The search room at Woodhorn will be closed on Saturday 6/6/26

BERWICK BOROUGH ARCHIVES CATALOGUE SECTIONS – PART ONE

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The Berwick Borough Archives is a wonderful and informative collection of records covering over 500 years of the town’s history . It is housed at the Berwick Record Office which operates as part of Northumberland Archives. An online catalogue for the collection has now gone live on the Northumberland Archives website – https://northumberlandarchives.com/test/catalogue/ .

To make the most of this online catalogue, the various sections it contains are listed below as a guide for use. If you are not sure what you are looking for, go to ADVANCED SEARCH in the catalogue and simply enter BA* in the Ref No field and put a word or phrase in the “Any text” field at the bottom to see what results appear. Otherwise, you can refine your search by limiting it to a specific section as listed below . As there are so many sections, this blog will be in two parts.   

CATALOGUE SECTIONS

The catalogue has been divided into the following sections :  

BA/A    CHARTERS – the town still bases some of its privileges today (electing a Mayor, holding markets) on the royal charters granted by the Crown. The earliest surviving charter in the collection is 1415 and the most recent 1604, granted by King James I of England.

Charter granted to the Borough by Queen Mary, 1554. Reference: BA/A/2/3/6

BA/B    BERWICK AND TWEEDMOUTH BURIAL BOARDS – As both Berwick and Tweedmouth Parish churchyards were becoming full , new civic cemeteries were open in 1856 and 1858 respectively. This section contains burial registers for both cemeteries, plot purchase registers and also registers of graves. Both cemeteries are divided into consecrated and unconsecrated sections. The consecrated ground was for the Church of England and the unconsecrated for other religions including Presbyterian, Methodist and Roman Catholic.

Berwick Civic Cemetery Burial Register, Unconsecrated, 1905. Reference: BA/B/1/2/24
Plan of Berwick Civic Cemetery with plot numbers, c. 1856. Reference: BA/B/1/7/1

BA/C    BERWICK-UPON-TWEED TOWN COUNCIL – From 1835 to 1974  Berwick, Tweedmouth and Spittal were governed by an elected Council. Their records cover many different facets of life and administration of the town including :

BA/C/BT – Borough Treasurer records including annual accounts of how the Town Council spent their money.

BA/C/CC – Council and Committees, including minutes of full Council and committees. The Town Council had various committees including Watch (Police ); Works (buildings); finance; schools and education.

Berwick Town Council minute book entry, 1836. Reference : BA/C/CC/1/1 p 12 and Berwick Town Council minutes, 1948. Reference : BA/C/CC/2/4/42

BA/C/ED – Education –  Berwick ran its own Education Authority until 1920 After that it was amalgamated with Northumberland County Council’s Education Authority.  This section includes information on individual schools in Berwick, Tweedmouth and Spittal, teachers employed, construction of new schools (Spittal, Tweedmouth West and Bell Tower ) and minutes of the Education Authority.

Berwick Education Committee Standing Orders 1908. Reference: BA/C/ED/1/4
Corporation Academy Prize Day Timetable, 1914. Reference: BA/C/ED/10/3/8

BA/C/GA – Gaol – After 1835, the Borough was told that the Gaol in the Town Hall was no longer suitable and that they would need to build a new one. This was finally built in Wallace Green and opened at the end of November 1849. This new Gaol only operated between 1849 and 1878 and subsequently became the Council Offices. This section Includes plans of the building and dietaries for prisoners.  

Elevation of proposed Gaol in Berwick, 1844. Reference: BA/C/GA/1/11

BA/C/PL – Planning – The Council was responsible for approving  the erection and alteration of buildings. Building applications from the early 1900s to 1974 are found in this section and include individual houses and public buildings.

Building plan of proposed Police Station in Church Street, 1899. Reference: BA/C/PL/2/94

BA/C/ PO – Police –  Berwick had its own Police Force until 1921, separate from Northumberland. This section includes police pay sheets, notebooks of individual policemen, wanted/reward posters sent to the Police force and also registers of events reported at the Police Station.

