Dent's Hole on the River Tyne
Near the present St Peter's Basin Marina
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Dent's Hole was a small fishing hamlet on the north bank of the River Tyne just west
of the present St. Peter's Basin Marina. It was named after:
- (a) the Dent
Family, who in the early party of the nineteenth century held a third of
the manor of Byker; they lived at the old Manor House, which was situated
on Byker Hill,
- and
- (b) a deep hole in the river which enabled larger vessels
to approach the shore at that point.
Dent's Hole was part of Byker and found to the south east of Newcastle,
immediately east of St. Peter's. It is shown on the Ordnance Survey map of
1859, but disappeared before the 1895 map, due to the building of the
railway. On both maps there is a ferry across to Friars Goose, Felling.
Dent's Hole is mentioned in Charleton's "Newcastle Town".
The following passage mentions an "old Mr Emmet" who was probably one of our ancestors.
"...the whalers are seen no more at Dent's Hole; but
the salmon fishery is still carried on there. At the
east end of the village, if village it can now be called, is the house of Mr Emmet,
who owns the ancient fishery. On poles in front we
see his nets hanging up to dry, and by the shore his
boats lie afloat in the season, ready to be launched
at the proper time of the tide for fishing. The time
arrived - that is, when the tide is nearly at its
lowest - you will see the veteran fisher come forth
in his shirt sleeves, wearing a long hat, and with a
long pipe in his mouth. a group of assistants will
gather round him, and the boats will be pushed off
into the stream, the nets, which are piled on
the partly covered-in stern, paying themselves out as
the boat progresses. One end of the net is left on
shore, and the vigorous strokes of the old man soon
brings back the boat (to which the other end is
attached), after describing a half circle, to the
shore. Then both ends of the net are drawn in, and
slowly the bag approaches and is drawn on shore, and
if we are, or rather, if Mr. Emmet is lucky, we may
see two or perhaps three or four silvery-sided fish
struggling in the meshes. Other boats have
meanwhile been pursuing the same tactics; no time is
lost, for the golden opportnity only lasts until a
short time after the turn of the tide."
© Charleton's Newcastle.
To buy this fascinating history of Newcastle upon Tyne follow link below.
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© Emmett Family 2005. Site created by Pentalpha Web Design.
St Peter's Basin Marina, Newcastle - near the site of the former village of Dent's Hole on the Tyne.
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Many of the Emmetts worked on the Tyne, originally as salmon fishers and then, when the fish died out, as wherrymen. Wherries carried coal and other goods to cargo ships. Find out more about wherries at Les Carter's "Unofficial" Beamish Museum webpage.
Christopher Emmett, grandfather to the Emmetts of Mindrum Terrace, worked for the Elswick Lead Company as a wherryman. Family tradition has it that he never missed a tide. Numerous branches of the Emmett family lived in and around Dent's Hole and later Byker/St. Anthonys. Read the newspaper report on the BlueBell Inn page for more information.
;)
Dent's Hole was a small fishing hamlet on the north bank of the River Tyne just west
of the present St. Peter's Basin Marina. It was named after:;)