Living History North East

Home Sitemap Accessibility

Site Search

Latest News

Body find halts work on building

Bones of contention

News Archive

30/11/2006

Bones of contention

THE revamp of a historic Sunderland school has been put on hold forthesecond time following the discovery of more human bones. Now an appeal for financial aid has been launched to cover the cost of keeping the project on track. SARAH STONER finds out more.

PLANS to create the North’s first video and audio archive of historical memories were today hanging in the balance following the discovery of more human remains.

Wearside-based group Living History North East (LHNE) is ploughing £550,000 into transforming the 18th-century Donnison School into a Regional Oral History Centre.

But work has been repeatedly interrupted by the discovery of human bones in the grounds of the East End building and under its foundations.

It is believed the remains may have been buried in the churchyard of nearby Sunderland Old Parish Church in the 18th century – but further tests have yet to be carried out.

Project director Janette Hilton said: "It would appear the school has been built directly on top of the graveyard. "Modern-day practice requires human remains to be removed before any building is allowed, but 200 years ago there was obviously a different attitude towards the dead."

The first grisly discovery – of a human skeleton beneath the foundations of the school – was made last month, just days after workmen had moved onto the Church Walk site. Police threw a cordon around the area while investigations were carried out, but tests by a Home Office pathologist later revealed the remains to be over a century old.

"I was relieved to hear the bones were old, as my initial fears were that we could be dealing with a murder investigation," said Janette. "We were allowed to continue work after reburying the remains, but more bones were discovered a few days ago. "It was not a full skeleton this time, just several single bones. But they were only about 12 to 18 inches below the surface and all outside work has come to a halt since then."

The second discovery looks likely to cause a lengthy delay to the revamp, as an archaeologist will have to be brought on site as a legal – and expensive – requirement. It is believed the bones will be carbon dated, to determine their age, and it is also possible they will be analysed too, to find out what the person, or people, died from.

"At this stage we are not sure if the graveyard remains were ever removed from the site before the building was originally built," said Janette. "Consequently, this new discovery will extend the restoration project and push back the completion date as we are bound to follow the necessary legal protocols. "This will involve archaeologists assessing the site and, if needed, excavating. It was something we just didn’t plan or budget for at all."

The Grade II-listed Donnison School was set up in 1778, after a £1,500 bequest from wealthy Wearside widow Elizabeth Donnison to educate Sunderland’s poor girls. It was put up for sale, however, by the Church of England in 2001, after becoming surplus to requirements and LHNE volunteers used their own money to buy it.

Janette, a former history lecturer at Sunderland University, said: "It was our dream to establish a video archive for the North East and we realised The Donnison’s potential.

"Recording oral histories provides an opportunity to hear things otherwise hidden from history, but – to make it a success – we needed a permanent base like the school."

Members managed to raise the extra money needed to realise their dream from Back on the Map, Townscape Heritage Initiative and the One North East/Tyne and Wear Partnership.

But, just as the finishing touches were being made to restoration plans, fire ripped through the building in May 2002, destroying a listed fireplace and priceless fittings. The blaze was described as a "tragic setback" by Janette at the time; however the group battled on – only to find themselves thwarted by history itself once work got underway. "The bones are yet another piece of the school’s history unfolding," said Janette. "Unfortunately, it looks as if the remains will add quite a lot to the cost of the project.

"The bill for the archaeologist could be anything from £5-10,000 and then there is the cost of reburying of the bodies too, which could run into several thousand pounds.

"The worst case scenario could see another £40,000 added to our bill, as we would have to keep paying our contractors even if they couldn’t work because of the bones."

The group is now appealing for kind-hearted individuals and businesses to make a donation towards the cost, to keep the project on track.

"We would be very grateful indeed for any contribution. It was a completel unforeseen problem, one that we didn’t – and couldn’t – plan for at all," said Janette.

The Living History North East group was formed by volunteers ten years ago, to document the living memories of local people through taped interviews. More than 1,000 recordings have been made, which are stored on a Regional Oral History Database to preserve the details for the future. But The Donnison School, once work has finished, will provide a permanent base for the research, as well as state-of-the-art studios to record further memories too.

"This area has seen extraordinary changes in the past few years, but there’s no organisation dedicated just to this," said Janette. "The database is a valuable record of our changing environment through personal accounts. It provides a unique insight into the past and we want to keep expanding it."

The work of Living History North East has already won the support of historians and archivists around the region, including Tyne and Wear Archives Service.

Chief archivist Liz Rees said: "Their material is without comparison in this region in terms of its range, quality and significance; and indeed of note nationally.

"Tyne and Wear Archives Service considers it of great importance that LHNE is supported and encouraged in their development proposals." Plans for The Donnison include restoring the old school room, which will be used as a museum to teach children about school life in times past. A room in the adjoining cottage would be transformed into a digital archive and video editing suite and volunteers also hope to create a "historical garden" too.

"We believe it is important to document the experiences of ordinary people from the region who have lived through this changing century," said Janette. "Recording memories of an event allows us to capture a unique insight into recent history. It is a face-to-face encounter that is both revealing and often emotional."

Anyone willing to make a donation to the project can contact Janette on 564 1535. The NELH group is also appealing for anyone with any memories or mementoes of the building to get in touch.

Institution was a trailblazer for girls’ education.

THE East End workhouse once cast a gloomy shadow over the Donnison School – but within the walls it was a cheery place.

Elizabeth Green and her sister, Charlotte, were two of hundreds of girls to benefit from its high standards of education.

The pair, who were born at The Panns, enrolled at The Donnison in about 1892, following the death of theirshipwright father.

Elizabeth’s granddaughter Leila Clark, who lives in High Barnes, said: "Gran loved the school and her teacher, Mrs Thomas.

"She always used to talk to my sister Moira and I about her time there. She was nine when she started and Charlotte was seven.

"The girls took it in turns to keep the mistress’s house, which was the cottage attached to the school, clean and tidy. Gran loved doing that." The Grade II-listed building, which dates back to around 1768, was transformed into a Christian school for poor girls in 1778.

Elizabeth Donnison, the widow of a wealthy coal fitter, left £1,500 in her will to fund the project, with the Church overseeing the plans. It was a progressive idea for the time, as girls were usually sent to work at a young age, rather than encouraged to study.

Janette Hilton said: "All schools were voluntary from 1780 to 1870, but The Donnison was a great opportunity for young girls from poor families to receive an education.

"Their parents let them go to the school because, as well as learning to read and write, they were taught practical skills which would improve their employment chances."

Such was the level of care provided for girls that each pupil received a free full uniform at Christmas, more clothes in the summer, two pairs of boots a year and three meals a day. "Gran always said that she felt so proud in her uniform," said Leila. "If I remember correctly, it was a black dress, white pinafore, black boots and a straw hat. In winter, the girls wore a long black coat too."

The idea behind the school was to teach poor girls the practical skills they would need to make their own way in the world as an adult.

"Gran was taught sewing, knitting, reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as the principles of the Christian religion," said Leila.

"They even had a music teacher. Both my grandmother and her sister were beautiful singers.

"The older girls also helped out by teaching the younger ones, and Gran was no exception. She must have been a great help to Mrs Thomas, as she certainly taught Moira and I many skills.

"I remember our friends being envious of us for knitting scarves and gloves on four needles." Elizabeth went into service at a house in Croft Avenue after leaving school, drawing on the skills she learned at The Donnison. "She had an appetite for learning. She was an avid reader, which probably stemmed from school," said Leila.

"We took her back to see the school in her later years, which made her very happy. Sadly, it was the last time she ever went out."

Site Map
Access Keys [K]