Heirloom seeds is a bit of a misnomer really. They could be fairly modern or as old as you say. The term refers to varieties which were around before the big seed companies developed ones which were more suitable to intensive farming/growing methods than the varieties which existed at that time.

it does sound like the wrong wording for it doesnt it owdboggy ? .

Heirloom means something from another generation that’s passed down that’s why when it comes to these seeds and others why it does make you think that these were used more commonly in past centuries with carlin peas they is carlin Sunday that was celebrated in the north of England mainly see link below

http://www.heritageandhistory.com/contents1a/2010/04/carlin-peas-a-northern-tradition/?doing_wp_cron=1329225715

I thought heirloom means organic-non-genetically modified seeds and plants. It is used more in America than in UK.

I would assume heirloom to mean old and passed-down as in family heirlooms. Garden Organic runs a Heritage Seed Library and Carlin is one of the peas sometimes offered to subscribers. The strain offered can be traced back 100 years. http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/hsl/variety.php?IdNum=315

I remember Carlin peas! I used to go and stay with the West Hartlepool bit of my family when I was in my teens, and my aunt would always dish up carlin peas. I'm sure I haven't seen them since, and that must be 50 years ago now. Maybe they go under a different name now, or in different parts of the country.

Heirloom varieties of flowers and veggies are ones that have been produced by line breeding--sometimes for centuries--but not as hybrids and not by genetic modification. In it's strictest sense it refers to local varieties that have been grown in your area since before 1930 (?) but the term has been used for so many things, that varieties first released in the 1980's are now sold as "heirlooms".

Advantages:
Local heirlooms often work better with your local climate and pest/disease mix than varieties marketed nationally, or globally.
The flowers fill niches in cottage-style gardens better--usually being something more than a compact blob of color.
The veggies often taste better--especially true of tomatoes.

Disadvantages:
Sometimes hard to get, though this is less of a problem since the heirloom craze has been going on.
Heirlooms from other areas than your own may be decimated by a pest or disease that they never face in their home territory.
They are often highly inbred, sometimes making them slower to grow and mature than their hybrid cousins.

Thanks Tugbrethil. That definition is as I thought 'heirloom' should mean but was never sure.

I do remember eating carlin peas, on Carlin Sunday, in my 'local' pub in Scarborough up to only about 12 years ago. They were re-constituted from dried carlins, boiled and served soaking in vinegar. They were eaten cold and put out as a free bar snack and actually tasted and looked not much like peas. I seem to remember that they were black. Sadly when the old land-people retired the new, ones discontinued the practice and turned it into a disco-type pub which I understand is now very popular amongst the young especially in the summer season. I am sure they will not miss our meetings of the grumpy old men and women's society, especially as those of us still here are now even older and grumpier. I have seen them (the peas, not the GOM&W) advertised on eBay at, alas, very high prices so may order some after this timely reminder. After all, nostalgia is not what it used to be.

I e-mailed my cousin in Hartlepool to see if carlin peas are still current in the area, and he said he doesn't even know what I'm talking about. I remember them served up round about Easter time, hot, with salt. They were definitely black.