General

Bob Hepple was born at Sook Hill Farm, Cawburn, near Haltwhistle in 1891.   Bob had always preferred helping out with the sheep on his father’s farm and dedicated his life to shepherding on the hills in the Tynedale area.  This week I got the pleasure of transcribing the oral history recordings from 1974 where Bob talks about his life working on the hills.   Listening to Bob talk it was obvious that he had loved his job – at one point saying that shepherding is a vocation rather than just a job.  At the time of the interview, he would have been 83 years old and still looking after sheep!  He explains the life of a shepherd with sufficient depth that on more than one occasion Robin Gard, the archivist conducting the interview, comments that he’ll be a shepherd by the end of their chat. 

A large part of the interview is based on Mr. Hepple talking through a year in the life of the shepherd.  He starts with May as hirings took place in that month, this would be when the shepherd would start work.  Lambing would finish in mid-May.  Lambing was done in the field; it was cold work.  A straightforward birth could take place in half an hour; a more complicated birth required intervention from the shepherd whether that was to move the lamb in the correct position for the ewe or dealing with the arrival of twins or even triplets.  Some lambs sadly wouldn’t make it; the surviving ewe would be introduced to another lamb to take on.  Next, the lambs would then be marked for the allocated ‘cut’ of land or part of the hill that they would live on.  The size of the cut and the number of sheep upon depended on the size of the farm; sheep generally recognised where their ‘home’ was and mostly stayed true to it, if they did wander into the land of a neighbouring farm, they would be retrieved using the sheepdogs.  Tup lambs would be castrated and later sold on, the best one’s were kept for the ewes. 

Sheep shearing would start the end of May, early June subject to the weather.  Bob preferred to use shears and would stand using his knee to keep the sheep still.  Starting down one side of the neck and then the other; most sheep were docile, but the odd one would give him a kick.  Knowing when to start the shearing was important, if it was done too early the sheep could get sunburnt in the summer.  The timing was right when the new wool was visible and the neck was bare.  All the sheep, except the lambs, would be clipped, it took about four-minutes per sheep by hand, producing roughly 8lb of wool.  The clipped wool would be folded, bound, tied and sold in bulk.  Sometimes shepherds would wash the sheep in the river so that the wool could be sold for a better price. 

After clipping the sheep would be dipped to get rid of ‘keds’ insects like tics and spiders.  A long trough would be used, the sheep put in it, the head ducked beneath the water and they swam out; it was done twice a year, after clipping and before the winter.  Some of the sheep, hoggs and wedders (castrated males) would be sold in a summer market at Haltwhistle, some later in the year.  The age of the sheep was identified by a mark on the horn; ewes were known by age, lambs, hoggs (aged 1), gimmers (aged 2), young ewes (aged 3) and draft ewes after that.  By October it was time to take the hoggs to be ‘wintered’, which was a common practice.  When Mr. Hepple worked at Whitfield, the hoggs were taken to Bardon Mill for the winter, a walk of about 10-12 miles over the hills with sheep and dogs, the sheep would be looked after another shepherd until they were collected in the following March. 

November was market time again, some of the male tups and older ‘draft’ ewes aged 6-7 would be sold.   The tups and ewes, from the age of gimmers up, would be kept separate until mid-November; the younger ewes having been taken elsewhere for the winter.  Tups were sometimes bought or ewes taken to a tup at another farm avoid in-breeding.   Five tups would be enough for 20-score (400) sheep.  The winters were cold and harsh, Mr. Hepple recalled having to dig the sheep out of the snow in a particularly bad winter, he was lucky never to have got frostbite! 

Bob would collect the ‘wintered’ sheep on 1^st March.  When he wasn’t lambing, shearing and dipping there were numerous daily duties to be done, including the sheep being ‘turned in’ and ‘turned out’ each day, moving them from the hilltops to the lower grazing ground, dressing lame feet, moving any sheep that got stuck, checking drains, helping possibly with hay or other duties on the farm as well as training the sheepdog puppies.  Lambing would usually commence early April to bring us to the end of the year in the life of a shepherd. 

If you would like to hear Bob Hepple talk about different aspects of the shepherding year and a little about his life outside shepherding, why not listen to November’s podcast which will be available to listen to later this month. 

This Remembrance Sunday we proudly remember some of the men who bravely fought in the First World War for the Northumberland Fusiliers, insights into their life and sadly their deaths as they were reported in the press at the time. 

Pte. 2295 Fred Lyons of Felton served with 7th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers 

Fred was the son of Margaret Lyons, of Morpeth and the late Edward Lyons and is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres. 

Newspaper article 22 May 1915 – Death of Private Fred Lyons of Felton. 

