our local history

26/2/2014

16 Comments

Don't forget to research facts about our local history for our presentation to Ogawara Miyagi.

16 Comments

Abigail

26/2/2014 02:56:49 am

The battle of Hastings was in 1066

Jake

26/2/2014 04:04:30 pm

The town hall was built in 1862 and cost £8500.
The Newtoncap bridge was built in 1390 and has 2 arches, one is circular and the other is pointed.
Auckland Castle began as a manor house, built in 1183 by Bishop Pudsey, but was later converted into a castle by Bishop Anthony Bek in the fourteenth century.
In the middle ages a boar was terrorised the people of Bishop Auckland so the Bishop of Durham put up a reward for anyone who could kill the boar. The boar was eventually killed by a poor knight called Richard Pollard, he cut out the boars tongue but fell asleep next to the boars body and someone came by and took the boar to the Auckland Castle and claimed the money. When Pollard woke he realised what had happened and took the tongue to the Bishop who realised what had happened so he told Pollard that he could have any land that he could get around before he had finished his meal. Suprisingly Pollard was back in a few minutes as he had run around Auckland Castle, the Bishop could not give him Auckland Castle so he gave him some very fertile land in Bishop Auckland and called it Pollard's lands.
West Auckland, a former mining village to the south west of Bishop Auckland has a fascinating story to tell.In 1910 the village made history, when its miner's football team travelled to Italy to represent England in the first ever soccer `world cup'. Competing against the top teams from Switzerland, Germany and Italy, the amateur County Durham side, amazingly reached the final and defeated the mighty Italian giants Juventus, by two goals to nil.West Auckland went on to successfully defend their title the following year and therefore retained the trophy for all time. When the team returned home however, they found themselves badly in debt and had to resort to selling their world cup to the local landlady for cash. Fortunately the cup can still be seen today, displayed in the West Auckland workingmen's club.`H'way the Lads'

Erin

27/2/2014 01:31:51 am

The town of Bishop Auckland is situated at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless and has been the site of an important market since medieval times.`Bishop', as it is sometimes known to the locals, grew most rapidly in the nineteenth century, as a colliery town, but was important in much earlier times. Its earlier history is centred around the park and Castle of Auckland, which has been the principal residence of the Bishops of Durham since the twelfth century. Auckland Castle, also known as Auckland Palace, began as a manor house, built about 1183, by Bishop Pudsey, but was later converted into a castle by Bishop Anthony Bek in the fourteenth century. It is the last of fourteen country seats belonging to the Bishops of Durham. Because the castle is the private residence of the present Bishop of Durham, it is not usually open to the public.

Legend has it that at some time in the middle ages the Bishop Auckland area was the haunt of a huge, ferocious brawn (or boar), which terrorised this part of the Wear valley in much the same way as the Lambton worm at Chester le Street. Many attempts had been made to kill this dangerous beast, but all had failed, so the Bishop of Durham offered an unspecified reward for anyone who could rid the local countryside of the terrible creature. Richard Pollard, a skilled but poor young knight rose to the challenge and began to study the behaviour of the brawn, which is supposed to have been as large as a cow. Finally, arming himself with several spears, Pollard was able to pursue the beast south of Auckland towards Raby Castle and Staindrop in Teesdale, where after a long and bloody struggle, he was able to kill the beast.
Upon completing the task Pollard proudly cut off the brawn's tongue and placed it in his pocket as a souvenir. Unfortunately Pollard was exhausted from his pursuit and fell asleep as the dead creature lay by his side. A little later, a man was passing by and noticed the sleeping knight and his quarry. Remembering the bishop's promise of a prize, he could not resist the opportunity of reward and quickly made off with the carcass, without awaking Pollard. When Pollard awoke, he was horrified to see the brawn had been taken, but guessed what had happened and quickly made his way to Auckland Palace, to see the Bishop of Durham.
Arriving at the palace, Pollard found he was too late, learning that someone had already presented the bishop with the brawn and received an ample sum of money in reward. Pollard nevertheless gained entry to the palace, when he claimed that he was the one who had slain the brawn.When Pollard showed the bishop the brawn's tongue, the carcass was examined and the young knight's claims were proved to be true. After considering, the bishop told Pollard that as a reward he could have all the lands he could ride around, in the time it took him to finish his meal. Wasting no time Pollard set off, accompanied by one of the bishop's servants, but astonishingly returned to the palace only a few minutes later. The bishop was surprised that Pollard had taken so little time, but learned that the reason was simple, Pollard had ridden around Auckland palace itself !.Of course the bishop could not possibly give Pollard his palace and its grounds, but was impressed with the young knight's clever thinking, so instead presented him with some of the most fertile lands in the Auckland area. These lands became known as Pollard's lands.

