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August 11. — The cause so very interesting to Newcastle and its neighbourhood — Rex versus Russell and others, proprietors of Wallsend colliery, was tried at York, before Mr. Justice Bailey and a special jury. It was in form an indictment for an alleged nuisance in obstructing the navigation of the river Tyne, by erecting at the termination of the colliery railways, staiths or spouts for conveying coals directly from the waggons into the ships. Mr. Brougham was counsel for the keelmen, who were the real prosecutors. Mr. Scarlett for the defendants. A great number of witnesses were in attendance, but only seventeen were examined on the part of the prosecution. No witnesses were called for the defendants, who obtained a verdict of not guilty, which was returned in three minutes by the jury. The cause lasted twelve hours. This cause was again tried, August 14th and 15th, 1828, at Carlisle, before Mr. Baron Hullock, and a special jury. Mr. Brougham was again counsel for the prosecution, and Mr. Scarlett for the defendants. The latter did not call a witness. The jury after a consultation of four hours, returned the following singular verdict :–" We find that part of the navigable channel of the river Tyne, opposite to Wallsend, has been straitened, narrowed, lessened, and obstructed by the gears described in the indictment; but we find nevertheless, that the trade of the town of Newcastle, and the harbour of the Tyne, has at the same time greatly improved." [LHTB]

September 2. — During a severe thunderstorm, the wife of Michael Anderson, a hind at Westburnhope, near Hexham, and the horse on which she was riding were instantaneously killed by lightning, on the road between Ridlamhope and Westburnhope. Her husband was with her, and was struck down and blinded, but recovered his sight. Six cows, belonging to Mr. Ralph Forster, of Barrasford, were killed by one flash. A horse, at Wittonstall, was also struck dead. A thorn hedge, near Horsley, was set on fire, and burnt for about forty yards. In a house, near Newstead, between Alnwick and Belford, a man was killed, and another much hurt, by the lightning. A cow, the property of Mr. Murdy, of Heifer-law-bank, was also killed in the field. A pig was killed by the lightning, at a house near Morton-square, a few miles from Berwick, and a man at the same place was slightly injured. Two houses in Zion-street, Sunderland, were much damaged by the lightning. As a butcher was driving some lambs in the Back Lane, four of them were struck dead. A mason returning home with his trowel in his hand, the lightning struck the trowel, and carried it to a considerable distance. The man was not hurt. At Middleton in Teesdale, as Mr. John Pinkney, one of the stewards to the London Mining Company, at that place, was returning home, about a mile from Middleton, he and his horse were both killed upon the spot. He left a widow, far advanced in pregnancy, and six small children to lament his awful fate. A tremendous flash went down the chimney of the poor-house, in Barnard-castle, and though above twenty persons were in the rooms, it providentially did no material hurt. It came out of the fire-place of the first storey, and though some old men were sitting round the fire, it did not hurt them, except striking one deaf a little time. It then proceeded to the next room, tore the plastering from the wall, ploughed up the boards for two yards or more, passed under the feet of an old woman who was sitting on an iron bedstead, yet did her no harm. It then proceeded to the lower storey, played round the room in the most astonishing manner, leaving marks of its power; from thence it went through the wall into the back kitchen, knocked one man down, and though the mistress of the house and a girl were nearly in a line with it, they only found its effects a few hours. A person in the kitchen said he distinctly saw it go out of the door in the form of a ball of fire. When the master went into the rooms to look after the old people, the sulphur was so strong that he could scarcely enter, and the scene was past description. [LRS]

October 25. — An explosion took place in the George Pit, Lumley, when fourteen human beings were launched into eternity. [LHTB]

November 19. — An explosion took place in the Dolly pit, Newbottle colliery, which proved fatal to the eight deputy overmen and wastemen who were below at the time ; and also to three of five others who afterwards descended in search of the dead bodies. A partition which divided the shaft (it being a double one) was blown from its situation and fell to the bottom. [LHTB]

 

 

 

• LHTB — Local Historian's Table Book of Remarkable Occurrences Connected with the Counties of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Northumberland and Durham by M.A. Richardson. Published in five volumes in 1844.
• LRS — Local Records or Historical Register of Remarkable Events by John Sykes, Published in 1833 in two volumes