As one of their first tasks, the Twixt Thistle and Rose volunteers catalogued our 17 bundles of posters and letters received by the Berwick Police Force between 1880 and 1900. Whilst checking their work for mounting on our electronic catalogue, I came across these two documents in a bundle – a memo and telegram.
They were both dated Christmas Eve 1895 and were sent to Superintendent Garden of Berwick from Inspector Jackson of the Roxburghshire Constabulary in Kelso concerning George Henderson.
Ref : BA/P/15/2/24
Kelso 3.21 pm sent, received 3.26 pm 24 Dec 1895
Find out quickly if Whitehead of Houndridge is in Berwick. Henderson Red Lion can give you description and some information, Hotels likely, anxious.
Jackson
This was followed by :
Ref: BA/P/15/2
Roxburghshire Constabulary
Kelso, 24th Decr 1895
Memorandum to Mr Supt. Garden, Berwick
Sir,
Re Geo Whitehead
This is a young farmer who is going
through his life and his means at the gallop.
His agent here , our Procurator Fiscal was aware of
His having been at Red Lion Hotel prior to 16th and leaving
on that date but he has been told that Whitehead
has returned to Berwick and was drinking at one of the
Hotels probably confined to bed. If you have not
enquired at other Hotels besides Red Lion will you kindly have
Enquiry made and let me know result. Wishing you
The Seasons Compliments.
Yours truly
E Jackson, Insp
I was intrigued by the concern of Inspector Jackson of Roxburgh Police for the “young farmer” and his taking the trouble to send this handwritten memo to the Berwick Police. I decided to see if I could find out anything further about him. The telegram mentioned he came from Houndridge in Ednam and so I checked the 1891 census for this property. I discovered a George Whitehead, farmer, head of the household, aged 19 living there with a servant. Agnes Douglas, aged 45. There was no reference to his parents and so where were they ? On checking the 1881 census for Houndridge, George was there, aged 9 with his mother and father – William, a farmer, aged 61 and Elizabeth, aged 51. William was described as a farmer of 247 acres, all arable, employing 6 men and 4 women.
George’s parents must have died between 1881 and 1891 and so, I checked deaths on Scotlandspeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk ) and found that William died in 1881, aged 61 and Elizabeth died in 1885, aged 55. Therefore George was an orphan by the time he was a teenager.
Did George’s lack of direction from parents lead him to drink or was he easily influenced ? Why did he come to Berwick and was known to the publican at the Red Lion Inn
REF: BRO 0426-312
I have been unable to find anything further on George despite searching the newspapers online and the census. He just seems to disappear after 1895. He wasn’t at Houndridge in 1901.
Does anyone know what happened to him ? Did he emigrate or change his ways ? If anyone has further information on him, please let the TTAR team know.
Although it may appear on first examination to be inflicting a hardship on some people to close the merchants’ shops at six o’clock in the evening still it has to be borne in mind that we are living in very abnormal times. It is a time when sacrifices have to be made, and the man or woman who exhibits any hesitancy in adapting himself or herself to the special and exceptional times manifest a want of true consideration to help their country in the hour of its direct necessity. The highest and supreme sacrifice has been paid by many a family during the terrible times we have passed through. The closing of business establishments a few hours earlier is a small matter in comparison therewith, and if it is to safeguard the lives of the community and frustrate the cowardly intentions of an unseen enemy nothing should stand in the way of adopting the most stringent and exacting precautions. There is no reason why a shopkeeper should not be able to close early if the public determine to assist in this direction. If the public resolved to discontinue patronising a particular shop they would very effectively close that shop altogether.
