Lynesack and Softley, Durham
Historical Description
Lynesack and Softley, a township and an ecclesiastical parish in Hamsterley parish, Durham, on headstreams of the river Gaunless, 2 miles W by N of Cockfield station on the N.E.R., and 7 NNE of Barnard Castle. There is a post, money order, and telegraph office (R.S.O.) at Butterknowle. Acreage of township, 3743, besides 2042 acres of undivided moor, common to Lynesack and Softley, Hamsterley, and South Bedbum; population, 2835. The ecclesiastical parish was formed in 1851. Population, 2883. Part of the land is a barren hilly tract, called South Side. Many of the inhabitants are employed in coal mines at Butterknowle and Woodland. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Durham; gross value, £306 with residence. Patron, the Bishop of Durham. The church was erected in 1848, is a plain building in the Early English style, and was renovated in 1892. There are also Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
Ancient County | County Durham | |
Civil parish | Auckland St Andrew | |
Poor Law union | Auckland | |
Ward | Darlington |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Lynesack and Softley from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Lynesack, with Softley)
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for County Durham is available to browse.
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following newspapers covering county Durham online: