Sacriston
Encyclopedia
Sacriston is a village and civil parish in County Durham
, England
, situated 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the city of Durham
.
Although the area has been populated since the Bronze Age
, the first recorded settlement dated back to the 13th century to Sacristan's Heugh. According to old maps it was once known as "Segerston Heugh" and is now known to local people as "Segga". This farm and manor house was once the residence of the Sacristan, a monk
who held the Office of the Sacristan of the monastery at Durham Cathedral
. The Sacristan was responsible for providing everything necessary for the services of the Cathedral: bread and wine, the vestments etc. He was also responsible for repairs to Durham Cathedral. The funds for carrying out the official duties were generated from the estate of Sacristan's Heugh which was finally demolished shortly after World War II
.
.
opened a local express branch in the village, effectively putting local shop owner Kez out of business.
There are also a couple of social clubs and similar organisations including Sacriston Working Mens Club and a Roman Catholic social club, cricket club and three public houses,'The Robin Hood'AKA "The Pitts", "The Shoes" and 'The Daisy Hill'. The other pub, 'The Village Inn' is now closed.
In July 2009 the Northern Integrative Health Practice (NIHP Sacriston Practice) opened in the vacated GP surgery building on Sacriston Crossroads. Offering services that complement traditional healthcare, the newly renovated building will also include an out-patients centre for Sunderland Eye Infirmary from January 2010.
Sacriston Colliery Cricket Club FC now provides an outlet for villagers from all backgrounds to come together for a single cause. Manages by local celebrity Richard Hilton the team has gradually worked its way through the levels of local football. Now sitting in the Premier League however Hilton has experienced hard times. A poor start to the season has left his position under threat amidst rumours he has "lost the dressing room". Only time will tell if Hilton han recapture the magic of the past 5 seasons and guide the club to safety. Failure to do so and he genuinely could be the next manager to end up on the "managerial scrap heap"
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, situated 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the city of Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
.
Although the area has been populated since the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, the first recorded settlement dated back to the 13th century to Sacristan's Heugh. According to old maps it was once known as "Segerston Heugh" and is now known to local people as "Segga". This farm and manor house was once the residence of the Sacristan, a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
who held the Office of the Sacristan of the monastery at Durham Cathedral
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
. The Sacristan was responsible for providing everything necessary for the services of the Cathedral: bread and wine, the vestments etc. He was also responsible for repairs to Durham Cathedral. The funds for carrying out the official duties were generated from the estate of Sacristan's Heugh which was finally demolished shortly after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Mining History
Sacriston Colliery shaft was sunk in 1838 and by the 1890s the pit employed 600 men, producing 1,000 tons of coal a day.Disaster of 1903
On the 16th of November 1903, water poured into the mine workings of the 'Busty' Seam. The rising water killed two miners: John Whittaker, and Thomas McCormick. During the incident rescuers stumbled on another miner: 'Richardson' was found standing on his container having been stranded for over 90 hours. The unfolding story made for headlines around the world. Decades later workers stumbled on the skeleton of one of the pit ponies that died during the accident and a full tub of coal that still bore the miners name, he then received his back payDisaster of 1940
On December 4, 1940, a fall of stone on one of the work areas killed 5 miners they were:-
-
-
- Joseph Welsh, 45
- George W. Scott, 37
- William Richardson, 54
- William Smith, 35
- John William Britton, 47
-
-
Decline and eradication of mining
As a result of the exhaustion of thick coal seams, only 1,500 tons of best quality coal was being produced a week in 1975. The last coal production was on 15 November 1985 and the colliery closed on 28 December 1985. As in many mining areas, the loss of the 'pit' led to significant unemployment and related social problems. Sacriston narrowly avoided D classification in 1985 due to social deprivation and general poor quality of housing. Little evidence of the mining operations now remains, with the area around the former coal mine having been landscaped and turned into woodland. A few mining-related buildings do survive, the largest of which is now used as a depot for the local authority's refuse vehicles, while the foundations of demolished mine buildings can be seen in places in the new woodland. Sacristan Wood is now a 30 hectare (75 acre) Local Nature ReserveLocal Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
.
