The area of Weetslade in Northumberland has been farmed for the last 763 years when Richard of Plessy gave half the manor of Weetslade to Adam Barnet for one sixth of a knight's fee. In 1298 John de Weetslade was pardoned for the murder of Nicholas Burel from North Gosforth for his services in the north. At this time England was at war with Scotland and the battles of Stirling Bridge and Falkirk were fought against William Wallace in 1297-98. John though could not keep out of trouble and rode in a rebellion with Sir Gilbert de Middleton in 1317 when they robbed some cardinals between Woodham and Ferryhill and took them captive to Mitford Castle. Gilbert was captured in 1318 and was exicuted his body was quartered. The rebellion was finally over in 1322. The king's exchequer later seized the lands of John de Weetslade for his part in the rebellion in 1360.
There was a chapel in North Weetslade in 1298 and Thomas of Westoe was the chaplain when he took up his post he was given 96s from various people for the chapel he then ran away with the money. The ruin of the chapel was still visible in 1715 no one now knows where the chapel stood. On a map of Weetslade from the 18th century that one of the fields in North Weetslade was called church field the area of this field would be approximately where St. Pauls (built 1886)now stands. There was also a pele tower at Weetslade mentioned in 1415 but the location of this building is also lost.
During a Keelmans strike on the Tyne in 1710 a party of starving miners broke into the house of Cuthbert Alder who lived in Weetslade They injured Alder and his housekeeper and stole the food he had in for Christmas. Alder was able to identify the robbers and they were convicted, Alder received a reward, but his conscience would not let him keep the money and he set up a fund to create land for the poor in the area.
The land has been farmed right up to the present day but it was the sale of sections of Weetslade that made it what it has become today. The Newcastle on Tyne and Berwick Railway bought land in 1845 from the Reverend Ralph Brandling for the sum of �1422.15s. The land was also valued to see if it would be worth sinking a pit there in 1843. Although it was found to be viable the valuers advised the pit owners to wait for up to twelve years so that a 64 year old woman who lived on the site would be dead and then the colliery owners would not have to pay her any royalties. The mining villages grew out of the 19th century Industrial Revolution. Prior to this time coal was not a serious option as people would use wood or sod to burn.
This site was created by D.J.Kane. Dip. Eur. Hum. (Open)
Contact: - Dave Kane