Wanted Poster for Alexander Smith Fleming, 1897. Reference: BA/C/PO/15/1/46
Berwick Borough Police Paysheet,1895. Reference: BA/C/PO/12/23

BA/C/SA – Urban Sanitary Authority –  From 1850, following a report from the Local Board of Health, Berwick Urban Sanitary Authority was established with responsibility for all issues relating to public health and housing. Their duties became subsumed into the Town Council in the 1920s. Their records include minute books; licences and information on water and sewage schemes and licences for cowkeepers.

Plan of Properties in Wallace Green in Local Board of Health Report, 1850. Reference: BA/C/SA/3/1/7

BA/C/TC – Town Clerk – The Town Clerk’s department was the administrative hub of the Council. Their records include the Borough Secretary files which cover many facets of life in the town from the 1920s to 1974. These include the construction of Berwick War Memorial; Berwick and the Second World War; conservation of buildings and construction of social housing.

Waste Paper notice in Salvage file, 1942. Reference: BA/C/TC/4/3/19

BA/F    BERWICK GUILD OF FREEMEN AND TRUSTEES – POST 1835 – After this date, the Guild of Freemen no longer governed the town and created their own series of records separate to the Town Council. This section includes papers concerning  admission to the Freedom (by birthright and honorary) as well as papers relating to the Guild and the Freemen Trustees who were set up after 1926 to administer the Freemen’s Estate.

Application form for Honorary Freedom after First World War submitted by George Bell, 1920s. Reference : BA/F/2/4/4/16
Honorary Freedom Admission book – entry for Thomas Houliston Lawson, 1901. Reference: BA/F/2/4/3

To see the entries for any of these sections enter the section number and * in the electronic catalogue, e.g. BA/C/SA*

Berwick Borough Archives Catalogue Sections Part Two to follow.

” I don’t remember anything….”

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A few years ago, I wrote a blog about the Sun Inn murders in Bedlington using the inquest report and witness statements held by NorthumberlandArchives. 

https://northumberlandarchives.com/test/2016/06/09/the-sun-inn-murders/   

In 2018, I wrote another piece about the funerals of the victims

 https://northumberlandarchives.com/test/2018/04/13/funerals-of-the-sun-inn-murder-victims-1913/

Over Easter, I visited the graves of the three victims, and it inspired me to write a final blog about the tragedy. 

On 15th April 1913, James Wood Irons, owner of The Sun Inn public house in Bedlington went to the premises to terminate the employment of his manager John Vickers Amos due to deficiencies in stock and takings. Irons had with him Richard Grice who he intended to make his new tenant manager. Richard’s wife Sarah was also present. After much agitation and anger at being told that he would not be entitled to his bond/deposit, Amos produced a gun resulting in the horrific murders of three innocent people. P.C. George Bertram Mussell (30) Sergeant Andrew Barton (40) and Mrs Sarah Ellen Fenwick Grice (33). John Vickers Amos fled but was captured and arrested the same day.  

Grave of Sarah Ellen Fenwick Grice, Seghill Holy Trinity
Memorial to Andrew Barton & George Bertram Mussell, Bedlington Civil Cemetery

The Morpeth Herald covered the court case which was held at the Northumberland Summer Assizes on 2-3rd July 1913. The indictment charged John Vickers Amos with the murder of Sergeant Barton, P.C. Mussell and Mrs Grice, but the prosecution only proceeded on the count charging him with the murder of Sergeant Barton.  There was a great deal of public interest in the case and the court was rapidly filled as soon as the doors opened. A large crowd also gathered outside the Moot Hall in Newcastle. The charge put to the prisoner was that that on 15 April, 1913 at Bedlington, he did wilfully murder Sergeant Andrew Barton. In a firm voice he answered, “Not Guilty.” Counsel for the prosecution were Mr Bruce Williamson and Mr Jardine; defence, Mr W. J. Waugh and Mr Leon Freedman.  

When addressed by Mr Freedman, [for the defence] Amos stated that in June 1912, when working as a miner in America, he was in a coal and gas explosion. As a result of this, two men were killed and 14 severely burned. Amos was asked if he was badly injured after his heroic attempt at rescuing two men, and he confirmed that he was and said that he was laid up for three weeks. Mr Freedman then asked him to tell the judge and jury the affect that his injuries had upon his health and he claimed that the explosion had given him pains in his head, made him very nervous and unable to sleep. Amos also stated that about a month after that explosion he was in another in which eight men were killed and many burned. This time, he was uninjured but was blown about 15 yards which affected his nerves and seemed to make him ‘’lose his senses that day.’’ This further accident led to more sleep disturbance, head pain and a feeling of extreme anxiousness. 

