Kielder forest history: Lord Robinson of Kielder & Adelaide

By Dr Clive Dalton

This Collier photo about 1936 shows children from Kielder school planting some of the first trees in Kielder forest. Their teacher Miss Allcroft (on left) and Miss Storey (centre) are watched by Mr Macdonal and Mr Weir (in cap).

Oot for a bit of a drive

In 2000, Don Clegg took me away for a bit drive oot from Stanners Burn and then along forestry roads, making away west towards the Cumbrian border. On the way, the road passed through what was known as Whickhope forest as before the trees, it had been Whickhope farm.

By the side of the road this notice appeared directing us to a cairn, the final resting place of one 'Lord Robinson of Kielder and Adelaide'. The notice was easy to see as the current crop of trees had been clear felled. We didn't have time to get to visit the cairn and pay our respects - but if we had known what we know now, it would have been an essential walk.

A mystery
What a surprise, and what a mystery it was to find the sign. The mind boggled as to how anyone could have connections with two places on either side of the planet! I was especially interested, having resided on both sides of the planet. What could Kielder and Adelaide possibly have in common? It certainly couldn't be the climate!

Where is the cairn?

The ride (fire break) in Whickhope forest block where the cairn is located

A few old former forestry workers who had worked on those blocks knew of the the cairn, and it had something to do with the start of the Kielder forest. But recent enquiries through a friend at the Forestry Commission offices in Kielder and Bellingham were fruitless. They knew nowt! The Forestry Commission needs to place a memorial to their founder in in some public place like Leaplish.

Whickhope was a well-known and highly-respected farm in its day, farmed by the Beattie family.

X marks the spot (just below the D in Kielder) of the Memorial

What does the cairn look like?
Don Clegg and Paul Gough have made a special mission to the cairn to get this photo. Clearly the stone work was done by a very skilled "waller" to lay the stones so perfectly in such a tight circle. It's a pity he was not named. The cairn is in a 'ride' or cleared fire break between blocks of trees in the forest surrounded by sphagnum moss and heather. Nature has put an beautiful moss crown on the top.

Don Clegg paying tribute to Lord Robinson

Solved - thanks to Google
We must give thanks to Google, as this information below is what a search came up with about Lord Robinson. The image shown here is from forestry-memories.org, and is attributed to have been taken in 1950. Clearly that's his wife Charlotte and one of their family in a very clean 1950s Forestry Commission Landrover. The building in the background looks like Kielder castle. The other person is probably from the Kielder Forestry Commission administration. Confirmation would be welcome.

So the mystery has been solved. What an incredible man, with such a range of talent! And what an honour for our humble North Tyne fells, and indirectly, for all of us born there to have the ashes of such a great man left in our midst. It's nice to see the beautiful sphagnum moss growing at the foot of the notice. May he rest in peace.

