Past events

Allendale’s bastles: ruins and renovation  – Mar 2024

Allendale has a notable number of bastle houses – defensive farmhouses dating from a conflicted Anglo-Scottish past. Jared Dunn presented a summary of these 16th and 17thC structures, their origins, their features (illustrated with Allendale photographic examples) and examined both those in ruin and those that have been rebuilt or renovated.

‘From eternity to here’: the rise and fall of the North Pennines hill farmer – Feb 2024

Robert Philipson’s family have farmed in the East Allen dale for generations but he now views the North Pennines hill farmer as an endangered species.

In this talk, he examined the role of the farmer in the seventy-plus years since WW2 and explained how factors such as adjustments re. the widespread use of fertilisers, ploughing, stock improvement, and subsidy provision have driven down food prices for the consumer but meant changes for role of the hill farmer and potentially unanticipated impacts on the local environment.

Exploring the history of Quakers in the Allen dales and South Tynedale – Nov 2023

Why did Quakerism take root in Allendale after the English Civil War when it failed to elsewhere in Northumberland?

David Penn considered this question and presented some of the findings from his book on the same topic, which is currently being written. Exploring the medieval context and the local impact of the Reformation and Civil War, from which the Quaker movement sprang, he then looked at Quaker records and family histories. Through these the expansion of Quakerism in Allendale, from small beginnings into a network of Quaker Meetings stretching from Derwentside to Alston and Coanwood, can be traced.

A number of firsthand accounts of the Quaker meeting and its associated families still exist, which helped bring these records to life.

Allendale quilt stampers: ‘Our folk on twilting in our parlour’ – Oct 2023

In her presentation, ‘‘Our folk on twilting in our parlour’: The Pragmatic Emotional Networks of the Quilt Stampers of Allendale, 1870-1920′ Deborah McQuire explored Allendale’s quilt stampers, centred on the village of Allenheads.  She shared how their stories came to prominence in the 1950s, and what those stories highlighted (and overlooked) about the real emotional and pragmatic networks that quilt makers worked within.

A story of resilience, family, community and creativity, Debs’ research encourages the reappraisal of Allendale quilt makers and asks us to look again at their beautiful quilts to better understand how the skills of quilt marking offered economic independence amongst the inevitable challenges of rural and family life around 1900, but also bound communities and families together in shared creative labour in entrepreneurial activities that still resonate today.

The presentation wass a celebration of the unique culture of the East Allen valley and the elegant quilts that its inhabitants produced, which still endure for us to ‘read’ history from in homes and museums today

Debs – a historian, writer and hand quilter herself – bringing along some of her own recreations of Allendale quilts, and was excited to see a number of old Allendale quilts and quilt-making materials shared from amongst the many attendees.

Isaac Holden and the Ninebanks hearse house – Sep 2023

Isaac Holden was a 19th century miner, itinerant tea-seller and energetic fundraiser.

Roger Morris, local historian and representative of Isaac’s Tea Trail, shared the story of Isaac and the hearse house in Ninebanks. This small 1856 building was built to house the Holden Hearse, which had been bought with the proceeds from Isaac’s last great fund-raising venture

Northumberland Rifle Volunteers and Allendale’s ‘Forgotten Seventh’ – Aug 2023

Unfortunately, due to illness of our guest speaker, this event is planned to be rescheduled for a later date.

After an invasion scare in 1859 circulars were issued by the government for the raising of corps of volunteers in the counties.  A number of these corps were raised in towns across Northumberland between 1861 and 1878, including the 7th Northumberland (Allendale). A photo on our website shows these volunteers massed on the store bank.

Simon Potter shares insight into the county’s Rifle Volunteers and the Allendale) Corps of 160 years ago at Allendale Village Hall.

Walk though history: Bridge End and Wooley Burnfoot – Jul 2023

This year’s ‘walk through history’ was guided tour around the buildings and landmarks of Bridge End and Wooley Burn Foot.  Starting at ‘the Bullring’ we learned how the road up the Town Peth was built up over the years and about the ford, bridges and mills that have successively been built at Bridge End.  Other stops included The Riding, the Quaker meeting house and the old showfield at Wooley Burnfoot farm.  Taking place on two nights in July, the walk also afforded attendees the opportunity to compare ‘then and now’ as a selection of old photographs were shared en-route.

AGM 2023 – Jun 2023

Our annual general meeting was held on Thu 15 Jun in Allendale Village Hall. Members joined for a very social wine and canapés gathering at 7pm.

After a ‘spotlight’ session at 7.30pm from military historian, Simon Potter – focusing on an historic ensign’s military jacket that dates from the Allendale military volunteer force of the 1860s – the formal AGM ran from 8-8.45pm.  For those unable to attend; the 2022-3 Chair’s, Treasurer’s, Events and Secretary reports were distributed to the membership via email the following week.

