One of my lockdown tasks has been to edit the list of Delaval papers that another of our team has been data inputting. This task has reminded me of a document that I found within the Delaval collection a little while ago.  The Delaval family owned land in Northumberland from the 11^th century. In 1717 Admiral George Delaval purchased the Seaton estate from another family member Sir John Delaval and he and his heirs began to develop the estate building Seaton Delaval Hall and developing coalmines, copperas works, farmland, glassworks and saltpans. The document was drawn up in 1807 and is entitled “List of Persons Inhabitants of Hartley Suspected of Lodging Vagrants, Making Salt or of Selling Smuggled Spirits” (ref: 2DE/8/6/8).

We learn at the end of the document that a party comprising “Mr. Faulder exciseman, Mr. Ochiltree, Mr. P. Forster, Mr. Townson and Jno. Bryers’ had undertaken a tour of properties on the estate making notes of properties visited and observations about the residents. John Bryers, John Ochiltree and Robert Townson were all agents of the Delaval family and their correspondence reporting on estate matters can be found within the Delaval papers in our custody. Forster may be Paul Forster who was engaged as a viewer at Hartley Colliery. It is further noted that ‘the constable was not at home and Thos. Taylor the miller being one of the Overseers of the Poor was sent for but engaged that he could not go round with us”.

The document lists by name forty four residents – of these it was believed that twenty five residents were either making salt or strongly suspected of doing so. Salt was produced by boiling seawater or brackish water (water that has less salinity than seawater but more than freshwater). The visiting party were therefore looking for evidence of boiling water in pots to produce salt. Interestingly some of the occupants of the properties visited appeared not to be at home – “door locked” was noted on several occasions. Where this was the case the party appeared to look through a window for evidence of wrongdoing. For example, it is noted that in Fold Yard “Jno. Rhode’s wife – door locked saw a pot on the fire through the window & supposed she & the family were in’. Why was the party so concerned about alleged saltmaking? One of the sources of revenue for the estate was the Hartley salt pans. Preparing salt at home was perceived as depriving the estate of an asset – in effect stealing from the estate. In addition, a tax was payable on the production of salt – Salt Tax introduced under the Salt Act of 1702. The tax was prohibitive and led to widespread salt smuggling and it may be that this home salt production was not just for personal use. 

As well as naming the residents visited the document also lists some occupations. Nineteen occupations are recorded – eight pitmen, five widows, one carpenter, one engraver, one paper bag maker, one tailor, one waggonman and a sailor. The entry regarding the latter is interesting.  We learn that “Richardson” is “on board a Ship of War lived here last year as a pitman, but taken hold of by Parish Officers from about Morpeth for having a former wife living …”. Not all residents were obtaining an income via legal means. William Brodie, a tailor, is suspected of having sold smuggled gin as is “Widow Todd”. The notes record Brodie and Todd were informed “that if this practice continued they would certainly be detected and could expect no compassion from the Excise Laws as Government was determined to make examples”. Two further residents James Davidson and Nanny Neilson are suspected of being involved in the smuggling of gin from Bedlington. It is further inferred that Nanny Neilson is the ringleader here – “He is a quiet & tolerable good workman – but she is of a violent & wicked disposition, and the fault not supposed to be his”. 

There are further interesting observations. Two of the forty four residents are noted as having disabilities. Nicholas Watson is blind and Dolly Taylor is lame. Dolly Taylor is described as a “decent person”. However not all residents are viewed so generously. William Grey is noted as keeping “a poor dirty house & children” and Pringle’s widow of keeping “a very dirty family & house”. John Jackson is noted as a good workman but his home is also reported as dirty.  

As part of our shutdown tasks I have been working on an extensive catalogue with the reference 2DE. This catalogue contains estate records of Seaton and Ford Estates, which were the property of the Delaval family. As I have been typing, Sir John Hussey Delaval, whose seat was at Delaval Hall and his family, properties, servants and other people who worked for him have come to life. The time period that these records covered was around 1750s to early 1800s. 

John Hussey Delaval (17 March 1728 – 17 May 1808) was the 1st Baron Delaval and is buried in St. Paul’s Chapel, Westminster Abbey. He was a well-known landowner and politician. Threaded throughout these records was his life as a politician serving as a Member of Parliament for Berwick upon Tweed. 

The early records that I started with looked into the Seaton and Ford Estates, Northumberland. They show farm accounts, such as labour costs and rents of the many properties of John Hussey Delaval.

2DE begins around 1755, giving me insight into the great importance, extensive and often costly development of Seaton Harbour at Seaton Sluice and its connections to the works at Hartley Collieries, Hartley Bottleworks, salt industry and others. This extensive collection contains evidence about the development and improvement of fire engines for the collieries, machines for raising stones from the harbour amongst others.

