North Northumberland Research Articles

Comparing the Size at Onset of Sexual Maturity of Edible Crab (Cancer pagurus, Cancridae) in Berwickshire and Northumberland

The literature suggests regional variations in the size at which sexual maturity is reached for commercially important edible crab (Cancer pagurus), worth GBP 74.3 million annually, which could have implications for regional fisheries management. Berwickshire and Northumberland are geographically divided by the Scotland and England border and remain within the Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast SAC (Special Area of Conservation). Each are managed by differing fisheries authorities and Minimum Conservation Reference Sizes (MCRS). Morphometric measurements were recorded for each C. pagurus individual to categorise morphometric maturity using segmented regression, with gonadal maturity categorised using visual gonad characteristics and general linear model regressions to compare onset in sexual maturity. Results showed regional variations for gonadal maturity with males reaching sexual onset at a carapace width size of 108.5 mm in Berwickshire and 109.9 mm in Northumberland; females at a size of 126.8 mm in Berwickshire and 120.8 mm in Northumberland. This was also true for morphometric maturity based on chelae height, that males (141.1 mm) and females (134.7 mm) from Berwickshire were morphometrically mature at greater sizes than males (130.1 mm) and females (120.8 mm) from Northumberland. This study shows that the respective MCRS in both regions are appropriate for the C. pagurus populations, but implications for fisheries management could be present.

A revised hydrogeological conceptual model of the Fell Sandstone aquifer, Northumberland and its impact on the interpretation of long-term nitrate trends

Northumbrian Water abstract groundwater from the Fell Sandstone Formation (part of the Carboniferous Border Group) in north Northumberland, which is a groundwater-only water resource zone providing drinking water to Berwick-upon-Tweed and the surrounding area. Groundwater in observation and abstraction boreholes shows significant rising nitrate levels derived from agricultural land use, and are predicted to have an impact on groundwater quality by 2030. Northumbrian Water policy is to use catchment management techniques to mitigate rising nitrate levels through influencing land-use practices and reducing nitrate concentration in groundwater recharge. This paper demonstrates how a detailed geological and hydrogeological understanding of the area has been used to identify specific areas where appropriate catchment management techniques may be most effectively applied. Northumbrian Water and the Environment Agency jointly funded the British Geological Survey to develop a numerical groundwater model of the Fell Sandstone aquifer and to undertake a review of the geology of the Fell Sandstone Formation as part of a Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP). Combining the results of these two studies, supported by spatial and temporal field measurements of groundwater nitrate levels, an improved understanding of the potential fate and transport of nitrate in the Fell Sandstone aquifer has emerged. This allows a better prediction of the spatial and temporal impacts of nitrate losses from the soil zone to the aquifer in support of a catchment management approach to mitigating rising nitrate levels. Thematic collection: This article is part of the Hydrogeology of Sandstone collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/hydrogeology-of-sandstone

The lugworm fishery in Northumberland, UK: Bait digging impacts in a marine protected area

Robust evidence of fisheries impacts is required to support evidence-based management. Intertidal fisheries have received considerably less attention to date compared to inshore and offshore counterparts. The need for additional intertidal data and assessment has been identified for protected sites under UK legislation (i.e., the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs ‘revised approach to commercial fisheries’). Digging for Arenicola spp. is carried out both recreationally and commercially within the Berwickshire and North Northumberland Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a Marine Protected Area (MPA) along the northeast coast of England. This study investigated the impacts of such activities, comparing sites across a gradient of fishing pressure (none, low, high), in combination with small scale experimental disturbances (simulated digging and lugworm exclusion) at an unfished site. Fishing pressure gradient studies indicated no long-term impacts on the target species, as no significant differences were detected between sites. This suggests that current collection intensities are not reducing or altering targeted lugworm populations. However, finer scale experimental work revealed significant negative impacts upon the wider sediment communities in the short term, which was mirrored in the longer-term, fisheries scale gradient site comparisons. Reductions in total infaunal abundance and taxonomic richness and altered community structures were observed. Recovery within experimental plots was rapid (within a few months), suggesting that under similar conditions, sites have the potential for substantial recovery if disturbance is ceased. The observed alterations to infaunal communities could have ecosystem wide implications, with altered functional diversity and ecosystem processes that are not compatible with the conservation objectives or designations of the study site. Additional management measures such as further closed areas or seasonal closures to bait digging would allow for recovery and restoring sites.

Create Aspire Transform: How can Creative Professional Development (CPD) support Creative Cultural Learning in schools?

