63-723: Whickham is a village in County Durham , North East England , within the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead . The village is on high ground overlooking the River Tyne and 5 miles (8 km) south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne . Whickham underwent some expansion in the 1950s when the Lakes Estate was built just off Whickham Highway. Then later in the decade the Oakfield Estate just off Whaggs Lane
126-459: A chart (pp. 240–253) of the trend of regional gross value of Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees (figures in Sterling [millions]). ^1 includes hunting and forestry. ^2 includes energy and construction. ^3 includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured. ^4 Components may not sum to totals due to rounding. In the 2021 census, the borough
189-555: A unitary authority on 1 April 1996. It is ceremonially split between County Durham and North Yorkshire, to the north and south of the Tees respectively. It is the only council in England to be split between two ceremonial counties . The former districts and boroughs of Durham now form the unitary authority of County Durham , so ceremonial County Durham now has four unitary authorities . The Office for National Statistics has published
252-594: A Northumbrian assault force. The Northumbrians wiped out the entire Norman army, including Comines, all except for one survivor, who was allowed to take the news of this defeat back. Following the Norman slaughter at the hands of the Northumbrians, resistance to Norman rule spread throughout Northern England, including a similar uprising in York. William The Conqueror subsequently (and successfully) attempted to halt
315-607: A fortified manor house once owned by the Bowes-Lyon family . Whickham was anciently a township and parish within County Durham. Whickham Urban District , created in 1894, also covered the parishes of Dunston , Marley Hill and Byermoor , and Swalwell . Changes to local government in 1974 saw the parish and urban district abolished and replaced by an unparished area , at first within Tyne and Wear , then from 1986 within
378-609: A historic tower that is now closed off from the public. The large play area was restored in 2017 with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund , which included the removal of a large slide and the remodelling of the children's play area, as well as the replanting of Chase Park's many flower beds. South-west of Whickham, above the River Derwent, are the ruins of Old Hollinside,
441-592: A new location away from Whickham in Spring 2021. Primary schools Secondary schools [REDACTED] Media related to Whickham at Wikimedia Commons County Durham County Durham , officially simply Durham ( /ˈdʌrəm/ ), is a ceremonial county in North East England . The county borders Northumberland and Tyne and Wear to the north, the North Sea to the east, North Yorkshire to
504-554: A non-Northumbrian as Bishop of Durham in 1042, the people of the region became increasingly rebellious. In response, in January 1069, William despatched a large Norman army, under the command of Robert de Comines , to Durham City . The army, believed to consist of 700 cavalry (about one-third of the number of Norman knights who had participated in the Battle of Hastings), entered the city, whereupon they were attacked, and defeated, by
567-557: A substantial territory to St Cuthbert on his election to the see of Lindisfarne in 684. In about 883 a cathedral housing the saint's remains was established at Chester-le-Street and Guthfrith, King of York granted the community of St Cuthbert the area between the Tyne and the Wear , before the community reached its final destination in 995, in Durham. Following the Norman invasion ,
630-425: A three-weekly court corresponding to the hundred court. The diocese was divided into the archdeaconries of Durham and Northumberland. The former is mentioned in 1072, and in 1291 included the deaneries of Chester-le-Street, Auckland, Lanchester and Darlington. The term palatinus is applied to the bishop in 1293, and from the 13th century onwards the bishops frequently claimed the same rights in their lands as
693-520: Is explained to some extent by the relationship with the Bishops of Durham , who for centuries governed Durham as a county palatine (the County Palatine of Durham ) outside the usual structure of county administration in England. The situation regarding the formal name in modern local government is less clear: Around AD 547, an Angle named Ida founded the kingdom of Bernicia after spotting
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#1732780527622756-421: Is not generally recognised as the highest point in Durham. The two main dales of County Durham (Teesdale and Weardale) and the surrounding fells, many of which exceed 2,000 feet (610 m) in height, are excellent hillwalking country, although not nearly as popular as the nearby Yorkshire Dales and Lake District national parks. The scenery is rugged and remote, and the high fells have a landscape typical of
819-612: Is now County Durham was on the border of Roman Britain , and contains survivals of this era at sites such as Binchester Roman Fort . In the Anglo-Saxon period the region was part of the Kingdom of Northumbria . In 995 the city of Durham was founded by monks seeking a place safe from Viking raids to house the relics of St Cuthbert . Durham Cathedral was rebuilt after the Norman Conquest , and together with Durham Castle
882-511: Is now a World Heritage Site . By the late Middle Ages the county was governed semi-independently by the bishops of Durham and was also a buffer zone between England and Scotland. County Durham became heavily industrialised in the nineteenth century, when many collieries opened on the Durham coalfield . The Stockton and Darlington Railway , the world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, opened in 1825. Most collieries closed during
945-488: Is partially parished . The city of Durham is the most populous settlement in the county to have a parish. Multiple parishes are styled as having town councils : Billingham (in Stockton Borough), Barnard Castle , Bishop Auckland , Chilton , Ferryhill , Great Aycliffe , Newton Aycliffe , Greater Willington , Peterlee , Seaham , Sedgefield , Shildon , Spennymoor , Stanley and Tow Law . The county
1008-424: Is the trig point (not the summit) of Burnhope Seat , height 746 metres (2,448 ft), between Weardale and Teesdale on the border with historic Cumberland in the far west of the county. The local government reorganisation of 1974 placed the higher Mickle Fell south of Teesdale (the county top of Yorkshire ) within the administrative borders of Durham (where it remains within the ceremonial county). However, it
1071-511: The Battle of Marston Moor (2 July 1644) fell entirely into the hands of Parliament. In 1614, a Bill was introduced in Parliament for securing representation to the county and city of Durham and the borough of Barnard Castle . The bishop strongly opposed the proposal as an infringement of his palatinate rights, and the county was first summoned to return members to Parliament in 1654. After
1134-648: The Craikshire exclave within the North Riding of Yorkshire. In 1831 the county covered an area of 679,530 acres (2,750.0 km ) and had a population of 253,910. These exclaves were included as part of the county for parliamentary electoral purposes until 1832, and for judicial and local-government purposes until the coming into force of the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 , which merged most remaining exclaves with their surrounding county. The boundaries of
1197-573: The Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead . Whickham spans three electoral wards: Whickham North, Dunston Hill and Whickham East, and Whickham South and Sunniside (which extends south-west to include Marley Hill and Byermoor). Each ward elects three members of Gateshead Council. For national government elections it has been part of Gateshead Central and Whickham constituency since 2024, formerly being part of Blaydon constituency . Whickham has six primary schools and one secondary school. The Gibside School for special educational needs and disabilities moved to
1260-907: The NHS . Northumbria Ambulance Service and County Durham Ambulance Service (following historic county borders) merged on 1 April 1999 to become the North East service. In 2005 the area was adapted to the modern North East England regional extent. Air ambulance services are provided by the Great North Air Ambulance . The charity operates three bases, including one in Eaglescliffe . Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team, are based at Sniperly Farm in Durham City and respond to search and rescue incidents in
1323-547: The Pennines with extensive areas of tussock grass and blanket peat bog in the west, with heather moorland on the lower slopes descending to the east. The following climate figures were gathered at the Durham weather station between 1981 and 2010: County Durham, as considered a county for lieutenancy purposes by the Lieutenancies Act 1997, is administered as a part of the constituent country of England in
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#17327805276221386-606: The River Tees with the towns of Billingham and Norton-on-Tees . All three towns are in County Durham. The towns of Ingleby Barwick , Thornaby-on-Tees and Yarm are south of the river in North Yorkshire. The borough governed by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council . The borough is part of Tees Valley with nearby boroughs of Darlington , Middlesbrough , Redcar and Cleveland and Hartlepool . All River Tees bridges from Yarm Viaduct to Transporter Bridge are in
1449-579: The River Tees ) becoming a part of the ceremonial county. The non-metropolitan county was reconstituted on 1 April 2009: the strategic services-providing Durham County Council was re-organised into a single district of the same name, merging with the seven local facility-providing districts in the non-metropolitan county and became structured as a unitary authority . It has 126 councillors. The three pre-existing unitary authorities were unaffected. The county boundaries used for parliamentary constituencies are those used between 1974 and 1996, consisting of
1512-473: The 1974 until 1996, the ceremonial county was split into eight districts : A non-metropolitan county replaced the administrative county. The boundaries only deviated from the ceremonial boundaries after 1995 when the Darlington Borough became a unitary authority . On the 1 April 1996, the county of Cleveland was abolished with its boroughs of Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees (north of
1575-906: The Bishops also had the authority to appoint judges and barons and to offer pardons. There were ten palatinate barons in the 12th century, most importantly the Hyltons of Hylton Castle , the Bulmers of Brancepeth , the Conyers of Sockburne, the Hansards of Evenwood, and the Lumleys of Lumley Castle . The Nevilles owned large estates in the county. John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby rebuilt Raby Castle , their principal seat, in 1377. Edward I 's quo warranto proceedings of 1293 showed twelve lords enjoying more or less extensive franchises under
