wood of Eslington, of whom even the renegade Patten thus speaks: 'George Collingwood of Northumberland, a Papist of a valuable estate. He was ordered for London, but he was seiz'd with the gout at Wigan, and from thence he was carried to Liverpool, and there found guilty, and afterwards executed there the 25th of February, 1716. He was a very pious gentleman, and well beloved in his country.' Traditions of George Collingwood were still current amongst the old inhabitants of Whittingham Vale some forty or fifty years ago. It was said that Collingwood, like his friend Derwentwater, was strongly urged by his wife (a daughter of lord Montague) to take part in the rising; and that when on his way to join the Jacobite army, he turned round at Thrunton Crag End, a range of hills south of the village of Whittingham, and fondly gazed over his fair domain with a sorrowful heart and a secret foreboding that he was looking upon it for the last time, and that never again would he sleep under the ancient roof-tree of the Collingwoods of Eslington. Lady Cowper tells us how, before his execution, there were 'sad pleadings.' Poor 'Mrs. Collingwood wrote to a friend in town to try to get her husband's life granted to her. The friend's answer was as follows:-'I think you are mad when you talk of saving your husband's life. Don't you know you will have five hundred pounds a year jointure if he's hanged, and that you won't have a groat if he's saved? Consider, and let me have your answer, for I shall do nothing in it till then.' The answer did not come time enough, and so he was hanged. Lord Nairn, one of prison, and spending The following entry Amid the corrupt court of George I. it was only with some difficulty, and after much bribery, that any petition in favour of a Jacobite prisoner found its way to the king. the Scotch Jacobites, after lying many months in a large sum of money, was at last set at liberty. from his lordship's diary-which is brief, blunt, but expressive-tells its own tale-19 Gave to lawyers and bitches during that time, £1,500.' In Patten's list of prisoners a gentlemen, who for a short time resided at Cartington, is described thus: John Talbot of Cartington, in Northumberland, a brave young gentleman (his father made himself famous for his courage at the siege of Buda, but was killed). This gentleman made his escape from Chester.' The Talbots 19 Doran's London in Jacobite Times, vol. i. p. 281. IN UPPER COQUETDALE IN 1715. 109 appear to have succeeded the Widdringtons at Cartington. Of this family I have only come across one entry in the Rothbury Parish Register, and that is of a burial :-'November 18th, 1679. Edward, fil Mr. John Talbot, Cartington.', This was the last of the Talbots at Cartington, for in the register of burials (two years after the '15) is found December 25th, 1717. John, fil Mr. John Fenwick, Cartington.' In the July of 1716, twenty-four Jacobites were condemned to death, but through the intercession of the duchess of Shrewsbury, twenty-two of them were reprieved. The two unfortunate exceptions were Parson Paul, a Church of England clergyman, and Justice Hall of Otterburn. Doran20 relates the following incident which took place at the execution of these two unfortunate men :-'As Justice Hall was standing meekly at Paul's side, a cowardly Whig ruffian in the crowd threw at the doomed man a stone which reached its aim. The poor gentleman bowed his head in acknowledgment of the civility, turned to the hangman, and died without fuss or protest.' Patten relates a conversation, which he remarks has something diverting in it,' which took place between William Shaftoe of Bavington and John Hall of Otterburn, whilst prisoners in Newgate :-' Couzin Jack (said Shaftoe) I am thinking upon what is told us that God will visit the sins of the fathers unto the third and fourth generations. I am of opinion that it is so with us; for your grandfather and my grandfather got most of their estates as sequestrators; and now we must lose them again for being rebels.' The explanation Justice Hall gave of how he got entangled in the Jacobite rising is a little curious, and often enters my mind whilst crossing Plainfield Moor:-21 Two witnesses deposed that they had seen him in the company of the rebels; but he alleged that, on a tempestuous day, as he was returning home from a magistrates' meeting on Plainfield, while he was leaning forward to screen himself from the weather, he was suddenly surrounded by rebels, who forced him and his servants away with them, though he was unarmed, and had only seven shillings and sixpence in his pockets.' To the list of noblemen and gentlemen who were taken prisoners at Preston, Patten adds the names of their servants and followers. Two of these, I think, I have been able to identify as Coquetdale 20 Doran's London in Jacobite Times, vol. i. p. 260. 