Tyne and Weird

NIGHT

Spreading all over the world, British citizens have left their native country for reasons innumerable. Some have sought more freedom, economic prosperity, and others adventure, with many making the arduous journey to the continents of both North and South America in hopes of changing their fortune. Below are accounts connected to the North East, with some people arriving and others departing, but all are tied to our county of Tyne and Wear.

JOHN TRUMBLE

Whether they were fleeing persecution, or hoping to carve out a piece of land for themselves, the opportunities that the colonisation of America provided drew in people from all over England. One interesting local man who travelled overseas at this time was John Trumble of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Born in 1612, he boarded a ship destined for America and settled in Rowley, Massachusetts. Here he worked as a town clerk and teacher, becoming a respected member of his community. He died in 1687, having been one of the earliest settlers in this part of the world. By choosing to brave the journey and face the unknown, John had started a legacy that rippled on through generations.

Over a number of years, descendants of the Trumble family went on to do great things. John’s grandson, Jonathan Trumbull Sr, was the only man to be both governor of an English colony and of an American state. When the Revolutionary War began he was the only governor to take up the patriot cause against the English. In commemoration of the actions he took in his life, a number of places in the USA are named after him.

John Trumbull, son of Jonathan Trumbull Sr, is often referred to as the painter of the revolution. Painting historic scenes from the war, his talents soon made him popular, eventually leading to him painting George Washington. His painting of the Declaration of Independence and other works hang in the United States Capitol rotunda to this day.

While there are still a number of interesting people descendant from the original John Trumbull that I have left out, these are the most famous examples. The impact one Newcastle man had on history by braving the journey and settling into a new life is undoubtable. It does make you wonder though, what John Trumbull would have thought of his grandson’s pursuit of an America free from British rule.

SLAVERY AND FREEDOM

Mary Ann Macham was born in Virginia in the United States in 1802 to an enslaved mother and a father who was a slave owner. On a cold Christmas Day in 1831 she arrived in North Shields on board a ship named the Atlas, having escaped her cruel life on the plantation back in America.

Though not much is known about her life prior to her arrival, it is possible she may have bought passage across the Atlantic or been helped by a secret organisation known as the Underground Rail Road, who used a number of contacts and safe houses to help more than 10,000 enslaved people flee the southern states to head north.

The Atlas initially docked in Grimsby before the ship’s captain brought her to the North East, perhaps knowing of sympathetic families that might take her in. The Spence family, who were Quakers, employed her as a domestic servant in the various homes of family members. In 1841, Mary married a local man named James Blyth who worked as a rope maker and later a banker’s porter, possibly working for the Spence family bank. The couple lived in various houses on Howard Street in North Shields until James’s death in 1877.

After the death of her husband, Mary continued to live in North Shields, staying with relatives of her husband in South Benwell. In 1893, at the age of 91, Mary died and was buried in Preston Village Cemetery, having enjoyed sixty years of freedom.

FREDERICK DOUGLASS

Frederick Douglass, born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, was born in 1818 in Cordova, Maryland. After living as a slave for twenty years, Douglass escaped and began campaigning for black emancipation, racial justice and a number of other progressive ideas considered radical at the time. He also started the North Star newspaper whilst battling to end segregation in schools.

In August 1846 he arrived in Tyne and Wear as part of a tour where he would give talks. During this visit he spoke at three different locations, one in North Shields, the other two in Newcastle. At this time Newcastle and the North East had a strong abolitionist community, which immediately caught Douglass’ attention. He later returned in December of the same year for another two speaking engagements and whilst here stayed with a Quaker family known by the surname Richardson.

In part the Richardson family consisted of Henry, his wife Anna and his sister Ellen. They were well known as abolitionists and activists who at this time took a particular interest in Douglass’ case. As he had escaped his former master, payment was required, making him technically an unfree man, something that bothered the Richardson family. Following months of fundraising this small group of Quakers, miles away from Douglass’ birthplace, raised enough funds to purchase his freedom and his bill of emancipation was produced.

Though their act was not without its critics, as some believed the purchase legitimised slavery, Douglass was grateful to be able to continue his work back in the United States without fear of being arrested. Douglass spoke in the North East a number of times, always receiving a warm welcome. However, he was not the only former slave to give speeches in the abolitionist circuit in the North. Speaking on his time in Newcastle, Douglas is quoted as saying, ‘Newcastle had a heart that could feel for three millions of oppressed slaves in the United States.’

WILLIAM MACDONALD

William Macdonald was born in the West Indies into a life of enslavement sometime during the late 1700s. While little is known about his early years it was a chance encounter at a dock sometime during the early nineteenth century that brought him here. Hearing the sailors there talk of how England was a land of freedom, William set about making his escape.

Concealing himself aboard a ship bound for London, he hid below deck for three days without food. When he made his presence known, to the astonishment of the sailors on board, they gave him food and showed him kindness. An article in the Nottinghamshire Guardian on 8 May 1851 tells of his reaction upon landing on English soil, ‘As soon as the vessel arrived at London, his love of liberty was so intense that he instantly leaped on shore, though imperfectly clothed, without either money or friends, and with an imperfect knowledge of the English language.’