Home Guard: the WW2 defence force – May 2023

Northumbrian historian, John Sadler, presented an insight into the Home Guard and its preparations to defend Britain from invasion from 1940-45.

‘If one tours the north-east coast and inland, evidence abounds: Northumbrian beaches are studded with tank traps, concrete and steel gun emplacements, pillboxes and some superbly restored batteries, particularly Blyth and Hartlepool. These are, in fact, traces of the various ‘stop’ lines set up as a defence in depth against invasion.’

Focusing on the Northumberland experience, as well as developments on mainland Europe that led to Dunkirk and the fallback to the UK – this event also included a discussion of special forces techniques and weaponry in WW2.

Hot Trod: a journey along the British frontier – Apr 2023

Border reivers … the men and women who inhabited the Anglo-Scottish borders during three centuries of endemic warfare and inter-tribal hatred ‘make ISIS seem almost cordial’, says historian John Sadler. John recounted the contextual political history of Scotland and England during the Reiver period, and demonstrated several items of medieval and post-medieval weaponry.

Roads and Routeways – Mar 2023

Ways across the East and West Allendales that we might know today also appear on 18th century maps. This talk focused on five periods through the history of the Allendales and how they influenced the growth of roads and routeways: demesne control (11-14thC), growth of farmsteads (14-16thC), packhorse ways and enclosure (16-19thC), turnpikes (19thC) and modern rationalisation (20thC).

Manorial Records project Part II: Everyday life in a Northumbrian Manor – Feb 2023

This second of two sessions focused on the project process and next steps for transcription volunteers.  Committing to a year-long project. volunteers will work on transcribing Latin and English documents, relating to the manor of Allendale, in both secretary and italic hand.

Manorial Records project Part I: Everyday life in a Northumbrian Manor – Jan 2023

AVLHG is supporting a Northumberland-wide project to transcribe local manorial records, facilitated by Northumberland Archives.

The Allen dales are blessed in having some of the most extensive records in Northumberland dating back to the 1600s. These are an important resource for local, social, family and economic history and hold insightful information on local agriculture, the resolution of disagreements between tenants, and the transfer of property between manorial tenants.

This first of two sessions saw prospective volunteers view a video presentation from Beth Elliott (project leader) who introduced manors, their structure within historical English socio-economic life and their records.

Ashleigh House – Nov 2022

Ashleigh House has been a feature within Thornley Gate for over 100 years. Built by the Lee family and funded by their Ashington Coal Company wealth in the late 1890s – Ashleigh is associated with three key personalities; Elizabeth Lee (to 1920), Henderson Philipson (to 1954) and Giovanni Fortini (to the present day. In its 127 year history it’s been a private house, a country hotel and a rest home before reverting to residential use in the early 2000s.

This presentation explored that history through documentary sources and interviews with people and descendants who lived and worked at Ashleigh.

Were the Romans in Allendale? – Oct 2022

The extent to which the Romans traversed the Allen valleys, or even settled this area twelve miles behind Hadrian’s Wall, has been contested for over 100 years.

The ‘Allen Valleys and Hexhamshire Lidar Landscape Survey’ which scanned the area from 2013-15 raised new interest but also threw up new questions. Within a ‘shreds, particles and rumours’ theme – Michael Hall shared information about physical Roman evidence (including repurposed building stone at Staward), antiquarian references (including a largely discredited theory of a Roman station at Old Town, Catton), and recent LiDAR evidence of a Roman road from Coria (Corbridge) to Epiacum (near Alston) that crossed East Allendale near Catton and West Allendale near Ninebanks.

Interestingly parts of this identified roadway tally with local experience of a penned track on the fells near the Paise Dykes and Mohope. Attendees were encouraged to continue to share evidence that they observe on the ground to forward to archaeologists and historians currently working on the Roman road.

Mick also shared that although there is no evidence of Roman military impact on the local landscape, at least three Romano-British homesteads have now been identified in the Allen Valleys – local people who were settled and farming in the area around the time of the Roman conquest and occupation. 

House History workshop – Sep 2022

After a successful talk in July, Richard Young returned by popular demand to provide help and advice on how to ‘research the history of your house’.

Those who attended appreciated the detailed information that Richard provided and the opportunity to start the process of research by examining maps, images and documents.

The participants have been encouraged to share any information they collect about the history of their house from exterior features, including windows and doors, to interior detail such as shutters and fireplaces. As we gather information we’ll look to share it on a ‘workshop’ page on this website.

