not formally joined his Company) He believed mistakenly, this excluded him from becoming a Freeman. In January 1975 my father became a Freemen of the City, I was admitted in October 1975 and my two brothers were sworn in shortly afterwards. As we were prohibited from being Company Keepers, I joined the Gild of Freemen that acted as a social arm of the Freemen; the Gild met for talks on various topics including the history of the Freemen and held social evenings. I soon found myself getting involved and was invited to give a talk on the Freemens’ role of maintaining the peace in the

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City prior to the formation of the city police. This sparked off an interest in finding out how the Charltons became Freemen in the first instance. My research was mainly carried out using the records of the Freemen held at Moor Bank Lodge and at Newcastle Archives. I established that there have been 150 people with the surname Charlton admitted to the Freemen of the City and the companies from which they hailed were recorded. However, I do not know which of them became Company Keepers. The earliest recorded Charlton was in 1655 when John Charlton was admitted to the freelage and the latest person, Daniel Charlton was admitted in 2019. The Charltons have been represented in 18 different companies. I was able to sort out the list of Charltons into companies and members of the various families, but I could not find any evidence of how we became Freemen.

Another unforeseen link presented itself when I offered to do some research into the History of the Hostmen’s Company of which I have been a member since 1984. For the past three years I have been compiling a history resource base that included biographies of the founders and prominent members since 1600 AD. I hope to expand it to all the current members and to their ancestors and create a company “Who’s Who” directory for members and other researchers. When I joined the Hostmen, I believed that I was the first Charlton to join the company and that there had never been any relatives of mine in that company. By researching my maternal line and the history of the Hostmen I discovered I was wrong, in fact, to my amazement, many of my ancestors turned out to be prominent members of the Freemen, the Government of Newcastle upon Tyne, Members of Parliament and were the founders and developers of the Hostmen’s Company, thereby the developers of the Great Northern Coalfield and the wealth that was brought to the North-East by the coal industry and later the railways. I am sure you will recognise some of the following surnames: -

Anderson, Armorer, Bowes, Cresswell, Delaval, Dent, Errington, Fenwick, Grey, Haggerston, Jenison, Lambton, Lumley, Manners, Marley, Mitford, Ogle, Ridley, Selby, Shafto, Surtees, Swinburne, Tempest, Thornton, Widdrington. Outstanding members included Sir John Marley (16th GGFather), Sir George Selby (13th GGFather) Sir Henry Anderson (13th GGFather) Sir Christopher Ridley (15th GGFather) and Roger Thornton, (18th GGFather) the benefactor who built the first Guildhall and the Maison Dieu. An additional bonus is that my DNA shows my northern heritage over the past 500 years and beyond, but that is another story for the future… The most amazing fact is that descendants of Edward Errington (b.1416 -15th GGFather), two brothers Sir Anthony Errington of Denton (12th GG Uncle), married Elizabeth Dent, and George Errington of Denton, (12th. GGFather), married Barbara Shafto. They both had families and my wife is descended from Sir Anthony and I am descended from George. I still do not know how The Charltons became Freemen but In the words of Dame Judy Dench on the TV programme, “Who Do You Think You Are?” “I started off knowing very little about my mother’s side of the family, what a journey it turned out to be”

Sir John Marley, responsible for the defence of the city against the Scots and Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentarians, is my ancestor Freemen Magazine

NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN

At the time, Cholera was believed to be spread by airborne particles but the main cause of infection is, in fact, polluted water sources. Only the wealthy had water supplies in their homes: most people relied on shared fountains or pumps. In 1831 reservoirs were low and water was being pumped from the Tyne; not a good idea. The council introduced measures such as shutting theatres and disinfecting the streets but to no avail. Bodies were buried in lime pits but this didn’t solve the problem. There were around 400 deaths in 1831 and around 1,500 in a later outbreak in 1853. This was from a total population of around 86,000 so it wasn’t on the scale of the plague but was still a serious problem.

Newcastle Smallpox Hospital

e know that the human race has suffered the effects of plagues since at least Biblical times and probably earlier. What do we know about their effects on Newcastle?

Most people lived in close proximity and insanitary conditions in the Quayside area. There was a major outbreak in 1589 killing at least seventeen hundred people from a population of around ten thousand.