Official notice was received on Saturday last by Mr and Mrs Lyons [of] Morpeth of the death of their son, Fred Lyons, a private in the 7th N.F. The announcement said he was at first posted as missing but now they had definite information of his death. Private Lyons enlisted in August last and was called to the colours in September. His earlier training was at Alnwick and later at Cambois, where he was stationed until the 7th left for the front on April 20th. He seems to have come out of his first engagement unwounded, for on a postcard received from him dated May 3rd he informs his friends that he was quite well. Another postcard dated May 5th reached Felton from Private Lambert and said Fred had been killed, having been shot by a sniper through the back. This news caused sad forebodings for all knew that Fred was well known to the writer of the postcard. Hope was not altogether abandoned, however, until Saturday. His death cast quite a gloom over the village. While at Felton he was employed by the Cooperative Society, and his bright and cheery disposition, with a kind word for everybody, made him a general favourite. During the football season his spare moments were usually devoted to that pastime. His services as goalkeeper were highly appreciated at the Felton Club, and in that capacity he was a familiar figure on the grounds covered by the North Northumberland League. He played occasionally at cricket but football was his strong point. Being the first from Felton to give his life for King and Country he will be long held in remembrance. He was in his 31st year. 

Pte. 1469 James Moir of East Chevington Drift, late of Ashington, served with 7th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers.  

Son of James and Annie Moir, 5 Linhope Terrace, East Chevington Drift, late of Ashington. 

James was wounded at Ypres in 1915.  Morpeth Herald 12 May 1916 – MOIR- Killed in action, April 13th 1916, Pte James Moir, N.F.,  “The face I loved is now laid low. The fond true heart is still, the hand I clasped when saying good-bye, lies now in death’s cold chill. Ever remembered by his father mother, brothers and sisters and sister-in-law. 

Died 13 April 1916, age 24yrs, buried at La Laiterie Military Cemetery.  

L/Cpl. 1535 Thomas Cuthbertson of Chathill, served with 7th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers 

Death of a Sea Houses Soldier –  The news was received at Sea Houses on Friday evening, of the death from wounds received in action of Lance Corporal Thomas Cuthbertson, 7th N.F., at the General Hospital, Wimereux, Boulogne. Lance Corporal Cuthbertson, who was the youngest son of Mrs Cuthbertson, the respected hostess of the Bamburgh Castle Hotel, Seahouses, was in the service of the Bank of Liverpool at their Belford Branch. A member of the Territorial Force, he offered himself for foreign service on the outbreak of the war. He was only in his 19th year, and was a fine manly fellow, a typical soldier, and very popular was a large circle of friends. 

Pte.19/230 William Atkinson Henderson of Wooler, served with 19th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers 

Only son of Isabella Henderson, Wooler, and the late James Henderson. Husband of Annie Mary Henderson. 

Died 27 Nov. 1916, aged 26yrs. Buried Faubourg D’Amiens Cemetery, Arras. 

Berwick Advertiser 8 Dec. 1916 – DIED OF WOUND – Died of wounds received in action on the 27th Nov. 1916.  

Staff Driver M2/116833 Charles Bonnier of Alnwick, served with Army Service Corps 

Staff Driver C. Bonnier – Mr & Mrs C.W. Bonnier, Alnwick, have received official news that their eldest son, Staff Driver Charles Bonnier, of the Royal Army Service Corps, died in hospital in France on the 22nd December, the result of injuries received while on duty. Staff Driver Bonnier served as apprenticeship with Messrs. Reavell Bros., ironmongers, etc., Alnwick, but afterwards his attention was devoted to motor driving, and was chauffeur for Mr Stobart, of Selby Hall, Darlington. Ultimately he enlisted into the Royal Army Service Corps, and at the front he became attached to the Headquarters Staff. He was highly esteemed by his officers, and much sympathy is felt for his bereaved parents, who have another son serving the colours and one in training in Australia. 

Death 22 Dec. 1916. Buried Longuenesse (St Omer) Souvenir Cemetery. 

Updated Blog by June Watson, Doctoral Candidate, Northumbria University, October 21, 2021 

The Tankerville Collection, Northumberland Archives Ref. NRO.424. The collection contains the private papers of the Bennet family, Earls of Tankerville, whose family seat was Chillingham Castle, Northumberland. The collection was deposited by the Tankerville family at Northumberland Archives in the 1970s. 

Lady Emma, 4^th Countess of Tankerville (1752-1836) 

Elite women who collaborated in the male world of early modern science during the eighteenth-century Enlightenment left little public trace of their existence and their voices were airbrushed out of historical accounts of the development of modern science. For those intellectual women who tried; their efforts were often ridiculed. (1) The recovery of Lady Emma Tankerville as a significant botanist and artist is important. She was an exceptionally gifted woman at the forefront of discovering new scientific knowledge in the early modern period and deserves recognition. 

The impact of social history and the scope of archival material has shown how little was understood about elite women involved in science and new knowledge exchange. Only men could attend university and patriarchal culture made it impossible for women to upstage men of science or publish their contributions. My research into the private Tankerville family papers in Northumberland Archives has uncovered some remarkable correspondence about this amazing woman. 

