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A recent discovery at the Sunderland Antiquarian Society may prove to be a pot of gold for family historians. Hundreds of old legal documents, some dating back to the 1600s, and all relating to Sunderland families, have now been indexed and are available for inspection at the Society's Headquarters at Sunderland Minster.

There are wills, certificates of birth, indentures and legal documentation relating to land transfers and mortgage transfers. Some are written on parchment in a beautiful antiquated hand, and others are in immaculate copperplate, popular for such documents in Victorian times.

Indentures are so called, because the legal clerk would write out an agreement in duplicate, on one side of a parchment. He would then cut the document in two, generally in a random pattern. When the two parties later came together, the agreement could be proved by joining the identical halves together. The Sunderland documents contain both halves of such an indenture - a very rare thing to find these days.

Among the other interesting items, is the 1772 will of Bishopwearmouth mariner John Todd, who served on board His Majesty's ship Buckingham.   Mr Todd, in antiquated fashion, commends his soul into the hands of Almighty God, before hoping for the remission of his sins. He goes on to divide his property among his family. These are very useful documents for family historians, as they name extended members of the family, and can often turn up little gems of information that can be found in no other source.

A fascinating footnote has been made on Todd's will, seemingly having no relationship to the dying seaman, but nonetheless highlighting an item of social history that few could imagine these days. The note states: "George Carr, Carter, a very honest and industrious man, was taken suddenly ill while following his employment on Thursday, 31^st May, and died on the 2^nd June 1810, leaving a widow and six children, one of whom is in French Prison, another at Place (?) and four at home. Three of whom are helpless, particularly one born blind" The note goes on to seek financial help from well disposed persons.

Another interesting item is one of a number of Apprenticeship Indentures. (Below) In 1762, Ralph Gardiner, a sinker from Biddick, entered into an apprenticeship with James Free, who was a well known Mariner in Sunderland. The apprenticeship was to last four years, and was paid at the rate of around four pounds a year.  Ralph had to sign the indenture and promise that he would not haunt Taverns, Inns or Ale-houses, nor should he play at cards, dice, or other unlawful games without his master's permission.

The 1848 sale of Ford Hall and Estate is also included in the collection, an event that followed the death of its owner, George Fenwick.

The document collection can be digitally searched for names, occupations, addresses etc., and anyone who is interested to find out if their ancestors feature in the collection, are welcome to come to the Antiquarians coffee and research mornings, which are held every second Saturday  at the Minster. The next meeting will be ten to twelve a.m. on Saturday, 27th February 2010.

PART TWO

Among the many treasures recently discovered at Sunderland Antiquarian Society, one in particular should prove to be worth its weight in gold for those with ancestors who lived in the old Monkwearmouth Parish.

The 1845 Rate Returns lists every owner and occupier of property in old Suddick, Fulwell Village and the Barbary Coast. Top Brass, like Squire Stafford who owned property in Broad Street,  (now Roker Avenue), Edward Burdiss, the glass-making Scotts and the Bowes family, all feature in a Who's Who of Sunderland money-folk, many of whom had extensive property empires stretching across the town.

The document differs greatly from the 1841 census, which many family historians rely upon for information about that period. In many instances, the rate returns describe the property in which ancestors lived, and give the sums that they were paying annually to wards local taxes.

Industrial and commercial property is listed: Quarries, shipyards, beer houses and shops are all shown alongside their owners and occupants. The turnpike land on Newcastle Road is shown to be part of the old Grange Estate. At the time of the rate returns, this stretch of road was causing a bit of a to-do among Monkwearmouth businessmen. Fish carriers and cartmen were fed up of the twopenny tax imposed for every horse and cart that crossed the turnpike. They came up with a cunning plan to get one back on the town council, and turned up with their pet dogs hitched up to the carts, dragging loads  fish and vegetables behind them. The tollgate keeper must have scratched his head in bewilderment at seeing such a strange convoy coming past, but rules were rules -and the rules said horses and carts had to pay - not poor old Rover! Mind you, it wasn't long before the council cottoned on and changed the law to include dog-drawn carts.

One of the grand houses to appear in the list is the Mansion House that once stood on Southwick Green, former home to the Dowager Lady Grey. The mansion House was already an old timer in 1845, and possibly dates back to the reign of Elizabeth the First.

Another grand Suddick dwelling listed is Southwick House - many older readers will remember it being the home of Doctor Dickie and his family. Dating back to the 17^th century, Southwick House stood on the corner of the Green, over the road to the Holy Trinity Church. It was said to have two underground passages, one leading to Hylton castle, the other to Holy Rock. If this is true, perhaps one might speculate as to their use - could Southwick have had links to the smuggling trade that was rife at the time?

The passages were accessed by a large cellar that inexplicably filled with water, even in the middle of a  drought!  I don't suppose the Dickies complained though, it wasn't many families who could boast of an indoor swimming pool in those days!

If any family historians would like a photographic copy of the rates returns document and the hundreds of names that it contains, it is now available on a cd that has been produced by the  Sunderland Antiquarian Society.

 The cd costs £5, including local postage, and can be ordered by contacting the Society, c/o The Sunderland Minster, High Street West, Sunderland, SR1 3ET. Anyone who is interested to find out if their ancestors feature in the collection, are welcome to come to the Antiquarians coffee and research mornings, which are held every second Saturday  at the Minster. The next meeting will be ten to twelve a.m. on Saturday, 27th February, 2010.

PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE FROM THE SOCIETY
Members of the Society received a bi-monthly Newsletter packed with articles, features and photographs. - Why not join?  Just go to Membership tab for more details. The Society has the following publications for sale: Orders should be sent to: The Sunderland Antiquarian Society, The Sunderland Minster, High Street West, Sunderland R1 3ET.   Cheques should be made payable to The Sunderland Antiquarian Society
Publications for Sale
Sunderland Under Sail - The 'Robinson Crusoe' Series, by Bracie Wilson  Price £3 (plus post and packing)
Sunderland's First Theatre and Music Hall, by George Patterson, 2009  Price £3 (plus post and packing)
Sunderland's History, The Transactions of the Sunderland Antiquarian Society  Price £5 (plus post and packing)
Rain's Eye Plan (Note 7 feet wide by 2 feet high) Price £7.50 (plus post and packing) CDs of the plan are now available - £5 inc pp. This contains 20 images gradually breaking down the map into smaller images that can be explored in greater detail. Also included on the CD are 3 additional antiquarian maps again broken down into numerous detailed images showing Sunderland from 1790 to 1913. - Robsons Town Plan 1827, Meek and Morgan's Town Plan 1851 and Moincur's Town Plan 1915