1638-487: The Bishops. This territory continued to expand, and was eventually given the status of a liberty . Under the control of the Bishops of Durham, the land had various names: the "Liberty of Durham", "Liberty of St Cuthbert's Land" "the lands of St Cuthbert between Tyne and Tees" or "the Liberty of Haliwerfolc" (holy Wear folk). The bishops' special jurisdiction rested on claims that King Ecgfrith of Northumbria had granted
1701-578: The County Durham district and the Darlington Borough. This area elects seven Members of Parliament. As of the 2019 General Election, four of these MPs are Conservatives and three MPs are Labour . The rest of the ceremonial county is included in the Cleveland parliamentary constituency area . The police and fire services operate according to the 1974-96 ceremonial county boundaries: The North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust cover North East England and are responsible for providing ambulance services for
1764-778: The Danelaw. The House of Bamburgh, successors of the Kings of Bernicia and Northumbria, retained control north of the Tyne; between the Tyne and the Tees emerged the Community of St. Cuthbert or Haliwerfolc , successors of the See of Lindisfarne. The House of Wessex absorbed the Kingdom of York into the unified English Kingdom in 954 and claimed overlordship over Northumbria. However, the lands north of
1827-646: The Restoration of 1660 the county and city returned two members each. In the wake of the Reform Act of 1832 the county returned two members for two divisions, and the boroughs of Gateshead , South Shields and Sunderland acquired representation. The bishops lost their secular powers in 1836. The boroughs of Darlington, Stockton and Hartlepool returned one member each from 1868 until the Redistribution Act of 1885 . The historic county excludes
1890-630: The Scandinavian raiders eventually claimed the Deiran part of the kingdom in AD 867 (which became Jórvík ). The land that would become County Durham now sat on the border with the Great Heathen Army , a border which today still forms the boundaries between the historic counties of Yorkshire and County Durham. Viking settlement petered out at the Tees and the lands north thereof lay outside of
1953-542: The Tees remained outside the governmental frontiers of the English realm, thus Bamburgh and the Haliwerfolc went on to become contested buffer states between England and Scotland. In AD 995, St Cuthbert's community, who had been transporting Cuthbert's remains around, partly in an attempt to avoid them falling into the hands of Viking raiders, settled at Dunholm (Durham) on a site that was defensively favourable due to
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2016-554: The United Kingdom. The area is appointed a lord lieutenant and a high sheriff . The ceremonial county is divided into four administrative counties (see table below), one of which - Stockon-on-Tees - also extends into North Yorkshire. Technically, for administrative purposes, the County of Durham only consists of the area governed by Durham County Council . The three other areas are counties in their own right. The county
2079-542: The administrative counties years of administrating; each remained in the ceremonial county while outside of the administrative county. The ceremonial county remained under the same borders as the historic county until 1968 when the County Borough of Teesside formed. Ceremonial duties of the borough (which were made up of areas from two counties) were in the North Riding of Yorkshire ceremonial county. From
2142-559: The administrative machinery of government extended only slowly into northern England. Northumberland's first recorded Sheriff was Gilebert from 1076 until 1080 and a 12th-century record records Durham regarded as within the shire. However the bishops disputed the authority of the sheriff of Northumberland and his officials, despite the second sheriff for example being the reputed slayer of Malcolm Canmore , King of Scots. The crown regarded Durham as falling within Northumberland until
2205-610: The bishop. In 1596 restrictions were imposed on the powers of the chancery, and in 1646 the palatinate was formally abolished. It was revived, however, after the Restoration , and continued with much the same power until 5 July 1836, when the Durham (County Palatine) Act 1836 provided that the palatine jurisdiction should in future be vested in the Crown. During the 15th-century Wars of the Roses , Henry VI passed through Durham. On
2268-466: The bishop. The repeated efforts of the Crown to check the powers of the palatinate bishops culminated in 1536 in the Act of Resumption, which deprived the bishop of the power to pardon offences against the law or to appoint judicial officers. Moreover, indictments and legal processes were in future to run in the name of the king, and offences to be described as against the peace of the king, rather than that of
2331-555: The borough at least on one side, with the Borough of Middlesbrough to the south downstream on the other side to the east of the borough. Teesside International Airport is shared between the borough and the Borough of Darlington . Stockton previously held borough status as the Municipal Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in historic County Durham. In 1968, the borough was merged into Teesside County Borough ; this civil parish
2394-399: The ceremonial county at 857,800. Borough of Stockton-on-Tees The Borough of Stockton-on-Tees is a unitary authority area in England with borough status . It straddles the ceremonial counties of County Durham and North Yorkshire and had a population of 196,600 in 2021. The main settlement and namesake of the borough is Stockton-on-Tees , which lies on the north bank of