When asked about shooting the three victims in the Sun Inn, Amos said that his memory was a blank. He had no recollection of sending his son to the shop to buy cartridges or of shooting at anybody. He claimed that the two policemen were good friends of his. 

In his address to the jury, Mr Waugh [for the defence] said that the prisoner’s plea was that he was not responsible for his actions on 15 April. They were told that Amos was a different man after returning home from America. His time there had had resulted in a terrible strain on his mental faculties. His defence stated that although angry at Mr Irons, Amos was prepared to kill anybody. Due to a loss of mental balance, his reason had been dethroned. At the time of the shooting, it was clear that he had become temporarily insane as a direct consequence of the injuries he had received when employed as a miner.  

In his address to the jury, Mr Williamson [for the prosecution] said that the prisoner took the life of Sergeant Barton deliberately and intentionally and was therefore, guilty of murder. He pointed out that there was no medical evidence to support the claim that Amos has suffered mentally as a direct result of the explosions in America. The only evidence provided by a medic was from Dr Haworth, the doctor who was first called to the scene after the murders had occurred. He had witnessed Amos’s behaviour after the event and described him as being quiet and perfectly composed. There were many questions to consider. Were the jury going to accept the fact that Amos could simply not remember the crimes he had committed?  Mr Williamson asked them to assume that Amos had real grounds for thinking that Mr Irons had treated him unfairly. Did that not show that Amos had the strongest possible motive for anger and a desire for revenge against Mr Irons? Could the jury have the slightest doubt that Sergeant Barton was deliberately shot by Amos? It was evident that Amos feared that the sergeant would disarm him before he had the chance to kill Mr Irons, so he had to eliminate him.

The jury retired and after an absence of only eight minutes, returned with a verdict of guilty of wilful murder. When Amos was asked if he had anything to say about the death sentence that was about to be passed, he answered, “I don’t remember anything, they were good friends to me.” Amos received the sentence calmly and as he left for the cells he waved his hand to some friends in the court room.  

QSCP/6 – Ditto refers to the judge – W. English Harrison Esq., KC., Commissioner.

John Vickers Amos was executed at Newcastle Gaol on 22 July 1913. The only witnesses were prison officials and the Under Sheriff, Mr Percy Corder. Outside the prison a large crowd gathered eager to try to catch a glimpse of the rope or hear the thud of the trapdoor bolts. However, on this occasion, the trap doors were so muffled that no sound could penetrate the huge walls of the prison. The execution was carried out at 8am and a bell tolled from within the prison grounds, so the waiting crowd knew it was over.  

Soon after 9am, the inquest on the deceased was conducted within the prison by the city Coroner Mr Alfred Appleby. He found all procedures had been carried out correctly and it was noted that Amos had been given a rope drop of 6 feet 6 inches. On examination of the body, the prison doctor confirmed that the cause of death was due to a fractured spine. The newspaper reported that John Vickers Amos was buried within the prison walls.

Morpeth Herald 4 July 1913 

Morpeth Herald 25 July 1913 

Northumberland Archives – QSCP/6 

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 6TH MAY 1921

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ORD WAR MEMORIAL

As will be seen from our advertising columns, Ord War Memorial will be unveiled on Sunday, 8th May, at 2.30 by Vice Admiral Sir Dudley R. S. de Chair, K.C.B., M.V.O. The memorial has been erected in the centre of the village green and is 18 feet in height. It is on a concrete base with steps all round, and is of local rock-faced freestone coursers built in block with teethed plinth. A marble tablet with the names of the fallen is set into a framing of Northumberland whinstone. From the whinstone arises an octagonal column finished with a white marble cross. The work has been carried out by Messrs M. Gray & Sons, builders, and W. Wilson & Sons, sculptors, from plans prepared by Mr Lake, Surveyor, East Ord.

