The women of Newbiggin-by-the-Sea are certainly no strangers to the peril that the North Sea can bring; whether that was waiting for the catch to come ashore or mourning those who never did make their return. The involvement of the town’s women with the lifeboat institution resulted in a much-needed life-saving service being provided.
A pamphlet entitled “Royal National Lifeboat Institution Newbiggin 1851-1951″ (NRO 7847/11) provides more details…
“The good ladies of Newbiggin have always played an important part in the work of the local Lifeboat station, in fact, it is doubtful whether they could have been done without”.
“When the launchings were necessarily hand-operated, it was the women who took the lion’s share of the work that was handed out. It was usually the cry of “of every man to the boat and every woman to the rope” and they certainly more than pulled their weight”. The women would wade out in to the water, often up to their necks, undoubtedly weighed down by layers of clothing, heaving a rope and putting themselves in a position of great danger ensuring that the Lifeboat was successfully put to sea. Then repeating the whole exercise when the Lifeboat returned to shore.
In February 1940 the women towed the lifeboat a mile overland when it was launched away from its usual station. For their actions the women received the RNLIs ‘thanks on vellum’; “It took more than rock and sand to stop the “weaker sex” on that occasion when the call for assistance was made”.
By the time the pamphlet was published in the early 1950s it was their fundraising through the Women’s Lifeboat Guild that was instrumental to the continued success of the Lifeboats in the town; “Although the days are gone when every woman, no matter how young or old they were, used to play their part in launching the boat and wearily dragging it back to the boat station, they still do a useful job”.
NRO 5283/J/16/139
Elsewhere in Northumberland, Margaret Armstrong from Cresswell became known as the ‘second Grace Darling’ for her involvement in rescuing those aboard a struggling steamer. Originally published in February 2018, here is Margaret’s story….
Following on from a previous blog about Ponteland Workhouse, this blog looks at the experience of one young girl who was a resident of Ponteland Cottage Homes. The Cottage Homes were built by the Newcastle Board of Guardians to accommodate pauper children away from the workhouse. Each block was supervised by a ‘house father’ or ‘house mother. ‘
In 1905, at the age of nine, Isabella Gardner went to live in the Ponteland Cottage Homes. She lived in cottage number six and her house mother was called Miss Swallow. Isabella states that she enjoyed living there and that Miss Swallow was a lovely lady who she always called mother. Isabella and her sibling were taken to the home after the death of their biological mother. She had owned a shop which sailors used to regularly visit to buy bread. It is thought that she contracted Smallpox from one of the men and sadly died. Isabella’s father suffered from Paralysis so was unable to look after his children. He was placed in the Ponteland Workhouse and once a month they were taken to visit him. He died in the workhouse six years after the death of his wife.
Isabella recalled that nearly every cottage had a pet cat. The Master and Matron had a couple of dogs and some of the ‘house mothers’ also had dogs which made it all feel very homely. The food was good, and she felt very well fed. They would have liver, sausages and tripe and they always had a roast on a Sunday. They grew all their own vegetables and baked their own bread, cakes, tarts and scones. They would pick fruit in the summer holidays and make their own jam.
All the children had chores to do. The floors in the cottage were white wood & the children had to scrub them. This was usually done at night. The children got up about 6am and were woken by a boy blowing a bugle! They walked to school then returned to the cottage for lunch then walked back to school again for afternoon lessons. They had leisure time though and the boys played football while the girls played hockey. Isabella enjoyed hockey and remembers that the ‘mother’ in cottage 4 had a hockey team. There were swings in the grounds and a huge field to play in. Isabella also fondly remembered that the home had a horse and trap which the gardener used to drive. Sadly, the horse was needed and was taken away during the First World War.
Isabella once won first prize for baking bread. She recalls that one Christmas the Lord Mayor came to visit so the Master asked him to dress up in his robes as a treat for the children. He asked them to show him examples of their work so she showed him the bread and won a prize. Unfortunately, she didn’t say what the prize was but seemed very proud of her achievement. It would have been an extra bonus at Christmas time along with the shilling that each child was given on Christmas Day.
The children occasionally went on seaside trips to Whitley Bay with the chapel they attended. All the ‘mothers’ from the cottages would have large hampers & they made pies and cakes so they could have a nice picnic. They went to Tynemouth Palace & had their lunch in the grounds then would always go to play on the sands. She recalls that they once went for tea in a cafe which was run by a retired sea captain. She claimed that he had built his cafe from an old boat!
Isabella remembered a young boy who eventually ended up becoming the shoe repair man for the home. He used to help the repair man when he was a boy. All shoes were made on site. The only time shoes were bought were for the girls who went into service. They also had a dress maker on site. All the clothes were made, they didn’t go to any shops to buy them. All the girls were taught how to sew and work in the laundry. The old master was very careful with money so saved as much as he could. When some of the older boys went out to work in the ship yards, there were women who were on the books of the home who were paid to take in boarders.
