David Ross Lietch

David Ross Lietch (c1809-1881) was a 19th-century Tyneside born poet and songwriter. His most famous song is possibly the beautiful ballad "The Cliffs of Old Tynemouth".

Life

David Ross Lietch was born c1809 at North Shields,^[1][2] the second son of Rev William Lietch.
For some years David Ross Lietch practised on Tyneside as a medical man having gained his degree at Edinburgh University^[3]
He published "Poetic Fragments", a volume of poetry in 1838 and founded the North Shields newspaper, "The Port of Tyne Pilot" which was published 1839-42 under his ownership.
He retired to the Lake District in the late 1840s, where he famously corresponded with William Wordsworth.
He died on 16 August 1881. He was buried in Crosthwaite Churchyard, Keswick, Cumbria, not far from the grave of Robert Southey.

Family

David Ross Lietch was the second son of Rev William Lietch who was a Presbyterian minister. An article in the local paper describes a dinner given in Seaton Sluice to "the Rev William Lietch of North Shields" at which he was presented with a gold watch inscribed "-----from his congregation and friends at Seaton Sluice, as a mark of esteem for him and his ministry during 34 years. 1837".
He was also a schoolmaster, and founded the Albion Academy in North Shields.
David Ross Lietch had at least 7 siblings including William (died June, 1837), Barbara, Jane, Thomas Carr^[4][5] (a lawyer who became a solicitor, the first town clerk of Tynemouth and possibly Russian Vice Consul in Newcastle), Isabella, Robert, and Ellen.
The family always spelled their surname as Lietch but after the very late 1800s it almost always appears in records as Leitch.
However, some other publications appear to have mis-read the hand-written comment on a manuscript as "D Leutch"
Much of this information is from Mr Leitch's 3x great niece, Eleanor Clouter, of Canada.^[3]

Works

These include :-

• "The Cliffs of Old Tynemouth" – (not in local Geordie dialect - written c 1843 and to the tune of the Irish Air "The Meeting of the Waters".
• "Willie Green"- a ballad written in 1870 in the Cumbrian dialect.
• "Red Eric and Lord Delaval" – which is from "Poetic Fragments" and is one of his several "Tales of the Borders".

See also

Geordie dialect words

References

1. "Allan’s Illustrated Edition of Tyneside songs and readings".
2. Allan’s Illustrated Edition of Tyneside songs and readings with lives, portraits and autographs of the writers, and notes on the songs. Revised Edition. Thomas & Gorge Allan, 18 Blackett Street, and 34 Collingwood Street, (Newcastle upon Tyne) – Sold by W. Allan, 80 Grainqer Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, B. Allan, North Shields and Walter Scott. London. 1891.
3. "Wor Geordie Dialect - The Songwriters".
4. "Men of Mark Twixt Tyne and Tweed By Richard Welford in 1895 (see page 60)".
5. "Painting of First Town Clerk of Tynemouth attributed to Rudolph Lehmann".

External links

• FARNE - Folk Archive Resource North East
• Wor Geordie songwriters
• Allan’s Illustrated Edition of Tyneside songs and readings 1891