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Revision as of 16:55, 30 November 2007 editLogoistic (talk | contribs)1,305 edits altered as per talk - introducing who says what about boundary "changes"; removed some information in the lead as it needs more clarifcation (as given later in the article) so as not to mislead← Previous edit Revision as of 19:11, 30 November 2007 edit undoLogoistic (talk | contribs)1,305 edits →History: merged text from the History of County Durham article into this one, with some tweaks for clarifcation, chronology + style. Plus, does anyone know what the "Act of 1836" is?Next edit →
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==History== ==History==
{{main|History of County Durham}}
The '''County Palatine of Durham and ]''' was a ] by immemorial custom, with the ] being princes until 1836. Until 1971 there were a series of courts in the county, and the offices of Chancellor, Attorney-General, Solicitor-General, Steward and Clerk of Halmotes, Deputy Steward, and Registrar of Halmotes. The Court of Chancery of Durham existed from the 13th century to 1971. In 1836 the separate Court of Exchequer and the Court of Admiralty were abolished. The Durham Court of Pleas survived until 1873.


===Historic county boundaries=== ===Historic county ===

The ] of Durham includes a main body covering the ] of the ] in the west, the ] in the south, the ] in the east and the Rivers ] and ] in the north. The county several had a number of ]s: ], ] and ] within Northumberland, and ] within the North Riding of Yorkshire. The historic boundaries were used for parliamentary purposes until 1832, and for judicial and local government purposes until the coming into force of the ], which merged most remaining exclaves with their surrounding county. The ] of Durham includes a main body covering the ] of the ] in the west, the ] in the south, the ] in the east and the Rivers ] and ] in the north. The county several had a number of ]s: ], ] and ] within Northumberland, and ] within the North Riding of Yorkshire. The historic boundaries were used for parliamentary purposes until 1832, and for judicial and local government purposes until the coming into force of the ], which merged most remaining exclaves with their surrounding county.


====Ancent Origins====

The origin of Durham can be traced back to Anglo-Saxon times. After the death of the ] ruler ] in the ], the kingdom of ] was divided into the two states of ] and ], separated from each other by the ], the latter including the district afterwards known as Durham. Relics of the ] period can be seen at the ]es of Monk Wearmouth (]), ], Escomb near ], and numerous sculptured crosses, two of which are in situ at Aycliffe.

The post-] ] arose by a process of slow growth from the grant of land made by Egfrith to ] on his election to the ] of ] in ]. On the transference of the see to Chester-le-Street in the ], Guthred the Dane endowed it with the whole district between the ] and the ], stretching west as far as Watling Street, a grant confirmed by Alfred; and when in ] the see was finally established at Durham, the endowment was again largely enriched by various donations.

Durham continued, however, to form part of the ]dorn of Northumbria, and not until after the purchase of the earldom by ] in ] did the bishops begin to exercise regal rights in their territory. At the time of the ] the bishops possessions included nearly all the district between the Tees and the Tyne, except Sadberge, and also the outlying districts of ], ], ] and Crayke, together with ], the city of ], and part of Teviotdale. ] deprived the bishopric of the last three, but in compensation transferred the ] of Burdon, Aycliffe and Canton to it from the earldom of Northumberland.

Sadberge, then forming part of the earldom of Northumberland, was purchased for the see by Bishop Pudsey in ], but continued as an independent franchise, with a separate ], ] and court of pleas. In the ] Sadberge was included in ] ward and was itself divided into two wards. The division into the four wards of, Chester-le-Street, ], ] and Stockton existed in the 13th century, each ward having its own coroner and a three-weekly court corresponding to the ] court. The ] was divided into the ]ries of Durham and Northumberland. The former is mentioned in ], and in ] included the deaneries of Chester-le-Street, Auckland, ] and Darlington.

The term ''palatinus'' is applied to the bishop in ], and from the ] onwards the bishops frequently claimed the same rights in their lands as the king enjoyed in his kingdom.

