Harvey SettLER REUNION (1837-2007)
FORD CASTLE, NORTHUMBERLAND UK
AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 2, 2007
A reunion to commemorate the 170th anniversary of the founding of Harvey Settlement, York County, New Brunswick, Canada was held at Ford Castle, Ford, Northumberland, England from August 26 to September 2, 2007. This reunion was novel in that it was held in the area that the settlers originated from; the Wooler area of Northumberland. The first settlers arrived in 1837 aboard the snow rigged Cornelius of Sunderland and settled as a group to found the community that became known as Harvey Settlement. Through the next 15 years successive waves of friends and relatives arrived from the same area, settling around the first arrivals. There are now many thousands of descendants of these pioneers spread not only throughout Canada and the US, but around the world. About 130 of the descendants of these early settlers gathered to explore the beautiful countryside and small communities between Wooler and the Borders, where many of their ancestors came from.
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The planning committee worked three years in organizing the reunion. The reunion would not have been possible though without the assistance and hospitality of many additional people in Northumberland and Berwickshire who provided the reunionists with many hours of their time to help make this reunion a great success.
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The reunion garnered media attention in the Borders region on television, radio and in newspaper articles. Follow this link to a summary of print media items.
Below are links to a day by day diary of the reunion complete with photographs. There was also considerable media attention
Monday, 27 August
Morning
Noon
Check-in Ford Castle
Afternoon
3 PM
Reception at Glendale Agricultural Show
Evening
Tuesday, 28 August
Morning
Noon
Afternoon
Introductory Remarks - Al Robison
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Welcome - Lord James Joicey
Keynote Lecture - Prof. Bruce Elliott, Carleton University
"New Brunswick Land Company and the Settlement of Harvey and Stanley, NB"
10 AM
Hike up Yeavering Bell near Kirknewton
Hike up College Burn to 'Whitehall"
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Evening
Guided tour around Coldstream
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Lectures and Reception, Coldstream Historical Society
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Prof. Bruce Elliott, Carleton University: "New Brunswick Land Company and the Settlement of Harvey and Stanley, NB"
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David Welsh, Northumbria University
"Preemigration professions and way of life of the Harvey settlers"
Wednesday, 29 August
Morning
Noon
9 AM
Double decker bus tour of castles of north eastern Northumberland​
Afternoon
3 PM
Civic reception at Berwick Town Hall followed by plaque unveiling at Berwick Quay
Evening
8 PM
Lecture: James Bell
"Battle of Flodden Field"
Thursday, 30 August
Morning
Noon
Hike to "Old Rookland"
12:30
Lunch and refreshment at Clennell Hall Hotel, Alwinton
Afternoon
Visit Alwinton Church and Harbottle
Evening
7 PM
Burns Supper at Coldstream
friday, 31 August
Morning
Noon
Afternoon
Evening
10 AM
Day trips to Cheviots or Dumfriesshire or free time.
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Berwick Records Office open for reunion attendees
8 PM
Lecture: Prof. Tim Patterson, Carleton Univ.
"Genetic Genealogy: A Primer"
Saturday, 1 September
Morning
Noon
10 AM
Hike across the Cheviot Hills or walking tour of Wooler with local guides
12 PM
Picnic lunch at Harthope Burn
Afternoon
Walk along the Burn or up the hill to meet Cheviot hikers
Evening
7 PM
Evening conference banquet at Ednam House Hotel, Kelso Remarks by Ian Herbert
Sunday, 2 September
Morning
Noon
Walk around Town Yetholm
Afternoon
3 PM
Lunch at Wauchope Hall, Yetholm
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Church service at Kirk Yetholm
1 PM
Evening
Monday, 3 September
Morning
Noon
Afternoon
Evening
Ford castle residents depart after breakfast
Harvey Settler Reunion
(1837-2007)
Day 1
August 26, 2007
Morning
Noon
Check-in Ford Castle
Afternoon
3 PM
Reception at Glendale Agricultural Show
Evening
Through the day on Monday August 27th (Day 1) the reunion attendees began to arrive at Ford Castle either directly from their homes, or in most cases from other parts of the United Kingdom. Driving through the beautiful Northumberland countryside excitement began to build as reunionists got their first view of their home for the next week -- historic Ford Castle.
