Big altar, baby altar

Arbeia South Shields' Roman Fort   Archaeology
Posted by administrator on November 8, 2013     Permalink     Leave a comment
Small altar

The small altar recently excavated at Arbeia

The best artefact from the excavations at Arbeia this season is a small altar about 25cm tall. This is only the fourth small altar recovered from the site – there are two others without inscriptions, and one dedicated to Vitiris – and is the smallest yet.

Vitiris altar

A small altar from Arbeia dedicated to Vitiris

Unfortunately its inscription is too worn to read in full, but there’s a chance it was also dedicated to the god/gods called the Vitires or Veteres  – ‘ the old gods’. There are 18 different ways of spelling this name, which can be male or female, singular or plural! They/him/her was/were popular on Hadrian’s Wall, especially towards the eastern end, with over 60 examples of similar altars to them known, all of which are small in size. For some reason a local warrior god called Belatucairus was more popular towards the western end of the Wall.

 

Big altar baby altar

Big altar, baby altar: a small altar from Arbeia (without a surviving inscription) in front of a full-sized example

The inscriptions on these altars are often poorly carved, but can include variations on the phrase ‘votum solvit libens merito’– ‘willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow’ – ie the dedicator promised the god he would buy the altar and has now done so. This phase is frequently found on full-sized altars, so the small altars had the same function as the larger ones, but were dedicated by people lower down the social scale. This one, then, was probably bought by a rank-and-file soldier within the fort, rather than an officer.

South Shields Foreshore – preserving the memories

Collections & Objects   Discovery Museum   Local History   Social History   The Archives
Posted by administrator on October 28, 2013     Permalink     Comments (4)

Tyne & Wear Archives is delighted to present a new flickr set of images relating to South Shields. This set has been created to celebrate the opening of South Tyneside Council’s new leisure centre, Haven Point, on 28 October. Haven Point is located on Pier Parade, South Shields and is major part of the Council’s ambitious plan to transform the town’s foreshore.

Most of the images are taken from the records of the Newcastle-based photographers Turners Ltd. The set focuses in particular on life along the foreshore during the 1950s but also includes a few images from further down the coast, such as this image of the Marsden Grotto taken in May 1953.

Aerial view of Marsden Grotto, May 1953 (TWAM ref. DT.TUR/2/9996B)

Aerial view of Marsden Grotto, May 1953 (TWAM ref. DT.TUR/2/9996B)

The images include a superb series commissioned by South Shields Borough Council in August 1950 to promote local tourism. South Shields has long been a popular seaside resort and the images reflect this. There are shots of families relaxing on the beach and having fun at the amusement park.

Miniature railway at the Amusement Park, South Shields, August 1950 ( TWAM ref. DT.TUR/2/5197M)

There are also views promoting the town’s parks and the beach chalets, which were so popular for holidaymakers.

Family in a beach chalet, South Shields, August 1950 (TWAM ref. DT.TUR/2/5255C)

I hope that these images stir a few happy trips down memory lane. If you’d like to share your memories then please do leave a comment.

Turners also took some excellent aerial photographs of the foreshore and the surrounding area. These include this view of Westoe Colliery in May 1954.

Aerial view of Westoe Colliery with foreshore in the background, South Shields, May 1954 (DT.TUR/2/11668A)

Photographs such as these are an important reminder of the town’s proud industrial history. Old industries such as coal mining and shipbuilding may have disappeared but their memory lives on through the men who worked in them and their descendants. Those families will help to write the next chapter in South Shields history.

The images in the flickr set, together with a fascinating selection of photographs from South Tyneside Local Studies Library, will be on show in a digital exhibition at Haven Point. The exhibition includes 59 images from the Local Studies collections and contains some remarkable views of the town’s old swimming facilities such as the Open Air Pool on the north foreshore and the Victoria Sea Water Baths. You can also see images from the Local Studies Library online at http://www.southtynesideimages.org.uk/.