====Early administration====

Until the ] the most important administrative officer in the palatinate was the ]. Other officers were the sheriff, the coroners, the ] and the ]. The palatine exchequer was organized in the ]. The palatine assembly represented the whole county, and dealt chiefly with fiscal questions. The bishops council, consisting of the ], the sheriff and the ]s, regulated the judicial affairs, and later produced the ] and the courts of Admiralty and ].

] was captured by a ] army in ]. There was a rebellion against the new Norman earl ], who was killed. However, County Durham largely missed the ] that was designed to subjugate such rebellions.<ref>Douglas, D.C. ''William the Conqueror: The Norman Impact Upon England''<ref>
The best remains of the Norman period are to be found in ] and in ], also in some few ] churches, as at Pittington and Norton near Stockton. Of the ] are the eastern portion of the cathedral, the churches of Darlington, Hartlepool, and St Andrew, Auckland, Sedgefield, and portions of a few other churches.

The ] of Durham ranked first among the bishop's barons. He had his own court, and almost exclusive jurisdiction over his men. There were ten palatinate barons in the 12th century, the most important being the Hiltons of Hilton Castle, the Bulmers of ], the Conyers of Sockburne, the Hansards of Evenwood, and the Lumleys of Lumley Castle. The Nevilles owned large estates in the county. Raby Castle, their principal seat, was built by John de Neville in ].

]'s ] proceedings of ] showed twelve lords enjoying more or less extensive franchises under the bishop. The repeated efforts of ] to check the powers of the palatinate bishops culminated in ] 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 the bishop. In ] restrictions were imposed on the powers of the chancery, and in ] the palatinate was formally abolished. It was revived, however, after the ], and continued with much the same power until an Act of ], which provided that the palatine jurisdiction should in future be vested in the crown.

During the ], ] passed through Durham. On the outbreak of the ] Durham inclined to support the cause of the ], and in ] the high sheriff of the palatinate guaranteed to supply the ] army with provisions during their stay in the county. In ] the earl of Newcastle formed the western counties into an association for the kings service, but in ] the palatinate was again overrun by the Scottish army, and after the ] fell entirely into the hands of the parliament.

In ] a ] was introduced in parliament for securing representation to the county and city of Durham and the borough of ]. The movement was strongly opposed by the bishop, as an infringement of his palatinate rights, and the county was first summoned to return members to parliament in ]. After the Restoration the county and city returned two members each. By the ] of ] the county returned two members for two divisions, and the boroughs of ], ] and ] acquired representation. The boroughs of Darlington, Stockton and ] returned one member each from ] until the Redistribution Act of ].

====Early economy====

The economic history of the county centres round the growth of the ] industry, which at its heights employed almost the whole of the non-agricultural population, with large numbers of pit villages being founded throughout the County. ] possessed a mine in Durham which he granted to Bishop Pudsey, and in the same century ]s are mentioned at Coundon, Bishopwearmouth and Sedgefield. Cockfield Fell was one of the earliest Landsale collieries in Durham. ] issued an order allowing ] dug at Newcastle to be taken across the Tyne, and ] granted to the inhabitants of Durham licence to export the produce of the mines, without paying dues to the corporation of Newcastle.

The culture of coal mining found expression in the ], which was first held in 1871, developed around the culture of trade unionism that the miners' embraced.

Among other early industries ]-mining was carried on in the western part of the county, and ] was extensively cultivated. Gateshead had a considerable ] trade and ] was carried on at ].

⚫ ====Administrative county====


⚫ ===Administrative county===
In 1889, under the ] England and Wales was divided into ] and ]s. Administrative counties, governed by an elected ], were based on the historic boundaries, less larger towns which became self-governing as county boroughs. In 1889, under the ] England and Wales was divided into ] and ]s. Administrative counties, governed by an elected ], were based on the historic boundaries, less larger towns which became self-governing as county boroughs.


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The administrative county was abolished in 1974. The administrative county was abolished in 1974.


