John Oxberry


John Oxberry is considered Gateshead's most prominent historian. He dedicated his whole life recording the history of his town.
Renowned local historian and member of the Society of Antiquaries, John Oxberry was born at Windy Nook and educated at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne. As a young man he went out to the gold mines in Otago, New Zealand but failing to make his fortune, he returned to Gateshead. From 1885 –1890 he was School Attendance Officer under the Heworth School Board. After that, until 1917 he was Relieving Officer under the Gateshead Board of Guardians and in 1917 until his retirement in 1930, he was Superintendant Registrar of Gateshead Registration district. In 1937, he was elected an Honorary Freeman of the Borough and presented with a silver casket in the Shipley Art Gallery.



In his Windy Nook/Felling days he regularly wrote for Heslop's Advertiser

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A Painting of John Oxberry

John Oxberry (1857–1940)
by John Edgar Mitchell
oil on canvas 92x 71cm






He wrote "Windy Nook Village: Its Inhabitants and their Co-Operative Store



This is his father John Oxberry who was a founder and first President of the Windy Nook Co-operative and Industrial Society


John Oxberry’s Scrapbooks may be viewed at gatesheadlocalstudies

John Oxberry was Gateshead’s most influential antiquarian who left his substantial and unique collection to the library. It covers the period up to the mid 1930’s and includes 8 volumes of "Gateshead notes", two volumes of "Felling notes", three volumes of "Notes and Comments" and four volumes of "Gateshead Scraps".



Find more of historian John Oxberry here and here


John Oxberry Information brought to you by


The Felling Heritage Group