BERWICK NEWSPAPERS, 1923

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BERWICK ADVERTISER, 27TH APRIL 1923

INQUEST OF THE LATE MARK THOMPSON

VERDICT OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH

In Howick Reading Room of Thursday last Mr Hugh J. Percy, deputy coroner for North Northumberland, held an inquest touching the death of Mark Thompson, whose body was washed up by the sea near Howick on Wednesday morning.

Hector Thompson, of 5 Old Colliery, Scremerston, deposed – I identify the body of deceased as that of my brother, Mark Thompson, late of 7 Derwentwater Terrace, Scremerston, a motor driver, and a single man aged 34 years. I identify the body by reason of a long blue scar on the left leg which he got as the result of an accident about six years ago. He has had no troubles – mental or physical, and he was always healthy and in good spirits. He left Scremerston in charge of a motor lorry bound for Howick on the 21st March. He was dressed in blue overalls. I have never seen him since.

BRO 0515-211 Scremerston, showing colliery in the background

Robert Dixon Gray said – I live at Howick Red Steads. On the 22nd march I was on the highway near to Howick Lodge when I saw a man dressed in blue overalls about 34 years of age, clean shaven, about 9.30 a.m. In answer to his inquiry I directed him to where a wrecked submarine lay on the rocks near to Howick Point. He left me going in that direction. The tide would be low about 11 o’clock. He was quite sober and in normal cheerful spirits.

Benjamin mason said – I am a roadman, and when on the Howick to Craster road about 7 a.m. on the 18th April I looked over on the beach and saw the body of a man lying. He was naked and the head off the body and nowhere to be seen. I gave warning at once to the police. The body was about 15 years below high-water mark. The tide was about half ebb.

P.C. A Robertson, Longhoughton, said :- I was informed at 11p.m. on the 23rd March that Mark Thompson was missing from Howick Red Steads, and that he had left his work the previous day to go and see the submarine. I searched the submarine but found nothing. On the 16th April the overalls (produced) were washed up on the beach near to Howick Point. I examined the body on receipt of the report and found the headless body of a man with a scar on the left leg. The body was bruised but had no serious wounds. The right hand was off.

Reference; OS 1st ED ROLL 7 Howick, showing Howick Red Stead.

The Coroner reviewed the evidence up to the finding of the body, headless, one hand off, and battered about by the sea and rocks. That body was identified to his complete satisfaction by reason of a scar on the left leg, as being that of Mark Thompson. That was all, really, that they knew about the case, or probably could ever be told. The utmost he could do was to infer from the evidence, and piece together, probabilities of what had happened. There were three alternatives; one was that Mark Thompson had met his death by foul play through the agency of some person, but he (Mr Percy) saw no probability of any such thing having occurred, and in any case, Thompson was a man who probably could hold his own in any interference with any person. There were also the alternatives of accident and suicide. Mental troubles or physical troubles did not apply in the least to Mark Thompson. He was cheery and of happy disposition. That was borne out by the witness Gray, who told them that he was cheerful and in normal spirits when he left him to go and see the submarine. They knew the position of the submarine; they knew there were dangers, and they knew how fierce and terrible were the suctions and currents of the sea at that particular place, and he did not think he would be erring if he drew the following inference from the evidence :- That in trying to get aboard, or being aboard, he slipped off, and was perhaps stunned or hurt and was unable to get up, and was sucked under the water and drowned.

A verdict was returned that “deceased was accidentally drowned whilst inspecting a wrecked submarine at Howick Rocks on 22nd March 1923.”

MEDICAL OFFICER’S QUARTERLY REPORT

In his report for the quarter ended 31st March, 1923, the Medical Officer (Dr P. W. Maclagan) stated:- There were registered during the period 63 births and 32 deaths, giving a birth rate of 20.48 and a death rate of 10.33. This is a higher birth rate and a lower death rate than the previous quarter and compared with the quarter ended March of last year we have 19 fewer births and 25 fewer deaths. The exceptionally low death rate for this quarter is a good start for 1923. Twenty-one patients were admitted to hospital during the quarter. These consisted of 19 borough patients, viz., 14 scarlet fever, 4 diphtheria, and 1 encephalitis lethargica, and 2 patients (one scarlet fever) and one (diphtheria) from Norham and Islandshire district. All the scarlet fever and diphtheria patients have made good recoveries. The case of encephalitis lethargica is the first of the kind reported in this borough. This patient was a roadman chiefly employed on the Paxton road. He had been admitted in the first instance to the Infirmary for observation and treatment, but when the nature of his illness became evident, he was transferred on the 10th March to the Isolation Hospital. Encephalitis lethargica is a notifiable infectious disease and was therefore removed to the Isolation Hospital. It is only very slightly infectious, and no further cases need be anticipated. Three months ago, there were one or two cases of smallpox in Northumberland, and I considered it advisable to make chickenpox notifiable in order that I might be in a position to receive notice of any suspicious case. There have been no fresh cases of smallpox in the County and I do not think it necessary to continue this precaution.

