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The following piece is an extract from the last will and testament of Richard Robson;
This is the last will and testament of me Richard Robson of Field House in the Parish of Ledsbury in the County of Northumberland, Gentleman.
First I do hereby charge and make chargeable all my messuages, lands, tenements and hereditaments situate in Alemouth and Alnwick in the said county or elsewhere which the payment of all my first debts.
Second I do hereby give and devise unto my son, John Robson, his heirs and (….) for ever all that messuage, Burgage, Tenement, Yard, Back Buildings and Garden behind the same situate assigns and being in Alnwick aforesaid which was lately in possession of David Cunningham Grocer deceased and now in possession or occupation of family Gledstone as tenant or under tenant thereof.
And also, all that messuage, Burgage or tenement situate standing and being in Alnwick aforesaid which lately belonged to James Scott Tanner deceased and is now in the possession tenure or occupation of David Cozens as tenant thereof to and under me with their respective rights members and appurtenances also I give and devise unto my son William Robson his heirs and assigns for one undivided moiety or free half part of all my messuages. Houses, granaries, kilns, tenements and hereditaments situate standing, lying and being in Alemouth aforesaid with their respective rights, members and appurtenances.
Also I give and devise unto my son Robert Robson his heirs and assigns for ever the other one undivided moiety or free half part of all my messuages, houses, granaries kilns, land, tenements and hereditaments situate standing, lying and being in Alemouth aforesaid with their respective rights, members and appurtenances. All the said premises so devised by me to the said Robert Robson being subject to the provisions and declarations throughout thereafter mentioned.
And whereas my son Richard Robson hath married and I have raised and paid to him the full sum of one thousand pounds. Now I do hereby will and declare that the said sum of one thousand pounds so paid to my said son Richard was and is intended by me to be in full satisfaction and discharge of any sum of sums, legacies, portions or other provisions which I have made for him in my former wills.
And I do hereby declare that the securities giving by me and my said son Richard Robson for the said sum of one thousand pounds.
The study and conservation of wills and testimonies is incredibly valuable work, as these documents give us a real and intimate insight into the inner workings of familial relations and lifestyles within contemporary households. We would therefore like to thank the volunteer whom kindly transcribed Richard Robson’s last will and testament.
The Court Calendar for the Easter Quarter Sessions held at the Moot Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne on 10th April 1890 lists that appearing at court that day was Arthur Stanhope .He was also known by the names of Arthur Reed, Arthur Wilson and Albert Edward Newton. The Calendar gives his age as 34 years, his trade as a decorator and records that he was only able to read and write imperfectly. He pleaded Guilty to an offence of Obtaining Money by False Pretences and was sentenced to twelve months.
Calendar of Prisoners, Easter Quarter Sessions 1890. REF: NRO 11343/B/DAT
The brief for the prosecution states that the prisoner “seems to be well acquainted with the district” and has been “exciting sympathy on account of his having lost an eye in September last and him being on his way to Edinburgh Infirmary”. He is also described as an “old offender” having been convicted at the Northumberland Easter Quarter Sessions in April 1885 “as well as at other places previously”. For this offence of Obtaining Money by False Pretences which was committed at Rock, Northumberland he was sentenced to six months.
From correspondence between Superintendent John Kennedy of Wooler and Mr Robert Archer found with the case papers Mr Archer had also dealt with the 1885 case.
An example of correspondence found amongst case papers for Arthur Stanhope. REF: NRO 11343/B/DAT
His list of previous convictions shows his first conviction to have been at the age of 28 in May 1884 when he was sentenced to 3 months for obtaining money by forging letters. As his trade was given as a decorator one wonders if his eye sight had now become so bad that he had to resort to fraudulent means in order to get money to survive. Or perhaps this was the first time he had been caught. Other convictions followed for fraud and falsehood involving money or goods and were committed in the Scottish Borders, namely Edinburgh, Dunns, Jedburgh and Selkirk.
Arthur’s previous convictions, handed over as evidence to the solicitors. REF: NRO 11343/B/DAT
In the 1890 case the arresting officer was a Pc Thomas Robson stationed at Lowick. On the 20th March from information received he was on the lookout for Stanhope and tracked him down to a lodging house in Lowick. When spoken to he gave his occupation as a piano tuner and said he had got a job at Barmoor Castle. After further enquiries Pc Robson found this to be false. Stanhope was arrested on the 22 March. He was charged two days later. Pc. Robson states Stanhope said that once he was clear of the case he would leave the county “and the next time you hear of me I will be making an honest living”.
