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Bch 10. Thomas Hindmarsh 1869(?), Rothbury, Northumberland, Staffordshire
Lord Armstrong's residence - Cragside House

"Lord Armstrong's residence - Cragside House" - today.
 Thomas Hindmarsh, the ancestor mentioned in the title, was born - it is claimed - in 1869 and died in 1897.     He is believed to have lived in Rothbury all his life and his, father, Alexander before him.    Alexander was a Coachman Domestic (as described in the 1881 Census) and Thomas is reported as having been the coachman to Lord Armstrong of Cragside House, Rothbury, Northhumberland.    Set out below are a few details of Cragside House and Lord Armstrong to provide a setting for this Branch.

Cragside House is described as the "country retreat" of Lord Armstrong, one of the pioneers of the Industrial Revolution.     It is built on the bare and rugged hillside above Rothbury.     In the 1880's, it became one of the most modern and surprising houses for its time in the country. Its facilities included: hot and cold running water, central heating, fire alarms, telephones, a Turkish bath suite and a passenger lift - but most remarkable of

A Victorian Coach and team of four in full gallop

"A Victorian Coach and team of four in full gallop" - Circa 1850.
 all - it was the first house in the world to be lit by hydro-electricity.    At the time the house was described as 'The Palace of a Modern Magician' and is reputed to have been visited by Royalty.     It still contains its original contents and is an excellent example of late Victorian times and the advances that were being made.

William George Armstrong was born in 1810 in Shieldfield, Newcastle, the son of a corn merchant.     The development of his works from four buildings making hydraulic machinery to a 230 acre site producing steel, ships, munitions and hydraulic equipment with a workforce of over 20,000 was the pre-eminent industrial achievement of Victorian Tyneside.     Armstrong's own status and influence grew in parallel.     Following the

invention of the Armstrong Gun, he was made an engineer to the War Department and given the honour of a knighthood.     He was raised to the peerage in 1887 and spent his final years at his country retreat near Rothbury, dying in 1900.     His benefactions to the City included the Mechanics Institute, and a lecture hall at the Literary and Philosophical Society.     There is a statute of him outside the Hancock Museum, Newcastle which marks his achievement and financial support.

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