Gan Yem HOG* Records Places Index  

This is Ninth Street, Horden where my Grandparents Allen Musgrove and Margaret (nee Cotterill) lived in number 20 - which is behind the Cortina I think. The photo was taken in 1988.  
As my parents were moving that weekend, from West Horden farm (where my Grandfather Allin HOGGARTH was manager) to another farm (Seaton Carew I think),  I was born here.  

This is the rear of Ninth Street. As with most houses built for mine workers there is a small enclosed yard behind the houses at the end of which is the coal bunker and toilet.

This is Horden Hall farm in about 1992. This is where I lived from about 1952 until 1965 in the house with the white board on front.
There used to be a couple of houses on the left where the horse is. I think it was in one of these where my Uncle Ron HOGGARTH lived when he worked on the farm. Thus Cousin Doug in South Africa also lived here.
The blue bit to the right is the North Sea and the small copse on the hill in the center we called "the Dead Wood".  

When I was a toddler the farm was owned (or managed) by a Mr Beattie (who retired and went to the Peebles area of Scotland I think).  Early in the 1950s it was sold to the Howards; who still live there according to the phone book.  

The buildings on the left at the end of the lane was the Poultry farm (maybe we called it the Chicken Farm?) which had free range hens in the field at the right of the lane.  The family who lived there were called Carter.  After they moved out one of the Howard sons (Allan perhaps) moved in.  

I borrowed a book from the local library called "The real James Herriot" by his son Jim Wight.  The James Herriot books were written by Alfred Wight who practiced in Thirsk and I thought there might be some mention of places around the North York Moors where my fathers fathers line come from.  In it I found this passage from the time when Alfred Wight was working at Sunderland: 

There was a call to a calving and Mac was in no mood for a trial of strength in an icy cow byre. He looked blearily at his young colleague. 'Fred,' he said, 'there's a cow calving over at Horden. They've been trying to calve her for over two hours and they're beat. Just slip over and do it, will you?

Alf,, eager to impress, set off in his rattly old car. He arrived at the farm to find a pair of dejected-looking farmers standing beside a cow. There was no sign that she was calving save for a few inches of a small tail hanging from her vulva. Alf removed his shirt, soaped his arms thoroughly, and gently inserted a hand into the cow's vagina. He soon discovered that the calf was abnormally presented. It was coming backwards with the legs folded underneath, its rump blocking the birth canal. This presentation - known as a 'breech' - can be tricky, but the young vet had done one or two as a student. He was going to enjoy this; here was a chance to create a really good impression.

Working quickly and smoothly, he produced a live calf within fifteen minutes, followed by another five minutes later. It was a job well done but there were no words of gratitude from the farmers, no pats on the back with a cry of 'Well done, young man!' He received only a stony silence and a terse wave of farewell.

When he got back to the practice, he went to find Mac. 'They're a miserable lot out there, Mac,' he said, recounting the morning's work. 'What do I have to do to please them? If I'd conjured up a few more calves they still wouldn't have been happy.

 Now there were only two Farms at Horden in the first part of 1940 when this took place

- Horden Hall and West Horden. So this event would be either at Horden Hall, where Uncle Ron Hoggarth was probably working for Mr Beattie, or  at West Horden farm where my Grandad Allin was the manager with my dad and probably some other sons assisting him.  

This is Horden Hall farm in September 2000.
The Hall itself used to be the manor house for the local lord. The manor was very large and included Easington. If I remember right one of the Lords was married to a sister of Robert the Bruce and he has a tomb in Easington Church; usual suit of armour etc.

In The Times, Friday Mar 02, 1849 page 7 there is a report of the trial of John BOWRON for Highway Robbery.  He was found guilty and transported for 20 years.  The relevance here is that the victim was Mr ALDERSON, a farmer residing at Horden Hall near Easington who, with his mother and sister, was returning home from Sunderland market in a gig, Mr DONKIN, a nieghbour, accompanying them on horseback.  BOWRON had an accomplice called HUTCHINSON who gave evidence against BOWRON. They took £14 12s 6d off ALDERSON and £1 off DONKIN.  