One can only speculate as to how Stanhope came to loose an eye. In his statement Superintendent Rutherford states Stanhope “came into my custody at Alnwick on a similar charge between 22nd and 28 March 1885 and “at that time the prisoner was without the left eye” this being five years before this offence. One of his victims, Mrs Edith Maria Sitwell of Barmoor says in her disposition that Stanhope said he had been seen by Dr Argyll Robertson at the Edinburgh Infirmary and this may well have been true. Research has shown that he was the Senior Surgeon there from 1870 to 1897 specialising in eye disease and developed a procedure known as the Argyll Robertson Pupil which was used in the diagnosis of syphilis.
Stanhope was arrested after his visit to Mrs Sitwell. She was a widow and gave him 12/-. He is alleged to have asked for 11/- to get “New clothes to make him tidy to go into the Edinburgh Infirmary” Her generosity may have been swayed by Stanhopes referral to her neighbours a Mr Forster of Lowick who had “told him to come” and Colonel Hill of Low Lynn who he said had given him one pound. Colonel Hill had not believed his story and sent him away and Mr Forster had given him money. When arrested Stanhope was in possession of 6/-in silver.
Arthur Stanhope’s entry in the 1890 Calendar of Prisoners, Easter Quarter Sessions. REF: NRO 11343/B/DAT
Stanhope was also able to obtain money and in one case clothing from two Justices of the Peace for the County. George Pringle Hughes of Middleton Hall Wooler who became High Sheriff of the County in 1891 and Edward Collingwood the younger of Lilburn Tower. He was given 5/- by Hughes and clothes and 5/- by Collingwood. He used the same story namely he needed to get to Edinburgh for medical attention.
In an age when state support for persons unable to work due to illness or disability was minimal it would become necessary to either live on your wits, resort to begging or become an inmate of the workhouse. Stanhope seems to have chosen to live on his wits.
Stanhope states on two occasions that he is a Piano Tuner. This was a common occupation for people of limited sight in the nineteenth century and was helped by the demand for pianofortes as they were called by the well to do. Some were apprenticed to piano manufacturers but others may have seen it as an opportunity to make easy money. All that would be needed were a few tools and a teach yourself book. As Stanhope seems to have been able to convince upstanding members of the County of his intention to seek medical assistance, perhaps he perfected his skills of persuasion whilst visiting their houses.
Habitual Offenders were also receiving harsher sentences in 1890, and it may be that Stanhope was made an example of. After all he had managed to “con” a widow, a Justice of the Peace and a future High Sheriff of Northumberland out of substantial amounts of money.
Bibliography:
A History of Piano Tuning by Gill Green M.A
Wikipedia: Dr Douglas Argyll Robertson
We would like to thank the volunteer who kindly produced this blog piece; especially for their meticulous research of these documents and transcription of its contents.
William Wailes was one of England’s most accomplished and visionary stained glass manufacturers. A key partner in the internationally renowned firm Wailes and Strang, William used his artistic flair to promote philanthropy, decadent design and religious adulation.
A William Wailes design for a stained glass window, DN/E/8/2/2/173
German Glass
William was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1808, the youngest son of Thomas Wailes. He had at least three siblings; George, Margaret and Elizabeth Anne. In the early 1830s, whilst still a youth, William traveled to Germany to develop his skills in glass production. Glass production was a meticulous art to master, and contemporaries often commented upon Wailes’ dedication to his chosen trade and the long hours he sacrificed to producing unique and precise designs. Upon returning to the North East he gradually established his own business in manufacturing and designing glass, by creating his earliest designs in a low-budget kiln.
Wailes advertised his abilities through various regional and national newspapers, mixing European techniques with competitive pricing. His hard work eventually paid off and his company soon became renowned for their unique ability to harness the bright colour pigments in glass (a difficult feat in the mid 1800s). Soon his work was being incorporated into religious architecture across the world. These intricate designs can still be enjoyed in many places today including India, Newcastle and Low Fell.
