Witton-le-Wear
Encyclopedia
Witton-le-Wear is a small village in County Durham
, England
. It is situated on the north bank of the River Wear
, 6 km (3.7 mi) to the north-west of Bishop Auckland
.
and Witton-le-Wear ward is represented on the District Council by Vere Shuttleworth and Des Wilson (both independent), and on the County Council by John Shuttleworth (independent). It is part of the Durham North West parliamentary constituency, which as of 2005 is represented in parliament
by Hilary Armstrong
(Labour
). It is in the North East England
region
, which serves as a constituency for the European Parliament
.
The local police force is Durham Constabulary
. Witton-le-Wear is in the Wear and Tees division.
(Anglo-Saxon
: ton) in or near woodland
(Anglo-Saxon: widu). Witton-le-Wear's name is attested as Wudeton from 1104, but had become Wotton in Werdale by 1313. This subsequently evolved to the present form.
and cement
around the north-east of England. However as the price of road haulage dropped the line fell into disuse and carried its last train in the early 1990s. Now, funded partly by George Reynolds
, former criminal and owner of Darlington Football Club
, and partly by European Union
and lottery
funds, it is being cleared for re-opening as a daily tourist line.
, leaving the village with only two pubs
and a sprinkling of houses. Despite the lack of commercial interest the village is still growing, with recent approval of plans for 14 new houses in the field below Castle View, and an under-11s playground
having been built using lottery funds.
George Reynolds also funded a £100,000 fibreglass hall for the expanding school in Witton-le-Wear, which comprises approximately 100 pupils and 10 staff. The school was founded in the 1960s, along with Castle View in the upper half of the village, as a larger alternative to what has now been converted to the Community Centre on School Street. Its catchment area is no longer limited to the village but also takes pupils from neaby Hamsterley
, Howden-le-Wear
and Crook
, which is what prompted the construction of the hall.
with later additions. To the south is Witton Castle
, a restored 15th century castle.
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...
. It is situated on the north bank of the River Wear
River Wear
The River Wear is located in North East England, rising in the Pennines and flowing eastwards, mostly through County Durham, to the North Sea at Sunderland.-Geology and history:...
, 6 km (3.7 mi) to the north-west of Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless...
.
Geography and administration
As of 2005 the WolsinghamWolsingham
Wolsingham is a small market town in Weardale, County Durham, England. It is situated by the River Wear, between Crook and Stanhope in North West Durham.-History:Wolsingham sits at the confluence of the River Wear and Waskerley Beck...
and Witton-le-Wear ward is represented on the District Council by Vere Shuttleworth and Des Wilson (both independent), and on the County Council by John Shuttleworth (independent). It is part of the Durham North West parliamentary constituency, which as of 2005 is represented in parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
by Hilary Armstrong
Hilary Armstrong
Hilary Jane Armstrong, Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for North West Durham from 1987 to 2010.-Early life:...
(Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
). It is in the North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
region
Regions of England
In England, the region is the highest tier of sub-national division used by central Government. Between 1994 and 2011, the nine regions had an administrative role in the implementation of UK Government policy, and as the areas covered by elected bodies...
, which serves as a constituency for the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
The local police force is Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of County Durham and the unitary authority of Darlington. The force covers the 2,232 km² of the county which has a resident population of 595,308. It is one of the smaller forces of the...
. Witton-le-Wear is in the Wear and Tees division.
Location
- Elevation: 120 m (400 ft)
- Road access: Minor roads off A68A68 roadThe A68 is a major road in the United Kingdom, running from Darlington in England to the A720 in Scotland.From Darlington, the road runs north, bypassing Bishop Auckland, and running through West Auckland, Toft Hill and Tow Law, past Consett and Corbridge...
, A689A689 roadThe A689 is a road in northern England, that runs east from Junction 44 of the M6 motorway, north of the centre of Carlisle in Cumbria, to Hartlepool, in the North East....
and B6282 - Rail access: Bishop AucklandBishop Auckland railway stationBishop Auckland railway station serves the town of Bishop Auckland in County Durham, England. The station is the terminus of the Tees Valley Line north of .The station is operated by Northern Rail, which provides Network Rail passenger services...
, 6 km (3.7 mi) - Nearest towns: CrookCrook, County DurhamCrook is a market town in County Durham, England. It is situated about 10 miles south-west of Durham.Crook lies a couple of miles north of the River Wear, on the A690 from Durham...
, 5 km (3.1 mi); Bishop AucklandBishop AucklandBishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless...
