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Introduction
This is an early draft of the genealogy of the John
Whitfield family of Durham County, England. There are many gaps in this account
of the family, but it is a compilation of the facts known to the author at this
time. As additional information is discovered it will be added to this
historical genealogy of the John Whitfield family. Those who read this and have either corrections or additions are encouraged to please make them
known to me so they may be included in future revisions of this document.
John Whitfield, the son of John Whitfield married Ann
Charlton. We know very little of her beyond the fact she was born in England
about the year 1855. We also know from the 1881 census that John and Ann
(Charlton) Whitfield were living in Tanfield, Durham County, England.
Tanfield and Durham County are in the northern most part
of England not far from the "Borders" area of southern Scotland. Several
centuries of warfare raged in this area between England and Scotland.
The following
article has been copied from the "Charlton Family Forum" at Genealogy.com on the
internet. It describes both the type of individuals inhabiting the area and also
the possible heritage of John’s wife, Ann Charlton. The authenticity of the
article has not been verified as to the Charlton family. There are, however,
numerous other websites which support the type of people who populated that area
of England/Scotland during that period of time.
The Charlton's were originally a large family who
inhabited the English side of the Scottish/English border c.1300-1600. In
the 1400's one historical source says that there were "200 [male] Charltons
without horse" living in the North Tyne valley in Northumberland. (Obviously
there were quite a few "with horse" as well!)
This border area was completely lawless and life was tough. The 'Border Reivers'
as these families were known were nomadic farmers and systematically thieved and
robbed their non-Charlton neighbors when times were rough. They, like the other
reiver families, were not above murder, rape, arson or feuding either. The border
reivers also invented black-mail.
It suited the governments of both England and Scotland to keep the area like
this. And it wasn't until James VI of Scotland, (Elizabeth I's nephew) became
King James I of both countries that he undertook a brutal clean-up of the area.
Following the agricultural revolution 1700's -1800's and the enclosure acts,
many Charltons drifted southwards (or abroad) to jobs in the new industrial
cities and towns.
Still left in the North Tyne Valley are 1.) Hesleyside - the home of the head of
the family where the Charltons used to meet to go 'a-reiving' and 2.) Bellingham
Tourist Info Centre which has a good display about the Charltons. Hexham Jail
museum (the first purpose built jail in the U.K.) also has a smashing exhibition
about all the border reiver families.
P.S. Hexham Jail was once famously and successfully raided by a gang of
Charltons who had come to get one of their boys out! And the American's thought
that they had invented the wild west....!
Family Histories
Generation 1 & 2
Questions? Comments? Please
e-mail me.
Page last updated on
08/22/2007
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