John Wigham, New Brancepeth Hotel And Scouts House Farm

In February 1875 a John Wigham was accidentally crushed to death by a steam thresher which he was assisting to move at Cockhouse Farm, Ushaw Moor. The name Wigham is fairly well established in the area: Ron Nightingale referred to a John Wigham on this site on 09/01/2013 and Olga Bradley recalled that particular Wigham as being a big lad. Ron’s view was that Wigham was not such a big lad, although he conceded that he was bigger than him! I wonder whether the two John Wigham’s in this piece are related – 50/50 I guess.

I recall the New Brancepeth Hotel of the 40s and 50s. In the 50s, if my memory serves me right, Ada Bainbridge [a relation of mine] was running it.  She did run it for a period. Much later she became a civil servant employed in London and it was during that period she became an innocent and injured victim of the Brixton Riots.

Back in the 1890s and 1900s the hotel was run by the Bewley family. Down the years their family tradition dictated that several of them were called Samuel. The landlord in 1891 was Samuel Bewley and his wife was called Mary. He died in early August 1900, at the age of 55. His son Robert Bewley took it over.

The hotel was positioned at the top of Unthank Terrace and the houses running down the hill from it were called Bewley Terrace. It’s still there.

 In early July 1916 Miss Cairns, of Scouts House Farm Sleetburn, advertised for a country girl for the end of July. The girl had to be able to milk. So who might the girl have been?

WB