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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Durham => Topic started by: Elliven on Monday 16 June 25 17:06 BST (UK)
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She was born around 1775 on a farm near Wolsingham. She married a lead miner who died in1819 and they had at least 7 children, four of whom died in childhood. She and her husband rented a 66 acre farm near Waskerley. When the railway crossed her land, the trains had to be prepared for the rope haulage up what became known as Nanny Mayor's Incline. She took advantage of this and served drinks to the railway workers and the passengers, turning her home at Tween House into the Railway Tavern - a very useful supplement to her income. Does anyone have any more detailed information on the family or the pub. Many thanks
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turning her home at Tween House into the Railway Tavern
The OS map shows the name as the Railway Inn
snippet image courtesy of the National Library of Scotland
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The 1861 Census shows that Tween House was occupied by Isabella Ann Nager and her family. Isabella is described as being a 46 year old widowed Inn Keeper.
I can't find anything after this.
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I found this within an artcle entitled 'Lough The Sculptor's Parents'
Consett Guardian 11 Dec 1925
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Jane Mayor's headstone is menntioned a few times with regards to Lough, this one includes a little more info
Consett Guardian 10th Aug 1928
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AllanUK
That was Ann Mayor's daughter in law and the name was a spelling mistake or misinterpreted handwriting. Ann Mayor was born circa 1775 and was about 85 when she died in 1860 - the year before the Census.
The railway was diverted away from Nanny Mayor's Incline in 1859 and she retired and the pub reverted to being Tween House, in its original role, as a farmhouse. When she died, her son's family remained there for some time. Much of the stone was probably scavenged by neighbouring farmers but part of it still stands today.
No doubt she helped out in the pub but she could not be described as an innkeeper because her name was never on the licence.
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willsy
Thank you for those articles. That grave holds several family members including Ann Mayor herself. The heavy metal framework was fabricated by her grandson and was intended to make it very difficult for grave robbers to dig up her body with the intention of stealing rings that might have been buried with her.
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Not sure what extra info you require so just putting what I have found.
FreeREG has some Mugglewick entries;
Marriage;
JOHN MAYOR to Ann SCOTT 29 Jan 1800
ANN Mayor married Charles ALLEN 03 Mar 1834
THOMAS Mayor married Isabella Ann PARKIN 20 Sep 1835
2 Allen grandchildren are with Ann Mayor 1841 Census.
Burials of;
JANE Mayor 09 Aug 1829 age 14
WILLIAM Mayor 20 Nov 1829 age 27
Charles Allen widower remarried 3 April 1839 Durham (f/S.Org)
Bond has him of Anfield Plain
FreeREG has a ANN Allan buried 26 Sep 1838 Lancaster age 26, abode Annfield Plain
Bapts Lancaster to Charles/Ann
William 18 Apr 1837
Ann 21 Jun 1838 buried 26 Oct 1838 age mths
Father a Innkeeper
Charles and new wife bapt another Ann 8 Jan 1840
Interesting as Daug Ann 1840 is not with Charles/Frances in 1841 but with his 1st Wifes Mother.
They must have had a close relationship. Son of Charles/Ann William is there also.
Cant see a bapt Wolsingham with my resources for a Ann Scott but can see 2 burials on FreeREG;
WILLIAM Scott 17 Mar 1789 Labourer
ANN Scott 01 May 1791 widow age 60
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trish 1120
Thank you for this information. Superficially, it looks like useful background information but from my previous researches, there is so much more detail that I can extract from it.
Ann Mayor's grave, in the churchyard at Muggleswick, is a very elaborate (and expensive) one and seems to be more than her moderate means would allow. But now you have introduced Charles Allen and that is a magical element! He was a contractor who made his fortune by making cuttings and embankments mainly on the Stanhope and Tyne Railway (Nanny Mayor’s Incline being part of that railway!)
He was originally from that area and may well have worked on the incline. He retired from that type of work and built a pub and brewery in Annfield Plain – the pub was originally called The Stanhope and Tyne Railway Inn and was built about 1835.
There was a direct goods and passenger railway from Annfield Plain to Waskerley which always stopped at Ann Mayor’s Railway Inn where it was prepared to be switched over to the rope haulage system up the incline. So, although she may have brewed her own, he was potentially the source of the beer she sold to the passengers and railway crews.
Now you have given me a whole new basis for research AND a connection that I did not know existed. Your timing is also perfect as I will be at the County Records Office tomorrow afternoon. So, it’s a great big thank you from me and I will post any results here as and when I find them.
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I am so happy that I helped you.
I would say they had a close relationship given that Ann Mayor has her grandchildren from Charles Allens marriage to Ann Mayor with her 1841 Census.
God luck with it all and you seem to have excellent research skills.
Keep us updated.
Trish :)
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trish 1120
The items below are your comments followed by my responses after visiting the County Records Office today:
1. Marriage;
JOHN MAYOR to Ann SCOTT 29 Jan 1800
At the time of their wedding John was a lead miner in the Castleside/Healeyfield area. He died in 1819 probably related to his work as a lead miner. This marriage was at Muggleswick which is very close to where she lived and also to Waskerley at the head of the Incline
2. ANN Mayor married Charles ALLEN 03 Mar 1834
This Ann Mayor is probably the daughter of John Mayor and Ann (Nanny) Mayor nee Scott. She was born in 1812. Charles Allen made his fortune by contract work making cuttings and embankments on the Stanhope and Tyne Railway and then used it to build a pub and brewery in Annfield Plain which may well have supplied Nanny Mayor with beer which could easily be shipped to her on the direct link rail line Charles Allen’s first mother-in-law. Ann Mayor died in September1838 aged 26 and was buried in Lanchester on 26th September 1828. This is where people living in Annfield Plain would normally be buried.