2457-627: The ceremonial county, the city of Sunderland , the boroughs of Gateshead and South Tyneside , while the non-metropolitan county includes part of Yorkshire . County Durham contains a small area of the North East Green Belt in the county's north; surrounding the city of Durham, Chester-le-Street and other communities along the shared county border with Tyne and Wear, avoiding Wearside 's spread west. A smaller green belt separates Urpeth , Ouston , Pelton , and Perkinsville from Birtley in Tyne and Wear. A further small segment by
2520-689: The coast separates Seaham from the Sunderland settlements of Beckwith Green and Ryhope . It was first drawn up in the 1990s. County Durham is underlain by Carboniferous rocks in the west. Permian and Triassic strata overlie these older rocks in the east. These sedimentary sequences have been cut by igneous dykes and sills . The county contains a sizeable area of the North Pennines , designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , primarily west of Tow Law and Barnard Castle . The highest point ( county top ) of historic County Durham
2583-401: The county comprises three unitary authority areas— County Durham , Darlington , and Hartlepool —and part of a fourth, Stockton-on-Tees . The county historically included the part of Tyne and Wear south of the River Tyne , and excluded the area south of the River Tees . The west of the county contains part of the North Pennines uplands, a national landscape . The hills are the source of
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2646-520: The county proper remained in use for administrative and ceremonial purposes until the 1972 Local Government Act . Following the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror appointed Copsig as Earl of Northumbria, thereby bringing what would become County Durham under Copsig's control. Copsig was, just a few weeks later, killed in Newburn. Having already being previously offended by the appointment of
2709-557: The county. The Office for National Statistics estimated in 2016 that the Durham County Council area had a population of 522,100, the Borough of Darlington a population of 105,600, the Borough of Hartlepool a population of 92,800, and the part of the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham (the other part being in North Yorkshire) a population of 137,300. This gives the total estimated population of
2772-473: The defensive potential of a large rock at Bamburgh, upon which many a fortification was thenceforth built. Ida was able to forge, hold and consolidate the kingdom; although the native British tried to take back their land, the Angles triumphed and the kingdom endured. In AD 604, Ida's grandson Æthelfrith forcibly merged Bernicia (ruled from Bamburgh ) and Deira (ruled from York , which was known as Eforwic at
2835-556: The eastern portion of the cathedral, the churches of Darlington, Hartlepool, and St Andrew, Auckland, Sedgefield, and portions of a few other churches. Until the 15th century, the most important administrative officer in the Palatinate was the steward . Other officers included the sheriff, the coroners, the Chamberlain and the chancellor . The palatine exchequer originated in the 12th century. The palatine assembly represented
2898-685: The horseshoe-like path of the River Wear. St Cuthbert's remains were placed in a shrine in the White Church, which was originally a wooden structure but was eventually fortified into a stone building. Once the City of Durham had been founded, the Bishops of Durham gradually acquired the lands that would become County Durham. Bishop Aldhun began this process by procuring land in the Tees and Wear valleys, including Norton, Stockton, Escomb and Aucklandshire in 1018. In 1031, King Canute gave Staindrop to
2961-540: The king enjoyed in his kingdom. The historic boundaries of County Durham included a main body covering the catchment of the Pennines in the west, the River Tees in the south, the North Sea in the east and the Rivers Tyne and Derwent in the north. The county palatinate also had a number of liberties : the Bedlingtonshire , Islandshire and Norhamshire exclaves within Northumberland, and
3024-456: The last quarter of the twentieth century, but the county's coal mining heritage is remembered in the annual Durham Miners' Gala . The ceremonial county is officially named Durham , but the county has long been commonly known as County Durham and is the only English county name prefixed with "County" in common usage (a practice common in Ireland ). Its unusual naming (for an English shire)
3087-422: The late thirteenth century. Matters regarding the bishopric of Durham came to a head in 1293 when the bishop and his steward failed to attend proceedings of quo warranto held by the justices of Northumberland. The bishop's case went before parliament, where he stated that Durham lay outside the bounds of any English shire and that "from time immemorial it had been widely known that the sheriff of Northumberland
3150-566: The northern rebellions by unleashing the notorious Harrying of the North (1069–1070). Because William's main focus during the harrying was on Yorkshire, County Durham was largely spared the Harrying. The best remains of the Norman period include Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle , and several parish churches, such as St Laurence Church in Pittington . The Early English period has left