Early 1900s photograph of Marygate, Berwick-upon-Tweed. Berwick Record Office, BRO 1636-3-16
The early closing of business premises, therefore, depends wholly on the public being alive and educated to the fact. And as the early closing does not effect locally till the 1st October there is ample time for all customers to realise the fact, as well as for the various merchants taking adequate steps to meet the inauguration of the new hours. The easiest way to meet the new situation is either for the customer to send in a list of his orders early, or else for the merchant to call at the customers’ residences and take a note of these. On Saturday evening there should be no hardship inflicted, for all will surely manage to purchase there weekend provisions before nine o’clock. Indeed, at the Town Hall meeting, there were no real solid arguments adduced against closing earlier, and as soon as the public can thoroughly comprehend the hours the new method should be found to work quite smoothly in a small borough such as Berwick. No merchant need be afraid of losing his customers, as these will quickly respond to the altered circumstances, and they will not desert patronising a particular shop where they think they have an inducement to buy. Although there was a small minority against the motion which became the finding of the meeting it was very gratifying to observe how whole-heartedly they fell in with the majority. Unanimity means success, and all that is now required is that the various merchants should take full advantage of the reasonable interval before 1st October in reminding all their customers of the changed hours to suit the exceptional needs of the country’s peril.
BERWICK PETTY SESSIONS
Friday
Before Captain Norman, R.N., and J.McNab, Esq
Hanselling of Spittal Lock-Up- A large crowd gathered in the precincts of Spittal’s new Police Station on Thursday afternoon. The occasion was not the opening ceremony of the imposing building by the civic fathers but merely the new cells receiving their first occupant. The crowd again gathered on Friday morning with a view to seeing the delinquent take her departure to the more commodious quarters of Berwick Police Court. However the curious ones were disappointed for the prisoner was taken out by the back door while the crowd waited patiently at the front door. Following upon the foregoing events Mary Johnson, married woman Lanark, was charged with being drunk and disorderly near the Forge, Spittal, at three p.m. on Thursday afternoon. Defendant pleaded guilty, Sergt. McRobb said that upon receiving a complaint he proceeded to the Forge and on the grass
A half crown coin (2s 6d), the sum of which Mary Johnson from Lanark was fined.
near there found defendant lying in a drunken condition. Defendant had been creating a disturbance and on witness attempting to lift her to her feet she drew forth her hat pins from her hat, and by this action exposed witness to the hatpin peril by attempting to thrust the aforesaid pin into his leg. Foiled in this defendant refused to walk to the lock-up but witness obtained a trap and she was driven there in state. In defence defendant said she had met someone home from the Front. The Chief Constable said defendant had 2s 6d in her possession. Captain Norman-We will relieve you of that half crown with the alternative of seven days imprisonment. The Chief Constable said defendant was the first to be locked up at the new police station at Spittal.
Berwick Advertiser, 27 August 1915 Playhouse advert.
BELFORD CENTENARIAN
MRS ISABELLA LEARMOUTH OF ROSS
A happy event was celebrated at Ross, Belford, on the 5th August, when Mrs Isabella Learmouth, wife of the late George Learmouth, North Sunderland, attained her 100th birthday. Mrs Learmouth, who is the daughter of the late Mr Robert Geggie, is in good health, retains all her faculties and at present is always busily engaged knitting socks and comforts for the troops. On the morning of her birthday she received many letters of congratulations and birthday cards from the following- Rev. J and Mrs Miller, Belford; Mr J. and Misses Blenkinsop, Ross; Miss Arthur, Chathill; Mr David Black, Berwick; Miss P. Aynsley, Blyth; Mr Adam Jefferson, Spittal; Mrs Margaret Clark, Beal; Mrs Hunter, Ross; Misses Ross, Grange Mill; Mr John English, Bedlington; Miss M. Davison, Ross; Miss A. Heffen, Ross; Mr James Hoje,(sic) Ross; Mr George Hope, Ross; Miss M.G.Clark, Newcastle; Mr and Mrs W. Learmouth, Gosforth; Co-operative Society, Ltd, Wooler; Mrs Young, Ross; Miss I. Learmouth, Ross; Mrs Gibson, Bltyh; Mr J. Mole, Belford.
To mark the occasion a birthday cake was made and presented to Mrs Learmouth by Mrs Graham and family, Belford. Mrs Learmouth also sent a birthday cake to her grandson at the front, Lance Corporal George English, 7th N.F., to celebrate the event with his comrades in the trenches. It will be the wish of all that Mrs Learmouth may be long spared to enjoy the quiet eventide of life.
In the 1911 Census, Isabella is living with Alexander Hope, her son-in law at New Shoreston in Bamburgh. According to the Census, she was born at Ayton in Berwickshire.