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There was not much time to explore the castle grounds, renew old acquaintances or make new ones though as the first event of the reunion was about to take place. By happy coincidence the Glendale Agricultural Show was taking place that day and a reception had been arranged in our honor. We piled into our respective cars and mini buses and made our way south to Haugh Head, just beyond Wooler where the fair grounds had been established in some fields. Unfortunately the agricultural component of the 2007 version of the fair was severely curtailed as there had been an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the south of England and local authorities wisely figured that it would be prudent to keep live stock away.
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The fair was still quite large and it was quite a walk to the rear area of the grounds where the Reunion marquee (tent) had been set up courtesy of the Northumberland National Parks Service. The marquee was full of people from the area in addition to the Harvey descendants. The surnames of the Harvey settlers had been well publicised before the event in local newspapers. There was a lot to see as Linda Bankier from the Berwick-Upon-Tweed Records Office had set up a large display on the Harvey settlers and there were other interesting displays and resource material available from the Borders Family History Society and the Northumberland and Durham Family History Society stands. Our own material was also on display showing the voyage of the Cornelius, a ships list, family trees and material on Harvey past and present.
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Two very harried people in the room were Linda Bankier and Trevor Swan of our organizing committee who were distributing and collecting DNA test kits. Arrangements had been made with the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF, http://www.smgf.org/) of Utah, a non-profit organization dedicated developing DNA testing as the ultimate genealogical tool. It is hoped that the eventual results of these tests will not only provide evidence of familial links between Harvey settlers and their cousins in the Borders but provide information on settlement patterns in the region through the past two millennia.
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This was the first opportunity that the Harvey settler descendants had to interact with their Borders cousins and many enjoyable discussions ensued as everyone drank tea and coffee and snacked on various cakes that had been provided. Reunionists also had the opportunity to shop for souvenirs at various kiosks throughout the fair grounds, watch displays of horsemanship, or enjoy the rides. This was also the first opportunity for some reunionists to meet Lord James Joicey, the proprietor of Ford Castle within the 16,000 acre Ford and Etal Estates, as his Icelandic horse marquee was set up next door to the reunion reception.
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Around 5 PM the fair began to wind down and it was time to head back to Ford Castle, find our rooms, and enjoy a hearty meal in the dining room. After unpacking many people headed down to the castle bar to enjoy the beverage of their choice and spent some time getting to know each other.
Harvey Settler Reunion
(1837-2007)
Day 2
August 27, 2007
Morning
Noon
Afternoon
Introductory Remarks - Al Robison
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Welcome - Lord James Joicey
Keynote Lecture - Prof. Bruce Elliott, Carleton University
"New Brunswick Land Company and the Settlement of Harvey and Stanley, NB"
10 AM
Hike up Yeavering Bell near Kirknewton
Hike up College Burn to 'Whitehall"
​
Evening
Guided tour around Coldstream
​
Lectures and Reception, Coldstream Historical Society
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Prof. Bruce Elliott, Carleton University: "New Brunswick Land Company and the Settlement of Harvey and Stanley, NB"
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David Welsh, Northumbria University
"Preemigration professions and way of life of the Harvey settlers"
The schedule for the first full day of the reunion on Tuesday August 28th (Day 2) was a busy one with words of welcome, lectures, hikes, tours, receptions and more lectures. The day started with a hearty breakfast in the castle's basement dining area, although many people got an even earlier start, exploring the castle grounds and immediate area just after sunrise. After breakfast we gathered in the great hall of the castle to here some introductory remarks from reunion co-organizer Al Robison who then introduced Lord James Joicey, the owner of Ford and Etal Estates.
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He was a very interesting speaker telling of how his family of collier owners from Newcastle purchased the estate and providing interesting details on the history of the castle. He also remarked that he often welcomes groups to Ford Castle but it was the first time that he had ever welcomed anyone back again. This reference was to the fact that it was in Ford Castle, in the very room that we were sitting, that potential settlers went to hear a presentation from the New Brunswick Land Company extolling the virtues of emigrating to New Brunswick.
