Malcolm, Thanks for the extra information. The farm on the left of the lane was Myrtle Bank and on the right was Throssel Hall/ Thrush Hole / Thrush Hall / Throstle Hole. Both Myrtle Bank and Throstle Hole are now part of the Buddhist Abbey - Myrtle Bank provides accommodation. The Crozier family - Jane and her son Thomas - were in 'Thrush Hall' from 1881 to 1911. I would be interested if anyone can provide information on this family. Alan From: MALCOLM CAMPBELL [mailto:medway@bell.net] Sent: 31 August 2014 17:17 To: ajs@fivenine.co.uk Subject: RE: [NMB] West Allendale - Limestone Brae, Thossel Hole Hi, This is not a question. 70 years ago one of my brothers was born there. Beside the Chapel there was a laneway that went to a place called THRUSH HALL, at the end of the laneway, there was a farm (ran or owned by an Irene Armstrong) on the left & a small cottage on the right (where we lived (my mother, myseelf & another brother).I'm not sure if our cottage or the farm was called Thrush Hall. My paternal g'parents had a cottage at Farneyside (nearby), which is proberly how we got to know about the cottage.That is all I can remember, I was only 6, we are from Sunderland & moved there (1943-4) to get away from the war. my father worked @ the docks in Sunderland & came up on some weekends. Since I was only 6 my info. may be foggy, so I stand to be corrected. Regards, Malcolm Campbell (not the racecarspeedboat driver), London, Ontario, Canada > Geoff, > > Just a minor correction. Limestone Brae Methodist chapel - Weslyan I believe > not Primitive - is now a private house; Thrush Hole, once a farm house, is > now a Buddhist 'Abbey'. For perhaps ten years Methodist chapel and Buddhist > Abbey co-existed. > > A Quaker meeting house at Limestone Brae preceded the Methodist chapel but > had fallen into disuse before that chapel was established. > > However I agree with your main point. There is no evidence of persecution of > non-conformists in West Allen. It would more accurate that many inhabitants > rejected the established church and were prepared to travel long distances > to support independent congregations or found their own local churches / > chapels. > > Alan Swindale > > Christene: > > > > Graham is correct in saying that there could be many reasons for a > > move, and it is unlikely that after all this time we shall ever get to > > understand completely why they went. There are, however, some points > > arising from Graham's answer. One is that it wouldn't be to find a > > better-paying lead mine, since there were none in Walton! The geology > > is quite different even though it is only a few miles away. Even in > > West Allendale, many people combined part-time farming on a small- > > holding with part-time working in a lead mine. Neither paid quite > > enough to live on but put together they could just about get by. So it > > is quite possible that going to Walton was a means of escaping the > > hard, dangerous, unhealthy, work in a lead mine. > > > > I don't think it is fair to say that nonconformists were > > persecuted in Allendale. Methodists were very strong there and just > > north (ie down-dale) from Carrshield was the Limestone Brae Primitive > > Methodist Church (strangely enough, it still exists but is now a > > Buddhist Temple!), which was the local centre for them once that > > "Connexion" had been founded. In the 1770s all Methodists were, > > effectively, Wesleyan, and that was quite strong throughout the > > Northumberland and Co Durham Dales. Carrshield Wesleyans were part of > > the Alston Circuit (Cumberland), and existed by 1805 and the Primitive > > Methodists in Carrshield were founded in 1825, ie more or less as soon > > as the Primitives broke away from the Wesleyans. Perhaps this > > indicates some division among the local Methodists, though whether it > > goes back to the 1770s is another matter. > > > > From the C of E point of view, the church at Carrshield, also > > known as Allen High Chapel, was a Chapelry of Allendale parish. Its > > registers go back only to 1823. however, so that was probably the date > > of its founding. Before that it seems the alternative for West > > Allendale people was either (1) to face the long trek over the hill to > > Allendale Town, (2) to go down the Dale to Ninebanks, another Chapelry > > of Allendale, founded in 1764, or else (3) to go to a local Wesleyan > > Chapel. Early Wesleyan churches in Ninebanks Chapelry were at High > > House (by 1805), Keenley (by 1750), or Wolf Cleugh (near Coalcleugh: by > > 1805). Walton was not only in a different county (Cumberland) but > > also in a different C of E Diocese (Carlisle). > > > > Let us not forget that there was also a considerable following in > > those Dales for the Society of Friends (Quakers).