Tom later moved to Newsham, being hired as a sinker in 1849, working on the Cowpen 'C', or 'Isabella' pit which was begun in October 1848.
[2] Tom (II) learned the pipes, not from his father, but from Thomas Hair, a blind piper and fiddler, innkeeper of The Blue Bell inn in Bedlington, who died in 1854.
In later life Clough won several competitions, in particular those organised by the Society of Antiquaries in Newcastle Town Hall in 1877, 1878 and 1879 - the first prize in these was the substantial sum of 10 guineas.
After his third victory, Clough won, outright, a fine silver cup, then valued at £25, which is now in the Morpeth Chantry Museum.
The tunes he played in these competitions were "Wylam Away", "The Duke of Athole's Pibroch", "Felton Lonnin", "Jackey Laton", "Little wot ye wha's coming", and "New Highland Laddie", all long variation sets, which are later found in his grandson's repertoire.
[4] This confirms that he was a sinker of pit shafts, as others of the family are believed to have been, and lists his piping achievements, as well as stating that, as a young man, he won trophies and very substantial cash prizes (the then huge sum of £50 on one occasion - about a year's wages) for shooting.
The family must have been affluent at the time of his death, as his grave is marked with a fine Cheviot granite tombstone, which still stands in Blyth Cemetery.