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Reunion co-chairman Ian Herbert then spoke outlining the logistics for the coming week, which were quite complex due to the large number of sometimes simultaneous events going on.
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Professor Bruce Elliott of the Department of History at Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario then presented a fascinating Powerpoint lecture on the New Brunswick Land Company and the Settlement of Harvey and Stanley, NB, which outlined the reasons why the company and others like it existed and why they actively recruited settlers to emigrate from the United Kingdom to Canada. Hearing this lecture in the very hall where our ancestors went to hear about the benefits of migrating made the lecture all the more interesting.
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After eating one of the "all that you can carry away" box lunches that were provided by the Ford Castle food staff we all piled into our respective vehicles and headed for our first hike of the day, a "moderate" hike up Yeavering Bell, a twin-peaked hill rising 361 m, near Kirknewton and adjacent to the River Glen (Map Ref: NT918270 Landranger Map Number 74. Latitude 55.536652N Longitude 2.131481W). We parked along the driveway of a farm just off the highway and about two and a half hours later after much huffing and puffing some of the reunionists made it to the top and were treated to a spectacular view of the north Northumberland countryside. Even those who did not make it to the top had a great view. Yeavering Bell and the immediate area is of considerable archaeological significance and has personal significance for some Harvey settler families. The top of Yeavering Bell itself is capped by the best-preserved prehistoric hill fort in Northumberland, with the tumbled down stonework still in existence. Reunionists who looked carefully within the confines of the fort could also see remnants of the platforms where timber built round houses stood. This fort was an important center of the Votadini, an important Iron Age tribe in this region that formed a Roman friendly buffer state north of Hadrian's Wall. Relations probably were not always friendly though as the walls appear to have been deliberately and uniformly flattened, perhaps during a Roman military operation in the 1st century AD. Standing on the walls of the hill fort and looking north we were looking at another important archaeological site -- Adgefrin (See: Yeavering entry Wikipedia for more information; Map Ref: NT925305 Landranger Map Number 74. Latitude: 55.568112N Longitude: 2.120487W).
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The Northumbrian Angle King Edwin and his Queen Aethelburg maintained a Palace Complex and great hall known as Adgefrin. The site is of considerable cultural importance as it here that Paulinus of York, at the invitation of the royal couple, spent 36 days preaching and baptizing converts to Christianity in the River Glen. This marked the beginning of the general conversion of the invading Germanic tribes and the rechristianization of the area as the supplanted British tribes that formerly dominated the area had already converted to Christianity in Roman times. The name Adgefrin lives on as it first evolved into Gefrin, which eventually became the word Yeavering, as the area is known today.
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A barn structure could also be seen on the grounds of the farm that we passed through to climb this hill. This still used building is also of archaeological significance as it was part of a fortified farm dating from the Reiver era, a thousand years after Adgefrin was abandoned.
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From our perch on the hill fort we could clearly see across the River Glen on the edge of Adgefrin to the farm of Lanton and beyond to Milfield. This region is of significance to many Harvey settler families such as the Craigs and Moffitt's as they lived and worked in this area prior to emigration.
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The high concentration of important archaeological sites spanning thousands of years of history in such a small geographic area made the reunionists realize what deep roots we all have in that area as we undoubtedly carry the blood of all those peoples who lived here in our veins!
-- A humbling experience.
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Following the "moderate" hike up Yeavering those who still had the time and the energy went around Kirknewton and into the College Burn valley. This is a beautiful valley surrounded by high rolling hills and with a view of the Cheviot as you proceed up the valley. Those who made it up the valley were rewarded with a close view of 'Whitehall", the original farm where the Herbert family resided and where Thomas Herbert, one of the original pioneering Harvey settlers, was born in 1798. The visit was cut short by a heavy shower and most of the hikers scrambled into vehicles to escape the rain. All were very pleased though to have made it to this picturesque historic site.