BERWICK PETTY SESSION’S

CHILDREN’S COURT – WEDNESDAY

Before D. H. W. Askew, G. N. Broadbent, Chas. Forsyth, Theo. Bolus. Esqs., and Miss Henderson.

A Berwick boy who has been remanded on two occasions on a charge of discharging a catapult on the Walls and was detained for certification under the Mental Deficiency Act, again appeared before the bench. The boy, who was accompanied by his father, sobbed bitterly during the hearing.

The Superintendent outlined the case and said since last Court he had written to the Committee of the Feeble-Minded Colony at Prudhoe Hall, enclosing the certificate from Dr Caverhill, which had been previously presented to the Bench. Mr Mitchell, the representative of the Committee, was now present and would be prepared to give the bench any further information.

The father of the boy asked permission to give the bench certain information in the course of which he said, while his son was at school, he (witness) had not been satisfied with what he was learning. He went to the school and saw the former headmaster, Mr O’Connell, who put the boy on a form and made him read from a book. The boy read what he was told to read all right. Mr O’Connell said the boy was doing all right. Even when Mr Johnston was headmaster witness was told that the boy was ding fairly well. Still witness was not satisfied with what the boy had picked up. He could hardly write his name, or say his a.b.c’s. It was entirely due to the serious accident he had sustained 11 years ago at Haddington when his skull was fractured.

Reference: OS 3RD ED 102 NW Section showing Prudhoe Hall, c.1924

Mr Bolus – You told us at a previous court the boy had learned nothing, yet you tell us now that the teachers were satisfied with him.

Witness – That was what Mr O’Connell told me.

Mr Bolus – Your statement today is contradicting what you said then.

Witness – What I meant was that the boy had not learned as he should have learned, all through his accident.

The Superintendent – But you agree to the boy going to this home.

Witness- I think it will be the best thing for him, but his mother is very cut up about it.

The Superintendent – I quite understand her feelings, but you agree it will be for his good to go there.

Mr Mitchell, of the Prudhoe Hall Colony, read Dr Caverhill’s certificate which stated that he had attended the boy at Haddington over nine years ago after a serious accident. This accident, in Dr Caverhill’s opinion, was the direct cause of the boy’s mental condition, which he found to be deficient. In his opinion the boy was not responsible for his actions.

Inrepky to a question by the Chairman, the father said he was prepared to contribute 4s per week towards the boy’s keep at Prudhoe Hall, the figure mentioned by Mr Mitchell.

Miss Henderson and Mr Askew assured the father that the boy would have every chance at Prudhoe, which was charmingly situated and had very fine grounds. In addition to being taught a trade the boy would get plenty opportunity for sport, cricket, football, etc. Miss Henderson kindly offered to have a talk with the boy’s mother and tell how well he would be looked after there, and that every facility would be given for his parents to see him from time to time. The bench made the necessary order for the boy to go to Prudhoe Hall and dismissed the charge of discharging stones from a catapult.

‘Bettering your lot.’ Applying for jobs in 1920s Northumberland 

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The modern process of applying for jobs can be an involved affair. It may include fashioning a slick looking CV that boasts of your many impressive accomplishments. You may be expected to upload a detailed application form to an online portal that outlines exactly how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the job advert. This may all be overseen by team of dedicated HR staff who will summon those luckily enough to be chosen to an interview, requiring preparation and a smartly pressed suit. However, if you were a fencer, mason or caretaker seeking to better your position in 1920s Northumberland, you could expect a somewhat more straightforward procedure. 

Within the uncatalogued records of the Baker-Cresswell estate archive at Northumberland Archives we recently came across three folders of applications for situations vacant at one of the family’s properties, Harehope Hall near Eglingham. Harehope hall was built in 1848 by the Cresswell family and originally served as a hunting lodge. On the 12th of January 1924, the Newcastle Journal published an advert for an Estate Mason for Harehope. Two years later, on the 12th of April, the estate required a Caretaker, and then two years later again, an ‘Experienced Fencer’ was required. The number of applicants varied for each job; there were between 20 and 30 applications for each of the positions of mason and fencer in 1924/1926, and in 1928 there were 47 applicants for caretaker. In each case, jobseekers were required to send a simple letter of application to the estate office. 

The letters in these files offer a fascinating insight into many aspects of life in 1920s Britain; how skilled labourers and the working class approached applications for employment and what were seen as attractive qualities for such positions in the eyes of those that applied for them. With the benefit of hindsight, we can also examine the material to look for evidence of the economic situation of the country in general.  

Although worse was to come in the 1930s, Britain experienced record levels of unemployment throughout the 1920s following the end of the First World War. For the period covering these letters of 1924-28, the unemployment rate remained at over 10% which was the highest level that the industrialised UK had yet seen, as many returning soldiers from the front struggled to find a means of income following demobilisation. There are hints at this economic uncertainty within the job applications, as several of the writers state they have been out of work for an extended period following military service and would be very keen to start work as soon as possible, even within the next few days. Although this heightened level of financial anxiety is certainly evident in some of letters, they rarely demonstrate an out-and-out desperation and, overall, this collection does not paint a picture of a country or region in the grip of economic turmoil; the majority of applicants are currently in employment at the time of writing and are mostly seeking to better their lot.  

All three of the adverts requested that applicants stated the wage they would require on application and for each position a similar range is evident. The most modest figure requested was a mere £1 a week, roughly equivalent to £40 in today’s money. At the other end of the scale, the highest that some applicants ventured was for £3 a week – roughly £123 today, with most requests at around £2 plus. It is worth noting that accommodation was provided for at least both the caretaker and fencer positions which may have had a bearing on the wages requested, but it does seem likely that there was a set salary band that this type or tradesman of the period would expect.  

For modern jobseekers, the ability to enthusiastically explain that you are the perfect fit for the vacancy in question is usually an important part of an application; setting out your skillset, boasting about your accomplishments or explaining how you have approached a challenging task with resourcefulness and ingenuity are all common exercises. However, for our Northumbrian skilled labourers of the 1920s, this was obviously seen as less of an essential part of the application. In terms of skills or abilities, most of the letters simply stated in plain language what the applicant did as a trade and where they had worked previously. Nearly all either included references or offered to supply them later, but very few candidates attempted to make themselves stand out from the rest of the field. One man suggested he was ‘always willing to do the best he can to satisfy [my] employer’ and another proudly promised his hours of work to be 7am to 5pm. However only one candidate gave what could be considered an example of his inventiveness; in a previous role, he explained, he had ‘fences to put up in land so soft you could not pull the wire and we had the joists to make especially for the job’. In fact, if a candidate did feel inclined to talk highly of themselves it was more likely to be on matters of character or moral fibre than practical ability; several of the letters bragged of being sober or a ‘total abstainer’ and a handful talked of their churchgoing habits. 

Although details of the duties involved in the three roles are relatively sparse, the advertisement for the role of caretaker at Harehope Hall offers an interesting glimpse into changing trends in British living conditions in the early 21st Century. In 1919, 6% of UK homes had the luxury of wired electricity. By 1930, this had shot up to 75%. The ability to oversee the running of this new luxury was now seen as a core responsibility of the role of caretaker, and so the job advert specifically requested someone who could ‘run the electric light.’ Many of the applicants confidently stated they could manage this task without giving much in the way of evidence or experience. One man explained that he had worked with dynamos as a ‘sea-going engineer’ in the Navy whilst several others admitted they had had little experience with electricity but, optimistically, could ‘manage with a lesson or two.’ 

One aspect of the recruitment process which seems not to have changed much in 100 years is the wide range of suitability and employability of hopeful applicants. On paper, many of those who replied to the advertisements seem well suited to the positions, but it does seem apparent that several were likely chancing their arm. One applicant for the role of mason went to great lengths in describing his career in French polishing, another prospective caretaker had clearly spent a large part of his working life as a chauffeur, and an applicant for the fencing job was very keen to tell of his successes in local hedge-cutting competitions. Despite the number of seemingly suitable applicants, A.H. Ridley of the Cresswell Estate Office did try to head-hunt some preferred staff, offering the role of Fencer to a gentleman who politely turned it down due to being in contract at Eton Manor until 1929. However, Ridley did eventually land a suitable candidate; after requesting a reference from M.A. Coates of Haggerston Castle, the role appears to have been offered to a well-qualified applicant, who, according to his previous employer, was ‘a very good man. He is very good and laying thorn hedges and can also mend dry stone walls and do any work on the Estate.’ 

References 

https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/everyday-wonders/electric-lighting-home#:~:text=It%20took%20time%20for%20the,the%20end%20of%20the%201930s.

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency-converter/

https://escoe-website.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/17145130/Denman-and-Macdonald-LMT-1996-Unemployment-Statistics-from-1881-to-the-present-day.pdf

Alderman Margery Taylor OBE: A Woman Ahead of Her Time

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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 post more blog content from the project over the coming months.

Margery Taylor was born on 11th January 1883 at Chipchase Castle. She was the second child of Mona and Thomas Taylor. Her father Thomas was a wealthy mine owner and was also a County Alderman and a magistrate. Her mother Mona was a campaigner for women’s suffrage.

