In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Langleydale like this:
LANGLEYDALE and SHOTTON, a township in Staindrop parish, Durham; on a headstream of the river Gaunless, 5 miles N of Barnard-Castle. Acres, 4,685. Real property, £2,426. Pop., 220. Houses, 33. Much of the land is common; and portions of it present wild spots of forest scenery. Lead ore has been smelted here, to the extent of producing about 400 pigs of lead and 4,000 ounces of silver weekly. ...
A school is supported by the Duke of Bedford; and there is a Wesleyan chapel. An ancient tower is here, known as the Lady's Tower, formerly an outpost of Raby Castle, and associated with the life of the last Earl of Westmoreland. The ballad of Surtees says,—
"As I down Raby Park did pass,
I heard a fair maid weep and wail;
The chiefest of her song it was,
Farewell the sweets of Langleydale !
The bonny mavis cheers his love,
The throstlecock sings in the glen:
But I must never hope to rove
Within sweet Langleydale again.
Langleydale through time
Langleydale is now part of Teesdale district. Click here for graphs and data of how Teesdale has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Langleydale itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Langleydale, in Teesdale and County Durham | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/5296
Date accessed: 29th April 2024
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