Over the coming years South Shields will continue to be regenerated and many areas will be changed forever. While it’s important that the town looks forward to an exciting future it’s also vital that its heritage is preserved and appreciated. Tyne & Wear Archives and South Tyneside Local Studies have a crucial role to play in this. We serve as the region’s memory. We keep alive a window into the town’s past, preserving the history of people, places and industries that no longer exist.

 

Tudor apprenticeship register deposited with Tyne & Wear Archives

Collections & Objects   Discovery Museum   Local History   Social History   The Archives
Posted by administrator on October 1, 2013     Permalink     Leave a comment

The vast majority of the documents held by Tyne & Wear Archives date from the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. We add to our collections all the time and it’s always fascinating when something unusual turns up. I was therefore delighted when we recently received a small deposit of much older records relating to the Incorporated Company of Tailors of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Records of the Incorporated Company of Tailors in the Archives conservation studio, September 2013

The Incorporated Company of Tailors is one of Newcastle’s old trade guilds. The members of these trade guilds were responsible for the regulation of individual trades or crafts and supervised matters such as prices, wages, the hiring of apprentices and the quality of workmanship. The guilds sought to protect their interests from outsiders (or ‘foreigners as they often described them). The Archives holds records for many of Newcastle’s guilds and general details of these are available in a user guide on our webpages.

The oldest document in the new deposit is a register of apprenticeships (TWAM ref. GU.TY/57) kept by the Incorporated Company of Tailors. This rare and unexpected survival, dates all the way back to 1576 and covers the period up to 1625. The entries follow a standard format and are name rich, which makes them of real value for family historians. They tell us the name of the apprentice, his father’s name and the name of the master he was apprenticed to. A typical example is this entry from 1588, a famous year in British History, which saw the launch of the Spanish Armada.

 

Entry relating to the apprenticeship of Francis Richeson, 29 September 1588 (TWAM ref. GU.TY/57)

A rough transcription of this entry (without modernised spellings) would be:

“This Indentur maied the xxixth daye of September in the xxxth yeare of the Reigne of our Sovereigne Ladie Elizabeth by the grace of god queen of England Fraunce and Irelande queen defender of the faith etc Between Fraunces Richeson laiet sonn of Robarte Richeson of harte in the Countie of Durham yoman deceased bindes me apprentes  with John Shorte of The Towne of Newcastell uppon Tyne Tayllor for the space of Seaven  yeares And beinge bounde from the daye of the dayte as a foersaied untell the full end and Tearmes yeares And in the Tyme of Mr Rogger Nychollby beinge maioer Mr George Farnabe sherrefe in Anno Domini 1588″.

The style of handwriting shown here is known as ‘secretary hand’. It can take a while to get used to but help is available online, including the National Archives website.

If one of your ancestors worked in a trade in Newcastle upon Tyne then maybe you should consider searching the guild records we hold. Details of our location and opening times can be found on our website.

Lastly, I’d like to add a big thank you to the depositor of the records, Michael Foggin. His generosity in placing these documents with us is greatly appreciated. If any other freemen hold historical records that they would like to see preserved then I would encourage them to contact us. We would be delighted to hear from them.

 

Toon Times

Discovery Museum   Local History
Posted by administrator on September 2, 2013     Permalink     Leave a comment

Over the past four weeks the Toon Times project has been working with an Age UK group in West Denton. The group was made up of 12 women and 1 man, all aged between 70 and 90.

The Toon Times project aims to collect memories and stories of Newcastle United Football Club – from fans and loyal supporters, but also the ordinary people living locally, whose lives have been affected by the presence of St. James’ Park and Newcastle United.

