County Durham

This article is about the ceremonial county. For the unitary authority area, seeCounty Durham (district).For the former administration, seeCounty Palatine of Durham.For other uses, seeDurham County.

County Durham Durham
Ceremonial county
Middleton-in-Teesdale,Darlingtonclock tower, and thecoastnearSeaham
Ceremonial Durham Comparison of differing boundaries (historic in grey, ceremonial in blue)
Coordinates:54°40′N1°50′W
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	North East England
Established	Ancient
Time zone	UTC+0(GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1(BST)
UK Parliament	List
Police	Durham Constabulary Cleveland Police
Ceremonial county
Lord Lieutenant	Susan Snowdon
High Sheriff	Anne Elizabeth Elliott (2023)
Area	2,676 km2(1,033 sq mi)
• Rank	19th of 48
Population (2022)	872,075
• Rank	28th of 48
Density	326/km2(840/sq mi)
Unitary authorities
Councils	Darlington Borough Durham County Hartlepool Borough Stockton-on-Tees Borough
Districts
Districts of County Durham  Unitary
Districts	County Durham Hartlepool Darlington Stockton-on-Tees(north)

County Durham,officially simplyDurham(/ˈdʌrəm/),is aceremonial countyinNorth East England.The county bordersNorthumberlandandTyne and Wearto the north, theNorth Seato the east,North Yorkshireto the south, andCumbriato the west. The largest settlement isDarlington.

The county has an area of 2,676 square kilometres (1,033 sq mi) and a population of 872,075. The latter is concentrated in the east; the south-east is part of theTeessidebuilt-up area, which extends into North Yorkshire. After Darlington (92,363), the largest settlements areHartlepool(88,855),Stockton-on-Tees(82,729), and Durham (48,069). Forlocal governmentpurposes the county comprises threeunitary authorityareas—County Durham,Darlington,andHartlepool—and part of a fourth,Stockton-on-Tees.The county historically includes the part of Tyne and Wear south of theRiver Tyne,and excludes the part of the ceremonial County Durham south of theRiver Tees.

The west of the county contains part of theNorth Penninesuplands, anational landscape.The hills are the source of the rivers Tees andWear,which flow east and form the valleys ofTeesdaleandWeardalerespectively. The east of the county is flatter, and the two rivers meander through it; the Tees forms the boundary with North Yorkshire in its lower reaches, and the Wear exits the county nearChester-le-Streetin the north-east. Thecounty's coastis asite of special scientific interestcharacterised by tall limestone and dolomite cliffs.

What is now County Durham was on the border ofRoman Britain,and contains survivals of this era at sites such asBinchester Roman Fort.In theAnglo-Saxonperiod the region was part of theKingdom of Northumbria.In 995 the city of Durham was founded by monks seeking a place safe fromVikingraids to house the relics of StCuthbert.Durham Cathedralwas rebuilt after theNorman Conquest,and together withDurham Castleis now aWorld Heritage Site.By thelate Middle Agesthe county wasgoverned semi-independentlyby thebishops of Durhamand was also a buffer zone between England and Scotland. County Durham became heavily industrialised in the nineteenth century, when manycollieriesopened on theDurham coalfield.TheStockton and Darlington Railway,the world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, opened in 1825.Most collieries closed during the last quarter of the twentieth century, but the county's coal mining heritage is remembered in the annualDurham Miners' Gala.

Toponymy

The ceremonial county is officially namedDurham,but the county has long been commonly known asCountyDurham and is the onlyEnglish countyname prefixed with "County" in common usage (a practice common inIreland). Its unusual naming (for an English shire) is explained to some extent by the relationship with theBishops of Durham,who for centuries governed Durham as acounty palatine(theCounty Palatine of Durham) outside the usual structure of county administration in England.

The situation regarding the formal name in modern local government is less clear:

• The 2009 structural change legislationcreated the presentunitary council(that covers a large part – but not all – of the ceremonial county) refers to "thecountyof County Durham "and names the new unitarydistrict"County Durham" too.
  • A later amendment to that legislationrefers to the "county of Durham" and the amendment allows for the unitary council to name itself "The Durham Council".
• The council retains the name asDurham County Council.With either option, the name does not includeCountyDurham.
• Theformer postal countywas named "County Durham" to distinguish it from thepost townof Durham.

