Having someplace to go is home
Having someone to love is family
Having both is a blessing
This excerpt is taken from a story written by Fred Endean (1905-2000).
The "Endean" party which came to Northumberland was quite numerous. With
John
Colmore, the father figure in our family at that time, came his mother Betsy
and two brothers and their families. They settled firstly at Anitsford and
Shankhouse, then later all came together at Shankhouse. The reason for the
exodus was that ever recurrent problem "Industrial Recession". The tin
mines in
Cornwall and Devonshire had closed and the Endeans, all miners, with the
exception of William Henry, who was a stonemason, were unemployed and badly
hit. The need to improve their lot was a pressing concern.
At this particular time the coal miners in Northumberland were in dispute with
the owners and the pits were at a standstill. In an effort to break the
deadlock, the owners sought to import new labour from wherever they could find
workmen willing to come to Northumberland. Along with other places, men in
Devonshire and Cornwall were canvassed and given the impression that work was
available in Northumberland, with living accommodation, to anyone willing to
make the move. There was an added incentive that there would be plenty of work
of any kind and this factor seems to have influenced the mind of William Henry.
He decided to take his chance and move rather than face separation from his
family.
Their experience on arrival in Northumberland was traumatic. The local
population was extremely hostile to the newcomers who they judged, quite
justifiably, to be "Strike Breakers". That the Cornishmen and
Devonshiremen had
been misled was irrelevant. The exiles, for their personal safety, had to be
segregated and housed in close units where they could be together and look
after themselves and their families. A long street of houses, owned by the
Colliery owners and used for this purpose was still referred to as "Cornish
Terrace" for years afterwards, even as late as 1914. It took a long time and
a
general improvement in industrial conditions before these "foreigners"
were
considered acceptable.
In these conditions the prospect in 1870 was formidable for the southerners.
They did not have the financial means to return to Devonshire where, in any
case, they would be faced with unemployment and equal hardship. There was only
one thing to do-to stay, stick together, take the work offered and face what
consequences may come from their decision.