3. Charles Allen widower remarried 3 April 1839 Durham (f/S.Org)
Bond has him of Anfield Plain
Charles Allen married Frances Jane Allen b c1812 of Ford, Northumberland and this marriage lasted for the rest of his life
4. FreeREG has a Ann Allan buried 26 Sep 1838 Lancaster age 26, abode Annfield Plain
I think Lancaster is actually Lanchester which is where someone living in Annfield Plain would normally be buried at that time.
5. Bapts Lancaster to Charles/Ann
William 18 Apr 1837
Ann 21 Jun 1838 buried 26 Oct 1838 age 4 mths
Father a Innkeeper
He was not only an innkeeper but also a brewer, spirit merchant, farmer and owner of a number of public houses in the area. He was a man of substance and highly respected locally.
6. Charles and new wife bapt another Ann 8 Jan 1840
I think this shows he had love and respect for his first wife and her family. As an up and coming businessman, he could not look after young children so I believe he financially supported them whilst they were in the care of his mother-in-law
7. Interesting as Daug Ann 1840 is not with Charles/Frances in 1841 but with his 1st Wifes Mother.
They must have had a close relationship. Son of Charles/Ann, William is there also.
I can only agree with you on that point
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In point no 2, read wife not mother-in-law. It was the younger Ann Mayor who died young
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Looks all perfect to me :)
Trish in Sydney
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It will never cease to amaze me that I live just 10 or 12 miles away from Nanny Mayor's Incline and my big breakthrough in this story comes from thousands of miles away - in Sydney, Australia! Thanks again, Trish.
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;D :)
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Trish,
The two Scott burials you listed have proved to be Ann Mayor's parents. I thought she came from a background of a relatively well to do farming family, but she has proved to be the daughter of a simple farm labourer. I have also found that she was baptised as Ann Scot [note spelling] but all other details are the same. This is easily understandable as standardisation of spelling in England did not even start until she was 60 years old!
So, in every detail, the information you gave me checks out. But, more to the point, it fits in perfectly with my own research and I have learned a great deal in the last three days because your information told me exactly where to look.
The village of Waskerley (at the top of Nanny Mayor's Incline) has been virtually wiped out and was largely demolished in the 1950s. It was once the highest railway depot in the world - and had several hundred inhabitants. Now its population and buildings can be measured in single figures. Gradually nature is taking it back but there is no longer any reason for its existence other than The Waskerley Way which is now a classic hiking path
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Excellent another generation found and confirmed.
Yes it is sad how areas change and then become much smaller.
At least the hiking path is still used.
On FreeREG the name Scot/t only goes back 1768.
They may have not transcribed records further back.
Burial of;
MARY Scot 7 Jun 1768
Bapts of;
ANN Scot you have found + WILLIAM Scot 17 Jan 1773
All have Parents as WILLLIAM/ANN
I did some googling and Durham Records Online has 789 Marriages at the Church 1754-1812
Trish :)
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Thank you Trish,
The actual Records Office at Durham is known as The Story and is a wonderful resource. It has recently been moved to a brand new site which is well equipped and has staff who are pleasant, knowledgeable and very helpful. I go there most weeks as it is only a 20 minute drive from where I live and I can use their on line resource from home.
My interest in the Scot/Scott family does not go any further back in time since I have discovered that Ann Mayor was the first of the family to be involved in the brewing/publican business. I have known about her for over thirty years but she played only a minor part in my investigations until you mentioned her connection with Charles Allen which immediately grabbed my attention!
Now, she is linked more closely as one of the pubs possibly using Charles Allen's brewery as a source of supply. That is a network that greatly interests me because there is a mesh of pubs that he owned, pubs that he supplied and pubs that he acted as agent for. I need to unravel that mesh to understand his rise in fortunes from a single pub to an estate that would be valued at around seven and a half million pounds at today's prices and all in the space of 30 years and in a relatively
low population area where the vast majority of men were on low levels of pay.
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Obviously a very in depth study you are doing.
I have 1 Pub connection but nothing to do with Charles Allen and no where near Durham.
https://norfolkpubs.co.uk/gtyarmouth/gyt/gytom.htm
My 2 great grandfather and mother, their Son and Daughter in law held it for many years.
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It is an in depth study. It covers the history of all of the pubs, inns, alehouses etc in the North West of County Durham based in the rural district of Lanchester and the urban districts of Stanley and Consett. The main sources of income in these areas were agriculture, coal mining and steel works respectively.
Whilst there were some very wealthy people in the area, the vast majority of the population was working class and the one thing they all enjoyed was a place where they could socialise over a drink or two - whether it be a plush hotel or a back street room where the bar was two wooden planks over two barrels.
These were the community centres of their time and they fascinated me as a young man and gave me an interest when I retired.