History

Main article:History of County Durham

Anglian Kingdom of Bernicia

Main article:Bernicia

Around AD 547, an Angle namedIdafounded the kingdom of Bernicia after spotting the defensive potential of a large rock at Bamburgh, upon which many a fortification was thenceforth built.Ida was able to forge, hold and consolidate the kingdom; although the native British tried to take back their land, the Angles triumphed and the kingdom endured.

Kingdom of Northumbria

Main article:Kingdom of Northumbria

In AD 604, Ida's grandsonÆthelfrithforcibly merged Bernicia (ruled fromBamburgh) and Deira (ruled fromYork,which was known as Eforwic at the time) to create theKingdom of Northumbria.In time, the realm was expanded, primarily through warfare and conquest; at its height, the kingdom stretched from the River Humber (from which the kingdom drew its name) to the Forth. Eventually, factional fighting and the rejuvenated strength of neighbouring kingdoms, most notably Mercia, led to Northumbria's decline.The arrival of the Vikings hastened this decline, and the Scandinavian raiders eventually claimed the Deiran part of the kingdom in AD 867 (which becameJórvík). The land that would become County Durham now sat on the border with theGreat Heathen Army,a border which today still forms the boundaries between the historic counties of Yorkshire and County Durham.

The Church ofSt Mary and St Cuthbert, Chester-le-Street,on the site of the wooden ninth century church built by the Lindisfarne monks

Viking settlement petered out at the Tees and the lands north thereof lay outside of the Danelaw. The House of Bamburgh, successors of the Kings of Bernicia and Northumbria, retained control north of the Tyne; between the Tyne and the Tees emerged the Community of St. Cuthbert orHaliwerfolc,successors of the See of Lindisfarne. The House of Wessex absorbed the Kingdom of York into the unified English Kingdom in 954 and claimed overlordship over Northumbria. However, the lands north of the Tees remained outside the governmental frontiers of the English realm, thus Bamburgh and the Haliwerfolc went on to become contested buffer states between England and Scotland.

City of Durham founded

Main article:Durham, England

In AD 995, St Cuthbert's community, who had been transporting Cuthbert's remains around, partly in an attempt to avoid them falling into the hands of Viking raiders, settled at Dunholm (Durham) on a site that was defensively favourable due to the horseshoe-like path of the River Wear.St Cuthbert's remains were placed in a shrine in the White Church, which was originally a wooden structure but was eventually fortified into a stone building.

Once the City of Durham had been founded, the Bishops of Durham gradually acquired the lands that would become County Durham. Bishop Aldhun began this process by procuring land in the Tees and Wear valleys, including Norton, Stockton, Escomb and Aucklandshire in 1018. In 1031,King Canutegave Staindrop to the Bishops. This territory continued to expand, and was eventually given the status of aliberty.Under the control of the Bishops of Durham, the land had various names: the "Liberty of Durham", "Liberty of St Cuthbert's Land" "the lands of St Cuthbert between Tyne and Tees" or "the Liberty of Haliwerfolc" (holyWearfolk).

The bishops' special jurisdiction rested on claims that KingEcgfrith of Northumbriahad granted a substantial territory toSt Cuthberton his election to theseeofLindisfarnein 684. In about 883 a cathedral housing the saint's remains was established atChester-le-StreetandGuthfrith, King of Yorkgranted the community of St Cuthbert the area between theTyneand theWear,before the community reached its final destination in 995, in Durham.

Following theNorman invasion,the administrative machinery of government extended only slowly into northern England. Northumberland's first recordedSheriffwas Gilebert from 1076 until 1080 and a 12th-century record records Durham regarded as within the shire.However the bishops disputed the authority of the sheriff of Northumberland and his officials, despite the second sheriff for example being the reputed slayer ofMalcolm Canmore,King of Scots. The crown regarded Durham as falling within Northumberland until the late thirteenth century.

