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March 28. — A political banquet upon a grand scale took place at Alnwick, upon the presentation of a piece of plate to Sir George Grey, bart., M.P., by the working men of Northumberland. A large wooden pavilion was erected in the Market-place, and the tickets for admission, 1,500 in number, proved quite inadequate to supply the demand for seats. The chair was taken by Sir W. C. Trevelyan, bart.; supported on his right by Sir G. Grey, bart, the Earl of Carlisle, Mr. Beaumont, M.P., the Hon. and Rev. J. Grey, the Rev. R. W. Goodenough, Mr. M. R. Bigge, &c.; and on his left by Earl Grey, Lord Panmure, the Hon. and Rev. F. R. Grey, Mr. Ingham, M.P., Mr. Blackett, M.P., &c., &c. The vice-chair was occupied by P. Selby, esq., who was supported by the Mayors of Newcastle and Berwick, Mr. P. G. Selby, Mr. Ralph Carr, Captain Widdrington, Sir J. Gibson Craig, Mr. Ellice, jun., M.P., &c., &c. Dinner being concluded, the testimonial was brought forward and displayed amidst great cheering. It consisted of a splendid silver candelabrum, supported by figures of a ploughman, a sailor, a blacksmith, and a miner, and ornamented with the arms of Morpeth, Alnwick, and Berwick. There was also a massive salver, beautifully embossed, the whole being valued at upwards of £400, and bearing the following inscription :— "To the Right Hon. Sir George Grey, bart., G.C.B., from more than 13,000 of the working classes of Northumberland, in testimony of their gratitude for his support of the just, wise, and beneficial measure of Free Trade, and their respect for his private worth, and for the eminent integrity and ability which have distinguished his public career." Mr. Michael Young, a clerk in the Bedlington Iron Works, presented the testimonial in a neat speech, which was much applauded, and Sir G. Grey afterwards returned thanks in an eloquent address. Earl Grey, the Earl of Carlisle, Lord Panmure, Mr. Ingham, Mr. Beaumont, and Mr. J. B. Blackett also addressed the assemblage, which broke up highly delighted with the proceedings. [LRF]

August 26. — Died, in Newcastle, aged 81, the Rev. Ralph Henry Brandling, formerly of Gosforth Hall, Northumberland, and the last of a long roll of "Brandlings of Gosforth." The deceased was one of the chief founders of the Natural History Society of Newcastle. His kindness and generosity to the poor, and his considerable attention to his numerous workmen, so long as he had an opportunity of manifesting it, commanded universal respect and esteem. [LRF]

 

 

 

• LRF — Local Records or Historical Register of Remarkable Events by T. Fordyce, published in 1867