Coal mining reached its height in 1913, with 200 coal mines being present across the administrative county.<ref>http://www.durham.gov.uk/durhamcc/usp.nsf/pws/History+and+heritage+-+History+and+heritage+of+county+durham<ref> However, after this the number of pits declined.
⚫ ===Non-metropolitan county===

⚫ ====Non-metropolitan county====
In 1974, with the implementation of the ], the administrative county (and the Durham County Council that governed it) were abolished. The Act created three new ] to act as government administration areas in its place: ''the non-metropolitan counties of Durham'' and '']'' ( the latter containing the boroughs of ] and ]), and the ''metropolitan county'' of '']'' (containing the boroughs of ], ] and ].)<ref> Local Government Act, 1972 </ref> The new non-metropolitan county of Durham also covered the former area of ], a part of the historic North Riding of Yorkshire, and south of the historical boundary of the River Tees. In 1974, with the implementation of the ], the administrative county (and the Durham County Council that governed it) were abolished. The Act created three new ] to act as government administration areas in its place: ''the non-metropolitan counties of Durham'' and '']'' ( the latter containing the boroughs of ] and ]), and the ''metropolitan county'' of '']'' (containing the boroughs of ], ] and ].)<ref> Local Government Act, 1972 </ref> The new non-metropolitan county of Durham also covered the former area of ], a part of the historic North Riding of Yorkshire, and south of the historical boundary of the River Tees.


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* ''']''', including ]. * ''']''', including ].
{{See also|Districts of Durham|List of civil parishes in County Durham}} {{See also|Districts of Durham|List of civil parishes in County Durham}}

Coal mining continued to decline and the county saw many pits. The ] saw many miners across the non-metropolitan county strike. Today no deep-coal mines exist in the administrative county area. Numbers attending the Miners' Gala have decreased significantly over the period, although recent years have seen numbers increase, and more banners return to the Gala as former collieries restore former banners.


The ] has announced that the seven district councils and the County Council will be abolished and a new unitary authority for the whole of the existing County Council area will be created. The changes are planned to be implemented no later than 1 April 2009.<ref> - Local Government Review in County Durham</ref><ref> - Proposals for future unitary structures: Stakeholder consultation</ref>. The successful Durham County Council bid referred to the new authority as ]. The ] has announced that the seven district councils and the County Council will be abolished and a new unitary authority for the whole of the existing County Council area will be created. The changes are planned to be implemented no later than 1 April 2009.<ref> - Local Government Review in County Durham</ref><ref> - Proposals for future unitary structures: Stakeholder consultation</ref>. The successful Durham County Council bid referred to the new authority as ].


===Ceremonial county=== ====Ceremonial county====
In 1997 the non-metropolitan county (including unitary Darlington), together with that part of the former county of Cleveland north of the River Tees became a county for 'ceremonial purposes' (reflecting the southern historic and administrative county boundaries). The ceremonial county of Durham is the area to which lord-lieutenants and ]s are appointed, and has no role in local government. In 1997 the non-metropolitan county (including unitary Darlington), together with that part of the former county of Cleveland north of the River Tees became a county for 'ceremonial purposes' (reflecting the southern historic and administrative county boundaries). The ceremonial county of Durham is the area to which lord-lieutenants and ]s are appointed, and has no role in local government.


The term "County Durham" has no strict definition. It should be noted that no government Act has ever named any entity "County Durham": this has arisen out of common usage and despite this has been, and is, widely used even within government to refer to any one of the government administrion areas defined above. The term "County Durham" has no strict definition. It should be noted that no government Act has ever named any entity "County Durham": this has arisen out of common usage and despite this has been, and is, widely used even within government to refer to any one of the government administation areas defined above.


==Settlements== ==Settlements==

Revision as of 19:11, 30 November 2007

"Durham county" redirects here. For other uses, see Durham County. Ceremonial county in England
County Durham
Ceremonial county
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionNorth East England
OriginHistoric
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
Ceremonial county
Area
 • Rank of 48
 • Rank of 48
Density
Ethnicity98.6% White

County Durham, or officially Durham, is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in North East England. Ceremonially the county consists of ten districts, three of which are unitary authority areas.

