Place:Coundon, Durham, England

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

source: Family History Library Catalog

source: Family History Library Catalog

Coundon is an old mining village in County Durham, England. The Boldon Book mentions a mine in Coundon in the 12th century. (Source: Wikipedia)

Coundon was originally a township in the ancient parish of Auckland St. Andrew in County Durham. It became a separate civil parish in 1866. From 1894 it was part of Auckland Rural District until 1937 when it was abolished and absorbed into Bishop Auckland. Between 1974 and 2009 the area became part of the larger Wear Valley non-metropolitan district. Since 2009 County Durham has been a unitary authority.

Coundon Grange

Coundon Grange was a separate civil parish located immediately to the south of Coundon. Its history is the same and it has been redirected here for convenience.

A nineteenth century description

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

"COUNDON, a township and a chapelry in Auckland-St. Andrew parish, Durham. The township lies adjacent to the Stockton railway, 2 miles ESE of Bishop-Auckland; and has a post office under Darlington. Acres: 584. Real property: £4,725; of which £2,205 are in mines. Population: 2,765. Houses: 534.

"The chapelry was constituted in 1842. Population: 3,095. Houses: 608. The property is not much divided. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Durham. Value: £300. Patron: the Bishop of Durham. The church is good; and there are a Wesleyan chapel and a national school."

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.