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Alnmouth Indenture, 1798

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Signed Sealed Delivered by the within named John Yelloly being first duty stamped in the presence of us

A. Mitchell

J. Poivell

Signed Sealed and delivered by the within named

William Robson, Richard Robson, James Elder, Luke Mattison and Robert Robson being first duty stamped in the presence of us

Margaret Collingwood

William Chambers

This Indenture made the fourteenth day of September in the thirty eighth year of the reign of our sovereign Lord George the third by the Grace of God of Great Britain France and Ireland King defender of the faith and so forth and in the year of our lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety eight between John Yelloly of Chatham Barracks in the County of Kent Doctor in Physic and son and heir at law and also administration  of the goods and Chattels of June Yelloly of Alnwick in the County of Northumberland widow deceased William Robson late of Dunstonhill in the said County of Northumberland but now of Milfield in the same County Innkeeper    Richard Robson of Humbleton buildings in the said County of Northumberland Farmer     James Elder of Alnwick in the said County of Northumberland Grocer Luke Mattison of the same place Hardwareman and Robert Robson late of Belford but now in Alemouth in the said County of Northumberland yeoman of the one part and William Annett of Alemouth aforesaid on the other part Witnesseth that for an din consideration of the sum of five shillings of lawful money of Great Britian to the said John Yelloly by William Robson  Richard Robson  James Elder  Luke Mattison and Robert Robson in hand well and truly paid by the  William Annett as on before the sealing and delivery of these presents the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledge they the said John Yelloly  William Robson  Richard Robson  James Elder  Luke Mattison  and Robert Robson have and each of them Hath bargained and sold and by these presents Do and each of them Doth Bargain and the said William Annett his Executors Administrators and Assigns All that piece and parcel of Ground in length Eleven yards from South to North with apputances situate lying and being in Alemouth in the said County of Northumberland on the East side of the said Town Boundering on the other piece of Ground lately belonging to William Coulter and now Ralph Annett on or towards the South a piece of Ground formerly belonging to Edward Gallon or John Watson and now to the said Edward Gallon on or towards the North a  place called Holme or Howle Kiln on or towards the East and the Kings High Street on or towards the West and also all those Freehold (    ) Burgages Granaries or Tenements gardens and Common of Pastures there unto belonging with the appurtances situate standing lying and being in Alemouth aforesaid in the said County of Northumberland which said (   ) Burgages or tenements and premises were formerly in the possession of William Reavelley his tenants undertenants or assigns late of Richard Robson deceased and lately in the possession Tenure or occupation of Thomas Adams and George Richardson William Stephenson and others as tenants thereof and now of _____________________________as tenants thereof to and under the said William Robson and Robert Robson and are boundered by a lane called the Middle Lane on or towards the North by a ridge or piece of Ground belonging to Edward Gallon Esquire on the South by the Kings High Street on the West and Alemouth Common on the east And also that Maltkiln or Maltsteep and other conveniences and appurtances there unto belonging situate standing and being in Alemouth aforesaid boundered by a piece of Ground formerly belonging to Michael Coulter and now Ralph Annett on or towards the South by a piece of ground belonging to Edward Gallon Esquire and towards the North by a place called Holme or Holme Kiln towards the East by a piece of Ground formerly belonging to the said Richard Robson deceased now to the said William Robson and Robert Robson on towards the West and by the other the Right (  ) and bounds formerly in the possession of John Grey a bankrupt late of the said Richard Robson deceased afterwards in the possession Tenure or occupation of Thomas Annett Tenant and William Watson and Tenants thereof and now of Thomas Annett Tenant to and under the said William Robson and Robert Robson And also all and singular other Messuages Burgages   or Granaries Tenements Maltkiln or Malt steeps and part and part share and shares of Messuages Burgages Granaries or Tenements of him the said Richard Robson deceased and now of them the said William Robson and Robert Robson situate and standing lying and being in Alemouth aforesaid in the Parish of Lesbury in the County of Northumberland Together with all and singular houses outhouses Edifices Granaries Maltkilns Maltsteeps Buildings Barns Byars Stables yards Backsides (scites) of old buildings Garths Gardens Orchards Lofts Crofts lands arable  and not arable Meadows pastures headings Commons and common of pasture (   ) Moors Marshes Heathes waste grounds warrens Woods Underwoods and tress Piscaries fishings and fishing places Ways Watercourses and watering Places Paths Passages Easements Priviledges Liberties profits Commodities Advantages Emoluments Herediments and Appurtances whatsoever to the said premises and to every or any of them belonging or in any wise appertaining on to or times herefore demised letter held used occupied possessed or enjoyed or accepted reputed taken or known to be as part parcel or member thereof one of any part thereof respectively and the reversion or reversions remainder and remainders rent issues and profits thereof and of every part and parcel thereof

