Kathleen Teward delighted an audience this week by reciting two of Richard Watson's long poems in dialect at a social evening honouring the life and works of the Teesdale Bard.
A number of the lead mining poet's descendants travelled from other parts of the North-East for the event at Meet the Middletons, the splendid heritage centre in Middleton, the village in which he was born into poverty in 1833.
Before her rendering of The Quack Doctor and The Poor Box Robbery, Mrs Teward recalled that the late Richard Coggins, headmaster of Newbiggin School when she started there in 1939, urged all the pupils to do their utmost to keep the dale dialect alive.
"He told us that this local way of talking was in use long before the standard English that was taught in schools," she said. "He felt it would be a great shame if the traditional style was forgotten, and I've always done my best to follow his wishes."
Her book on the dale twang, Teisdal' En How T was Spok'n, published three years ago, has done much to ensure many ancient words are still remembered.
She had everyone chuckling with verses written by herself about Watson, to whom a section is devoted in the centre. Parkin Raine played tapes of some of the bard's songs, including one about his ancestor, Parkin Raine the fiddler, reputed to be the area's finest musician.
Eight of Watson's great-great-grandchildren, some of whom inherited his talent for writing and performing songs, were at the event. One was Sye Maddison of Sunniside, who was a well-known folk and country music singer for many years but has given up as he was tired of travelling. He was with his brother, Evan Maddison, of Eaglescliffe, who does some opera singing, and their sister, Lynne Tweddle, of Crook.
At another table were Paul Shield and John Hussey, both from Witton Park. Mr Hussey writes religious songs, which his wife Kathleen sets to music. "They just come into my head," he told me. "I suppose it must have somethng to do with my great-great-grandfather."
Others in this generation were John Watson, Martha Jopling and John Willis, all from the Consett area. Also there was a teenage Richard Watson. He is a great-great-great-grandson of the famous man.
Some of these were meeting for the first time, and all said they were delighted to be involved in the tribute to the writer whose words are still a vivid reminder of the hard lead mining era.
There will be a memorable get-together in Winston tonight when many local residents celebrate the half-century of their village hall. Ann Curtis, who as an 18-year-old was given the honour of cutting a ribbon to open the building, will be there again, this time as Mrs John McBain, to enjoy the festivities
It was a remarkable project, with raffles, whist drives and jumble sales to raise money followed by a massive DIY operation in which dozens of volunteers became site labourers.
Jeannie Flintoff, a trustee of the hall for all its 50 years, recalls: "Everyone in the village worked hard to build it. We were rushing around with paint brushes to put the finishing touches to it right up until the opening."
Trevor Wood will lead the Winston Follies, and Val Raper will recall some of the hall's highlights in one of her hilarious monologues. Tickets have long been sold out for this celebration.
following last week's mention here of the bandstand area beside the Tees in Barnard Castle, historian Alan Wilkinson has given a reminder that there was never a structure there. Musicians used to go there to play but they had to stand on the grass. A bandstand was erected in the grounds of the Bowes Museum in 1912. Some people said it spoiled the look of the building, but it was a popular venue for some decades until it was dismantled.
* I'll be glad to see anyone who calls with snippets of news at The Northern Echo office at 36 Horsemarket, Barnard Castle, on Mondays and Tuesdays, telephone (01833) 638628.
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