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BUTTERWELL FARM.
Butterwell Farm sits at the northeastern corner of the Pegswood district and is described as the Hamlet and farm of Butterwell. In 1831, James Jobling, a Morpeth grocer, was holder of the lease on Butterwell Farm, in the name of his absent brother. The latter being elsewhere and unable to return to Butterwell because of business commitments. In February of 1831, Sample, the agent to the Duke of Portland, gave Jobling permission to sub-let Butterwell Farmhouse. This he did, to a certain Captain Damford, retired Army officer.
However, Captain Damford, who may or may not have been all he said he
was, departed the scene leaving Jobling without any rent. He also left a number
of other creditors with a lot of worthless IOUs. To regain some of the debt,
Sample’s bailiffs removed some of the furniture. Other creditors wanting their
share, broke into Butterwell Farmhouse taking anything they could find in order
to recoup their losses. Locks, doors and windows were all broken during the break-in
causing damage amounting to one Guinea.
It
was later found that Jobling had made a claim for a years rent from the Duke of
Portland rather than the six months he was entitled to. This had been the main
cause of the anger among the other creditors resulting in the break-in. Mr
Sample gave Jobling his correct entitlement of six months rent while he shared
the rest among the other creditors. Butterwell Farm was still in the hands of
the Jobling family in 1887.
The
RAF paid an unexpected visit to Butterwell Farm, December 15 1957. Shortly
after 12-15pm Flight Lieutenant J. Christopher Bryce of 66 Squadron RAF
Acklington departed the main runway and carried out a climbing turn over
Broomhill. As Hawker Hunter XG 202
climbed through 2,000 feet, Flt Lt Bryce suspected the airspeed indicator was
not functioning properly. He was told to formate with a Meteor flying in the
area, the latter confirming that the Hunter’s Airspeed was out by some 100
knots.
The
Meteor was to stay with Flt Lt Bryce and escort him back to Acklington.
However, as the Hunter turned over Stannington the engine cut at 2,000 feet.
Flt Lt Bryce attempted to restart the engine without success leaving him with
the decision whether to make a forced landing at Acklington, with a faulty
airspeed indicator, or ejecting. He chose the latter and descended by parachute
into the grounds of King Edward VI Grammar School Morpeth.
Hunter Mk 6, XG 202 made a more undignified return to earth coming to
ground in a field south of the Hebron to Longhirst road. The latter it passed
over before crossing another field and ended its flight in an abrupt halt
against the garden wall of Butterwell Farmhouse. A fault in the fuel system had
caused the engine to come to a halt while a blocked pitot tube was found to
have caused the airspeed indicator malfunction.
The
local press, in the form of the Morpeth Herald, carried the story, December 20
1957, basing its information on an un-named ‘businessman in the street’ who
brought the response; ‘…I thought the engine was doing a lot of banging’.
Bearing in mind that the Hunter’s engine had cut over Stannington, some four
miles south of Morpeth, it is well never to trust the Morpeth ‘businessman in
the street’.
In
1977, after planning permission had given it the all clear, opencast mining was
carried out in the area around Butterwell. As part of the deal, Butterwell
Farm, along with others in the area, was demolished. Today, in the name of
progress the area that was once Butterwell Farm is a golf course.