462 Lesbury Parish, by the late George Tate, F.G.S. 



was called carrying Silver. They were bound too to carry 

 coals to Alnwick Castle ; for we find eight of the inhabitants 

 amerced 3s. 4d. each for withdrawing this service. 



A common belonged to the vill of Bilton, to which re- 

 ference is made in the court rolls of 1601 ; when the tenants 

 of Wowden and Buston were charged that " they do pretend 

 title to a parcel of land in the common of Bilton wrongfully." 

 All the copyholders have been swept away, and the common 

 has been enclosed. After this period there are very few 

 references to proprietors in Bilton ; William Cooper of New- 

 castle voted at the election of members for the county, in 

 1734, for his property in Bilton. The family of Strother 

 held land there for a few generations ; Arthur Strother was 

 rated in 1663 for part of Bilton ; he died on Sept. 26th 

 1708, and was buried in Lesbury church. Henry Strother 

 of Bilton Banks, gent., died in 1718, and left land called 

 Pine Hall to Lesbury School ; and the last record I have 

 seen connected with Bilton, is that of his marriage, — "1734, 

 Oct., Mr. Henry Strother of Bilton Banks, married to Mrs. 

 Francis Carr of Lesbury." All the land of Bilton now 

 belongs to the Duke of Northumberland. 



At Bilton somewhat more than a century ago, women 

 were first employed in this district to hoe turnips. Oats 

 were then sown three years in succession on the same ground, 

 which, however, was ploughed deeply with four oxen, the 

 yield being about ten bolls per acre ; and on the fourth year 

 turnips were sown broadcast, and the plants were singled 

 by the Alnwick gardeners, at a contract price ; but in one 

 favourable year the crop of turnips was so large on Mr. 

 Thompson's farm, that the gardeners would not undertake 

 the work at the usual price ; and he therefore employed 

 women from the village at four pence per day, to single the 

 plants ; and afterwards women were generally employed at 

 this work.* 



In this township there are five farms from 40 acres to 

 553J acres in extent, let on an average at about 16s. per 

 acre. In the village there are a farm house and nine cott- 

 ages ; to four of these from 3 acres to k\ acres are attached, 

 and to the others, half an acre or less. The Railway Station 

 is near to the village. 



On the east of the Dene were the Bilton pits. — A fault 

 runs up the Dene and cuts off the coal. Good coal is sup- 

 posed to be at Bilton Banks. 



* Information of Mr. Thompson of Broxfield, 1866. 



