Archdeacon Newton
Encyclopedia
Archdeacon Newton is a hamlet
and rural parish of several farms in the borough of Darlington
and the ceremonial county
of County Durham
, in England
. It is associated with an abandoned village
site under pasture and farm buildings, and situated a short distance to the north-west of Darlington
. The lost settlement was in existence by the early 15th century, and remained inhabited at least until the 1890s. There was a moat
ed manor house
at the southern end, part of which remains as the Old Hall, now a barn. At the north end of the site was the chapel, and in the middle were tofts and enclosures
, with a ridge and furrow
field and a trackway leading to the south-east. The site of the abandoned village is now a scheduled monument and the Old Hall is a listed building.
clay
with pockets of gravel
, sand
, peat
and alluvium
, and patches of magnesian
and carboniferous
limestone. This is a small hamlet
incorporating Hall Farm, Garthorne Farm and Townend Farm on an approach road south of Newton Lane. It is the focus of the parish of Archdeacon Newton rural ward
, and its councillor
is Rosalind Tweddle. It is situated on flat land 0.62 mile (0.9977908 km) to the north-west of the Branksome
suburb of Darlington
, and 0.31 mile (0.4988954 km) to the north-west of the A1 road. At Cockerton
near the southern end of Newton Lane and 1.2 miles (1.9 km) to the southeast of the hamlet is its namesake, the Archdeacon pub; Michael Perry, Archdeacon of Durham, posed for the sign in 1980, although the sign has since been replaced.
, with visible earthworks
in pasture at the northern end and farm buildings at the southern end of the site: this is a scheduled monument. The hamlet's name derives from the fact that in the Middle Ages
the Archdeacon
of Durham
founded and built what is now the abandoned village. An alternative theory says that the land was leased from the archdeacon. Around 1800, Hilton "High Price" Middleton of Archdeacon Newton bred a great Durham Ox
, and the now-defunct Newton Kyloe pub at Cockerton
Green was named after it. In 1894 the land was owned by the Church Commissioners
and the population was 52; down from its highest level of 72 in 1801, when pews were reserved for Archdeacon Newton people at St Cuthbert's in the centre of Darlington, and Methodist
prayers were said in a farmhouse kitchen. This was before the nearer church of Holy Trinity, Darlington, was built in 1836. The 1851 census
shows residents with surnames of Brown and Geldart or Geldert.
of a medieval
moat
ed site and enclosures
. There are also indications of three fish pond
s, of which one is still a duck pond, and two contain rubbish; however it is now thought that there was originally a single fish pond. One of the supposed fish ponds is among the farm buildings and is overgrown. Prehistoric
and Roman
remains have not yet been found here, as there have been no excavations as of April 2010.
abandoned village
and scheduled monument. The manor and house were at the southern end of a settlement which had three farms and a row of cottages, indicated in the existing pasture by house platforms
. It is now thought that the buildings were tenant tofts attached to the manor, and not a nucleated village. Cobbled banks and ditches running east to west and situated towards the north end of the site identify the original enclosures
of these tofts. The banks are 13 feet (4 m) wide and 2 foot (0.6096 m) high, and the ditches are 10 feet (3 m) wide and 1 foot (0.3048 m) deep. There is an associated ridge and furrow
field, and a 13 feet (4 m) wide trackway runs from halfway along the east side of the site, in a south-easterly direction, for 790 feet (240.8 m) as far as a modern fence. An undated trench for electricity supply was dug at Hall Farm at the southern end of the hamlet's approach road, surveyed by an archaeological
watching brief
, but nothing of historical interest was found.
domestic building or manor house, probably dating from the 14th century and remodelled in the 16th and 17th century. It was burned and then re-roofed in the early 21st century, and no internal partitions survive. This is a two-storey listed building which was converted to a barn in the 19th century, has a Welsh slate
roof and seven internal bays. It is built of squared and rubble masonry with ashlar
dressing. The structure includes medieval
and Tudor
carved stone, including mullion
s and fireplaces. Buttress
es, broken arches and fireplaces of the manor are still standing and are incorporated in the Old Hall. It is 59 feet (18 m) by 30 feet (9.1 m), containing two Tudor fireplaces, with the remains of archways on the outside walls at each end.
