Isle of Man miners in North West Durham

[Elliven]

Jen B,

It has become clear that Havanah and Isle of Man were both just hamlets and I imagine the former took precedence because it was closer to the growing town of Stanley even though it was slightly smaller than Isle of Man.  Now, both hamlets are incorporated in Havanah electoral ward - which is essentially the core of Stanley town.

John Charlton died in June 1877, just after establishing the pub as a fully licensed inn.  He was followed by Joseph Ramshaw whom I think must have been just a manager of the inn and farm (he may have even been a blood relation) but it was all back in the hands of William Charlton by 1890 as has been shown by hanes teulu.

Now to find out how and why it became The Isle of Man!  MollyC's idea has some merit - the first known mention of Isle of Man was in 1805 was just about 14 years after the enclosures so it may well have been part of that.  It is now in the heart of Stanley but it was then quite an isolated spot.  Time will tell!

Neville

[Elliven]

hanes teleu,

I have done as you suggested and it seems to me that the two buildings marked as Isle of Man were both demolished before I was born - but I know that area very well.  The building on the right was demolished to make way for the newly erected larger pub.

The building on the left was obviously the original pub (it is described elsewhere as "the building next door").  The two huts that were the Stanley Taxi rank and Charlton's Print Works (in my youth) would have stood on, or right beside, the site of the original pub alongside what had been the coal washery became the Fire Station, and the Civic Hall/Lamplight Theatre.  Before I started this enquiry, I had never even heard of The Isle of Man area except that I knew that the four or five streets built there at the end of the 19th Century all had Isle of Man names.  I had never even considered that there had formerly been a hamlet on that very spot.  It is now also clear how the town centre became the Havanah electoral ward.  In these few days I have learned a great deal about my home town.  The whole area then and now is very clear in my head

Neville

[hanes teulu]

Thanks for a great post.

Must say, still inclining to the Stanleys, "Lords of Man", as the source of the IOM presence!!

[JenB]

Thanks for a great post.

Yes it’s been fascinating. I was oblivious to all of this when I used to visit great-uncle Jim in Oxhill 

I think we should get this post moved to the Durham board.

[Elliven]

JenB,

That's a great idea but is it possible?

Your Great Uncle Jim didn't live in South Tanfield House did he?

Neville

[Elliven]

JenB

That's a great idea, but is it possible?

Your great Uncle Jim didn't live in South Tanfield House did he?

Neville

[AlanBoyd]

Information taken from the tithe schedule of 1844 and the associated map (1847?): "Plan of the District Comprising the Parochial Chapelry of Tanfield and the Lands formerly Tanfield Moor in the County of Durham"

Plot 121 extends to the NW of the road (Front Street) as far as Houghwell Burn. It encompasses several fields together with "Isle of Man" which is marked on the map. There is an exclave in the parish of Lanchester which encompasses "The Havannah" and has John Eden Esq. as the owner.

Plot 121 details:
owners: John Bowes [?looks like Bowers] and Thomas Fenwick Esquire
occupier: Joseph Ramshaw
description: West Shield Row Farm and allots. on Lanchester Fell ~163 acres [Isle of Man not mentioned]

Associated text from the preamble included here to establish the identities of the landowners:

And that the Ancient Lands of West Shield Row together with the allotments of Common set out in right of the same upon Lanchester Fell and containing altogether by estimation one hundred and sixty three acres two roods and twelve perches of which John Bowes of Streatlam Castle in the said County of Durham Esquire and Thomas Fenwick of Dipton in the same County Esquire are the owners are covered from the render of the tithes of Hay in kind by a prescriptive payment of the annual sum of two shillings in lieu thereof.

This Joseph Ramshaw seems to be the father of the man in the Stanley Hotel:

baptism, Tanfield, St. Margaret
23 Dec 1838 Joseph Ramshaw, of Shield Row, son of Joseph (farmer) & Mary Ramshaw

[MollyC]

You have confirmed what I expected.  Moor was a frequent term describing some lowland commons (as well as uplands) and here we have "allotments of Common" enclosed into fields, and the names were acquired after that.

[Elliven]

AlanBoyd,

This information tells me a lot.  Plot 121 spreads around Stanley town like a cape - West Shield Row Farm on the one side and the lands associated with the Isle of Man on the other.

John Eden (or an ancestor) was obviously awarded the Havanah Enclave.  His family were based at Windlestone Hall in the south of the County and he was an ancestor of Prime Minister Antony Eden and a member of the landed gentry.  He also held land in Lanchester parish including the Eden Colliery near Leadgate.

John Bowes (or an ancestor) was awarded the Isle of Man area which now makes up part of Stanley town and the farmland behind it.  The Bowes family later became the Bowes-Lyon family who were based at Gibside Hall, just outside of the Stanley area.  This was the family of our late Queen Mother - wife of King George VI and Grandmother of King Charles III.  This fabulously Wealthy family founded the Bowes Museum.

Thomas Fenwick was a land agent and mining agent with a finger in a lot of pies and a benificent man who did a lot of good for the area.  He lived in Dipton, a village just outside of Stanley.

Joseph Ramshaw was the tenant of the Isle of Man area and possibly more of the land on the West Shield Row Farm area.  He was followed by John Charlton and then, fairly briefly, by his own son Joseph Ramshaw until William Charlton took over.  I wonder whether the Charltons married into the Ramshaw family or vice versa, as this would explain the mixing of the two names as tenants.

MollyC's theory on the origins of the name are starting to look more likely.

Neville