For her first two years, Isabella attended the school that was within the grounds then after that she transferred to the Coates school in Ponteland. She enjoyed school and left aged 14 where she then went to the Matron’s house to train for a life in service. When there was a vacancy, girls went to the Matron’s house and trained in the kitchen then upstairs then in the dining room. This training lasted nearly two years and aged 16, Isabella secured her first job as a maid at Ilderton Rectory near Wooler. It was quite a large house with 20 rooms. The week before she started, the Matron took her for a visit then the day her employment commenced, she was taken as far as Alnwick then had to make her own way there. She only stayed for a year and recalls that it was very hard work, but they were very kind to her. However, what she truly wanted to be was a cook. Her next job was at Haughton Castle where sheattained the position of scullery/kitchen maid. She was very grateful as during her time there she did have the opportunity to train for her dream job. Isabella also worked at Middleton Hall and was there for 12 years. She believed that her training at the Cottage Homes was a good introduction and very good practice!
Within our Oral History collection, we hold a recording of Arthur Halliday who grew up in Ponteland Workhouse. Arthur’s father, an ex-policeman, became Master of the institution in 1898 and held that position until his death in 1926. His mother, a nurse, was the Matron until 1930. Arthur was born in 1907, and spent his childhood in the workhouse and eventually ended up working there. He fondly reminisces about some of the inmates, food, and living conditions with a great deal of humour.
What is very interesting is Arthur’s recollection of his parents attempts to help & rehabilitate workhouse inmates. He claims they had very ‘modern ways’ and that this was part of the reason they were given their positions as the Board of Guardians wanted to shake up workhouse management. His parents wanted to give inmates some self-respect as many had fallen on hard times and could not find employment. One man called Thomas was a skilled Tailor. He became an inmate but after a period he became employed to repair all types of clothing. He became friends with Jacob the Cobbler who was employed to repair all the workhouse boots. Jacob was a renowned poacher so as a favour, Thomas sewed a large poachers pocket into his jacket! Another man was a painter and decorator, and he would become an inmate every winter when it was difficult to find work. During his stay he would always offer his services and would paint any room that needed to be spruced up. There was a standard colour for the rooms which was brown at the bottom and cream at the top. A large percentage of men who were in the workhouse were labourers. As there was a large garden of about 2.5 acres, some of these men helped the gardener with digging and general maintenance. They also grew all the vegetables that were used in the kitchen.
Arthur talks fondly about the Straw Jacks who were the casual farm labourers. They went around different farms, worked hard and slept in the hay lofts. Many of them were known only by nicknames such as Old Clogs, Coffee Tommy and Galloping Dick. These labourers would always come into the workhouse for the winter. However, not all men worked. One male inmate was very well spoken and had come from a wealthy family. He had travelled the world but never settled anywhere or had the need to work. Arthur saw him as a man who couldn’t really cope in the world & when the money ran out, he was destitute. Workhouse inspections occurred every six months and on one occasion, an inspector recognised the man and it turned out that they had both been at Cambridge University together.
There were long stay inmates and some were classed as imbeciles. One man would do anything for the Master and would follow him about and offer to bring him snuff. He loved horses and would look forward to the coal arriving by horse and cart. One day the cartman hit the horse and the inmate was so angry that he went after him with a stick. The cartman never came back to the workhouse!
The layout of the bedrooms was briefly discussed. Women were in rooms of four beds and the men were in dormitories of no more than eight beds. The building had previously been used as an isolation hospital for typhoid patients. When his parents began their duties in 1898, there were still blankets that were used by these patients. All the blankets were red, and Arthur states that the reason for this was that they wouldn’t show as much blood as a white blanket would. These hospital blankets were washed and used in the workhouse.
The children were kept separate from the adults. At one time there were 42 children in the workhouse. Boys and girls were segregated and were kept until they were 14 then they were apprenticed out. It was often difficult to secure a position as not many people wanted a workhouse child.
Arthur claimed that many people were fed better in the workhouse than many on the outside. A pint of porridge was the usual breakfast and lunch consisted of soup and 8 ounces of bread. It wasn’t a thin soup but more like a broth containing pieces of meat. There was meat for dinner on alternate days and always a roast on a Sunday. There was always a pudding, often milk based such a rice or sago. This was largely because milk was cheap. Supper consisted of bread and butter. Cakes were made on the premises and often on the menu were rice cake and fruit cake.
The building contained a maternity ward, and he recalls that there were quite a few births. Most were young girls who had fallen by the wayside. The workhouse had a part time doctor who would attend to check the child, but the nurse would assist with the birth. Arthur’s mother (who was a nurse) was also on hand. With illegitimate workhouse births, there was a list of people who were willing to adopt. The Relieving Officer would visit the house of any potential new parents to check their suitability. Arthur’s mother was often asked to accompany the officer. They had high standards and if the house was the least bit dirty, the baby would not be placed there. 95% of the babies in the Ponteland workhouse were eventually adopted.
NRO 8535/2/1/116 Photograph of Mr Mortimer (chairman of Castle Ward Board of Guardians) bidding farewell to Mrs Halliday (Matron of Ponteland Workhouse) 1930.
