Simpson, Haswell, heritage

A preliminary investigation into the 'roots' of Tom Simpson's Co. Durham upbringing. In one day I visited Haswell, his boyhood village now superficially altered from that dominated by the coal industry and Durham Cathedral. In the latter, the South Transept has on display one of the earliest miners' banners. It depicts three founders of the Durham Miners Association, all men of Haswell, all pilloried by the mine owners over their activities and hounded out of the village. It is possible to relate the determination they displayed to Tom's purposeful pursuit of winning and making a better life for himself and his family.