, 6 km (3.7 mi); WillingtonWillington, County DurhamWillington is a former-pit town in County Durham, England. It is in the foothills of the Pennines and near the River Wear close to Crook and Bishop Auckland. Like many communities in the area, Willington's economy was largely based on coal mining. The closure of the colliery in 1967 therefore hit...
, 8 km (5 mi)
Etymology
The place name Witton or Whitton is fairly common in the north of England. The name sometimes derives from "white farm" but in the case of Witton-le-Wear, as with many others, Witton refers to a farmFarm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
(Anglo-Saxon
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
: ton) in or near woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
(Anglo-Saxon: widu). Witton-le-Wear's name is attested as Wudeton from 1104, but had become Wotton in Werdale by 1313. This subsequently evolved to the present form.
Origins
Witton-le-Wear was once situated on a major railway line, whose principal use was to transport coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
around the north-east of England. However as the price of road haulage dropped the line fell into disuse and carried its last train in the early 1990s. Now, funded partly by George Reynolds
George Reynolds
George Reynolds is a British businessman best known for his time as chairman of Darlington Football Club.Reynolds became involved in criminal activities during the 1950s, and spent six months in jail for smuggling watches from incoming ships in the 1960s...
, former criminal and owner of Darlington Football Club
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
, and partly by European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
funds, it is being cleared for re-opening as a daily tourist line.
Amenities
Witton-le-Wear's last village shop was converted into a house around the turn of the millenniumMillennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
, leaving the village with only two pubs
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
and a sprinkling of houses. Despite the lack of commercial interest the village is still growing, with recent approval of plans for 14 new houses in the field below Castle View, and an under-11s playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
having been built using lottery funds.
George Reynolds also funded a £100,000 fibreglass hall for the expanding school in Witton-le-Wear, which comprises approximately 100 pupils and 10 staff. The school was founded in the 1960s, along with Castle View in the upper half of the village, as a larger alternative to what has now been converted to the Community Centre on School Street. Its catchment area is no longer limited to the village but also takes pupils from neaby Hamsterley
Hamsterley, Bishop Auckland
Hamsterley is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated a few miles west of Bishop Auckland.The village lies on a rise above the upper reaches of the Wear valley. To the west of the village the land rises to Hamsterley Common at the eastern edge of the fell country which lies between the...
, Howden-le-Wear
Howden-le-Wear
Howden-le-Wear is a village in County Durham, in England. Howden-le-Wear is approximately 1 mile south of the large market town of Crook. It has numerous shops including the village Spar and the petrol station....
and Crook
Crook, County Durham
Crook is a market town in County Durham, England. It is situated about 10 miles south-west of Durham.Crook lies a couple of miles north of the River Wear, on the A690 from Durham...
, which is what prompted the construction of the hall.
Landmarks
In the village is Witton Tower, a medieval pele towerPeel tower
Peel towers are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, intended as watch towers where signal fires could be lit by the garrison to warn of approaching danger...
with later additions. To the south is Witton Castle
Witton Castle
Witton Castle is a much altered 15th century castle, which is the centrepiece of a holiday and caravan country park at Witton le Wear, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham. It is a Grade II* listed building.-Details:...
, a restored 15th century castle.
Notable residents
- John GarthJohn Garth (composer)John Garth was an English composer, born in Harperley, near Witton-le-Wear, Co. Durham.-Life:On 23 June 1742 Garth became a freemason at the lodge meeting at the The Bird and Bush in Saddler Street, Durham....
, composer - Thomas JacksonThomas Jackson (theologian)Thomas Jackson was an English theologian, and President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Originally a Calvinist, he became in later life an Arminian.-Life:...
(1579-1640), scholar and priest. - Anthony SalvinAnthony SalvinAnthony Salvin was an English architect. He gained a reputation as an expert on medieval buildings and applied this expertise to his new buildings and his restorations...
(1799-1881), the architect, spent much of his boyhood at Willington, where he lived with his grandfather. - Henry TaylorHenry Taylor (dramatist)Sir Henry Taylor was an English dramatist.Taylor was born in Bishop Middleham, the son of a gentleman farmer, and spent his youth in Witton-le-Wear with his stepmother at Witton Hall in the high street...
(1800-1886), born in Bishop Middleham, spent his youth in Witton-le-Wear with his stepmother at Witton Hall (now Witton Tower) in the high street. His father George was a friend of Wordsworth and the poet visited him in July 1838. In Witton, Taylor wrote The Cave of Ceada which was accepted for the Quarterly ReviewQuarterly ReviewThe Quarterly Review was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by the well known London publishing house John Murray. It ceased publication in 1967.-Early years:...
. Another poem, The Lynnburn, is about the river which runs through the village.
External links
- Wear Valley Mercury newspaper