County Palatine of Durham

Main article:County Palatine of Durham

Matters regarding the bishopric of Durham came to a head in 1293 when the bishop and his steward failed to attend proceedings ofquo warrantoheld by the justices of Northumberland. The bishop's case went before parliament, where he stated that Durham lay outside the bounds of any English shire and that"from time immemorial it had been widely known that the sheriff of Northumberland was not sheriff of Durham nor entered within that liberty as sheriff... nor made there proclamations or attachments".The arguments appear to have prevailed, as by the fourteenth century Durham was accepted as a liberty which received royal mandates direct. In effect it was a private shire, with the bishop appointing his own sheriff.The area eventually became known as the "County Palatineof Durham ".

Sadbergewas a liberty, sometimes referred to as a county, within Northumberland. In 1189 it was purchased for the see but continued with a separatesheriff,coronerand court of pleas. In the 14th century Sadberge was included inStocktonward and was itself divided into two wards. The division into the four wards of Chester-le-Street,Darlington,Easingtonand Stockton existed in the 13th century, each ward having its own coroner and a three-weekly court corresponding to thehundredcourt. Thediocesewas divided into thearchdeaconriesof Durham and Northumberland. The former is mentioned in 1072, and in 1291 included the deaneries of Chester-le-Street, Auckland,Lanchesterand Darlington.

The termpalatinusis applied to the bishop in 1293, and from the 13th century onwards the bishops frequently claimed the same rights in their lands as the king enjoyed in his kingdom.

Early administration

Overview

Thehistoric boundariesof the county shown inJohn Speed's map of the county in hisTheatre of the Empire of Great Britaine,c.1611. These boundaries remained in use for administrative purposes until the local government reforms starting in the 1960s. A depiction of the city of Durham is inset in the top right.

Thehistoricboundaries of County Durham included a main body covering thecatchmentof thePenninesin the west, theRiver Teesin the south, theNorth Seain the east and the RiversTyneandDerwentin the north.The county palatinate also had a number ofliberties:theBedlingtonshire,IslandshireandNorhamshireexclaveswithin Northumberland, and theCraikshireexclave within the North Riding of Yorkshire. In 1831 the county covered an area of 679,530 acres (2,750.0 km²)and had a population of 253,910.These exclaves were included as part of the county for parliamentary electoral purposes until 1832, and for judicial and local-government purposes until the coming into force of theCounties (Detached Parts) Act 1844,which merged most remaining exclaves with their surrounding county. The boundaries of the county proper remained in use for administrative and ceremonial purposes until the1972 Local Government Act.

Early English and Norman period

Following the Battle of Hastings,William the Conquerorappointed Copsig as Earl of Northumbria, thereby bringing what would become County Durham under Copsig's control. Copsig was, just a few weeks later, killed in Newburn.Having already being previously offended by the appointment of a non-Northumbrian as Bishop of Durham in 1042, the people of the region became increasingly rebellious.In response, in January 1069, William despatched a largeNormanarmy, under the command ofRobert de Comines,toDurham City.The army, believed to consist of 700 cavalry (about one-third of the number of Norman knights who had participated in the Battle of Hastings),entered the city, whereupon they were attacked, and defeated, by a Northumbrian assault force. The Northumbrians wiped out the entire Norman army, including Comines,all except for one survivor, who was allowed to take the news of this defeat back.

Following the Norman slaughter at the hands of the Northumbrians, resistance to Norman rule spread throughout Northern England, including a similar uprising in York.William The Conquerorsubsequently (and successfully) attempted to halt the northern rebellions by unleashing the notoriousHarrying of the North(1069–1070).Because William's main focus during the harrying was on Yorkshire,County Durham was largely spared the Harrying.The best remains of the Norman period includeDurham CathedralandDurham Castle,and several parish churches, such as St Laurence Church inPittington.TheEarly English periodhas left the eastern portion of the cathedral, the churches of Darlington, Hartlepool, and St Andrew, Auckland, Sedgefield, and portions of a few other churches.

Palatinate

Until the 15th century, the most important administrative officer in thePalatinatewas thesteward.Other officers included the sheriff, the coroners, theChamberlainand thechancellor.The palatine exchequer originated in the 12th century. The palatine assembly represented the whole county, and dealt chiefly with fiscal questions. The bishop's council, consisting of the clergy, the sheriff and thebarons,regulated judicial affairs, and later produced theChanceryand the courts ofAdmiraltyandMarshalsea.