The moat
ed manor house
stood at the southern end of the abandoned village
site, where there are now farm buildings. In the 16th and 17th centuries the manor had a hall with parlour and chamber over the hall
, a new chamber, a little chamber
, a "lofte
beneath the doors", a buttery
, a kitchen and a stable. Depressions in the ground at the southern end of the site indicate the position of the original moat.
at the north end of the site and on the south side of Newton Lane. There is a ditch along the south side of this feature. Evidence for the chapel exists in a licence given in 1414 to Robert Fisher, John Nicholson and John Deves to hold religious services in a chapel at Archdeacon Newton.
has been identified by aerial photography
0.31 mile (0.4988954 km) north-west of the hamlet, and on the south side of Newton Lane.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
and rural parish of several farms in the borough of Darlington
Darlington (borough)
Darlington is a local government district and borough in North East England. In 2008 it had a resident population of 100,500 It borders County Durham to the north and west, North Yorkshire to the south along the line of the River Tees, and Stockton-on-Tees to the east.-Council:Traditionally part of...
and the ceremonial county
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
of County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is associated with an abandoned village
Abandoned village
An abandoned village is a village that has, for some reason, been deserted. In many countries, and throughout history, thousands of villages were deserted for a variety of causes...
site under pasture and farm buildings, and situated a short distance to the north-west of Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
. The lost settlement was in existence by the early 15th century, and remained inhabited at least until the 1890s. There was a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
ed manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
at the southern end, part of which remains as the Old Hall, now a barn. At the north end of the site was the chapel, and in the middle were tofts and enclosures
Enclosure (archaeology)
In archaeology, an enclosure is one of the most common types of archaeological site. It is any area of land separated from surrounding land by earthworks, walls or fencing. Such a simple feature is found all over the world and during almost all archaeological periods...
, with a ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow is an archaeological pattern of ridges and troughs created by a system of ploughing used in Europe during the Middle Ages. The earliest examples date to the immediate post-Roman period and the system was used until the 17th century in some areas. Ridge and furrow topography is...
field and a trackway leading to the south-east. The site of the abandoned village is now a scheduled monument and the Old Hall is a listed building.
Geographical and political
The underlying composition here is of glacialGlacial period
A glacial period is an interval of time within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate within an ice age...
clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
with pockets of gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
, sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
, peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
and alluvium
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
, and patches of magnesian
Dolostone
Dolostone or dolomite rock is a sedimentary carbonate rock that contains a high percentage of the mineral dolomite. In old U.S.G.S. publications it was referred to as magnesian limestone. Most dolostone formed as a magnesium replacement of limestone or lime mud prior to lithification. It is...
and carboniferous
Carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a term used to describe a variety of different types of limestone occurring widely across Great Britain and Ireland which were deposited during the Dinantian epoch of the Carboniferous period. They were formed between 363 and 325 million years ago...
limestone. This is a small hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
incorporating Hall Farm, Garthorne Farm and Townend Farm on an approach road south of Newton Lane. It is the focus of the parish of Archdeacon Newton rural ward
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
, and its councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
is Rosalind Tweddle. It is situated on flat land 0.62 mile (0.9977908 km) to the north-west of the Branksome
Branksome, County Durham
Branksome is a suburb of Darlington in County Durham, in England. It is situated to the north-west of the town, close to Mowden, Cockerton, West Park and Faverdale....
suburb of Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
, and 0.31 mile (0.4988954 km) to the north-west of the A1 road. At Cockerton
Cockerton
Cockerton is a suburb of Darlington, a town in County Durham, England. It is situated immediately to the north-west of Darlington town centre, close to Mowden, Branksome, West Park and Faverdale...
near the southern end of Newton Lane and 1.2 miles (1.9 km) to the southeast of the hamlet is its namesake, the Archdeacon pub; Michael Perry, Archdeacon of Durham, posed for the sign in 1980, although the sign has since been replaced.