AbstractBetween 2018 and 2020, eight teachers were involved in a two‐year programme of visual‐arts focused Creative Professional Development (CPD), delivered in partnership by the organisation Berwick Visual Arts (BVA) and Northumbria University. The overall challenge was to increase cultural leadership; with broader aims to engage North Northumberland schools with BVA and to identify and understand the value of cultural engagement by creating specific artist‐led programmes for teaching and learning. Contributing new insight into teacher learning, along with fresh understanding of the challenges schools face in relation to engagement with cultural learning activities, the research informing this article draws upon individual perspectives during which the provision of cultural learning within Berwick primary settings is explored. Data was collected over a two‐year period, from five CPD sessions, along with action research, a focus group and semi‐structured interviews with the participating teachers. This article includes extracts taken from the teachers’ reflections; these give insight into the programme’s impact and highlight the importance of confidence, along with the barriers that make cultural learning difficult to embed across schools. Their reflections reveal heightened confidence as a result of the CPD along with positive impact for pupils and the wider school community. The article concludes with recognition of the potential of the cultural sector to broker opportunities and to work closely with school leadership to develop approaches that align with curriculum and Ofsted priorities, along with suggestions for future support and best practice that can also be applied in a wider context.

Regularly-spaced grooves on shore platforms in north Northumberland, UK

Unusual regularly-spaced grooves are found between low water mark (LWM) and high water mark (HWM) on several shore platforms in north Northumberland. References in the literature are sparse, so data were collected to establish the nature of the grooves and to elucidate the processes that might have formed them. Groove formation is confined to strata with widely spaced bedding planes on shore platforms dipping at no more than 5° towards the sea. The grooves are symmetrical, bifurcation is common and grooves on sandstones are deeper and more sinuous than those on limestones. Grooves at mid-tide levels are wider than grooves near LWM and HWM and the trend of the grooves is not related to joint trends. The process that has formed the characteristically smooth surfaces of the grooves is considered to be abrasion by sand and pebbles carried by waves in the surf zone of the shore platform. The width of the grooves is remarkably regular, and it is suggested that this may be due to the effects of the increase in incident wave energy given by edge waves.

Spatially modelling the suitability, sensitivity, and vulnerability of data poor fisheries with GIS: A case study of the Northumberland lugworm fishery

Data on fishers' spatial distribution are vital, driven by a requirement for evidence-based management, and the trend towards Marine Spatial Planning. Intertidal fisheries have received considerably less attention from managers and scientists, compared to inshore and offshore counterparts to date. The need for additional intertidal fisheries data to inform management, specifically within European Marine Sites, has been identified. The purpose of this study is to map the spatial distribution of the data-poor Northumberland lugworm fishery, relating this to the sensitive features, habitats, and species present within the Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast European Marine Site (BNNC EMS), ultimately mapping the vulnerability of areas to lugworm bait digging. Suitability, sensitivity, and vulnerability to the lugworm fishery were spatially modelled using cost-effective methodologies. Weighted Linear Combination models were created using both collated (e.g. sediment type, conservation designations) and collected data (e.g. lugworm density and size). Data processing was undertaken in GIS, and criteria weightings were assigned from expert interviews. Model outputs revealed the most intensely harvested sites (most suitable), the areas which contained the most sensitive habitats or species (most sensitive), and the sites which were most likely to be impacted by the lugworm fishery (most vulnerable). Extant spatial management measures within the BNNC EMS (e.g. byelaws) were found to encompass the majority of the most vulnerable areas identified, with exceptions highlighted for marine managers. There is scope for methods to be developed further, for additional intertidal fisheries and localities, as a useful management tool where spatial data are lacking.

Assessing the contribution of integrated geoarchaeological approaches to understand the formation and function of burnt mounds: the example of Hoppenwood Bank, North Northumberland

ABSTRACT Burnt mounds are detrital mounds of fire-cracked rock and charcoal, deposited as the result of a prehistoric process for heating water. They are the most numerous prehistoric monument found across Britain and Ireland and have traditionally been difficult to study due to their apparent homogeneity and lack of distinguishing features. This study seeks to change the discussion surrounding burnt mounds and evaluates a large early- to mid-Bronze Age burnt mound at Hoppenwood Bank in Northumberland using an integrated microarchaeological methodology, the contribution of which is assessed. A combination of micromorphology and silicic microfossil analyses indicates that these deposits are complex and multifaceted, showing variability in their depositional sequences, microcomponents, and taphonomy. The identification of hiatuses in deposition and desiccation of surfaces beneath the burnt mound indicate that the accumulation of material may have been periodic or seasonal, and dating suggests that sequential deposition may have spanned 500–700 years. Taphonomic issues identified at the microscale highlight concerns for the interpretation of microfossils. This paper considers the implications of these observations and argues that burnt mounds should be viewed as caches of environmental and sediment-based data, indicative of sequences within landscape use-patterns and human-environment interactions.