The entrance toDurham Castle,the bishops' palace until 1832 when it moved to Auckland Castle

Thepriorof Durham ranked first among the bishop's barons. He had his own court, and almost exclusive jurisdiction over his men. A UNESCO site describes the role of the bishops in Durham, the "buffer state between England and Scotland":

From 1075, the Bishop of Durham became a Prince-Bishop, with the right to raise an army, mint his own coins, and levy taxes. As long as he remained loyal to the king of England, he could govern as a virtually autonomous ruler, reaping the revenue from his territory, but also remaining mindful of his role of protecting England’s northern frontier.

A report states that the Bishops also had the authority to appoint judges and barons and to offer pardons.

There were ten palatinate barons in the 12th century, most importantly theHyltonsofHylton Castle,the Bulmers ofBrancepeth,the Conyers of Sockburne, the Hansards of Evenwood, and theLumleysofLumley Castle.The Nevilles owned large estates in the county.John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de RabyrebuiltRaby Castle,their principal seat, in 1377.

Edward I'squo warrantoproceedings of 1293 showed twelve lords enjoying more or less extensive franchises under the bishop. The repeated efforts ofthe Crownto check the powers of the palatinate bishops culminated in 1536 in the Act of Resumption, which deprived the bishop of the power to pardon offences against the law or to appoint judicial officers. Moreover, indictments and legal processes were in future to run in the name of the king, and offences to be described as against the peace of the king, rather than that of the bishop. In 1596 restrictions were imposed on the powers of the chancery, and in 1646 the palatinate was formally abolished. It was revived, however, after theRestoration,and continued with much the same power until 5 July 1836, when theDurham (County Palatine) Act 1836provided that the palatine jurisdiction should in future be vested in the Crown.

Hand-drawn map of Durham by Christopher Saxton in 1576

Wars

During the 15th-centuryWars of the Roses,Henry VIpassed through Durham. On the outbreak of theGreat Rebellionin 1642 Durham inclined to support the cause ofParliament,and in 1640 the high sheriff of the palatinate guaranteed to supply the Scottish army with provisions during their stay in the county. In 1642 theEarl of Newcastleformed the western counties into an association for the King's service, but in 1644 the palatinate was again overrun by a Scottish army, and after theBattle of Marston Moor(2 July 1644) fell entirely into the hands of Parliament.

Parliamentary representation and secular powers

In 1614, aBillwas introduced in Parliament for securing representation to the county and city of Durham and the borough ofBarnard Castle.The bishop strongly opposed the proposal as an infringement of his palatinate rights, and the county was first summoned to return members to Parliament in 1654. After the Restoration of 1660 the county and city returned two members each. In the wake of theReform Act of 1832the county returned two members for two divisions, and the boroughs ofGateshead,South ShieldsandSunderlandacquired representation. The bishops lost their secular powers in 1836.The boroughs of Darlington, Stockton andHartlepoolreturned one member each from 1868 until theRedistribution Act of 1885.

Geography

Urban

The historic county excludes the village ofStartforth,the ceremonial county excludes the city ofSunderlandand the non-metropolitan county excludes the town ofStockton-on-Tees.The ceremonial county includes the non-metropolitan county with the addition of the boroughs ofDarlington,Hartlepool,andStockton-on-Tees.The historic county's boundaries stretched from the riversTynetoTeesand it is covered by the ceremonial county, thecity of Sunderland,the boroughs ofGatesheadandSouth Tyneside,while the non-metropolitan county includes part ofYorkshire.

County Durham contains a small area of theNorth East Green Beltin the county's north; surrounding the city of Durham, Chester-le-Street and other communities along the shared county border with Tyne and Wear, avoidingWearside's spread west. A smallergreen beltseparatesUrpeth,Ouston,Pelton,andPerkinsvillefromBirtleyin Tyne and Wear. A further small segment by the coast separates Seaham from the Sunderland settlements of Beckwith Green andRyhope.It was first drawn up in the 1990s.

