Blyth, Northumberland
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The Earls of Derwentwater owned Blyth and the surrounding land up until 1716 when the third and final Earl, was executed after the 1715 Jacobite rising. In 1723 the land was bought by Matthew White and his brother-in-law Richard Ridley with accumulated fortunes from town-based trades. By 1730 Matthew White extended his landed possessions by purchasing Blagdon, which still remains the seat of his descendants.
The port of Blyth dates from the 12th century, but the modern town of Blyth only developed in the 18th century with the erection of a quay was for the shipment of coal. There were also fourteen salt pans with an annual production of over one thousand tons. The industry closed in 1876 with the destruction of the last saltpan.
Nevertheless the port continued to prosper by 1853 the Blyth Harbour and Dock Company was formed and five years later the harbour was dredged allowing a substantial increase in the coal trade: from 250,000 tons of coal being exported in 1855 to 3 million tons by 1900.
Shipbuilding records go back to 1748 but only rose to a formidable level after the beginning of the 20th century, when it developed one of the largest shipbuilding yards on the North East coast with five dry docks and four building slipways. During the First and Second World Wars, the Blyth shipyards built many ships for the Royal Navy including the first aircraft carrier, HMS Ark Royal in 1914. The shipyard was closed in 1967.
The fishing industry also played a significant part in Blyth's development with many people engaged in the salmon and herring industries in the months of August and September.
In 1831 there were 246 inhabited houses combined with a total population of 1,769. By 1931 this had risen to 7,218 inhabited houses with a total population of 31,680.
During the Second World War there was a submarine base.
Blyth has been seriously effected by the running down of the coalmining and shipbuilding industries but the port of Blyth still remains a major industry in the area with the shipment of paper and pulp from Scandinavia for the newspaper industries of England and Scotland. It is also a dormitory town with substantial new housing estates. There are two trading estates in Blyth, namely Cowpen and Kitty Brewster.
The town is home to one of England's best-known non-league football clubs, Blyth Spartans F.C..
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