"My name is John Hall, and on my 21st birthday some fifty years ago, my father passed on to me a parchment outling generations of our family going back to the 1640's, several of whom lived in West Boldon.
I have been to the area several times, but as I live on the south coast, it obviously isn't that easy to get to Boldon! I have however done bits and pieces of research, and written down my findings for the interest of my children and nephews. I attach a chapter which relates to the time the family lived in West Boldon.
I would be grateful for your comments, plus any light that your group could throw on the topic, as I am keen to expand my knowledge of my family while still young enough to do so!"
With best wishes,
William John Hall
The Hall Family memorial stone, West Boldon
The earliest inscription on the stone, which is some six feet in height, is in memory of Thomas and Barbara Hall who were married at St. Nicholas on 18th May 1754, the first recording of our family in the village. Thomas died in his ninetieth year in 1813, so the original work was probably for Barbara who died in 1786. (Interestingly as can be seen from the picture above, the original dates carved at the top of the stone have been changed at some time). Regrettably the stone itself is composed of a rather soft sandstone, and some of the lettering, especially that lower down on the stone is showing signs of wear and becoming difficult to decipher.
West Boldon was to become the family home for several generations. On 16th May 1784 Thomas's son Richard (1755 - 1820) followed his father's example, and married Isabella Cuthbert at the church of St. Nicholas.
In addition to West Boldon the family seems to have prospered in other areas close by. Some five miles west of Durham on the B6302 lies the lonely hamlet of Deerness View, which once housed a residence of importance known as Flass Hall. Established in the 1570's the hall was occupied by the Brass family until 1697, when it became the hall of the Hall family. They retained it until some time in the early 19th Century, after which it had a succession of owners and uses. (A local farmer kept pigs in it in the 1930's!)
Today the hall still exists, but was converted into houses in the late 1960's. Locally, it is called ‘the haunted house', but the identity of its spectral resident, if indeed there is one, remains a mystery.
The next generation was still in the area, as Richard's son Thomas (1787 - 1860) married Sarah Baxter in Wearmouth on 13th May 1810, with the ceremony being repeated at West
Boldon on 11th June of that year.
The family was now doing rather well, and relying on experiences no doubt gained in their ‘Keeler' days was involved in ship building at South Shields, just a few miles from West
Boldon. Not only were they ship builders but also ship owners, as discharge papers relating to members of the family show. (See appendices)
Thomas's son James (1822 - 1842?) was a Master mariner, owner and Master of the ‘Isabella Sarah' - no doubt named after his two older sisters. The ship was registered in Newcastle, and had a displacement of 223 tons (230 tonnes). His son, William (1838 -1920) was also employed on board, being listed as a carpenter.
The ship, although not particularly large still managed to travel reasonable distances, as one of the journeys relates to ‘The Baltic'. Several items of William's nautical past are still in my possession, including a variety of carpenter's tools, and a book on the masting of ships dated 1868. In addition I have the teak tea caddy that he took with him on his journeys.
It is here that a fascinating story develops, as yet unproven, (and probably non-provable!) but passed on to me as fact by my father, who in turn was told it by his father.
At some time around this period the two younger brothers of the owner of the family business, being fond of gambling, decided that they needed to ‘inherit' it in order to meet their debts and continue their lifestyle. They decided that the only way was to ‘get rid of' their elder brother in order to achieve this aim, and consequently hatched a plan which would avoid the finger of suspicion being pointed at them.
At a family gathering they got him so drunk that he was unaware of what was happening, and when he finally awoke, he found himself on one of his own vessels bound for China. Rumour has it that it took him three years to get home, by which time the younger brothers had divided the business, leaving nothing for him.
My father informed me that in anger James destroyed all of his remaining family possessions, including many oil paintings of our ancestors.
