General

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.

Thomas Creevey was born in Liverpool in 1768, he trained first as a lawyer but went on to be an MP in the early 1800s. Known as a wit and a man about town, he was a fixture of the Regency social scene. After his death he passed into obscurity, but his copious diaries and writings survived and were published in 1903 to great acclaim and were a best seller. 

One of the reasons the publication of the creevey papers was such a success was due to the candour and wit of Creevey’s writings, this passage about the Bennets, Earl Tankerville is typical (the tankervilles title comes from Tancarville in Normandy but has been through many iterations and at one time the family seat was Chillingham Castle, in Northumberland)

• ^{“…Bennet has been here, and is now returned to Bath. He is most desirous to know you, and I promised I would write to you and mention him by way of introduction. He is most amiable, occasionally most boring, but at all times most upright and honorable. Make him introduce you to Lord and Lady Tankerville. The former is very fond of me; he is a haughty, honorable man- has lived at one time in the heart of political leaders…has been in office several times and is now a misanthrope, but very communicative and entertaining when he likes his man. His only remaining passion is for clever men, of which description he considers himself as one, tho‘ certainly unjustly. Lady Tankerville has perhaps as much merit as any woman in england. She is too, very clever, and has great wit; but she, like her Lord is depressed and unhappy. They compose together the most striking libel upon the blessing of fortune; they are rich much beyond their desires or expednisture, they have the most elevated rank of their country, I know of nothing to disturb their happpiness, and the are apparently the most miserable people I ever saw”} 

^{Creevey to Dr Currie May 11 1805} 

Another feature of Creevey’s writings that draws comment and is evidence of the ‘playful’ and irreverent nature that shines through his writing, is his use of nicknames. I’ve included a few here, although there are quite a few more, and it gives a sense of the familiarity with ‘high circles’. It’s unclear with some of them quite how freely he used them to people’s faces but I get the sense that he often did. You’ll notice that some people have a couple, this usually happened when they annoyed him, changing Henry Brougham’s (an MP and later Lord High Chancellor) to ‘Beelzebub’ is self explanatory…  

JG Lambton, later Lord Durham was called ‘King Jog’ because he could quite happily jog along on only £40,000 a year…. 

 Less clear are the origins of some of the others. Creevey does give one account in his writing of the origin of his nickname for George Tierney, an MP and at this time the leader of the opposition in the House of Commons 

• “^{The reason I call Tierney by the name of ‘Cole’ is this. It used to be his constant practice in making his speeches in Parliament to bear particular testimony to his own character – to his being a ‘plain man’ ‘an honest man’ or something of that kind. Having heard him at this work several times, it occurred to me that he had formed himself upon that distinguished model Mrs Cole, and old lady in one of Foote’s farces, who presided over a female establishment in convent garden who was always indulgin herself with flattering references to her own character….Brougham was for many years quite enamoured of the resemblance of the portrait. He christened Abercromby Young Cole and the shabby party ‘the Coles’ but he has become more prudent and respectful of late”} 

Creevey would need to be careful who he was calling what because in 1798 George Tierney had been accused of having a lack of patriotism by William Pitt the prime minister leading to a duel between the two on Putney heath. 

Increasingly over the last years of his life Creevey would have to turn to friends and supporters for financial support, and largely because of the esteem in which he was held it was often willingly given. But he doesn’t seem to have required much, as Charles Greville, the diarist, was to highlight in 1829 

^{“Old Creevey is a rather extraordinary character…he possesses nothing but his clothes; no property of any sort; he leads a vagrant life, visiting a number of people who are delighted to have him… He has no servant, no home, no creditors, he buys everything a he wants it at the place he is at; he has no ties upon him, and has his time entirely at his own disposal and that of his friends. He is certainly a living proof that a man may be perfectly happy and exceedingly poor…I think he is the only man I know in society who possesses nothing”} 

Not everyone was quite so keen on Creevey though, in 1824 he met John Hobhouse, another politician who had this to say about him 

• ^{“He seemed to me a very wag, and one who would let no principle of any kind stand in the way of his joke. When he had no jest to excite laughter he tried grimaces … Of Creevey’s superior abilities there can be no doubt… which might adorn a higher character than he had endeavoured to acquire.”} 

The feeling was mutual though, Creevey describing him as Odious. 

