necessity of shifting their home; for, to use the common phrase, they
must "follow the wark." They removed accordingly to a place called
Jolly's Close, a few miles to the south, close behind the village of
Newburn, where another coal-mine belonging to the Duke of Northumberland,
called "the Duke's Winnin," had recently been opened out.

[Picture: Newburn on the Tyne]

One of the old persons in the neighbourhood, who knew the family well,
describes the dwelling in which they lived as a poor cottage of only one
room, in which the father, mother, four sons, and two daughters, lived
and slept. It was crowded with three low-poled beds. The one apartment
served for parlour, kitchen, sleeping-room, and all.

The children of the Stephenson family were now growing apace, and several
of them were old enough to be able to earn money at various kinds of
colliery work. James and George, the two eldest sons, worked as
assistant-firemen; and the younger boys worked as wheelers or pickers on
the bank-tops. The two girls helped their mother with the household
work.

Other workings of the coal were opened out in the neighbourhood; and to
one of these George was removed as fireman on his own account. This was
called the "Mid Mill Winnin," where he had for his mate a young man named
Coe. They worked together there for about two years, by twelve-hour
shifts, George firing the engine at the wage of a shilling a day. He was
now fifteen years old. His ambition was as yet limited to attaining the
standing of a full workman, at a man's wages; and with that view he
endeavoured to attain such a knowledge of his engine as would eventually
lead to his employment as an engineman, with its accompanying advantage
of higher pay. He was a steady, sober, hard-working young man, but
nothing more in the estimation of his fellow-workmen.

One of his favourite pastimes in by-hours was trying feats of strength
with his companions. Although in frame he was not particularly robust,
yet he was big and bony, and considered very strong for his age. At
throwing the hammer George had no compeer. At lifting heavy weights off
the ground from between his feet, by means of a bar of iron passed
through them--placing the bar against his knees as a fulcrum, and then
straightening his spine and lifting them sheer up--he was also very
successful. On one occasion he lifted as much as sixty stones weight--a
striking indication of his stre