More Memories & family background – Jean Quigg

Hi, more memories & some family background.

My parents Bill & Ada Webster née Booy (her father was a Dutchman) was married in 1918 at St Luke’s Church by vicar Gerald Wreford Brown my father would have either still been in the army or just demobbed.

At that time my mother was living at 341 Railway St Broompark and my farther at 7 South View Ushaw Moor. My farther became a miner and always worked down the pit with his younger brother my uncle David, both played in the Salvation Army band life was good, but tragedy happened when my father saw his brother killed while working the same seam down the pit, he was only 21yrs my father was so effected by this he never worked again for a number of years.

My mother would say my uncle David had one of the biggest funerals in Ushaw Moor at that time, around 1920 1921 This also effected my eldest brother when he had to find a job, the pit was not for him so he left home to go into service as a Hall Boy to the gentry, he eventually became a typical English butler and was also a survivor of Dunkirk but sadly died too young of cancer at 50yrs. His wife came to our home in Temperance Tce to give birth to their daughter, and nurse Pastfield (is there anyone who remembers her) was the local midwife at the time delivered the baby. She also lived near us in Temp,Tce

Next time the war years xxxxxx

Opening Ceremony of St Luke’s New Church Hall

Opening ceremony of St Luke’s New Church Hall,

Submitted on behalf of Margaret Thompson :

Village people attending the opening ceremony of St Luke’s New Church Hall, the old hut having being demolished. I am in this photo, I wonder if anyone remembers me.

Passing of the Reverend Terence Towers

Passing of the Reverend Terence Towers

Published in the The Northern Echo on 23 January 14

TOWERS On January 20, peacefully in hospital, of Langley Park, Reverend Terence, aged 80 years, (former vicar of St. Lukes, Ushaw Moor, 1967 – 1993). Dearly beloved husband of Brenda, father of Amanda and Anthony. Friends please meet for service in All Saints Parish Church, Lanch-ester, on Thursday, January 30, at 11.15am., interment to follow in Langley Park Cemetery. Family flowers only please, donations in lieu if desired to The British Heart Foun-dation.

St Lukes Church – Religious History

Church Of England

The first Church of England services were held in the homes of miners at Ushaw Moor Colliery and, as membership grew, a corrugated structure was erected over the hill at Ushaw Moor. This new St. Luke’s was part of the Esh parish and in 1911 the Rev. Davies, vicar in charge at Esh, complained in his magazine about the carelessness at St. Lukes. It appears that during a Sunday evening service one of the oil lamps suspended from the ceiling had fallen over and started a fire. Owing to the confusion which followed the offering had been forgotten and he chastised the officials for this neglect. He was in fact a caring minister and urged the other churches to contribute towards a new building at Ushaw Moor. Mr.Hodgson-Fowler the Durham architect, was commissioned to draw the plans for a new church which was originally designed to accommodate 302 worshippers but later altered to seat 256. St. Luke’s opened in May 1918 under the new vicar the Rev. W. Brown who was succeeded in 1923 by the Rev. J.H.P.Welby,M.A., a remarkable man whose kindness was often abused by those he helped. I understand that the letter ‘P’ in his initials stood for Pugin and he is reputed to have been related to the architect mentioned in the section about Ushaw College. During his thirty- five years as vicar of St. Luke’s his kindly and sometimes eccentric behaviour endeared him to his parishioners. One story tells how, during a winter morning service, he left a trail of water down the aisle of the church, leaking from a hot water bottle secured beneath his cassock for warmth.

John Welby died in 1958 and in his honour a new church hall was opened on the 7th September, a fitting tribute to a great man.

From 1913 until 1947 Ushaw Moor remained quite a small parish. New Brancepeth was added in this year, but returned to Brandon again in 1962 when Broompark was added from Bearpark.

via Ushaw Moor Historical Website – Religious History.