Numbers and distribution of Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix males in England: results from the fourth survey in 2014

Capsule A survey in 2014 of male Black Grouse in England showed a continuation of declines in North Northumberland and increases in the North Pennines and Yorkshire Dales.Aims To survey the abundance and range of Black Grouse males in northern England.Methods Males attending leks were surveyed in spring 2014 and numbers compared with previous surveys in 1998, 2002 and 2006.Results Abundance increased from 773 males in 1998 to 1437 in 2014 and range from 74 occupied 5 × 5-km grid squares in 1998 to 108 in 2014.Conclusion Whilst numbers and range of Black Grouse in England have increased overall, the species has practically disappeared from North Northumberland, causing a 34 km gap to develop in the range, potentially preventing interchange between the English and Scottish populations.

Access to care services for rural dwellers with idiopathic Parkinson's disease

Background and aims: This study aimed to assess the care use of people with Parkinson's disease (PD) living in North Northumberland a mostly rural area of the UK. Methods: during a single home visit, 106 people with PD identified by a prevalence study were invited to complete a questionnaire and semi-structured interview, providing demographic information and details of care services currently used. Results: 75 people agreed to participate. Ten patients (13.3%) were living in institutional care, representing 1.8% of the total nursing and residential care population in the study area. Of the 65 patients living in their own homes, 18 (27.7%) had domestic home care services provided and 17 (26.2%) used personal home care services. Conclusions: Living in a rural area appeared to be no hindrance to accessing care services when they were required.

Towards Synthesis: Research and Discovery in Neolithic North-East England

The Tweed Valley and its tributaries, and particularly the Milfield Basin in north Northumberland, is an area of strategic significance in the geography of the British Isles and it hosts a rich and varied multi-period archaeological and palaeoenvironmental record. This paper summarises some of the key findings for the Neolithic resulting from a long-term and in-depth landscape research project and provides a new chronological sequence for the Neolithic of the region.Attention is drawn to the discovery of what appears to be a new type of Neolithic structure associated with settlement activity hitherto unrecognised in Britain: post-built timber buildings based on a triangular arrangement of timbers. The paper then turns to a consideration of subsistence and land-use practices and the evidence for cereal agriculture from the immediate outset of the Neolithic in the region. Since 1999 many more radiocarbon measurements have become available for Neolithic activity in the area and, together with those obtained before 1999, have been recalibrated and subjected to Bayesian modelling to produce more precise estimates for Neolithic activity. Important findings include the provision of a more robust estimate for dating the onset of the Neolithic in the region, as well as establishing a chronological framework for the Neolithic–Beaker period ceramic sequence. It also reveals that the current dating available for the henge monuments indicates that this ritual complex most likely dates to the Beaker period and not to the Neolithic proper as they do in some other parts of Britain. Truly ‘Neolithic’ ceremonial monuments in the Milfield Basin remain elusive and few of the potential sites that have so far been identified have yet to be tested by excavation and scientific dating. A clear zoning of rock art is apparent, with hundreds of sites all clustered on the Fellsandstone escarpment, while a variety of Neolithic burial types is attested suggesting the region formed a meeting ground for different cultural influences.

Achieving change in the Cheviots

Liam Benison met members of the North Northumberland Practice Nurse Forum in October. They spoke to him about improving practice south of the Scottish border

The prevalence of Parkinson’s disease in a rural area of North-East England

Aims and Objectives We have previously reported the age-adjusted prevalence of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD) in North Tyneside, an urban area of North-East England, as 139 cases (95% CI 116 to 162) per 100,000. The aim of this study was to report the prevalence of idiopathic PD in a rural area of North-East England. Methods The same case-finding methodology as that employed in North Tyneside was used to identify cases of PD in an area of North Northumberland with a population of 59,613 at the 2001 UK census. All GPs in the study area were asked to provide details of patients registered with their service that may have PD or were on PD medication. Furthermore, all patients registered with the local PD service or under the care of a consultant neurologist or other relevant secondary care specialist were considered for inclusion. Inclusion in the study required fulfilment of the UK Brain Bank criteria. Results One-hundred-and-six cases were identified (50 women and 56 men), giving crude and age-adjusted prevalence estimates of 178 cases (95% CI 144 to 212) and 142 cases (95% CI 118 to 165) per 100,000 respectively. The age-adjusted prevalence rate within our rural study area was remarkably similar to that seen in other urban UK studies. Only 71 cases (67.0%) were identified through GP records. Conclusions The prevalence of PD rural and urban areas of North-East England is remarkably similar.

