The Bible and the Teesdale Mercury
The Bible
Who?
Miners and their families. Respectable people in all levels of society.
Why?
Religion was an important part of people’s lives. At a time when life was short and hard, the idea of a better life in the hereafter must have given comfort and hope. The Methodist Church was very strong in the North Pennines and many miners were lay preachers. Ordinary working people didn’t own books, other than the Bible. The mine owners wouldn’t employ men who couldn’t read, so all the miners had enough education to read the Bible.
What?
As well as reading the Bible, the men would also discuss its teachings as they sat round the fire in the lodging shop.
Where?
The Bible would be read at home, in the lodging shop, in Chapel every Sunday and at Sunday School.
When?
In the evenings, when they had spare time.
How?
The Bible stories would be read again and again. Many of the miners who were interested in religion must have known the stories off by heart and could quote extensively from the Bible.
The Teesdale Mercury
Who?
Miners, farmers and any members of the general public who could afford to spend a penny a week on a luxury. The paper was probably passed on to others when everyone in the family had read it.
Why?
The local paper was an important source of information in an age where there was no radio or television and national daily papers were not readily available.
What?
The paper carried local, national and international news. There were a lot of advertisements especially for patent medicines. There were also advertisements for shipping companies who carried people to America where they were promised a new life in a land of opportunity. The Births, Marriages and Deaths columns would have been of particular interest to people in the Dale.
Where?
The paper was read throughout Teesdale, either at home or in a local reading room. These reading rooms were sometimes sponsored by the local gentry or by the mine owners.
When?
The paper was a weekly edition distributed every Wednesday. Working miners who were at the mine all week would probably see it when they came home for the weekend.
How?
The paper would be type set by hand, using lead type. It would be distributed to the villages by horse and cart.