The picturesque borough of Morpeth, Northumberland has a fascinating history of political activism and further evidence of this has been found with the transcription of the town’s manorial records.  Certainly, it would appear that from the second half of the 17^th century those aligned with the craft guilds went head-to-head against the power and privilege of consecutive Lords (Earls of Carlisle/Morpeth), who were keen to preserve their status and interests.

Indeed, disputes arose due to the gradual erosion of the rights and privileges of Freemen and the continuous attempts by the Earls of the borough in reducing their number. Certainly, the status of Freeman in Morpeth came with decision making responsibilities including the appointment of officers, the making of by-laws and participation as jury members at manorial courts. Crucially, the role came with the privilege of a vote in parliamentary elections, a factor that influenced the reduction of Freemen. However, the Lord’s interests were protected with the appointment of his supporters in influential roles such as Stewards and Bailiffs and through financial inducements. Unfortunately, in the early 18^th century the borough was tagged as ‘the most corrupt, mercenary place in the whole North.’[1]

The situation for the Freemen intensified throughout the 18^th century, and the record below (Ref No: SANT-BEQ-28-1-3-149-151A) provides an account of riotous court proceedings which were instigated by the Carlisle administration in appointing non-elected Freemen as a show of defiance following a narrow election defeat.

In addition, the document below (Ref No: SANT-BEQ-28-1-2-534/535) confirms the involvement of Francis Eyre, a London based lawyer with political aspirations and the financial means to pursue it. Indeed, Eyre is described to the Morpeth Freemen as ‘a person of strict honour and probity, a benevolent heart, and blest with a sufficient fortune, one who would cheerfully undertake all your battles against power and riches.’[1] Therefore, in the mid-1760s this lawyer embraced the plight of the Freemans of Morpeth as well as his own ambitions. Surprisingly, in 1767, Eyre was successful in a legal bid to admit thirty-three Freemen, albeit the duplicity of the Carlisle officials would negate this victory in the forthcoming election, through unscrupulous technicalities. Certainly, without these measures, the Carlisle stranglehold on the borough was threatened. However, albeit Eyre did manage to gain a parliamentary seat for Morpeth at the 1774 election, this was short-lived and won through coercion from his supporters.

Indeed, credit must be attributed to the citizens of Morpeth who against the odds took a stance against authority for nigh on a century due to the consistent abuse of privilege administered by various Lords of the borough, albeit several did succumb to the financial rewards on offer in return for their obedience. However, whilst the influence of the Lords continued, compliance was not guaranteed.

This blog was written by Helen Stewart, a Master’s student at Strathcylde University, who has been researching Northumbrian Manorial Records as part of a university placement with Northumberland Archives. Her work has included using some of the documents already transcribed during the Heritage Lottery Funded, Everyday Life in a Northumbrian Manor Project, and has allowed her to showcase some early findings in the records.

1 J.M. Fewster, ‘The Earls of Carlisle and Morpeth: A Turbulent Pocket Borough’, Northern History, 51:2 (2014), p. 247.

2 ‘Eyre, Francis, (1722-97) of Colesborne, Glos.’,The History of Parliament, British Political, Social and Local History, EYRE, Francis (1722-97), of Colesborne, Glos. | History of Parliament Online, accessed 05 /04/2023

This blog has been written by Dee Love, one of the volunteers on our maternity care project. Project volunteers are researching maternity care in Northumberland with particular focus on Castle Hills Maternity Home, Berwick, and Mona Taylor Maternity Home, Stannington. The project is supported by the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Bright Charity and the Northumberland Archives Charitable Trust. We will be posting more blog content from the project over the coming months. 

Thomas Taylor was the son of Hugh and Mary Taylor. Mary was the daughter of Thomas Taylor who owned Cramlington Hall. His father, Hugh,  was born in Shilbottle in Northumberland. Early in his life, Hugh was a mariner but soon gave up the sea faring life to become a partner in Coal Factor’s in London and a partner in several collieries in the North East of England including Haswell, Ryhope, Backworth, and East and West Cramlington as well as several mines in Wales.

When Thomas was born in 1850 Hugh was the Conservative M.P. for Tynemouth and the family were living in London. The 1851 census shows that Thomas had an older brother, Hugh and an older sister, Eliza. In 1862, Hugh acquired Chipchase Castle and the family moved North. In the same year the Hartley Pit Disaster saw the establishment of The Northumberland and Durham Miners’ Permanent Relief Fund. It was set up to provide financial support to the families of injured, permanently disabled and deceased miners. Hugh Taylor was a member of the first committee set up to receive and distribute the donations received by the fund. Many years later Thomas was elected president of the fund for twenty consecutive years.

Thomas was educated at Durham School and Cambridge University where he read for a degree in mining engineering.  For sixty five years from, 1871 until 1936, he was a member of the North of England Institute of Mining Engineers. When he married Maria Mona Griffith in 1880 the couple began their married life in Northumberland.  The couple had four children, Hugh who was killed in World War One, Margery who followed in father’s footsteps into public service, Thomas George who joined the family business and Violet who, like her mother, was involved in the Suffrage movement.

Thomas was elected to the County Council in 1889 and represented the ward of Bellingham. The following year he became a magistrate. Between 1897 and 1921 Thomas served on the Finance, Parliamentary, Trade and Traffic and Establishment Committees. By 1907 he was Vice Chairman of the Finance Committee and had added the Technical Education Committee to his portfolio. He was very much playing to his strengths as a businessman. He became an Alderman in 1919 and was, by then, the Chairman of the Finance Committee and Vice Chairman of the Council.

The introduction of National Insurance Act in 1911 heralded a change of focus for the County Council. The emergence of the Welfare State brought a greater emphasis on pensions, health care, midwifery and maternity care. The Northumberland Insurance Committee was set up in response to the National Insurance Act, the brain child of the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, David Lloyd George.

The Act created a national system of insurance to protect working people against loss of income relating to sickness or unemployment. Under the terms of the Act, workers could take sick leave and were paid 10 shillings for the first thirteen weeks of sick leave and 5 shillings for the next thirteen weeks. Workers were also given free treatment for tuberculosis and were eligible for treatment from a Panel Doctor. The National Insurance Act required councils to provide a list of doctors willing to attend those in receipt of medical benefit. Two and a half million workers in manual trades were covered by the act. Employees aged between 16 and 70 and who earned less than £160 per year were required to be insured. Men earning more than 2 shillings and 6 pence per week had to pay 4 pence a week and the employers’ contribution was 3 pence. Women paid less as their benefit package was lower. Maternity benefit was also introduced in 1911. A one-off lump sum of 30 shillings was paid to support the mother for the first four weeks after confinement.

An Executive Committee to deal with National Insurance was set up and Councils had to appoint six members to that committee. In 1927 Aldermen Thomas Taylor was appointed to the Executive Committee as were the Medical Director, Dr. Whitney, a woman to represent the Council (unnamed) and Miss M Taylor of Chipchase who was the daughter of Alderman Taylor. Dr. Dickie and Dr Anderson were appointed by the Ministry of Health. The members were appointed to oversee the work of doctors, dentists and opticians. For the first time people were able to go to the committee meetings and question the conduct of a doctor. Never before had an authority had such powers.

When his father died in 1900 Thomas inherited Chipchase Castle. He also inherited his father’s many mining interests. In 1907 Thomas leased a plot of land to the County Council so that a school could be built in Stobswood. The plot was a third of an acre and the original lease was for 30 years, the rent of £1.00 per year payable on 2nd February each year. The Council was required to fence off the land appropriately and construct buildings appropriate for use as a school. There had to be a play yard and a house for a School Master.

Thomas’s death in April 1938 ended a long and distinguished career with Northumberland County Council. In the Council minutes of  5th May 1938  “The Chairman references the loss the Council has sustained by the death of  Alderman Thomas Taylor who had been a member of the Council since its formation in1889.

He requested that there be recorded in the minutes the Council’s high appreciation of Alderman Taylor’s long and valued services and that the clerk convey to members of the family their sincere sympathy with them in their bereavement”

The Bishop of Durham’s obituary in the Durham School Magazine said of Thomas Taylor: 

“During his long career his public service was continuous and displayed influence, vigilance and sympathetic understanding in dealing with the finances of  Newcastle.

It was one of his claims as an employer that he never had an angry word with a Northumbrian Miner.”

In 1942 Councillor Paton proposed that The Woodhouse Homes in Stannington, Northumberland, be  renamed The Thomas Taylor Home and the Mona Taylor Maternity Home in recognition of  Alderman Taylor’s long career in public service.