The Ord War Memorial  ©  Author: Stafford Little –  Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic — CC BY-SA 2.0

In addition to the contractors’ work a large amount of gratuitous service and labour has been given, and the War Memorial Committee feel deeply indebted to all these who so generously assisted in the carrying out of the work. Sir Dudley de Chair was born in 1854 and was educated on H.M.S., Britannia and entered the Navy in 1878. He served in the Egyptian War and was appointed Naval Attache to U.S. America in 1902. He commanded H.M.S. Bacchante, Cochrane and Colossus from 1905 to 1912 and was appointed Assistant Controller of the Navy in 1910, and Naval Secretary to the First Lord of Admiralty in 1912. In 1914 he was appointed Admiral of the Training Services, being also made a C.B. that year. He commanded the 10th Cruiser Squadron and 3rd Battle Squadron during the war from 1914 to 1916 and went with Mr. A J. Balfour’s Mission to U.S.A. in 1917. 

LOCAL NEWS

For several hours on Wednesday morning snow fell heavily in the hill districts of Berwickshire, where in some quarters it lay as deep as half an inch, much to the concern of the flockmasters, with whom the lambing season is not yet over. Fruit trees were severely blighted by the severity of the weather. 

They say it is very bad luck to turn back. A man who had started out with his wife to the pictures suddenly remembered that he had left his coal shed unlocked. He risked his luck, went back, turned the key in the door, and put it in his pocket. On returning three hours later he found a neighbour in a state of great indignation. “What’s the matter?” he asked innocently. “What’s the matter!” was the retort. “Do you know that you have locked my wife up in your coal shed!” 

BERWICK PETTY SESSIONS

CORPORATION FOREMAN USES VIOLENCE

William Gardiner, Wallace Green, Berwick, was charged with unlawfully assaulting Gordon McLean on the 30th April 1921. Mr Peters prosecuted, and Mr Gregory defended. Gardiner pleaded that he was guilty of gripping McLean, but not with striking him. 

Gordon Mclean said he lived as 6 Hatter’s Lane. On last Saturday night he was standing at the end of Walkergate with other men when two dogs started to fight and came against his legs. He put out his foot to keep the dogs back. He never kicked the dogs, and never knew anything more until Gardiner seized him by the throat from behind and bent him backwards nearly to the ground. Witness was exhausted when Gardiner was called off by the police. 

REF: LB.9.6.24 Hatter’s Lane, Berwick-upon-Tweed

Peter Robson, rabbit-catcher, corroborated, and said McLean, after holding the dogs off with his foot, stepped back. He never kicked the dogs and gave Gardiner no provocation. 

John Flannigan, Hatter’s Lane, gave similar evidence, and this was borne out by William Wilson. 

William Gardiner, on his own behalf, said he was coming up the street with his brother-in-law, who had his terrier with him. Witness’ dog was playing with the terrier, when there was a blue dog ran at them. They chased it, when he saw McLean lift his foot and make a swinging kick at it. He caught McLean as he spun round, but he did not bend him back. 

By Mr Peters-witness admitted that there was a little fight with the three dogs. He was not in a temper when he gripped McLean, only a little excited. The police came on the scene and Sergt. Wilson said “William, go home!” 

The bench found the case proved and imposed the fine of £1 with witnesses and fees, 28s 5d, or 13 days’ imprisonment. 

NATURE NOTE

The first swift arrived in Berwick this year on April 30th. It was first seen at 9 p.m. Fifteen minutes later it joined by another over the town. In 1920 the first swift was also seen on April 30th “hawking” over Church Street. In 1919 the first swift was not seen in Berwick until May 8th; in 1918 the first arrived on May 9th. The first martins were seen on April 21st, 1921 at Canties Bridge. On the 24th the sand martin was seen behind the Pier. On the 24th terns were seen passing over the Pier bound to their more northern nesting grounds. A few remained on Sunday, and there are now several in the river. Several migrants such as the willow-wren and the chiff-chaff have been heard, also on April 24th. A month earlier, the earliest of all migrants, the wheatear was seen on Scremerston banks. Several solan geese have been observed flying quarter of a mile off the end of the Pier, and a few beautiful eider ducks are frequent visitors off the Pier end. They will shortly move to their breeding quarters on the Farne islands. The buds are setting on the hawthorn, promising to burst by the middle of May, which is very early for Northumberland.  

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