Place:Westerton, Durham, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

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

Westerton is a village in County Durham, England. In the 2001 UK census Westerton had a population of 44. It is situated between Bishop Auckland and Spennymoor. It sits on top of a hill which is one of the highest points in County Durham, and is the location of an observatory built for Thomas Wright (1711-1786), who was the first person to suggest that the Milky Way consisted of a flattened disk of stars. The observatory is known today as "Wright's Folly".

Westerton 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 abolished and split between Bishop Auckland and Spennymoor with Bishop Auckland receiving about two-thirds of the area. Between 1974 and 2009 it became part of the larger Wear Valley 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 Westerton from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72:

"WESTERTON, a township in Auckland-St. Andrew parish, Durham; 2½ miles E by N of Bishop-Auckland. Acres: 697. Real property: £1,485; of which £400 are in mines, and £260 in quarries. Population: 196. Houses: 43."

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.