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    Historical Jesmond

    The most recognised definitive history of Jesmond is "An Account of Jesmond" written by a local historian, Frederick Walter Dendy, published in 1904.

    Before 1835, Jesmond was a small township outside the boundary of the City & County of Newcastle upon Tyne. Jesmond was owned by men of considerable local position and after that date, with the absorption into the building area of Newcastle, the ancient estates have been broken up, the old landmarks were removed and the title deeds in private hands have become dispersed.

    Although it has always, within historic times, been in included in the Newcastle parish of St, Andrew, it was, until the third decade of the 19th century, situated within the Castle Ward division of the county of Northumberland and was outside the boundary of the Borough and County of Newcastle upon Tyne.

    By the Reform Act of 1832, it was, with other townships included in the borough of Newcastle for parliamentary purposes and by the Municipal Corporations Reform Act of 1835, the municipal boundaries of that borough were assimilated to its parliamentary boundaries and Jesmond became detached from the county of Northumberland and included within the borough and since the 15th August 1882, the then City and County of Newcastle upon Tyne.

    For many years after this change took place, the township remained on a somewhat different footing from the older part of the borough in respect of lighting, watching, paving and other matters of municipal control but those differences were gradually removed by subsequent local Acts until by the provisions of the Newcastle upon Tyne Improvement Act 1865, the enlarged borough, including Jesmond and the other townships added at the same time with it became practically one homogeneous whole.
     
    Up to the beginning of the 19th century, the township was entirely agricultural, was traversed only by footpaths and was almost destitute of roads.

    Jesmond Dene Road, which leads from the Great North Road through the north end of the township ended at Moor Crook, or rather at that poising it turned northward up Haddrick's Mill Lane. Sandyford Lane, which skirted the south of the township, was continued westward of Sandyford bridge by Benton Lane and there was a short road from near to the Benton bridge to Jesmond village, which was situated around and to the eastward of the site of Jesmond Manor House. When this road was extended it made a loop to cross over the bridge at the entrance gate of Jesmond Grove, passed close under the ruins of St. Mary's Chapel and entered straight again near the Banqueting Hall in Jesmond Dene.

    Jesmond Road, which was at first called Cemetery Road, was planned by Mr. John Dobson and was constructed in about 1840.  Osborne Road, from Jesmond Road to Clayton Road, was made by a Mr. Pears-Archbold between 1860 and 1870 and its continuation from Clayton Road to Jesmond Dene Road was made by two men of the same name, Mr. Richard Burdon Sanderson between the years 1870 and 1880.

    Jesmond also had coal mines. One, in 1829, near Goldspink Lane and at a later date, at the east end of Fern Avenue. Coal was worked in Jesmond from a very early period but the first record of its working dates back to 1595 when Marmaduke Thirkeld conveyed coal from pits in Jesmond to trustees for the benefit of his natural daughter Dorothy. In 1625 there was also two other Pits and Sir William Selby's Pit "22 fathoms deep" In 1700, Philip Hodshon demised to Matthew White, an alderman of Newcastle "one moiety of his coal mines in Jesmond for 21 years".

    In 1700, upwards of 700 wains (farm wagons or carts) were employed in leading Jesmond coals down to the Ouseburn, the water being drawn from the colliery by means of horse engines. In 1734, the George Pit, The Mayflower Pit, the Nicholas Pit, the Fourteen Riggs Pit, the Betty Pit and the Burns Flat Pit are mentioned.

    In 1737, the Chance Pit, the Ten Riggs Pit and Richard's Pit, in 1740, the Corner Pit, in 1741, the Chester Pit, the Mayflower Pit, the Pantry Close Pit, the Lady Pit and the Seven Riggs Pit, in 1742, the Resolution Pit and in 1744, the Craig Hall Pit. The number of pits shews that it was more practical to sink fresh pits at short distances apart than to work from one pit for any considerable distance underground.

    The Coulson and Hodshon royalties were purchased by Sir Thomas Burdon in the first half of the 19th century and by his son, the first Richard Burdon Sanderson. The coal which was mainly mined from the pit near the east end of Fern Avenue, was carried in trucks over a tram-line past Haldane Terrace along the line of Clayton Road to the staithes for land-sale purposes which existed near the south-west corner of what is now Abbotsford Terrace where colliery offices were situated.

    There has been evidence of ancient burials in Jesmond and in 1828, a Mr. Russell Blackbird discovered a stone-built grave 4 feet long, two feet wide and 22" deep containing the bones of a man, the head being perfect with all the teeth in it. An elaborately ornamented food vessel which was displayed in the Black Gate Museum and was the finest specimen of Northern prehistoric food vessels. It contained some red-coloured earth but the labourers working at the site threw it out...