The first well documented plague that we are all familiar with is the Black Death or bubonic plague. This is a bacterial infection that we now know is spread by fleas that live on rodents, in particular rats but is also spread between humans by contact. Although it is still present in Africa and South America, it can now be treated with antibiotics. However for many years there was no treatment, death could occur within a week of infection and mortality rates were very high.

The plague returned in 1635, arriving first in North Shields then spreading to Newcastle the following year. This time, those who could fled the town to rural areas. There was no treatment for people who remained and infected families were often boarded up in their homes or in huts on the Town Moor and left to die. This outbreak lasted for almost nine months and killed around five thousand people. The town was devastated.

Bubonic Plague was recorded in the middle east in the 4th century but the pandemic that affected Europe started in the Middle Ages and lasted around four hundred years. It originated in Asia and spread across Europe as traders and their goods moved west. It is estimated to have killed around 50 million people in Europe. Newcastle was well placed to receive the plague; lots of ships arriving on the river bringing goods & of course rats.

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Bubonic plague waned but infectious diseases were still a major cause of death. Scientists were becoming aware of the link between these diseases and public hygiene but little was done. Then Cholera arrived in the UK. This is another bacterial infection that originated in the far east and moved westwards. The UK Government believed that its spread was a result of poor living conditions in foreign countries, but it arrived in Sunderland in 1831, carried by a sailor, and soon spread.

It was during this later outbreak that John Snow, a doctor who had worked in the north east but was by then in London, identified the source of an outbreak in Soho as the local water fountain. This led eventually to the control of the disease by improved water supplies and the introduction of sewers. There were more hospitals in the nineteenth century than in the sixteenth but they weren’t all free. A fever hospital opened on Bath Lane in Newcastle in 1804 to treat cases of cholera, typhoid and smallpox. This took both paying and poor patients so was always crowded. It was closed in 1888 when Walkergate Hospital opened. Smallpox was very common at this time. It is a viral infection that in the 19th century, killed about 30% of people who caught it. There was a Smallpox Hospital on the Town Moor which opened in 1882 and had 170 beds. A vaccine against Smallpox was one of the first developed. A more modern vaccine became available in the twentieth century and a worldwide vaccination programme led to the eradication of the disease. Despite the decline in Smallpox cases, the Newcastle hospital remained open treating scarlet fever, diphtheria and other infectious diseases until 1958. The great pandemic of the twentieth century was Spanish Flu in 1918-19. It

wasn’t Spanish, in fact no-one seems to know where it started. Flu had been around for years and this pandemic took off when the world’s population was worn out by WW1 and troops were returning from war zones to their homes around the world. Government censors in countries that had fought the war weren’t keen to publicise it but Spain had been neutral, their government publicised it & it became known as Spanish Flu. It is estimated that 500 million were infected worldwide (about one third of the population) and at least 50 million died. In Newcastle it killed 1,537 people. The economic damage was significant as workplaces such as collieries had to close. It added significantly to post war woes. Attempts to make a vaccine were unsuccessful. The first effective flu vaccine wasn’t available until 1945. And finally, many of our older readers will remember the joy when a polio vaccination was developed in the nineteen fifties (particularly among those who got the sugar lump rather than the jab). Polio is a viral disease that had been around for centuries but flared up in a series of epidemics in Europe and the USA in the mid twentieth century. It can kill or leave people paralysed or disabled. It often affected children and there were many cases in the north east. Fortunately a vaccine was developed relatively quickly. A concerted worldwide vaccination programme has reduced the incidence of polio so that it is now only endemic in two countries; Pakistan and Afghanistan. Over the years effective treatments for infectious diseases have been developed, improved public and personal hygiene have helped prevent the spread of infections and of course vaccines have even eradicated some of these diseases. But as the last two years have shown, you never know what life is going to throw at you. So we all hope that we see the back of Covid before long.

Freemen Magazine

NEWCASTLE UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB

t’s a long time since we witnessed dancing on the streets with so much jubilation in the City as was seen on 7th October, the day Newcastle United were finally taken over by a Saudi-led consortium of Amanda Staveley, Rueben Brothers headed by Jamie Rueben and new chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan of PCI Investment. It has been an uplift for the supporters and the whole city which was palpable on the 8th with everyone in the City Centre and beyond, smiling with that feel good factor. As landlords of the football ground and the training pitches, the Stewards Committee took a particular interest in developments, (like everyone else glued to the news channel hoping for the right result) and will look forward to building a good working relationship with the new owners over the coming months. It was really pleasing to hear that the new consortium is committed to not only improving the club but also the City and surrounding area. Hopefully we will be able to get together with the directors and have the opportunity to inform them that we are no ordinary landlords, the rent

