A project began earlier this year to add descriptive content to documents held at Northumberland Archives relating to the Lord Crewe Charity; this has been made possible by a grant the charity itself made to the Northumberland Archives Charitable Trust.
Can you imagine organising an outing for 400-450 children? In May 1855 Rev. William Atkinson of Gateshead organised such a trip to Bamburgh Castle.
Letters received by Mr. Tuer, agent of Bamburgh Castle, reveal that the Archdeacon had previously been contacted about the children using a room in the Castle for tea. Rev. Atkinson wrote that ‘our young people’ were boarding a carriage at Lucker Station at 10.15 to Bamburgh, returning to Lucker at 4.30. Tea, sugar and cake would be taken on the journey, Mr. Tuer was asked if he could arrange the provision of mugs and milk. The cake itself was anticipated to weigh 12 stones and a separate cab or cart was sought to help with its transportation, the cooks would travel with it. Due to the number of pupils attending, it was proposed that about 70 children would have tea at a time, based on the number of mugs available. When not having tea, Rev. Atkinson proposed “marching the children through the main entrance down the Court […] by the low side on to the sands to amuse themselves”.
Rev. Atkinson wrote again to Mr. Tuer after the trip to report on its success; the group had had a ‘delightful day’, and Mr, Tuer was thanked for the ‘excellent arrangements’. Mrs Tuer in particular was remembered, “for defending the door of the Coach House so stoutly, when the young people were taking their tea; […] she must remember the difficulty of keeping at bay a host of 400 hungry children”.