RootsChat.Com

Just picking up on this post re meaning of Cowpen. When I was a bairn I remember Father Dunne the priest at St Cuthberts incorporating the history of the Sydney family in his Sunday sermons. One of the things I recall him saying was that the monks from Tynemouth priory had salt pans on the river and the locals used to swap( cowp in Geordie) goods for salt hence the name COwPEN . He was a massive NUFC supporter and I remember him bringing Frankie Brennan to St Cuthberts school to present us with an archery set for some reason

Last weeks News Post has just landed on my doormat down hear in the High Peak sent by a Blyth relative, and the Mill definitely about to close to be replaced by a convenience store no less.Petition in the pub so all you Blyth lot get in there have a pint and sign.Its been there since 1840s so deserves some support. Got me to thinking about Cowpen road hostlerys.Bebside Inn -open Sydney- gone Cowpen Club- gone Kings ? Mill- going Duke- gone North  Farm -gone Thoronton ? Top Hoose?
 Spent my teenage years watching Tex Leon and the Tynesiders Rue and the Rockets at Duke and Bandroom. Leads on to the Roxy Saw Gene Vincent there. Thats right folks Gene Vincent who toured with Eddie Cochran who new Buddy Holly who met Elvis breathed Blyth air WOW

Yossarian(catch 22?) Alan Young and I were the best of mates and the tales I could tell you are legend The night Mickey Rob (Carlos son) sank the galleon in the Mill been just one.i spent Easter in Blyth and whilst the Mills still there I picked up online in the News Post that there is some kind of effort to save it. A 50s boyhood in the Newtown was just magic and something I suppose kids nowadays just wouldnt understand
TOLLY

Blythian Alan Young was instrumental along with one or two others in starting a folk club at the Windmill. During the embryionic days of his career Billy Connoly was part of a group called the Humble Bums another member of which was Gerry  Rafferty of Baker Street fame In all probability your grandad would have booked them for the Mill . Certaintly I remember seeing them with Alan at the Lampglass club in Ashington We used to have some of the leading singers on the British folk scene on at the Mill all of whom generally ended up the worse for wear We set up one weekend an attempt on the World Folk singing record  by A singer called Hamish Imlach to sing all thru the weekend the sub plot been that me your grandad et al wanted a weekend of continuous drinking Both were achived we got The Mill into the Guiness Book of Records we drank all weekend and the official Guiness observer was  last seen heading for Monkeys Island searching for that well known local lady Dolly Clarts who we had assured him would be there  As far as Im aware hes still down there.Happy days