Consett History and Local Forum

Woodbine Annie seems to ring a bell regarding a hut near puddlers.

J W Fawcett was a remarkable man. Born at Satley in 1862, he was an amazing scholar with a gift for languages especially.
At the age of twelve he was appointed rate collector for Butsfield Township. At thirteen he could speak 14 languages.
At eighteen he was chosen from 2000 candidates for the post of Army interpreter. Before he was twenty five he knew 33 languages. He was aide-de-camp, interpreter and firm friend of Lord Kitchener in Egypt for seventeen years.

He was shipwrecked in the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and also the Red Sea. He went on to study Law and was appointed Chief Stipendiary Magistrate for the town of Kennedy in New South Wales, he also became the town's MP in the legislative Assembly. He returned to his native Satley and wrote many books about our area as well as many learned papers for different historical societies. He died in 1942 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Satley churchyard. Recently a group of people have located J W Fawcett's lost grave and are raising funds to erect a suitable headstone and memorial.

Mr Fawcett, Harry Raine and others dug up Tommy Raw's remains at Allensford to verify the story of Tommy's burial under a tree. Ray Thompson, (yes, Ray the Red!) shows some photos of Tommy's bones on a tablecloth in a slideshow he gives to raise funds for Mr Fawcett's headstone. Ray knew Fawcett and used to visit him at Satley.

Did they put him back where they found him then? (Tommy I mean).

Rosie, the opening of Tommy Raw's grave was done with respect and his remains were re-buried in a proper and serious manner. I think the type of people involved would not have dreamt of doing it any other way. Typical old 'Castlesiders' I like to think. :biggrin:

I've lived in Castleside all my life and I never knew that they'd had Tommy 'out'! Glad he's back where he belongs as I've always found him fascinating.

Used to visit Wharnley Burn in my teenage years - seen the 'TR' carved in the inglenook never really convinced that someone didn't add it later :biggrin:

I've seen the photo of them digging him up. :bigshock:
We used to go down to the farm when Cranston's had it.

Those Walnut trees must be at the limit of their growing range.

About 30 years ago I planted three Karpathean Walnuts which are from the Ukraine and cold resistant. They are now about 20 ft high but nothing like I thought that they would grow.

Needless to say my friends the red squirrels love them and I've never had a walnut.

When I was little my Dad used to tell me about a witch called Jane Frizzell who lived at the Sneep or Crooked Oak Farm.

My Dad's family had one of the cabins up there long before I was born where they would stay for weekends. He used to take me up there to show me the cabins and terrify the life out of me with tales of the witches ghost!

Anyone verify her existance?

Very well known story in the Castleside area, for years and years Rosie.
It was Crooked Oak.

She was later reincarnated as our first woman prime minister. :devil: :devil: :devil:

I'm new to this site so am just catching up on all the messages.

Re Tommy Raw. I can verify that his remains were dug up and respectfully reburried. My grandfather was owner of the land at the time and my grandmother was against the whole business. She insisted that it was all done with respect - which it was. (I'm not sure how respectful photographing a skeleton is?)
I have a copy of the photo somewhere. Re the TR in the fireplace at Wharnley Burn - I think they are genuine. Not sure that the escape passage was genuine - though there was a very small cellar under the stairs and we spent hours as kids trying to find a tunnel!