History
The hamlet apparently once contained a chapel; it now a parish of 1063.5 acres (4.3 km²), although it was once part of Darlington parish. The area enclosed by Townend Farm and Archdeacon Newton's approach road to the west, Newton Lane to the north, and Hall Farm to the south contains the site of a medieval abandoned villageAbandoned village
An abandoned village is a village that has, for some reason, been deserted. In many countries, and throughout history, thousands of villages were deserted for a variety of causes...
, with visible earthworks
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
in pasture at the northern end and farm buildings at the southern end of the site: this is a scheduled monument. The hamlet's name derives from the fact that in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
founded and built what is now the abandoned village. An alternative theory says that the land was leased from the archdeacon. Around 1800, Hilton "High Price" Middleton of Archdeacon Newton bred a great Durham Ox
Durham Ox
The Durham Ox was a castrated bull which became famous in the early 19th century for its shape, size and weight. It was an early example of what became the Shorthorn breed of cattle, and helped establish the standards by which the breed was to be defined....
, and the now-defunct Newton Kyloe pub at Cockerton
Cockerton
Cockerton is a suburb of Darlington, a town in County Durham, England. It is situated immediately to the north-west of Darlington town centre, close to Mowden, Branksome, West Park and Faverdale...
Green was named after it. In 1894 the land was owned by the Church Commissioners
Church Commissioners
The Church Commissioners is a body managing the historic property assets of the Church of England. It was set up in 1948 combining the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners formed in 1836...
and the population was 52; down from its highest level of 72 in 1801, when pews were reserved for Archdeacon Newton people at St Cuthbert's in the centre of Darlington, and Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
prayers were said in a farmhouse kitchen. This was before the nearer church of Holy Trinity, Darlington, was built in 1836. The 1851 census
United Kingdom Census 1851
The United Kingdom Census of 1851 recorded the people residing in every household on the night of 30 March 1851, and was the second of the UK censuses to include details of household members...
shows residents with surnames of Brown and Geldart or Geldert.
Archaeological sites and finds
The manor of this village survives at Hall Farm as a farm building with some medieval features, and an adjacent farm building was probably once an early 16th century house. Apart from these buildings, the abandoned village is indicated by earthworksEarthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
of a medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
ed site and enclosures
Enclosure (archaeology)
In archaeology, an enclosure is one of the most common types of archaeological site. It is any area of land separated from surrounding land by earthworks, walls or fencing. Such a simple feature is found all over the world and during almost all archaeological periods...
. There are also indications of three fish pond
Fish pond
A fish pond, or fishpond, is a controlled pond, artificial lake, or reservoir that is stocked with fish and is used in aquaculture for fish farming, or is used for recreational fishing or for ornamental purposes...
s, of which one is still a duck pond, and two contain rubbish; however it is now thought that there was originally a single fish pond. One of the supposed fish ponds is among the farm buildings and is overgrown. Prehistoric
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
and Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
remains have not yet been found here, as there have been no excavations as of April 2010.
Abandoned settlement
The area to the east of the Archdeacon Newton approach road, and to the south of Newton Lane, is the location of the medievalMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
abandoned village
Abandoned village
An abandoned village is a village that has, for some reason, been deserted. In many countries, and throughout history, thousands of villages were deserted for a variety of causes...
and scheduled monument. The manor and house were at the southern end of a settlement which had three farms and a row of cottages, indicated in the existing pasture by house platforms
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
. It is now thought that the buildings were tenant tofts attached to the manor, and not a nucleated village. Cobbled banks and ditches running east to west and situated towards the north end of the site identify the original enclosures
Enclosure (archaeology)
In archaeology, an enclosure is one of the most common types of archaeological site. It is any area of land separated from surrounding land by earthworks, walls or fencing. Such a simple feature is found all over the world and during almost all archaeological periods...
