Newbottle, County Durham
| Newbottle | |
| County Durham | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NZ336513 |
| Location: | 54°51’27"N, 1°28’39"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Houghton Le Spring |
| Postcode: | DH4 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Sunderland |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Houghton and Washington East |
Newbottle is a village in County Durham, standing between the City of Durham, eight miles to the south-west, and Sunderland City Centre five miles to the north-east. It is a mile and a half north of Houghton-le-Spring.
The village occupies an elevated position and is accessed from three sides up a steep bank.
Name
The name Newbottle derives from the Old English niw botl meaning 'new settlement'. Newbottle village traces its roots to the year 1050. The earliest mention of the town's name is in the Boldon Book in 1183 as 'Newbotill' and by reference to neighbouring Houghton-le-spring (Hoctona). An English translation of the original Latin states:
'In Hoctona are thirteen cottagers, whose tenures, works and payments are like those of Newbotill; and three other half cottagers, who also work like the three half cottagers of Newbotill. Henry the greeve, holds two oxgangs of 24 acres for his service. The smith – 12 acres for his service. The carpenter holds a toft and 4 acres for his service. The punder has 20 acres and the thraves of Hoctona, Wardon and Morton; he renders 60 hens and 300 eggs. The mills of Newbotill and Bidic, with half of Raynton Mill, pay xv marks. The demesne, consisting of four carucates, and the sheep pastures are in the hands of the lord.'
History
In the 19th century there were three potteries, one belonging to the Broderick family. A corn mill was also in the village. Another name is the Russell family, who were believed to be solicitors of Sunderland and there is still a house named Russell today. In 1691, parts of Newbottle called Hall Moor and Dubmire were divided and the tenants all claimed leasehold. There were 16 pits recorded by Lord Lumley as the "Newbottle Group" on 19 August 1762. The Collieries belonging to the Nesham family were sold to the Earl of Durham for £70,000 in 1822. The last of these ceased mining in 1956.
One of the Nesham collieries, the Success pit was the scene of a disaster on Friday 2 June 1815. The pit had reached coal at 108 fathoms. The explosion was obvious to the men above ground by a large column of dust rising from the pit. No flames were observed, the flame front seems to have been stopped by a large waggon blocking one of the roadways.[1] Early reports blamed a sudden inrush of firedamp from old workings which pitmen had inadvertently broken into.[2] Not all the men were killed by the blast. A number attempted to reach the shaft but were overcome by afterdamp, some even surviving to reach the surface before succumbing to its effects.[2] Out of 72 men and boys underground only 15 survived; 57 were killed.[1][2]
The local church, St Matthews, dates from 1886, having replaced a previous chapel which was built in 1850. The village centre is a designated conservation area and has stone built housing. Herrington Country Park provides walking, picnics, model boating and cycling and is a mile on foot to the north of the village accessible by public footpath.
In April 2011 a brand new football training facility, sponsored by the Football Association, opened at Newbottle, though it caused years of protests before work could begin as the work required the felling of 7,000 trees.
About the village
- Parish Church: St Matthew's
- Club: Newbottle Workingmen's Club
- Pubs: The Sun Inn and the Queen's Head
- Shops: a good range of local shops including an Italian restaurant and a Chinese takeaway, a newsagaent and general store
- School: Newbottle Primary School
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Newbottle, County Durham) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Richardson, M A: 'Local Historian's Table Book of Remarkable Occurrences Connected with the Counties of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Northumberland and Durham' (1844)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Thomson, Thomas: 'An Account of the Explosion at the Success Coal-Pit, near Newbottle, in the County of Durham' in Annals of Philosophy Volume VI, issue XXXI (Robert Baldwin, 1815) pages 55–56
- Durham Mining Museum: Newbottle, Success Pit
- Routledge, Martin: 'The Newbottle Waggon Rail Way Map' (Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, 2013)
- History of St Matthew's Church