Romana

27/2/2014 03:28:19 am

Escomb saxon church is the oldest church in its form and the stones which built the church were actually roman.

Elizabeth

27/2/2014 04:18:53 am

Escomb church was built in the 7th or 8th Century AD when the area was part of the Anglian Kingdom of Northumbria, and is regarded as ' England's earliest complete church'. The building includes long and short quoins characteristics of Anglo-Saxon architecture, and re-used Roman masonry from Binchester Roman Fort - just down the river.

Lauren

28/2/2014 04:02:32 am

Bishop Auckland grew as a market town
because of the agriculture and
coal-mines in the area.
When the Romans lived here they built
a road which we now call Watling Road.
The road which is part of Dere
Street runs from Binchester, where
there are remains of the Roman
fort, to Piercebridge.
The market place has a long history
and has recently been modernised.The
flow of traffic has been restricted to
allow more predestrian access.
There is a castle in Bishop Auckland
called Auckland Castle which has been
the seat of many Bishops of Durham.
65% of parents of children from this
school work outside Bishop
Auckland. This suggests that Bishop
Auckland is a dormitory town.

rachel

28/2/2014 06:14:28 pm

Up to 1834
A parliamentary report of 1777 recorded a parish workhouse in operation in Bishop Auckland for up to 150 inmates
Bishop Auckland is an ancient and historic market town, which has been the seat for country residence of the Prince Bishops and the official home of the Bishop of Durham since the 12th century.

Bishop Auckland is the largest town in the south of County Durham.

Bishop Auckland is located about 12 miles northwest of Darlington and 12 miles southwest of Durham.

Much of the town’s earliest history surrounds its links with the Bishops of Durham.

In 1083, monks were sent from Durham Cathedral to establish a collegiate church, and in around 1183 Bishop Pudsey established a manor house in the town.

The earliest known reference to Bishop Auckland itself is as a gift of a Bishop’s borough given to the Bishop of Durham as a gift by King Canute in around 1020.

However, a village almost certainly existed on the town’s present site long before this, with there being a church in South Church from as early as Saxon times.

The town is served by Bishop Auckland railway station which arrived in 1843.

It marks the point where the Tees Valley Line becomes the Weardale Railway.

Much of the future prosperity of the town was due to it being the centre of a rail transportation network of seven lines.

The early 19th century saw the rapid development of the Durham Coalfield, and Bishop Auckland was surrounded by small pits, the last of which was closed in the 1960′s.

rachel

1/3/2014 07:07:34 pm

Bishop Auckland is an ancient and historic market town, which has been the seat for country residence of the Prince Bishops and the official home of the Bishop of Durham since the 12th century. Much of the town’s earliest history surrounds its links with the Bishops of Durham.
In 1083, monks were sent from Durham Cathedral to establish a collegiate church, and in around 1183 Bishop Pudsey established a manor house in the town.
The earliest known reference to Bishop Auckland itself is as a gift of a Bishop’s borough given to the Bishop of Durham as a gift by King Canute in around 1020. However, a village existed on the town’s present site long before this, with there being a church in South Church from as early as Saxon times.
Bishop Auckland railway station was constructed in 1843 and it marks the point where the Tees Valley Line becomes the Weardale Railway.
Much of the future prosperity of the town was due to it being the centre of a rail transportation network of seven lines at the turn of the century. Arthur Stanley Jefferson lived briefly in Bishop Auckland, and was later sent back here to the Grammar School – he later left for America and changed his name to Stan Laurel.
A parliamentary report of 1777 recorded a parish workhouse in operation in Bishop Auckland for up to 150 inmates.
After 1834 the Auckland Poor Law Union formally came into existence on 9th January 1837, its operation was overseen by an elected Board of Guardians.
The first Auckland Union workhouse was a former parish workhouse in Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland. In 1853, the Board of Guardians decided to erect a new workhouse and advertised for plans and specifications for a building to accommodate 100 inmates and costing around £2,000. The new workhouse, situated at the west side of Cockton Hill, opened in 1855 by which time the cost had amounted to almost £5,000 including the purchase of 1.5 acres of land. By 1863, overcrowding necessitated the building of an extension which was opened in 1865.