Some of the group are examples of North Easterners who although having lived on the doorstep of St. James’ Park most of their lives, have never actually stepped foot inside the ground, and have never taken much of an interest in football. Ann who grew up in Newcastle said she remembers “being sent to queue for hours and hours, right down the street to get Cup Final tickets for my Dad, but I have never been inside the stadium”. Paddy said “the saying goes ‘Pigeons, Football and the Wife’, or it’s something like that, I can’t remember, but the wife is always last!” However, for a group who on their first meeting said they were not one bit interested in football, they certainly had a lot of stories to tell, and it was evident that their lives had at some point crossed with this great club.

In order to stimulate memories we held a number of reminiscence sessions. One session asked the group to think more generally about recalling memories; we gave them a series of postcards from places around the north east and asked them to recollect anything they associated with that image. We also used a 20th century domestic loans box from the Discovery Museum, this contained objects that many of the group were familiar with, like a liberty bodice, a bakelite telephone and a flat iron. These activities helped stimulate memories from the past and made the group realise how their seemingly ordinary stories were important to us in a changing world.

In another session we introduced images of footballers from the fifties and sixties; an era that the group showed particular interest in. We asked them to recall the names of players, although many in the group had never seen these men in action, most could recall the faces of players like Jackie Milburn, Bob Moncur and the Robledo brothers. The group started to tell us how they had met some of the players; Margaret said “I went to register my son for his ration card at Hood Street and I was sat in the reception chatting away to this bloke, just waiting my turn, and I suddenly realised who it was, it was Jackie Milburn! I told my husband and he kicked himself for not coming with me.”

Objects from the Newcastle United handling collection were also used throughout the sessions, objects like a replica 1969 Fairs Cup shirt, steel toe capped football boots, a rattle and a leather case ball. The case ball caused a particular stir for Paddy who told us about a raffle she had entered at the West Denton Association, where she used to go dancing. She won a football signed by the Newcastle United first team, with autographs from the likes of Alan Shearer and Gary Speed. She said “I have five grandsons and I could only give it to one, it didn’t seem fair so I’ve kept it for myself and they can fight over it when I’m gone”. Next week Paddy brought her football in for us to see.

Paddy with her Newcastle United ball

In the last week we rounded our time off with a trip to St. James’ Park. The group had tea and biscuits in an executive box with a view of the pitch, and then a short tour of the stadium. The trip was a great close to the sessions and the ladies thoroughly enjoyed their day. Linda Swan, who runs the Age UK group said, “everyone enjoyed their visit very much (including me!) we all had such a lovely time” and “The visit was a great success! Everyone was amazed by the size of the stadium, a couple of the ladies had to touch the grass, as they couldn’t believe it was real! They were very impressed to learn that it was heated underground. They all had such a lovely day, thank you, again.”

The ladies of Wet Denton Age UK with Volunteer Sam Petty and Toon Times Assistant Keeper Anna Dodgson

Toon Times is continuing to collect memories of Newcastle United Football Club. The culmination of this project will be an exhibition about the club and its fans opening in February next year. If you, or anyone you know would like to share a memory with us then please comment below or email anna.dodgson@twmuseums.org.uk

Watch this space for developments on the Toon Times project and regular updates about the upcoming exhibition.

HMS Kelly: Commemorating the men who built her and served on her

Collections & Objects   Discovery Museum   Local History   Maritime History   Military History   Social History   The Archives
Posted by administrator on August 30, 2013     Permalink     Comments (100)

My last two blogs looked at the First World War experiences of George Cuthbertson, a marine engineer from South Shields and Annie Hamilton, a nurse. This blog looks at the Second World War and in particular the story of a much loved and admired warship HMS Kelly. It remembers the skill of the men who built and repaired the ‘Kelly’ and the great courage of those who served on her and gave their lives in the defence of their country.

