On the 6" map of Northumberland LXXXVII surveyed in 1860 and published in 1865 the name is shown along the Hexham Road. The Name Book entry (kindly supplied by Prof. Diana Whaley of Newcastle University) written at the time of the survey reads:
The name is applied to all houses on trace No. 5 in the village of Heddon on the Wall.
Mr Armstrong
Mr Charlton
Mr Hogg
A directory of 1855, for instance, tells us that John Armstrong was the farmer at Bay's Leap, whose farmhouse was originally to the north of the Three Tuns. He died on January 21st 1886 aged 65 years.
There were several families with the surname, Charlton in the village at the time of the survey. John Charlton, a Joiner & Cartwright, died April 12th 1870 aged 59 years.
In 1855, Jane Hogg is shown as victualler at the Three Tuns Inn; her husband, Thomas Hogg was a blacksmith and took over the Three Tuns when she died in 1860. He died on August 5th 1863 aged 60 years.
Later editions ommited the name altogether.
The main shop in Heddon was run by Mrs Waugh. Her first shop was in Haddock's Hole, in the middle house. On the Military Road side of that house was a pantry window and on the lintel above the window in red lettering was the word, 'Lemonade'. After school time there would be a member of the family perched in the pantry window to sell lemonade and sweets to passing cyclists. Mrs Waugh moved to her new shop at the Old Post Office, further west on the opposite side of the road, which she bought from the Sir James Knott estate in 1924.
Winnie herself would like to know where the original Haddrick's Hall was. Was it the origin of the Three Tuns pub? This sounds feasible. This must be many years back and it is easy to see the corruption of Haddrick's Hall to Haddock's Hole. Haddock's Hole always just referred to the three cottages. Their correct postal address was, 'The Three Tuns Yard'.
When Haddock's Hole was sold at Sir James Knott sale it was bought by Winnie's uncle, Thomas Armstrong, who was then Area Manager at the Throckley Co-op and lived at Throckley. The three houses were bought by him, 'just by chance', as a speculation. He was sitting next to Winnie's mother at the sale and when the item of Haddock's Hole came up he asked, "Where's that?" Winnie's mother explained where Haddock's Hole was and said the price was for the three cottages. So Mr Armstrong put his hand up and was then the owner of the three cottages known as Haddock's Hole! Not a planned acquisition!
At the time of the Sir James Knott Sale -
The Jacksons were living in Clayton Terrace, third house from the bottom. Their parents had lived there before them and they were friendly with Winnie's relatives. there were three Jackson brothers and one sister: Will, Tom, John and Annie. Will and Tom Jackson were in the First World War. The third brother, John, was disabled, possibly from an accident at the pit. He walked badly.
One of the brothers (Winnie cannot remember which) either got a military medal or was mentioned in dispatches. There was a grand reception laid on in Throckley Store Hall for his homecoming but he did not turn up; he went for a long walk instead. He was a quiet man not wanting a fuss.
The Jacksons did not buy their house, therefore after the Sir James Knott sale they had nowhere to live so Winnie's Uncle Tom (Tom Armstrong) put the Jacksons into the middle house of Haddock's Hole as the tenant had moved elsewhere. One brother died, and Annie died. It is thought that the remaining brother was one of the first residents in Centurion Way when it was built.
The Three Tuns, when the pond was on the site of the present Memorial Park, was sold to Mr. Thompson. The stable and the garden were sold to George Armatage and it was a Blacksmith's Shop for many years. Throckley Co-op had a branch store in the building near the Three Tuns. The three cottages (known as Haddock's Hole) were lived in by (1) Alec Watson and his family, (2) Mrs. Mary Burns and (3) the Westle family. In the three houses west of Haddock's Hole lived Policeman, Dickie Bell, Percy Reay (his sister, Bertha, had the Swan Inn). and Robert Hunter.
Little appears to be known of the former history of the Three Tuns although it may date from 1825. The building has the appearance of an old manor house. It was once adjoined to three cottages with a communal yard to the west on the Military Road. The cottages and yard were known as 'Haddock's Hole' and were demolished before 1960.
Adjoining the Inn at one time were a stable and blacksmith's shop, The stable is now a private garage for the innkeeper's use, and the blacksmiths shop was bought by Throckley District Co-op, converted and opened as a branch store on 5th October 1934.
It is believed that the name 'Haddock's Hole' was a corruption of Haddrick's or Haddock's Hall, the original name of the property.
When this house first became an Inn is not known, but in Mackenzie's 'View of Northumberland' in 1825, he states there were two public houses in the village.
Haddocks Hole had also been the name applied to a foul prision in Berwick upon Tweed. In 1593, the penalty for a first offence of stealing 'poles' set up on the ramparts of Berwick Castle was three days in Haddocks Hole.
It was also the name of a former lock-up in Edinburgh where the name is thought to be a corruption of Hado's Hole. This was apparently a small chamber above the porch of St Giles Cathedral in which Sir John Gordon of Haddo was imprisioned before his execution as a traitor in 1644.
Although the cottages look quite nice in the photo, perhaps the name suggests their true state, and a 'prision' to their occupants.