Readers track down the owner of the Darlington salt pig

A salt pig is an earthenware kitchen utensil used for keeping salt in – “pygg” is an old northern word for a “pot”.

Des Needham recently bought one in a sale with an inscription in the glaze saying: “Mrs JS Watkins, Darlington, Nov 1st 1890”.

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Since the pig’s appearance in Memories 640, our genealogists have been scouring their databases to discover who Mrs JS Watkins might be, and we are hugely indebted to Helen Morton, David Lewis and Tony Young for their efforts.

All three came back with the same answer. The 1891 census records that John Southern Watkins was living with his wife, Alice Annie, and their baby daughter, Lily, in 4, Gladstone Street.

“It was common back then to use a husband's initials in a wife's title, so she would not be Mrs. A. A. Watkins, but Mrs. J. S.Watkins,” says Helen.

John, described on the census as “an engine maker fitter”, and Alice had married in June 1890 and Lily had been born in November 1890 (we’ll gloss over any late Victorian scandal there).

They were both 21 in 1891, so it could be that the salt pig was made to commemorate Alice’s 21st birthday.

All of our researchers say that the family had disappeared from Darlington by the time of the 1901 census.

But then David adds: “John Southern Watkins was initiated into the Darlington Freemasons Lodge on the September 5, 1905, with an address showing him in east Borneo!”

Somewhere in Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world. Its northern portion is mostly part of Malaysia except for the small sovereign state of Brunei whereas the south island is part of Indonesia.

Whatever could have taken him there? We have nothing but wild speculation to offer here, but two thoughts spring to mind. Firstly, we know that at some time in the distant past, Whessoe made an oil tank for Borneo – could John have gone out with it?

But his job description suggests he was a railwayman, and the North Borneo Railway was built, under the direction of an English engineer, Arthur West of Worcestershire, from 1896 until its 193km were complete in 1905. So could the North Road works have had a hand in it, with “engine maker fitter” JS Watkins perhaps going out there to get the first (Darlington-made) engines going?

It looks like his family went with him – and perhaps their salt pig, too.

Can you shed any light on the Watkinses or on any Borneo connection?

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The recently restored Barclays roof garden above High Row in Darlington. Picture: Susan Theobald

ONE of the wonders of Darlington is that it has a secret town centre rooftop garden. It is on the top of Barclays bank on High Row and, as Memories 637 told, it was created in 1974 when an extension was added to the imperious Victorian bank.

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The difference in levels between the old and the new meant that the roof of the extension was accessed from the first floor of the Victorian building.

In the 1970s, Darlington was Barclays’ Local Head Office with 54 branches under its control.

Jean Jones, who worked in personnel there at the time, recalls that the first floor was largely occupied by the bank directors who would entertain important clients to lunch up there, after which they would be shown the garden.

The garden was maintained by Everards Nurseries of Richmond.

“They had to weigh all the soil and everything else that went into the garden so that they knew the roof would take the weight,” says Jean.

As the nature of banking changed, a couple of decades ago the garden became overgrown but now the staff have got it back under control and they are able to enjoy this pocket park in the sky just as they did in Jean’s day.

MEANWHILE, Paul Boden reports from the roadworks in Darlington’s Freemans Place, which is the stretch of road from Russell Street down to the ring road. The couple of inches of modern tarmac had been cut away to reveal the old stone setts still looking pretty neat.

IN this summer’s storms, “a splendid Copper Beech tree in Green Park was changed forever when it parted company with about a third of its enormous bulk,” says Brian Humphrey.

Green Park in Darlington, of course, was once the back garden of Joseph Pease’s Southend mansion. After his death in 1872, it was taken on by the Waldy family who lived in Green Park Terrace on Coniscliffe Road. Although it was still a private park, the Waldys allowed public access for church services and theatre performances.

In 1960, it was bought by the council for £598 16s 5d and opened as a public park.

“The tree was such local landmark,” says Brian. “I wonder if any photos of it exist in happier times?”

Can you help?

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