Radcliffe, Northumberland
Radcliffe was once home to over 700 people. It was an independent and self-sufficient settlement with its own schools, shops, churches and working men’s club.
Mining
Coal was mined in Northumberland from the medieval period, and the coalfield expanded quickly through the nineteenth century as waggonways and then railways carried coal to the staiths at Blyth and the harbour at Amble.
Some Besfords emigrated from the UK to Australia to work in mining. David Besford left Choppington for Victoria in 1925, and his brother Thomas followed from the Kent coalfield to Wonthaggi in 1928.