Sedgefield, Durham
Historical Description
Sedgefield, a small town, a township, and a parish in Durham. The town stands on a rising ground, 1½ mile E of the Stockton and Ferryhill railway, 9 miles NW by N of Stockton, and 15 from Hartlepool. It enjoys a remarkably salubrious climate; was visited, in July, 1792, by an ice storm, with some pieces nearly a foot in diameter; comprises three principal streets, with a central market place; and has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Ferryhill, a railway station, a market cross, a church, Wesleyan and Roman Catholic chapels, a mechanics' institute, now used for concerts, several almshouses, and numerous charities. The church is cruciform, and partly Early English; has a nave 72 feet long, a chancel 36 feet long, aisles, transepts, and a lofty W tower; and was partly restored in 1850 and again in 1871. The S transept was added in 1876-77. It contains several stained glass windows and some interesting monuments. Hardwick Hall, a fine mansion standing in a large park, is a chief residence. The township comprises 5259 acres; population, 2816. The manor was given in 900 to the see of Durham, and now belongs to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. In the township are a workhouse, built in 1860 and enlarged in 1880, and the Durham County Lunatic Asylum, enlarged in 1879 and again in 1889. In 1891 a cemetery with mortuary chapel was formed in connection with the asylum. The parish contains also the townships of Bradbury, Butterwick, Embleton, Fishburn, Foxton and Shotton, and Mordon. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Durham; net value, £1022 with residence. Patron, the Bishop.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
Ancient County | County Durham | |
Ecclesiastical parish | Sedgefield St. Edmund | |
Poor Law union | Sedgefield |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Sedgefield from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Sedgefield (St. Edmund))
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for County Durham is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Sedgefield are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following newspapers covering county Durham online: