Northumberland Archives

This blog has been researched and written by Shelley Lanser, 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. In 1943, Lady Ridley gave an address at the opening of Mona Taylor Maternity Home. She was also heavily involved in the Newcastle Babies Hospital for many years and organised the evacuation of the Hospital to her home, Blagdon Hall, during World War Two.

Ursula Viscountess Ridley was a woman who cared about the poor, about women and – above all – about children.¹ This is the first of several blog posts about Lady Ridley, wife of the third Viscount Ridley.

Ursula’s father was Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944)², the famous architect. Edwin Lutyens is described as a shy and inarticulate man who hid his shyness with non-stop quips and jokes.³ Ned, as he was familiarly called, was born in 1869, the tenth child and the ninth boy in a family of ten boys and three girls.⁴  His father, Charles Lutyens (1829-1915)⁵, was a gentleman, a member of a military family,⁶ also an eccentric bohemian⁷. As well as having served in the army, Charles was a painter whose works were exhibited in the Royal Academy. In his later years, Charles began to go blind and his income from the paintings dropped off, leading him to make unusual economies in the household. Ned was affected by the change in his family’s lifestyle and worried all his life about money.⁸ Ned’s mother, Margaret “Mary” Gallwey Lutyens (1832/3-1906)⁹ came from Ireland; her father was a General in the Royal Irish Constabulary.¹⁰

Ned took his first commission when he was barely 20, for a nine-bedroom house.¹¹ In that same year he met Gertrude Jekyll, the noted garden designer, with whom he would work closely in future years.¹² She was to heavily influence his career. She not only created gardens for the houses he designed, but provided many social contacts with people who had the wealth to employ him. One of these contacts was Edward Hudson, founder of Country Life magazine. Hudson did many double-page spreads of photographs in his magazine showing the Lutyens-Jekyll houses and gardens, which in turn found them both more commissions.¹³ Hudson became Ursula’s godfather.¹⁴

Lutyens went on to become an extremely prolific designer, accepting in the neighbourhood of 800 commissions during his career including an astonishing range.¹⁵ Some of his most famous designs include Queen Mary’s Doll House;¹⁶ war memorials such as the Cenotaph¹⁷ in Whitehall and the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing at the Somme, in France;¹⁸ the British Embassy in Washington, D.C.;¹⁹ Arts and Crafts houses, including Munstead Woods,²⁰ built for Gertrude Jekyll; several castles, including Lindisfarne Castle on Holy Island (commissioned by Edward Hudson);²¹ and the Viceroy’s House in New Delhi, now called Rashtrapai Bhavan, residence of the President of India.²² Lutyens was knighted in 1918.²³

Ursula Lutyen’s mother was Lady Emily Bulwer-Lytton (1874-1964), daughter of Edward Bulwer-Lytton, (1831-1891)²⁴, 2^nd Baron of Lytton (later the 1^st Earl of Lytton), who was Viceroy of India between 1876 and 1880. Unfortunately, he was never very good at managing his finances and when he died in 1891, while serving as Ambassador to France, it was found that a dishonest “man of affairs” had left the Earl’s widow badly off.²⁵ Emily’s mother was Edith Villiers (1841-1936)²⁶, of the aristocratic Villiers family.²⁷ After her husband died, Countess Lytton became a lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria, in order to fund the education of her sons at Eton and Cambridge.²⁸ Emily is described as having a strong personality and a bit of a temper;²⁹ she would fight to get what she wanted.³⁰ Though initially Emily’s mother was against their engagement,³¹ she was won over eventually. The couple were married in August, 1897.³²

The Lutyens’ marriage was strained by the fact that Ned and Emily had little in common other than being intensely romantic. She loved the countryand the seaside; Ned cared for neither unless he had work there.³³ She was interested in women’s rights;³⁴ he thought women belonged at home.³⁵ The sharing and discussing of books was important to Emily³⁶ but books meant little to Ned.³⁷ Emily grieved that they didn’t share any interests.³⁸ A couple of years after the birth of her youngest child, she became deeply involved with Theosophy,³⁹ a new religion at the time, teaching about reincarnation and mixing western and eastern beliefs. Theosophy was popular among a number of Edwin Lutyen’s wealthy clients and all of his children, with the exception of Ursula, were followers at some point.⁴⁰ Emily become vegetarian shortly after they married.⁴¹ They had few common friends.⁴² Ned dreamed of domestic bliss in a white house they never built;⁴³ Emily had no interest in domesticity or in running a house with servants.⁴⁴ They spent large amounts of time apart: once Ned won the commission for the Viceroy’s Palace, he spent winters in New Delhi and summers at home.⁴⁵ However, Emily routinely took the children to the seaside for several months in summer. (During one holiday at the seaside, she and a friend would read fairy stories aloud to prostitutes in hospital with venereal disease). ⁴⁶ Even their weekends were largely separate. Emily had insufficient confidence or motivation to entertain Ned’s potential clients and disliked attending the Saturday to Monday invitations important to his business. Over time it was understood that he was available on his own,⁴⁷ and his wit and humour made him a popular house guest.⁴⁸ When apart they wrote letters to each other almost daily, sometimes twice a day, leaving over 5,000 letters written during their forty-seven-plus years of marriage.⁴⁹

It is thought Ned may have had an affair with Lady Victoria Sackville (mother of Vita Sackville-West), a married woman.⁵⁰ They were certainly good friends, calling one another MacSack and McNed.⁵¹ This relationship began a couple of years after Emily wrote Ned that she would no longer have sexual relations with him.⁵² After Ned’s death, while working to organise her father’s letters, Ursula expressed the hope that her father had found some physical fulfilment with Lady Sackville.⁵³ In one of Emily’s letters to Ned she encourages him to find another woman; his reply was that he couldn’t possibly afford to keep a second woman in the manner which she would deserve.⁵⁴ Emily may have had an affair with Krishnamurti, a much younger Indian man who at one point was considered a messiah among the Theosophists.⁵⁵ However, he was said to have a horror of sex and, while he returned her affection,⁵⁶ they both worked to have a “higher love.”⁵⁷ Whether or not there were affairs, Ned and Emily grew much closer in their later years, particularly in the last decade or so of Ned’s life when his commissions were not as numerous and Emily had lost interest in Theosophy.⁵⁸

Ursula Lutyens was born into this family on the 31^st of October 1904⁵⁹ in London, the middle child of five. She had an older sister, Barbara “Barbie” (1898-1981), an older brother, Robert (1901-1972), and two younger sisters: (Agnes) Elizabeth (1906-1983) and (Edith Penelope) Mary Lutyens (1908-1999).⁶⁰ Barbie and Ursula were close. Not much is said about her relationship with her brother, but that with her younger siblings was marked by squabbling and jealousy of one another. Ursula was widely acknowledged as her father’s favourite, possibly because he found her the least taxing to be with.⁶¹ She was described as “charming” and “talented” as a child.⁶² Also (aged 4) the prettiest of her siblings, and an unredeemable flirt. Her siblings thought her a show-off. ⁶³

The whole family had a deep appreciation for the Nannie. The anniversary of Sleath’s arrival was celebrated each year; they called it her “Nanniversary.”Alice Louisa Sleath was 24 years old when she joined them in 1898; she remained with the family until her death in 1938, aged 64.⁶⁴ Ned, like most men of the day, left child rearing to his wife. Emily, in the usual aristocratic way, left the care of the children to the Nannie.⁶⁵  Nannie Sleath was the most important person to the children.⁶⁶

Sources:

1, Sterk, Sidney, “The Woman Who Cared”, Newcastle Journal, December 29, 1967, p6 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002240/19671229/064/0006.

2. Stamp, Gavin, “Lutyens, Sir Edwin Landseer (1869-1944), in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Vol. 34, Ed. HCG Matthew and Brian Harrison, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2004, 817-825.

3. Lutyens, Mary, Edwin Lutyens by his daughter (London: John Murray, 1985), p ix.

4. Lutyens, p 1.

5. Stamp, p 817.

6. Ridley, Jane. The Architect and His Wife – A Life of Edwin Lutyens (London, Chatto & Windus, 2002) 7-8.

7. Lutyens, p 22.

8. Stamp, p 817.

9. Ridley, p 9.

10. Lutyens, p 22.

11. Lutyens, p 24.

12. Lutyens, pp 27-28.

13. Lutyens, p 65.

14. Lutyens Trust America, “The Life and Legacy of Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944)”, Martin Lutyens, Robin Prater and Jane Ridley, May 10, 2020, Webinar,  3.47 to 3.58, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARILhNz-OJg&t=2489s.

