Salmon fishing on the Tweed – now coming to Spittal !

From Helen Jarvis:
A recent public event celebrating local impressions of salmon fishing and the river Tweed caused quite a stir in the function room of The Pilot Inn, Low Greens. 

The event attracted a dozen or so local residents, many bringing with them faded news cuttings and documents recording historic family connections to the netting industry.  Several former Berwick residents travelled in from as far away as South Tyneside to share childhood memories of growing up in a fishing family.  Adding to the lively mix were contributions from those who were enjoying a quiet pint at the bar who came in to browse the displays out of curiosity.  Each came with their own motivation to view rare film clips, photographs and quoted anecdotes and to share their passion for the river, the fish and the fishing. 

This was the first in a series of ‘pop-up’ citizen-led story-telling events organised by a team from Newcastle University (funded by the Institute of Social Renewal) accompanied by local history experts representing Our Families (a Berwick Record Office, Heritage Lottery funded project for Berwick 900).  

Advertised attractions included several rare film-clips (credited to the North East Film Archive, Berwick Record Office and local film-makers). These were playing on a continuous loop on computers with head-phones available for anyone who wanted to listen in to the likes of Richard Dimbleby, 1950, and Fyfe Robertson, 1959, talking to people in Berwick and Seahouses about Salmon Fishing. 

A rich variety of narrative and visual media and a large-scale map of the Tweed prompted enthusiastic conversations and reminiscing. We heard about the hard working conditions of the netsmen “standing in the middle of the river in February- four hours twice a day and always shifting according to the tides” and the great flood of 1948.  One contributor brought along a pewter tankard presented by the Berwick Salmon Fisheries Company to commemorate the presentation of a Tweed Salmon to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 7th July 1956. 

We also heard touching personal reflections of a childhood in which the salmon fishing “was part of our play-time- legs dangling over the side of the pier and always the oohs and ahhs when the fish were brought in”.  Some of the stories would benefit from additional local knowledge: does anyone recall, for instance, bringing salmon home for feast week in a purpose-made bag of women palm leaves? We have scope over this series of events to gather a more detailed picture of salmon fishing in the past together with opinions about how to sustain this local knowledge and expertise for the future.

The next event is at the Spittal Residents’ Association Jubilee Social and Community Centre in Highcliffe on Wednesday 17th June.  The session will be open between 6pm and 8pm. It will again feature the films and display materials.  Anyone who feels connected to fishing community traditions and the river is invited to come along to browse- or to bring along stories, anecdotes, images, opinions and artefacts. 

Please come along to this event: everyone is welcome!
For more information on this and other events associated with the Salmon Fishing on the Tweed project, please contact Helen Jarvis, Newcastle University, email helen.jarvis@ncl.ac.uk or telephone 0191 208 6959.

The Story of #Berwick and #WW2 - 9 and 10 May

The next big event is this coming weekend, at the Berwick 900 World War II events in the Guildhall at Berwick.

It runs from 11am to 4pm on Saturday 9th May and Sunday 10th May. 

Friday 8th May is, of course, the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day), so it’s fittingly timed.

Come and see what your grandad did in the war.

See what life was like for your granny in the 1940s.

On Sunday there's a 1940s vehicle rally in the Barracks.

Come to a talk about John Hamilton Hall (1799-1865) at Kelso on 29 March

Looking through the roll of the Berwick-upon-Tweed Guild of Freemen admitted in the 19th century, one occupation stood out. John Hamilton Hall's occupation was stated as Captain, Honourable East India Company; he lived in Ravensdowne.

This was part of the research I did for Berwick 900 last year and this led me to research him further.

He was born in Coldstream in 1799, but his father was a general physician in Berwick and a Freeman. Seeing his name and occupation in the Guild records led me on an interesting but puzzling hunt for information about his family, his career as an officer in the East India Company’s Bombay Infantry.

This Sunday, 29th March, at the Abbey Row Community Centre, The Knowes, Kelso, TD5 7BJ, I’ll be talking about John Hamilton Hall's life and career. Map.
Doors open at 2pm; the talk begins at 2.30pm. 

However, just as importantly, I’ll be discussing how I researched him, some of the problems I found and the difficulties in reading and understanding the records. I'll also be discussing some of the online resources I used, so at the very least you should leave with a better understanding of researching your ancestors in British India.

The talk has been widely advertised so come early to get a good seat. I warmly invite you to attend the talk whether you are a member or not.

We'll have a range of family history publications available to buy, and there’ll be light refreshments (donation expected) available after the talk.

If you have a problem with your family history, please discuss it with one of our volunteers

Get Your Name Up in Lights

Well, not really. Not up in lights, but on websites and in the newspaper, if that appeals to you.

From April to October 2015, Berwick-upon-Tweed is celebrating 900 years of its history - a long festival of exciting events in Berwick, Tweedmouth and Spittal - more information on the Berwick 900 website.

The Berwick 900 Our Families Project is looking for volunteers (both experienced and beginners) to help them unearth and research the stories of people who have shaped the history of Berwick, Tweedmouth and Spittal and to present them in interesting ways.

You'll get training in family history research skills, working with Berwick Record Office and using local resources, the internet and social media to look at families and people who have not only helped shape the communities of Berwick, Tweedmouth and Spittal but had an impact in the wider world.

Some of the research you do will be presented as exhibition displays, others as plays scripted and performed by the Maltings Youth Theatre, or as articles in local newspapers and on our blog.

If that sounds interesting, please come along to our Open Day at Berwick Town Hall on Saturday 14th March between 10.30am and 1.30 pm or alternatively contact Linda Bankier by email at lbankier@woodhorn.org.uk.

If you prefer not to have your name published, that's fine with us, too.
If you have a friend or a family member who would be prepared to volunteer to do research or help steward an event, please bring them along.