3213-413: The outbreak of the Great Rebellion in 1642 Durham inclined to support the cause of Parliament , and in 1640 the high sheriff of the palatinate guaranteed to supply the Scottish army with provisions during their stay in the county. In 1642 the Earl of Newcastle formed the western counties into an association for the King's service, but in 1644 the palatinate was again overrun by a Scottish army, and after
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#17327805276223276-450: The rivers Tees and Wear , which flow east and form the valleys of Teesdale and Weardale respectively. The east of the county is flatter, and the two rivers meander through it; the Tees forms the boundary with North Yorkshire in its lower reaches, and the Wear exits the county near Chester-le-Street in the north-east. The county's coast is a site of special scientific interest characterised by tall limestone and dolomite cliffs. What
3339-456: The role of the bishops in Durham, the "buffer state between England and Scotland": From 1075, the Bishop of Durham became a Prince-Bishop, with the right to raise an army, mint his own coins, and levy taxes. As long as he remained loyal to the king of England, he could govern as a virtually autonomous ruler, reaping the revenue from his territory, but also remaining mindful of his role of protecting England’s northern frontier. A report states that
3402-474: The south, and Cumbria to the west. The largest settlement is Darlington . The county has an area of 2,676 square kilometres (1,033 sq mi) and a population of 872,075. The latter is concentrated in the east; the south-east is part of the Teesside built-up area, which extends into North Yorkshire. After Darlington (92,363), the largest settlements are Hartlepool (88,855), Stockton-on-Tees (82,729), and Durham (48,069). For local government purposes
3465-426: The time) to create the Kingdom of Northumbria . In time, the realm was expanded, primarily through warfare and conquest; at its height, the kingdom stretched from the River Humber (from which the kingdom drew its name) to the Forth. Eventually, factional fighting and the rejuvenated strength of neighbouring kingdoms, most notably Mercia, led to Northumbria's decline. The arrival of the Vikings hastened this decline, and
3528-403: The village of Startforth , the ceremonial county excludes the city of Sunderland and the non-metropolitan county excludes the town of Stockton-on-Tees . The ceremonial county includes the non-metropolitan county with the addition of the boroughs of Darlington , Hartlepool , and Stockton-on-Tees . The historic county's boundaries stretched from the rivers Tyne to Tees and it is covered by
3591-406: The whole county, and dealt chiefly with fiscal questions. The bishop's council, consisting of the clergy, the sheriff and the barons , regulated judicial affairs, and later produced the Chancery and the courts of Admiralty and Marshalsea . The prior of Durham ranked first among the bishop's barons. He had his own court, and almost exclusive jurisdiction over his men. A UNESCO site describes
3654-440: Was a liberty, sometimes referred to as a county, within Northumberland. In 1189 it was purchased for the see but continued with a separate sheriff , coroner and court of pleas. In the 14th century Sadberge was included in Stockton ward and was itself divided into two wards. The division into the four wards of Chester-le-Street, Darlington , Easington and Stockton existed in the 13th century, each ward having its own coroner and
3717-402: Was a part of the ceremonial (not administrative) North Riding county until its abolition. The town regained borough status on 1 April 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972 . It became a non-metropolitan district of the County of Cleveland , itself established at the same time. Multiple parishes and boroughs merged into Stockton's newly formed district borough: The borough became
3780-428: Was aligned to other historic counties of England from 1836 until 1889; multiple acts were passed removing exclaves, splitting the county from the bishopric and reforming its structure. The ceremonial county and administrative county were created under the Local Government Act 1888 in 1889. Darlington, Gateshead, West Hartlepool (later known as Hartlepool), South Shields and Sunderland became county boroughs during
3843-399: Was built. Grange Estate began the long-term development by JT Bell, (Bellway), the builder, who went on to build Clavering Park, Clavering Grange, the Cedars and then Fellside Park. In central Whickham, near Front Street, is Chase Park, the former residence of Whickham Chase. The property included a manor house , which was demolished in 1960. The park includes King George's Field, in which is
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#17327805276223906-423: Was not sheriff of Durham nor entered within that liberty as sheriff. . . nor made there proclamations or attachments" . The arguments appear to have prevailed, as by the fourteenth century Durham was accepted as a liberty which received royal mandates direct. In effect it was a private shire, with the bishop appointing his own sheriff. The area eventually became known as the " County Palatine of Durham". Sadberge
3969-432: Was recorded as having a population of 196,595 with 50.9% being female. For sexuality, those who identified as Straight or Heterosexual were 91.6%, Gay or Lesbian were 1.4%, Bisexual was 0.9%, Pansexual was 0.2%, Asexual was 0.0%, Queer was 0.0, 'All other sexual orientations' were 0.0% and those who did not answer were 5.9%. [Note, for percentages with 0.0%, this may due to a number too low to represent using
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