Thomas Creevey Died in 1838. The majority of his papers survived and were meticulously kept by his step daughter Elizabeth Ord, whereby they were eventually to pass to her eldest grandson, and then his wife, Mrs Blackett-Ord of Whitfield Hall, who arranged with Herbert Maxwell the publication of the Creevey Papers in 1903. They were to eventually be deposited at Northumberland Archives in the 1970s. 

The Northumberland County Lunatic Asylum first admitted patients on 16 March 1859. It was the duty of the Superintendent to issue an annual report where he would reflect on both the positive and negative aspects of the year. The first report was written by Superintendent Richard Wilson and was dated 1 January 1860. 

Mr Wilson stated that the report would embrace the conditions of the asylum and its inmates, their employment, means of recreation and their general state of health. He was happy to be able to speak favourably of the asylum considering that it was still not fully operational and that many of the attendants had yet to be taught their duties. At the time the report was written, 154 patients had been admitted. This consisted of 81 men and 73 women. Of these, 106 were transferred from other areas including asylums in Durham, Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Although there were some difficulties admitting the transfers due to the lack of a proper entrance road, there was minimum disruption to patients due to the professionalism of the staff. Most of the cases transferred were long stay patients and many of an advanced age. This concerned Mr Wilson as he believed it gave him little hope of doing any great good. He did however feel that he had achieved something in relation to the use of restraints as no restraints were used on patients during 1859. Some force was needed on occasions but only a small number of patients were placed in seclusion (forcibly placed in a locked room for a period of time). In general, the bodily health of the patients was classed as good.

As regards the general design of the building, it was found to be, with the exception of a few slight alterations, to answer satisfactorily. The Superintendent was rejoiced to find that the upper floors were devoted only to bedrooms, the patients living entirely below. This ensured much better supervision of patients during the day and more perfect ventilation of the dormitories. He was also pleased that open fireplaces were adopted giving a much more cheerful and homely aspect to the wards as well as affording more warmth than the old plan of heating by hot water would have done.

Mr Wilson was a strong advocate of employment as a mean of ‘cure-occupying’. He believed it gave patients a focus while at the same time, it was conducive to their bodily health. The men were chiefly engaged in agricultural pursuits and were also employed to assist with creating the approach road to the asylum. A few were also engaged in tailoring and shoemaking. Full employment was likewise given to the women in the washhouse, laundry, kitchen and sewing room. During the summer season they participated in hay making. Patients with suicidal tendencies were kept away from machinery but others were trusted and no accidents occurred. Patients who worked as mowers and reapers pursued their work with little or no supervision and would rise as early as early as 4am.

Considering that there was no boundary wall or protection of any kind to the grounds of the asylum (nearly 100 acres) escapes on the part of the patients very rarely occurred; and those who had escaped were quickly recaptured. One case noted was that of a man who in the past had been confined in the Morpeth County Gaol for poaching. One day he suddenly recollected that his gun was in pawn and that the time for it being redeemed was drawing near. He escaped in order to acquaint his brother with that fact and then returned to the asylum by himself the same day just in time for tea!  

The full service of the Church of England was performed twice every Sunday and the marked attention of the patients testified to their appreciation of the services of the Chaplain – Rev. Thomas Finch. Mr Wilson praised the Chaplain and claimed he seconded his endeavours in every way to improve the mental condition of the patients. The Matron kindly presided at the Harmonium so everybody could sing accompanied by music. The presence of friends and neighbours was also encouraged in the hope of overcoming any prejudices, as well as to remove any impression on the part of the patients, that the service was confined solely to themselves. 

In relation to recreation, cards, draughts, dominoes and quoits were provided together with a stock of useful and entertaining books. Various periodicals and newspapers were likewise freely distributed throughout the wards. Almost since the opening there was a weekly dance in which many of the inhabitants of the town also took part. Mr Wilson believed that this had been extremely beneficial to the patients. In addition to exercise it also acted as a means of control, a mode of bestowing reward or punishment by giving or withholding permission to attend it, according to their behaviour during the week. Yet again though, it allowed patients to mix freely with people who lived outside the asylum environment. 

QAL