15. Lutyens Trust America, 38:46 to 40:30.

16. Lutyens Trust America, 15:05 to 17:38.

17. Lutyens Trust America, 17:33 to 19:24.

18. Lutyens Trust America, 41:15 to 41:27.

19. Lutyens Trust America, 6:50 to 8:20.

20. Lutyens Trust America, 32:15 to 34:20.

21. Lutyens Trust America, 13:01 to 14:50.

22. Lutyens, p 159.

23. Stamp, p 818.

24. Lutyens, p 28.

25. Stamp, p 818.

26. “Link of 95 Years Broken by Twin’s Death,” Nottingham Journal, September 19, 1936, p 4. https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001898/19360919/090/0004

27. Lutyens, p28.

28. Lutyens, p 49.

29. Lutyens, p 39.

30. Lutyens, p 41.

31. Lutyens, p 56.

32. Lutyens, p 60.

33. Percy, Clayre and Jane Ridley, The Letters of Edwin Lutyens To his wife, Lady Emily, (London:Collins, 1985), p 149.

34. Ridley, pp 148, 307.

35. Lutyens, p 77.

36. Lutyens, p 11.

37. Lutyens, p 77.

38. Lutyens, p 89.

39. Ridley, p 321.

40. Ridley, p 122.

41. Lutyens, p 131.

42. Ridley, pp 110-111.

43. Lutyens, p 59.

44. Percy, p 296.

45. Ridley, 168.

46. Lutyens, p 60.

47. Lutyens, p 191.

48. Ridley, p xi.

49. Lutyens, pp 196.

50. Lutyens, p 155.

51. Ridley, p 247.

52. Lutyens, p 199.

53. Lutyens, p 213.

54. Ridley, p 191.

55. Lutyens, p 122.

56. Lutyens, p 200.

57. Lutyens, p 249.

58. Lutyens, p 61.

59. Stamp, 823.

60. Ridley, p 170.

62. Lutyens, p 148.

63. Ridley, p 170.

64. England, General Register Office, PDF copy of an entry of death, for Alice Louisa Sleath, died 4 Feb. and registered 5 Feb. 1938; a copy of an entry in the certified copy of a register of births in the registration district of St. Marylebone, County of London.

65. Ridley, p 243.

66. Ridley, p 170.

Although slightly outside our usual geographic boundary, Northumberland Archives have recently enjoyed sharing some fantastic images from one of our photographic collections with the residents of Washington, Tyne and Wear. As part of the celebrations for the 60^th anniversary of Washington New Town, we worked alongside Washington Heritage Partnership, Wessington U3A and Washington History Society on a project celebrating Paul Hindmarsh’s images of Washington. 

Paul Hindmarsh worked as a commercial photographer throughout the northeast and his photography collection of 10,000 negatives is held at Northumberland Archives. He captured images of Washington at various stages of the New Town’s development and provided a photography service for the Corporation’s architects.  

As part of the project, we held a series of workshops in the town and invited local history societies and members of the public to view a selection of the Washington images. Attendees were encouraged to share their memories and stories of the New Town’s development and to vote on their favourite images. The most popular images were then turned into a digital exhibition alongside some of the stories that were captured. 

The finished exhibition was on display at Washington Arts Centre and Washington Old Hall. It is also available to watch on Northumberland Archive’s Youtube channel 

Do you have memories of your families’ allotments? Do you have your own? Maybe you started gardening during the lockdown period of the pandemic? That wasn’t the first-time allotments have offered a green escape for us with research from the National Allotments Society showing a significant increase in council allotments during the pandemic (1). In this blog we’re exploring stories which offer a window into how we have utilised allotments for our own well-being in the past.

In conjunction with National Allotments Week, we have been exploring the records we hold about allotments here at Northumberland Archives. Allotments have existed for a long time, dating back to the late Anglo-Saxon/ early medieval period but it wasn’t until the General Enclosure Act of 1845, making it possible for the landless poor to gain ‘field gardens’, that these parcels of land became the allotments which we are so familiar with today. Later, the ‘Small Holdings and Allotments Act’ of 1907 and 1908 made Councils responsible for providing allotments if there was a demand for them (2). This is how many allotments are still run today, but how have the past 100 years shaped their future in the North East of England?

Allotments in War Time

The stories featuring in this blog are taken from the ‘Voices from the North East’ podcast, who kindly donated three recordings about Allotments in Ashington, Northumberland from the 1920s – 1980s. In one episode, Jacqueline shares that her father owned an allotment next to the railway line through Ashington and remembers waving to the passengers on the train from there. She creates an image of her father and the other allotment owners; dressing similarly with caps, corduroy trousers and boots. Some of the owners next to her father were very old and had served during the First World War – she said they would share their stories and she couldn’t believe what they talked about.

