Little Jack

There were four Metcalf sisters. Their names were Minnie, Nellie, Lily and Cassie, the daughters of Joseph and Ann Jane Metcalf (née Knox).

Joseph and Ann were married on 29 July 1893, and their daughter Minnie was born later that year. Nellie was born in 1896, Lily in 1899, and finally Cassie was born in 1904. 

The Metcalf Sisters

But I know there was a fifth Metcalf child, a boy, named Jack. 

My Grandma told me of him a few times, and it was always the same story. Not really a story, per se, more of a line, something little Jack said. And it always ended with my Grandma saying 'but, of course, he died young.'

The story was passed down to my Grandma from her mother, Minnie, who heard it firsthand. The line was spoken by Jack himself, who said, 'Put Cassie down, Ma. Nurse Jack.'

Jack was born on 13 May 1902 at West Moor, Northumberland. His father was a native of Stanley, Durham, but in his work as a sinker in the pits, he found himself working in many collieries in the local area. Ann, his mother, was from Bedlington.

Cassie was born two years later, on 9 February 1904. Jack was obviously jealous of his mother's affections and attention when the new baby arrived and decided he wanted to be nursed too.

On 6 July 1904, Jack sadly died of a combination of whooping cough and bronchopneumonia. He was only two-years-old.

Thankfully Jack is remembered in my family. Two of the Metcalf sisters named a son Jack in his honour, and it is clear that my own great-grandmother recalled him fondly and ensured he was remembered. 

The Flotsam of Humanity

Newspapers are truly invaluable when researching your family tree. They give a huge insight into the social history of the time, and it is quite amazing what can turn up on your ancestors. 

The following is an extract from the Morpeth Herald, published 6 September 1902.

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Catherine Knox, Cambois, when asked what she had to say for herself in answer to a charge of having been very drunk and disorderly, said "A' knaa nowt aboot it, hinney. It was awl a dizzy bout. When they cum on aa just fall doon." Mr. Nixon did not believe the story, and ordered Catherine to pay 5/- and 5/- and costs or six days.

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I'm not sure I would believe Catherine either, 3x great-grandmother or not! 

Catherine died on 2 April 1904 of pulmonary phthisis (tuberculosis). She was buried at nearby Bedlington on 6 April. 

Mat the Bedlington Terrier

The Bedlington Terrier is a dog which originates in the Northumbrian borders. It was first called the Rothbury Terrier, but was renamed after the Bedlingtonshire district. The Bedlington Terrier was primarily a hunting dog, used to eradicate vermin, and also used to hunt badgers, hares and foxes.

Bedlington Terriers were also family pets, and were a favoured companion of Northumbrian pitmen. The first dog show with a Bedlington Terrier class was in 1870.

In May 1872, James Knox of Bebside, placed two advertisements in the Morpeth Herald. He claimed that his blue Bedlington Terrier, was "of the Pure Blood" and had a "Pedigree from 1791", and was wanting to stud him out.

In November of the same year, James placed a notice in the newspaper, saying that his blue Bedlington Terrier, Mat, was lost. He was last seen at Bedlington. There would be a reward for anyone who returned him, but anyone detaining Mat would be prosecuted. 

Clearly Mat was sick of being a stud dog! 

On This Day - Silver Wedding

On this day in 1893 at the Lanchester Registry Office, Durham my 2x Great Grandparents, Joseph Metcalf and Ann Jane Knox were married. 

25 years later a notice was placed in the Morpeth Herald commemorating their silver wedding anniversary.

Auntie Nellie's Birthday Book

Fairly recently I came across a Birthday Book which belonged to my 2x Great Aunt, Nellie Metcalf. Nellie and her husband were not able to have children, so when she died her belongings were shared amongst her three sisters and their children. 

Auntie Nellie Metcalf

On the very first page was written - To Nellie, from Tom. On her seventeenth birthday. 
So I know Nellie received this book on 10 February 1913. The following pages had the details and the address of a T. W. Weatherly who was in the Royal Marines. 