    There were many other finds discovered over the years but no traces of Roman occupation have been found in Jesmond except for two Roman stones (one inscribed) taken out of a garden wall at the mill on the Heaton side of the Dene in 1838. Throughout the 12th and 13th centuries, Jesmond was called Gesemue (the initial 'g' being pronounced soft, as in 'gem', or Jesemue, Jesemuthe, Jesemuthia and occasionally Yesemue.

    With curious variations in spelling, these forms of Gesemuthe and Jesemuthe continued until about 1364, when in a patent roll relating to St. Mary's Chapel, the name is given as Jesmound. In the 15th century, the name becomes Jesmuth alias Jesmund and in 1540 Jesemond. There is some mystery as to what the name meant. Jesemuth is said to mean "the 'mouth' of the stream" and Jesmond "the 'mount' of the stream" and the latter may have been thought by the clerics (who apparently first adopted the 'mond' termination) to mean "Jesus' Mount". 

    There still remains a number of the old buildings in Jesmond.  Jesmond Towers, sold in 1870 by Richard Burdon Sanderson II to Dr. Charles Mitchell.  The house has had had a variety of owners since then and has been used as a boy's school and was acquired later by the La Sagesse Convent School, which is sadly, now defunct. The entire estate is now owned by Shepherd Offshore and currently, there is a proposal to redevelop both the Jesmond Towers and North Jesmond House sites.

    In 1828, James Losh was living at Jesmond Grove, John Anderson at Jesmond House, Miss Jane Deer at Jesmond Cottage, the Rev. Edward Moises at St. Mary's Mount, Armorer Donkin at Jesmond Park, Thomas Emerson Headlam, M.D., at Jesmond Dene House, formerly known as Black Dene House, built by him in 1822 from designs by John Dobson.

    Robert Clayton lived then at Goldspink Hall, Russell Blackbird at Villa Reale and Ralph Naters at Sandyford House. Near to Sandyford bridge were a few old houses which were called the Minories. Richard Burdon Sanderson I was then living at West Jesmond House, now called Jesmond Towers. Under the superintendence of Mr. John Dobson, large additions were made to this house by Sir Thomas Burdon in 1817 and again from 1823 to 1827. It was subsequently further enlarged by Richard Burdon Sanderson II and was also greatly added to by its next owner, Dr. Charles Mitchell  and by his successor, Mr. Charles William Mitchell.

    Also of note is Jesmond Dene House, (built 1822) now an hotel, was owned by the first Lord Armstrong, who closed in the dene, planted it with shrubs and trees, laid out walks along the banks on either side and built bridges across the stream and in 1862 built a spacious Banqueting Hall.  (He commissioned architect John Dobson to design it) "fitted for Public Entertainments" and adorned it with statuary and pictures. This impressive building, which even in the 1950s was still being used as a tearoom and restaurant, is now mostly in ruins.  A few other significant houses still stood on these lands at this time, including Stote's Hall (rebuilt 17th c. and demolished in the 1950's. Jesmond Manor House (eleventh century or earlier, rebuilt 18th c., demolished 1929 in the Grove), Orchard House (now on Fenwick Terrace), Eldon House (near the present Acorn Road and Osborne Road), Jesmond Cottage (1831, in the Grove, later Akhurst School), Villa Reale (1817, later Sandyford Park, Nazareth House, now part of Central High School) and South Jesmond House (originally The Minories, demolished 1910), Busy Cottage Mill (Jesmond Dene, originally a grain mill then iron works, now Millfield House) and Deep Dene House (Jesmond Dene, originally Heaton Cottage and grain mill, then a flint mill, now Fisherman's Lodge).

    He also gave the people of Newcastle the neighbouring Armstrong Park in Heaton and in 1883, presented the more beautiful pleasure ground of Jesmond Dene to the inhabitants of Newcastle.

    Stote's Hall and its grounds passed to the Shield family, and the remaining lands were disposed of, between 1820 and 1845, in parcels to William Armstrong (father of the first Lord Armstrong), Armorer Donkin, Russell Blackbird, James Archbold and others. Russell Blackbird lived at Villa Reale, now Sandyford Park, belonging to Dr. Gibb. The house was originally built in 1817, by Captain John Dutton, from designs by John Dobson, on land called Blindwells purchased from Robert Warwick. In 1826 John Dutton sold it to Sir Thomas Burdon, whose son Richard Burden Sanderson re-sold it the next year to Russell Blackbird. Russell Blackbird added to it some further land, including part of ' Stony Heaps,' which he purchased from the Duke of Portland, and from the Craster and Bewick owners, and he died on the 18th November, 1849. His wife died on the 22nd November, 1852, and the property then passed through the Wright family to Robert Harrison, who sold it to Dr. Gibb.   

    A photogallery will be available in the near future...