From the River Weir to the Four Corners of the World. A brief family history of the Campbells by Judith S Campbell, unpublished, date unknown.

1. FROM THE RIVER WEIR TO THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD
Mrs Judith S Campbell
Unpublished (date unknown 2006?)
1 | P a g e
After the Battle of Bannockburn in 1745, the majority of the Scottish Highland clans who had
helped the Duke of Cumberland to defeat Bonnie Prince Charlie clans moved into England.
They had become so unpopular in their own land that they felt it most expedient to follow this
course of action. Most of these men moved south and spread out throughout the country. One
of the major Scottish clans who had fought for “Butcher Cumberland” were the perfidious
Campbell clan. For the past hundred years they had thrown in their lot behind the English
Crown as they felt this was greatly in their favour both politically and financially. Gilbert
Campbell was a very young member of one of the very minor and poor branches of this clan.
After the battle, he together with his family quickly reached the English Border and crossed
over into relative safety. They continued south for a very short while and after traversing some
very wild and difficult terrain, they reached the River Weir near Durham. A few of the
clansmen decided that this was the best place to settle, as they did not want to make too long a
journey. They were very tired of travelling with the constant hunger this caused. While on the
march, they had to subsist on whatever they could forage or kill. As they were so very poor,
they thought that the best solution to all their problems was to look for some place where they
could settle. They also hoped that there was a good chance of finding employment on the river
after which they could then make some sort of shelter.
They also felt somewhat at home in this corner of the North East of England. The countryside
of the area was similar to the area around Glencoe, which they had, so recently left behind. It
was not mountainous of course but it was extremely wild and rugged. It was this incredibly
forbidding aspect added to their feelings of being quite at home. Furthermore, they quickly
realised that the people who lived in the area were also very lawless and bloodthirsty and were
in this respect not dissimilar to the Campbells themselves. Tales of the exploits of Border
Reivers were rife in the area. These were in the main, bands of brigands who lived along the
River Wear and the surrounding countryside. Their main occupation was pillaging and stealing
off all they met.
Gilbert and his family quickly settled into this new area and were able to make a hovel where
they could live. They also found casual work on the river. After some fifteen years Gilbert met a
local girl called Alice Clark. They decided to get married and this event took place on the 30
December 1764 at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Sunderland. They continued to live in the
area around Sunderland all their lives. Gilbert and his wife Alice had three sons and a daughter
who survived infancy. Their eldest son Gilbert was born on the twenty second of November
1771 at the church where his parents had been married. Thomas in 1776 and John in 1780
followed him. Alice also had a daughter Margaret who was born in 1775. The boys all got work
with their father on the river as pilots or keelmen or similar jobs.
Their eldest son Gilbert later married Mary Mattinson at Saint Michael’s Church in
Bishopswearmouth on12thJanuary 1794. She had been living with her parents on Alston Moor
in Cumberland. Her father had also come from Scotland with the Duke of Cumberland and
had settled in Cumberland. Despite the rigours of their lives and the constant hunger and hard
work, Gilbert and Mary also had three sons Gilbert, John and Thomas born in 1805.1797 and
1803 respectively. They also had two daughters Margaret and Alice Mattinson in 1807 and
1809 who also reached adulthood.
The eldest of the sons was John Campbell who was born on the 10th
December 1797. He was
born in Pans. On reaching the age of twelve, it became necessary that John should leave the

2. FROM THE RIVER WEIR TO THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD
Mrs Judith S Campbell
Unpublished (date unknown 2006?)
