Humshaugh () is a parish near
Hexham in
Northumberland
Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...
, England. The village had a population of 622 in the
2011 census, and is just north of
Chollerford, which is located near Chesters Fort (
Cilurnum) on
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall (, also known as the ''Roman Wall'', Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Aelium'' in Latin) is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Roman Britain, Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. Ru ...
and is about 21 miles west of
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...
. The village of Humshaugh lies just off the military road running from Newcastle to
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England.
Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
which was built by
General Wade during the
1745 Jacobite rebellion. Other nearby villages include
Low Brunton and
Walwick. Humshaugh is usually pronounced Humz-hoff, although some genuine locals have been heard calling it Humz-haff.
The paper mill near Humshaugh, on the
River North Tyne close to
Barrasford, among other mills in various rural locations around England, was used during the
Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
to make the paper that was used to print fake French money in a bid to flood France with the forged notes, which was intended to cause a marked
devaluation of the currency.
It is also attributed as the site of the first official
Scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
** Scouts BSA, sect ...
camp in August 1908, a year after the more famous
experimental camp on
Brownsea Island.
Etymology
The name is recorded in 1279 as "Hounshale" and seems to come from
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
''Hūnes halh'' = "Hūn's nook of land".
Scouting
;First official Scout camp
While Brownsea Island was the site of the experimental camp run by Baden-Powell in 1907, Humshaugh hosted what is recognised as the first official Scout camp from 22 August to 4 September 1908. The difference between the two camps is that the 1907 event was not attended by any invested members of Scouting, since there was no movement at the time. The Humshaugh camp had 30 invested
Boy Scouts from around the United Kingdom who were members of recognised Scout Troops who followed the Scout Method and Scout Law as developed by Baden-Powell and published in his ''
Scouting for Boys''.
Humshaugh was a large parish, before sub division, and the Scouts took the train to
Chollerford, the nearest station to Humshaugh, and walked up through Walwick and the woods to the site, which is known as Look Wide! The site is on land belonging to Park Shields Farm (grid reference NY 885 697), near to
Fourstones, and is now marked by a cairn commemorating the event.
Governance
An
electoral ward in the same name exists. This ward stretches north almost to
Bellingham and south almost to
Acomb with a total population taken at the 2011 census of 4,568.
Education
It is in the catchment area for
Queen Elizabeth High School, Hexham.
Famous residents
Eric Boswell, composer of the Christmas song "
Little Donkey" and many other popular and folk songs, lived in Humshaugh from 1985 to 2009 and often played organ for services at St Peter's Church.
Kevin Whately, actor famous for playing
Lewis, grew up in Humshaugh.
See also
References
External links
Northumberland Communities
{{authority control
Baden-Powell Scouts' Association
The Scout Association
Villages in Northumberland