Chapter 4 Growing Up

27

Chapter 4 GROWING UP! Newcastle 1846-1851

T

he next five years absolutely flew by. Everyone seemed happy. Sarah had made friends with Mrs. Moore, who had a daughter, Ellen. .Margery and Ellen were the same age and became

inseparable. They behaved almost like sisters, once Ellen had moved to Margery’s school. Both of the young girls were about to leave the school, being now 13, and of course, they had both decided they wanted to learn all about the lovely things which their mothers could create. Both mothers always made the dresses for their children, for not much money at all, and the girls always felt they could hold their own with anyone in the town. The strange thing about this was that Margery wanted to learn millinery and Ellen wished to go into a dressmaking apprenticeship. This worked very well as neither mother wanted to be put in the situation where they would be teaching their own child. David Robertson was happy with the situation and the young ladies were to start at the end of the year.

28

Sarah had refused quite a few invitations to re-marry but she quietly and politely said “No”. Her life was satisfying as it was and her income was adequate for the two of them. She had no money problems. The proceeds from the sale of William’s shoemaking business had been put safely away for a rainy day, and she had had no reason to touch this money. Knowing she had it, made her feel very secure. What did she want a new husband for? Margery at 13 had grown into an attractive young girl and the older she got, the more unruly her curly, auburn hair seemed to get. She hated it, but all the other girls envied her. They had to spend hours with their mothers trying to get a similar effect and all Margery had to do was draw a comb through it and twist a little here and there, depending what the fashion of the moment was, then place a ribbon very strategically and it looked fabulous. Being a Sunday and the day off from work, Sarah & Margery as usual, always dressed in their finest, attended the Church Service and afterwards, continued on down towards the river front. This ritual had been followed, weather permitting, ever since they had first come to Newcastle. They loved having the exercise and discovering the changes which were taking place in this city. It was October 1846 and there was great excitement, as the building of the ‘big, new Bridge’ was about to commence. Robert Stephenson, the son of George Stephenson, had finally designed it with the assistance of a Mr Harrison. Their design of 2 levels had been accepted .The trains would go over the top level and the road and pedestrian traffic would go underneath. It was going to be very high..130 feet! This would allow the trains and tracks to be on the same level as the tops of the approaching banks on either side. It appeared to the townsfolk to be a mammoth undertaking and they all awaited the construction with great interest.

29

It was going to be an iron bridge, with 6 spans needed to cross the river, plus extra smaller spans to accommodate the approaches. They would be set on masonry piers and the anticipated time for construction was around 2 years. The two fashionably dressed ‘women’ drew quite a few stares of approval from a few workmen who were moving some heavy gear into the area. However, the objects of the stares appeared not to notice. They were too busy trying to anticipate what the bridge was going to look like when it was finished. There was a lot of discussion about the form it was to take, between the two, as they made their way towards the little teashop, overlooking the river, for their usual Sunday treat. The bridge was still being discussed as they sat down with their pot of tea and buns. Sarah was still trying to explain to Margery the way it was going to look. There had been a lot of discussion about it in the workshop, as well as a lot of controversy. Some thought it would fall down as soon as an engine was taken across it! None of the locals wanted to be in the first train! A middle-aged gentleman, who was sitting at the next little table, on his own, started to smile to himself. This was not lost on Sarah who sat facing him and she was beginning to feel a bit embarrassed when she realised she possibly did not know a great deal of what she was talking about.. Eventually, it became too much for the eavesdropper. He got up and stood beside the women and said “If you would be interested in really knowing what it is all about, I can help you. I am working on the construction of it. Alex MacDougall at your service! Two pretty girls like you really should not be bothering your heads about such

30

details.” The Scottish brogue was very pronounced and the eyes danced merrily in amongst the dark facial hair.. “Sarah White, sir, and this is my daughter, Margery” “Good Heavens, I thought you must, at the very least, be sisters!” He felt a bit perturbed to find Sarah was married and was amazed that he felt this way. There was an immediate attraction to her and he wondered where her husband might be. The attraction at first, he thought, was to find 2 ladies interested in men’s mechanical things! This was very unusual but, to them, it was only a progression from their interest in design and the overall appreciation of the aesthetic value of everything in life with which they came across. Alex explained that he had been brought to the works through his connection with Robert Stephenson. They had been friends when attending Edinburgh University, from where they had obtained their degrees. He was here as assistant engineer, helping in overseeing the construction of the ironwork of the arches. His home and family were in Scotland and he would be returning there after the bridge was finished. Sarah assessed that he would be about William’s age, 10 years older than she was. She wondered whether the family that he mentioned consisted of a wife. Hastily she felt she should not even be wondering about such things. He was just being very pleasant to two, very inquisitive, ladies. Margery as usual asked a myriad of questions and Alex MacDougall answered them all very happily. The ladies were indeed an unusual pair.

31

He eventually departed, saying he had an appointment with a supplier. He tipped his hat and said he hoped he would meet them again to explain the bridge’s progress. Both the women hoped fervently, to themselves, that this would be so. Sure enough, the following week, Alex MacDougall was in the teashop. All week he had been looking forward to seeing them again and hoped they would show up. He had made discreet enquiries from the owner of the shop and discovered that Sarah was employed as assistant to the owner of the dressmaking workshop, David Robertson…and yes, he had also found out she was a widow.!