He eventually made his way up north, deciding to stay in Sunderland, where he reportedly worked at a number of local collieries as a coal hewer. His life was cut short by an accident at Monkwearmouth Colliery in 1851 when rope attached to the tubs broke and he was crushed between another tub, effectively being strangled. William was the only fatality of this accident and the result of the inquest concluded that cold weather had affected the otherwise reliable machinery.

It seems that in Sunderland William MacDonald not only found freedom but acceptance. While slavery had been abolished in Britain some years earlier, it was not until 1833 that it would be abolished elsewhere in the British Empire. The original Sunderland Herald article that reported his death describes him as being an industrious man, a member of the Church of England and much respected by his neighbours.

FORGOTTEN ACT OF KINDNESS

The Quaker family known as the Richardsons are well remembered in the county for the generosity they have shown to those most in need. In particular, as mentioned earlier, they helped emancipate fugitive slaves Frederick Douglas and William Wells Brown by purchasing their freedom and allowing them to continue lecturing on the abolitionist circuit. One story that seems to be largely forgotten is the act of kindness they showed to a travelling tribe of Native Americans.

The Ioway Indians were a travelling troupe of Native Americans who toured Europe in the 1800s. Often performing demonstrations of scalping and exhibiting different rituals from their culture, the public frequently regarded them as savages. One place they seem to have found comfort is in the North East with the Richardson family.

The tribe toured Tyne and Wear, visiting a coal pit and seeing local sights. One of their first enquiries upon arriving in Newcastle was if it had a jail; while they had seen prisons before, the concept seemed foreign to them. Their time in the North East is surprisingly well chronicled by George Catlin, who travelled with and recorded them. When the time came for the group to leave they headed towards Scotland, leaving behind the new friends they had made.

Sadly, while travelling in Scotland the child of tribe member Little Wolfe passed away. Born on the Missouri River during the first leg of their journey and named after the boat that brought them to Europe, baby Corsair was not yet a year old. Rather than bury their child as soon as possible, the tribe returned to Newcastle to be among friends. Anna Richardson, who was instrumental in bringing the group to Newcastle, organised the burial in February 1845 at Westgate Hill Cemetery, where the gravestone is still visible today.

Continuing with their tour, the tribe eventually arrived in Paris, where Corsair’s mother also tragically passed away. Thought to have been caused by the grief of the loss of her child, the Ioway Indians returned to America not long after. Thankfully not all of their tour was as tragic, and upon their return they wrote letters describing how they enjoyed the time they spent in the North East and would remember the friends they had made.

AMERICA CIVIL WAR VETERANS

Born in Church Way, North Shields, Robert Rennoldson was a young apprentice on a British shipping vessel when the war between the North and South began. When the ship docked in an American port, Rennoldson, eager for adventure, reportedly left the vessel determined to take part in the fighting.

It is said he came into contact with some farmers who were more interested in tending to their land than engaging in the warfare and who were also offering a bounty to men who would fight in their place. Rennoldson accepted this bounty and fought for five years before returning to the farmer and eventually making his way back to North Shields. Upon his return he secured work as a shipyard labourer, living in his home town into his 70s until he passed away in 1917.

Born in Ireland in 1836, John Pendergast moved to North Shields at a young age, possibly as a result of the famine. Far from being alone, it is estimated 8 per cent of Newcastle’s population in 1851 were Irish born. Sometime during the 1850s John travelled to the United States, and in 1862 joined the Northern Army as a private in Captain Lewis Beckworth’s company of the 15th Battalion, Connecticut Fusiliers, many of whom were also Irish. John is reported to have seen some hard fighting in places like Port Hudson, along the Red River and in Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley campaign before the war would end.

After three years’ active service he was discharged at Savannah in August 1865. He then returned home to North Shields and settled down, residing in Liddell Terrace when he died on 5 May 1901.

Both men are buried in Preston Cemetery, although it was sometime after his death that Robert Rennoldson was recognised as a veteran of the Civil War. Growing interest in commemorating the actions of veterans who had fought in the wars that America was involved in saw an annual ceremony commemorating these and other veterans from the area.

AN AMERICAN CIVIL WAR HERO

George H. Bell was born in Sunderland on 12 March 1839. His family moved to Newcastle shortly after, where George would begin his maritime career aged 14. Over the next seven years George would sail the Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

During the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861, George was docked at New York City, where he would enlist in the United States Navy. He joined the USS Santee and quickly rose through the ranks due to his vast experience at sea.

At Galveston Bay, Texas, on 7 November 1861, the USS Santee was tasked with destroying the Confederate Ship Royal Yacht. The ship was caught by surprise in the early hours of the morning but the battle was still fierce and is said to have included hand-to-hand combat. The Santee suffered one fatality in the skirmish, with the Royal Yacht eventually catching fire. Thomas Chubb, the captain of the Royal Yacht, was arrested with much of his crew and sent to New York. There he would be sentenced to hang, only to escape the gallows in a prisoner exchange.

In 1863, George was awarded the Medal of Honour in recognition of his service in the United States Military and the conflict with the RoyalYacht in particular. He finished out his service and returned to the North East, where he spent much of his