Place:Harraton, Durham, England

Views

Watchers

no watchers

Name	Harraton
Alt names	Chaters Hough	source: village in parish
	Fatfield	source: village in parish
	Pictree	source: village in parish
Type	Township, Civil parish
Coordinates	54.881°N 1.534°W
Located in	Durham, England ( - 1974)
Also located in	Tyne and Wear, England (1974 - )
See also	Chester le Street, Durham, England	ancient parish in which it was a township
	Chester Ward, Durham, England	ancient county division in which it was located
	Chester le Street Rural, Durham, England	rural district of which it was part 1894-1974
	City of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England	metropolitan borough covering the area since 1974

source: Family History Library Catalog

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

"HARRATON, a township in Chester-le-Street parish, and a sub-district in Chester-le-Street [registration] district, Durham. The township lies on the river Wear, and on the North-eastern railway, 3 miles NE of Chester-le-Street; includes the villages of Chaters-Hough, Fatfield, and Pictree; and forms part of the chapelry of Birtley. Acres: 2,394. Real property: £13,007; of which £7,250 are in mines. Population: 1,642. Houses: 327. The manor belongs to the Earl of Durham; and has his seat, Lambton Castle, on an eminence adjacent to the Wear. Coal is extensively worked; but some of the coal pits are exhausted. There are a chapel-school of the Established church, and chapels for Wesleyans and Primitive Methodists."

Harraton was a township in the ancient parish of Chester le Street. It became a separate civil parish in 1866. From 1894 until 1912 it was part of Chester le Street Rural District. In 1974 this part of Durham became part of the district of the City of Sunderland within the county of Tyne and Wear.

Harraton Colliery included the Nova Scotia pit and was worked until the seam was exhausted in 1965.

[edit]

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.