Photography and trespassing...
We resolved to try and photograph as many of the places as we could which had links to the family research and the places mentioned in Catching the Eagle.
As Robbie Burns would say: The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley,...'
The first problem came at the beautiful North Carter Moor Farmhouse, the birthplace of Jamie Charlton and the home of three generations of his family (1720 - 1817.) North Carter Moor is not easy to find and it is guarded by a herd of extremely curious young cows, who clearly wanted to play with me as I scurried out of the car to open and close the gate. Chris, being the perfect gentleman, steadfastly remained in the driver's seat. Armed with a copy of the family tree as proof that we were not there to case the joint (well, you never can tell with us Charltons, can you?) I knocked on the farm door to ask if we could take a few pictures of our family's 18th century home. Sadly, no one was in.
The full inscription reads: 'Sacred to the memory of Jane Nimmo who died April 22nd 1841 aged 42 years.'
This lady had to be related to Priscilla (Cilla) Charlton in some way. Nimmo was her maiden name and Nimmos were as rare in that part of Northumberland as a teetotal Charlton. More research beckons, methinks...
All in all, a very enjoyable day out in Ponteland - and if we can avoid being sued by the owners of North Carter Moor, then I think we can class it as a success!