Pippa

1/3/2014 09:21:23 pm

Doggarts was a department store that was owned by Arthur Doggarts and his family. The store first opened in Bishop Auckland in 1895. The store closed its doors on Christmas Eve 1980. The store was open for 85years in Bishop Auckland and the people of the town still remember it today as it was one of the first department stores of its kind.

Millie

2/3/2014 02:46:18 am

There are five springs on the hillside and this would have made it a sacred place. Having explored the Wear valley, the Romans built a large fort at “Vinovium” (modern-day Binchester) some four miles down river. What appears to be a Roman track passes through the village on the way to the river crossing at Witton-le-Wear and, from there, to the upper dales and the former lead mines.Once, to buy off the invading Vikings, the community was given to a Viking King as part of the cost of peace. Later bishop regained the village.The village reached it's maximum population in the latter part of Queen Victoria's reign, when the iron production at Witton Park demanded coal from the mines of Escomb and surrounding villages. Not until 1870 did Witton Park have it's own church and a graveyard, so, prior to that date, all burials took place in the parish of Escomb. The population increase led to the hurried building of small houses, and the establishing of a school, by the owner of the coal-mine in the village. Later the school was transferred to the top of the hill leading into the village. At this time there were numerous plum orchards and each year the people held a Plum Fair. Records do not show whether the fruit was fermented, preserved or sold, but they were happy occasions. By the turn of the century unemployment was starting to have an effect. The Escomb pit had closed during World War 1, and work was transferred to a pit across the river at the neighboring village called “Toronto”.The Service in Escombe church was held once a month and holy communion once ln three months.During the service the Parson's horse was stabled at Peacock Farm (now known as Vicarage Farm). It was thought a dreadful thing if there were three funerals in one year.The Church bell was rung at midnight on New Years Eve. There was an old inn called the Bay Horse, another two - The Royal Oak and the Angel Inn and another joined to Peacock Farm. There were Beautiful oak trees in front of the Royal Oak. The village school was held by a lady in a cottage at the foot of the bank in 1836. The first Sunday School was held in the old church in 1836, it was afterwards held in the Reading Room, then in The Three Lane Ends School. The first tea for the Sunday School Children was held on Easter Monday 1867, the weather was very cold and it was decided to alter the date to Whit Monday in 1868. With the exception of one year,1897,when the vicar died (Mr T Lord) there has been a tea on Whit Monday until now.

isabelle

2/3/2014 03:26:34 am

bishop auckland is a market town in county durham,and it is in the north east of england. bishop auckland is home to a fabulas castle that has portraits of lots of wonderfull well painted art . auckland also provides the setting for lewis carolls story[a ledand of scotland].

Lewis

3/3/2014 01:11:20 am

Mining at Escomb

Coal mining is mentiond in The Bolden Book ( 11th & 12th century.) A passage reads, a Toft and a Croft Of Four acres was held by a collier on condition he provided coals for the cart-smith of Coundon.This must be one of the first recorded pieces of evidence of coal mining in the country.

(from "Whellan's 1894 "directory of County Durham")

"The inhabitants of the village are chiefly miners employed by Messrs Henry Stobart & co.
The Etherley George Pit is sunk a little above the village is now working Busty 3' Harvey 3'6" and the Hutton 3'thick. The output is entirely turned into coke. there are about 700 tons per day, giving employment to 491 men and boys. there are brickworks in connection also". The famous Saxon church has stood in Escomb for over 1300 years,and remains one of the most exciting and rewarding old churches to visit in the world. It's simple beauty and unassuming dignity provides a sense of peace. When inside the church,visitors may blink in surprise when they realise that this elegant little church was almost 500 years old when nearby Durham Cathedral was built,and about 900 years old when the present Vatican was built!

