A Record of the BAGE Family History

Len's Story

My grandfather was Walter George Harrett Bage, known throughout the family as "Daddy Bage". He was born in North Shields, Northumberland on the 27th Nov. 1881 of parents William Proffit Bage and Agnes Burgon Bage (nee Muir). William Proffit Bage and his family must have been fairly well-off as he was a local Coal Merchant and they lived at 10 Charlotte Street, Tynemouth. The Shields Daily News reported the death of Agnes who died at Turner's Buildings, North Shields on 11th November 1890 age 34, Agnes Burgon Bage, wife of William Bage, daughter of late Walter Muir, native of Berwick. 

William Proffit Bage married again on 6th October 1891 at Tynemouth to Isabella Craggs.

On 20th July 1894, The Shields Daily News reported;-
Isabella Bage fined for ill treating stepson Wm Bage - evidence of Mr Bage, cartman; child's brother Walter, and aunt Mrs Blacklock; Dr F.C.Mears.    (child care; offences; Walter Bage; William Bage). SDN 20.7.1894 p.3, col.1.

 Maybe this was just too much for William Proffit Bage as he died two days later on the 22nd July 1894;-

Shields Daily News, 24th. July 1894;-
BAGE---At 66 Queen Street, North Shields, on the 22nd inst, aged 39 years, William Profitt Bage, eldest son of Mr Joseph Bage, coal merchant. Interment on Wednesday at 2 o'clock. Friends please accept this (the only) intimation.

It was perhaps too much also for William's father Joseph as he died the following month, as stated in The Shields Daily News ;-
died at 40 Church St, NS on 29th, age 71, Joseph Bage, coal merchant. SDN 20.8.1894 --

These events may have been the reason why Walter ran away to sea on a sailing ship at this time, at the age of about 15 years. When he returned home a year or two later he discovered that his two younger sisters, Lillian and Margaret, had been taken into a Dr Barnados home. He promised to send money and begged them not to split the sisters up, and to look after them until his time at sea was over. He sent the money regularly, but the sisters were split up and sent to Canada, where they lived separately.

He traced them many years later but although Lillian was great about seeing him, Margaret never forgave him for abandoning her.

Walter was left money in his grandfathers will............one fourth equally between the following children of my deceased son William Proffitt Bage, namely Joseph Bage, Walter George Harrett Bage, William Proffit Bage, Elizabeth Proffit Bage and Agnes Isabella Bage......

When he was about 20 years of age Walter met Catherine Teresa Castleton and they were married on the 28th December, 1901 in Kent, and he then returned to sea. Catherine had a cruel mother by all accounts, and she worked as a pastry cook. She lived in Raby Street, Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Walter and Catherine had eight children ;-

1) Catherine Ellen (Nell) Bage was born on 11th October, 1902 in Tynemouth. She married John Joseph Weldon 24th June 1925 in Tynemouth. Her husband was the owner of the boneyard/glue factory in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne. They lived at 40 Ashbourne Avenue, off Scrogg Road, Walker, Newcastle. They had two children, Josephine born March 1928. She married Billy Clasper on the 7th Feb. 1950, and Nell of whom little is known.

2) Lillian Agnes Bage was born in 1903 in Tynemouth. She danced in the Castleton Sisters Dance Troupe with her sisters Ethel and Pat. She was married in 1935, in Newcastle upon Tyne, to Billy Hogarth. He was a nice, quiet man who worked as an accountant for the Baltic Flour Mill on the River Tyne. I believe it was owned by Rank at that time. His claim to fame (if you can call it that) is that he was kidnapped in the late '60's during a robbery there and bundled into a van. I'm sure this incident was reported in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle. Lillian and Billy had two children, Catherine (known all her life as Kitty), and Carole. They all lived for many years at 52 Shields Road, Hillheads, Whitley Bay, Northumberland. I can remember going there every Christmas Day, and my Aunt Lil used to give my sister and I a bag containing marzipan and icing broken off their Christmas cake. Their family didn't like the marzipan and icing but she still put it on the cake so that she could break it off for us.

3) Ethel Bage was born 1904 in Tynemouth. She married twice. First a Swedish man, and then to an Englishman by the name of Johnny. He was Head of Transport in the British Consulate. They lived in Stockholm until Johnny's death when she moved to Hove in England with her sister Agnes, but later moved back to Sweden.

 4) Walter Leo Bage was born on the 27th Nov. 1906 in Tynemouth. He married Peggy Heppell in 1935 in Newcastle. They had five children, Margaret C., Thomas W., Sheila M., Christopher and Brian.

5) Agnes (Pat) Muir Bage was born in 1909 in Tynemouth. Agnes was on the stage, from the age of 8 years, as a tap dancer. She teamed up with her sisters Lillian and Ethel to form the Castleton Sisters dance troupe. Her stage name was Pat. Their mother, Catherine or "Kitty', whose maiden name Castleton they used for the name of their stage act, went with them as their 'dresser' when they went on a tour of Europe. The oldest sister Nell was left in charge of the rest of the family.