21 Hodgson's Hist. of Northumberland, part ii. vol. i. p. 113. men, viz., William Ratcliff and James Robson. Other names rather uncommon also occur in the list, such as Rowland and Tasker, which are frequently met with in the Rothbury parish register. William Ratcliff is (I should say) that laird Ratcliff of Thropton, whose death is recorded in the register of December 16th, 1720. Whilst of James Robson we find a note to a song in 'Bell's Rhymes of Northern Bards' (1812), page 250, which says: "This song is imperfectly compiled from part of a "Satyr upon Women," wrote in Preston prison in 1715 by Mr. James Robson, a freeholder in Thropton, near Rothbury, Northumberland, at that time a musician in the rebel army. He sung the satyr aloud, at an iron-barred window looking into a garden, where a lady and her maid were walking. After the song was finished, the former says: "That young man seems very severe upon our sex ; but perhaps he is singing more from oppression than pleasure; go give him that half-crown piece," which the girl gave him through the grating, at a period when he was at the point of starving.' It would appear that this Jacobite bandsman had at length been set at liberty, for on looking through that portion of the Rothbury parish register then specially set apart for Papists and Dissenters, I find there were Robsons (Papists) residing in Thropton 200 years ago. Between 1705 and 1714 there are frequent baptismal entries of the children of James Robson of Thropton. In 1714 these entries cease; but in 1723 we find amongst the burials, 'Mary, wife of James Robson, Thropton,' and then on May 6th, 1757, the burial of our hero himself is recorded thus :-'James Robson of Thropton. In searching through our parish register for the several items just quoted, I could not help observing what I thought to be one of the symptoms of the unsettled state of society during that period of which I have been speaking, the palpable decrease there is in wedding entries. It is said of our own day that marriages are more numerous in prosperous times than in times of commercial depression. So we find in the Rothbury register there were in 1713, twenty weddings; in 1714, fifteen weddings; in 1716, there were fifteen weddings; while in 1715 there were only seven. Burials and christenings went on as usual; in fact, on the very day that the Jacobites marched from Plainfield to Rothbury there was a christening from Flotterton :-Oct. 6, 1715, Margt., fil Michael Potts of Flotterton.' IN UPPER COQUETDALE IN 1715. 111 The following extracts from the session records of Northumberland show that both before and after the Jacobite rising of 1715 the government, through the reports of the High Constables to the Quarter Sessions, obtained a complete register of the names and places of abode of all the Roman Catholics in the county : (EASTER SESSIONS, 1714.) A List of the Papist Houses in ye West Division of Koket-dale Ward. (Signed) Mr. Robert King John Reed } in Biddlestone. Mr. Fenwick Robson in healey. Thomas Hunter George Hunter } in Rothbury. WILLIAM READHEAD (High Constable). A List of ye Papistts names of Rothbury pairish August ye 16th daye 1715. Mr. John Talbot in Cartenton. Mr. George Story in Trewghett. Mr. Francis Huntredge in Throptton. James Robson in Throptton. Christtefer Davison in Throptton. George Robson in Thropton Spittle. George Hunter in Rothbury. Hendry Johnstone in Flotterton. At Hedgeley August ye 19th 1715 this return made by George Chaitter high Constable for ye West Division of Coquetdale Ward. A List of ye papists names of Allington parish and Halleystone August ye 19th 1715. Mr. Robert King in Bittleston. George Rutherford in Bittleston. John Reed in Bittleston. John Sprote in Bittleston. William Walles in Bittleston. John Brown in Bittleston. Thomas Davisen in Bittleston. Franke Scott in Bittleston. Alexander Rutherford in Borrowtown. Thomas Potts in Borrowtown. Mr. James Selby in Allington. John Jameson in Harbottle. George Stavert in Halleystone. At Hedgeley August 19 1715 this return was made by George Chaitter high Constable for ye West Division of Coquetdale Ward. Papists in ye North Division in Coquetdale Ward August 19 1715. Calleley ... John Clavering esq. John Blagdon. John Perey. Christopher Perey. Whittingham... John How. Mr. George Morrison. Alexander Himer. Thos. Snawdon. Wm. Snawdon. - Snawdon, a Brother of ye same. At Hedgeley, August ye 19th, 1715, this return made by ffergus Storey, high Constable of the North Division of Coquetdale Ward. In 1718, this system of espionage, if we might so call it, still continued in force, for an entry in the Session Records reads thus : I John Hopper High Constable for the North Division of Coquetdale ward do hereby certifie that I have made Diligent Search and Enquiry for such persons as were concerned in the late Rebellion but have found none only the following persons hereunder named who formerly were residing within my Division and about the time of the Rebellion withdrew themselves and went abroad and are suspected to have been concerned therein but are not now to be mett with in my Division. As witness my hand the 14th day of January 1718. John Hunter of Calliley high-houses. (Signed) JOHN HOPPER. In a letter from Thos. Burrell, esq., of Broom Park, to Thomas Ord, esq., Clerk of the Peace, dated Jan. 12, 1718-19, he says: The bearer John Hopper High Constable for this Division haith to my knowledge made deligent search for ye Rebels in these partes but they are so wise as to get out of ye way and tho' he hath often made it his business to finde them yet to no purpose as I believe he will be reddy to make oath thereoff. About the same time, Robert Readhead, High Constable for the West Division of Coquetdale Ward, gives the following report: John Vint of heple, Edward Greings of Snitter, John Talbot of Cartington, John Henderson of Cartington, Thomas Davidson of Bittlestone, Roleand Robson of healey weare psons formerly Resideing within my Division and about the time of the Rebellion withdrew themselves and went abrode and are suspected to have beene concerned in the Late Rebellion but are not now to be found in my division. George Story of Cartington I have taken and caryed him before Thomas Collingwood Esq. As witnes my hand this 14th Jan. yr 1718. ROBERT READHEAD. (Signed) |