of these tofts. The banks are 13 feet (4 m) wide and 2 foot (0.6096 m) high, and the ditches are 10 feet (3 m) wide and 1 foot (0.3048 m) deep. There is an associated ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow is an archaeological pattern of ridges and troughs created by a system of ploughing used in Europe during the Middle Ages. The earliest examples date to the immediate post-Roman period and the system was used until the 17th century in some areas. Ridge and furrow topography is...
field, and a 13 feet (4 m) wide trackway runs from halfway along the east side of the site, in a south-easterly direction, for 790 feet (240.8 m) as far as a modern fence. An undated trench for electricity supply was dug at Hall Farm at the southern end of the hamlet's approach road, surveyed by an archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
watching brief
Watching brief
In British archaeology a Watching Brief is a method of preserving archaeological remains by record in the face of development threat. An archaeologist is employed by the developer to monitor the excavation of foundation and service trenches, landscaping and any other intrusive work...
, but nothing of historical interest was found.
Old Hall and moated site
The Old Hall, one of the farm buildings at the centre of Hall Farm, is a surviving medievalMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
domestic building or manor house, probably dating from the 14th century and remodelled in the 16th and 17th century. It was burned and then re-roofed in the early 21st century, and no internal partitions survive. This is a two-storey listed building which was converted to a barn in the 19th century, has a Welsh slate
Slate industry in Wales
The slate industry in Wales began during the Roman period when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then expanded rapidly until the late 19th century, at which time the most important slate producing areas were in...
roof and seven internal bays. It is built of squared and rubble masonry with ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
dressing. The structure includes medieval
Medieval architecture
Medieval architecture is a term used to represent various forms of architecture common in Medieval Europe.-Characteristics:-Religious architecture:...
and Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
carved stone, including mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
s and fireplaces. Buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, broken arches and fireplaces of the manor are still standing and are incorporated in the Old Hall. It is 59 feet (18 m) by 30 feet (9.1 m), containing two Tudor fireplaces, with the remains of archways on the outside walls at each end.
The moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
ed manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
stood at the southern end of the abandoned village
Abandoned village
An abandoned village is a village that has, for some reason, been deserted. In many countries, and throughout history, thousands of villages were deserted for a variety of causes...
site, where there are now farm buildings. In the 16th and 17th centuries the manor had a hall with parlour and chamber over the hall
Great hall
A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, nobleman's castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. At that time the word great simply meant big, and had not acquired its modern connotations of excellence...
, a new chamber, a little chamber
Room
A room is any distinguishable space within a structure.Room may also refer to:* Room , by Emma Donoghue* Room, Nepal* Room for PlayStation Portable, a social networking service* Thomas Gerald Room , Australian mathematician...
, a "lofte
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
beneath the doors", a buttery
Buttery (shop)
In the Middle Ages, a buttery was a storeroom for liquor, the name being derived from the Latin and French words for bottle or, to put the word into its simpler form, a butt, that is, a cask. A butler, before he became able to take charge of the ewery, pantry, cellar, and the staff, would be in...
, a kitchen and a stable. Depressions in the ground at the southern end of the site indicate the position of the original moat.
Chapel
It is thought that the chapel was on the 6.5 feet (2 m) high triangular platformEarthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
at the north end of the site and on the south side of Newton Lane. There is a ditch along the south side of this feature. Evidence for the chapel exists in a licence given in 1414 to Robert Fisher, John Nicholson and John Deves to hold religious services in a chapel at Archdeacon Newton.
Enclosure
Another enclosureEnclosure (archaeology)
In archaeology, an enclosure is one of the most common types of archaeological site. It is any area of land separated from surrounding land by earthworks, walls or fencing. Such a simple feature is found all over the world and during almost all archaeological periods...
has been identified by aerial photography
Aerial photography
Aerial photography is the taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated position. The term usually refers to images in which the camera is not supported by a ground-based structure. Cameras may be hand held or mounted, and photographs may be taken by a photographer, triggered remotely or...
0.31 mile (0.4988954 km) north-west of the hamlet, and on the south side of Newton Lane.