Kieran Carter's 'North East Heritage Library'

I know I've mentioned Kieran Carter's adventures in local history before (and will, no doubt, do so again), but if you're interested in any aspect of the history of the top right-hand corner of England you really should be a regular visitor to the young man's excellent 'North East Heritage Library' (NEHL). There are two ways in: with the homepage proper being here, and the Patreon gateway here.

Kieran is a lovely chap and his endeavours remind me of my own efforts to popularise the subject matter through my old mail order magazine, The North-Easterner, during 1994-2004. That all seems like a very long time ago now, and I know there are still a few of you out there who subscribed to the journal (you know who you are!). Unlike me and my old-school launch in the mid-1990s, Mr Carter is having to deal with the intricacies of the digital age. I started with a typewriter with no wordprocessing capabilities - and I didn't even have access to the burgeoning Internet until a year into my venture!

OK, then, enough of the bad old good old days. 

I was prompted to mention the NEHL again on account of a couple of Newcastle-related articles I have recently spotted there. The first is a sideways look at the town's famous (infamous?) siege of 1644 by Miriam Bibby - a fellow Novocastrian and far better qualified than me when it comes to the study of history. Then there was a more recent look at outsiders' views on Novocastrians through history by Sue Hope, who herself has a long history of writing in the field.*

Anyway, I just thought I'd point out the existence of the NEHL on the off chance that you may not have yet come across it. And do try to offer Kieran your support by joining his band of Patreon followers. There are several levels of financial support you can offer - and being once myself in desperate pursuit of such support during my publishing days I can fully appreciate what a struggle it can be at times. Kieran is young, keen and remarkably knowledgeable - so let's reward him with a bit of support.

* Readers may be interested in my own published booklet on the subject - see left-hand column for further info.

The Morpeth Olympic Games

 

As you know, my wife and I have recently moved to Morpeth, and, not knowing a great deal about the town's history, I am keen to find out as much as I can about the topic in double-quick time. I don't want to overload you with Morpeth stuff in the coming weeks and months, but I was particularly taken with the tale of the Morpeth Olympic Games. 

Unbelievably, this was a professional sporting gathering that took place in the market town from the 1870s through to the 1950s, with big money prizes up for grabs. It wasn't always known as the 'Olympics', but the term was adopted by the event organisers in the 1880s to add a layer of lustre to proceedings. And this was before the modern-day Olympics were revived in 1896. Once again, then, the Great North-East was ahead of the game!

In my search for information on the athletic shenanigans upon the banks of the Wansbeck I came across an excellent article by Jack Brodie in the Inside Morpeth Magazine of Aug/Sept 2024. It's on pages 14-15 and can be found here. Further detail can also be found in Tony Henderson's piece on the ChronicleLive website; and there is even a YouTube video to enjoy.

It all sounds rather splendid. Isn't the history of the North-East just full of surprises?

Charlton Heston's Geordie Roots

Overhearing a conversation the other day between my wife and a friend, I heard Angie re-iterate (for the umpteenth time) that her favourite film was Ben-Hur, the 1959 effort starring Charlton Heston. My better half loves this movie, and, I think, fancied the lead actor no end. Her friend then recalled that she'd seen the American star perform at Newcastle's Theatre Royal back in 1988 as Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons. Angie was suddenly overcome with barely-concealed envy.

Her jealousy soon, though, turned to anguish as her friend checked the fine detail on the internet, only to find that the great man had actually called into St.Thomas More School in her home town of Blaydon during the same visit. She had no idea that she'd come so close to her idol!

Heston, it turns out, was in the North East to appear in the famous play on the theatre's opening night following the building's 20-month closure and refurb. The grand occasion took place on 11th January 1988. He is understood to have had a bit of a soft spot for the Toon, claiming that he loved the place due to it having 'so much history'. I am starting to warm to the man myself now.

He was well aware of his ancestral links to the city, too. Heston said during a Press conference at the Theatre Royal: “My grandfather [John Carter] came from the Newcastle area. He worked in the mines as a boy of eight or nine around 1890 to 1895. He emigrated to America soon after with his mother. I believe Carter is not an uncommon name in Newcastle, although I don’t know of any relatives who might still be living here.”

And it wasn't the first time he'd called in to the region. As detailed in this revealing ChronicleLive article, he had a holiday here in the late 1970s, during which time he hiked along Hadrian's Wall and did a little family history research in Jesmond! He also popped into Newcastle for a stage appointment in 1952 ... and yet another visit, in 1968, included this televised interview.

Well, who'd have thought it? Not my wife, Angie, for one.