By John Dawson of Six Townships Community History Group
What a shame to read about Tony, said to be the last pit pony alive to finally die himself.
Having worked with pit ponies underground myself, I was one of the chosen few to get a glimpse of their life underground.
I remember Tony very well as I do the others that left underground at Ellington in Northumberland, which was the very last deep mine to close in the Northumberland coalfield.
From John Dawson's weekly history column in the Morpeth & Ashington Extra. For more of John's history tales see www.journallive.co.uk/johndawson
Because of where he had to work, like a mole in the darkness of the earth, liable to lose a limb or his life at any time, a miner was a very superstitious man.
He believed in all sorts of omens, warnings and signs.
Dreams meant disaster of some sort. Underground knockings were often heard, knockings for which no reason could be given. And the miners knew that the pits were haunted by mischievous goblins whose only delight was to terrify pitmen, be they men or boys.
From John Dawson's weekly history column in the Morpeth & Ashington Extra. For more of John's history tales see www.journallive.co.uk/johndawson
It was once said that we in the North eat more than our brothers and sisters of the South.
It may be a statement that carries some weight, though there are bound to be some who will repudiate the remark and allot it to some other shire.
Martins the butcher on Newgate Street, Morpeth, displays his copious wares in 1912
Yet, if our constitutions are to withstand the ravages of this changeable climate, it will be agreed that a good square meal forms a substantial foundation.
With Newcastle United winning promotion and Whitley Bay at Wembley, the North East's passion for football has had plenty to feed off.
But a rare item up for auction in London next week shows the game was not always so popular with certain sections of the region's citizenry.
Shrove Tuesday football in Alnwick
A previously-unknown public notice about football by magistrates in Alnwick, dated February 22 1821, will be sold by Graham Budd Auctions in association with Sotheby's on Wednesday.
A film about a North East family of fishing tackle makers is to have a homecoming this week.
The Lost World of Mr Hardy, which tells the 136-year history of Alnwick's renowned shop Hardys, will be shown in the town today.
Jim Hardy of the Hardy fishing tackle family
The film is about the value of craftsmanship in a global economy preoccupied with quantity.
An artifact from the Bailiffgate Museum in Alnwick has been picked as one of the top man-made objects which sum up the North East, its past and its impact on the world.
The regional objects are part of the History of the World project between the BBC, the British Museum and a further 350 museums and institutions across the country.
The item from the Bailiffgate Museum is a wanted poster. In the 1826 election, Alnwick was by far the most important town in Northumberland and the poster advertises for steam ships, horses and carts to transport candidates and voters to the election in Alnwick.
We dip into the Journal's archives to get into the festive spirit with some Christmas images from Northumberland's recent past.
Send your seasonal images of the county to northumberland@ncjmedia.co.uk if you would like to share them on our community sites.
This week's Journal Extra nostalgia feature looks at a few photos from the recent history of three villages north of Alnwick- Rennington, Embleton and Ellingham.
Rennington is the first to be featured, with another story about school closures, which remain controversial to this day.
When it opened in 1871, Rennington school had 117 pupils. The school closed on July 23 and the remaining children were taken by taxi to other schools.
Some photos from the Journal's archive showing the recent past of Longhoughton, near Alnwick, where in the 1980s banking in the village made the news.
The new Barclays Bank was set up in Longhoughton in February 1980 and the signs went up on the 200-year-old building that had previously been a hay barn, stables, cow shed, hen house and scout hut.
A popular Northumberland show enjoyed a special link to the past when it celebrated 100 years of fun and games.
Descendants of the founder of the Ingram Show came from across the country and gathered in the tiny village to hand out prizes and help the community commemorate the centenary.
Organisers tracked down members of Reverend Canon Roland Allgood's family from across Britain. The oldest is 98 and even his great great grandchildren aged just 19 months were on hand to see how the show has grown from its modest roots to welcoming almost 2,000 visitors.
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