We were there, Teesdale Mercury

We were there

Oct 28, 2004

Throughout a century and a half of major change the Mercury has always beeng there to record life in the dale and further afield as Sophie Doughty discovered.

SO the Teesdale Mercury has reached the grand old age of 150. But as we celebrate this anniversary it's hard not to wonder what the people of Teesdale were reading about all those years ago.

And what is it that has made readers flock to the news-stands every Wednesday for the last century and a half.

When looking at a selection of the Mercury's stories from the past 150 years we can read about all the changes that have taken place in Teesdale across the years. And of course we see that there are some things that will never change.

In 1868, the Mercury reported the opening of the Tees Valley Railway between Barnard Castle and Middleton-in-Teesdale. This new line opened up the dale like never before, and the Mercury carried a detailed description of the first train journey along the line, illustrated with poetry as photographs were not yet possible.

The Mercury reported a carnival atmosphere in Middleton: "Two bands of music, which were at the station, began to play as the gaily-coloured streamers which adorned the train came in sight; and on the passengers alighting, the bands accompanied them into the town.

"At the entrance to the town from the street, several neat floral arches had been erected, bearing suitable mottoes. The streets were filled with a holiday crowd and wore a most lively and cheerful aspect."

In 1884 when the Teesdale Mercury was just 20 years old its reporters were tasked with covering one of the most horrific crimes the dale had seen. The Butterknowle Murder attracted attention from the national press, but the Teesdale Mercury was on-hand, informing its readers of the horrendous murder of local policeman Sergeant William Smith.

On Wednesday February 27 1884 following Sergeant Smith's death on Diamond Bank the Mercury recounted the details of his brutal demise. A story with the headline 'Shocking Murder of a Police Sergeant at Butterknowle' said: "The circumstances attending the committal of the foul deed are so savage and daring that a feeling of intense horror had been created throughout the entire neighbourhood, where the deceased officer was well-known and highly respected."

And even back in 1884 the strong community spirit that still characterises Teesdale today, was evident in a report of a meeting held to raise money for the Sergeant's widow.

The Mercury followed the trial of the three men believed to be responsible for Smith's death, and covered the execution of one of the defendants. Reports of court proceedings always make a good read, and this was no different back in 1905.

In a story entitled 'You'll Drink Yourself into a Grave; ­ Young Woman Spends £150 on Booze' readers heard how the then Lord Barnard reprimanded a mother of three at Barnard Castle Police Court for drinking heavily following the death of her husband. The woman was found to be drunk by a police officer who saw her fall over three times.

In response she said: "I only had a bottle of stout and a glass of beer. I was weak and the road was bad and that is why I fell." Lord Barnard however, described the woman's problem as "very serious" and fined her 10 shillings for the crime.

And if you think that we now live in an image-obsessed society, think again. A column entitled The Art of Beauty printed in a 1905 issue of the Teesdale Mercury will certainly open your eyes to the vanity of the Dale woman of the early 1900s. And the colour of a lady's hands were apparently of the utmost importance to women at this time, with fashionable ladies using saffron, bleach and strawberry juice to dye their palms.

"The new hand is whiter than the old hand. It is rather glossy and ivory white," wrote the Mercury's beauty correspondent. "Pink palms are always pretty, and if the hands are lacking in this respect they can be coloured with a little powder, a vegetable rouge or with a very little strawberry juice."

However, in the same year the Mercury stated that wearing nail polish was going out of fashion, proof that even back then we didn't get everything right!

Every week the modern-day Mercury is privileged to be able to report the stories of Teesdale's numerous generous fundraisers and volunteers who selflessly give up their time to help others.

And back in 1914 the good people of Teesdale were no different. When war was declared, a rallying call was issued through the Mercury seeking support for the creation of a new hospital in Barnard Castle. "Our country is now faced with a crisis such as no living person has experienced," read a letter printed in the paper. "But all cannot fight and yet there lays on each citizen the obligation to do his duty." "One of the first calls in towns within reach of the east coast will be to provide hospitals for wounded soldiers. Should not Barnard Castle provide for its quota?"

These days one of the most active committees of Barnard Castle Town Council is the Christmas Festival Committee. But back in 1939 Mercury reporters were able to report on meetings of Barnard Castle Urban Council's 'Air Raid Precautions Committee'.

As the Second World War began the Teesdale Mercury was used to appeal for support to keep the dale running throughout the war.

Volunteers for air raid patrols and cloths for evacuated children were requested in the September 6 1939 issue of the paper. And Teesdale residents adapted well to wartime Britain welcoming evacuees from Tyneside.

"There were busy scenes at Barnard Castle Railway Station on Friday Morning when the first batch of Gateshead school children arrived into Teesdale by special train an 10am," one article read.

The children were dispatched to the safety of Teesdale's rural villages including, Startforth, Boldron, Bowes and Cotherstone. The district also welcomed a number of mothers and babies from Tyneside to live in the safety of Barnard Castle, and Middleton-in-Teesdale.

However, in 1981 Mercury readers were shocked to learn that even in peacetime the skies above Barnard Castle were not as safe as they thought. The front-page headline of the Teesdale Mercury on Wednesday August 12, 1981 read, Seconds from a Major Disaster and reported how Barnard Castle narrowly escaped being hit by a RAF plane which crashed in a field in Startforth. The Mercury printed eyewitness accounts from residents, and one farmer told how homeowners had a lucky escape.

"It went within about 30 yards of our house and others adjoining," said Startforth Farmer Toy Houston. "If it had hit them or gone on to hit Startforth Park houses, a lot of people would have been killed."

Throughout its proud history the Teesdale Mercury has printed tens of thousands of stories ­ far too many to recount here.

To this day, the paper's philosophy remains the same. If it happens in Teesdale, it goes in the Mercury.