Brandon, County Durham
Encyclopedia
Brandon is a village in County Durham
, England
. It is situated a short distance to the southwest of Durham
. Brandon was originally one of the seven townships within the ancient parish of Brancepeth
. It grew from a sparsely populated agricultural area into a populous mining district after the establishment of collieries and later coke
and fireclay works. Until the 19th century Brandon village, formerly known as East Brandon, was one of the larger settlements in Brancepeth Parish.
of the medieval lordship of Brancepeth and as such was possessed by the Neville family
, the Earls of Westmoreland
, while Holywell, Langley, Littleburn and other such localities were the sites of large freehold gentry houses.
confiscated Brancepeth Castle
and its territories. These were administered as Crown Land
s until the 1620s and plundered by a series of courtiers and Royal lessees. In 1628-29 these lands were conveyed to the City of London
, when Charles I
was forced to redeem his debts to the city. The Brancepeth lands were broken up in a series of sales to London merchants and financiers who in turn resold to local buyers at high profits. The one exception to this fate was Brandon manor, which remained in the hands of its London buyer. A silk merchant, Edward Cropley, bought the whole estate of Brandon manor for £1,700 in 1630, and his family held onto the property till 1710. It was then conveyed to the Earl of Shaftesbury
and remained in his family until the 1800s.
In 1806 he purchased the Brandon estate from the then Earl of Shaftesbury for £105,000. Russell's granddaughter married into the Irish peerage, and the name Hamilton-Russell and title Viscount Boyne
became connected with the district.
population was 522; in 1811, 435; in 1851, 525; by 1881 it had risen to 10,850; and in 1891, it was 14,240. There had been a decline in population during the 1830s owing to the removal of workmen who had been engaged on the rebuilding and enlargement of Brancepeth Castle, with the population falling to 427. The stone for this building work had been quarried in Brandon village, and Sawmills Lane is thought to have been constructed as a more direct route for the carting of stone to Brancepeth.
, usually employing horses or a bull, to raise the coal to the surface.
Brandon colliery
The Newcastle
firm of Straker and Love obtained the site that was to become Brandon colliery, sinking the 'A' shaft in 1856 and the 'C' pit in 1860. In 1894, 1150 men and boys were employed working the Hutton, Busty, and Brockwell seams of coal at this colliery. Brandon Pit house was sunk in 1924. Coal mining finally came to an end at Brandon on 15 March 1968.
Browney colliery
Other firms arrived to take leases. Bell Brothers of Newcastle and Middlesbrough
commenced sinking at Browney colliery in 1871, with coal being drawn in 1873 from three shafts working the Brockwell, Busty, and Hutton seams. The firm was taken over by Dorman Long
& Co. in 1923. In 1930, 625 were employed at the colliery. In July 1938 the pit closed due to flooding.
Littleburn colliery
In North Brancepeth the coal company secured the lease to Littleburn colliery, in 1870 sinking the engineer shaft to the Busty seam, followed by the merchant shaft to the Brockwell in 1871. In 1931 the company went into liquidation, and the pit was re-opened by Bearpark Coal and Coke Co. on a smaller scale to work the Busty seam, until flooding from the River Browney
forced its closure in December 1950.
was formed into a local government district governed by a local board, finally breaking away from the Parish of Brancepeth. After the Local Government Act 1894
came into force, the local board was superseded by the Brandon and Byshottles Urban District Council (UDC), which existed until 1974, when it was amalgamated with Durham City and Rural Councils to form the City of Durham District Council. This in turn was abolished as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England
and has been replaced by a unitary Durham County Council
. At the local level, the Brandon and Byshottles Parish, which is co-terminous with the pre-1974 UDC, is represented by a Parish Council, to which Brandon ward elects four members.
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...
, 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 situated a short distance to the southwest 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...
. Brandon was originally one of the seven townships within the ancient parish of Brancepeth
Brancepeth
Brancepeth is a village and civil parish in County Durham, in England. It is situated about from Durham on the A690 road between Durham and Weardale. Brancepeth Castle was until 1570 the fortress of the Neville Earls of Westmorland. The castle was extensively modified and rebuilt in the 19th century...
. It grew from a sparsely populated agricultural area into a populous mining district after the establishment of collieries and later coke
Coke (fuel)
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
and fireclay works. Until the 19th century Brandon village, formerly known as East Brandon, was one of the larger settlements in Brancepeth Parish.
History
Brandon was also a manorManorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of the medieval lordship of Brancepeth and as such was possessed by the Neville family
Baron Neville de Raby
Baron Neville de Raby, also referred to as Baron Raby, was an ancient title in the Peerage of England. It was first created around 1295 for Ralph Neville. The fourth baron was created Earl of Westmorland in 1397, and the two titles remained merged until the sixth earl was attainted in 1571...
, the Earls of Westmoreland
Earl of Westmorland
Earl of Westmorland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The title was first created in 1397 for Ralph Neville. It was forfeited in 1571 by Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland for leading the Rising of the North. It was revived in 1624 in favour of Sir Francis...
, while Holywell, Langley, Littleburn and other such localities were the sites of large freehold gentry houses.
The Northern Rising
After the Northern Rising of 1569, Elizabeth IElizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
confiscated Brancepeth Castle
Brancepeth Castle
Brancepeth Castle is a castle in the village of Brancepeth in County Durham, England, some 5 miles south-west of the city of Durham . It is a Grade I listed building.-History:...
and its territories. These were administered as Crown Land
Crown land
In Commonwealth realms, Crown land is an area belonging to the monarch , the equivalent of an entailed estate that passed with the monarchy and could not be alienated from it....
s until the 1620s and plundered by a series of courtiers and Royal lessees. In 1628-29 these lands were conveyed to the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, when Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
was forced to redeem his debts to the city. The Brancepeth lands were broken up in a series of sales to London merchants and financiers who in turn resold to local buyers at high profits. The one exception to this fate was Brandon manor, which remained in the hands of its London buyer. A silk merchant, Edward Cropley, bought the whole estate of Brandon manor for £1,700 in 1630, and his family held onto the property till 1710. It was then conveyed to the Earl of Shaftesbury
Earl of Shaftesbury
Earl of Shaftesbury is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1672 for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley, a prominent politician in the Cabal then dominating the policies of King Charles II...
and remained in his family until the 1800s.
William Russell
In 1796 William Russell, a coal owner, retired from mining the Durham Coalfield and spent part of his fortune on buying and restructuring Brancepeth Castle. He set about repurchasing as much as possible of the old lordship broken up in the sales of the 1630s.In 1806 he purchased the Brandon estate from the then Earl of Shaftesbury for £105,000. Russell's granddaughter married into the Irish peerage, and the name Hamilton-Russell and title Viscount Boyne
Viscount Boyne
Viscount Boyne, in the province of Leinster, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1717 for the Scottish military commander Gustavus Hamilton, 1st Baron Hamilton of Stackallan. He had already been created Baron Hamilton of Stackallan, in the County of Meath in 1715, also in the...
became connected with the district.
Population
In 1801 the Brandon and ByshottlesBrandon and Byshottles
Brandon and Byshottles is a civil parish in County Durham, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 17,774. The parish includes Brandon, New Brancepeth, Langley Moor, Ushaw Moor, Meadowfield, Waterhouses and Esh Winning....
population was 522; in 1811, 435; in 1851, 525; by 1881 it had risen to 10,850; and in 1891, it was 14,240. There had been a decline in population during the 1830s owing to the removal of workmen who had been engaged on the rebuilding and enlargement of Brancepeth Castle, with the population falling to 427. The stone for this building work had been quarried in Brandon village, and Sawmills Lane is thought to have been constructed as a more direct route for the carting of stone to Brancepeth.
Agriculture
The great majority of the local workforce was engaged in agriculture, when the lessee of Brandon's coal seams was as much a farmer as he was a collier. It is recorded that John Shaw was operating a landsale pit in 1836 using a whim-ginWhim (mining)
A whim, also called a whim gin or a horse capstan, is a device similar to a windlass used in mining for hauling materials to the surface. It comprises a capstan or a wide drum with a vertical axle. A rope is wound around the drum, with both ends traversing several pulleys and hanging down the mine...
, usually employing horses or a bull, to raise the coal to the surface.
Coal mining
The area experienced a dramatic change in the 1850s, as the growing iron and manufacturing industries required coal and coke in ever-increasing quantities and entrepreneurs moved into the area to develop coal mines.Brandon colliery
The Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
firm of Straker and Love obtained the site that was to become Brandon colliery, sinking the 'A' shaft in 1856 and the 'C' pit in 1860. In 1894, 1150 men and boys were employed working the Hutton, Busty, and Brockwell seams of coal at this colliery. Brandon Pit house was sunk in 1924. Coal mining finally came to an end at Brandon on 15 March 1968.
Browney colliery
Other firms arrived to take leases. Bell Brothers of Newcastle and Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
commenced sinking at Browney colliery in 1871, with coal being drawn in 1873 from three shafts working the Brockwell, Busty, and Hutton seams. The firm was taken over by Dorman Long
Dorman Long
Dorman Long, based in Middlesbrough, North East England, was a major steel producer, which diversified into bridge building, and is now a manufacturer of steel components and construction equipment for bridges and other structures...
& Co. in 1923. In 1930, 625 were employed at the colliery. In July 1938 the pit closed due to flooding.
Littleburn colliery
In North Brancepeth the coal company secured the lease to Littleburn colliery, in 1870 sinking the engineer shaft to the Busty seam, followed by the merchant shaft to the Brockwell in 1871. In 1931 the company went into liquidation, and the pit was re-opened by Bearpark Coal and Coke Co. on a smaller scale to work the Busty seam, until flooding from the River Browney
River Browney
The River Browney is a river in County Durham, England, and the largest tributary of the River Wear.According to Durham County Council Internet GIS, the River Browney rises from a spring in Park Head Plantation, on the eastern slope of Skaylock Hill, roughly a mile south east of Waskerley...
forced its closure in December 1950.
Local government changes
In May 1877, under a newly confirmed provisional order, the Parish of Brandon and ByshottlesBrandon and Byshottles
Brandon and Byshottles is a civil parish in County Durham, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 17,774. The parish includes Brandon, New Brancepeth, Langley Moor, Ushaw Moor, Meadowfield, Waterhouses and Esh Winning....
was formed into a local government district governed by a local board, finally breaking away from the Parish of Brancepeth. After the Local Government Act 1894
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...
came into force, the local board was superseded by the Brandon and Byshottles Urban District Council (UDC), which existed until 1974, when it was amalgamated with Durham City and Rural Councils to form the City of Durham District Council. This in turn was abolished as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England
2009 structural changes to local government in England
Structural changes to local government in England were effected on 1 April 2009, whereby a number of new unitary authorities were created in parts of the country which previously operated a 'two-tier' system of counties and districts...
and has been replaced by a unitary Durham County Council
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...
. At the local level, the Brandon and Byshottles Parish, which is co-terminous with the pre-1974 UDC, is represented by a Parish Council, to which Brandon ward elects four members.