Enjoy a glimpse of history about Wolsingham in County Durham, England, UK.
The Post Office Directory of Durham and Northumberland
by Kelly and Company
Published in 1879
WOLSINGHAM is a small market town, parish, head of a county court district, and station on the Wear Valley branch of the North Eastern railway; it is a polling place for the Southern division of the county, in Weardale union, north-western division of Darlington ward, northern division of the rural deanery of Darlington, archdeaconry and diocese of Durham, 16 miles south-west from Durham, 23 south-west from Newcastle, and about 270 from London, situated on the river Wear, which is here crossed by a stone bridge of two arches, erected on the site of the old bridge, which was swept away by a great flood in November, 1771. In 1810 a bridge was erected over the Wascrow or Waskerley stream; and in 1817 a bridge which crosses it at Upper town, was taken down and rebuilt. The principal street of the town lies on the Lobley Hill turnpike road, between Durham and Stanhope, and is tolerably paved, and contains some good houses. The parish comprises the constabularies of WOLSINGHAM, EAST, SOUTH, and PARK QUARTERS. The church of St. Matthew was completely rebuilt in 1848, except the tower, which was heightened 18 feet in 1855, a stained window added and a clock presented by G. D. Wooler, esq. of Fawn Lees, and Miss Wilson, and the 3 bells re-cast, to which the same gentleman was a very large subscriber: the present structure is in the Early English style, erected from designs by Mr. W. Nicholson, of Wolsingham, at a cost of £1,500: the tower cost a further sum of £550; it has 3 bells: a stained window was placed in the church to the memory of Mr. Thomas Chapman of Wolsingham; and also the east window of three lights is stained and in memory of Miss Wilson, late of Wolsingham, G. D. Wooler, esq. of Fawn Lees, and Mrs. and Miss Bates, late of Wolsingham: there is also a stained window to the memory of Joseph Nicolson, who was parish clerk for about 50 years: the interior is fitted with open seats, a large number of which are free; the church comprises chancel, nave and aisles; and the churchyard is bordered with rows of fine trees. The register dates from the year 1654. The living is a rectory, yearly value £1,000 (net), with residence and small glebe land, in the gift of the Bishop of Chester, and held by the Rev. Robert Henry Gray, M.A. formerly student of Christ Church, Oxford, hon. canon of Chester. The rectory house was rebuilt in 1848 by the Rev. John Grey. St. Thomas of Canterbury Catholic church stands on a slight elevation at the north part of the town, and is an elegant and rather spacious building, in the Decorated style, and consists of a chancel, nave and aisles: it was erected in 1854, at a cost of between £2,000 and £3,000, from designs of Joseph Hansom, esq.: it will hold upwards of 800 persons: the ceiling of the chancel is circular, and divided into panelling for decorative ornaments: the aisles and nave are lofty, and the building well lighted by several windows in the aisles. The Catholic church school is attended by about 60 children. The Particular Baptist chapel is a stone building, erected in 1830, and opened in 1831 for worship. The Wesleyans have a chapel here, also the Primitive Methodists. The Grammar school was founded in the year 1613, and rebuilt in 1786; at a court held for the manor of Wolsingham on the 14th of October, 1612, William Greenwell and Anthony Vasey, and seven others, were, by special mandate of the Lord Bishop of Durham, admitted to a parcel of waste land lying at the east end of the village of Wolsingham, for the building of a common free school and other necessary edifices, to teach boys the rudiments of learning and the Christian religion, a garden to be made thereto, adjoining and enclosed, containing 50 yards in length and 16 yards in breadth; and also another parcel of land on the west side of the corn-fields, called the Butts. The premises consist of a good dwelling house, with large schoolroom, rebuilt nearly 80 years ago, by subscription, and a good garden. The original portion of the land attached to the school lies on the south side of the Wear, an exchange having been effected many years back for the benefit of the charity. Part of the land was sold to the Stockton and Darlington Railway Co. for £1,000, £365 of which was invested by the trustees in land and £635 in the £3 per cents. in the name of the Accountant General in Chancery on trust and payable half-yearly to the master only. On the division of Wolsingham common about seven acres were allotted to the trust: the rental is received by the master, who instructs 18 boys of the parish on the old foundation: they are not admitted under 9 years of age, and remain for three years. In 1789 Jonathan Wooler left £100, and in 1826 George Wooler also left £100, the interest of which is received by the master, and for which he instructs eight children of persons not receiving parish relief, appointed by the trustees. Mr. George Newcomb in 1847 left £200 £3 per cents. for which the master instructs four boys; an examination is held in December by the trustees, at which prizes are awarded. The National school is a handsome stone building in the Elizabethan style, erected in 1848 at a cost of upwards £1,000, and is situated at the east end of the town. The Wesleyan school was built in 1856. The Town Hall is in the Market place, and is a stone building, erected in 1834, but enlarged since at a considerable expense, chiefly raised by public subscription: the upper part is used for public meetings. Petty sessions are held here once a month. The Police station is near the Market place, and is a substantial house, with lock-up attached. The Wolsingham Mechanics' Institute and Literary Society was founded in 1826 by the establishment of a library, which, proving successful, afterwards assumed the above title: the library contains about 800 volumes, kept in the small room of the Town Hall: lectures are occasionally delivered. The chief manufacture of the town is edge tools of superior quality; also steels of the best quality; and there is a woollen manufactory, two breweries, two maltings, one saw mill, two forges, and a tannery: there is also an extensive manufactory of steel at Stanner's Close Steel Works, near the town, where steel of a superior character is manufactured by a process patented by the late Charles Attwood, esq. A market is held once a month, but it is very small. There were eight fairs annually—the 12th of May and 21st of September, for toys and pedlary and hiring; and on the Tuesdays before the 1st and 31st of March, 15th of September, 2nd and 29th of October, and 23rd of November, for cattle; but the only cattle fair now held is on the 1st of October; the other fairs are almost obsolete. The first hiring for servants and cattle fair was held November 15th, 1763. Holywell is a strong chalybeate spring on the north side of the town; there are several others to the west and north-west; also a sulphur spring near Bradley Hall. The scenery about the valley, with the glens and becks, is beautiful and romantic.
