Forest and Frith, Durham

Historical Description

Forest and Frith, a township in Middleton-in-Teesdale parish, Durham, commencing about 4¼ miles NW of Middle-ton, and extending to the borders of Westmorland. It consists of three parts, called Ettersgill, Middle Forest, and Harwood,andwas formed into an ecclesiastical parish in 1875. It has a post office, called Forest School, under Darlington; money order and telegraph office, Middleton-in-Teesdale. Acreage, 17,708; population, 675. Lord Barnard is lord of the manor and chief landowner. The surface is mountain and moorland, but it possesses more romantic and picturesque scenery than any other tract in the county; includes beautiful spots along the course of the headstreams of the Tees; and boasts the two magnificent waterfalls called High Force and Caldron Snout. Lead ore is plentiful, and has' been worked. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Durham; net yearly value, £248 with residence. The Church of St James the Less, at Forest, is a building in the Gothic style, erected in 1845. A church rate amounting to a charge of Id. in the £ is still in existence in this township. The Church of St Jude, at Harwood, a chapel of ease, was rebuilt in 1849. There are also Baptist, Primitive Methodist, and Wesleyan chapels.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Forest and Frith from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Forest, with Frith)

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:

• Hartlepool Mail
• Northern Echo
• Durham County Advertiser
• Teesdale Mercury