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The Buglass Collection, Part One : One Family’s Story

In the Buglass Family blog posts, we will show how one Northumbrian family’s story can be pieced together using various resources.  As well as focusing on family history, we will look at military history in the context of two members of a family who were directly involved in the First World War. The Buglass Collection, NRO 05944, was gifted to the Northumberland Collections Service in 2002.  The collection spans from 1862 to 1978 and comprises records such as letters, sale catalogues, newspaper cuttings, and financial records regarding the Buglass and Anderson families of Northumberland.

By looking at the 1901 Census, we can see that the family are listed as living at East Deanham – New Deanham had been mistakingly recorded. George was the head of the family, a farmer, born in Scotland.  His wife Elizabeth (or Lizzie) Buglass nee Anderson was born in Northumberland.  They had five children:

Andrew, 7 years, a Scholar, born in Kirkharle c.1894

George Anderson, 6 years, a Scholar, born in Kirkharle c.1895

Ralph, 4 years, born in Longhorsley c.1897

Thomas, 2 years, born in Longhorsley c.1899

Elizabeth Ellen, no age on the census, so presumably had just been born in Longhorsley.

Also living in the house are George Buglass’ parents, Andrew and Elizabeth, and there are three workers present at the farm – Isabella Monaghan, general servant; Joseph Johnson, cattleman; and John Gilmore, agricultural labourer.

 

Elizabeth with her children, George, Betty & Andrew, New Deanham, c.1900
Elizabeth with her children, George, Betty & Andrew, New Deanham, c.1900

 

This photograph, taken around 1907, shows Lizzie with three of her five children – George, Betty and Andrew – outside their family home at New Deanham.  But the Betty in the photograph is not the Elizabeth Ellen that we saw on the census.  We know from a memorial card in the collection that Elizabeth Ellen died at New Deanham ten days after the census was taken, on 10th April 1901, aged 13 months.

By the time the Buglass family came to occupy the New Deanham property, it formed part of the Bolam Estate owned by Lord Decies, an Irish baronet who owned property in England.  Prior to this it had formed part of the estates of the old Northumberland families of Loraine and Swinburne. An 1893 Inland Revenue Return from the Lord Decies estate papers contains information that was used to calculate death duties payable upon the estate.  The document reveals that the New Deanham property was a freehold and was, at the time of the return, in the tenure of Richard Maule.  The rental value of the properties referred to suggests that New Deanham was the most extensive of the properties.

Although the Buglass family lived in New Deanham from c.1901, they were freehold tenants until the farm was sold in 1934 by Mr. F.B. Atkinson of Newcastle upon Tyne.  The family bought the farm with the help of one of Elizabeth’s brothers.

 

New Deanham
New Deanham

 

The five surviving children all attended Cambo School, and we can find details of their achievements in the school Log Book that is held here in the Archives. From 1904 the children were constant winners of various school prizes, mainly for writing, drawing and attendance.  The image shows a page from the log book which dates from 1894 to 1921.  It shows the two scholarships won by Andrew Buglass in 1908 – the County Council Scholarship and the Trevelyan Scholarship, which he shared with another male pupil.

 

Cambo School Log Book
Cambo School Log Book

 

Both Andrew and Ralph Buglass went on from Cambo School to attend Rutherford College in Newcastle upon Tyne.  The College Committee were prepared to admit the sons of farmers and farm-workers at nominal fees, and without fees entirely the orphans of farm labourers.  This explains why Andrew and Ralph, who did not come from a family that could obviously afford this sort of education, were able to attend such an institution.  The family may also have been helped by financial assistance received from the scholarships they won at Cambo School.

 

School Exercise Book
School Exercise Book

 

Betty, the youngest child, won awards at school for subjects such as sewing.  One of her exercise books is held within the Collection and is full of recipes and traditional cures for illnesses and ailments such as chilblains.  She has also helpfully recorded the cure for a nervous breakdown! As Presbyterians, the children were involved in the Cambo and District Band of Hope temperance organisation for working-class children, which was founded in 1847 in Leeds.  Members took a pledge of total abstinence and the children were taught the ‘evils of drink’, and would attend weekly lectures and activities.

 

Band of Hope Union Membership Card
Band of Hope Union Membership Card

 

George seemed to follow in his forefather’s footsteps and was preparing to become a shepherd.  In April 1914 he writes to his father from Shepherd Shield in Wark that he has been delivering lambs and feeding cattle.  This seemingly tranquil traditional lifestyle was to be shattered by the beginning of the war on 4th August 1914, and the subsequent involvement of the family.

This story will be continued in part two of this blog.

 

 

20 thoughts on “The Buglass Collection, Part One : One Family’s Story”

  1. Some excellent material here. George Anderson was my Father’s second cousin. Looking forward to more of this blog.

    Reply
  2. George Buglass and his siblings were my half 1st cousins twice removed. His father, Andrew Buglass, was my 2 x great grandfather. In 1849 Andrew married Margaret Anderson, my 2 x great grandmother who died in 1853 giving birth to my great grandfather. She left Andrew with two young children. Margaret’s sister Elizabeth Anderson came to look after the children and my 2 x great grandfather subsequently married her and had a further 7 children, George being the first. Hence the ‘half’ relationships although I suspect it is more than that as Margaret and Elizabeth were sisters! My brother inherited New Deanham in 1984 but subsequently sold it to the present owner.

    Reply
  3. Are you elated to George Turner Buglass b.Cambois, Blyth, Northumberland on 4/2/1921.Father David Henry Buglass, mother Mary Anne Turner.
    Kind regards,
    Charles Shutt

    Reply
    • Hello, your query can be passed to our researcher if you would like us to find out if there is a connection. Please let us know. Our research charge is £30 per hour. Thank you.

      Reply
  4. My late husband had Buglass ancestors from Berwick, starting with Barbara, daughter of Caleb Buglass the Watchmaker, born 1797. From Barbara I can trace the Buglass line back 5 more generations, one of whom includes the famous Caleb, born 1738, who was the Bookbinder. I will be happy to share any information I have to a proven relative.

    Reply
    • Hi Ruth

      I too have ancestors going back through Caleb the watchmaker to Caleb (the bookbinder) and before. My 3xg grandmother was daughter of Caleb & Jean (Jane) ROBERTSON, and had removed to Tyneside by 1840s.

      I would be interested to share information
      Susan

      Reply
  5. Would be interesting to know if servant girl working house is relative Isabella Monaghan father John Monaghan mother Isabella of Rothbury .

    Reply
    • Hello Jean.
      My great grandmother was Jane Buglass from Berwick. She married John Brown from Warrington Lancashire. Strangely their daughter who was my gran married John Monaghan from Warrington. What a coincidence. Do you have any records of Jane Buglass by any chance ?

      Reply
  6. Caleb Buglass the bookbinder who married an heiress Rachel Johnston is my 7th Great Grandfather. Would welcome any additional information and can provide other information. Calebs son also Caleb (my 6th great grandfather)was a Clockmaker and one of the last town Waites.

    Reply
    • I have a grandfather Clock made by Caleb Buglass. I bears the serial number #20. Made at St. Ninians

      Reply
      • Hi Steve
        I am yet another descendant of the Calebs.
        Do you have any more information about the clock or about Caleb. There is precious little information available – especially before his return to Berwick upon Tweed in around 1797. I hadn’t realized that Caleb made grandfather clocks! The only scraps I have found on the internet about his professional life have been the odd report of a stolen watch with his maker’s signature – that sort of thing.
        You couldn’t by any chance send me a photo of the clock?
        Regards
        Jeanette Heath

        Reply

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