Armstrong, George

* Information provided by Rob Tindall 25/10/23

George was the son of Thomas, an agricultural labourer, and Sarah of Moors Walls. His birth year is always given as 1832 but he was christened at Wark on 8 September 1833. At the 1851 Census he was an agricultural labourer age 19 but with his father and brother, Henry was visiting Robert Robson, a cordwainer in Fourstones. On 26 May 1856 he married Margaret Moore from Tanfield, County Durham in St Nicholas’ Newcastle. Their daughter, Mary (b. 1856/70 was born in Tanfield, their daughter, Sarah (b. 1858/9) was born in Gunnerton but by 1861 they were living at Upper Hall, Bellingham with a son born in Bellingham. At this time George was a railway labourer. Number 2, Hutchinson Street, Bellingham was their home in 1871 where George described himself as a road contractor. There was no change in the following decade except for an expanding family. General labourer was how he described himself after he moved to Cruddas Terrace (1 Cruddas Terrace) in 1891 and although there were three mature children living with him and Margaret, they still found room for two grandchildren and a lodger. The family had moved to Bellingham Mill by 1901 and not only did they have three children (two of them married), three grandchildren with ages from six to 23 living with them, but also a boarder. The saving grace was that neither George or Margaret, both aged 69 were working. George died in the second quarter 1903 and Margaret in the fourth quarter 1910. There is a gravestone to the couple in Bellingham churchyard.