Milburn and Wilcox Family Tree

Born in Norton near Stockton in 1826, Longstaffe was deprived of a full education by his father's early death in 1842. He had to earn a living as a solicitor's clerk first in Thirsk and then Darlington from 1845. His early antiquarian interests were encouraged by Robert Henry Allan and Francis Mewburn which led to his History of Darlingtonappearing in parts from 1848 until its completion in 1854. He was skilled at drawing and emblazoning as well as writing, and brought a lighter, more narrative approach to his articles that appeared regularly in the St James's Magazine. In 1850 he moved to the town clerk's office in Gateshead and became a solicitor in the practice of Mr Kell. A particular professional concern was the cause of Durham Dean and Chapter's leaseholders against their new landlords the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, eventually winning 999 year leases for them. He also became involved in various official and administrative roles within Gateshead. As an antiquarian, he contributed regularly to Archaeologia Aeliana and wrote on local institutions for the Gateshead Observer. He also edited various volumes for the Surtees Society and helped to establish the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland in 1861, often being prominent as a guide on visits. Interests in history and biography predominated, but he also had a great knowledge of coins and medals, on which he published various articles in the Numismatic Chronicle. He had been bequeathed £1000 by Robert Henry Allan in 1879 to complete Surtees's History of Durham but he considered the legacy inadequate and the work was not undertaken. Illness reduced his activities and his publications until his death in 1898.