32 pp. 6 b/w photos. 6 line drawings. Price £3.00.
First published May 1996. Out of print but still available at local outlets.
Whitley Castle, or Epiacum, lies on the Roman road known to us as the Maiden Way in Cumbria. The fort was an important administration centre for overseeing the region’s lead and silver industry. All that is known about this fort and its vicus is brought together in this small volume.
“... something of a Cinderella among Roman forts.” P.A.
“… this handy booklet should fill the gap nicely.” The Northumbrian
“… able summary of the importance of the site, and his splendid booklet .... are the clear jumping-off points for further research.” T.W.
44 pp. 15 b/w photos. 5 line drawings. Price £3.50. Published May 1997
(Out of print at present but a reprint will be issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary.)
At a coal mine south east of Brampton in Cumbria a roof collapse occurred and three men lost their lives, two of whom died in attempting to rescue their workmate. Information taken from the miners’ evidence and the inspector’s report from the government inquiry provide the main bases of information for this moving account.
“The story is well written and illustrated with photographs and plans.”
International Mining and Minerals, 1998.
“... written effectively to produce a straightforward yet dramatic account which tells the chief points of the tale easily and clearly.”
Cleveland Industrial Archaeology Society Newsletter, 1998
“It made fascinating reading ...” E.B.L.-T.
(ISBN 0-9547339-1-6)
96 pp. 37 b/w photos. 12 line drawings. Price £8.95 incl. p & p. First published 1998
The first account of Alston Moor to be written in over 100 years covers the time from the earliest evidence of man in the Bronze Age up to the end of the twentieth century. It records not only the lead mines for which Alston Moor is famous, but all aspects of its past.
“I have been re-reading A.R.’s excellent history of Alston ...” H.D.
“... may I congratulate you on your excellent book ‘A History of Alston Moor’. I found it both entertaining and informative.” M.V. W.
(ISBN 0-9547339-3-2)
68 pp. Price £4.20 incl. p&p. Published June 2000
After the publication of the Roachburn Disaster, the author was lent a diary that had been found in a tin box in a stream over fifty years ago. The diary gives a snapshot of life in north east Cumbria at the time. The man who kept the diary was a keen gardener, had a wide ranging social life and reported on his work down the pit, the Roachburn Pit.
“... carefully authenticated ... with contemporary items from local newspapers.”
Cumbria Family History Society, 2001
“’A Miner’s Diary’, which we enjoyed very much.” M.F.
(ISBN 0-9547339-0-8)
79 pp. 9 b/w photos, 5 maps, other illustrations & tables. Price £8.95 incl. p& p. Pub. 2004
Research for this book was the result of a project to restore the Jacob Walton Memorial in Alston. The memorial was unveiled in July 2004, the 140th anniversary of its original inauguration.
“In the run-up to the reappearance of the memorial, an excellent book … has been written by Alastair Robertson …” Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
“… studies the Walton family’s involvement in the lead industry over five generations. They were partners in several mines, holding shares in many more, and also owned two smelt mills.” Durham, Town & County
“It is the story of an industrial dynasty, of men whose enterprise and energy shaped the futures of whole communities in the Pennines. His book will serve as a memorial to a man and a family that played a pivotal role in the history of Alston.” Cumberland News
“Alastair Robertson’s book is an excellent record of a key part of the North Pennines story, and breathes life back into those once bustling villages and small communities in the North Pennines.” Hexham Courant
6. OUTWARD BOUND, MY DIARY BEGUN ON LEAVING FOR AUSTRALIA,
JUNE 18TH, 1912
(ISBN 0-9547339-2-4)
56 pp. 9 b/w photos. Price £4.95, incl. p & p. In association
with Alston Moor Historical Society. Published November 2002.
We might read of circumstances in the old country that led to emigration,
or of life in the new land, but the bit in-between, the voyage, the migration
itself, is not often told. In June 1912, Thomas Spark and his family left
the North Pennine village of Garrigill for a new life in Western Australia.
His third daughter, Edith, aged 22, kept a diary of their voyage aboard
the emigrant ship, ‘The Ajana’.
“In the course of the 5½-week voyage, Edith wrote a diary, which
has now been published in book form and provides a fascinating record
of the Spark’s great adventure, life aboard a purpose-built emigrant ship,
and some of the rather dubious characters who accompanied them.” Cumberland
and Westmorland Herald
“These sort of diaries are just so interesting as to conditions in the
early part of the last century and the rigours of emigrating to a new
country. It will be an interesting addition to our collection and you
are to be congratulated on the quality of the production. Thank you once
again for doing this for us.” Battye Library, State Library of Western
Australia
Hundy Publications, Ashleigh House, Nenthead Road, Alston, Cumbria, CA9 3SN
as well as local retail outlets.