The name Trewhitt has evidently been long in the county of Durham. By the will of James Dale of Ravensthorpe, June 4th, 1507, there is bequeathed to 'Sir Thomas Trewhit, prior of Hertylpoule, a nag.' By the favour of Mr. F. J. Trewhitt of Sunderland I give in the Appendix IV. (p. 208) a copy of a will of Cuthbert Trewhitt of 'Howghton in the Springe,' dated 25th Sept., 1512. He leaves four sons, Robert, John, George, and Christopher, he desires to be buried in Houghton churchyard, and would probably be interred by the celebrated Bernard Gilpin who was rector at that time.

The Vestry Book of the Parish of Houghton-le-Spring has been published by the Surtees Society. Nearly every name in the will is mentioned in some way in it, and in an account of the letting of the stalls it is remarked, that although the sexes are divided 'Widdow Trewhete' still has her state on the men's side, as a widow might occupy the room of her husband.

Two of the children of Robert Wardell were interred at Boldon in 1661 and 1670 respectively. Wardell was another leading man amongst the Friends, and numerous references are made to him in the records. In 1670 he was instrumental with Robt Chipchase and Wm Dawson in building two side walls to the Sunderland burying ground. In 1672 he was cited for not comeing to the church' [Wearmouth], and in 1675 with others 'schismaticks and offenders against all order' and 'for keeping open Shoppe on Holydays.'

The last entry that I find at Boldon is in 1670. There is no reference to the Quakers in any way in the Parish Registers at Boldon. I have been quite unable to identify the position of this ground although I have made diligent enquiry. I give a list of all the burials at Boldon that I have note of.

BURIALS AT BOLDON IN CHRISTOPHER TREWHITT'S ORCHARD.

Year. Day. Mo.

1657 4 6 Eleanor Harper Wife of Roger Harper of Sunderland.

Margaret Jackson of So. Shields Widow.

Mary Turner D. of Thomas Turner of Gateshead.

Roger Harper of Sunderland.

Lancelot Wardell.

Robert Warham Daughter of William.

Johanna Linton D. of Robert & Joan Linton of South Shields.

Vol. 84, Durham Parish Books.

VOL. XVI.

Z

Year. Day. Mo.

1665 5 5

1667

1669

1670 18 9

1681 17 10

1682 14 12

Thomas Turner late of Winlaton.

Levi Trewhitt Son of William Trewhitt of West Boldon 9 Months.
George Linton Son of Robert Linton and Joan Linton of South
Shields 1 9 3.

Margery Wardell daughter of Robert Wardell.

Ellenor Wife of George Carr of So. Shields.

George Carr Husband of Ellenor Carr of South Shields.

SOUTH SHIELDS.

The next ground that the register under consideration makes mention of is that of South Shields. As previously stated this was situated in Robert Linton's garden. It will be remembered that it was Robert Linton who purchased the register book at Randall's for four shillings. Two of his children (one in 1665 and another in 1669) were buried at Boldon, so that it seems hardly likely that the Shields ground was opened until after the latter date. The first interment that I can record is 1673 when Mary Fearon daughter of Thomas Fearon of South Shields was buried in Robert Linton's Garden.' The date of the last use of the ground was in 1697.

Linton was evidently a prominent member of the society. From Besse's Sufferings of the Quakers we get a most interesting account of how a meeting at Linton's house was surprised, and all persons present taken prisoners. I give the story in Besse's words: Anno 1661. On the 10th of the month called August, John Blakeling of Drawell near Sedberg in Yorkshire, Yeoman, Thomas Jackson, Robert Fowler, of Burlington, Samuel Nelhest of Whitby in Yorkshire, mariner, John Stockley, Thomas Allison, William Hurt, John Dove, and William Dove of Whitby, Yorkshire, yeomen [which undoubtedly should be Whitley, Northumberland], Mary Dove, jun., of the same, spinster, William Trewithwaite of Bowden, Robert Linton, Thomas Chandler, Thomas Merriman, Lancelot Wardell, merchant, Thomas Smith, labourer, Richard Wilson & Margaret his wife, George Carr, salt merchant, Sarah Knowles, Dorothy Dawson, Joane Sanderson, spinster, William Maud, merchant, George Linton, John Harrison, all of Sunderland or Shields, Susannah Truthwaite, spinster, and Laurence Haslem of Whitby in Yorkshire [should be Whitley, Northumberland] mariner, were taken at a meeting at Robert Linton's at South Shields by Major Graham the deputy governor of Tinmouth

Castle and cast into nasty Holes there, where they lay a full month and then he turned them out, having so far as appeared to them neither Order, Authority, or Warrant, for any Part of his Proceedings.

I fear that George Linton suffered from the imprisonment as he only lived a few months after his release, when his body was stolen by the soldiers, but this I shall give an account of at another time.

Robert Linton appears to have been in an extensive way of business, and amongst other things was proprietor of several salt pans.

