Place:Aycliffe, Durham, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

A Vision of Britain through Time provides the following description of Aycliffe from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72:

"AYCLIFFE, a village, a township, and a [registration] subdistrict in the [registration] district of Darlington, and a parish in the [registration] districts of Darlington and Stockton, Durham. The village stands adjacent to the river Skerne, ¼ of a mile W of the York and Berwick railway, 5¼ miles N of Darlington. It has a station on the railway, and a post office under Darlington. It is an ancient place; belonged to the see of Lindisfarne; and was the meeting-place of synods in 782 and 789.

"The township bears the name of Great Aycliffe; and comprises 2,134 acres. Real property: £3,131. Population: 840. Houses: 185. Extensive lime quarries are worked.

"The parish includes the townships of Great Aycliffe and Brafferton, in the district of Darlington, and the townships of Preston-le-Skerne and Woodham, in the district of Stockton. Acres: 10,858. Real property: £10,234. Population: 1,458. Houses: 290. The property is divided among a few. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Durham. Value: £350. Patrons: the Dean and Chapter of Durham. The church is mixedly Norman and pointed; consists of nave, chancel, aisles, and porch, with a western tower 85 feet high; and is in good condition. There are remains of two Saxon crosses in the churchyard. There are chapels for Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists, and charities £8."

Aycliffe was an ancient parish in the Darlington Ward of County Durham. It included the following townships, all of which became independent civil parishes during the 19th century.

• Brafferton
• Great Aycliffe
• Preston le Skerne
• Woodham

Aycliffe was also the name used for a new town which existed from 1947 to 1988 which was better known as Newton Aycliffe. The main village in the new town is now called Great Aycliffe.

For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Newton Aycliffe. This is a history of the ancient parish as well as an outline of the 20th century settlement. It also has a description of the civil parish of Woodham.

Wikipedia states that Aycliffe is part of the name of three places in County Durham, England:

• Newton Aycliffe, the oldest new town in the north of England
• Aycliffe Village, a village south of Newton Aycliffe
• School Aycliffe, a village west of Newton Aycliffe and east of Heighington

Research Tips

• County Durham Archives. Durham County Record Office is located on the Lower Ground Floor of County Hall, the administrative headquarters of Durham County Council, in Durham City.
• Northumberland and Durham FHS covers both Northumberland and the northern part of County Durham. The Family History Society have a research centre in Percy House in central Newcastle upon Tyne (full address on website), open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm. Browse the website to see what else the society can provide.
• The Cleveland, North Yorkshire & South Durham Family History Society covers the southern part of County Durham as well as the Tees Valley and North Yorkshire on the south side of the River Tees. Their homepage includes a map to show the society's coverage. (Once again, full address and other details on the website)
• Further information from GENUKI
• Ordnance Survey map of Durham 1832 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time. This map includes the boundaries of the various Wards (or "hundreds") in existence at that time.
• Ordnance Survey map of Durham 1900 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time
• Ordnance Survey map of Durham 1944 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time
• English Jurisdictions 1851, a parish finding aid provided by FamilySearch, particularly helpful in large towns and cities.
• Unfortunately, the Victoria County History for Durham is limited in its coverage. It only includes the cathedral city of Durham, including an account of the cathedral itself. Also covers Stockton Ward in the south-east of the county (bordering North Yorkshire) including Hartlepool and Stockton on Tees.