No Act of Parliament has ever named any entity "County Durham". The term arose out of common usage.

The form of the county name is unique in England. Many counties are named after their principal town, and the expected form here would be Durhamshire. The reason it is called County Durham is that Durham did not become a county until after the language of government was changed from Anglo-Saxon to Norman French in 1066. Previous to that it was a semi-independent Bishopric.

The county town is Durham.

History

Historic county

The historic county boundary of Durham includes a main body covering the watershed 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 several had a number of exclaves: Bedlingtonshire, Islandshire and Norhamshire within Northumberland, and Craikshire within the North Riding of Yorkshire. The historic boundaries were used for parliamentary 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.


Ancent Origins

The origin of Durham can be traced back to Anglo-Saxon times. After the death of the Anglo-Saxon ruler Ida in the 6th century, the kingdom of Northumbria was divided into the two states of Bernicia and Deira, separated from each other by the Tees, the latter including the district afterwards known as Durham. Relics of the Anglo-Saxon period can be seen at the churches of Monk Wearmouth (Sunderland), Jarrow, Escomb near Bishop Auckland, and numerous sculptured crosses, two of which are in situ at Aycliffe.

The post-conquest palatinate arose by a process of slow growth from the grant of land made by Egfrith to St Cuthbert on his election to the see of Lindisfarne in 684. On the transference of the see to Chester-le-Street in the 9th century, Guthred the Dane endowed it with the whole district between the Tyne and the Wear, stretching west as far as Watling Street, a grant confirmed by Alfred; and when in 995 the see was finally established at Durham, the endowment was again largely enriched by various donations.

Durham continued, however, to form part of the earldorn of Northumbria, and not until after the purchase of the earldom by Bishop Walcher in 1075 did the bishops begin to exercise regal rights in their territory. At the time of the Conquest the bishops possessions included nearly all the district between the Tees and the Tyne, except Sadberge, and also the outlying districts of Bedlingtonshire, Norhamshire, Islandshire and Crayke, together with Hexhamshire, the city of Carlisle, and part of Teviotdale. Henry I deprived the bishopric of the last three, but in compensation transferred the vills of Burdon, Aycliffe and Canton to it from the earldom of Northumberland.

Sadberge, then forming part of the earldom of Northumberland, was purchased for the see by Bishop Pudsey in 1189, but continued as an independent franchise, 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 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 the king enjoyed in his kingdom.

Early administration

Until the 15th century the most important administrative officer in the palatinate was the steward. Other officers were the sheriff, the coroners, the Chamberlain and the chancellor. The palatine exchequer was organized in the 12th century. The palatine assembly represented the whole county, and dealt chiefly with fiscal questions. The bishops council, consisting of the clergy, the sheriff and the barons, regulated the judicial affairs, and later produced the Chancery and the courts of Admiralty and Marshalsea.

Durham city was captured by a Norman army in 1069. There was a rebellion against the new Norman earl Robert de Comines, who was killed. However, County Durham largely missed the Harrying of the North that was designed to subjugate such rebellions.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). The new non-metropolitan county of Durham also covered the former area of Startforth Rural District, a part of the historic North Riding of Yorkshire, and south of the historical boundary of the River Tees.

Some take the view that the non-metropolitan county of Durham is the direct continuation of "County Durham" from the administrative county of Durham (e.g. that County Durham's boundaries have "changed"), although the Local Government Act 1972 states only that the administrative county is "abolished" and its area distributed among three new non-metropolitan and metropolitan counties.

As established in 1974 the non-metropolitan county had a two-tier structure. A new Durham County Council, and eight districts (each governed by a district council) were formed. In 1997 the district of Darlington was removed from jurisdiction of the county council, becoming a Unitary Authority. There are currently seven local government districts in the county. They are:

See also: Districts of Durham and List of civil parishes in County Durham

Coal mining continued to decline and the county saw many pits. The 1984-85 miners' strike saw many miners across the non-metropolitan county strike. Today no deep-coal mines exist in the administrative county area. Numbers attending the Miners' Gala have decreased significantly over the period, although recent years have seen numbers increase, and more banners return to the Gala as former collieries restore former banners.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has announced that the seven district councils and the County Council will be abolished and a new unitary authority for the whole of the existing County Council area will be created. The changes are planned to be implemented no later than 1 April 2009.. The successful Durham County Council bid referred to the new authority as County Durham Council.

