Mike's Page

A Brief History of Prudhoe

Dedicated to the memory of our dear friend Mike Gibson (1935 - 2006)

Pre-Norman

Not a lot known!

Apart from a small amount of Bronze Age data, we have very little information about the Prudhoe area during this period! If you can help us we would love to hear from you. Contact info desk

Post-Norman

The Umfreville Barony

• 1161 to 1182 - A castle was built by Odinel de Umfreville.
• 1173 and 1174 - The castle was besieged twice by William the Lion of Scotland.
• The castle remained a fortress of the Umfrevilles, who had the "Barony of Prudhoe" during the border wars with Scotland.
• The last Umfreville was Gilbert, the third baron, who died in 1381.
• The barony then passed to the Percys of Northumberland.

15th - 18th Centuries

The Percy Barony

• 1405 - Henry IV besieged and took Prudhoe Castle, together with those of Warkworth and Alnwick.
• 1470 - Prudhoe castle was restored to the Percys.
• The Percys have held the barony, and the castle, ever since.
• After the Union of the Crowns the castle fell into disuse. (It is now in the care of English Heritage.)
• 1537 - Sir Thomas Percy was hanged at Tyburn.
• 1586 - A regular ferry was introduced across the River Tyne between Prudhoe and Ovingham (Stockdale's Survey).
• 1605 - the Percys and the castle were involved in the gunpowder plot.
• 1652 - The boathouse for the ferry moved to the Ovingham side of the river.
• 18th Century - Two coaching inns/posting houses were built. These were the Dr. Syntax (now the Northumbria Hotel) and the Halfway House at Edgewell. A turnpike road was constructed, linking Newcastle to Hexham.

19th Century

From Algernon to the Liddells

• 1816 - Algernon, 4th Duke of Northumberland, was created Baron Prudhoe of Prudhoe Castle. With his death in 1865, the title was discontinued.
• 1835 - The railway station was built on the Newcastle to Carlisle line.
• 1874 - Matthew Liddell commenced coal mining activities in Prudhoe and West Wylam.
• 1870's onwards - Brickworks (Mickley and Edgewell) and Clay Pipe works (at Eltringham) to support the mining industry.
• 1883 - A toll bridge was built across the River Tyne, linking Prudhoe with Ovingham.
• 1878 - Prudhoe Hall mansion built by the Liddell family.

20th Century

World Wars and Industrial Development

• 1900's - Three cinemas in Prudhoe
  • the Electric Cinema, then called the Rex, (site was used as swimming baths but now home for the aged)
  • the Rio (site now occupied by the Co-op Superstore)
  • the Palace Cinema (which became the Working Men's Club)
• World War I - John Liddell (b.1862) was awarded the Victoria Cross.
• c.1920-30 - Electrical supplies and telephones introduced into the town.
• World War II - Prudhoe Castle used as a consulate by Spanish and/or Portugese Embassy??
• World War II (1941) - A chemical plant was constructed at Low Prudhoe by I.C.I. for the production of agricultural fertiliser (sulphate and sulphate of ammonia).
• 1963 - The chemical plant closed leaving a legacy; two and a half million tons of waste chalk on land by the riverside called the "Spetchells". These spoil heaps have attracted some natural chalk-loving flora and fauna and it is proposed that they be made 'sites of scientific interest'.
• During the next 3 or 4 years the site was used by Cleveland Engineering, producing automobile parts.
• 1969 - The site was taken over by Kimberly-Clark and a large papermill was constructed. It was opened by Princess Anne on 29 November 1971. The site continues to operate but under another name and with reduced workforce.

Prudhoe Today

What remains of our history?

• The R.C. church was originally the private chapel of the Liddell family in the grounds of Prudhoe Hall. It was removed and rebuilt, brick by brick, to its present site.
• Prudhoe Grange, on the site of a 13th Century chantry, for the Austin Friars of Tynemouth is reputedly haunted. It was probably "altered" on the orders of Henry VIII.
• At nearby Cherryburn (Mickley Square) is the birth-place of the famous wood engraver and printer Thomas Bewick (b.1753)
• At nearby Wylam is the birth-place of "the father of railways" George Stephenson (b. 9 June 1781)
• John Wesley preached in Prudhoe in 1757 and Methodist chapels were built in 1794 and 1866 with a school in 1883. There is still a thriving Methodist Church in Prudhoe.
• The Prudhoe Gleemen choral singers were formed in nearby Wylam in 1903, moving to their present home around 1910. They gained fame (before television) broadcasting on local and national radio with celebrities Kathleen Ferrier and Owen Brannigan.

A Prudhoe Reflection

A book about Prudhoe

• A publication by Prudhoe & District Local History Society is entitled "A Prudhoe Reflection".
• This is a record of old photographs of Prudhoe with brief but relevant notes for each photograph.
• The book has been produced with assistance from the "Tomorrow's History Project" and went on sale in December 2001 from the following outlets - -
  • Prudhoe Community Partnership, 82 Front Street, Prudhoe, Northumberland NE42 5PU. Tel: (01661) 836668 Fax: (01661) 830009 E-mail: info@prudhoe.org
  • Mill's Newsagents, Front Street, Prudhoe, Northumberland.
  • Tyne Tees Business Machines, 47 Front Street, Prudhoe, Northumberland.