A survey is a type of document that lists the lands that someone owns. This survey is part of the Ridley collection and show some of the lands in and around Blyth that the family owned, as part of Newsham Lordship, in around 1800. 

On the left-hand page is a list of the fields owned and their area calculated in acres (A), roods (R) and perches (P). Each field or parcel of land is named and given a number. The names of the people renting the land is noted above the lines with the field names (Mrs Marshall’s Farm, John Storey’s Farm, George Storey’s Farm and Messrs Clark and Watt’s Farm). 

Fields “in hand” suggest that they have not been rented to someone else. Wastes are lands that are not used for farming. 

On the right-hand page is a map of the area. Field boundaries are marked and the numbers relate to the numbers on the list. 

Near to Ropery Field (69) a long thin structure is marked – this was a ropery or rope walk. Ropes at this period were twisted together using hand cranks in these long buildings (see videos).  Two roperies are marked on the First Edition Ordnance Survey map (1858) for Blyth. Ropes were essential for ships. 

The salt pans are marked on the map on the south side of the river. These were a way of using sea water to produce salt. Broad, shallow pans, often made of lead, were filled with sea water and then heated from below to evaporate the water and leave the salt. There were salt pans in Blyth from the Middle Ages until 1876.  Before refrigeration, salt was one way to preserve food. 

Just by the “salt pans” label can be seen a regular-looking shape in the bank of the river – this would suggest a harbour, possibly a man-made one. There is another a little bit further along the bank. 

Ballast – material (gravel, sand, rock) used on ships to weigh them down and keep them stable. 

Field 59 (Low Close) has a windmill marked in it. Crofton Mill is marked in a similar place on the First Edition Ordnance Survey maps (1858). 

“Waggon Way” is listed amongst the “wastes” on the left-hand page. The waggonway is marked on the map as two sets of parallel lines which run right through the middle of the diagram.

The waggonway ran from Plessey Hall Farm to the banks of the Blyth River. Wagons full of coal ran along wooden tracks to then be loaded onto ships. The wagons were pulled by horses. Although it isn’t clear when exactly the waggonway was build, it seems have been in use in 1709. Today, Plessey Road marks where the waggonway once ran.