This week at The Archive we are delighted to welcome a duo of brand new titles to our collection, the Alnwick Guardian and County Advertiser and the Newport Pagnell Citizen, as we explore the Northumberland tradition of the kern dinner, which is held to celebrate the harvest home. Meanwhile, we have added 146,333 brand new pages to our collection in total, whilst we have updated 21 of our existing titles.

So read on to discover more about our new and updated titles of the week, and also to learn all about the kern dinner.

Register now and explore the Archive

Before we look at the Northumberland harvest tradition of the kern dinner, let’s delve into our new titles of the week, beginning appropriately with our new Northumberland title, the Alnwick Guardian and County Advertiser. The Alnwick Guardian and County Advertiser was founded in the market town of Alnwick in 1885 as a ‘thorough Liberal paper,’ which advocated ‘all the measures of the party.’

Appearing every Saturday at the cost of one penny, the title was ‘full of local and district news’ across its eight pages. Indeed, whilst the Alnwick Guardian and County Advertiser printed both international and national news, it made sure to report fully on news from the district. It carried news from the surrounding towns and villages of Amble, Berwick, Belford, Bamburgh, Broomhill, Callaly, Embleton, Fleatham, Fallodon, Felton, Great Ryle, Howick, Longframlington, Morpeth, Newbiggin, Rothbury, Radcliffe, Scrainwood, Swarland, Shilbottle, Titlington, Wooler, Whittingham, Widdrington Colliery, and Warenford.

A lively paper, the Alnwick Guardian and County Advertiser also printed an array of special interest features, carrying columns dedicated to science, ‘bits from books,’ religion, and women’s interests. Meanwhile, the Northumberland paper published serialised fiction, correspondence from its readers, a ‘special London letter,’ football news, and illustrations of draughts games.

In 1924 the Alnwick Guardian and County Advertiser was incorporated into the Alnwick Mercury, itself founded in 1854. This title is now known as the Northumberland Gazette, and its serves Alnwick, Amble, Seahouses, Rothbury and Wooler.

Later we will use the Alnwick Guardian and County Advertiser to take a look at the kern dinner, but now we need to introduce our second new title of the week, which is the Newport Pagnell Citizen. This title was the Newport Pagnell and Olney edition of the Milton Keynes Citizen, itself founded in 1981, covering the news from Buckinghamshire towns of Newport Pagnell and Olney, as well as from Milton Keynes itself.

Appearing every Thursday, this publication provided a ‘full colour seven-day TV and what’s on guide for the MK area,’ the MK area being Milton Keynes, alongside sections devoted to readers’ letters, contests in the area, local weddings, sport, and news from the nearby villages.

As part of the Milton Keynes Citizen, the Newport Pagnell Citizen claimed to have the ‘highest distribution of any newspaper in the area.’

That may be it from our two new titles of the week, but with 21 of our existing titles having been updated over the last seven days, there is still plenty for you to explore. Some of the highlights are the over 33,000 brand new pages we have added to the Eastbourne Herald, and the over 20,000 brand new pages we have added to the West Lancashire Evening Gazette. Meanwhile, over 11,000 brand new pages have joined the Bexhill-on-Sea Observer, whilst we have updated a trio of our Scottish titles: the Falkirk Herald, the Kirkintilloch Herald and the Motherwell Times.

The Kern Dinner – Northumberland’s Harvest Home

As we approach harvest festival season, and whilst we were browsing pages of the Alnwick Guardian and County Advertiser, we found mention of the kern dinner. The kern dinner is a Northumberland tradition to mark the harvest home, or harvest festival, and every year a kern dinner was held for the workers of the Duke of Northumberland’s seat, Alnwick Castle.

On 5 November 1910 the Alnwick Guardian and County Advertiser reported on ‘the workmen’s kern,’ which was an annual event held at Alnwick Castle. The newspaper described how ‘there was an influx of workpeople from the country on Wednesday, on the occasion of the annual kern dinner given by His Grace the Duke of Northumberland to all the workers on his home estate.’

‘Some 460 employees with their wives and children’ gathered in the castle’s Great Hall, where the ‘walls were adorned with suitable mottoes, and corn and other products of the harvest decorated the ledges of the windows.’ The guests were treated to an ‘excellent meal,’ which featured ‘roasted and boiled meats and [a] huge plum pudding,’ all ‘accompanied by ale in abundance.’

The tradition continued the next year, when on 30 September 1911 the Alnwick Guardian and County Advertiser reported on ‘the old-time custom of the ‘harvest-home,’’ the kern dinner, again held for nearly 500 of the Duke of Northumberland’s workers at Alnwick Castle. This time, the newspaper went into further detail about the kern dinner, relating how the mottoes read ‘Speed the Plough,’ ‘Harvest Home,’ and ‘Peace and Plenty.’

Again, the meal consisted of ‘enormous joints, boiled and roasted meats, and huge plum puddings,’ once more being accompanied by ‘ale in abundance for those who desired it.’ Before the meal, meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland themselves graced the Great Hall, where they were given ‘three hearty cheers.’ The Duke and Duchess did not stay, however, for the meal, whilst the diners were treated to songs by the choir of St. Michael’s Parish Church.

Prior to the kern dinner, ‘the usual harvest thanksgiving service was held at St. Michael’s Parish Church, and was conducted by the vicar, Canon R.R. Mangin.’ After the meal, ‘pipes and tobacco were supplied,’ and various toasts were given.

We hope you enjoyed learning about the kern dinner. Discover more about the kern dinner, other harvest customs, and much more besides, in the pages of our Archive today.

New Titles

Updated Titles

This week we have updated 21 of our existing titles.

You can learn more about each of the titles we add to every week by clicking on their names. On each paper’s title page, you can read a free sample issue, learn more about our current holdings, and our plans for digitisation.

You can keep up to date with all the latest additions by visiting the recently added page.  You can even look ahead to see what we’re going to add tomorrow.