Greatham, Durham

Historical Description

Greatham, a village, a township, and a parish in Durham. The village stands adjacent to the N.E.R. near the coast, 6½ miles NNE of Stockton-on-Tees, and has a station on the railway, and a post, money order and telegraph office (R.S.O.) The township comprises 2174 acres of land and 408 of tidal water and foreshore; population, 870. The parish includes the township of Claxton, and comprises 3055 acres, exclusive of foreshore, &c.; population, 918. Brine springs were formerly worked here, and large works have recently been erected. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Durham; net value, £187 with residence. Patron, the Master of Greatham Hospital. The church was rebuilt near the end of last century, and was enlarged in 1855. There is a Wesleyan chapel. Greatham Hospital was founded in 1272 by Robert de Stichell, bishop of Durham, for five poor priests, two clerks, and 40 poor brethren; was refounded in 1610 by James I. for 13 poor unmarried men; was rebuilt in 1803-9 after designs by Wyatt; retains in the chapel three old gravestones, relics of the original building; and is being enlarged as leases fall in so as to admit forty aged lay brethren and ten aged clerical brethren, and has an endowed income of about j£4010. Parkhurst's almshouses for six poor, widows was founded in 1765.

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 Greatham from the following:

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

Land and Property

The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for County Durham is available to browse.

Maps

Online maps of Greatham 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:

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