One mission on which Linton was engaged will show the care the society took that their members should only marry 'Friends.' '1678, 10 day 7 month. ffriends also agreed yt Robert Linton, Anthony Wind (interred the following year in the ground under consideration), Jno. Harrison, John Linton, & Bridget Pinder, goe as soon as possible may be, and speak wth Jane Michell touching Intentions to marry one of ye world, & as we ar Informed ar already cald in ye steeplehouse & to bring an acct thereof to ye next monthly meet inge.'

From the register of marriages I find that Robert Linton married Jane Parrott. Amongst the names of the witnesses who signed the register are William and John Dove of Whitley.

The Rev. C. E. Adamson has favoured me with the following extracts from the Westoe Court Rolls:

'1671. Itm Ro. Linton that he repare & amend the way down the Banks toward the dam lying right above the ground hee now enjoyes before the first of ffebruary they lay a paine of 10 lb. 10 s. 00 d.

Itm they p'sent ... together with Robert Lyntons servants for throwing their ashes into the street.

Recusants in 1682. Robert Linton South Shields, Yeoman. Jane his wife. Sarah Linton, Spinster.'

Richardson's Terrier of Survey made 1682. MS. made by Mr. Andrew Stoddart.

'In 1667 the Lay Farm was separated from the other four, and belonged to Lewis Frost, Ra. Milbourne, Mich'. Coatsworth, and Robt. Lynton.'

This 'Lay Farm' was afterwards subdivided, and in 1768 belonged to Rob. Green, Mrs. Shrive, Rev. Mr. Radley, and possibly others (62 acres).

It seems to have been the fringe of Westoe township, which included much of what is now called High Shields.

Court Rolls of Westoe contain these names, thus :

A short time ago the Rev. C. E. Adamson brought to our notice? a very interesting stone now in an outhouse of the residence of the late Robert Ingham, esq., at Westoe. The stone, it was stated, had been removed from the neighbourhood of Frederick Street, Laygate, South Shields. The stone marked the resting-place of Ralph Milbourne, who died January 14, 1668, of Grace Woolf, who died 16th January, 170%, and of Henry Woolf. Grace Wolfe,' named on the stone, wrote a most interesting letter to Ambrose Barnes, the Puritan alderman of Newcastle.

8

At that time I was inclined to think that the stone was a relic of the burials in Robert Linton's garden, but subsequent consideration leads more to the belief that Milbourne and Woolf were nonconformists, either Presbyterian or Independent, but not belonging to the Society of Friends. Milbourne was buried in 1668, and had the ground at Linton's been then open a child of the latter would hardly have been buried at West Boldon in 1669.

The earliest entry that I have of any burial at Linton's is in 1673, five years after the date of Milbourne's death. St. Hilda's register says that he was buried in his house.' The wills of Milbourne and Woolfe are at Durham, and from them I find that Grace was the widow of Milbourne, and subsequently married Henry Woolfe.10 From the wills we are able to get a short pedigree of the family.

Proc. Soc. Antiq. Newe. vol. v. p. 100.

Surtees Soc. Publ. vol. 50. p. 196.

For wills see Appendix VI. and VII. pp. 209 and 210.

10 Henry Woolf's will is dated April 25, 1709. He describes himself as of the Lay Yett, near South Shields, and desires that his body shall be buried at the discretion of his executors.

One daughter of the second marriage became Mrs. Cay, and another Mrs. Linskill (see Appendix V. p. 209).

The signatures of several witnesses are on each will, but I do not find the name of Milbourne, Woolfe, or of any one person referred to in the wills mentioned in the Quaker records before me.

6

Henry Woolfe and one of his co-tenants [Michael Coatsworth] of the Lay Farm are both named in the will of Henry Hudson of Brunton, November 22, 1700, as my worthy friends.' Hudson himself desired. to be buried in the Sidgate, Newcastle, which was the 'Quig's' burying ground, the first in Newcastle used for nonconformists. Again, in 1672, when King Charles the II. granted his 'Preaching Licenses, or licenses of indulgence to tender consciences,' in the list for Durham we find, under South Shields, The house of Cuthbert Cotesworth in the Westpans near South Shieles Durrham Pr [Presbyterian] Meeting Place.' The Whitburn records show that Cuthbert Coatsworth and his wife were in 1674 cited to Durham 'for not comeing to theire Parish Church,' for keeping theire children unbaptised, and she not comeing to be churched after her childe birth.'11 These considerations lead me to think that the stone found by Mr. Adamson was not from the Quaker burying ground in Robert Linton's garden, but that probably as Milbourne and Linton were joint tenants of the Lay farm, they each appropriated some spot of ground for their private burials. The site most probably was about Frederick street. It is stated that when excavations were made for the formation of the street several skeletons were found that could in no way be accounted for.

A cash book belonging to the Society of Friends, now in the custody of Mr. C. J. Spence, has this entry:-1817 12 mo Cles Graveyard in Sh So 88.' Mr. Spence knows of no other burying-place than the one under consideration. It seems most remarkable that if 8s. was paid in 1817 for cleaning the ground there is no one who can identify the site that it occupied. I give a list of those that I have a record of as being buried in Robert Linton's garden between 1673 and 1697.

11 Surtees Soc. Publ. vol. 47, p. 245.