Northumberland Volunteer Artillery Corps
 

We've added a couple of pages on the Volunteer Artillery, 1805 -1902
I'll link the pages to this thread for any future comments/observations anyone might care to add.

There's also some interesting reports in the newspapers regarding the doings of the Local Artillery over the years. Something to transcribe in the future and add to the gallery page below.

The Volunteer Artillery (Our misc. gallery)

History of the 2nd Northumberland (Percy) Volunteer Artillery Corps by Lt Col Hicks (book, published 1899)


One of the old Alnmouth battery guns in Alnwick Castle:


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...attery_gun.jpg

Janwhin pointed out a newspaper report mentioning the target area of the guns, one of which was the Coquet Road! looks like one hell of a distance for a smooth bore gun. However, coastal artillery and the navy are famous for their water skimming technique with cannon balls so perhaps that's how they were effective in that area!

There's some interesting stuff in Hicks' history as well, such as the Broomhill Station guys winning third prize during a competition shoot in 1889 with 64 pounder rifled muzzle loading Palliser guns. Broomhill guys with big guns!


Here's a picture of some Northumberland Artillery Volunteers at Tynemouth (So probably the 1st Northumberland rather than our guys who were the 2nd Northumberland)
they are pictured here in 1870 with a 64 pounder.

In Hicks book he has a list of the guys receiving long service awards. The (other ranks) medal they would have received is shown below. Never seen one to the 2nd Northumberland AVC, but that is to be expected looking at how short that medal roll is! (but I've just been looking for 40 years, so there is time yet.) I do know a dealer with one to the 1st Northumberland AVC (Tynemouth) though.

I see our Warkworth brewer Henry Lamb received one of these but handed it back in in exchange for the officers' type decoration when he got promoted.


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...vice_medal.jpg

Nice work, Coquet. I wonder how many generations have had their photograph taken on those guns at Alnwick Castle (I wish one had been lit at the Tom Jones concert :()

My great grandfather is listed in Hicks book as a silver cup winner in 1875 at Shoeburyness and a LSM too. We have a family recollection of the cup at my grandparents home and I'm on the case to discover what happened to it.

Lovely mementos of a bygone era if you could find them. I see Gunner Common and his pals from Warkworth were quite a successful bunch. They got a £25 prize presented by the Secretary of State for War no less one year. (Gathorne Hardy)

Is Gunner Common the one mentioned on the headstone in the Beach Road Cemetery at Warkworth?

That's the one, a fairly new stone for Farmery, Gray and Common.

Morpeth Herald, 21 August 1875:
"The following are the names of the men composing the 2nd (Warkworth) detachment of the Percy Artillery Volunteers who have won the first prize of ten silver cups (value £50), in the 40-pounder Armstrong competition, and also the Secretary of State's prize of £25 for the highest average scores in the annual meeting of the National Artillery Association at Shoeburyness.:-Sergeant Robinson, Corporal Benson, Bombadier Bryson (No.1), Trumpeter Grey, Gunners Common, Storey, Middlemas, Milne, Turner, and Forster.

The following are the names of the men composing No.1 (Alnwick) detachment, who have won Lord Loughborough's prize of £20:-Sergeant-Major Williams. Sergeant Mitchell (No.1), Sergeant Gibson, Sergeant Phillips, Corporal J Marshall, Gunners Beverley, Burn, Whittle, Blyth, and Bell."

Nice to see a gun your ancestor almost certainly fired still with us. I suspect most got scrapped, just saved in our case by the Duke to decorate his castle.

Still a bit of a mystery the Alnmouth battery regarding its evolution. It was in use I suppose for 41 years, so there will be some sort of interesting story I'm sure.

In Hicks history, the 1893 entry, it states that a 64 pounder was transferred from Alnmouth to a new battery at Goswick. So we had 32 pounders and 64 pounders, anything else remains a mystery.

When I went up there for a look the other day, full of enthusiasm, expecting to find the concrete stands for the guns straight away (I'm sure no one would bother to break them up), I was immediately stopped by the 5 foot high wall of bracken. Winter might be a better time for a look.

The castle has a number of bronze guns, some of them might have been used by the artillery when it was a 'club', between the official embodiments. A couple of them appear to be Spanish. I wonder if they came out of the sea around here? you never know.

Spanish Cannon, with a cute (technical term) pair of dolphins on top:

[http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...ick_castle.jpg


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...ick_castle.jpg

Regarding the post 1860 Artillery, some genealogy organisation was transcribing the muster rolls. Not sure if they completed the task.
I think the full story regarding the rolls is spread between the National Archives and Woodhorn. Next time I'm at TNA I'll get them out because I can photograph them without hassle down there. Hey you never know I might have a Percy gunner in my tree too. :D

Which reminds me, have you come across the newspaper article regarding the laying of the foundation stone of the Percy Tenantry Column? (1816) - with grand ceremony the architect laid a glass tube containing medals and a vellum roll of all the Percy Tenantry Infantry, Cavalry and Artillerymen that served, 1,500 names, into a cavity in the base of the monument. Heaven knows who will be the next person to read that! :)

Yes I have read it.......the Farmer's Folly or the sign of the Alnwick Laundry, depending on your preferences :D

Well, I've tracked the cup down, and here is one of the 10 silver cups won by the Warkworth detachment at Shoeburyness in 1875.

In the Story of Alnmouth by Gladys and Fred Bettess, there is a reference to the Alnmouth Battery and something about its evolution. Between 1861 and WW2 there was a miniature holiday camp operating in the area. This appears on the 1897 OS map. There was camping accommodation and a garden tea room, the reason for the odd garden flower and ornamental tree!
WW2 slit trenches are identifiable from the line of privet hedging which was planted for camouflage. A bit "Dad's Army" :)

The Northumberland Gunner 'blogspot' page on the 2nd Northumberland Artillery Vols and Alnmouth has an interesting postcard of this area

image link ..... perhaps a garden tea room? !

I'm not sure how that 'hostel' picture relates to the topography - is that down on the golf links area? or is that on top of the hill?

Use of photograph
 

Hi
I am currently researching the history of Warkworth War Memorial Hall for a project and would like to be able to use the photograph of the cup that the Warkworth detachment of the Percy Volunteer Artillery won as I know that they eventually had a drill hall on the site provided by Major Thomas Clutterbuck.
Hope to hear from you

Hi Robbie, of course you van use it but could you please ensure the Coquet copyright is on it.

Copywright
 

Hi
Can you please send me the exact wording to use to acknowledge the picture of the cup.
Thanks