Allendale, Northumberland

[davidft]

Does anyone know Allendale? I am trying to find out where Lot Head, Allendale is or was around 1870.

Thank you.

(It may be near Sinderhope)

[AlanBoyd]

I realise that this is an old post. I found it when searching for Allendale-related posts and was intrigued by the fact that it has been viewed hundreds of times but without response. So, it was a challenge. I'm responding now in case someone else is looking for information on Lot Head. (davidft has not posted for some time)

I've concluded that Lot Head was the site marked as Allotment Head near Elpha Green on this map. Allotment Head is over to the left, I chose this zoom to include Elpha Green and Spartylea (Swinhope Mill is slightly to the south). And Sinderhope, mentioned by the OP is about 2 miles to the north.

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.9&lat=54.83331&lon=-2.24446&layers=257&b=ESRIWorld&o=100

My conclusion is based upon the history of Elizabeth Philipson (full census entries not included, just a couple of names where relevant).

1861 Lott Head, John, 30,  and Elizabeth Philipson 30 [John 7 mo.]
1871 Lotment Head, Elizabeth Philipson, widow, 40 [John 10]
1871 marriage John Pigg, Elizabeth Philipson
1872 birth of Emily Ann Pigg
1881 Lot Heads, Elizabeth Pigg, married, 50 [no sign of Mr Pigg here and I have not tried to find him]
1891 Allotment Head, Elizabeth Pigg, married, 60 [still no sign of Mr Pigg]
1901 Lot Heads, Emily Pigg, 28 [I have not located Elizabeth in 1901]
1908 probate Elizabeth Pigg of Lothead, Swinhope Allendale, to John Philipson blacksmith

All of the above census entries are close to entries for Elpha Green, Swinhope Mill etc.

20 September 1902: Newcastle Journal
A report of the Sheep Show at Allenheads mentions, under the heading of Shorthorned Cattle, for farmers whose acreage does not exceed 25 acres, Mrs Philipson of Lot Head.

20 April 1985: Newcastle Journal
a reference to Grass Park Lets at Hexham Auction Mart mentions Elpha Green and Lot Head, Spartylea.

[MollyC]

As there is no OP to respond I am going to say thank you to AlanBoyd for another well researched piece of landscape, populated from accessible FH sources.

There are "allotments" over a large part of the map. The geometrical fields are those allotted by enclosure awards c1800 which brought former moorland commons into private ownership, probably with stone walling here.  There are also new straight roads, probably 60 feet wide between the walls, which contrast with older winding tracks, to give access to the allotments and to new farmsteads constructed at that time.

Allotment Head is an interesting shape.  It is a funnel, often found on the margins of commons as a place where animals are gradually brought into a confined space after being herded from open common.  It must have been part of the enclosure plan to leave a funnel open, leading down to a road. To the south, the name Intakehead is another enclosure word, land "taken in" from a common.  It appears to have two funnels and sheepfolds.

However large areas remained unenclosed.  The situation is explained beneath the words Allendale Common: 18,095 acres of Stinted Pasture, meaning each commoner owned a stint, an allocation of the number of sheep permitted to be grazed on the hills.

[AlanBoyd]

Thanks very much MollyC for those insights.