Just a wee snippet on Plashetts and a comment in support of William.
Plashetts lay on the River ("North") Tyne, in north-west Northumberland, about 12 miles north west of Bellingham
(the local District Register Office, at the time). Falstone is about 5 miles south-east of Plashetts.
A railway line was built ( 1855-1863) linking Hexham, on the Newcastle-Carlisle line, to Riccarton just over the border in Scotland.
I think part of that line near Plashetts now lies under Kielder Water. A local connecting line was built from Plashetts Station to Plashetts Colliery, to facilitate getting the coal to it's markets... always an issue with the coal industry !
So it seems likely that William dug the cuttings, built the embankments, laid the rails etc from the start of the line at Hexham (John born Hexham, circa 1857... line construction started 1855)., right up to Plashetts, and probably beyond.
The line construction was finished and line opened in 1863.
William then probably moved on to the next railway project.
By 1871 we see his family, but not him, in Haydon Bridge, another station on the Newcastle-Carlisle line ( finished incidentally before 1840, maybe his forebears built that line ! )
It seems likely that he has already moved on to tackle the next project.
Imagine Catherine saying to him when they were in Plashetts..
" Do you have to leave home ? Couldn't you not get a job down the pit at Plashetts Colliery ?"
To read about and see old maps on Plashetts go to
communities.northumberland.gov.uk
Choose "Bellingham" to get idea of that part of the county.
Also see "Falstone" community. Go to "Plans" to see old maps, 1769, 1820, etc.
See also " Printed Material", wherein is Kelly's Trade Directory 1910, which includes a short but good description of the area.
To see photo of Plashetts Colliery and map of that area go to the Durham Mining Museum web site, and choose "Plashetts"
"Sense of Place, North-East" recently published a free postcard, showing Plashett miners cottages in 1910. Looking at it now, I can see how William might have said "no" to the idea of settling in Plashetts. ( Of course it could have been Catherine who encouraged him to move around )
Michael Dixon,
Blyth, Northumberland
