WEEK 59 CORONOVIRUS: JAMESON CORBRIDGE POTTERIES AND FAMILY TREE

We continue to live a quiet life while we await further easing of restrictions.  That being said I have managed to visit a few folk, not inside their house, which isn't allowed but out in the garden or street.

I do, however, watch the rising number of cases in India and Nepal. Flights from India are now banned but there is traffic coming from India through Turkey... and the stats show there are now 'clusters' of the Indian variant in the UK: 5 in one report giving way to 300 in a further report (don't know how long the time is between ? a week?).

Meanwhile I was reminded of some family history this week when I was shown an article about the Portobello Bottle Kilns.

These photos below are of similar kilns which are in Corbrige, west of Newcastle. I took the following photos in 2006.

 

The potteries were the Jameson Potteries and it was the business (and home) of my paternal grand-mother.  The one and only son inherited the business (early 20th century). In 1909 my grandmother (and I assume her 2 sisters) were shipped out to Canada where they established themselves on land purchased by the family for them.  All made a good life for themselves.* She was sent money regularly from ’the works’ but it stopped about the time I was at university in the mid-60s. (I visited her in Victoria and she told me that this had dried up.)

In the late 60s I settled in Glasgow and visited this pottery in the early 70s. I was saddened to see that  the business had declined because, I think,  the pottery drainage pipes they made were replaced by the pipes being made of non-pottery materials, e.g. plastic.  The business closed in the mid-70s (I attended the closing meeting.)

          The site  is now a housing estate.

The surrounding countryside.

* WHO'S WHO:

My grandmother was Gladys Jameson. The 2 other sisters who ended up in Canada were:  Ethel (the eldest) and Winnie.  There was a sister living in Corbridge when I visited in 1970s: that was Flo, the youngest. 

Their father is James Alfred Jameson. He had a son Fred Lee Jameson (therefore Gladys's brother and ran the business).  (There was one other sister,  Gwen who I think stayed in Corbridge.  I see from family tree Gwen and Flo were adopted.)

His son, Lee Jameson, [see photo below] was running the business in 1970s. He lived in the big house next to the works. His wife was Jean from Devon; they had 3 boys Tony, Bruce and Daniel.

Caption:[L] Lee Jameson, Son No 1/3, Son No 2/3, Frank White, Son No 3/3, (poss. not in order);  Heather White, Unknown woman in background with brown hair, Helen White in Front wearing red, Jean Jameson white hair behind and Unknown  man far right. (Could that be Lee's father who would therefore be Helen's uncle?) 

Bits and pieces:  Ethel was initially sent to a Catholic convent in Belgium. She eventually married Barney Harrington (in Montreal I think).  Winnie married Alf Gorse. Both lived in Salmon Arm at some point.  [Further details discovered... for including at a later date.]

My grand-mother married John Cousins Booth (from Downiehills Farm, Aberdeenshire - farmers whose descendants are still there). Married in Edinburgh. They lived in Salmon Arm. They had an orchard farm i.e. planted fruit trees... a different life from drawing room activities in big house next to a thriving potteries 'works'.