2 | P a g e
family home as his parents were having difficulty in accommodating their growing family. He
therefore moved down the river to Monkswearmouth and began his working life as a keelman
on the ships and tugs which worked the River Weir. Much of the coal, which was mined inland,
was transported downstream by the keels and then was loaded on to the waiting colliers. This
work was extremely hard as well as being hazardous and many of John’s fellow workers were
killed either by falling overboard when their hands were too cold to hold the ropes or by merely
just accidentally falling off the keels. It was not only a very dangerous occupation but also not in
any way financially secure or rewarding. The keelmen like any other port employees of the time
were only casual workers and also were totally dependent on colliers arriving or departing the
port. Needless to say that many times, John starved but this did not prevent him from marrying
Ann Hartley on the 13th
August 1815 and thus began a life of grinding and never ending poverty
for them both. Most of the houses, which were available at the time for the working class were
single storey terraces which were known locally as Sunderland cottages. They were generally
occupied by single families as well as by animals such as pigs and goats. Furthermore, in most
instances the families also had to purchase their home, as this was customary for such
properties. The area was consequently densely populated as the cottages were built on narrow
lanes and along dark passages. These cottages did not usually have access to middens and the
predominant feature of the area was that of filth, gloom and stench all of which were the major
cause in the spread of both typhoid and cholera.
The young couple lived in such a home at Maid’s Opening where they had four sons who
despite their poverty reached manhood. They were John Wallace born in 1816, Hartley born
on the ninth of June 1819, Thomas Gilbert born on the ninth of November 1821 and finally
Edward Hunter born in 1823. How they all managed to survive is a mystery with such a poor
hovel to live in and at best living on a very meagre diet? However, survive they most certainly
did. This was despite the fact that throughout this period the trade of the keelmen was slowly
but surely declining. About this time, the firm of Nesbitt and Co had been established to carry
the inland coal by wagon. They later collaborated with George Stephenson who completed his
very first railway using his engines to continue the work of the wagons more efficiently. In fact in
the year of John’s marriage, the keelmen rioted against these wagons. This caused such a stir
that the services of the local militia were called upon to disperse the rioters.
Sadly, John died in his early thirties on the thirtieth of January 1828 at Barnes Lane in the town.
This was in all likelihood from cholera or typhoid, which constantly stalked the town. He was
buried in the Churchyard of Holy Trinity Church Sunderland. By a strange coincidence he is
buried very near to the Eshelby Family grave. The Eshelby family became linked to the
Campbells in 1936 when Rita Eshelby married Horatio Hartley Campbell.
Of John’s four sons, there was one young man who was able to break out of this mould of
poverty. He did this firstly by moving out of the grim and poverty-stricken town, which
Sunderland had become. He moved to the more prosperous area of nearby
Bishopswearmouth. Furthermore, he also escaped from making his living on the River Wear.
This lad was Hartley. He was a very remarkable and exceptionally bright lad who really made
something of his life and took every opportunity to better himself. As his father was so poor
Hartley was unable to serve an apprenticeship as a keelman. At the same time he realised that
such a job would to all intents and purposes shortly disappear with the arrival of the railways.

3. FROM THE RIVER WEIR TO THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD
Mrs Judith S Campbell
Unpublished (date unknown 2006?)
3 | P a g e
When he reached his early teens he started to work as an apprentice to a cabinetmaker in
Bishopswearmouth. In the beginning, he started as the lad who swept up the wood chippings
from the floor and also carried out many other such lowly tasks. The owner of the shop quickly
became aware that Hartley was always watching the craftsmen as they worked. Thus, one day,
he invited Hartley to try his hand with a saw and plane. In this way a new life started to open up
before the boy.
He was a very quick learner and over the years became a cabinetmaker in his own right. His
work was always exemplary, and he even started to make a little money after giving his mother
the lion’s share of his wages. Further he also enjoyed his trade for itself but above all it certainly
gave him the wherewithal to think about getting married. He had met a local iron foundry
worker’s daughter and after a while the young couple got married at the Parish Church
associated with the Venerable Bede in Jarrow.
Very soon after the marriage Hartley decided to make yet another career change. He rented a
property in Silksworth Row in Bishopswearmouth, which was next door to his father in law.
Michael Thynn. Hartley identified a very profitable gap in the market in that area of the town.