Freemen Magazine

they pay does not go to a commercial business for profit, but to the Freemen of Newcastle upon Tyne, a charity. Moreover, not a charity with a chief executive on a mega salary but an organisation with over 1800 committed Freemen run by 11 elected volunteer stewards on their behalf, tasked with looking after 900+ acres of Town Moors on behalf of the City and its residents; probably the biggest inner-city open space in the country if not the world and an organisation where the income is used to preserve, maintain and improve the Town Moors, affectionately referred to as the city lung. To echo our Chairman’s remarks, ‘we are the original environmental organisation’, an ethos embedded in legislation via the Town Moor Act 1988. After all we have been doing it for over 800 years. We are a fantastic and proud organisation in which all Freemen are encouraged to get involved and play a part whether directly or through their company, we would love to hear your thoughts.

Howay the Lads.

VISITOR’S TALES

or many years, Ian Miller was the Town Moor Money Charity Visitor, visiting recipients to assist with applications. He also and organised many social events such as coach trips and theatre visits. I had visited Joyce’s mother and when she died I met Joyce for the first time. I discovered that she would qualify for Town Moor Money Charity as a Freeman’s daughter, single parent family on a low income. I said that she’d need her father’s oath paper and her full birth certificate to show she was his daughter and her marriage certificate to show her changed surname. She said that it would be embarrassing as she had been married four times – but the last time she hadn’t bothered to change her name, as he was a very old man who had just lost his wife and she was sorry for him. She was small in height but large in girth and wore slack fitting clothes. Despite her alliances she was still poor and I represented her with her form at the trustees meeting. When I called to tell her she had qualified she said “let me give you a hug” and gave me a bear hug! I was surprised that her slack shapeless clothes contained so much woman and I attempted to put my

arms around her, but they couldn’t meet – then I saw my reflection in a mirror and I almost burst out laughing as I thought we looked like sumo wrestlers! She broke off and saw the smile on my face and asked if I had enjoyed it. I didn’t have the heart to tell her the truth! Her daughter was bright and attractive, a teenager still at school and when I called she would ask me if I would like a cup of tea and she would make it. Usually when I visited their elders, teenagers would turn up the TV or leave the room altogether. Two years later she had left school and was job seeking and doing a promising course, but three months later when I asked her mother if she had a job, Joyce gleefully said “she doesn’t need one now, she’s pregnant!” Joyce was smoking more each time I saw her and eventually I stopped going into her smoke-filled flat, with the excuse that I was running late and hadn’t much time to chat. She died shortly after and I heard that her daughter had a new partner and more children. Freemen Magazine

Jamie and Arlene Cameron with Linda and Alan Bolam

talked of his cousin in Canada and attached an extract of the 1891 Census, which identifies:

that she was visiting Newcastle in late September, and if we were related would love to arrange a meeting with us.

• Benjamin Bolam, aged 36 (our great grandfather)

We invited Arlene and her husband Jamie to meet the family, and through Helen Birkett (Cordwainer and Stewards Committee) and Brenda Joyce at the Civic Centre, we visited the Silver Gallery and accidentally met the Lord Mayor (which impressed Arlene!) and then onto the Guild Hall, courtesy of Helen and Town Moor Superintendent, Kevin Batey.

• His wife Elizabeth, aged 35 (our great grandmother) as living in Donnell Street, Westgate, Newcastle, along with their children: • John, aged 10 (our grandfather) • Benjamin, aged 7 • George, aged 3 • Thomas, aged 1 (who we believe to be Arlene’s grandfather who emigrated to Canada) During further correspondence with Arlene, it emerged that her father Kenneth Bolam and her brother Alan Bolam (who coincidently shares my name!) were Freemen of the City and

A SURPRISE CANADIAN COUSIN STRIKES GOLD IN HER QUEST TO BECOME A FREEMAN

y wife Linda and I returned from a family holiday in Scotland in late July 2021 to a letter from a lady claiming she might be a cousin of mine; Arlene (Bolam) Cameron. The letter went on to say her grandfather, Thomas Ryle Bolam was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1889 then emigrated to Peterborough in Ontario, Canada, where he died in 1975. She knew her father was a Freeman of the City as he had travelled from

Freemen Magazine

Arlene and Jamie were very impressed with our City, the weather was fantastic and the people involved were hospitable and great ambassadors. Many thanks to Helen, Kevin and Brenda. Arlene will be returning to Newcastle next year to become a Freeman and to join the Cordwainers Company.