32

He was absolutely intrigued to find that 2 ladies could be so interested in the new bridge and he found this very refreshing compared to the insipid females that seemed to be everywhere he socialised. He made up his mind, quite suddenly, that Sarah was going to marry him! Alex had been a widower for 10 years and, up till now, had found no reason to remarry. His unmarried sister had come into his home to help rear his children when his wife died and the arrangement had been very satisfactory. It worked especially well as he was quite often away from home because of his work, as he was now. Once the obvious conclusion was reached by Alex that Sarah would not be alarmed at his advances, the next 6 months saw the courtship evolve into a very strong relationship. This was much to the delight of Margery who remarked that if she had been older and looking for a husband, her mother would have had some competition! No one would ever take the place of her father in her heart but Alex MacDougall was a close second. Sarah & Alex were married and the three of them moved into a larger house, about equal distance between the bridge and the workshop. Margery was into her millinery apprenticeship and David Robertson had asked Sarah if she would like to still do the buying of the accessories. He would employ another overseer for the dressmaking shop. Alex had said there was no need for her to work anymore, but he did appreciate the fact that this was her life and she needed to do something to satisfy her creative mind. Her hours of work were dramatically reduced and everyone was happy. The ‘High Level Bridge’ was finally completed in 1848 and opened officially in 1849 by Queen Victoria. There was great excitement in the city and Sarah & Margery were given a prime

33

vantage point to view proceedings, because of Alex and the position he held. It was wonderful and an experience never to be forgotten.

High Level Bridge and the River Tyne.

Alex’s work was ongoing in Newcastle for another year as there was a new railway station to build and the lower deck of the bridge and road approaches to be finished. In the year 1850, the time came when he had to go back to Scotland and Kilmarnock, where his home was. Sarah, with great joy, had given birth to a little girl and was expecting another baby. She was now only 38 years old and she marvelled at the pleasure it gave her and Alex to now have a complete family. Their love was very strong. Margery made it known to her mother that she would like to stay in Newcastle until her training was finished and she had already spoken to Mr & Mrs Robertson. She could stay in the accommodation he provided for single people attached to the workshop and over

34

whom Mrs Robertson supervised, with a great, maternal understanding of their needs... There were still a few months needed to finish her millinery training and Margery wanted very much to stay and work with Mr Robertson. This was accepted by Sarah with a little trepidation as Margery was only 17, going on 18 but she realised that her daughter had a very self reliant nature and would not be persuaded to change her plans. “You have a new life, mother, and after all your hard work, you absolutely deserve to enjoy it” said Margery, when she saw the little fear in the eyes of her mother. “Nothing will happen to me, as you have given me a good upbringing and I certainly know right from wrong. Everything will be alright, .I promise. Uncle Edward and Aunt Elizabeth have also said I could stay with them, but I prefer to be here, near where I can easily get to my work and where I know the people well and enjoy their company. Mrs Robertson will be like a second mother to me.” Having accepted the inevitable, Sarah left with Alex for Scotland and her new life. However before she went, she drew Margery aside and gave her the money which she had saved from the shop sale in Liverpool. “I want you and James to share this money which came from your father’s hard work. I have had no reason to use any of it and I will have no reason to do so, from now on. You have expressed a desire to travel to Leeds and see James, when you have finished your training here, so I will leave it in your hands to pass his share onto him. My sincere wish is that you have it when you need it most, hopefully in a life changing situation. Everything is progressing so rapidly, who knows what life has in store for you.”

35

Little could Sarah have imagined just what that money would indeed be used for, and where the next few years would take her daughter and stepson. Margery had had no idea that her mother had all this money. After all, she had only been 8 years old when they left Liverpool and it had never been discussed afterwards. She was completely overwhelmed and assured her mother that she would adhere to her wishes and stressed that she would make sure that James understood, also. This made it all the more important for her to go and see James , in Leeds, as soon as she had finished her training. So when the time came, Margery left Newcastle and the Robertsons with much sadness, as the time spent in that city had been a very happy time for her. One large trunk was left behind for further instructions about a delivery address as she had not made up her mind as to whether she wanted to stay in Leeds or not, until after she had assessed everything. Margery felt a great sense of excitement as the steam train chugged into Leeds Station. Her trip to this city could be a more permanent one than what she had originally anticipated. Her good friend Ellen Moore and her mother had moved there a few months before as Mrs Moore’s father had died and left a small property to her. It consisted of a house with the front door of a small room facing directly onto the street…..ideal for a business. The Moores had consequently started taking orders for dressmaking and millinery and they were getting more than they could cope with. When a letter had arrived from Margery saying she was coming to visit her brother, the Moores had hastily offered her a position with them.

36

Margery was contemplating this as she stepped from the train into the arms of her stepbrother and his wife, Jeanie. It would be wonderful to live and work where she knew she had some family. The warmth of Jeanie’s reception was the deciding moment. She would be happy in Leeds. It looked like a very progressive city… much like Newcastle from what she could see, anyway, through the pall of smoke which belched incessantly from the large factories! This is how it happened that Margery arrived in Leeds in the summer of 1851 and began her adventurous new life!

George Stephenson’s Birthplace near Newcastle

.

37