What made Hexham Courant headline news 150 years ago?

10 years ago

ORDEAL: A family from Greenhead were evacuated from their cabin when the ferry they were on board caught fire. The Jarvis family were travelling on the DFDS King Seaways overnight to the Netherlands when they had to evacuate to the upper deck.

Catherine Jarvis and her family had to evacuate the DFDS ship (Image: Newsquest)

WRECKED: Vandals struck at Hexham's newest tourist destination six days after it was opened by TV star Robson Green. The 1930s telephone box on Hencotes, which had recently been refurbished as the Red Box Art Gallery, had its Christmas display inside ripped down.

STRAINED: Albemarle Barracks at Harlow Hill was to potentially become a dumping ground for thousands of forces personnel and their families from across the country. Northumberland County Council feared the choice of Albemarle to accommodate them could put an unbearable strain on the county's resources.

25 years ago

CRACKDOWN: Young people aged 18 and above were to be asked to come forward to obtain identity cards from police to use in pubs, clubs and off-licences as proof of their age.

FIRE ATTACK: A hedgehog was left with life-limiting injuries after children were thought to have stuck pieces of paper between the animal's spines and set light to them. The spines were matted together and the wound became infected.

GAS SCARE: Two children were taken to hospital after suffering from exposure to fumes on their school bus. 

50 years ago

ROAD RAGE: Plans to build an all-weather Alston-Haltwhistle road to replace the two towns' railway link ran into opposition from Coanwood Parish Council and farmers whose land would be affected.

REFURBISH: Haltwhistle's old primary school was to close and be replaced with a new first school.

JUDGED: Valerie Little, 20, of Comb Hill in Haltwhistle, was voted 1973's Miss Hadrian at the annual beauty contest held at the town's Smith and Walton Crown paint works.    

75 years ago

PRIZE BEASTS: More than £20,000 worth of cattle went on show at the first three-day Northern Counties Dairy Show to be held in Hexham.

EROSION THREAT: Wylam's Stephenson's Terrace was in danger of falling into the River Tyne due to erosion, a meeting of Hexham Rural Council was warned.  

100 years ago

ON THE UP: Wylam Women's Institute became the biggest in Northumberland in 1923, with a 108 per cent increase in members with a total of 173.

FESTIVE SALE: A jumble sale at Mickley Parish church's mission room raised £37 for the church fund.

TAKING WING: A pigeon fancier's club was formed at Prudhoe following a public meeting at the West Wylam Inn.  

125 years ago

CLOSE SHAVE: Three builders working on Haltwhistle's new Presbyterian chapel had a lucky escape when a section of wall 30ft up came tumbling down. 

INQUEST OUTRAGE: Jurors at an inquest in Alston called for the arrest of the parents of a four-month-old baby found dead at home the previous day. Jurors called for the pair to be prosecuted after returning a verdict of death by natural causes accelerated by neglect. 

150 years ago

STRIKE ACTION: A 10-week strike at Allendale's Allen Mill lead works ended after strikers agreed to go back on the same terms as before.