The Tidestone

An eye-witness in 1818:
‘On arriving at Hedwin streams, the river jury took formal possession of their boundary stone as the mark of their utmost jurisdiction westward. Mr.Ostle, the harbour master, an individual of considerable proportions, with the help of the bargemen, placed himself on the top of the stone with a glass of wine in his hand, and said “in the name of the king and the corporation of Newcastle upon Tyne, I take formal possession of this stone … : it has been theirs from time immemorial and will be theirs for all time to come; and I therefore propose the health of the king and the conservators of the river Tyne, at the high water mark”. This address was warmly cheered, while the pit lads began to fire off some cannon, the band to play, and bottles of wine to empty their exhilerating contents: dancing parties of men and women also began to form as if by instinct. The Cat House, a cottage a little distance from the boundary stone was inhabited by a gentlewoman whose face bore evident marks of acquaintance with the middle of the last century; on this occasion she appeared at the door to greet the party, in a silk frock and diminutive lace cap; every gentleman uncovered in her presence, a token of respect she acknowledged with a very low curtsey. She was plentifully regaled with wine, for which she returned a flood of compliments and then modestly intimated to the bottle holder “that it was customary for the empty bottle to be left at her house, and she thought it a pity to let good old customs to go down”.’
Moses Richardson’s Local Historian’s Table Book.
London and Newcastle, 1846, III.192.