By REBECCA DIXON rebecca.dixon@hexham-courant.co.uk

Published at 13:13, Thursday, 22 January 2009

AN OLD book about the history and development of Slaley village is being reworked and published again as part of the 150th Slaley Show celebrations.

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A team of volunteers came together to work on the project after several requests had been made to Slaley Community Trust for copies of the original.

The trust has applied for a grant of £2,400 to reprint the book under a new title with some updated material.

The new publication will be called Slaley, Then and Now. The original was published in 1986 by a woman who lived in the vilage, Elizabeth Mason.

Her work, entitled A Slaveleia Miscellany, included historical facts and figures, photographs and some of her own memories, and tracked the history of the village.

In her introduction she wrote: “Although interested in history I do not pretend to be either a writer or a historian.

“However, living as I do in one of the older houses in the parish and talking to members of families who have lived here for generations, I thought there might be an interesting tale to tell.

“The following pages are the result.”

It was Miss Mason’s keen interest in local history that led her to collate the book and several of her own photos were also included.

She was a keen photographer and was also well-known in the area as a spinner and weaver.

Although not originally from Slaley, Miss Mason moved to The Strothers in the village after she retired from her job as a civil servant. She and her female companion were well known and liked by many people in the village.

Her book was a popular publication when it was first published and the information she had gathered ranged from anecdotal tales to historical records.

Delving back into the deepest history of the village, Miss Mason looked at how and when the village was founded.

The first mention is in 1106 under the name Slaveleia, when Henry I confirmed the original barony of Bolbec on Hugh de Bolbec.

In 1168 Wilbertus of Gilbert de Slaveleia appears on record as a landowner, in a letter addressed to Henry II.

And later a Gilbert de Slaveleia is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls as holding Slavely from Hugh de Bolbec II.

Miss Mason goes into the far history in some detail and includes a copy of the subsidy roll of 1296 and a tenant list from 1570.

In her historical accounts she uses many of the different spellings for the village name.

Over time, no fewer than 13 variants on the spelling of Slaley have been recorded and Miss Mason chronicles the different spellings alongside the dates with which they correspond.

The first in 1166 is Slaveleia, meaning a muddy piece of cleared land. Other variants include Slaveley in 1250, Sclauelye in 1479 and Slealie in 1590.

The church always played a big role in village life and Miss Mason dedicates a section of the book to describe its involvement.

She writes: “A number of parish meetings from the 15th century appointed the local constable, hayward, pinder, nightwatchman.

“The parish school was often conducted by the priest. Concern for pauper children, the unemployed, the invalids, the old and apprentices can also be traced to medieval times.”

Miss Mason writes how the vestry meeting, headed by the vicar, ran the affairs of the village, before this role was taken over by local government organisations, and that everybody had a share in maintaining the church expenses.

Church records show what was bought from whom and they also bring to light the vocabulary used to refer to such items.

Unusual words that come up in the records include “stob”, which means to mark out a field, and “fother” which was a load of coal.

Tithes were also an integral part of village life. One tenth of the produce from each piece of land or stock was due to the church.

The large amounts of produce including corn, barley, wood and hay, as well as many other smaller tithes, were split between the rector and the resident vicar.

However in 1836 a legal act allowed the conversion of tithed produce into a monetary payment.

Several pages of Miss Mason’s book are given over to a series of tables listing the landowners, their occupation and the amounts paid in rent charge.

Professions in 1886 included stonemason, blacksmith, tailor, shoemaker and butcher, among others.

Farming played a huge role in this rural village and methods have changed drastically over time, with the introduction of mechanical aids into the working day.

Miss Mason also looks at the change in livestock over the years, with the shorthorn cattle making way for Friesians and other foreign breeds on today’s farms.

With the farming industry came the farming lifestyle and Slaley Young Farmers’ Calf Club was formed in 1926 – the first club in Northumberland.

Members were provided with a calf, which was reared and sold at around 15 months old, while summer activities included learning to judge cattle.

Children in Slaley were also educated by a resident teacher. The exact installation of the first school in the village remains under a cloud of confusion, with conflicting historical reports stating different dates.

While the Rev. W. Harrison stated that public subscription paid for a school to be built in the village in 1780, another account sets the date at 1761.

Miss Mason chronicles the development of the school through the years including improvements that were made under the new Education Act.

She writes: “...the master's desk was found to be rickety. To save expense of buying a new one it was lowered and strengthened!

“The windows were allowed a coat of paint with the proviso that the master should apply it.”

Among the details of how many children attended the school are several other anecdotal tales including: “In 1946 through the generosity of the Association of Kinsmen Clubs of Canada, one pound of chocolate milk powder was offered free of charge to all school children in Slaley and other areas.

“One pound of milk powder filled the usual 2lb jam jar. The powder was not for consumption in school – it must be taken home.

“It could be used for puddings, cakes or anything else the housewife could think of.”

Up until the mid-1960s the school was split over two sites but in 1965 a new school was built and on May 3, 78 children came to a brand new school and were educated for the first time under one roof.

As is the case with modern constructions, the new building did not meet with ultimate approval and Miss Mason notes some of the comments it attracted – such as “like a deep litter hen house – not like Slaley – too much glass!”

Another important installation in the parish was the building of Slaley Hall. Miss Mason includes a brief history of the hall as well as several photographs.

Now a luxury hotel with a PGA golf course, the hall has humble beginnings, as shown by a selection of pencil sketches included in the book.

The construction of the hall began in 1912 at Bog Hall Farm, which had been bought in 1911 by Charles Samuel Hunting.

A team of Irish labourers were employed to carry out the work and stone from Ladycross Quarry was brought each day by horse and cart.

The hall was completed in 1914 and remained with the Hunting family until the death of Mr Hunting, at which point it was bought by Major Priestman.

The hall remained a family home until its sale to Seamus O'Carroll and John Rourke, who transformed it into a country hotel. In her commentary, Miss Mason writes: “For better or for worse only time will tell.”

Whether or not she would like the grand leisure venue the hall has become today, it cannot be denied that the venue has stood the test of time so far.

The new book will be on sale at the 150th Slaley Show, but the team publishing it is still keen to hear from anyone who has any further information about Miss Mason.

Contact Michael Elphick on (01434) 673443.

Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk