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Passing the Durham City turnoff as you drive north on
the A1(M) you will notice in the distance, what seems to be a Grecian Temple.
This is Penshaw Monument and it was modelled on the Temple of Theseus. The
monument dominates the area, being built on top of Penshaw Hill and thus visible
for miles in all directions. This land was owned by the powerful Lambton family
and the monument was erected in 1844 by private subscription to commemorate John
George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham (1792-1840).
The monument is 100 ft long, 53 ft wide and 70 ft high. On the foundation stone is a brass plate that reads:
This stone was laid by Thomas, Earl of Zetland, Grand Master of the Free and Accepted Masons of England, Assisted by the Brethren of the Provinces of Durham and Northumberland on the 28th August 1844, being the Foundation Stone of a Memorial to be erected to the Memory of John George, Earl of Durham who, after representing the County of Durham in Parliament for fifteen years, was raised to the Peerage and subsequently held the offices of Lord Privy Seal, Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister at the Court of St. Petersburg and Governor-General of Canada. He died on the 28th July 1840 in the 49th year of his age. This monument will be erected by private subscriptions of his fellow countrymen, admirers of his distinguished talents and exemplary private virtues. John and Benjamin Green Architects.
NB: I have re-visited this monument quite recently, having been informed by one of our members that he could not find the above brass plate. I couldn't either! Anyone know where it is?
Lambton died at Cowes on the Isle of Wight and his body lay in state on the yacht Albatross moored at Sunderland. This was to allow the local populace to pay their respects to one they considered a man of the people. "Radical Jack" as he was known, made strenuous efforts to improve education and general living standards for ordinary folk. He was a founder of the "Friends of the People" organisation which worked for equality for all. Incidentally this organisation held its first meeting at Freemason's Tavern in Great Queen Street, London.
Masonically, Lambton was Provincial Grand Master of Durham (1818), Deputy Grand Master in 1834 then Pro-Grand Master in 1839.
The Lambton family are linked with the legend of the Lambton Worm which is told in the song of the same name.
The Causey Arch is a single span bridge built to take a waggonway over the Causey Burn at Stanley in North-West Durham.
The wagons took coal from the pits at Tanfield, eight miles to the River Tyne where it was taken by collier to London and the South.
The Causey Burn is only a small river but it has cut a deep gorge and this had to be traversed by a bridge. The bridge was built in 1704 by Ralph Wood, a local mason. Wood took a full year to construct the arch and it was completed and opened in 1725. The arch was the largest span of its type in the world and in fact it took another 30 years before this record was broken. Technically the bridge is a compression arch built using Roman technology.
The track over the arch consisted of two lines of wooden rails. The wagons were pulled by horses. Parts of the whole line used the principle of the incline plane i.e. the full wagons going down pull the empty ones to the top of the slope. It is recorded that at the height of its use the bridge carried 1000 waggons a day.
The bridge fell into disuse and disrepair after the fire at Tanfield Colliery in 1740. In the 1970's it was becoming dangerous and was renovated by the County Council, the task being completed in 1981
A set of pipes consists of a bag, drones, a chanter and a set of bellows. Unlike the
Highland Pipes, which are blown, it is the bellows which fill the bag with air.
The drones provide steady notes throughout the playing to act as accompaniment while
the chanter produces the melody. The pipes can be played either standing or sitting.
The bag is held under the left arm and the bellows are operated by the right arm
The end of the chanter is stopped (closed), so that when all finger holes are covered, the chanter makes no sound. Notes are produced by lifting one finger at a time, and so a one-octave scale can be played. The addition of keys to the basic eight-hole chanter extends the musical range of the instrument. The seventeen-keyed chanter is the ultimate instrument and can play a full two octaves.
Why on earth did they choose a small place like Shotley Bridge? Well probably for two reasons, first the area has rich deposits of iron ore and secondly the water of the River Derwent would have been ideal for tempering swords.
There is a nice story (I always remember my father telling me this tale, but is it true? I'll leave that for you to decide!) that one of the Shotley sword-makers, one William Oley , was once challenged by two other sword-makers to see who could make the sharpest and most flexible sword.
When the day of the challenge arrived, the three men turned up, but it seemed that Oley had forgotten to bring an example of his work, for he was not carrying a sword! The two other sword-makers took out their newly-made swords and began to demonstrate the strength, sharpness and resiliency of their own workmanship. What a surprise they got however, when Oley removed his top hat to reveal a sword coiled up inside.
For strength and sharpness combined with superb flexibility, Oley's sword was without doubt the winner.
BACK TO THE TOP
The shape of the skull and horns indicate that these cattle are quite different from the cattle imported by the Romans and so they could well be the descendents of the native oxen that roamed before the Roman invasion. Quite why they are white is open to speculation, what is perhaps more interesting that that they have never "thrown" a coloured or even part-coloured calf. Blood samples taken from herd members just prior to their death (remember they are wild and un-managed) indicate that genetically this herd is unique.
One might expect that 1000 years of inbreeding would have damaged the gene pool, however it seems that the only effect is that the cattle are smaller than they used to be. Measurements taken from old skulls and bones seem to support this. Why no in breeding effects then? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that only one bull (the King) has "conjugal rights" (ask your parents if you are under eight!) The King remains King for as long as he can defend his position from younger upstarts. If you want to read about the challenges to the King Bull in more detail then follow the link at the bottom of this section.
The size of the herd remains fairly constant at about 40-50. During the bad w
inter of 1947 the numbers dropped to 33 and the various outbreaks of foot and
mouth caused worry enough to establish a "reserve" herd in Scotland.
Perhaps I ought to remind you that these cattle are truly wild. They will
take no food from humans. They have no shelter other that that naturally
afforded. Due to the fact that they are now restricted to the 300 acres of
parkland they are fed hay in winter but this is all they will take. They
receive no veterinary help because it is impossible to give it.
Things seem to be looking up for the herd since they were not affected by foot and mouth and despite the loss of 11 animals in the winter of 2001/02, births this year brought numbers up to 45.
Latest News
The directors of the College Valley Estate have decided to sell the land that the cattle graze on. They have given the Chillingham Wild Cattle Association two years from now
(Dec 2002) to raise the money to buy it themselves. If they can't raise the money then all is not lost because the association have a protected lease on the land with 997 years remaining.
If you wish to learn more about this unique herd of cattle then please read the account written by The Dowager Lady Tankerville.
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