Fishburn
Encyclopedia
Fishburn is a village and civil parish
in County Durham
, in England
. It is situated a few miles to the west of Hartlepool
. It has a population of 2,454.
rising north from the River Skerne
(known locally as the "beck
") to approx. 500 ft above sea level. The beck is one of the parish boundaries, as the township of Sedgefield
begins on the other side of the river.
words "Fisc" meaning fish and " Bourne" meaning brook.
Another theory is that it was derived from the monks who used to fish at this spot in early days; hence "fish in the burn", Fishburn.
However it is more likely that the family of Fissebourne gave its name to the manor.
It could also be a Flemish
name associated with the Norman
Conquerors, i.e. Ranulf de Fishbourne. Old maps suggest that the village was named "Fissebourne" at one time, and then some considerable years later, it became "Fishbourne", later adopting its present name "Fishburn".
Fishburn coking plant was built in 1954 alongside the colliery to produce high grade coke for industry and a coke for the domestic market called Sunbrite as well as other byproducts from the coking process such as town gas which was supplied directly to the nearby Winterton Hospital
and to the national grid.
After much doubt about its future and attempts by the then MP Tony Blair
to save it, the plant was eventually closed in 1986 with the loss of 250 jobs. Nothing remains of the former ovens and the site has been reclaimed as a nature reserve.
, started by local miners as the Fishburn Colliery Welfare band in the 1950s. The band have won several high profile contests including the Scottish Open Champions in 2005 and the Durham County Brass Band League. The band also play on the streets of Fishburn on the day of the Durham Miners Gala and at Christmas playing traditional Christmas carols
.
is a 600x30 metre grass strip runway catering for private flyers with light aircraft. The airfield hosted filming for a scene from the Bollywood
film Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors
is an area north of the village. It has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
as the underlying magnesian limestone provides a habitat for rare species of plant life.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in 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 situated a few miles to the west of Hartlepool
Hartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
. It has a population of 2,454.
Location
The village lies scattered along a dry swell of magnesian limestoneMagnesian limestone
Magnesian limestone can refer to:* For the rock made of magnesium carbonate ie Magnesian limestone see dolomite or dolostone* For the traditional name of a specific suite of Permian age rocks in north-east England see Magnesian Limestone...
rising north from the River Skerne
River Skerne
The River Skerne is a tributary of the River Tees it flows through County Durham in England.The Skerne is about long, the Skerne begins in magnesian limestone hills between Trimdon and Trimdon Grange and ends at Hurworth Place where it joins the River Tees....
(known locally as the "beck
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
") to approx. 500 ft above sea level. The beck is one of the parish boundaries, as the township of Sedgefield
Sedgefield
Sedgefield is a small town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It has a population of 4,534.Sedgefield has attracted particular attention as the Member of Parliament for the wider Sedgefield constituency was the former Prime Minister Tony Blair; he was the area's MP from 1983 to 2008,...
begins on the other side of the river.
History
The earliest proprietors of the village (and then manor) on record were the family of "Fissebourne". There are a number of theories on how the village got its name. In one book it is stated that the name derives from the SaxonSaxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
words "Fisc" meaning fish and " Bourne" meaning brook.
Another theory is that it was derived from the monks who used to fish at this spot in early days; hence "fish in the burn", Fishburn.
However it is more likely that the family of Fissebourne gave its name to the manor.
It could also be a Flemish
West Flemish
West Flemish , , , Fransch vlaemsch in French Flemish) is a group of dialects or regional language related to Dutch spoken in parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France....
name associated with the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
Conquerors, i.e. Ranulf de Fishbourne. Old maps suggest that the village was named "Fissebourne" at one time, and then some considerable years later, it became "Fishbourne", later adopting its present name "Fishburn".
Coal Mining
Between 1910 and 1973 coal mining here was a major industry, Fishburn Colliery employees peaking at over 1500 in the 1950s.Fishburn coking plant was built in 1954 alongside the colliery to produce high grade coke for industry and a coke for the domestic market called Sunbrite as well as other byproducts from the coking process such as town gas which was supplied directly to the nearby Winterton Hospital
Winterton Hospital
Winterton Hospital was a psychiatric hospital in County Durham, England and was one of the biggest in Europe.-History:A site for the Durham County Asylum was purchased in 1855 on land between the villages of Fishburn and Sedgefield. The hospital was to be designed by the architect John Howison, the...
and to the national grid.
After much doubt about its future and attempts by the then MP Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
to save it, the plant was eventually closed in 1986 with the loss of 250 jobs. Nothing remains of the former ovens and the site has been reclaimed as a nature reserve.
Culture
Fishburn is home to the Fishburn Brass BandBrass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
, started by local miners as the Fishburn Colliery Welfare band in the 1950s. The band have won several high profile contests including the Scottish Open Champions in 2005 and the Durham County Brass Band League. The band also play on the streets of Fishburn on the day of the Durham Miners Gala and at Christmas playing traditional Christmas carols
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
.
Transport
Fishburn AirfieldFishburn Airfield
Fishburn Airfield is a small grass strip airfield in Fishburn, County Durham.The airfield was opened on 30 June 1995 by the then local MP Tony Blair. It was named as "Airfield of the year" by aviation magazine Flyer in 2004 for its welcoming atmosphere and bacon butties.In 2005 the airfield hosted...
is a 600x30 metre grass strip runway catering for private flyers with light aircraft. The airfield hosted filming for a scene from the Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Fishburn GrasslandsFishburn Grassland
Fishburn Grassland is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Sedgefield district of County Durham, England. It lies between the villages of Fishburn and Trimdon, just north of the former....
is an area north of the village. It has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
as the underlying magnesian limestone provides a habitat for rare species of plant life.
Notable people
- Irving NattrassIrving NattrassIrving Nattrass , was a midfielder for Newcastle and MiddlesbroughBorn in Fishburn, England Nattrass attended Ferryhill Grammar School and Signed with Newcastle at age 16 on an apprenticeship....
- Newcastle United Midfielder - Mike Hooper - Footballer
- Niall QuinnNiall QuinnNiall John Quinn honorary MBE is a former Irish international footballer, and the ex-chairman of Sunderland AFC. He still works at the club as an overseas manager. He is also heavily involved in the management side of horse racing...
- Footballer - Micky Horswill - Footballer