Tynemouth, North Shields and Whitley Bay
PRESS GANGS
South Shields is linked to North Shields on the north side of the Tyne by means of a ferry. North Shields is the site of a famous fish quay and the terminus of sea ferries to Norway and Denmark. During the French Wars at the end of the eighteenth century North and South Shields were regular victims of Press Gang raids which were once a common occurrence on the North Eastern coast. Tyneside suffered particularly badly from the Press Gangs, because of its large community of seamen and its reputation for skilled boatmen, like the keelmen of Newcastle upon Tyne; North Shields, was particularly prone to Press Gang raids and in 1796, 250 mechanics and seamen were pressed into service here during a raid in which the town was cordoned off by troops. One of the naval vessels involved in such Press Gang raids, `The Peggy' is remembered in the name of Peggy's Hole, by the River Tyne near North Shields Fish Quay.
Here's the Tender comin',
Pressing all the men;
Oh dear hinny, what shall we dee then:
Here's the tender comin',
Off at Shields Bar
Here's the tender comin',
Full of men o' war.
They will ship yer foreign,
that is what it means
Here's the tender comin',
full of Red Marines.
So hide me canny Geordie,
hide yorsel' away,
Wait until the frigate makes for Druridge Bay,
If they tyek yer Geordie,
whes te' win wor breed ?
Me and little Jacky would better off be deed.
Press Gangs were greatly feared on Tyneside, as once a man had been unwillingly pressed into naval service, his wife and family would have to rely on the local parish for support. Indeed the Poor rate in those districts of Tyneside with large communities of seamen and boatmen rapidly increased following Press Gang raids. Because of their importance to the national coal industry the keelmen of Newcastle were supposed to be exempt from the Press Gangs but even they did not escape the naval raids. The residents of Sandgate, Newcastle, home of the keelmen community, lived in constant fear of the Press Gangs of a certain Captain Bover whose men operated on the Newcastle quayside;
Where has't the been me canny hinny ?,
Where has't the been me winsome man ?,
Aa've been te' the norrard,
Cruising back and forrard
Aa've been te' the norrard,
cruising sair and lang;
Aa've been te' the norrard,
cruIsing back and forrard,
But daren't come ashore for fear of Bover and his gang
The Tyneside region has a rich heritage of songs with a nautical flavour, one of the most famous being 'Dance Ti thy Daddy':
Come here me little Jacky
Now I've smok'd me backy
Let's hev a bit o' cracky
Till the boat comes in.
Dance ti' thy daddy,
My bonny laddie
Dance ti' thy daddy,
Ti' thy mammy sing;
Thou shell hev a fishy
On a little dishy
Thou shell hev a mackerel
When the boat comes in.
TYNEMOUTH, BURIAL PLACE OF NORTHUMBRIAN KINGS
A large monument to Admiral Lord Collingwood (1750-1810) dominates the coastal scene to the east of North Shields at Tynemouth. Tyneside's most famous man of the sea, he was the second in command to Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The Admiral was opposed to the activities of the Press Gangs. Collingwood's monument overlooks the imposing Black Middens rocks at the entrance to the Tyne, which according to local folklore were thrown there by the devil in an attempt to curb the wealthy sea trade of Newcastle. Although this was never achieved, over the centuries the rocks have certainly claimed a victim of many a ship entering the mouth of the Tyne.
These dangerous rocks, may have played an important part in bringing about the formation of the first ever volunteer life brigade service, which was established at Tynemouth in 1869.Tynemouth is one of the most historic and picturesque towns of Tyneside. Its two most notable buildings are a fourteenth century ruined castle and a ruined Norman priory both situated on the lofty Benebal crag, overlooking the sea.
History revolves around this part of the town, where in Anglo-Saxon times there stood one of Northumbria's many coastal monasteries. Tynemouth priory was originally built in stone by Oswald, King and saint of Northumbria in 637 A.D. The site was the burial place of three notable kings, namely Osred and Saint Oswy of Northumbria and Malcolm Canmore, King of the Scots whose body was interred here in 1094.
A VIKING RAID ON TYNEMOUTH
Like all other wealthy Northumbrian monasteries Tynemouth was a regular victim of raids by the Vikings who finally destroyed the Anglo-Saxon monastery in 875 AD Viking raids seem to have continued into Norman times as according to tradition a local Norman baron called Lord Delaval defeated a Viking chieftain called Red Eric during a raid on Tynemouth. The following verses record the event;
Their bucklers were splintered,
their helmets were riven,
In their flesh the sharp edge of the fragments were driven
Till a heart splitting stab caused Red Eric to fall
With a howl of despair before brave Delaval.
He has hacked off the head ere the blood ceased to flow,
He has hied to the horde who were feasting below,
He flung it among them, his war cry he raised;
The Norsemen all rushed to their galleys amazed.
Nor yet they escaped, for a tempest arose,
And wrecked on the beach fair Northumbria's foes.
Some perished engulfed in the depths of the waves,
And some to the serfs they had mocked became slaves.
On the whole, the Vikings who invaded Tynemouth and other parts of the North East coast, were raiders rather than settlers. Evidence suggests that Viking settlement on the North Eastern coast of England was confined mainly to Yorkshire, south of the River Tees.
WHITLEY BAY AND CULLERCOATS FISHWIVES AND ST MARY'S ISLAND.
Up the coast from Tynemouth, is Cullercoats once famous as the home of Tyneside's famous fishwife fraternity. The fishwives could still be seen at the time of William Tomlinson's Guide to Northumberland of 1888 which records;
"Very familiar indeed is the figure of the Cullercoats fish-wife, as, clad in blue serge jacket, short petticoats with ample skirts, large apron and black straw bonnet she trudges along with a heavy creel of fish on her shoulders calling in, shrill and not unmusical tones of voice, `Buy fee-s-ch' "
Further to the north of Cullercoats is the town of Whitley Bay, the main seaside resort for Tyneside and the site of the `Spanish City' amusement area. The main coastal feature at Whitley Bay, is St Mary's Island which like a miniature version of Lindisfarne further north, is linked to the mainland by a short causeway at low tide. St Mary's Isle is also known as Bait Island after an inhabitant of Tudor times called Thomas Bates. The island with its lighthouse is a popular `picture postcard view'.
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