ROBINSON, Sir ROY LISTER

• First Baron Robinson of Kielder Forest and of Adelaide (1883-1952), forester.
• Born on 8 March 1883 at Macclesfield, South Australia. Eldest son of William Robinson, blacksmith, and his wife Annie Blanche, née Lowe.
• Educated at Macclesfield and Port Adelaide Public schools; won an exhibition to the Collegiate School of St Peter, Adelaide, in 1896.
• Entered the School of Mines and Industries in 1900 to study mining engineering, and combined study for its fellowship diploma (passing eleven subjects with distinction in one year) with his course at the University of Adelaide (B.Sc., 1905).
• In 1904 while on field-work for both courses he was briefly sports master at Townsville Grammar School, Queensland.
• Following brilliant academic and athletic performances, he was awarded a Rhodes scholarship in 1905 (the second from South Australia) to Magdalen College, Oxford (B.A., 1908).
• He obtained first-class honours (1907) in natural science (geology) and the diploma (1908), with distinction, in forestry (under Professor Sir William Schlich), also representing the university in cricket, athletics and lacrosse.
• In 1909 Robinson was appointed assistant inspector for forestry at the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, London, and laid the foundations of what was to become an unrivalled knowledge of the forests and forestry of Britain.
• On 26 November 1910 at St James' Church, Marylebone, London, he married Charlotte Marion Bradshaw.
• Seconded to the explosives department, Ministry of Munitions and Agriculture (1915-18), he subsequently became secretary to the forestry sub-committee of the Cabinet Reconstruction (Acland) Committee.
• He was largely responsible for the report which led to the establishment of the Forestry Commission in 1919, and his appointment as its technical commissioner.
• He became vice-chairman of the Forestry Commission in 1929, and chairman in 1932, holding that office for 20 years.
• He was appointed O.B.E. in 1918, knighted in 1931 and raised to the peerage in 1947.
• Lord Robinson is regarded as the chief architect of state forestry in Great Britain, being largely responsible for the planning and initiation of the extensive government plantation programme designed to make the country less dependent on imports of wood, particularly in time of war; for the formation of National Forests Parks for public enjoyment; and for co-operative schemes with private woodland owners.
• Gifted with a first-class brain, an impressive physique, a forceful but engaging personality and tenacity of purpose, he provided inspired leadership, especially during World War II and the following difficult reconstruction period.
• Widely respected internationally, he was regarded as the ‘Elder forestry statesman of the Commonwealth”.
• He was the only man to attend the six British Empire (Commonwealth) Forestry conferences held between 1918 and 1952, being secretary and vice-chairman to the third (Australia, 1928), and chairman of the fourth (South Africa, 1935) and the fifth (Britain, 1947). He was leading the United Kingdom delegation to the sixth (Canada, 1952) when he died.

• Robinson was one of the founders of the Society of Foresters of Great Britain and first president and first recipient of its medal (1947) for eminent services to British forestry.
• He was an honorary member (1940) of the Society of American Foresters and the Institute of Foresters of Australia; corresponding member (1947) of the Académie d'Agriculture de France; and an honorary LL.D. of the University of Aberdeen.
• He returned to Kielder to cut down the first tree in 1948.
  
• He died in Ottawa on 5 September 1952 of pneumonia.
• His wife and two daughters survived him. A son was killed on active service in 1942.
• In 1953 his ashes were scattered in Kielder Forest at Whickhope and a cairn marks the spot.

Daft Laddies – Cum away bye Jock!

Daft Laddies. Farming Tales of North Tyne and Rede 50 years on.

By Clive Dalton and Donald Clegg


An extract from the book - Daft Laddies. Farming Tales of North Tyne and Rede 50 years on (2003) By Clive Dalton and Donald Clegg. If you would like a copy, contact donaldclegg@btopenworld.com

A regular challenge for a Daft Laddie was to work the farm dog which was a bit of a problem as it always belonged to somebody else. Nuw ivrybody knaas dergs are a lang way from bein’ as daft as sum folk mek oot.

Old Hemp
The world’s most famous Border Collie dog was a Northumbrian – “Old Hemp”, and we believe he deserves a monument high on Carter Bar. He was bred by Adam Telfer of Cambo in 1893 and sired over 200 pups in his day. You can now trace the DNA of every Border Collie in the world back to Old Hemp. It’s an amazing bit of scientific detective work.  See Wikipedia for his full history.

Old Hemp.  His genes spread from Northumberland to the ends of the earth New Zealand

Old Hemp's memorial

From Hexham Courant - 14 August 2015

The farm 'general purpose' dog

As the farm laddie you were not expected to own a dog, but you were sartainly expected to work the farm dog to do basic chores like git the cuws in for milkin’, bring the ootlyers up for their hay, or mebbe caa the yowes oot from the inbye fields of a summer’s night, afore ye went haem if the boss or heaord had other more important jobs in hand like toppin oot a stack.