We must go back a considerable number of years to reach the founding and building of the church,the oldest most complete "Saxon" Church in Europe.It was built about the year 675 (after the Romans had left and before the Norman invasion).The builders thoughtfully used the already-dressed stones removed from the ruins of the Roman fort at nearby Binchester which had fallen into disrepair since the Romans had left Briton more than 200 years earlier.As a result of this early example of "re-cycling",the church stones still retain carved diamond patterns ("broaching")and Latin inscriptions as legacies of their Roman origin, and the chancel arch shows some Saxon original painted decorations.

The dimension and style of the church are Irish-Celtic, and may have required the skills of builders from Lindisfarne,especially as this stile had ceased to be used after Hilda of Whitby's Synod. The most likely period of construction would have been between 625 and 675 A.D since, following the 664 A.D Whitby Synod,churches were built in a different style. A group of village volunteers were cutting back the overgrown hedge on a dangerous bend at the top of the bank in High Escomb (below the vicarage), we discovered an old victorian horse trough buried beneath the grass bank along with a grate, also buried.

We cleared around it, cleaned and painted it in black,with the lettering "LINGFORD GARDINER & CO IRON FOUNDERS, BISHOP AUCKLAND" picked-out in gold.
We contacted D.C.C Highways Department, and within 48 hours there was built an attractive stone around and behind, whilst also asphalting and clearing the route to the drain. (brilliant service)

With the help of a few stones, some turf plants and a little care, a piece of local history was restored which provides an attractive feature for the pleasure of residents and visitors alike.

MOLLY R

3/3/2014 01:12:51 am

Bishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Darlington and 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless. According to the 2001 census, Bishop Auckland has a population of 24,392.

Much of the town's early history surrounds the bishops of Durham and the establishment of a hunting lodge, which later became the main residence of the Bishops of Durham. This link with the Bishops of Durham is reflected in the first part of the town's name.

During the Industrial Revolution, the town grew rapidly as coal mining took hold as an important industryThe subsequent decline of the coal mining industry in the late twentieth century has been blamed for a fall in the town's fortunes in other sectors.Today, the largest sector of employment in the town is manufacturing.

Since 1 April 2009, the town's local government has come from the Durham County Council Unitary Authority. The unitary authority replaced the previous Wear Valley District Council and Durham County Council Bishop Auckland is located in the Bishop Auckland parliamentary constituency. The town has a town-twinning with the French town of Ivry-sur-Seine.

Molly b

3/3/2014 02:35:07 am

The name from history for bishop Auckland comes from the bishops of Durham which started the name bishop Auckland . Binchester fort was first made from stone by the Romans and still stands today

andon

3/3/2014 10:54:00 pm

I am going on a mission pushing through the earth's crust to see if I can cliscouer an ancient myth.A one of such great healing pawers,
beyohnd human capecibililes,a form of rocic that has only ever been
recarded by mas once and once only.It was due to a great volcamic
explosion many moons ago,it is not know what or where the rocic diapeed too but while they had the rocic,peace was amongst them.
It will taice me many months to get to the depth I have calcuated and great man power, but he who does not try will never succsead.

emily

4/3/2014 03:35:34 am

It all started when theological students from Oxford and Cambridge Universities whilst studying at Auckland Castle, home of the Bishop of Durham, formed a team known as Bishop Auckland Church Institute in 1882.Success in national and local competitions often left the club with a backlog of league fixtures at the end of the season.Following the tragic Munich air disaster of 1958 when Manchester United lost so many talented players, three Bishop Auckland men went to assist the First Division champions.In 1988 it was the end of an era, but it was also the beginning of an exciting new phase in the club’s historyIn 1988 it was the end of an era, but it was also the beginning of an exciting new phase in the club’s history

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