Murdered quilter's home to be rebuilt at Beamish Museum

Joseph Hedley would often offer shelter at his cottage to travellers and passers-by

The "lost" home of a quilt maker murdered in 1826 has been unearthed with the aim of being rebuilt at a County Durham museum.

Joseph Hedley was killed in in his cottage in Tynedale, Northumberland. The crime has never been solved.

After being demolished in 1872, a team at Beamish Museum has now used records from old maps to find the location of what remains of his home.

Now the museum plans to recreate the building in its new development.

Murdered at his cottage on 3 January 1826, Mr Hedley's body was found by concerned neighbours.

Despite the crime making national headlines and a substantial reward being offered, his killer was never found.

'Tragic story'

Even though the cottage was demolished, sketches made in the wake of his death gave an "extremely rare insight" into its history.

A talented quilter, Mr Hedley's work was sent as far afield as America

A team at the museum used records from old maps and descriptions of the crime to identify the approximate location of the house.

Once they had discovered the rough site, they found parts of the building in the field.

Now the museum is going to excavate the site with members of the community so it can be replicated in its Georgian area.

Project officer Geraldine Straker said his life story is "fascinating" yet "tragic".

"We really want the local community to be part of this project to recreate Joe's cottage at Beamish, so we'll be letting people know how they can get involved, from taking part in excavating his cottage, to helping plan its recreation at Beamish," she said.

The move is part of a £17m development which will see the museum's Georgian area expanded, with new features including a Georgian coaching inn.

The project, which has received a £10.75m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, will also include dedicated areas for people living with dementia, a cinema and a new 1950s development with replica social housing, a cafe, shops and police house,