Armstrong, John

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In 1921 John Armstrong was a retired farmer living in 8 Percy Terrace with a housekeeper, Margaret Pickering. He was the son of Thomas Armstrong, a farmer, and Jane Armstrong. The first record of John is in 1861 when he was one month old and with his mother at the Birks where his widowed grandmother, Ann Nicholson was a farmer of five hundred acres. In this record Jane’s status is given as ‘drainer’s wife. John’s father was born in Haltwhistle and whereas he was a drainer in 1861 he was a farmer of 990 acres at Stone Hall, Knarsdale in 1871. John was the oldest of (ultimately) six children. At sometime between 1876 and 1881 the family moved from the South Tyne area to Middleburn on the Warksburn. At Middleburn Thomas was a farmer of 350 acres. John is listed as ‘farmer’s son’ as he was in 1891 with his two younger brothers, Charles Armstrong and Robert Armstrong. The three sons were still single and listed as farmer’s sons at the 1901 Census. John’s younger sister, Annie Armstrong (b. 1865) was also single and presumably helping her mother in the house although they also employed sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Ann Cowans as a domestic servant. John’s mother Jane died on 14 January 1902 and is buried in St. Michael’s churchyard, Wark aged 68. Thomas was still farming at Middleburn in 1911 at eighty-one years old although John is also listed as a farmer. Unmarried sister, Annie is now designated housekeeper. There was assistance in the form of Lizzy Wilson, an eighteen-year-old domestic servant and an unmarried shepherd, twenty two year old Arthur Clough. Thomas died later in 1911 and it is thought that Annie moved to Hexham where she became lady’s companion and housekeeper to a lady in Hexham. John moved into 8 Percy Terrace with a housekeeper. He didn’t marry. His death aged seventy-seven is recorded as having taken place in West Northumberland in the second quarter of 1937.