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Allendale - Sound
Oral History Recording of Mr J H Reed of Allendale (12th June 1978)
Transcription of an interview with Mr. J H Reed recorded on the 12th June 1978.
Mr. Reed was born at High Sinderhope in 1897. He moved to Sipton in 1904 where his father, an ex lead miner, worked Sipton Shield Farm. During his full interview he recalls various aspects of life in the Allendale - Sipton area including farming and lead mining.
During this extract Mr. Reed talks about the Blacksmiths in the Allendale, Allenheads area.
[Transcription]
We mentioned the horses on the farm. Did you have a local blacksmith?
Oh yes there was a local blacksmith at Allendale and Allenheads.
Who was that?
The face that I can remember was Ron Dixon.
And would he travel out onto the farms to do shoeing for you?
Not at one time, you all had to go to the blacksmiths shop at one time, but since then I think they do occasionally go out, no everybody had to go to the blacksmith, and if there was horses in before you, you just had to wait your turn. Shoeing, horse shoeing was priority in the blacksmith at that time. If the blacksmith was on doing other work he always used to down tools on that job and start on the horse shoeing. So if you went to get a job done, just some ordinary job, just get something, maybe a hinge or something made, something like that, well that had to stop if a horse came in to be shod, they got priority.
How often would you take your horses to be shod?
Well it varied you see, depended how you were using them, if you were on the road allot, well you had to go often and then the horses, different horses. Some were heavier on the shoes than others, and then they occasionally got them, they pulled a one off in the field and this sought of thing.
This tape recording comes from the large collection of oral history recordings held by the Northumberland Archive Service. Interviews were conducted by Record Office staff from the early 1970's right through until the mid 1980's. The purpose of the recordings was to capture the essence of life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many different subjects were covered, including coalmining, farming, fishing, domestic life, World Wars and entertainment. Over 350 recordings have been collected comprising approximately 700 hours of recollections.