Place:Hamsterley (near Bishop Auckland), Durham, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Hamsterley is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated a few miles west of Bishop Auckland and has a 21st century population of about 550.

The village lies on a rise above the upper reaches of the Wear valley. To the west of the village the land rises to Hamsterley Common at the eastern edge of the fell country which lies between the valleys of the Wear and the Tees. Near to the village is Dryderdale Hall, a magnificent grade II listed mansion built in 1872 by the architect Alfred Waterhouse for the Backhouse family.

end of Wikipedia contribution

Hamsterley 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. In 1937 it was transferred to Barnard Castle Rural District. The chapelry of Hamsterley was responsible for the townships of South Bedburn and Lynesack and Softley. (Source: A Vision of Britain through Time)

Between 1974 and 2009 Hamsterley became part of the larger Teesdale non-metropolitan district. Since 2009 County Durham has been a unitary authority.

A nineteenth century description

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

"HAMSTERLEY, a village, a township-chapelry, and a [registration] sub-district in Anckland [registration] district, Durham. The village stands on a hill, near the river Bedburn, 2 miles SW of Witton-le-Wear [railway] station, and 6 W by N of Bishop-Anckland; and has a post office under Darlington. The chapelry is in Auckland-St. Andrew parish, and comprises 4,003 acres. Real property: £2,883; of which £310 are in mines. Population: 522. Houses: 117. The property is subdivided. The living is a [perpetual] curacy in the diocese of Durham. Value: £96. Patron: H. Chaytor, Esq. The church is ancient and cruciform, with a belfry. There are a Wesleyan chapel, and charities £16."

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.