Pat eventually married a black man, Spencer Williams, a prolific songwriter who is credited with writing many songs including "She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes". Spencer was a lifelong friend of the famous Fats Waller. Several songs were also co-written by Agnes Castleton. Pat and Spencer were unable to have their own children so they adopted two black girls named Lindy and Della. Pat's mother would never have Spencer in her house whenever they visited England (although she would accept the gifts and money he sent), and after the adoption of the two girls, did not speak to Pat again.

Spencer and Pat went to Sweden to live with Ethel for a while but, after two years, Spencer could not stand the cold winters and they moved back to Long Island where he died sometime before my father William Joseph Castleton Bage did, which was in 1966. After Spencer's death Pat went back to Sweden to live with Ethel and her husband Johnny. When Johnny died the two sisters decided to move back to the U.K. to be 'close to their family' They moved to Hove (the family lived in Tyneside!), and lived there for some years before going back to Sweden.

6) Joseph James (Jan) Bage was born in Tynemouth on the 24th July 1912. He was married at Preston, Northumberland on the 27th Nov. 1934 to Eileen Maud Miles-Johnson (stage name Arlene). (Not confirmed but we think her mother may have been French). They did what was known as exhibition dancing together (see Photo Album for pictures) and travelled Europe too, like Jan's sisters, Pat, Ethel and Lil.

Arlene and Jan

They were the most lovely people on the planet and my sister and I's favourite uncle and aunt. Both were really handsome people. Jan looked like Don Ameche, the film actor, but even more handsome. Arlene was petite and dark with the most lovely deep eyes. Both loved life and laughed ceaselessly. They lived for many years in a flat at 4a Hanger Green, Ealing (above Park Royal underground station) and they had three children, Jennifer, Lesley (known as Mikey) and Simon. In later years, Jan worked as a rep for a cold meat company (I believe Palethorpes) and then as a security guard at Heathrow Airport. When Arlene died, he moved down to the New Forest to live with daughter Mikey, the place where he died in 1992.

7) Sylvester (Syl) Anthony Bage was born 27th Dec. 1914 in Tynemouth. He was a chef in the merchant navy and during the war did the 'Atlantic runs'. However he was torpedoed three times and after the war suffered very badly with his nerves. At one stage he was put to sleep for a week, (and kept asleep with drugs), to try and cure him but he was a very troubled, though lovely, man all of his life. He married Elsie Galloway in 1938 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Syl and Elsie worked together at The Royal Hotel in Scarborough. He was a chef and she was a housekeeper. Later they lived in Burley-in-Wharfedale, and Syl worked at the Devonshire Arms at Bolton Abbey. They had three children, Dorothy M., Anthony and Sylvia.

8) William Joseph Castleton Bage was born in Tynemouth on the 5th September 1917. He married a lady called Elizabeth Frances something (known as Betty) whilst on embarkation leave before going off to war. He was in the 42 Royal Marine Commando unit based at Chatham. During the war, I believe, his unit was involved in landing craft invasions of Burma and India, fighting the Japanese. He was involved in the rehabilitation of Hong Kong after the war finished. (I have all his army papers). Whilst in Burma, he discovered that his wife had given birth to a child by someone else and divorced her. He married again on the 21st January, 1950 in Tynemouth to Patricia Dempsey and they had two children, myself Leonard Anthony Bage and Frances Theresa Bage.  He worked all of his life at Formica on the Coast Road in North Shields where he was also a player in the works football team and later the manager. (See Photo Album 6). Bill died in Tynemouth on the 11th February 1966 of a heart attack.

The Bage Family (Tynemouth Tree)

Back Row; Nell, Bill, Jan (Joseph), Syl, Walter, Ethel.

Front Row; Pat, Daddy Bage (Walter), Nana (Catharine), Lil.

Grandfather Walter and Nana Catherine spent their latter years at Clovelly Gardens in Whitley Bay and then 13 Cedar Close (old folks bungalow complex). Catherine died on the 18th April 1965 aged 81, and Walter had a stroke and died in the hospital on the 23rd December 1966, aged 85.

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The following information was left on the Web-site Comments page by Len's cousin and gives us some additional information;-

I think this site is fantastic and my congratulations to John for such an informative site. My father was Sylvester Anthony Bage son of Walter George Herd (or Harrett) Bage. He was one of eight children born to Walter and Catherine Castleton. Len Bage is my cousin. I knew his mother and father well. I hope we can continue this fascinating research and would love to hear of other connections. Just a correction. My Father Sylvester Bage was Head Chef at the Grand Hotel in Scarborough for twelve years. My Mother (Elsie Galloway) never worked there. However, they did work together for a short period of time at the Ilkley Golf Club. As well as being a brilliant chef my father was also a gifted artist, musician and poet. He played piano, clarinet and saxophone. He played the piano at dances and also for the silent films. That is how he met my Mother. He served on the minesweepers during the war and was twice mentioned in despatches as well as receiving a medal for diving into the sea to help rescue men whose ship had been torpedoed. If anyone has any further information about this branch of the family I would love to hear from them.

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