The original "Wild Child"
Thomas Bewick was a strong-willed and independent child, quite often getting up to mischief. However, he loved the countryside, spending most of his early life playing outside and watching the local wildlife. He fished in the river, looked for birds’ nests, climbed trees and sometimes ran around stark naked with his friends.
At the same time, Thomas attended the local school at Mickley, frequently played truant to avoid corporal punishment. Eventually he moved to the school in Ovingham run by the local vicar, where he learned reading, writing and mathematics, but his independent attitude meant that he was always in trouble. On one occasion when he was locked in the church as a punishment, Thomas climbed up one of the pillars and hid so that when his teacher came to check on him, he was able to escape while the teacher searched.
Thomas always preferred drawing to schoolwork and spent hours doodling, especially wildlife. He drew on the corners of his books, on spare paper, in chalk on the floor, on slates and on wood, even using a pin to draw on the cover of his hymnbook at church on Sundays.
A young apprentice
Young Thomas showed promise as a wood engraver, but mostly undertook the metal engraving. He finished his apprenticeship in 1774, and then returned to live at Cherryburn.
In 1776 Thomas, still as adventurous as he had been as a child, spent the summer walking across Scotland. He enjoyed himself immensely and regretted having to leave the Highlands to return to work. The following year he moved south to London to try to pursue a career there, but returned to the North East after quickly taking a dislike to the city. He remained in the North East for the rest of his life and who could blame him?