In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Merrington like this:
MERRINGTON, a village and a township in Auckland district, and a parish partly also in Durham and Stockton districts, Durhamshire. The village strands on an eminence, 1½ mile SSE of Spennymoor r. station, and 3¾ ENE of Bishop-Auckland; adjoins the ground on which the English forces encamped before the battle of Neville's Cross; commands a very extensive view, along the valley of the Wear, and to the hills of Yorkshire; is a large place; and has a post office, of the name of Kirk-Merrington, under Darlington. ...
- The township comprises 1,934 acres. Real property, £3,331; of which £275 are in mines. Pop. in 1851,504; in 1861,926. Houses, 160.—The parish contains also the townships of Ferryhill, Chilton, and Hett. Acres, 8,024. Rea l property, £12,165; of which £4,172 are in mines, and £17 in quarries. Pop. in 1851,2,673; in 1861, 4,046. Houses, 767 ''T he property is much subdivided. Coal is worked. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Durham. Value, £300.* Patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Durham. The old church was Norman, and of interesting character; and was the scene, in 1144, of a furious fray between W. Comyn, who had usurped the bishopric of Durham, and three barons of the bishopricpalatinate. The present church was built in 1854, on the site of the old one and in imitation of it; is of oblong form, with a massive central tower 60 feet high; and retains the chancel-screen of the old church. The churchyard contains an incised coffin-shaped stone, said to mark the grave of Hodge of Ferry, who slew the famous Brawn. The vicarage of Ferryhill is a separate benefice. There are a national school, and charities £19.
Merrington through time
Merrington is now part of Sedgefield district. Click here for graphs and data of how Sedgefield has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Merrington itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Merrington, in Sedgefield and County Durham | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/3377
Date accessed: 19th April 2024
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