Barbary Coasters

[Mike Stanley]

[QUOTE=Rob Will;399721]I've read that the residents of Sunderland were once known as "Barbary Coasters".

I know that in the 19th century Sunderland was a major port / ship building facility, and that many of the ships from there served the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The original Barbary Coast was the Mediterranean shore of Africa. Is this where the term for Sunderland residents originated, or is there another explanation?

There was a "Barbary Coast" in San Francisco at one time.
I never heard of one in the UK seaports but it was possibly a term used by locals mostly.
I was in Wiesbaden Germany visiting friends in 89. We went out drinking one evening in the pub and night club district there. My friends all called it "The Bermuda Triange" because some went in and didnt come out.

The Barbary Corairs and were still active into the early 19th century and Slavery was also their money earner. Mostly Mediteranean fishermen taken as slaves but they roamed as far as Cornwall at one time. Estimated to be a million Europeans in slavery there about 1800. So the place and its Galleys was to be avoided.

WIKI

The Barbary Coast was a San Francisco red-light district during the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Barbary Coast was born during the California Gold Rush of 1849, when the population of San Francisco was growing at an exponential rate due to the rapid influx of tens of thousands of miners trying to find gold. The early decades of the Barbary Coast were marred by persistent lawlessness, gambling, administrative graft, vigilante justice, and prostitution;[2] however with the passage of time, the city's government gained strength and competence, and the Barbary Coast's maturing entertainment scene of dance halls and jazz clubs influenced American culture.[3] The Barbary Coast's century-long evolution passed through many substantial incarnations due to the city's rapid cultural development during the transition to the 20th century. Its former location now is overlapped by Chinatown, North Beach, and Jackson Square.

[j.sabourn]

When I referred to the Barbary Coast and Cairns FNQ it was probably only among seamen who referred to it as such, maybe only the ones of the particular ship I was on. Chinatown is more better known among all including the shore community as most parts of the world have one , even Japan in most of their city’s where the honky tonks are situated. Even Sydney NSW has an official Chinatown. I’ve only heard those from Sunderland called Makum and Takums. But I’m not from Sunderland. We all listen to our elders when growing up and I learned to believe that a Cockney was a Londoner who was born within the sound of Bow Bells, a Geordie came from the question supposedly asked by the Kings army when proceeding to the border areas of Northumberland .” Are you for Charles or George , a raging argument at the time. Other people may have different answers to different other authentic answers . The past is always intriguing for an enquiring mind , Cheers JS.

[Donald Young]

Hello--living in ryton and serving my apprenticeship at vickers armstrongs--my twin brother david at michell bearings--i am very familiar with scotswood road pub locations.
The molders in the steel foundry end would send their apprentices over to the pubs to fill the tea cans with beer on the lunch break.
Also a number of wives picked up the pay packets to prevent the pubs being the recipient of the family budget.
Last visit to the tyne all the factories were gone--your article brought back many memories--thanks --don.

[happy daze john in oz]

As a young lad visiting my GGF in Sunderland just after the war, I can still see the ship building yards now sadly gone by all accoiunts.
What a wonderful part of the country was the Newcastle, Shields, Sunderland region then.
All a hive of ships activities, ship building, ships sailing far away.
Memories to stay with me for ever.

[Tony Taylor]

Hello--living in ryton and serving my apprenticeship at vickers armstrongs--my twin brother david at michell bearings--i am very familiar with scotswood road pub locations.
The molders in the steel foundry end would send their apprentices over to the pubs to fill the tea cans with beer on the lunch break.
Also a number of wives picked up the pay packets to prevent the pubs being the recipient of the family budget.
Last visit to the tyne all the factories were gone--your article brought back many memories--thanks --don.

Donald, Michell is still there, next door to Vickers Armstrong (now Pearson Eng). Both are relatively modern but everything else that was there is gone. Business parks mainly. When I was a kid we visited relatives in Crawcrook and Prudhoe about once a month and the bus from Marlborough Cres. used to creep at about 20 mph so there was time to take a good look, but grim wasnt the word.

[michael hooper]

i was on the rattray head a collier in the 1950s we would sometimes run into scotswood i remember the river was black and stank loads of pubs

[Harry Nicholson]

I remember it. Had my first pint down the Barbary Coast in West Hartlepool. I can still smell the glorious reek of spilled ale from every table and the floor. The pint cost me about eleven pence, old money.

[j.sabourn]

#15 Tony wasn’t Vickers where all the armaments were manufactured e.g. the Churchill tank ? Where is such made now , or are they manufactured in China like most other things ? JS
Harry was that first pint served by a monkey behind the bar ? Just joking of course was probably a beautiful barmaid and poured a good top to the beer . JS

[Harry Nicholson]

re 18. The monkey legend is unique to Old Hartlepool, that ancient town on the Headland. West Hartlepool is a Victorian upstart - but it may have been those incomers who started the legend as a skit against the simple fisherfolk of the old town.

About the monkey-hangers there's a ballad with the phrase:
On the sands the fishermen stood - Horsley, Pounder, Coulson, Hood.

All of those names are among my forebears.

[j.sabourn]

Mine were fishermen from Cullercoats , when I left the uk there were some still living in Notts flats in North Shields , don’t think I ever met them , some came I think from Ambleside a few century’s ago and some from Blyth but think there was a breakdown in relationships somewhere.Maybe some were for George and some for Charles. I would have to ask my kids who were into family trees at one time. Know I have namesakes out here but they are due to seamen jumping ship out here in the 1920s. Cheers JS
PS A recent post on here about joining the MNA set my mind to work as may be a new source of information . However on following instructions of that post it seemed too complicated as regards paying dues etc in England so followed the line out here , and made contact . In W.A. they call it the Allied Merchant Seafarers Assoc.i believe and am waiting for confirmation. For proof for membership is I believe your first and last ship the same as the MNA in the uk. Hopefully if successful may keep me better informed of the shipping conditions of service etc out here , as my present knowledge is a bit rusty as is 20 years out of date. Cheers JS