The miracle miner who helped a Hartlepool boy to walk against all the odds

The story of Hartlepool man George Charlton made headlines as far away as Australia after he healed a Seaton Snook boy who had been unable to walk.

Historian and researcher Graeme Harper shares the tale in the latest of his contributions for the Hartlepool Mail.

In early 1930, the story of ‘the man with healing hands’ made people sit up and take notice.

He was reported to have successfully used his incredible powers in several ‘hopeless cases’.

The miracle healer was George Charlton – originally from Newcastle later moved to the Hart Lane area of Hartlepool.

He was as a pitman at Blackhall Colliery but Mr Charlton told one newspaper: ‘I now intend to devote the whole of my time to relieving suffering humanity’.

He had plans to move from his humble miner’s abode to a larger ten-room house where he could utilise his gifts more fully.

Word spread about his remarkable gifts, and he was receiving letters from all over the country asking for his help.

Newspapers as far afield as Australia were reporting on the amazing talents of the miraculous miner.

One such story concerned a young child from Seaton Snook whose parents contacted Mr Charlton when they were told by doctors their son’s condition was incurable and that he would never be able to walk or talk.

In September 1930, The Northern Daily Mail reported : “Lustily kicking a football today was a child of four who up to three months ago had never walked or spoken in his life. He had attended hospital for 11 months but was said to be incurable.’

In despair, the boy’s mother had written to Mr Charlton and asked for his help. She said that ‘after working on the child for some time he put him on his feet and the child staggered across the room and said ‘’ take me home mam’’. I fainted with the shock.’

Mr Charlton claimed that all he needed to do to cure the child was to place one hand on his solar plexus and one on his spine. He was not able to explain his powers but had known from an early age that he possessed a rare ability to cure the sick.

He believed it was a form of ‘magnetism ‘but also required the ‘faith of the patient.’ All that stopped him from pursuing this earlier was the ‘fear of ridicule’.

There are other examples of George Charlton’s alleged healing prowess. He once cured a ten-year-old who was afflicted with St Vitus Dance and was so

incapacitated that he had spent four years in bed. But just three days of treatment from the Hartlepool healer had him up and running again.

Charlton himself claimed dozens of successful cases and once restored a blind man’s sight. He also cured a patient who had been paralysed for 70 years.

He was still practising as late as 1934 when, as’ the magnetic healer from Newcastle, ‘he appeared at the Greater World Spiritual Mission in Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough alongside a Mrs. Jobson, who was described as ‘the well-known spiritual medium from Seaham’.

Our thanks go to Graeme for his latest contribution from Hartlepool’s history.

Why not take a look at some of his other great works such as the story of the Hartlepool store with its own zoo.

It had anteaters, raccoons and wallabies.

Or there’s the tale of the Dock Monster of Hartlepool.

It was a slimy town rival to Nessie.

Who remembers the story of the Greatham woman who was convicted of witchcraft by a pigeon.

If you have stories of your own from Hartlepool’s past, tell us more by emailing [email protected]