What made Hexham Courant headline news up to 150 years ago?

10 years ago

PARKING PRESSURE: Car park operator Parking Eye was sacked from running the car park at Hexham General Hospital. Hospital chiefs acknowledged the Parking Eye system, which required often distressed drivers to punch in their car registration numbers into a ticket machine after parking their vehicles, was causing anxiety to both patients and visitors.  

BAIL-OUT APPEAL: Businesses in Hexham were told to follow the example of Beales' store and seek financial assistance from Northumberland County Council, said town mayor Cllr Terry Robson.

LIFE SAVER: George Tolchard, an 80-year-old man, collapsed in Prudhoe as his heart stopped beating for 13 minutes and had to be resuscitated seven times by paramedics. Prudhoe taxi driver Mark Goodall, 25, saved George's life. Mark was waiting between jobs when he heard shouts for help when George collapsed face down on the pavement. The engineering student's first aid training was then put to use when he performed CPR on George until paramedics arrived. 

25 years ago

RAMBLERS' RIGHTS: Tynedale's landowners denounced the new rights for ramblers announced by the environment minister Michael Meacher in the House of Commons as a recipe for disaster. Landowners were unhappy with the pledge to open up land to the public, saying they would be confronted with a host of problems including dog fouling near their livestock and would be left out of pocket. 

Sir William McAlpine officially opens the redeveloped Hexham Railway Station in 1999 (Image: Newsquest)

STATION REFIT: Improvements to Hexham's railway station were unveiled, including a new ticket office and an impressive upgrading of the waiting room.  

STREET DRINKERS: By-laws giving police the power to crack down on street drinking in Hexham and Corbridge were set to come into force in June. The joint initiative between Tynedale Council and Northumbria Police hoped to tackle antisocial behaviour and improve life for residents and tourists. 

RED NOSE DAY CANCELLED: St Joseph's RC Middle School cancelled its Red Nose Day activities because of concerns money raised could go towards abortions in third-world countries. Comic Relief strongly denied any money went directly towards abortions, but that money went to family planning centres which advise against pregnancy terminations.

50 years ago

TABLETS AND TOILETS: Northumberland County Council's national park and countryside committee set aside £10,650 for the provision of public conveniences at the Vindolanda Roman site, near Bardon Mill. Dig director Robin Birley unearthed a wooden writing tablet dating back to 100AD during an excavation at the site. 

NO GO-SLOW: The latest in a series of calls made during a 20-year campaign by villagers at Whittonstall for the imposition of a 30mph speed limit was turned down by Northumberland County Council. 

MP POSTS: Local MPs Geoffrey Rippon and Alan Beith were given party spokesman's posts following Labour's 1974 general election victory. Hexham MP the late Lord Rippon, a Cabinet minister until the week before, was appointed as the Tories' European affairs representative, and Mr Beith, MP for Berwick and a Hexham rural district councillor, became home affairs and Northern Ireland spokesman for Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe's parliamentary team.    

75 years ago

COLLAPSING CHURCH: Hexham's Presbyterians had to abandon their church in Battle Hill as its ceiling was thought to be in danger of collapse. Sections of the ceiling had been falling for the preceding 20 years but its state had not previously been thought to pose a danger to worshippers. After it was abandoned, the Presbyterians sold it to the Post Office and took to worshipping their Hencotes Sunday school hall instead. 

RESIGNATION RUMOURS: Hexham MP Douglas Clifton Brown was called on to deny rumours that he was about to retire due to ill health. Though laid low with flu, the Speaker of the House of Commons said he had no intention of standing down. 

IN PINK: Matthew Thompson, of Burnbank, Tarset, succeeded his brother-in-law, James Thompson of Wark as master of the North Tyne Hunt. 

100 years ago

TIP TALKS: Moves were afoot to set up a new ash tip in Alston at New Shields, as the existing Brampton Road one was nearing the end of its shelf-life.

BUILDING BRIDGES: Lambley Parish Council called for the replacement of the hamlet's footbridge. 

QUOITS WIZARD: Henry Tyson, 53, of West Wylam, Prudhoe was named as Northern England's champion quoits player after a string of victories.

125 years ago

SHOP BLAZE: Fire broke out at a draper's shop at Hexham's Jubilee Buildings, causing £100 worth of damage to stock. 

150 years ago

OCTOGENARIAN DIES: Shorthorn cattle breeder John Trotter, of Bywell, died aged 84.

DEAD DOG: A pointer dog suspected of having rabies was shot at Hedley Grange, Hedley-on-the Hill. Happily for the neighbourhood, the dog only bit one sheep and a gate, before being put down.