Swinhope Burn Families

A L L E N D A L E - N O R T H U M B E R L A N D - E N G L A N D

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Francis PHILIPSON & Mary DIXON

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Husband:

Francis PHILIPSON

Born:

Abt. 1787

High Swinhope Shield, Swinhope, Northumberland, England

Christened:

28 March 1787

Allendale Parish, Northumberland, England

Married:

05 September 1810

Allendale Church, Northumberland, England

Died:

Abt. JUL 1840

Thorn Green, Allenheads, Northumberland, England ¹

Buried:

24 July 1840

St. Peter in the Forest Churchyard, Sparty Lea, Northumberland, England ²

Father:

Mother:

Spouse(s):

Elizabeth NATTRASS

Wife:

Mary DIXON

Born:

Abt. 1789

Allendale, Northumberland, England

Died:

Aft. 1871

Father:

Mother:

Spouse(s):

Census:

1871

Cumberland/Alston/Garrigill/Pasture House

Residence:

1871

Widow, living with her daughter Elizabeth Millican at Pasture House, Garrigill, Cumberland, England

Children

01 (Male):

Nicholas PHILIPSON

Born:

11 December 1809

Knockshield, Sinderhope, Northumberland, England

Christened:

16 February 1812

St. Peter in the Forest Chapelry, Sparty Lea, Northumberland, England ³

Died:

UNKNOWN

Spouse(s):

Immigration:

1857

Australia

02 (Male):

Francis PHILIPSON

Born:

Abt. 1812

Knockshield, Sinderhope, Northumberland, England ⁴

Christened:

16 February 1812

St. Peter in the Forest Chapelry, Sparty Lea, Northumberland, England ⁵

Died:

UNKNOWN

Spouse(s):

Immigration:

16 August 1862

Australia

03 (Female):

Margaret PHILIPSON

Born:

Abt. 1814

Knockshield, Sinderhope, Northumberland, England

Christened:

03 July 1814

Allendale Parish, Northumberland, England

Died:

UNKNOWN

Spouse(s):

04 (Male):

George PHILIPSON

Born:

12 August 1816

Knockshield, Sinderhope, Northumberland, England

Christened:

13 December 1818

Allendale Parish, Northumberland, England

Died:

1881

Australia

Spouse(s):

Emigration:

22 May 1849

From Liverpool, England to New York Harbor, via the emigrant ship S.S. Guy Mannering

Emigration:

October 1853

Australia

05 (Male):

John PHILIPSON

Born:

Abt. 1818

Allendale, Northumberland, England

Christened:

13 December 1818

Allendale Parish, Northumberland, England

Died:

UNKNOWN

Spouse(s):

06 (Female):

Elizabeth PHILIPSON

Born:

Abt. 1821

Allendale, Northumberland, England

Died:

UNKNOWN

Spouse(s):

Wallace MILLICAN

07 (Male):

William PHILIPSON

Born:

Abt. 1823

Allendale, Northumberland, England

Christened:

20 July 1823

Allendale Parish, Northumberland, England

Died:

Abt. JUN 1839

Thorn Green, Allendale, Northumberland, England ⁶

Buried:

27 June 1839

St. Peter in the Forest Churchyard, Sparty Lea, Northumberland, England ⁷

Spouse(s):

08 (Female):

Ann PHILIPSON

Born:

Abt. 1827

Allendale, Northumberland, England

Christened:

10 June 1827

Allendale Parish, Northumberland, England

Died:

UNKNOWN

Spouse(s):

09 (Male):

Henry PHILIPSON

Born:

Abt. 1827

Allendale, Northumberland, England

Christened:

10 June 1827

Allendale Parish, Northumberland, England

Died:

UNKNOWN

Spouse(s):

10 (Male):

Edward PHILIPSON

Born:

Abt. 1829

Allendale, Northumberland, England

Christened:

04 October 1829

Allendale Parish, Northumberland, England

Died:

UNKNOWN

Spouse(s):

Immigration:

1857

Australia

11 (Male):

Matthew PHILIPSON

Born:

Abt. 1831

Allendale, Northumberland, England

Christened:

12 June 1831

St. Peter in the Forest Chapelry, Sparty Lea, Northumberland, England

Died:

Abt. DEC 1833

Thorn Green, Allendale, Northumberland, England ⁸

Buried:

08 December 1833

St. Peter in the Forest Churchyard, Sparty Lea, Northumberland, England ⁹

Spouse(s):

Additional Information

(01) Nicholas PHILIPSON:

Research Notes:
From Brian Pears:

George PHILIPSON (1816-1881) and his older brothers, Nicholas (1809-1882) and Francis (1812-1866) worked at Allenheads Lead Mine in SW Northumberland as their ancestors had done for generations. Work was under a "bargain" system whereby groups of miners contracted with the mine-owners on an annual basis to work a particular section of the mine for a specified payment per "bing" of ore.

Work had always been on a sort of "flexitime" basis - the men worked the hours which suited them or which common-sense dictated. After blasting, for example, the workings were full of highly toxic lead dust, so the men always went home until the following day - perhaps spending the time working the smallholdings which most of them owned.

Such work-practices had been used for more than a century, to the advantage of both miners and owners, but the arrival of a new Mine-Agent, Thomas SOPWITH, put paid to generations of goodwill and harmony. SOPWITH, whose pomposity and arrogance were only surpassed by his ignorance and lack of judgement, decreed that the men must work fixed, regular hours, and he appointed "watchers" to note when the men arrived and departed.

In 1849 the men went out on strike led by the above-mentioned Nicholas PHILIPSON - their strike HQ was Swinhope PM Chapel which is still standing. The strike was a cause-celebre in the North- East media for weeks and the miners had widespread support, but the mine-owners brought in strike-breakers from Alston and sacked the strikers, and that was the end. Well not quite, the strikers were all black-listed and could not get work anywhere in the region, not even as common labourers.

(In 1849 brother George immigrated with the other striking miners on the Guy Mannering to NY then to Galena, Illinois. In 1853 he migrated to California to prospect for gold and then immigrated to Australia and worked as a gold mine manager. He was quite prosperous and in 1857 he sent for his eldest brother, Nicholas, a widower who was earning a living as bookseller in Workington, Cumberland.)

(02) Francis PHILIPSON:

Research Notes:
Francis's christening erroneously lists him as 1st son of Francis & Mary Philipson. His parents had their 1st son Nicholas in 1809 before they were married in 1810. All three of his children were christened on the same day; Mary daughter of Elizabeth Nattrass, Nicholas son of Mary Dixon his future wife and Francis his 1st son after their marriage. The minister recorded the three christenings in different ways according to his religous vigour! See notes under his half sister Mary Nattrass.

(04) George PHILIPSON:

Research Notes:
From Brian Pears: E-mail, brian@bpears.org.uk, website, http://www.bpears.org.uk/
(notes from Ian Fisk's tree at Ancestry.com) http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:3141390&id=I604816017
George son of Francis and Mary Philipson of Knockshield, miner, born 12 August 1816.

George PHILIPSON (1816-1881) and his older brothers, Nicholas (1809-1882) and Francis (1812-1866) worked at Allenheads Lead Mine in SW Northumberland as their ancestors had done for generations. Work was under a "bargain" system whereby groups of miners contracted with the mine-owners on an annual basis to work a particular section of the mine for a specified payment per "bing" of ore.

Work had always been on a sort of "flexitime" basis - the men worked the hours which suited them or which common-sense dictated. After blasting, for example, the workings were full of highly toxic lead dust, so the men always went home until the following day - perhaps spending the time working the smallholdings which most of them owned.

Such work-practices had been used for more than a century, to the advantage of both miners and owners, but the arrival of a new Mine-Agent, Thomas SOPWITH, put paid to generations of goodwill and harmony. SOPWITH, whose pomposity and arrogance were only surpassed by his ignorance and lack of judgement, decreed that the men must work fixed, regular hours, and he appointed "watchers" to note when the men arrived and departed.

In 1849 the men went out on strike led by the above-mentioned Nicholas PHILIPSON - their strike HQ was Swinhope PM Chapel which is still standing. The strike was a cause-celebre in the North- East media for weeks and the miners had widespread support, but the mine-owners brought in strike-breakers from Alston and sacked the strikers, and that was the end. Well not quite, the strikers were all black-listed and could not get work anywhere in the region, not even as common labourers.

