The Settlers Society

On a recent visit to Fountains Abbey near Ripon, I discovered an interesting connection with NE England through a temporary exhibition.  During the Great Depression, Commander Vyner of Studley Royal House arranged government funding to resettle boys from Tyneside & train them in rural trades on his estate.

Note the statement that unemployment was nearly 100% in South Tyneside

Tyneside boys outside their huts at Fountains Abbey - some remained in agriculture & in the area;
several became homesick, & as the war approached could return to Tyneside to work

There is more information about the Settlers Society & an appeal to relatives of the boys to get in touch

This is a non contemporary panel (the ships are from the 1960s) in the exhibition

Commander Vyner's Swarland resettling scheme from the 1930s

In the exhibition are letters from & recordings of Commander Vyner (whose voice is very reminiscent of former Tanfield & Alnwick Railways volunteer Kay Seymour-Walker).   The only connection I can see between the commander & NE England is through Barbours in South Shields, but he seems to have a taken a personal interest in tackling what he saw as the lethargy & indolence undermining a generation in NE England.