At Wolsingham, in a field called the Chapel Garth, adjoining the old town, or what is now called the Upper town, the remains of a considerable edifice, enclosed by a deep moat, may still be traced, which is supposed to have been the site of the Bishop's residence, or hunting establishment, when sojourning here with his retainers for the purpose of pursuing the chase in Wascrow Park, about the time of Queen Elizabeth. At Bail Hill, about half a mile further north, is an ancient peel-house, or fort, which served as a watch tower, and a shelter both for man and beast, during the raids of the northern moss-troopers: the place is now converted into a farm house, and is the property of Mrs. Attwood. About 1 mile north from Wolsingham, situated on the south bank of the Wascrow, stands Bishopoak, the picturesque residence of the Curry family, who settled here about the middle of the sixteenth century, and have held the surrounding lands in lineal descent down to the present time: during the reign of James II. and also under that of Queen Anne, John Curry, a representative of this family, was a king's messenger, and also an officer at the College of Arms, under the Duke of Norfolk.
There are lead mines in the parish of Wolsingham, which have been worked from an early period, and have yielded large quantities of lead ore, viz. Harehope Gill, Pikestone and Sunnyside mines, which are situate in the south township, and are the most important ones. Harehope Gill mines belong to Capt. Coventry, Pikestone mines to W. B. Beaumont, esq. M.P. and Sunnyside mines are leased to the Wolsingham Lead Co. Limited; William Cail, Wolsingham, is the working manager: this company have spent nearly £30,000 in connection with the opening and working of the lead ore veins at Sunnyside, the operations involving deep and expensive mining in order to reach the lead ore: here is machinery for pumping water and draining the work, and also crushing machinery for dressing the ore. The township possesses the following charities:—The Poor's land, left by persons named Markendale, Ashley, and others unknown, for the use of the poor: the rents are paid to the churchwardens, and distributed on St. Stephen's day by the parish officers and the curate to the most deserving. The Rev. R. Gordon, who died in 1780, left by will £200, now in the £3$\frac{1}{4}$ per cents. On the 29th November, 1780, the Rev. W. Nowell, rector, transferred £200 bank stock to the names of the same trustees, the dividends of which are remitted to the rector, and, after notice in the church, distributed in March to those poor householders who receive no parish relief; the sums are from 2s. to 5s. besides the interest to the Grammar school. Jonathan Wooler left £100 for the benefit of poor widows receiving no relief, the interest of which is divided on the Friday in Easter week. G. Wooler, on the 12th of May 1826, also left two sums of £100 for the same purpose as the last charity, and to the same persons. The late Rev. W. Wilson, in 1843, left £400, the interest of which is divided amongst poor widows. William Newcombe, in 1846, left £300, the interest to be divided for poor widows. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners are lords of the manor. The area of the parish is 23,864 acres (including 2,079 of Wolsingham Park Moor, which extends into Stanhope Park), and 152 acres of water; rateable value, £22,232; and the population in 1861 was 5,531, and in 1871 was 7,778.
POST, MONEY ORDER & TELEGRAPH OFFICE & Savings Bank.—Michael Wharton, postmaster, High street. Letters arrive through Darlington at 8.30 a.m.; dispatched at 5 p.m
COUNTY MAGISTRATES FOR NORTH-WEST DIVISION OF DARLINGTON WARD.
Rev. George Pearson Wilkinson (chairman)
Valentine Rippon, esq
G. J. L. Blenkinsopp, esq
J. R. W. Hildyard, esq
Charles J. Backhouse, esq
Clerk, John Porter Dolphin
Petty Sessions are held at the Town hall, first tuesday in every month
The following places are included in the petty sessional division:—The parish of Wolsingham (including Tow Law, Thornley, Helm Park & Bradley)
PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENTS:—
Excise Office, Black Bull inn, Market place
County Court, Town hall, monthly, John Edgar Meynell, judge; John Porter Dolphin, registrar; Thomas Johnson, assistant bailiff: the county court is held every two months: the following places are within the jurisdiction of the court:—Blacberry, Boltsburn, Brotherlee, Copthill, Cowshill, Crawleyside, Daddry Shields, Eastblack, Dean, Eastgate, Elm (or Helme) Park, Frosterley, Ireshopeburn, Lane Head, New House, Northgate, St. John's Chapel, Stanhope, Stotsfield Burn, Thornley, Tow Law, Waskerley Park, Wearahead, West Black Dean, Westgate & Wolsingham
INSURANCE AGENT.—Sovereign Life, T. Haigh
PLACES OF WORSHIP:—
St. Matthew's Church, Church lane, Rev. Robert Henry Gray, M.A. rector; Rev. Robert D. H. Gray, B.A. curate
St. Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Church, North end
Wesleyan Chapel, High street, Rev. G. Sanderson
Particular Baptist Chapel, Market place
Primitive Methodist Chapel
SCHOOLS:—
Grammar, Church lane, Henry Wade, master
National, East end, William Deighton, master; Miss Annie Hewitson, mistress
Wesleyan, High street, Thomas Batty, master
Railway Station, John Pettey, station master
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