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD this said part and parcel of Ground Messuages Burgages Granaries Gardens Maltkilns Tenements Here and all and singular other the premises therein before by these presents Bargained and sold or intended so to be with their and every of there appurtances unto the said William Annett his Executors Administrators and Assigns from the day next before the day of the date of these presents for and during and unto the full end and term of one whole year from thence next ensuing and fully to be complete and ended yielding and paying therefore unto the said John Yellowly William Robson Richard Robson John Elder Luke Mattisson Robert Robson there Heirs and Assigns the rent of one peppercorn on the last day of the said term if the same shall be lawfully demanded to the intent and purpose that the virtue of these presents and by force of the statute made from transferring of use into possession he the said William Annett maybe in the actual possession of the said piece and parcel of Ground Messuages Burgages Granaries gardens Maltkilns Tenements Herediaments and all and singular other the premises herein before by these presents Bargained and sold or intended so to be with their and every of their appurtances and may hereby be enabled to accept and take a grant and Release of the reversion and Inheritance thereof to him and his Heirs to for and upon such cases ends intents and purposes as by an Indenture to bear date of these presents shall be mentioned expressed and declared of and concerning the same In Witness where of the said Parties to these presents have here unto set their Hands and Seals the day and year first above written.

Signatures and Seals of

John Yellowly

William Robson

Richard Robson

James Elder

Luke Mattisson

Robert Robson

 

We would like to thank the volunteer who carefully transcribed and researched these documents. This particular item comes from a very rich sub-collection within the larger Dickson, Archer and Thorp collection, giving us a fascinating view of a bygone time.

 

Student Days at the Sanatorium

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As part of our celebration of the NHS, this extract  is taken from an oral history transcription after an interview with former Stannington Sanatorium student nurse Marjorie Wilson [T/882].

Marjorie began working at Stannington in 1949. She loved the work and enjoyed studying anatomy and physiology. When she was on day shift, she was awakened by someone knocking on the door at 6 am. They all had their own bedrooms at the nurses’ home, with washbasins, but the bathrooms were in a row at the end of the corridor. They had to be on the ward at 7am so the night staff could hand over and leave. The first task of the day was to wash the children, the night staff having already put their washing things out. Some children got bed baths, others just had their hands and face washed. Breakfast was brought over from the kitchens and they helped to feed those who could not feed themselves.

The nurses were not allowed on the ward while the teachers were there, but later served lunch. She could not remember if they administered treatments to the children before or after the teachers’ (who did not live in but came to Stannington every day from outside) visit. Some children had ulcers which had to be cleaned and bandaged. For the first few months she was at Stannington, streptomycin had not been introduced. Treatment was mainly bed rest and fresh air and they had to pull the beds out onto the veranda. They also had to make and tidy the beds, and do the ‘potty rounds’, taking any ambulant patients to the toilet. It was easy to take care of those who were on a frame, but they had to be kept very clean because they were lying in their beds for so long. One little boy called Garth was very possessive about everything, including his bodily excretions, which he hid in his sponge bag! The youngest patients were in a mixed ward. Another patient, Malcolm, had to have a dressing fed into the ulcers on his ankles. All the children’s pressure points were treated daily with dry soap, methylated spirits and powder, and none ever developed bed sores. Unfortunately there was not an awful lot of real nursing; mostly they were just looking after the patients, who had primary infections.  Most of the patients had parents who were tubercular and were from the poorer areas of Tyneside, with poor housing conditions. Marjorie’s class was taken to see the areas the children came from. She recalled six symptoms of tuberculosis: cough; spit; hemoptysis (spitting blood); loss of weight; loss of appetite; and night sweats. None of the Stannington patients had hemoptysis, a sign of secondary TB infection, which is highly infectious and required a huge hygiene regime. Negative infection was not infectious but the patients could be very poorly. They had both types at Stannington. TB was discovered by X-ray for those with bone infections; they were on the frames for a long time, which made Marjorie wonder whether streptomycin was used, because those with lung TB or sores recovered so quickly. Marjorie remembered a girl with Down’s syndrome called Maureen, who was on a frame. She was very affectionate and strong, so she grabbed hold of the nurses for a cuddle. Hers was the only death that Marjorie experienced at Stannington.