In 1913 the Metcalf family were living in Morpeth, possibly in the Masons Arms public house. Nellie's mother Ann was from Bedlington, Northumberland, while her father Joseph was from Stanley, Co. Durham where his family were still living. 

The Birthday Book is beautifully illustrated, along with poems at the start of every month and a small extract of one or more poems on every individual day. In the book I found the birthdays of Nellie's parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends, and noting down Nellie's relationship to everyone in the book became my goal.  

On the entry for April 23 I found Nellie's mother's birthday. In the book she was simply Mrs Metcalf - a sign of the formality of the times. Her father was under J. Metcalf. The only grandparent alive in 1913 was Nellie's paternal grandmother, Mary Ann Metcalf. On the entry for December 10, Grandmother Metcalf is written alongside it. 

Nellie's sisters Cassie and Lily's names were written down on their respective dates of birth but my Great Grandmother Minnie's entry was a little different. A small, aged feather was placed in between the pages along with Minnie Metcalf, written in Minnie's own handwriting. 

Like she did with her mother's entry, Nellie often recorded people in their titled form. So in the book you can find entries for Mrs Robinson, Nellie's maternal aunt and also Mrs Burrows, Mrs R. Logan, Mrs Harrison and Mrs Reed. Another of Nellie's aunts was written as Katherine Knox Keeley, so this could imply that she was closer to her than she was to 'Mrs Robinson', but I'm not really sure. It appears the names of the other ladies were the mothers of Nellie's friends.

I soon turned my attention to the man who gave Auntie Nellie the book. Tom W. Weatherly was born 30 July 1890, and his family lived in Choppington and later Bedlington. I was shocked to discover that poor Tom died on 24 June 1915 at Gallipoli, aged only 25. 

At the back of the birthday book are the names of two people along with their death dates. Mrs J. H. Harrison died on 26 October 1914, while Trooper A. White was killed in action on 20 February 1915. 

Auntie Nellie did not continue writing in the book, as the names of her husband and later nephews and nieces are not recorded. The last date I know she wrote in was February 1915, and I know Tom Weatherly was killed in June of the same year. A thought of mine is that Nellie possibly could not bring herself to use the book after Tom died. I'm not sure, but I wonder if Tom was a beau of Nellie's, but if that were the case I'd expect that she would have written his date of death down.

Family Pub Crawl - Part 2

In around the mid-1910s, my 2x Great Grandfather, Joseph Metcalf, started running the Masons Arms, Manchester Street, Morpeth.

Joseph Metcalf was born in 1871 in the midst of the Durham coalfields at Stanley, Durham to Thomas Metcalf and Mary Ann Steel. In 1893 he married Ann Jane Knox, a girl originally from Bedlington, Northumberland who moved to Stanley to live with her Aunt and Uncle. In the same year their first daughter, Minnie, was born. Three more daughters followed; Nellie, Lily and Cassie.

As a young man, Joseph became a sinker in the mines, and as a result went to many mining towns and villages across Northumberland and Durham. He soon rose through the mining ranks and became a Deputy at Morpeth. It was here in Morpeth where he became a publican, after retiring from mining. When he became tenant at the Masons Arms, he made sure to tell the regulars to mind their language, as he had four impressionable young daughters! 

Manchester Street, Morpeth

Joseph's dear wife, Ann died in 1937, but by that time the Metcalfs had already left the Masons Arms and their daughters had married and moved away from home - some a little further than others as Minnie had emigrated to Australia in 1920. Finding himself lonely, Joseph often went to visit and stay with his daughter Nellie and son-in-law, Tom Todd at their home in Sidcup, Kent. Although he loved living in Kent, life was quite distressing for him. Living so close to London, Joseph, Nellie and Tom regularly found themselves having to stay in air raid shelters most nights during the second World War. After the War, life was easier for Joseph as he was able relax and enjoyed playing dominoes in his daughter's garden.

Joseph died on 7th August 1953 at his daughter's home in Sidcup, Kent.

The Masons Arms pub has since been renamed the Tap & Spile.

Tap & Spile, Manchester Street, Morpeth