Scotland Gate

[lazytee]

Greetings all Northumbrian Rootschatters!

My grandmother was born at Scotland Gate near Choppington.  Looking at maps of the area for various periods it looks as though Scotland Gate is part of Choppington.  Is this correct, or are they two separate places?  Why is it called Scotland Gate when it is so far from Scotland?  Was the present A1068 formerly a turnpike road with tollgates?  What is the history of Scotland Gate?

Sorry to bombard you with so many questions.  Any answers would be very much appreciated.

Looking forward to your replies,

Lazytee.

[KGarrad]

When I was in York last Easter, a guide explained that the Norse "Gate" actually meant Road!

From Ardictionary.com:
Gate (10)
Definition: A way; a path; a road; a street (as in Highgate).

[patrexjax]

Hello lazytee, I have several rellies who were born in Scotland Gate from 1892-1894 according to various censuses as well as some civil birth certs; their surname was Morton....any possible connection?  I am sorry that I do not know the answers to your questions, but I am confident you will receive some excellent answers very soon!     Pat

[lazytee]

Thank you, KGarrad and Patrejax, for your very prompt replies.

With regard to "gate" as an Old Norse road for a way/road/lane, KGarrad, I was aware of this connotation.  You find it in "Stanegate" in south Northumberland (for modern linguists, it is cognate with modern German "Gasse"" - sorry to be so erudite!).  Although the road on which Scotland Gate stands, runs northwards in the direction of  Scotland, I don't think it is a turnpike  towards Scotland, because we have the Great North Road only a couple of miles to the west.  My view is that it is more likely to be a tollgate on a turnpike.  Can anyone cast  light on this?

Patrejax:  my Scotland Gate ancestors were Morpeths and they were primarily colliery sinkers, who moved from pit to pit, opening up the new collieries.  They lived in the Choppington/Scotland Gate/ Sheepwash Bank area only from about 1857 (opening of the Choppington pit) to 1876-9, when they moved to Stobswood, and later on to Pelton Fell, Co. Durham.  I'm afraid I don't know of any connection to the Morton family.

Many thanks to you both,

Hazel.

[Michael Dixon]

 In the context of the 1800s, the hierarchy of places ( based on ecclesiastic order )...

 Scotland Gate community lay within the bounds of the "Township" of Choppington.....

 Choppington township was one of the six townships that made up the Parish of Bedlington
 ( other townships were Bedlington town/village, Cambois, Netherton, East Sleekburn and West Sleekburn)

 The "address" for someone living in Scotland Gate then, would have been something like this......

   "     Wood Row, in the community of
         Scotland Gate , in the Township of
         Choppington, in the Parish of
         Bedlington, in the County of
         Durham ( up to 18844, thereafter Northumberland

( These "townships" did not neccessarily refer to towns, and were areas of territory. The Township of East Hartford, one of the five townships that made up the parish of Horton, a neighhbour of Bedlington, had a population of 13 in 1861 ! )


Michael ( who used to bus through the area twice a day, on way to school in Morpeth, from Cowpen, Blyth)

[lazytee]

Thank you Michael!

You are as knowledgeable as ever.  What I am wondering is, whether Choppington and Scotland Gate were considered in the 1860/70s to be separate communities. My father always told me that his mother was born in Choppington, so I was quite surprised when I found from her birth certificate that she was born in Scotland Gate.  Although I was born in Newcastle, I hadn't heard of Scotland Gate before.

There doesn't seem to be very much material online about Scotland Gate, and as I cannot easily get to the local librarires, I am asking Rootchatters to come to my aid with background information.  Does anyone know how far back the name "Scotland Gate" goes?

Cheers,

Hazel.

[Michael Dixon]

Hazel.

 I have to admit that I sort of ignored your question " or are they two separate
places ? " because it was too difficult for me to answer.

 Even today in general conversation similar questions rise up about other places
 ( My neighbours and I live in a clump of what I call " Ex-miners Cottages". I declare we live in the Fawdon Ward of Gosforth. They are adamant that we live in the Kenton
part of Gosforth)

Folk also disagree about divisions between North Shields/Tynemouth, Dudley/Cramlington, etc.

My daughter living in Scotland, is pleased to have just moved from Saltcoats to Ardrossan. To my foreign eye she has just moved from one end to another of the same place.

And we shouldn't trust house builders to name places as they abuse historical info for commercial purposes.

Hopefully here is something more positive than the above !

The 1820 and 1828 maps of the Bedlington area, within the communities.northumberland.gov.uk  web site show Choppington,
but not Scotland Gate.

My book " A Dictionary of English Place-Names" by A.D. Mills lists
Choppington ( " Cebbington, c.1050- estate associated with a man called " Ceabba", OE personal name + ing + ton) but not Scotland Gate.

Another useful book " "Goodwife Hot, Northumberland's Past in it's Place Names" by
Godfrey Watson, lists Choppington ( Ceabba again) but not Scotland Gate.

He declares that some places with " scot" in their name derived from " cot" meaning sheep shelter or outbuilding. e.g. Hepscott, ( which is near to Choppington.

Searching through the Newcastle Courant newspaper ( my membership of Newcastle library allows me access to online newspapers) revealed that from 1800 to 1900 there were 284 mentions  of Scotland Gate. But the first mention was not until 1860, last one in 1900.
e.g. 1867 the Choppington Floral and Horticultural Society was held in the Assembly Rooms at Scotland Gate.

On the other hand Choppington had over 500 hits, the first in 1806  !

Michael

[lazytee]

Hallo again Michael!

Thank you for taking so much trouble over Choppington/Scotland Gate.  I quite understand what you mean about places that are very close together.  Indeed the place where I now live has that sort of difficulty.   My address is Codmore Hill and it  lies within the parish of Pulborough (West Sussex).  Being a newcomer and something of a Codmore Hill separatist, I always say I live at CH, but even within the local area not everyone knows where this is, and certainly outside our immediate district I always say I live at Pulborough.  I'm sure that in the 18th century CH and Pulboro were separate places almost a mile apart.  Being on the post road to Littlehampton, CH had a pub, a wheelwright and a blacksmith.  Later it acquired a Post Office and a shop.  Now it has far more houses but only an Indian Restaurant (a very good one)!

Michael, I am having trouble with typing this message.  The website doesn't seem to want to give me enough space, so I will start a new message.

Back soon,

Hazel

[lazytee]

Hi again Michael!

Back to Scotland Gate!  From your researches it seems that Scotland Gate was a new place and a new name in the mid 19th century.  Choppington pit was opened in 1857, and it was at about that time that my ancestors arrived there, my gggrandfather being a colliery sinker.  There must have been a huge expansion in the population of the village at that time, and a great need for new housing.  The usual rows of colliery houses were built right next to the pit (in 1661 my gggrandparents were living in Second Row) but it seems that after a little while more houses were needed and the village expanded to the north and to the east side of the main road (A1089) and this new area became Scotland Gate.  Maybe the name has no historical significance, but was just a nice name for a new development, much as we do for housing developments nowadays. 

There is a nice picture of the main road at Scotland Gate in 1910 at:

            http://www.bedlington.co.uk/community/gallery/image/1207-choppington-1910jpg/

I wasn't able to find the 1820 and 1828 maps you mention on the Northumberland Communities website.  Could you please give me instructions as to how to find them.

Very many thanks for your kind interest in my questions.

Warmest regards,

Hazel.