This was that there was an insufficient number of Inns for the town’s working population.
Drinking was the main source of entertainment for the poor although heavy drinking did cause
a great many problems. From his early life at home Hartley had quickly learned that the only
way to block out a great deal of life’s miseries was to drink beer or hopefully strong liquor such
as Gin. He also realised that the quickest way to make a profit in this line of work was to learn
the trade of a common brewer. He easily mastered this and quickly was able to open an Inn,
which he called the Ship Tavern This was well patronised by the workers in the area and soon
began to become a very profitable enterprise, which enabled Hartley to do fairly well financially.
Hartley and Mary quickly started a family starting with three daughters Mary Hunter, Elizabeth
Ann and Emily. Before their arrival, Mary had helped her husband in his new venture by
working in the bar. However, as the Ship Tavern became more established and with the arrival
of more children her sister came and lived with the family and took over as a barmaid for
Hartley.
Another sister Jessie Jane and two brothers Hartley and William Shipman then joined the three
girls. On the fourteenth of October 1864, when the children were still very young their mother
Mary suddenly died of Breast Cancer. After the initial shock. Hartley very quickly decided to
marry his sister in law Elizabeth Ann in order that his children should be properly cared for.
This was in fact the usual custom of the day. The couple were married on the sixth of August
1865 with another sister in law Jane Hunter Overing being a witness. However, this was not to
be the happy solution to his problems that Hartley had envisaged as he and Elizabeth did not
get on with each other. This was despite the fact that they had worked together very well when
Mary was alive when she was merely his barmaid and sister in law. Unfortunately, the children
also did not like their step mother either.
Meanwhile his Hartley’s father in law Michael Thynn had died and left his properties to his
trustees to sell for the benefit of his offspring. Hartley saw a good bargain for himself and
bought the two properties at number seventeen and seventeen A in Silksworth Row. He was
able to raise the necessary finance by way of a mortgage. Thus all was set well financially and
Hartley continued to work very hard in the Inn and his second wife continued to help in the

4. FROM THE RIVER WEIR TO THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD
Mrs Judith S Campbell
Unpublished (date unknown 2006?)
4 | P a g e
bar. In an attempt to improve the conditions at home Hartley sold his Silksworth Row
properties and moved to one the modern and smart new terraces which were springing up over
the town. However, Hartley did not have to carry on with his miserable marriage for too long as
he too died on the twenty third of January 1871 of a brain disease at home in Cumberland
Terrace. He only had the illness for a couple of months and during this time he and the family
had moved out of the family home in Silksworth Row into the house at Cumberland Row in
Sunderland.
He left a long and very complicated Will. In this he set up two trustees to administer all the
provisions. They were John Harrison a Block and Mast Maker together with a butcher called
George Bewick. Their first duty was to divide all the household possessions into eight equal
portions. One eighth was for the sole use of his second wife who was called in the will his
reputed wife. The rest was sold off to pay all his debts. Hartley also left a considerable legacy of
nineteen pounds to his servant Jane Greener. He then went on to state that if there was any
money left over this was to be invested either in Government Stock or in a Savings Bank. He
went further to state that if Elizabeth disputed this aspect of his will and demanded her share
under her father’s will concerning the properties in Silksworth Row, she was to be disinherited
immediately.
His Will continued that on the death of Elizabeth herself, the trustees were to sell the property
and thereby redeem the mortgages If there were any monies left over Hartley left it to his
children.
Hartley’s second son was also called Hartley. He was born at the Ship Tavern on the twenty
fourth of March 1854. He also was a boy with a practical turn of mind and his father decided
that his talents were best suited to the Engineering industry. He therefore did an apprenticeship
as an Engineering Draughtsman and followed this career for most of his life.
After the death of his father, his son Hartley moved out of the family home and went into
lodgings at 21 Frederick Street in Bishopswearmouth. After he qualified as a draughtsman in
E&M, he started to work for the North Eastern Marine Engineering Company of Sunderland
where he met Jane Knott.
