We looked back through our archives to find out what made headline news up to 150 years ago.

10 years ago

VICTORIAN ERA: Research into Ovingham Bridge's history by the Village Trust revealed the inaugural crossing was made by a hay cart pulled by two horses on December 20 1883. It was arranged that the last vehicle to travel across the bridge before its closure for a year for extensive refurbishment was a horse-drawn flat cart.

MINE HOPES: Hundreds of jobs could have been on the way to Tynedale within the following five years if an ambitious zinc mining project came to fruition. International mining specialist Minco had spent the preceding 12 months and £1.7m exploring a vast area of land between Allenheads and Nenthead, which was rich with zinc deposits. 

BOARD RESIGNATIONS: The entire governing body of Prudhoe High School quit following a second unsatisfactory Ofsted report. 

SPEED CUT: Councillors called for a mile-long stretch of the A69 trunk road at Bardon Mill to be reduced to a 40mph speed limit. Henshaw Parish Council said the current 60mph speed limit was too high for an accident blackspot where the three-lane road reduced to two, and there had been numerous accidents, several of them fatal.

25 years ago

PLANS ABANDONED: An ambitious plan to secure the futures of Haltwhistle's closure-threatened Greenholme old people's home and the town's war memorial hospital was abandoned. 

Hexham Courant: Bellingham Village Fayre returned in 1999 after a ten year absence and was given its traditional launch with a raft race down the River Tyne Bellingham Village Fayre returned in 1999 after a ten year absence and was given its traditional launch with a raft race down the River Tyne (Image: David Hewitson)

DEMOLITION DELAY: A squadron of unlikely allies flew to the rescue of a North Tyne man in his battle with the authorities. It seemed Donald MacLeod had finally been forced to bow the knee to Northumberland National Park's planners and demolish a series of timber buildings at the former Brownrigg boarding school in Bellingham. Contractors started to pull down the old buildings when bats were found in one of the building's roof timbers. Work was immediately halted as it is illegal to disturb bats in the breeding season.

STOCK THIEF: A set of stocks and pillory were stolen from Hexham's Old Gaol despite being secured with chains and padlocks less than a week after they were put up. 

SLAUGHTERED LAMB: The mystery predator blamed for killing lambs in and around Summerods in Hexham could have struck again. Elizabeth Ross was convinced a big cat of some description killed poultry and wrecked a hen house at her farm near Hexham racecourse. 

MILLIONS IN WILL: A Hexham woman left more than £3.5m in her will. Margaret Maureen Robertson, of Abbey Court, Hexham left her estate to the Michael Robertson Scholarship Fund with a donation of £5,000 to the National Trust. 

50 years ago 

NO SHOW: Heddon-on-the-Wall's annual village show was called off because of roadworks making the show field unavailable.

WITHOUT WATER: A spate of water mains bursts caused by improvements then underway on the A69 repeatedly cut off Greenhead's water supply. 

ON THE WALL: Hadrian's Wall was the subject of an hour-long television documentary, The Living Wall, presented by Cumbrian author Hunter Davies and produced jointly by the Border and Tyne Tees television stations.

75 years ago 

VICARAGE THUNDERSTRUCK: Healey, near Riding Mill, was hit by one of the worst thunderstorms ever encountered there. Trees and gravestones were left damaged after being struck by lightning and the vicarage there had its windows shattered and curtains set alight following a lightning strike. 

TRACTOR THEFT: A tractor stolen from Alston's foundry was found embedded in a wall at nearby Blagill. 

100 years ago

TRAFFIC STOPPED: Hexham's Fore Street, previously known as Costeley Row, was closed to traffic for more than a week while resurfacing work was carried out. 

125 years ago

BENDS BANISHED: A new length of road was laid at Bridge End, Hexham at a cost of £420 to do away with two awkward bends and make the route to Corbridge along the north bank of the River Tyne more easily accessible.

150 years ago

OFFICIAL OPENING: An £805 new Wesleyan chapel built at Haydon Bridge opened for worship.