The rain also failed to put a damper on those who attended a very interesting lecture in the Coldstream Parish Church about the history of the town and on the famous Coldstream Guards of the British Army, whose battle honors hung all around us. In the tradition of such artefacts they are not disturbed once hung up. As a result many of the older flags were hanging in tatters. The Coldstream Guards are the oldest regiment in the Regular Army in continuous active service, originating in Coldstream on the Scottish border in 1650 when General George Monck founded the regiment. It can trace its lineage all the way back to the New Model Army on the Parliamentary side of the English Civil War, although Lord Monk marched the Coldstream Guards to London following the death of Cromwell to support the restoration of the monarchy. We learned how the Coldstream marriage house at the Coldstream (Smeaton's) Bridge was a popular 19th century center for marriages for Presbyterians who could not legally married in Church of England dominated Northumberland until the practice was banned in 1856. It was also across this bridge that Robert Burns first crossed into England for the first time in 1787. Upon crossing the bridge he dropped to his knees and prayed:
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" O SCOTIA ! MY DEAR, MY NATIVE SOIL !
FOR WHOM MY WARMEST WISH TO HEAVEN IS SENT !
LONG MAY THY HARDY SONS OF RUSTIC TOIL
BE BLEST WITH HEALTH, AND PEACE, AND SWEET CONTENT."
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The town was also the location where invading armies crossed into Scotland. Edward I of England invaded Scotland in 1296 destroying the town in the process and heavily damaging the Priory founded by Earl Gospatrick in 1165. We also learned that later in 1545 the Earl of Hertford led the army of Henry VIII through the village, again razing it to the ground and this time completely destroying the Priory. By this time the rain had let up and a short walking tour of Coldstream commenced. As we weaved up and down the streets and through the back alleys we began to appreciate the long history of the town. The blocked up windows on many houses drew questions. We learned that these bricked up windows came about in 1696 when William III introduced a tax on the relative prosperity of the taxpayer. It was presumed that since glass was very expensive then, the more windows that one had would logically indicate that the person was wealthier and could pay more tax. The result was that many chose to sit in the dark rather than pay. Amazingly this strange form of taxation was not repealed until 1851!
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By this time other reunionists began to arrive from the castle and we congregated at a local Hall to attend a reception put on by the Coldstream Historical Society and to hear a replay of Bruce Elliott's morning lecture (put on for the benefit of the society members) and a second lecture by David Welsh of Newcastle University who presented a very informative and entertaining lecture on the class structure and the working environment that existed in our ancestor's time. Although they lived in a beautiful landscape our ancestors lived hard lives in their roles as itinerant hinds, shepherds and tradesmen. In the end all agreed that although they had an even tougher time initially as they felled trees to clear their new farms in Harvey they eventually were much better off working land they owned themselves. The new settlers also had the luxury of outhouses in New Brunswick! An interesting side discussion that developed during the lecture was how the farmers thought that it was wasteful to provide outhouses along with the hinds cottages as the common thinking was that the people in them would not use them for their intended purpose but to store coal, potatoes and anything else that they could stuff in them. Instead they were expected to relieve themselves where ever they could. This waste was apparently carefully husbanded and piled out front of the hind cottages (so that no one would steal it!) as a valuable fertilizer for their kitchen gardens. It is surprising that anyone lived to adulthood under the poor sanitary conditions that these people lived under.
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After the lecture concluded the members of the Coldstream Historical Society distributed mementos to their Harvey reunion guests and we shared a social hour together enjoying a tasty lunch that was laid out.
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For those who had attended most of the activities, this had been a long but most enjoyable whirlwind day. Everyone was in very good spirits as we eventually loaded into our vehicles and headed back to Ford Castle for bed.
Harvey Settler Reunion
(1837-2007)
Day 3
August 28, 2007
Morning
Noon
9 AM
Double decker bus tour of castles of north eastern Northumberland​
Afternoon
3 PM
Civic reception at Berwick Town Hall followed by plaque unveiling at Berwick Quay
Evening
8 PM
Lecture: James Bell
"Battle of Flodden Field"
Day three of the reunion was another activity filled day. After another filling breakfast in the dining hall at Ford Castle we walked outside the walls to board a pair of double decker buses that had been hired to take us on a driving tour of northern Northumbria with emphasis on the many castles in the area. Because the Borders has had such a violent past the area has one of the highest concentrations of fortifications in all of Great Britain. Due to time constraints we did not get to tarry long or go inside any of the castles but we got nice views of them and from our perches on the top deck of the buses superb views of the Northumbrian countryside.