Current status and recent trends in numbers and distribution of Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix in northern England

Capsule Surveys of Black Grouse in northern England in 1998, 2002 and 2006 show population recovery in the form of increases in both numbers and range. Aims To quantify the population size and range of Black Grouse in northern England. Methods Male black grouse attending leks were surveyed in 1998, 2002 and 2006. These results were put in context with a longer-term trend in northern England, using annual counts from a non-random sample of leks in the North Pennines between 1989 and 2006. Results Numbers of males increased from 773 in 1998 to 1029 in 2006. Range increased from 74 occupied 5-km grid squares in 1998 to 93 in 2006. Conclusion The English Black Grouse population is increasing in both numbers and range, but has become fragmented into two subpopulations, one in North Northumberland, the other in the North Pennines.

Sense of place in Northern England

This paper presents a summary of work undertaken by the authors as a contribution towards the International Centre for the Uplands Sense of Place project. The aims of this action research project are to identify if, and how, elements in the cultural landscape of upland Northern England (focusing on the three LEADER+ areas: Fells and Dales (Cumbria), North Pennines and North Northumberland) might contribute to community sustainability.

Holocene isostasy and relative sea-level changes on the east coast of England

Abstract Analysis of sea-level data from the east coast of England identifies local-scale and regional scale factors to explain spatial and temporal variations in the altitude of Holocene sea-level index points. The isostatic effect of the glacial rebound process, including both the ice (glacio-isostatic) and water (hydro-isostatic) load contributions, explains regionalscale differences between eight areas: c. 20 m range at 8 cal. ka bp and by 4 cal. ka bp relative sea-level in Northumberland was above present, whereas in areas to the south relative sea level has been below present throughout the Holocene. Estimates for pre-industrial relative sea-level change range from 1.04 ± 0.12 mm a −1 in the Fenland to −1.30 ± 0.68 mm a −1 (i.e. sea-level fall) in north Northumberland, although this may overestimate the current rate of sea-level fall. Isostatic effects will produce similar relative differences in rates of sea-level change through the twenty-first century. The data agree closely with the patterns predicted by glacio- and hydro-isostatic models, but small systematic differences along the east coast await testing against new ice models. Local scale processes identified include differential isostatic effects within the Humber Estuary and the Fenland, tide range changes during the Holocene, and the effects of sediment consolidation. These processes help explain the variation in altitude between sea-level reconstructions derived from index points taken from basal peats and those from peats intercalated within thick sequences of Holocene sediments.

The Role of Habitat Enhancement in the Return of the European Otter (Lutra lutra) to Northumberland

ABSTRACTRiparian habitat enhancement, or ‘haven’ creation, is considered to be the best way to facilitate the return of the UK's otter population to its former status. Using map and statistical analysis, results of Northumberland county otter surveys and the habitat improvements implemented by the North Northumberland Otter Project are examined and relationships between the two are identified. A statistically significant increase in the incidence of positive survey sites was identified between 1991 and 1995, and this increase was statistically related spatially to the creation of otter havens.

Origin of the ‘Berwick Monocline’: geometrical and geophysical considerations

Synopsis Analysis of minor fold vergence and thrust directions in Carboniferous strata at Sea House, north Northumberland, has revealed the synclinal member of a major monoclinal fold pair and thus established the easterly vergence of the southern sector of the Berwick monoclinal disturbance or ‘Berwick Monocline’, a discrete NNW-SSE structure on the western shore of the North Sea. The most intense deformation within the Berwick structure is found in its central sector, where displacement on the steep east-directed Boundary reverse fault is about 0.5 km; the footwall is, however, almost undeformed, and extends offshore as the Marshall Meadows flat zone. The Berwick disturbance as a whole is arcuate in plan, the concave side facing east. The association of a weak gravity anomaly low with higher amplitude aeromagnetic anomalies over the Marshall Meadows flat zone is explained by postulating a concealed anomalous basement massif, the Marshall Meadows block, in which a low density, possibly granitoid core is associated with a locally more strongly magnetized margin. The marked attenuation of Dinantian strata in the Marshall Meadows flat zone is consistent with lower density and consequent positive buoyancy of the underlying Marshall Meadows block as compared with adjacent basement. A few tens of kilometres south of the Berwick ‘Monocline’, between Holburn and Lemmington, the Carboniferous cover rocks are affected by a pair of monoclinal structures. Their combined geometrical relationship (location, trend, extent, vergence and arcuate form) t o the adjacent granite-cored Cheviot block is comparable with the relationship of the Berwick structure to the postulated Marshall Meadows block. It is suggested that during regional east-west shortening the Berwick and Holburn/Lemmington structures formed in response to contrasts in the Caledonian basement between the stronger, less dense igneous rocks of the Cheviot and postulated Marshall Meadows blocks, and the adjacent weaker, denser Silurian shale and greywacke host rocks.