Jane was the daughter of one of the managers at the Company and they soon became very
friendly and decided to get married. They chose to celebrate the marriage in nearby
Bishopswearmouth on the fourteenth of April 1881.
However, as Hartley was working very long hours at the firm, the couple decided it was better to
move to be nearer to his work. They thus moved to their new home at 14 Grace Terrace, which
was still in North Bishopswearmouth but nearer to the centre of Sunderland itself. Slowly,
Hartley got various promotions and eventually by 1888 he had been promoted to be a manager
in the firm. This was very useful for the young couple, as by this time they already had six
children. The first three were daughters Jessie, born in 1882, Mary in 1884 and Jeannie in
1886. Their first-born son was Hartley who was born on the twenty seventh of February 1887.
His sister Gladys followed him a year later and their youngest son Ronald was born on the
nineteenth of April 1894. By this time the family had moved to South Bishopswearmouth and
was living firstly at 16 Thornhill Terrace and subsequently at number 17. Hartley was a
consulting engineer by then.

5. FROM THE RIVER WEIR TO THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD
Mrs Judith S Campbell
Unpublished (date unknown 2006?)
5 | P a g e
However, times were gradually becoming extremely difficult for those involved in Marine
Engineering. Hartley had to think about finding the wherewithal to feed and clothe his family.
He also discovered that as he was approaching middle age the likelihood of finding a better and
more remunerative job in the North East of England let alone in Sunderland was becoming
increasingly remote. As a couple he and Jane were also growing apart and to move away seemed
the solution to both of their problems.
Therefore, he decided to go where there was work for him while Jane stayed at home at their
cheaper home at 8 Olive Street in Sunderland itself. She looked after the family and the money,
which Hartley eventually was able to send, supplemented the earnings of Jessie and Mary who
were both Board School Teachers.
Hartley had taken advice as to where he could best find a position, which was suitable for his
age and experience. It was suggested that Portsmouth would be a good idea with its splendid
reputation within the shipping industry. He found lodgings at the Windmill and Sawyers Tavern
in the town. He then set about finding work. He quickly succeeded in this endeavour and was
soon working as an Engine fitter.
After a period of about seven years Hartley was forced to return north. He was feeling very
unwell and so he decided to live with his brother William Shipman. The latter was by this time
the Superintendent of the Work House in Union Road Sunderland and when Hartley’s health
deteriorated further he placed Hartley in the Work House Infirmary where he died on the
third of May 1909.
Hartley ‘s son Hartley led a more colourful life but he like his father left the North East to seek
both for work and to make his fortune. He followed in his father’s footsteps and became a
Marine Engineer. While he was working at his father’s old firm he met and married Rosalind
Gidney. The marriage took place in December 1909 in the Register Office in South Shields, as
Hartley was an agnostic. The young couple settled down to married life and soon had a son
who they named Horatio Hartley the latter name being in the tradition of the family. However,
all was not going well between the young couple. Hartley was working very long hours and
Rosalind who was only twenty soon found solace in her hours alone with John Dinsdale
Wright. They soon became lovers.
When Hartley found about the affair. He was absolutely furious and resolved to divorce
Rosalind. This was an old procedure, which had been updated. and could now be used by the
ordinary people. In the nineteenth, it was only the aristocracy, who could file for divorce, as it
required an Act of Parliament. Although it was he knew it was a lengthy affair, Hartley filed for
divorce on the grounds of Rosalind’s adultery and by 1925, he was granted his final decree of
divorce. Meanwhile he had the responsibility of bringing up his young son. He decided that the
very best thing he could do in this respect was to give the boy into the care of his sister Jessie
who was married also by this time. However, Hartley thought that in the circumstances of his
own family life it was better for the young boy to be sent away to Boarding School as soon as he
was old enough and to be among his peers. Thus, it came about that he attended the Ellesmere
College in Shropshire. The boy spent his holidays from school at his Aunt Jessie’s home in
Streatham.

