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Description: | On this recording we hear Joseph Rutherford singing about a journey to London. The subject takes the train from the North, hoping to claim an inheritance due to him. Whilst on the train he meets a young 'widow' who asks him to mind her baby while she slips out of the carriage. Unfortunately as the train leaves the station he soon becomes aware that the 'baby' is in fact a doll and he is minus his money and watch!This collection comprises a selection of clips taken from a number of reel-to-reel tape recordings of local singer Martha Armstrong. On the tape we hear Martha, her brother Stevenson, and her friend Joseph Rutherford. In 1974, when this recording was made, she was aged 70. Martha and her family were smallholders in the Nenthead area. These recordings, made in the relaxed atmosphere and cosy confines of Martha's kitchen also include conversations about livestock, farming tools, preserving meat and cooking. It was usual for those employed in the lead mines of the North Pennines to be given a rented cottage by the mining company with 7 acres or more of land. Thus when the water levels in the mines were high or the fells covered in snow, preventing the pony teams from transporting ore, they could live off the land, keeping cows, sheep and poultry. Her accent is very marked, and was particular for that area. She uses several ancient words, and had been visited by Nordic scholars over the years who were interested in connections with the old Norse tongue. She was a Methodist and often performed her songs and recitations at social evenings in the chapels and halls of the area and even recalls singing competitions being held in the village hall at Nenthead.The tape from which this item is drawn is one of a large number of sound recordings held by the North of England Open Air Museum, Beamish, Co. Durham. This important resource is made up of oral history recordings drawn from many different sources. Some recordings have been made by the museum for their own use, whilst others have been copied from other sources or donated by other collectors and individuals. This large collection of mostly spoken word recordings also includes many recordings of singers, musicians and dancers from Durham, Northumberland and Cumbria. The collection includes recordings of Haltwhistle fiddle player George Hepple, Nenthead singer Martha Armstrong, the Elliotts of Birtley, piping competitions, Newcastleton traditional music festival, concertina bands and playground games. ; song | Rights holder: | rights holder : Beamish Museum | Subjects: | theft & criminals & crimes Law and Order | Temporal: | start=1970;end=1980; | Source: | Folk Archive Resource North East | Identifier: | farne:B1703005 | Go to resource |
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