Papers and letters in the collection tell of the taking and ransom of one of John Hussey Delaval’s ships ‘The Seaton Sluice’ in 1782. The ship was taken by the Dutch Privateer, Goed Verwagting and was eventually released after taking the Mate, John Hails, was taken hostage. He was held until a payment between the captains of the two ships was made and then he was released.

Other documents from 1797-1799 told of anti-invasion arrangements and the formation of a local volunteer force to protect the coast against privateers. During this time, on 20 June 1796, the French even captured a bottle sloop. 

Further into 2DE gives me an idea of what day to day life was like for the Delaval family. The cataloguing is now moving onto the accounts and inventories of the various houses and properties owned or rented by the Delaval family.  As well as here in Northumberland, they also had properties in Lincolnshire, Surrey and London.  The ordering of furniture makers, masons, and joiners for improvements and maintenance are documented.  Bundles of vouchers show listings of personal and household expenses such as wine, fishmongers, china ware, stationery, and parties. One of the most memorable is a locksmith’s bill in 1761 ‘for cutting 3 screws for a waggon that goes without horses ’. 

A sad entry 2DE/23/5, includes an account for funeral expenses of John Hussey Delaval’s daughter, Mrs. Sophia Jadis, 1755-1793.

This week I will be continuing to delve into the records of the Delavals once more recording the ups and downs, trials and tribulations, the fortunes and losses of the family and their estates.

Sir John Hussey Delaval

In August 1873, a Northumberland shepherd made his way from the Cheviots to the Cleveland Hills in North Yorkshire, with a beautiful drove of white lambs. Accompanied by his faithful collie, they crossed the Tyne at Shields by steam ferry. On arrival, the lambs sniffed the unfamiliar air of a manufacturing town. Suddenly, surrounded by a cloud of dense black smoke, their frolicking came to a sudden halt. This was a new world, this was not home! The lambs made their escape! The streets were suddenly filled with bleating fluffy clouds on legs dashing in all directions. The collie pursued the lambs the best it could, bounding and running, turning and driving. It finally got them all into one flock and brought them to the presence of his master. At the first count it appeared one of the flock was missing and the shepherd raised a cry in the collie’s ear. Away he ran to find the missing lamb but in his absence, the drove was actually found to be complete. 

By the time the autumn sun had set the shepherd still had four miles to go before resting his weary charge. The dog was nowhere in sight. He has searched the town for the supposed missing lamb and had returned late at night to the ferry in search of his master. Men came and went and the dog checked each in turn but the shepherd did not appear. Weak and hungry, he finally settled down for the night.

The collie lingered around the same spot for days, weeks then months refusing comfort, growling at consolation and setting his teeth at the kindest efforts to win him from his despair. He seemed to have a notion that any interest in his welfare, whether it be generous sympathy or substantial food, was almost like a bribe to induce him to forget his former life and enter the service of a new friend. For a full six months his independent spirit scorned all patronage. Offerings of food were laid his way but often he prefered to seek out scraps on the shore and provide for himself. 

The lonely canine became known as Wandering Willie. Night and day he began to travel on the ferry searching for his master. One night the poor beast was thrown overboard when the tide was high. He strove against death and by some miracle he survived the waves!! He was seen a week later, resuming his search. The Shepherd returned the following autumn having heard of the dog’s long lonely wanderings but sadly missed him and could not recover him on that journey. 

Willie was frequently taken home by friendly butchers and farmers as he had awakened the widest sympathy by his devotion. However, in a week or two, he would break away from their care to renew his solitary life. When the close of 1874 drew near, there was a general doubt that he would survive the winter. His frame was slight and he had been reduced to a ‘ruckle of bones’. Luckily the dog began to respond to the kindness shown by people and gradually his glossy black coat returned and the ring around his neck was restored to white. He was even seen to finally wag his tail! Food was accepted more readily with expressions of gratitude. He did not however lighten his labours and pursued them with added energy and zeal. His daily and nightly wanderings in search of his old friend went forward as earnestly as ever. 

Willie became known far and wide and people both rich and poor would try to feed him. He became gloriously fat and very possessive; he began to growl at every dog that crossed on the ferry. On reaching land he claimed the right of being ‘first man out’ and would bark furiously as a proclamation that he had brought all the passengers safely over the water. This he did for several years. Local street children would join Willie, but, sadly, this resulted in such commotion that the poor dog and his ragamuffin comrades were banished from the locality of the landing place. 

After his banishment, Willie was often still seen on the streets of Shields with Ralph the local Ferryman. Blindness and infirmities quickly gathered upon him and at last in 1880, old age ended his wanderings. To commemorate the animal’s fidelity, Ralph had Willie stuffed and mounted and placed behind glass in the Turk’s Head pub in Tynemouth.