The Morpeth Herald carried a report on 22/02/1879 along the following lines.
William Williamson, as well as being a cinder drawer at Bearpark colliery,also trained greyhounds. He trained one for a Mr Sharp of Brancepeth and one day he took the dog to run in a trial at Brancepeth. Returning to Bearpark via Sleetburn he first called at Beulah's public- house and then continued on his journey. Anyone heard of that pub? I have not.
In order to get to Ushaw Moor and then Bearpark he had to cross the Deerness stream and the only crossing available consisted of a dangerous plank. There had been various meetings in the community to discuss how inadequate the plank was as a mode of crossing the stream. Mr Pearson, the manager at Sleetburn colliery, repeatedly brought the subject up at the local board but the problem was the cost of replacing the plank with a bridge.
Anyway, Mr Williamson was on the journey to Bearpark on what was a very dark and stormy night.The following morning the dog was found whining and Mr Williamson's dead body was then discovered not far away. It was supposed that he had missed his footing when negotiating the plank and fell into the beck which was a little flooded at the time. To make matters worse there there had been a strong current running.
Brian Mcloughlin referred to a plank as far back as 2002 although I am not sure that it was the one described.
So, Mr Bill Williamson,that pub and that plank. Any thoughts?
WB
Wilf,
ReplyDeleteWould Beaulahs Public House not be the wrong spelling for the Bewleys pub in New Brancepeth i.e.. The New Brancepeth Tavern or the Top House as it was better known. If the unfortunate Mr Williamson was making his way back to Bearpark from Brancepeth he would have been travelling through New Brancepeth. I am sure the bridge between New Brancepeth and Ushaw Moor was built after the death of that unfortunate lad.
The Plank I referred to Wilf crossed the beck at Ushaw Moor Colliery. If you followed the field path down from Deerness View and crossed the railway lines leading into the colliery, then down a steep embankment and under the railway bridge then you arrived at the "Plank" It was a piece of timber perhaps 12" x 18" placed from one bank to the other by I would think by the builders of the railway bridge as it was the same timber that the bridge was built with. There were two iron grids hung from the underside of the plank into the beck. These grids gathered the flotsam and jetsam that was carried downstream by the beck. You crossed the beck on the 12" width of the timber. I spent many a happy hour in that location.
I think there is a small bridge now in the place of the plank.
Brian Mc.