Geology

Main article:Geology of County Durham

The moors aboveWeardale

County Durham is underlain byCarboniferousrocks in the west.PermianandTriassicstrata overlie these older rocks in the east. Thesesedimentarysequences have been cut byigneousdykesandsills.

The county contains a sizeable area of theNorth Pennines,designated anArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty,primarily west ofTow LawandBarnard Castle.The highest point (county top) of historic County Durham is thetrig point(not the summit) ofBurnhope Seat,height 746 metres (2,448 ft), between Weardale and Teesdale on the border with historicCumberlandin the far west of the county. The local government reorganisation of 1974 placed the higherMickle Fellsouth of Teesdale (the county top ofYorkshire) within the administrative borders of Durham (where it remains within the ceremonial county). However, it is not generally recognised as the highest point in Durham.

The two main dales of County Durham (Teesdale and Weardale) and the surrounding fells, many of which exceed 2,000 feet (610 m) in height, are excellenthillwalkingcountry, although not nearly as popular as the nearbyYorkshire DalesandLake Districtnational parks. The scenery is rugged and remote, and the high fells have a landscape typical of thePennineswith extensive areas oftussock grassand blanketpeat bogin the west, withheathermoorlandon the lower slopes descending to the east.

Climate

County Durham
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D 56 6 1 39 7 1 51 9 2 52 11 3 50 15 6 55 17 9 45 20 11 61 20 11 58 17 9 57 13 6 62 9 3 59 7 2 █Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █Precipitation totals in mm Source:
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D 2.2 43 33 1.5 44 33 2 48 36 2 52 38 1.9 58 42 2.2 63 47 1.8 68 51 2.4 67 51 2.3 62 47 2.2 55 43 2.4 48 38 2.3 45 35 █Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █Precipitation totals in inches

The following climate figures were gathered at the Durham weather station between 1981 and 2010:

Climate data for Durham WMO ID:99049; coordinates54°46′05″N1°35′10″W;elevation: 102 m (335 ft), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1850–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	16.7 (62.1)	17.4 (63.3)	21.7 (71.1)	24.1 (75.4)	27.8 (82.0)	30.6 (87.1)	36.9 (98.4)	32.5 (90.5)	30.0 (86.0)	25.0 (77.0)	19.4 (66.9)	15.9 (60.6)	36.9 (98.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	6.9 (44.4)	7.8 (46.0)	9.9 (49.8)	12.5 (54.5)	15.4 (59.7)	18.0 (64.4)	20.2 (68.4)	19.9 (67.8)	17.4 (63.3)	13.5 (56.3)	9.7 (49.5)	7.1 (44.8)	13.2 (55.8)
Daily mean °C (°F)	4.1 (39.4)	4.6 (40.3)	6.2 (43.2)	8.3 (46.9)	10.9 (51.6)	13.6 (56.5)	15.8 (60.4)	15.6 (60.1)	13.3 (55.9)	10.0 (50.0)	6.6 (43.9)	4.2 (39.6)	9.5 (49.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	1.3 (34.3)	1.4 (34.5)	2.5 (36.5)	4.1 (39.4)	6.5 (43.7)	9.3 (48.7)	11.3 (52.3)	11.3 (52.3)	9.2 (48.6)	6.5 (43.7)	3.6 (38.5)	1.4 (34.5)	5.7 (42.3)
Record low °C (°F)	−17.2 (1.0)	−18.3 (−0.9)	−15.0 (5.0)	−11.1 (12.0)	−4.4 (24.1)	−1.1 (30.0)	1.1 (34.0)	0.6 (33.1)	−1.1 (30.0)	−5.5 (22.1)	−8.8 (16.2)	−16.6 (2.1)	−18.3 (−0.9)
Averageprecipitationmm (inches)	51.8 (2.04)	44.6 (1.76)	41.1 (1.62)	51.2 (2.02)	44.4 (1.75)	61.0 (2.40)	60.9 (2.40)	66.5 (2.62)	56.9 (2.24)	63.4 (2.50)	73.0 (2.87)	61.0 (2.40)	675.7 (26.60)
Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm)	11.8	9.9	8.6	9.1	8.6	9.9	10.7	10.3	9.4	11.8	12.0	12.0	124.1
Mean monthlysunshine hours	60.9	84.4	121.7	160.8	187.1	167.1	174.3	167.3	135.3	98.9	64.6	57.6	1,480
Source 1: Met Office
Source 2: Durham Weather UK

Governance

Main article:History of local government districts in Durham

County Durham, as considered a county for lieutenancy purposes by the Lieutenancies Act 1997, is administered as a part of theconstituent countryof England in the United Kingdom.The area is appointed alord lieutenantand ahigh sheriff.

