I’m still looking for a connection between Sir Colin Campbell and Bedlington. Today I had a look at the 1861 census for Bedlington, District 8 which is described by the enumerator as comprising:
“Whinny Hill, a farm house and two cottages an off farm planted by Mr Robt. Swann Bedlington,
Scotland Gate, being one row of Double two stories houses & a few Back Cottages there is two Publick Houses. A few trades man shops & houses the private dwellings being mostly all occupied by coal miners.
Choppington Colliery, is just a new one? The miners cottages are close adjoining and comprises one row (Cross Row) of Double houses these houses have two rooms on the ground floor & two sleeping rooms, or garrets above there are other four Rows of single Cottages being all nearly two storey Houses, that is one room, one garret, one pantry, one Ash pit & privy & one Garden.
Peas Bush is an old sort of a place being formerly an off onstead for Choppington farm but now occupied by Choppington Colliery”.
Here is the 1866 map again but this time covering the whole of that area:
Following the enumerator’s route, it’s not difficult to identify The Sir Colin Campbell beer house in the enumerator’s book for 1861. As he says, “There are two Publick Houses” in his district and, as his enumeration route starts at Whinny Hill Farm and works its way to Peas Bush, the first must be the Choppington Inn and the second must be The Sir Colin Campbell. Looking for it in the enumerator’s book I was hoping to find the residents with a good old Scottish name who had proudly named there beer house after a fellow Scot. I was disappointed.
In 1861 the building is a public house called the Traveller’s Rest. The innkeeper , named Elliot, was born in Cawsey Park, Northumberland and his wife in Hartley. However, they do seem to have some Scottish connection having a 14 yo daughter who was born in Scotland.
The OS map, published 1866 was based on surveys done 1858 to 1859. so it’s possible it was renamed after the survey but before Sir Colin Campbell was raised to the peerage in 1859.
The name Scotland Gate has had many explanations over the years and no one really knows its origins. My wanderings in the area, via the census of 1861 caused me to think of yet another.
At that time, the area we know as Scotland Gate today has no name on the map, but we can see that it is basically one long street fronting the main road between Whinny Hill Farm and Choppington Colliery. ‘Gate’ in place names, often originates from the Old Norse gatu/gata meaning street. Looking at the census today, I was surprised to see the number of people born in Scotland who are living there. I counted 25 people in 15 families. Could Scotland Gate simply refer, locally, to a street where many Scots lived?