“Weariness of the world, and a longing desire to merit transference to a better, through a persistent course of austerity and sacrifice, have disposed many pious individuals, in all ages and countries, and of every rank in life, to retire from the neighbourhood of their fellow-men, and take up their solitary abode in desert places” **

Whilst self-isolation may be a new phenomena to many, people have chosen to take themselves off to remote corners of Northumberland and live as hermits or recluses for centuries. Some of these stories have been captured in ‘The Monthly Chronicle of North-Country Lore and Legends’.

Cuthbert, monk and later saint, was a seventh-century hermit, who built himself a walled ‘cell’ on the Farne Islands so that all he could see was heaven. 

The Hermitage in the parish of St John Lee near Hexham was a retreat for John of Beverley, one time bishop of Hexham and then York, when he retired from ‘his apostolic labours of evangelising the Anglican pagans’.

It was believed that following the Reformation there were no hermits living in Northumberland, although there were instances of recluses: 

William Pettigrew was employed at Walbottle Colliery in the mid-eighteenth century. He built a hut using brushwood in Walbottle Dene near the turnpike road running from Newcastle to Carlisle. He lived there with his family, and was nicknamed ‘Willie of the Wood’. Curiosity led to many people visiting and he welcomed them, especially on Sundays and holidays. He sold bread, cheese and refreshments; the income allowed him and his family to live more comfortably. As a result, his sons were able to maintain a better position in society; one joined the army and reached the rank of lieutenant, the other became a Methodist preacher.

Macfarlane, a Scottish besom-maker, made brooms which he sold to the local gentry for their stables. He sought permission from Mr Bryan Burrell of Broom Park for some land near Lemmington Burn in Rimside Moor to build a shed where he could make his brooms. This was agreed, he slept there overnight and built a small garden with flowers and vegetables. Passing gentry would listen to his tales and he was always happy to help passer-bys with directions. After a while he asked for more land to build a lumber yard which he fenced off; with the addition of some pigs he became self-sufficient. He lived like this for twenty-one years ‘squatting’. When a contested election occurred, he travelled down to Alnwick to vote. No objections to his vote were received “and so, from that day till his death, the besom-maker of Rimside Moor was virtually a freeholder of Northumberland”.

** quote taken from The Monthly Chronicle of North-Country Lore and Legend Vol 5, 1891, p.302

One of the tasks we are able to complete from home during lockdown is the typing up of old lists. Many of our collections are catalogued, but were done so so long ago that the catalogues only exist in a paper format. This means that if people are able to visit our search room they can search the collection and identify useful material within it, but it’s more difficult for our remote users and people unable to visit, which is currently everyone, of course. So, by typing up the lists we can upload them into our electronic system. They can then be searched online, although, of course, the material itself remains only in its original format in the strongrooms.

One such list I have recently been typing up is the Orde family of Nunnykirk papers. The Ordes were a relatively well-to-do eighteenth-century family from the Morpeth area. One prominent member of the family was Admiral Sir John Orde. He had a successful Navy career and was governor of Dominica, in the Carribean, between 1783 and 1793. But, he is perhaps best remembered today for his quarrel with Horatio Nelson. In actual fact, Orde doesn’t appear to have had any issue with Nelson, more so with his superiors who appointed Nelson over him, Orde felt unfairly. So much so, that Orde actually challenged his commanding officer, John Jervis, to a duel. The offer was never accepted and was ultimately withdrawn. Frustratingly, the collection only has a few items relating to Sir John Orde’s naval career.

However, a large section of the papers relate to a great interest of the Orde family, horse breeding. Sir John Orde’s half brother, William Orde, owned an estate at Nunnykirk and his son, also William Orde, greatly renovated it and rebuilt Nunnykrik Hall. The Orde’s employed John Dobson to design the new building. William also established a stud farm and he and his nephew enjoyed huge success breeding racehorses. 

One of their most successful horses, mentioned in the collection several times, was called Beeswing. Her success brought with it huge popularity. She competed in fifty-seven races and was placed lower than second only once. She even won the Ascot Gold Cup of 1842. She won the Newcastle Cup a total of six times and was put out to pasture after winning the Doncaster Cup for the fourth time. Beeswing was so famous that a small village in Dumfries and Galloway actually changed its name from Lochend to Beeswing in her honour.

Hopefully making the catalogue of this collection available online will allow people to explore the papers with greater ease and uncover more about these, and other stories of the Orde family of Nunnykirk.