Letter – Benjamin Johnson to Thomas Wentworth Beaumont – 22 Apr 1824

Mr Beaumont at Pall Mall         					April 22nd 1824

I am sorry to have to communicate to you the destruction of the farm building at Acomb yesterday by fire.  By great exertion we saved the dwelling house and a cottage but the barn stables sheds and cowhouses were all destroyed.  The fire originated from a spark of fire in removing some hot embers out of an oven falling in some dry straw which this communicated with the straw in the fold yard and instantly the whole in a blaze the wind blowing hard and no person except the women being at that time in the premises it gained such strong hold that there was no time to save two calves that were in one of the sheds.  The tenant ... has lost the greatest part of his implements of husbandry … the small engine we had at Bywell was of infinite use indeed without it the dwelling house and cottage could not have been saved.  This farmstead stands on the left as you rise the hill from Bywell on the road to Newcastle by way of Bearl.