HMS Kelly on sea trials, 1939 (TWAM ref. 2931/43)

HMS Kelly was built on the River Tyne at Hebburn by the illustrious shipbuilding and engineering firm Hawthorn Leslie.  During the Second World War the shipyard’s output was remarkable. It included an aircraft carrier, three cruisers, two fast minelayers and 16 flotilla leaders and destroyers, not to mention a whole host of other vessels for the Royal and Merchant Navies.  This was all achieved despite the difficulties caused by the War such as air raids and blackouts. The Shop Stewards Committee wrote:

“We felt that every ship was a vital contribution to victory; that every rivet hammered home was another nail in Hitler’s coffin. More important still, we knew that if we did not produce the ships the alternative was unthinkable disaster” (Our Ships at War by R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie & Co. Ltd).

The keel for HMS Kelly was laid on 26 August 1937 and she took two years to complete. She was a K-Class destroyer, named after the Admiral of the Fleet, Sir John Kelly whose daughter launched her on 25 October 1938. Her Captain was Lord Louis Mountbatten.

Launch party of HMS Kelly, 25 October 1938 (TWAM ref. 2931)

After War was declared on 3 September 1939 HMS Kelly was straight into the thick of the conflict. The following day together with HMS Acheron she helped to sink a u-boat and on 12 September HMS Kelly brought the Duke of Windsor (the former King Edward VIII) back to England from Le Havre.

During her short career the ‘Kelly’ suffered a lot of bad luck. In December 1939 her stern was damaged after she struck a German mine just off the River Tyne. Repairs were not completed until the following February. Much worse was to come. On 9 May 1940, while searching for German minelayers in the North Sea, she was torpedoed with the loss of 27 lives. Many of these men are buried in Hebburn Cemetery.

With great difficulty she was towed back to Hawthorn Leslie’s shipyard by HMS Bulldog. Lord Mountbatten wrote:

“…when this perilous journey began, my Navigator asked me where we should make for – and without a second’s hesitation I replied: Hebburn. I knew the ship’s birthplace was where she should return; and not only was the Kelly given a new lease of life, but my decision was more than justified by the real human sympathy and interest alone which was shown to our wounded and killed” (Our Ships at War by R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie & Co. Ltd).

View of HMS Kelly returning to Hebburn under tow, May 1940 (TWAM ref. 2931)

It’s also worth recording the comments of the Controller of the Navy who wrote:

“Kelly was got into harbour not only by the good seamanship of the officers and men, but also on account of the excellent workmanship which ensured the watertightness of the other compartments. A single defective rivet might have finished her” (Our Ships at War by R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie & Co. Ltd).

View of HMS Kelly in dry dock showing the damage to her hull, 1940 (TWAM ref. 2931/43)

HMS Kelly was assessed and the necessary repairs carried out by the workers at Hawthorn Leslie.  The Archives holds a photograph album kept by the firm, which shows the full extent of the damage. These images are included in a new flickr set.

View of damage to HMS Kelly looking from the Lower Deck through the boiler room, 1940 (TWAM ref. 2931/43)

The repairs were completed and the ‘Kelly’ returned to service in December 1940. By May 1941 she was leading the 5th Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean. Tragically, on 23 May while returning to Alexandria she was bombed and sunk by the Luftwaffe. Survivors were picked up by HMS Kipling but the loss of life was terrible. One hundred and thirty men were killed and they are remembered in memorials at Hebburn Cemetery, together with the 27 crew members who perished in May 1940.

The memorials were erected by the survivors of HMS Kelly and the workers at Hawthorn Leslie. Mountbatten commented on this writing:

“None of us will forget how members of the Yard contributed to the Memorial which was put up in the Hebburn Cemetery, or the kindness and sympathy of those who tended the grave. There is a strong mutual bond between the men who build our ships and the men who sail in them and fight in them; and this has perhaps never been more clearly shown than it was between us in the Kelly and you in the Yard” (Our Ships at War by R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie & Co. Ltd).

Captain the Lord Louis Mountbatten, c1940s (TWAM ref. 2931)

 

Memorials at Hebburn Cemetery to the men who lost their lives on HMS Kelly, c1940s (TWAM ref. 2931/43)