In general the children were very well-behaved. The older ones could read or do jigsaws, while parents brought in small toys for the younger ones that they could play with in bed. One six year old girl with red curly hair had to lie on her tummy. She was such a lovely child with a lovely name – Lorraine.  Marjorie ended up calling her daughter after her. In the early evening they would clear away the teatime meal and tidy the beds and children, getting them bedded down for when the night shift arrived. Night duty was three months at a time, with three days off after each fortnight. The first thing they did when coming on night shift was to get the children’s washing things ready for the morning. The main thing was to simply be there, as the children were asleep. They wrote letters and the report for the log book, with the night sister coming round a couple of times to make sure everything was alright. Sister Bevin was always on nights.

The medical superintendent was Dr Stobbs, who was in charge of the whole place. His family lived with him there – wife and two daughters. Marjorie remembered lovely dinners at the nurses’ home, which had a beautiful sitting-room with a baby grand piano and loads of comfy sofas. Dances were held there and if they brought partners, they had to introduce them to the Matron and the home sister who stood at one end of the room. It was all very formal. Dr Stobbs often made Marjorie sing after dinner. She recalled one of the Newcastle pantomimes coming to entertain the children with a condensed version of their show. She also remembered an open day with a brass band in which her father was playing. All the children were brought out, in bed on the verandas if necessary.  She could not remember being at the sanatorium at Christmas, although she recalled getting very drunk once on Sister Bevin’s home-made rhubard wine. She fell into the bath and got her cloak soaking wet. They were all very ill the following day and Sister Bevin was very angry. They made their own entertainment as they did not have much money.

Marjorie described her relationship with the children as ‘bossy’. It was necessary to impose a kind of discipline on them because there were so many – forty on one ward. Day shift comprised the ward sister, staff nurse and two student nurses, plus an orderly (many were German girls, as were kitchen workers and cleaners) per ward. A lot was left to the student nurses because the ward sister and staff nurse were often incarcerated in the office. The orderlies kept the floor clean, while the students looked after the sluices and damp dusted around the ward.  On visiting day at Stannington, the nurses stayed out of the way, although parents sometimes came and asked them how their child was getting on. The parents would sit round the bed of a bed-bound child, or go for a walk in the grounds if their child was mobile. The children cried after their parents left but got over their homesickness once they were back into the routing of the ward. Children are so adaptable; it was probably harder for the parents to cope with the separation. It would be a whole month before they could visit again. It was lovely when the children were well enough to go home; most left on the bus because few people had cars in those days. Marjorie did not remember Stannington being involved with any aftercare.

William Reavelley and William Weddell, 1764

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Bond for  (illegible) with interest

William Reavelley

             To                   }

William Weddell

   Dated the 4th August

   1764

Know all men by these presents that I William Reavelley of Long Witton in the County of Northumberland Gentleman am held and family bound to William Weddell of Alnwick in the said County Shoemaker in One Hundred Pounds of lawful money of Great Britain to be paid to the said William Weddell or his certain attorney his Executor Administrators or Assigns for which payment well and truly to be made I bind myself  my Heirs Executors and Administrators firmly by these presents Sealed with my seal dated the fourth day of August in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty four.

The condition of the above written obligation is such that if the above bound William Reavelley his Heirs Executors Administrators do and shall well and truly pay or Cause to be paid unto the above named William Weddell his Executors Administrators or Assigns the full sum of fifty pounds of lawful money of Great Britain on the fourth day of February next ensuing of the said obligation with lawful interest for the same then the said Obligation to be void or else to be and remain in full force and virtue.

Sealed and Delivered                                                                William Reveley*

being first legally stamped  }

in the presence of us

George Selby

 Edward Cook

 

* Reavelley is also written as Reveley in the document.

We would like to thank the volunteer who carefully transcribed and researched these documents. This particular item comes from a very rich sub-collection within the larger Dickson, Archer and Thorp collection, giving us a fascinating view of a bygone time.

 

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