Many individual strikers migrated to other parts of the UK, others emigrated to the USA or Australia, but one group of lead miners and their families pooled their resources and emigrated together to the lead mining area of NW Illinois and just over the border in Wisconsin where a former Allenheads resident had settled 20 years earlier and prospered.

This group of 58 persons left Allendale on 17th May 1849, sailed from Liverpool on the "Guy Mannering" on 22nd May and arrived at New York on 28th June. In this group was 32 year-old single-man, George PHILIPSON.

The party all seem to have settled initially around Jo Daviess County, Illinois (in the vicinity of Galena) and over the state border in Lafayette County, Wisconsin around the town of New Diggings.

The 1850 census confirms that George PHILIPSON was in New Diggings, Wisconsin that year and he was still there in March 1851 when he made a Declaration of Intent to become a US citizen, but he was struck by gold fever soon afterwards and set out for California.

Contrary to popular mythology, the transport of choice was not wagon-train, but ship. A steamer down the Mississippi to St Louis, then a scheduled ship to Panama, then over-land in Panama, and finally a ship up the west coast. George appears on the manifest of the steamer "Northerner" which left Panama on 16 December 1851, called at Acapulco, San Diego and Monterey, and arrived at San Francisco on 1 January 1852.

George did find gold - and he sent a tie-clasp home to Allendale made from his gold - but he did not make a fortune and he did not stay long. Gold fever still called the shots, but this time it called him over the Pacific to Victoria, Australia. By October 1853 George was in the gold-mining settlement of Ballarat.

And he found himself in the right place at the right time - before he had time to draw breath he found himself manager of a large gold mine. His experience mining at Allendale and New Diggings had proved invaluable and before his 40th birthday in 1856 his earnings had far surpassed what he could have expected to earn in a life-time back in Allendale.

In 1857 he sent for his eldest brother, Nicholas, a widower who was earning a living as bookseller in Workingham, Cumberland.

Footnotes

Church of England, Chaplery of Allendale Parish, Northumberland, England, St. Peter's Chapelry Burial Register, Allendale, Northumberland, England 1813-1846, Page 72.
Burial No 571: Francis Philipson of Thorngreen, 53 years, by William Walton, Parish Curate.
Identical source as above., Page 72.
Burial No 571: Francis Philipson of Thorngreen, 53 years, by William Walton, Parish Curate.
Church of England, Chapelries of the Parish of Allendale, Northumberland, England, St. Peter's & Allenheads Chapelries Baptismal Register, Allendale, Northumberland, England 1780-1812, Volume 6.
Baptisms: Nich, the illegitimate son of Francis Philipson of Knockshield & Mary Dixon, by Thomas Westmorland, Parish Curate.
Identical source as above., Volume 6.
Baptisms: Francis, 1st son of Francis Philipson of Knockshield & Mary his wife, late Dixon, by Thomas Westmorland, Parish Curate.
Identical source as above., Volume 6.
Baptisms: Francis, 1st son of Francis Philipson of Knockshield & Mary his wife, late Dixon, by Thomas Westmorland, Parish Curate.
Church of England, Chaplery of Allendale Parish, Northumberland, England, St. Peter's Chapelry Burial Register, Allendale, Northumberland, England 1813-1846, Page 68.
Burial No 542: William Philipson of Thorn Green, 16 years, by William Walton, Parish Curate.
Identical source as above., Page 68.
Burial No 542: William Philipson of Thorn Green, 16 years, by William Walton, Parish Curate.
Identical source as above., Page 49.
Burial No 392: Matthew Philipson of Thorn Green, 2 years, by William Walton, Parish Curate.
Identical source as above., Page 49.
Burial No 392: Matthew Philipson of Thorn Green, 2 years, by William Walton, Parish Curate.

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SWINHOPE BURN FAMILIES

Disclaimer: This is an ongoing research project, which has been aided by many great sources and individuals. Additions and corrections are always welcome. Source citations and my notes have been included to aid others in their own research. It is recommended that you investigate and verify all of the data and form your own conclusions. Individuals born after 1920 without a known death date are considered living and have been excluded from this database. My apologies for any errors or omissions. Copyright is held by the author, Laurel Nattress. Information on this Web site may be used for personal use only.

Revised: 23 January, 2007