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After lunch we had a bit of down time and then it was off for one of the most important events of the entire reunion - the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the sailing of our Mayflower, the Cornelius of Sunderland in May 1837. Prior to the plaque ceremonies we were first given a guided tour of a portion of the walls surrounding Berwick-Upon-Tweed. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the late 16th century, vast sums — one source reports £128,648, the most expensive undertaking of the Elizabethan period — were spent on its fortifications, in the new Italian style (trace italienne), designed both to withstand artillery and to facilitate its use from within the fortifications. This was a major step forward as by this time all the older castles were obsolete as the high curtain walls, designed to withstand sieges could not withstand cannon fire, which explains why so many are in ruins. The fortifications at Berwick-Upon-Tweed were never needed though as the city was never attacked.
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We then strolled as a group to the Berwick-Upon-Tweed Town Hall, where a civic reception had been arranged in our honor. Mayor Lance Robison, the Lord High Sheriff xxxx and other city dignitaries were decked out in their robes of office. The Harvey Settler descendants were highly appreciative of the speech read by Mayor Robison where he commemorated the departure of the Harvey settlers aboard the Cornelius 170 years earlier. Harvey Settler descendant Tim Patterson provided a response to the mayor and read a letter of greeting from Mayor Winston Gamblin of Harvey. A social hour then commenced, which provided an opportunity for many to chat with the mayor and his colleagues and to view the array of historical posters that had been set up by Linda Bankier of the Berwick-Upon-Tweed records office. Following a group photograph taken by a reporter from the Berwick-Upon-Tweed Advertiser on the front steps of city hall a procession commenced, with the mayor and other dignitaries in the lead, down to the Berwick Upon Tweed quay where the plaque commemorating the settlers voyage was to be unveiled. The Cornelius actually departed from just across the Tweed River at Carr Rock in Tweedmouth as the vessel was too large to dock at the quayside. However, it was decided to put the plaque on the Berwick-Upon-Tweed side of the river as Carr Rock is now part of a Coast Guard wharf, which is not easily accessible to the public (see images of Carr Rock wharf below).
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The plaque was unveiled by Mayor Robison and Harvey settler descendant, 10 year old Kate Jardine (daughter of Nancy Robison) and reads:
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Emigrant Ships From Berwick
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Though Berwick was not a major emigration port a number of emigrant vessels departed from there for Canada early in the 19 th . century. Notable among them were two chartered by the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Land Company. The "D'Arcy" carried a party of Northumberland and Scottish Borders emigrants who settle in Stanley, New Brunswick in 1836. A second party went out in the "Cornelius" of Sunderland in 1837 and founded Harvey in New Brunswick.
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"They laid foundations deep and wide on which to build throughout the years."
Erected to mark the Harvey Settlers Reunion 2007.
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It was a moving moment for many as we stood on the quay much as our ancestors had done 170 years earlier. The difference of course being that they were making a great leap into the unknown, leaving their homeland and friends and relatives, whom most would never see again.
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Following the unveiling ceremony some reunionists toured around the streets of Berwick-Upon-Tweed for a while before heading back to Ford Castle for another hearty supper.
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At 7 PM were treated to a lecture on the Battle of Flodden Field by Flodden expert James Bell, author of "From Boroughmuir to Branxton Moor: The Story of Flodden". A lecture on this topic was entirely appropriate as it was at Ford Castle that James IV of Scotland cavorted all week with Lady Heron (instead of strategizing) prior to being killed along with the majority of Scottish nobility at the Battle of Flodden Field on 9 Sept. 1513 -- the battle site is just visible from the castle walls. The level of detail given by James Bell, provided a new understanding of this important event for those who visited the battlefield. In all likelihood nearly all of the reunionists had ancestors who were involved in the battle or were killed there including reunionists Elizabeth, Malcolm and Calder Patterson who are descendants of Lieutenant General Gillespie 'Archibald' Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyle, who was killed at the battle.
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Following the talk many reunionists retired to the lounge for a pint and a chance to socialize and discuss what had been a very eventful day.