The family correspondence revealed the inner life of a female intellectual described by her husband’s colleague as having ‘the most merit of any woman in England; is very clever and a great wit,’ who had a leading role in the world of gentlemanly science of the period between 1771 and 1836. (2) Lady Emma Tankerville née Colebrooke was accepted into the close scientific and aristocratic social circle of Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society, at his home 32 Soho Square, London. The house was previously her Colebrooke family London residence before her marriage in 1771. Banks personally named a new Chinese swamp-orchid in honour of Emma, the Phaius tankervilleae. Emma was recorded as the first person to successfully cultivate the orchid after its introduction to England in 1778 by John Fothergill. (3). The only other woman to receive this honour was Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III.  Sir Joseph Banks wrote to a friend in 1788, “Emma knows plants well and paints them exquisitely.” (4)  

Emma’s letters reveal a pious woman devoted to her husband and mother of eleven children. She took an active part in managing the family estate at Chillingham, Northumberland with the aid of her trusted steward John Bailey. At her main residence Walton House, she cultivated and experimented with exotic plants in her hothouses in her gardens overlooking the River Thames with head gardener William Richardson, (an estate purchased with her marriage settlement in 1771). (5) Her husband Charles shared her love of natural history and was a collector of rare shells. Charles was also instrumental in drawing up the rules of the game of cricket. (6) 

In 1803 letters reveal Emma and Charles predicted their vast family fortune would be at future risk due to the extravagance of their son and heir Charles Augustus, Lord Ossulston, later 5^th Earl Tankerville. His gambling took a significant toll on the family wealth. Significantly, after Emma’s death in 1836, her personal collection of 648 botanical drawings was locked away in the family archive. Walton House her beloved main home for sixty years was demolished by her son. In 1840 on the same site, he commissioned architect Sir Charles Barry to build him an Italianate styled house known as ‘Mount Felix.’ Emma’s premonition proved correct as her son ran out of money and the house had to be sold to pay the building costs. 

In 1932 all the contents of Chillingham Castle and her beloved botanical collection were auctioned, and the unoccupied castle fell into disrepair. Emma’s collection was bought at the sale by The Bentham-Moxam Trust and donated to the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. (7) 

The Tankerville Collection of 648 botanical drawings at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is one of their most important collections. Costly conservation work is required for the collection therefore it remains in a climate-controlled area unseen by the public. The lack of provenance has also blighted the use of the collection for research. Many drawings are by important artists of the period such as Georg Dionysius Ehret and Margaret Meen, however hundreds are unattributed. The drawings represented every flower cultivated by Emma at Walton and were said to be the largest and best collection in London at the time.  

My current exhibition has concentrated on the twenty-one botanical drawings painted by Emma during a stay on the island of Madeira between 1811-1812. What was especially exciting to discover whilst examining the drawings at Kew was Emma’s handwriting in pencil on the back of each drawing. She wrote about the potential economic and medical benefits of each plant and their uses as a food source, signed and dated each drawing, and scientifically classified each one according to Linnaean taxonomy. This information would enable her to have considerable influence acting as a go-between in metropolitan scientific and political circles. 

Madeira was a Portuguese island in the mid-Atlantic that was favoured by the wealthy in the late Georgian period as a place to recuperate from tuberculosis on account of its temperate climate. It was relatively safe under the protection of the British garrison stationed there who were helping Portugal defend the island from Napoleon. Emma accompanied two adult children to Madeira who were experiencing health problems. Tuberculosis was a common virus of the day that saw no barrier to class or race. Fortunately for Emma, the family members recovered, and she returned home to Walton with them in 1812, plus her twenty-one illustrations.

The Madeira Collection will be exhibited at the Alnwick Playhouse Gallery from Dec 1, 2021, until Jan 17, 2022 in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Northumberland Archives. Afterwards it will be exhibited at the Queen’s Hall, Hexham from March 7, 2022, until April 29, 2022. A booklet based on the Madeira drawings and my research will be available at the exhibitions. 

1. Londa Schiebinger, The Mind has No Sex? Women in the Origins of Modern Science (Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard University Press, 1989), p. 5. 

2. Herbert Maxwell, (ed.), Creevey Papers: A Selection from the Correspondence and Diaries of the late Thomas Creevey, M.P. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1903), p. 36. 

3. Edward Smith, The Life of Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society with some notices of his Friends and Contemporaries (London: John Lane, The Bodle Head, 1911), p. 83. 

4. Ibid. 

5. ‘Walton House, the seat of Lord Tankerville,’ painted by John Hassell 1822. © Surrey History Centre, Ref. SHC/4348/4/30/3. 

6. ‘A  Catalogue of the Shells contained in the collection of the late Earl of Tankerville 1825,’ https://ia800204.us.archive.org/3/items.catalogueofshell00sowe/catalogueoshell00sowe.pdf. Auctioneers G B Sowerby F.L.S., Regent Street, London. Accessed: May 5, 2021. 

7. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ‘The Tankerville Collection.’  

About the Author 
June Watson is currently a Doctoral Candidate at Northumbria University. She has a special interest in recovering women of science of the late eighteenth-century. Her dissertation ‘Recovering the Women of Science in the Post-Colonial World of Empire’ was highly commended by judges for the Women’s History Network M.A. Competition 2021. She will continue to research and restore women to the narratives of early science, by investigating their social networks and the global trading activities of their families. This will show how their social networks served as an influential power base, becoming inextricably interconnected socially and politically, exposing women’s wider engagement in other disciplines.