Seaton Sluice

Seaton Sluice lies 1/2 mi north of the village of Hartley, and was once part of it, being called Hartley Pans, because of the salt-pans used to harvest salt there since 1236. Hartley was once an area stretching from the Brier Dene Burn (in present-day Whitley Bay) to the Seaton Burn, which belonged to Tynemouth Priory. In 1100 the land became the property of the Hubert de Laval, nephew by marriage to William the Conqueror. The de Lavals (or Delavals) settled about 1/2 mi inland from Hartley Pans and their place of residence became Seaton Delaval, the name 'Seaton' being derived from Old English meaning a settlement (ton) by the sea.

In 1763 Sir Francis Blake Delaval (1727–1771) obtained Parliamentary approval to develop of land at Seaton Sluice as glassworks. The works was known as 'The Royal Hartley Bottleworks'. Sir Francis needed skilled glassmakers, and his brother Tom Delaval brought skilled men from Nienberge, in Germany, to train the local men in glassmaking. The works used local materials: sea sand, sea kelp, clay from the links and local coal. The glassworks expanded with time and eventually had six large cone-shaped furnaces which dominated the skyline; they were given the names: Gallagan, Bias, Charlotte, Hartley, Waterford and Success. The three larger cones were 130 ft tall. In 1777 production reached…