Durham Mining Museum - Local Records Extracts (original) (raw)

1775

March. — There were commotions amongst the sailors at Shields and Sunderland, owing to the owners and masters of ships determining not to load coals at the advanced price of 1s. per chaldron ; and being collected in bodies, they proceeded to strike the topmasts and unrig several ships in the London trade, and prevented any vessels from sailing. On the morning of the 22nd, Mr. William Chapman, of the Low Barns, near Sunderland, owner of the Concord, Johnson, master, lying in Shields harbour, bound for the Baltic, applied to the magistrates of Newcastle, for aid of the civil power, in order to get his ship to sea. Mr. Alderman Blackett told him he would give him all the assistance in his power, when he immediately went down to Shields with Mr. Chapman, where he took the water bailiff and several constables on board the ship, and proceeded to sea without molestation, though great numbers of sailors were on the banks on both sides of the river. As soon as the ship was clear of the river, Mr. Blackett, Mr. Chapman, and the officers, returned on shore, when Mr. Blackett was much applauded by several masters for his great intrepidity ; and they promised to endeavour to get to sea the next tide, which they accomplished, and good order was again re-established. [_LRS_]

November 2. — The new colliery, at Willington, near Howden Pans, Northumberland, was won, on which occasion the owners gave a fat ox roasted, a large quantity of ale, and a wagon load of punch to the pitmen, sinkers, &c. [_LRS_]

• LRS — Local Records or Historical Register of Remarkable Events by John Sykes, published in 1833 in two volumes