The Butcher Baronet Documentary Film

Illustration of Sir John Duck. Northern Grit 2019 and The Butcher Baronet Documentary. Collaborative projects with Songwriter Gary Miller and Lone Pine Pictures. Duck was apprenticed early in life to a butcher at Durham, though from an entry in the guild registers it appears that in 1657 some opposition was raised to his following the trade. The foundation of his subsequent fortunes is said to have been laid by the following incident. 'As he was straying in melancholy idleness by the water side, a raven appeared hovering in the air, and from chance or fright dropped from his bill a gold Jacobus at the foot of the happy butcher boy.' This adventure was depicted on a panel in the house which he afterwards built for himself in Durham, where he became exceedingly prosperous, and in 1680 served the office of mayor. Taking an active part in politics during the last years of the Stuarts, Duck attracted the attention of the government, and in 1686 his useful loyalty was rewarded when he was created a baronet, of Haswell-on-the-Hill in the County of Durham, named after the manor he had purchased with his accumulated wealth in the year of his mayoralty. He built and endowed a hospital at Lumley, but as he had no issue his title became extinct at his death, 26 August 1691.

The Butcher Baronet - Documentary Film.

This illustration originally started life as part of 'Northern Grit', a collaboration between Gary and Helen, but quickly expanded into something much bigger than the original proposal.

Gary and Helen met with Paul Stainthorpe, Founder and Director of Lone Pine Pictures, appropriately at the John Duck public house in Durham City in November 2018 to discuss an unknown project that Paul was due to propose. This turned out to be his plan for Lone Pine Pictures to develop and produce 'The Butcher Baronet', a documentary film about the tale of John Duck. The plan was for Gary and Helen to respectively create new songs & pieces of music alongside a series of illustrations specially for the project, which would be an exciting cross-arts collaboration of film, music and art.

Coincidentally, just prior to their meeting at the John Duck, Helen had delivered a couple of art workshops with the Monday Art Group in Lanchester, County Durham, focussing on the story of John Duck. These workshops provided a strong impetus and inspired Helen to create an initial piece, 'John's Jacobus (A Tale of Durham's Dick Wittington)' [right]. They also inspired Gary to come up with a couple of songs - 'The Butcher Baronet' and 'John's Jacobus (Inscription). In fact, it seemed like this project was somehow meant to happen.

Meanwhile, shortly afterwards, and in the space of only three days, Gary went on to write a further 6 songs and pieces of music for the project. A handful more quickly followed. Within a matter of weeks, Gary had created a full song-suite encompassing the entire story of the legendary John Duck, expanding the initial project idea into a fully-realised 'Folk- Opera' through a collection of around 30 songs and pieces of music, including the use of several Northumbrian tunes dating from the 17th Century during the time of John Duck. Gary and Helen are currently working to bring this project to fruition with a 2-hour performance and a double CD album and book. More on this soon!