The Newcastle History Blog
Fragments of the Town's Past ... and of the North-East, too - with all profits from the sale of my books being donated to the Great North Children's Hospital.
Monday 7 October 2024
Edward I at Newcastle, 1296
Tuesday 24 September 2024
A Visit to St.Paul's Church, Jarrow
Tuesday 10 September 2024
Farthing Pants
The Whittle Dene Water Company was first established in Newcastle in 1846. Previous to this, the most of the better sort of houses in the town had pumps or wells in the rear of their premises; but the poorer class of the inhabitants had to carry all the water they used from the various pants in the town. Besides the numerous public pants, which, of course, were free and open to all, there were, in the more populous districts of the town, sources of supply called "farthing pants”, each being under the management of an old woman, who sat in a sort of watch or sentry box, armed with an enormous key, with which she turned on the water, and which ponderous key she always carried away when she went off duty. The sum of one farthing was charged for a "skeel" full of water, a skeel being a sort of tub with one handle, which was always carried on the head, being placed upon a "weeze", or cushion, so as to keep off the pressure, and, as the vessel held six or eight gallons, the weight was no trifle.
People now-a-days can hardly conceive the trouble and labour spent in obtaining a few gallons of pure water at this time. When a little lad, I have often made one of a crowd of women and children, patiently sitting round one of the public pants, waiting their "turn", the spout meanwhile running like a thread, at the rate, perhaps, of a gallon in ten minutes. All sorts of cunning dodges used to be tried to get a supply out of turn. Appeals, too, were often made to the sympathy and good nature of the crowd, such as: — "Aa ha’e ma man's dinner te get reddy. It’s varry neer twelve o'clock. Aa divvent knaa whaat te de. Thor’ll be a bonny gam if he cums in and aa's oot." A more successful plaint was, "Aa've left the bairn iv th' creddle, and nebody iv th' hoose beside it." This seldom failed of effect. One woman after another expressing her willingness to give up her "torn”, the complainer would get her supply, and hurry off to the bairn. But there were many disputes, leading to much bad language, and not unfrequently to the waste of the water which so much time and trouble had been spent to get. Any impudent attempt to take advantage was promptly resisted by the crowd, and I have often seen a woman deluged with the water that it had taken twenty minutes to gather.
Before the Whittle Dene Water Company began business the town was supplied by the Newcastle Joint-Stock Water Company. Its sources of supply were: — Carr's Hill, Coxlodge, Town Moor, private wells, and the river Tyne. The company had 32 pants, which supplied water to the public at the rate of a farthing a "skeel." The Corporation had also twenty public pants, which were free and open to all comers. Now, in 1845 there were 15,000 houses in Newcastle, but out of this number only 1,350 had the water laid on to them, the rent being from 18s. to 30s. per house, exclusive of closets, &c. That now despised coin, the farthing, I believe, has almost dropped out of circulation, but forty years ago it was in general currency. The old ladies who attended to the pants sat in watch-boxes, and in cold weather were always dressed in long, thick, warm overcoats, reaching down to their heels. They were not easily induced to give credit, the old lady who attended the pant on the New Road [City Road], at all events, being very particular. When urged by some poor woman, who was literally without a farthing in the world, she would exclaim, "Aa durna, hinny. They're varry partiklor at the offis, varry partiklor." When a suspicious-looking coin was offered to her, she would often reject it with the same words, "They're varry partiklor at the offis. Aa dinna think it's a good yen." She seemed to hold the "office" in awe and dread, which was not without effect upon her customers.
Sunday 1 September 2024
Lindisfarne Wander
Tuesday 20 August 2024
The Victoria Tunnel: the Northern Section
Monday 12 August 2024
I Went to Allenheads ... and it was Closed
Sunday 4 August 2024
Iris Brickfield Park: A Brief History
Prior to 1900, the area in question lay unused, being rather soggy and having formerly formed a part of East Heaton Farm. Nearby Middle Pit was worked for some time a little to the west, and it is likely that waste from these workings indicated that the clay lying hereabouts was suitable for brickmaking. So, in 1903, a clay pit with an associated brick- and tile-making operation began, located precisely over the site of the future park. The bricks were used in the construction of many of the surrounding streets in the following decade or so.
The original firm, Standard Brick Company, who had other sites in the area, went into receivership in 1908. The site was taken over by James Frazer, who renamed the operation the Iris Brick Works. Manager John Moorhead ran both the Heaton works and its sister site at Pelaw for 30 years, though operations at Heaton were relatively small-scale – and it was wound down during the Second World War.
In 1945, the site was purchased by the city council and used as a rubbish tip for a few years (handily filling up the clay quarry); after which it was used as a rough recreational ground, until it was properly landscaped in the 1990s. It is now used by locals and nature in equal measure, including an area given over to allotments.
But why ‘Iris’? Occasional references on the internet suggest it was the name of the wife (or daughter) of the owner of the brick works; and there is the odd mention of an ‘Iris Ogilvie’ being involved in the ownership of the Pelaw branch of the works. But searches of genealogical records for the era do not support either claim. Can anyone enlighten me?
[article taken from my book Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Tales From the Suburbs - see left-hand column for further details]