The detail of a Wailes – Strang design, DN/E/8/2/2/137
The success of his firm led to the employment (at any one time) of between 60 to 100 persons. William had a good reputation as an employer and, when one of his employees died in 1852, journalists at the funeral commented upon the bond between Wailes-Strang workers. William also enjoyed a good personal reputation, becoming Overseer of the Poor in 1848 for the Parish of Newcastle and patroning pupils from the Institution of the Deaf and Dumb.
Keeping the Business Personal
In January 1834 William married his wife, Janet Elizabeth Carr, at Alnwick. The couple had at least four children; Margaret Janet born in 1834, Anne Kirwood born in 1836, William Thomas Wailes born in 1838 and John Carr Wailes born in 1841. Whilst their youngest son, John, died at the tender age of nine their other children all survived to adulthood.
The Wailes and Strang families were closely interwoven, both personally and professionally. Margaret (William’s eldest daughter) married Thomas Rankin Strang, a partner in her father’s firm and a celebrated stain-glass manufacturer. Together they would have one son, William Wailes Strang, who would continue the family’s glass making legacy. The Wailes’ own son, William Thomas, married Jane Ward and together they had two daughters Frances Margaret and Ann Elizabeth.
In 1861 William and Janet were living in South Dene Towers, Gateshead. Their household at this time was substantial; comprising of their daughter Margaret, their son-in-law Thomas Strang, their grandson William, the ageing Wailes sisters Elizabeth and Margaret, three domestic servants, a visiting widow called Isabella Le Berkeley and a Sarah A Pashley. Their neighbours at this time were the Peasel’s who had made their fortune from banking. Also living nearby, in a row called “Wailes’ Gardens,” were a dozen or so gardeners. These men most likely worked for William on his new vision – redesigning Saltwell Estate in Gateshead.
William’s creative legacy still lives on in some of Gateshead’s street names
Saltwell Park Â
William’s creative vision led to him purchasing the site in the 1860s and building of a decorative mansion (known as Saltwell Towers). The building, gothically styled, is still greatly imposing with its soaring towers and numerous windows. In 1861, shortly after purchasing the site, William is listed as owning ten acres and employing three men, fourteen boys and two women to care for his land. These individuals were most likely employed to help William realise his vision of cultivated gardens. Ten years later, in 1871, William owned 235 acres of land across the region.
Saltwell Towers; a side view.Saltwell Towers; a side view.Saltwell Towers; view from the front.
However, almost twenty years after purchasing Saltwell Estate, William ran into financial difficulties and was forced to sell his dream to the Gateshead Corporation whom opened the gardens up as a public park. In the heart-breaking deal William was allowed to remain resident in the towers until his death in 1881.
A plaque on one of the Park’s gates
The Will of Women
When William Wailes died in 1881 his will outlined how his personal estate, estimated in local papers to have been worth £25,403 3s 5d, should be divided between his family. This original document has been found amongst papers within the Dickson, Archer and Thorp collection and its date, late January, suggests it was hastily written on his death bed. The majority of William’s surviving blood relations were female, and it fell to them to both divide and claim his assets. These included his two daughters, two granddaughters, widowed daughter-in-law and two sisters.
An extract from the will of William Wailes. REF: NRO 11343/B/DAT
He had appointed his daughter Anne Kirwood, his friend John Gibson and his son-in-law Thomas Rankin Strang to be his executors and trustees. He left a watch, belonging to his previously deceased son William Thomas, to his only grandson William Wailes Strang. He left his recently widowed daughter-in-law £20 for mourning, but instructed that her daughters should remain in the care of their aunt Anne Kirwood. Anne was to therefore act as the girls’ live-in mother and trustee until they reached the age of 21. William also bequeathed to his trustees and executors any money still owed to him by the Gateshead Corporation for the sale of Saltwell Park, and assigned yearly allowances to various family members. He also bequeathed gifts to the institution of the Deaf and Dumb.
The signature of William Wailes Strang, DN/E/8/2/2/137
William may have been gone but his legacy continued through his gifts of philanthropy and his grandson’s development of the family glass making business. William was an exceptional force admired for being hard-working, charitable and upstanding – the ultimate Victorian gentleman.
The Blue Plaque celebrating his legacy
We would like to thank the volunteer who carefully transcribed the last will and testimony of William Wailes, without which this blog would not be possible.
