The Meeting Was Held on Tuesday 4Th October and There Were 14 People Present

BRANCH MEETINGS

ALNWICK

The meeting was held on Tuesday 4th October and there were 14 people present.

The talk was given by Gordon Downie who had traced the name Downie from Glen Isla in Scotland, Holy Island, and established themselves in North Shields and Tyneside as sea men, ship chandlers and fish merchants, pharmacist. Their descendants are to be found all around the world.

BELMONT

There were 21 people present at the meeting on the 21st of September and N. Welch gave an interesting talk about why ancestors migrated around the country.

On the 19th of October J.Tindall gave an interesting and thoughtful interactive presentation on Probate from 1650, 22 people were in attendance of which 18 were NDFHS members.

BLYTH

The Branch meeting was held on Tuesday 18th October, there were 12 members present and they all enjoyed a very interesting talk called “A Policeman’s Lot- Policing in Northumberland 1750-1950” by Ian Roberts.

NEWCASTLE

The Newcastle meeting was held on the 2nd of November, there were 20 present and there were four apologies. The Chairman reported on the official opening of the Joyce Wakenshaw facility at Blyth Library supported by a short video taken by the chairman.

The talk was about Crime 7 Punishment in Old Newcastle and was given by Anne Smith, a City Guide. She covered the various Courts and Assizes as they had developed. The bulk of the talk was devoted to case studies often with floggings, burnings, hangings deportations and drawing and quartering, a different type of talk from the usual.

No meeting in December - Branch Christmas Lunch

NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND

This was about Members’ Stories session was very informative and entertaining on the topic “The Ancestor I would like/would not like to meet” Some remarkable stories emerged and exemplified the old adage “Truth is stranger than fiction” Twelve members were attended and there were three apologies.

North Tyneside - possible branch

There was a meeting held on the 2nd of November, 13 people were present. Joyce Jackman gave a talk on the Parish Chest.

This group is not formally constituted as a Branch until a committee of a Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer have been decided. There is a meeting to be held on Tuesday 6th December and at this meeting the above must be decided.

SOUTH TYNESIDE

A film was presented by Dorothy Hall “Always Remembered” from the North East War Memorials project.

TYNEDALE

The meeting was held on the 13th of October 16 members were present and 1 guest. The speaker was Mike Greatbach on “Big Houses of Benwell and their Occupants”. This was an enjoyable talk about an area the majority of people knew from travelling along its northern edge.

WANSBECK

Thirty members attended the meeting on the 2nd of November, Barry Meade gave an interesting talk about “More to a needle than meets the eye”. I was about the manufacture and development of needles which were part of everyday life for our ancestors.

Next meeting will be on 7th December when Wendy Stafford will be giving a slide show of branch activities from formation of the branch to the present day. The annual seasonal quiz will also be held.