During the First World War, allotments gained popularity especially amongst soldiers returning from the front-line. Not only had allotments been encouraged by the government due to food restrictions and rationing but they gave ex-service men the opportunity to process the return home along with traumatic memories. In a registration book of war charities exempted under the 1916 war charities act, the Corbridge Soldiers Allotment Fund was exempted on the 6th of May 1918. Such charities allowed soldiers from with lower incomes to afford the rent and costs of running an allotment.

Jacqueline mentions that the allotments were the pride and joy of many men, and they offered huge community which was very important to them. The podcast creator’s mother talks about her grandfather, in another episode, describing the importance of allotments as a ‘green lung after 12-15 hours down the mine’. Her grandfather owned an allotment on Woodhorn Road during the 1920s where there are still some left today. She recalled he owned a Goose to scare intruders away from the allotment and kept a pig which was very common for the time.

Many allotment owners kept animals for meat including pigs, rabbits and chickens. This was popular from 1920s – 1950s, as the country faced the effects of two world wars and unemployment. During the Second World War there was a huge increase in allotment usage due to more food shortages and rationing. The Dig for Victory Campaign from the government helped create 1.3 million tonnes of food from around 1.5 million allotment plots (2). The government even encouraged the public to keep pigs or join a pig club, a group who bought, fed and looked after pigs, to supplement meat rations (3). Allotments were very important to the war effort with increased food restrictions – the government had the power to cultivate land to create wartime allotments, demonstrated in the council letter pictured below. Charges against allotment related crime could also be very severe. In the Morpeth Herald from the 16^th August 1940, a man was sentenced to three months in prison for stealing food (including two chickens) from an allotment whilst drunk.

Post-war allotments

Towards the end of the Second World War there was concern about the potential decline in allotment use – a short article within the Berwick Advertiser from the 3rd of April 1945 stated that the ‘Chief Executive Officer to the War Agricultural Committee expressed alarm at the increasing number of people who believed that because the end of the war was in sight there was now no necessity for them to continue cultivating their allotments and gardens.’ After the Second World War, many wartime allotments were kept until possession of the land expired, with many keeping permenant allotments throughout the 1950s. In one of the podcast episodes, Neil and Eleanor talk about their father and grandfather having allotments during the 1950s. Eleanor’s dad owned an allotment on Green Lane, Ashington where he kept pigeons but didn’t train them. Many other allotment owners in the North East kept pigeons for racing and formed societies across the region.

Another popular past-time on the allotments in the North East was leek growing. Competitions were held across the region with prizes for the best vegetables in the show. Neil remembers his grandfather’s allotment and that he was a keen leek grower. He recalls Newbiggin allotments being the best protected from ‘leek slashers’ and some men sleeping with their leeks to protect them. He talks about how popular these leek shows were across the North East and jokes ‘it’s the only place your marra (marrow) can win a leek show!’

1970s to present day

With a focus on housing and rebuilding post-war Britain, allotment usage fell into decline, however, usage in the North East along with leek shows and pigeon racing seemed to remain popular. Nationally, the decline slowed during the 1970s with TV shows like the BBC’s ‘The Good Life’ inspiring interest in food production and self-sufficiency (2).

In another episode, the podcast creator’s father talks about owning his allotment in the 1980s, situated behind Hirst High School in Ashington. He wanted to grow organically without chemical interference and discusses the resourcefulness of allotment owners at the time. He says that allotment owners were often innovative and ‘hands on,’ being naturally good at recycling materials. One example given is the use of old windowpanes to replace panels in greenhouses or even build a greenhouse from scratch using them. He also used to attach old doors to the fence around his allotment to prevent too much wind from getting to the plants and they created bedding for plants using old railway sleepers.

It seems since the 1990s there has been a steady increase in allotment usage with waiting lists now more than two years long. Allotments seem more important than ever today with their many benefits to the environment, climate change and mental health. Should we create more space for allotments to secure a greener future? With the theme of allotment’s week being biodiversity, keeping an allotment can not only help your own health and wellbeing but can also create biodiversity for wildlife in the North East, defending us against climate change. The past 100 years have shown an increase in climate change, but according to research by the University of Sheffield, allotment land has declined by 65% since its peak in the 1940s – 1960s (4). Will allotment usage ever reach the level it once did? Can we turn back time to protect our future?

Bibliography:

1. Interest in allotments soars in England during coronavirus pandemic | Allotments | The Guardian
2. The history of allotments | National Science and Media Museum
3. BBC – WW2 People’s War – “Pig Clubs”, Supplementing Meat Rations
4. Urban food cultivation in the United Kingdom: Quantifying loss of allotment land and identifying potential for restoration – ScienceDirect