Palynological evidence for the early Namurian age of the “Millstone Grit” and Upper Limestone Group around Longhoughton Steel, Northumberland

SUMMARY Palynological assemblages are recorded from the Upper Limestone Group and “Millstone Grit” around Longhoughton Steel and Seaton Point, near Alnwick, north Northumberland. Miospore assemblages from below the Sugar Sands Limestone of the Upper Limestone Group are assigned to the Stenozonotriletes triangulus — Rotaspora knoxi (TK) Zone, and those from the Upper Foxton Limestone and “Millstone Grit” to the Lycospora subtriquetra — Kraeuselisporites ornatus (SO) Zone. Correlation of the zones with Namurian stages suggests an Arnsbergian age for the Upper Limestone Group, and a latest Arnsbergian or earliest Chokierian age for the “Millstone Grit”. One new miospore genus, Corrugitriletes gen. nov., type species C. radiatus sp. nov., is described and the circumscriptions of some of the taxa recorded are commented upon.

The End of Victorian Values? Women, Religion, and the Death of Queen Victoria

In the evening of Tuesday 22 January 1901 Queen Victoria died at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. At the other end of England, the Mothers’ Union branch at Embleton, on the coast of north Northumberland, was listening to a magic-lantern lecture about ‘Mothers in Many Lands’. The report of that meeting provides a touching cameo of that last hour of the Victorian age:

The Beamish Collection and Photographic Archive

The North of England open air museum is situated at Beamish, about five miles from Chester-le-Street, in the heart of the Durham coal field. For the student of labour history travelling to Beamish, the names of the towns and villages around are magic, synonymous with pit life and struggle, evocative of hardship and heroism, filling the mind with folk tales of Tommy Hepburn, Martin Jude and poor Jobling. This is the land of Shields and Jarrow, Follingsby and Wardley. If you live your history, you must hear again the tramp of pit boots over the town moor, the rasping sounds of silver and brass and see with your inner eye the silken ripple of the lodge banners as you journey to the former home of the Shaftos. The museum occupies a 200-acre site of rolling and wooded countryside, beneath which lay a great mineral wealth, long since ripped from the earth. Iron, lead and coal were ruthlessly hacked out to help build the ships, make the railways and create the bloody, raw and red history of North East industrial capitalism. The wish to recreate and recapture the recent past (1850 to the present day) of 'Geordie' life in all its aspects inspired Frank Atkinson, the dedicated founder and present museum director, to create Britain's first open air museum. Mooted in 1958, it took twelve years to acquire the Beamish estate as a permanent home, the purchase finally being made by the Durham County Council. Frank Atkinson's own records of local historical objects formed a basis for the museum's acquisitions from 1960, and it was first opened to the public for an introductory exhibition in 1971. It is now one of the most exciting preservation ventures in this country. Jointly owned by the four North Eastern County Councils, Cleveland, Durham, Northumberland, and Tyne and Wear, it is well on the way to becoming financially self-supporting. Last year 221,240 visitors brought in over ?160,000. This is not a static museum in any sense of the word. Beamish moves, lives, grows, loved and cared for by enthusiastic staff and a multitude of voluntary helpers, the 'Friends of Beamish'. The scale of the museum is life size, but it is a full life, for Atkinson refuses nothing connected with life in the North East. Here you will find 'Tiny Tim', a hammer weighing seventy tons. Nearby, a steam navvy built by Ruston Bucyrus weighs in at one hundred tons and dwarfs 'The Astonisher', a maroon and gold painted steam roller by John Fowler of Leeds, a machine of nostalgic beauty that would mist the eyes of John Betjeman. There is a reconstructed Victorian colliery using buildings and engines from worked-out mines. The winding engine is dated 1855 and the boilers to supply steam for all the various engines came