But this was no problem, as the dog knew these jobs far better than you did, and most times totally ignored your directions. Indeed, aall ye cud offer if he chose to listen were a few “suggestions” to owld Jock or Sweep to consider after they had done the things that dogs saw as priorities.

It was always the owld dog that was semi retired and hung aroond the steadin’ that the Daft Laddie called to duty. The younger dogs were usually away with the boss or would only work for him. This was a real frustration in emergencies, like if the boss was at Hexham and you wanted a dog in a hurry as the cuws had gitten inte the barley an’ wor deein’ a Morpeth rant, or the bull needed a hurry up to get him back into his hemmel.

Nowt wad git that derg oot o’ its hoose – not even the missus with a bit ‘o Billy Butcher’s spare rib. You cud try all the nice doggy noises you cud think of, but aall ye got was the soond of his wagging tail beaten oot a bit reel on the wooden floor of his hoose.

"Queen".  A Border Collie of Old Hemp style watching sheep on the Hott Fell.  She was a classical one-man dog and would not leave her kennel for anyone else.

Passed it's use-by date
So the Daft Laddie’s dog was always passed its use-by date and was really only interested in a lug scratch or belly kittle. Mind the cunning owld bugga was always keen te gan wi’ ye, and on first command took off like a rocket. Then he’d meet the first decent Scotch thistle which then had to be sniffed and given a miniscule leg-cocking jet. Or he had to stop for a drink at the trow to recharge his wattor tank.
Nee amount of gollaring at him, or even running ahead to show him what you wanted increased his revs. He just looked at you, heed on the side and lugs cocked with an expression on his face that said “Well bonny lad if ye can run like that –whaat de ye need me for. Aa’ll just gan away heme”!



Directing the dog
But if you had ambition to move to being a heaord from budding heord laddie, you had to knaa the commands in case the bus or the train went past. Try these sometime when you pass an owd dog and see what happens – probably nowt!

• Way oot, Jock Gan and find something.
• Jock - Git away back Gan and try again – ye useless goniel.
• Cum away bye, Jock Give up the sorch!
• Away te me Hey, Aa’m in charge, cum heor.
• Cum in ahint me Cum te my hint end and oot o’ trouble.
• Cum heor te me, bonny lad When I git you, you’re deed meat!
• Lie doon, lie doon, LIE DOON! Huw many times have Aa te tell ye?
• Jock are ye deef? Aa’ll git ye a hearin’ aid?
• Waalk up Jock Bring what’s left te me.
• Stiddy Jock – STIDDY! Apply your bleedin brakes man!
• Here-this yen Jock I want this sheep– not the blow’d lot.
• Git oot o’ that. Jock, just de nowt for a spell.
• Hallah! Jock – teek haad Sink your teeth inte the owld bitch, Jock
• Bye God! Jock – Aa’ll fell ye Jock – your end is nigh.
• Jock, cum bye – Aall gan mesel Leave it to me Jock –find yorsel a thistle.

Hand signals
Dogs also respond to hand signals – if they want to tek notice. So the heord’s stick was an important signalling device as an extension of the arm - amang it’s many other duties. Many an owld dog learned the difference between a direction with the stick and a threat, and he sartainly knew what was meant when the heord “took the stick be the smaa end”! That was the clear and penultimate signal by the heord before cardiac arrest, and indicated that the he was seething for vengeance.

Every dog was a character, useless or not, and everyone who has worked on a farm could fill books aboot dergs that now must be helpin’ St Peter git his cuws in, sheddin his yowes, and pittlin’ on his thistles.

The Demesne's Owld Sweep
When old Sweep at the Demesne Farm in Bellingham didn’t cum heam from Pickering the vets at Hexham after his operation for a growth in his neck – fower of us macho menfolk were in the kitchen snifflin’ in wor hankies, and the three womenfolk had bolted upstairs and wadn’t cum doon. He was ownly a blow’d derg eftor aall, somebodywould venture. 'Nowt the kind' was the immediate response – he was 'Sweep'!