Life in Sacriston today
More than 25 years since the closure of its last coal mine, the village retains a strong sense of community. Recently, a new community centre has opened, and the village has started to shake off its coal mining past. The village has a Post Office along with a large number of shops for a village of its size, including a Co-op supermarket, two other mini-marts, a greengrocer, newsagent, off-licence many take aways and others, as well as a branch of Lloyds TSB Bank. On 13/12/2010 a milestone for the village was achieved when TescoTesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
opened a local express branch in the village, effectively putting local shop owner Kez out of business.
There are also a couple of social clubs and similar organisations including Sacriston Working Mens Club and a Roman Catholic social club, cricket club and three public houses,'The Robin Hood'AKA "The Pitts", "The Shoes" and 'The Daisy Hill'. The other pub, 'The Village Inn' is now closed.
Education
The village has two infant schools, a junior school, a Roman Catholic primary school and Fyndoune Community College a secondary school.The Junior School
Sacriston junior school is a school that has been quoted by Ofsted as having "a well deserved reputation for being inclusive, friendly and welcoming....The school exels in the personal development of its pupils and the high quality of care, guidance and support it provides."Public Services
A new health centre, which includes a dental practice as well as a GP surgery, was officially opened by Sir Bobby Robson in 2008. This facility was constructed on the site of the village's former swimming baths, which closed in the 1990s.In July 2009 the Northern Integrative Health Practice (NIHP Sacriston Practice) opened in the vacated GP surgery building on Sacriston Crossroads. Offering services that complement traditional healthcare, the newly renovated building will also include an out-patients centre for Sunderland Eye Infirmary from January 2010.
Sport
Sport in the village consists of a village cricket team who play in the Northumberland and Tyneside senior league and have a 1st, 2nd and 3rd XI, along with under 11's, 13's, 15's and 18's. The village also has two football teams which play on a Sunday - Sacriston Working Mens Club FC., and Sacriston Colliery Cricket Club FC. Both play in the Durham Stephy Coaches League with the Cricket Club playing in the Premier and the WMC in the first divisionSacriston Colliery Cricket Club FC now provides an outlet for villagers from all backgrounds to come together for a single cause. Manages by local celebrity Richard Hilton the team has gradually worked its way through the levels of local football. Now sitting in the Premier League however Hilton has experienced hard times. A poor start to the season has left his position under threat amidst rumours he has "lost the dressing room". Only time will tell if Hilton han recapture the magic of the past 5 seasons and guide the club to safety. Failure to do so and he genuinely could be the next manager to end up on the "managerial scrap heap"
Notable people
- Melvyn BettsMelvyn BettsMelvyn Morris Betts is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler.Born in Sacriston, County Durham, Betts participated in Under-19s cricket and Under-20s cricket with Durham, but left in September 2000 upon the refusal of an improvement in his contract...
(born 1975), ex Durham, Warwickshire and Middlesex cricketer, born in Sacriston. - Ian Hunter (cricketer)Ian Hunter (cricketer)Ian David Hunter is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler....
(born 1979), ex Durham and Now Derby cricketer, born in Sacriston - Wendy CraigWendy CraigWendy Craig is a BAFTA Award winning English actress who is best known for her appearances in the sitcoms Butterflies, ...And Mother Makes Three and ...And Mother Makes Five...
(born 1934), English actress, born in Sacriston - Sir Bobby RobsonBobby RobsonSir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
(1933–2009), football player and manager, born in Sacriston - Kevan JonesKevan JonesKevan David Jones is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for North Durham since 2001.-Early life:...
(born 1964), Member of Parliament for the area, lives in Sacriston, where he also has his constituency office. - Stuart Phillips (born 1983), Member of the 2008 Olympic Boxing team picking up a Silver medal in the Super Heavyweight Division. He is also an ambassador for the England 2018 World Cup bid.