6. FROM THE RIVER WEIR TO THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD
Mrs Judith S Campbell
Unpublished (date unknown 2006?)
6 | P a g e
With his divorce finalised, Hartley was able to marry the young lady who he had met when his
job took him back to Newcastle. She was the twenty-three year-old daughter of his local
tobacconist and her name was Madge Hetherington. They got married in July 1927 at the
Register Office in Newcastle. After the marriage the couple then moved down to Dartford
where they both got jobs working for the Darenth Training Colony Hospital. Hartley was
working as an engineer and Madge as an Engineer’s assistant. They had a daughter Jessie
Cynthia in 1930 but the family called her Janie. Sadly, Madge died in that year of a vascular
disease of the heart which had been accelerated by tetanus. Thus, Hartley was alone once again
and in sole charge of a young baby.
As in previous times he turned to that age-old solution to such a problem and married his
cousin Hilda. She was the daughter of his father’s youngest brother Thomas and had been born
in 1896.Thus she was nine years younger than him.
He continued to work as an Engineer but he unlike his father never returned to Sunderland but
stayed in the south. By this time, his sister Jessie was also married and well established in
Streatham in South London. Hartley then found a better job in the nearby Mental Hospital at
Darenth as Superintendent Engineer. He and Hilda lived until his death on the seventeenth of
May 1959, in Crockenhill near Swanley.
At his death in 1953 Hilda returned to Sunderland where she remained until she died in 1973.
Thus, the Campbells had made their first big move away from their long held roots in
Sunderland. However, it was left to Hartley’s son also Horatio Hartley to really travel and see
the world.
He had spent the holidays from school throughout his young life in London with his Aunt
Jessie Harvey Smith who was both a very forceful and a formidable woman. When Hartley was
considering his options as to a job she insisted that he went into the safe profession of being an
Insurance salesman. As a result of this the Prudential Insurance Company employed him as a
salesman. However, he was very unhappy in this work and when he himself met and fell in love
with Rita Eshelby who also lived in Streatham she persuaded him to follow his dream and join
the Royal Air Force. Unfortunately, he joined only a short time before the outbreak of the
Second World War. After his training he was sent off to take part in the fight for North Africa
with the desert Air Force.
He survived the full rigours of the Desert Campaign and had by the end of the War been
commissioned as an officer in the Equipment Branch.
After the war he was posted to Malta and thus it was that his family became the first civilians to
go to the Island on a troop ship. They soon found themselves living in the sunshine of the
Mediterranean and enjoying such a very different kind of life from their quiet life in Maulden, a
Bedfordshire village where they had been throughout the War. Although he and the family
returned to England to serve at Maidenhead, they never forgot their Mediterranean experience.
Thus when their eldest daughter Heather emigrated to Perth in Western Australia it was not
long before Horatio took the rest of his family with the exception of his son Ian, to live out their
lives in the sunshine.

7. FROM THE RIVER WEIR TO THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD
Mrs Judith S Campbell
Unpublished (date unknown 2006?)
7 | P a g e
Horatio’s son also joined the Royal Air Force but like his male ancestors before him as an
Engineer. He followed in the tradition of his father and enjoyed living abroad in Gibraltar and
in the Netherlands. However, he never wanted to live permanently abroad, as he loved the
English countryside and the climate too much. He was also not a very great sun lover
However, his son James was of an adventurous nature and he set off to work as geologist in
South Africa after graduating as a Mining Geologist form Imperial College in London. He still
lives in RSA with his family to the present day.
Thus it can be seen how the descendants of those far off Campbell who just came over the
borders to Sunderland to escape the wrath of their fellow clansmen and stayed there for over
two hundred years then spread their wings and moved to the far corners of the world.
--- The End ---