My dad C of E, married my mother RC in St Cuthberts RC in Cowpen, near Blyth in 1940. He took RC "instruction" prior to the marriage, and accepted that any children woulld be educated, brought up in the RC religion.
Moving on to the early 1950s, when my two brothers and I were sort of sloping off Sunday Mass, my father , nicknamed "Sarge", brought us to heel, saying he had promised to have us as Catholics and we had to go to church.
Smartgob me, suggested that he take us to church. He replied that he had made those promises that we would go to Mas, but never promised that he himself would go !
--------------------------------------------------
Some years ago, in Northumberland Couty Record Office ( in Morpeth at the time) I browsed the "diary" of a priest at St Cuthberts.
In it he recorded his visits to the sick of the parish, and which parishers were making Easter duties etc. And he maintained a sort of census/directory of folk within the parish. He had recorded the constitution of the household of my grandfather in Bebside. Across the list of the household he had made a diagonal annotation saying "MIXED MARRIAGE" and highlighted my grannie as " PROTESTANT". This was news to my family as we all thought she was a Catholic !
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trivia Angle
On the topic of the building/organisation in Newcastle that houses family etc records...
Some folk refer to it as " the Discovery" ( eg Gillian). Others, including Christine ( and me) call it the " Tyne & Wear Archives". Some senior Newcastle natives refer to it the " Co-op Warehouse" ( a former use of the building).
The whole building, called Blandford House, is shared by Tyne & Wear Archives, who moved in in 1976, and The Discovery Museum, moved in 1978. Both the Archives and the Discovery are under the umbrella of " The Tyne and wear Archives and Museums" which also has space in the building.
Stop it , Michael !
