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Description: | Known as the 'Pitman Poet', Thomas Armstrong was born at Shotley Bridge on 15th August, 1848. At the age of nine 'Tommy' commenced employment at East Tanfield Colliery where he suffered extreme pains to his legs, resulting in bowleggedness and as a consequence only ever grew to be five feet tall. Despite receiving very limited schooling Armstrong went on to chronicle the culture of Durham's mining families in some of the region's best loved songs. He penned his first song, 'The birth of the Lad' aged sixteen and over the years found his song writing abilities a valuable source of income for beer money and the support of his seventeen children. Writing during a period of extreme change in the mining industry Armstrong chronicled some of the worst strikes and accidents in the region's history in songs such as 'The Trimdon Grange explosion' and 'Oakey's keener'. A period spent in Durham gaol also proved a source of inspiration for the pitman and Tommy penned his famous song of the same name whilst serving a six month spell for alleged stealing. Thomas Armstrong remained in Tanfield for most of his life and died aged 71 around 1919.The portrait forms part of a collection held by Beamish Museum. The photographs come from various sources and range in date from 1880 to 1932. Amongst the subjects are famous Northumbrian pipers Tom Green and Thomas Clough, as well as local composer and character Tommy Armstrong. The collection also includes some of the earliest photographs of clog and rapper dance teams and provides a rare visual archive of traditional music at this time. ; A collection of photographs of North-East composers, musicians and performers from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. | Rights holder: | rights holder : Beamish Museum | Temporal: | start=1901;end=1940; | Source: | Folk Archive Resource North East | Identifier: | farne:B0700201 | Go to resource |
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