There is no doubt that Margery had a privileged childhood. The 1891 census records a long list of staff at Chipchase including a governess who would have been responsible for Margery’s education. Her mother’s involvement in the campaign for women’s rights begs the question did she support her daughter’s education outside the home? 

In 1934 Margery was elected to Northumberland County Council representing the ward of Humshaugh. Northumberland County Council was established on 1st April 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888. It was preceded by a number of district councils. For most of the twentieth century Northumberland’s County Hall was situated within an enclave of Northumberland in the Moot Hall precincts within the County Borough of Newcastle upon Tyne where Margery would have attended meetings. In 1974, when Newcastle became part of Tyne and Wear, the leaders of the Country Council decided they needed a purpose built County Hall in the country of Northumberland. The new building in Morpeth opened in 1981.

Throughout her long career in local government she served on and chaired various committees. There is a recurring theme to the purpose of the committees Margery sat on. They set out to improve the health and welfare of the people of Northumberland. In 1935 to 1936 Margery sat on the Public Health Committee, the Blind Persons Committee, Maternity and Public Assistance. The following year she added Finance to her list and in 1938, West Guardians and Vagrancy committees.

In addition to the above, in 1935 she was the treasurer of The Northern Women’s Hospital in Jesmond and was still in that role in 1942. The hospital was founded by Ethel Williams, the first female G.P. in Newcastle. Dr. Williams was active in the Suffrage Movement and was a friend and supporter of Margery’s mother, Mona. While I have found no evidence that Margery was actively involved in the Suffrage Movement she fought the battle for women’s rights from another standpoint, using her influence on the County Council to work for the provision of better health and maternity care in Northumberland.

In 1931, before her election to the council she became a magistrate and continued to sit as a magistrate alongside her work on the council until her death.

As if all of that wasn’t enough to occupy her time Margery became a County Alderman in 1938. Aldermen were senior members of a county council chosen by other councillors. Aldermen were equal in status to the mayor and were elected for a term of six years but could be re- appointed to serve further terms.

Until 1938 Margery continued to live at Chipchase Castle. After the death of her father, she moved to Osborne Road in Jesmond in Newcastle where she shared a house with her younger sister, Violet.  

In the 1940’s Margery added a raft of new committees to her portfolio; Civil Defence, Joint Planning, Water Supply, the Joint Hospitals Committee and the Midwifery and General Nursing Sub- Committee.

The minutes of the Public Assistance Committee for 10th June 1942 revealed that Tynemouth Public Assistance Committee had requested increased Maternity provision at Preston Hospital. Miss Taylor, the chair of the committee, said “ that it was most undesirable at the time and that the hospital block at Thomas Taylor Homes could be adapted for use as a maternity ward capable of accommodating all the county cases at the Preston Emergency Hospital and possibly some of the Tynemouth cases as well for the duration of the war.”

Margery moved to Ellwood House at Barassford near Hexham in 1947. The grade ll listed building had been, at one point in its history, an orphanage and is part of the Chipchase Estate. 

In1947, the Central Midwives Board approved a national uniform for midwives. The approximate cost of the full uniform was £35.00. The seven domiciliary midwives employed by Northumberland county received an annual uniform allowance of £12.00. At that time five of these midwives required a complete renewal of their uniforms and two would require renewal before September 1948. Margery and Councillor Mrs Cookson formed the Maternity and Child Welfare sub committee which was set up in 1947 to ascertain the views of midwives as a result it was decided to increase the uniform allowance to £16.00 per year.

Taking the place of Alderman Garrow who was unwell Margery also carried out an inspection at Dilston Hall Maternity Hospital. Her signed report still exists and is held in the Northumberland Archives. It had been proposed that a bathroom which was used by pre-natal patients should be transferred to the use of the staff. If that proposal was approved the patients would have a long walk to a bathroom at the opposite end of the building. Margery recommended that the bathroom should be retained for the use of the patients and another bathroom should be found for the staff. 

Her reputation had also spread far beyond Northumberland. The British Journal of Nursing in August 1936 commented. “We commend to the attention of Public Assistance Committees of all County Councils the proposals made by the Public Assistance Committee of Northumberland County Council and which have been approved by the council. It is proposed to erect several village group buildings whereby aged people shall be able to live almost as if in their own homes. The Chairman of the Public Assistance Committee Miss Margery Taylor deplores the present method of housing people in communal buildings.” 

These are only two of many examples of the compassion and pragmatism Margery displayed throughout her career. Her tireless work for the welfare of the people of Northumberland was recognised in 1944 when she was awarded an OBE in the Birthday Honours List that year. 

After a life dedicated to public service Margery died at Ellwood House on 27th August 1957 having served on the council for 24 years. 

In the minutes of the Midwifery and General Nursing Committee on November 5th 1957 the Chairman mentioned Margery’s death. As a mark of respect the committee members stood in silence in their places.

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