The book of the Mayor’s chain
The book of the Amble Mayor’s Civic Chain is complete!
It was first suggested when the civic chain itself was handed over by the Ambler team to the Amble Town Mayor at a social evening in the top room of the Bede Street Club on 5th Nov 2001.
Each family or group that sponsored a link in the Chain was allocated a page in the book on which they could write about anything they wanted, as long as it was not offensive or libellous. Ideally it would be hand written and so would be a small sample of literacy in Amble in the first decade of the 21st Century.
It was handed over for the first entry on 5th Nov 2001; the lists recording who had the book at any time are bound into the back of the book.
The last entry was completed on 24th February 2011. The book was then sent to Artisan Bindary in Great Barrow, Chester to be bound in red Nigerian goatskin.
As far as is known the Mayor’s Chain is the only Civic Chain in the North East (if not the country) that has been paid for by public subscription. The front of each link has the name of each Mayor in chronological order and on the back of each link are the inscriptions listed below.
The Book will be on display at the Development Trust office in Dilston Terrace from Monday 24th October to Friday 4th November, after which it will be given a permanent home in the town council offices.
| Link 1 The Ambler Team Link 2 Bill and Elsie Fenwick Link 3 Jean Mitchell Link 4 Thomas & Elizabeth Stewart Link 5 Norman and Elsie Henderson Link 6 Mat & Jean Young; Love, M,J, E Link 7 Ernest & Doreen Gerrard Link 8 Ben & Mabel Arckless |
Link 9 Hannah & Tommy Orr Link 10 Joe & Kate Dawson with Love Link 11 Ann, K, K, F, Stephen, Corinne Link 12 Brenda Rollo Link 13 Puffin Cruises Link 14 Dora & Archie Hinson Link 15 Millennium Committee Link 16 John Hedley, Amble, B.1949 |
Link 17 Amble Development Trust Link 18 Amble Women’s Institute Link 19 Amble Social History Group Link 20 Ernie & Lilly Simonsen Link 21 Audrey, Bob, Jacqui Jones Link 22 John Wm. Anderson 1913 – 1990 Link 23 Lord Warkworth Lodge No. 1879 Link 24 Amble Churches Together 2001 |
Ian Hinson