Ceremonial county

In 1997 the non-metropolitan county (including unitary Darlington), together with that part of the former county of Cleveland north of the River Tees became a county for 'ceremonial purposes' (reflecting the southern historic and administrative county boundaries). The ceremonial county of Durham is the area to which lord-lieutenants and high sheriffs are appointed, and has no role in local government.

The term "County Durham" has no strict definition. It should be noted that no government Act has ever named any entity "County Durham": this has arisen out of common usage and despite this has been, and is, widely used even within government to refer to any one of the government administation areas defined above.

Settlements

Further information: list of places in County Durham

This is a list of the main towns in County Durham. The area covered is the entire ceremonial county, hence the inclusion of towns which are no longer administered by Durham County Council.

Education

The Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in Darlington

Durham LEA has a comprehensive school system with 36 state secondary schools (not including sixth form colleges) and 3 independent schools (two in Durham and one in Barnard Castle). Easington district has the largest school population by year, and Teesdale the smallest with two schools. Only one school in Easington and Derwentside districts have sixth forms, with about half the schools in the other districts having sixth forms. In England, 45.8% of pupils gain 5 good GCSE grades including English and Maths; for Durham's 5800 pupils taking GCSE at 16 it is 40.4 - well under the average. There is variety across the county with schools in the former mining areas performing the lowest, and schools in Durham City performing the best, and one in Chester-le-Street. There are no good schools in the Easington district. The best state school at GCSE is St Leonard's RC School in Durham City, which is also as good as the Hurworth School in Darlington. The catholic schools do particularly well at GCSE. The worst school is Sunnydale Community College in Shildon. The schools in Darlington either perform very well or much worse. At A level, the county performs well under the England average, with even Hartlepool getting a better average result. The best school at A-level is Durham Johnston Comprehensive School, getting respectable results for a comprehensive (and higher than the independent schools), followed by Park View Community School in Chester-le-Street. Darlington gets much better results at A-level - well above the England average, thanks to the Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College. In 2006 the highest GCSE grade A-C average was the City of Durham and the lowest was Easington. Only the City of Durham, Teesdale and Chester-le-Street districts had a percentage above the national average.

Places of interest

Key
Abbey/Priory/Cathedral
Accessible open space Accessible open space
Amusement/Theme Park
Castle
Country Park Country Park
English Heritage
Forestry Commission
Heritage railway Heritage railway
Historic house Historic House
Places of Worship Places of Worship
Museum (free)
Museum		 Museum (free/not free)
National Trust National Trust
Theatre
Zoo

External links

References

  1. ^ Boundary Commission for England (2007). Mapping for the Non-metropoltian Counties and Unitary Authorities; fifth periodical report. Boundary Commission for England. ISBN 0101703228.
  2. ^ Bryne, T. (1994). Local Government in Britain. Penguin. ISBN 0140267395.
  3. ^ Her Majesty's Stationary Office (1996). Aspects of Britain: Local Government. Stationery Office Books. ISBN 0117020370.
  4. Hampton, W. (1991). Local Government and Urban Politics. ISBN 0582062047.
  5. Young, F. (1991). Guide to Local Administrative Units of England: Northern England. Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0861931270.
  6. Office for National Statistics (1999). Gazetteer of the old and new geographies of the United Kingdom. Office for National Statistics. ISBN 1-85774-298-2.
  7. Durham County Council - Local Government Review in County Durham
  8. Communities and Local Government - Proposals for future unitary structures: Stakeholder consultation

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Ceremonial county of Durham
Unitary authorities
Major settlements
(cities in italics)
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