The extended Bolam family (Cordwainers)

By Alan Bolam (Cordwainers)

Canada to Newcastle many years ago to be sworn in. Arlene had searched the UK phonebook for Bolams she felt might fit the bill and had a recollection of the area after visiting when she was about 18, so she sent 2 speculative letters and hoped for the best. I checked with my brother Les Bolam (also a Freeman) if he could recollect having ever heard of us having family in Canada. He could recall our father Freemen Magazine

COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT

oth Internal and External Communications need a re-vamp to keep pace with best business fit in the 21st Century, with particular emphasis on succession and better communications with Company Stewards and the wider Freemen community.

• Ongoing succession planning, including - Stewards Committee recruitment and induction processes Vice Chairman, Nick Atkinson has hit the ground running to address these Communications and Engagement challenges, he has set up an Engagement Project Team, installed a modern digital meeting system in Moor Bank Lodge and is looking to commission professional video coverage of the Freeman portfolio. He obtained agreement at Michaelmas Guild to hold an extra-ordinary 30

Freemen Magazine

Mr Kevin Ba Moor Bank Newcastle Tel: 0191 26 Email: adm Website: w

NOTICE BOARD

http://www freemenofn

Vice Chairman Nick Atkinson

BEREAVEMENTS On behalf of the Freemen of the City of Newcastle, we extend our sincerest condolences to the families of the following Brothers and Sisters Michael Alder Butchers

The full scale review will include: • Internal Communications - How we share and store information using best practice and digital technology • External Communications - How Stewards Committee interact and communicate with all Stakeholders, including the wider Freeman community - Making best use of social media platforms - Magazine review

Freemen o

Peter Cato Plumbers

“Riney Publishing has been involved in producing the Freemen Magazine since the very first issue. I’ve had the great pleasure of working with many of the Stewards Committee in that time and I’m confident that together, we have provided a professional, informative and often entertaining Magazine for Freemen worldwide” Sue Riney-Smith, Director Riney Publishing

gathering of all Company Stewards to establish an Engagement Strategy and this will take place on 30th January 2022. Make sure you let your Company Stewards know of any ideas you want them to raise at this meeting. This is an extensive project and there is much more still to do. If you would like to join this project, contact Nick at admin@freemenofnewcastle.org

Angus Douglas Tate House Carpenters Ian Sparham Tanners Company

Christian Shell Miller Taylors Company

Christina Jackson Goldsmiths John Rowland Lishman Shipwrights Derek Charlton House Carpenters William George Frizzle House Carpenters/Goldsmiths/ Hostmen/Colliers

Henry Hall Masters and Mariners

PUBLISHER: Riney Publishing Limited, Sue Riney Tel: 01325 304360 Email: sue@rineypublishing

FORWARD LOOK 2022

We look forward to presenting and supporting the following events in 2022 Exhibition Park 16th-17th April Fire in the Park to be confirmed Exhibition Park/ Town Moor 5th February Winter Warmer 8th March This Girl Can

Town Moor 1st January New Year’s Day Resolution Run 13th February Valentines Run 26th March Newcastle University Cowbell Run

17th – 25th June Hoppings 9th – 10th July Cancer Research UK Pretty Muddy Run 22nd – 24th July National Pride 28th – 29th August Mela

Freemen Magazine

Freemen of Newcastle upon Tyne Mr Kevin Batey, Moor Bank Lodge, Claremont Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4NL Tel: 0191 2615970 Email: admin@freemenofnewcastle.org Website: www.freemenofnewcastle.org http://www.facebook.com/groups/ freemenofnewcastle

COPYRIGHT: Freeman of Newcastle upon Tyne. PUBLISHER: Riney Publishing Limited, Sue Riney-Smith Tel: 01325 304360 Email: sue@rineypublishing.co.uk PUBLISHER: Riney Publishing Limited, Sue Riney-Smith Tel: 01325 304360 Email: sue@rineypublishing.co.uk

Freemen Issue 29 December 2021

Articles inside

Superintendent’s Report

A Commendable Achievement

The Tanners and the Taxman

Editorial

View from the Chair

Events