In 1868, according to the Poll Book the farm was occupied by a William Peacock.  1871 census (RG10-4970 Folio 21) show William PEACOCK age 50 Farmer of 543 acres.  At West Horden was Thomas KAY age 56 Farmer of 242 acres.  At this census James CARRUTHERS (see 1881) was a Farm Steward at Shotton, Oakerside? (RG10-4972 folio 45).  

In 1881 (census RG11-4965 folio 18)  the farm was occupied by a 50 year old "Farm Bailiff Steward" called CARRUTHERS from Scotland.   Apart from the usual Ag Labs one of the workers at the farm was a Shepherd.  I suppose that without the pits at Easington and Horden, which were not sunk until about 20 years later, there would not have been the call for the milk from the cows.  There were about 80 cows on the farm when I lived there and no sheep.   I later learned from my cousin Doug that when our family were at West Horden Farm they had sheep there.  This probably explains the hand clippers which my father had.  He told me that they were used for castrating rams, jokingly I'm fairly sure.  

In 1900 the Horden Collieries Ltd company had acquired 13,000 acres of leasehold coal royalties from the Hulam Coal Company Ltd.  The royalties lying immediately to the south of the Easington Royalty.  By 1905 the pit was starting to operate.  200 houses had been built and 600 more were planned.  

For more about Horden visit Jeff MAWHINNY's site .  

West Horden Farm

Though I have several pictures of people at West Horden Farm I don't have one showing the farmhouse or farm buildings,  Cousin Doug of S Africa recollects this:

I understood that the original farm house was originally one big house. It was at some stage divided into two parts - not of equal sizes. Reg and Doris lived with Ken in the smaller part which, I think had two bedrooms upstairs. The part occupied by Gran and Grandad was still quite big and had a huge curved stairway in the middle and at least three bedrooms upstairs and three very large living rooms downstairs. One living room had a very steep staircase by the side of the fireplace which was a short cut to the bathroom.

I'm not sure exactly when Gran and Grandad moved to Sheraton. However, they moved there whilst we still lived in Sheraton. We moved to Hutton Henry when I was about 11  -  I guess it would have been January 1951. As we moved out of the house Gran and Grandad moved in, but they had been living in another house in Sheraton for a year or two before that so they must have left West Horden farm about 1949. 

The bit of History below was sent to me by Bert Hall who has been looking into the origin of the local Rugby Club's badge:

HORDEN  RUGBY  CLUB  BADGE

          After the Norman Conquest of England  the Kingdom of Northumberland was laid waste  until it was divided up among the followers of William of Normandy. 

          In 1099,  William Rufus (William II) appointed Rannulph Flambard to be Bishop of Durham and he thus took direct control of the whole of the North of England and the Borders.

Flambard was removed by Henry  the First but was re-instated after swearing allegiance to the new King.

          Soon after 1102 Flambard granted to one of his nephews , named Richard, large amounts of the  East  of the  Bishopric from North of the Wear practically to the Tees.

          By a later charter Robert, the Son of Richard, released to his Brother’s Son, Galfrid,  "all his claims to the villages of Lamesley, Hetton, Blakiston, Horden, Silksworth and Hamildon" In return for all claims to  Ravensworth. 

          Thus the Lords of the Manor of Horden are traced back to the Nephew of Rannulph Flambard , Bishop of Durham and the pedigree of the College of  Arms commences with “Galfrid de Hordene”. 

          The badge of Horden Rugby Club is an exact copy of the Seal of Galfrid, the first Lord of Horden.

          It is a half shield  with two  Martlets  (mythical birds) in the top half and one Martlet in the lower half.  In Heraldry the Martlet  was a symbol used on shields and coats of arms to denote the Fourth Son in a family).

          Being a mythical bird  it is always depicted as having no feet.  The “badge” can be found on the fire place in the present Horden Hall.  When the badge was adopted by the Rugby Club a letter was sent to the College of Heralds to register the design.

Prepared by Peter Dunn.

 

Gan Yem HOG* Records Places Index