A walk through history: Allendale market place – Aug 2022

Allendale Market PlaceOn an evening in late August, a group of AVLHG members and friends walked around the perimeter of what was Allendale’s medieval village green, looking at the buildings and other significant historical features.

The accompanying map shows the extent of that original green, roughly square in shape and covering an area of approximately two acres (8,850m sq). Even today, buildings exist around the entire perimeter with an island of buildings that subsequently developed in the middle.

Allendale’s history as ‘Alwenton’ starts long before that. The name of the village suggests Anglo-Saxon origins – Alwen meaning white or shining water. In the twelfth-century a timber-framed church was built and dedicated to St. Mary.  A stone structure was built on the same site in 1807, which was in turn replaced by the current building in 1873.

In the 1600s a stone market cross and stocks, where miscreants were punished, were located on Allendale’s town green although their exact former locations are unknown.

Until about 1850 a significant weekly market was held on the green where corn, animals and other farm produce were sold:

‘farmers from Tyneside might be seen standing in rows with bags of corn before them, and the farms in the neighbourhood sent their supplies of butter and eggs, vended by the farmers’ wives or daughters dressed in ‘linsey-wolsey’ gowns, and white ‘neck-cloths’ tied over their heads, and, generally, clogs on their feet’  Dickinson, G (1897)

Information on the past histories of several of the buildings, which was shared on the walk, is being collated as a project and will be posted on this site in the coming months.

How to research the history of a house – Jul 2022

Architectural historian, Richard Young, shared approaches and tips for those wishing to research the history of their house. Recommended approaches included reviewing local maps, census returns, manorial records and examining old wills and photographs.

Excavation tour of a Roman fort  – Jun 2022

As part of the 1900yr celebrations of Hadrian’s Wall, this site visit introduced attendees to the current excavation program at Birdoswald Roman fort.  The civilian vicus, located outside the fort, was a particular focus and afforded the opportunity to discuss the archaeology and the Dacian soldiers (from modern day Romania) who lived here in the third century.

Whitfield House and gardens – May 2022

Sarah Blackett-Ord hosted a tour of the gardens of this historic property in the West Allen and then introduced visitors to the history of the house itself – including family portraits, items of furniture and ceramics.

Deneholme – Apr 2022

Christopher Bacon shared how Deneholme, Allendale was built by one of his ancestors in the early 1900s. The house subsequently became a hotel and an outdoor activity centre.

Memories of New Year’s Eve in Allendale (1960s – 2020s) – Mar 2022

Malcolm Whitfield continued his account of the Tar Barrel tradition, including his first outing in the procession in 1963. Included were photos and vignettes of local New Year’s Eve characters and personalities of the past 60 years.

Memories of New Year’s Eve in Allendale (1850s – 1950s) – Dec 2021

Tar Barrel Committee member, Malcolm Whitfield, has spent several years researching the origins and development of Allendale’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. In the first of two talks, Malcolm shared his findings as well as stories of the early years of the tradition, how it was kept alive during the war years, and how iconic guiser costumes were made by local woman Vesta Peart.

Fragile Flues – Oct 2019

Treasures in my attic – Jul 2019

A Walk around Allendale – May 2019

Foreigners in the Hills – Apr 2019

Early Lead mining in the Dales – Nov 2018

with Ridley Reader

Manorial records – Oct 2018

Farm buildings – Jul 2018

with Richard Young

Northumbrian Pipes – Jun 2018

Easter trail: Allendale history – Apr 2018

The Allendale curate and the Jacobite Rebellion – Feb 2018

Robert Patten left his modest living as Allendale’s curate to join the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion. Prof Bill Purdue’s presentation examined Patten’s motives for participating in this risky venture and his role as chaplain and aide-de-camp to General Thomas Foster. It then explained his imprisonment after the Jacobite surrender and his decision to give evidence against its leaders.

Northumberland Churches – Oct 2017

Northumberland Language – Jul 2017

Remaking Beamish – May 2017

Geraldine Straker,  project officer for the ‘Remaking Beamish’ project, shared plans to include the Georgian and 1950s periods in the ongoing development of Beamish Museum. will present archive photographs and explain the historical research behind the project.

Allen Smelt Mill – Mar 2017

This site visit included a tour of newly revealed industrial structural remains. Attendees helped clear the larger rocks in front of the bingsteads, ready for contractors to reseed at the start of the growing season, and then heard about future plans for the site.

Altogether Archaeology – Mar 2017

Altogether Archaeology is a community archaeology group that undertakes fieldwork and research in the upland landscapes of the North Pennines. At this presentation, the group shared findings from their LiDAR survey work in the area which has helped develop understanding of the rich archaeological heritage of the Allen Valleys.