The ceremonial county is divided into four administrative counties (see table below), one of which - Stockon-on-Tees - also extends into North Yorkshire. Technically, for administrative purposes, the County of Durham only consists of thearea governed by Durham County Council.The three other areas are counties in their own right.

Area name	Council	Council headquarters	Established
Durham	Durham County Council	County Hall, Durham	1 April 2009
Borough of Darlington	Darlington Borough Council	Darlington Town Hall, Darlington	c. 1995
Stockton-on-Tees	Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council		c. 1995
Hartlepool	Hartlepool Borough Council		c. 1995

The county is partiallyparished.Thecity of Durhamis the most populous settlement in the county to have a parish. Multiple parishes are styled as havingtown councils:Billingham(in Stockton Borough),Barnard Castle,Bishop Auckland,Chilton,Ferryhill,Great Aycliffe,Newton Aycliffe,Greater Willington,Peterlee,Seaham,Sedgefield,Shildon,Spennymoor,StanleyandTow Law.

1836 to 1974

The county was aligned to otherhistoric counties of Englandfrom 1836 until 1889; multiple acts were passed removing exclaves, splitting the county from the bishopric and reforming its structure.

The ceremonial county andadministrative countywere created under theLocal Government Act 1888in 1889. Darlington, Gateshead, West Hartlepool (later known as Hartlepool), South Shields and Sunderland becamecounty boroughsduring the administrative counties years of administrating; each remained in the ceremonial county while outside of the administrative county.

The ceremonial county remained under the same borders as the historic county until 1968 when theCounty Borough of Teessideformed. Ceremonial duties of the borough (which were made up of areas from two counties) were in theNorth Riding of Yorkshireceremonial county.

1974 to present

Bannerof Durham County Council since 1974, based on the council's coat of arms. This was used as County Durham's unofficial flag until an official flag was adopted in 2013.

Ceremonial county from 1974–1996

From the 1974 until 1996, the ceremonial county was split into eightdistricts:

• Chester-le-Street,including the Lumley,PeltonandSacristonareas
• Derwentside,includingConsettandStanley
• City of Durham,includingDurhamand the surrounding areas
• Easington,includingSeahamandPeterlee
• Borough of Sedgefield,includingSpennymoor,SedgefieldandNewton Aycliffe
• Teesdale,includingBarnard Castleand the villages of Teesdale
• Wear Valley,includingBishop Auckland,Crook,Willington,Hunwick, and the villages alongWeardale
• Borough of Darlington,Darlingtonalong with nearby villages around the town.

Anon-metropolitan countyreplaced the administrative county. The boundaries only deviated from the ceremonial boundaries after 1995 when the Darlington Borough became aunitary authority.

On the 1 April 1996, thecounty of Clevelandwas abolished with its boroughs ofHartlepoolandStockton-on-Tees(north of theRiver Tees) becoming a part of the ceremonial county.

The non-metropolitan county was reconstituted on 1 April 2009: the strategic services-providingDurham County Councilwas re-organised intoa single districtof the same name, merging with the seven local facility-providing districts in the non-metropolitan county and became structured as aunitary authority.It has 126 councillors.The three pre-existing unitary authorities were unaffected.

Parliament

Main article:List of Parliamentary constituencies in County Durham

The county boundaries used for parliamentary constituencies are those used between 1974 and 1996, consisting of the County Durham district and the Darlington Borough. This area elects seven Members of Parliament. As of the 2019 General Election, four of these MPs areConservativesand three MPs areLabour.The rest of the ceremonial county is included in theCleveland parliamentary constituency area.

2019 General Election Results in County Durham
Party	Votes	%	Change from 2017	Seats	Change from 2017
Conservative	123,112	40.6%		4	4
Labour	122,547	40.4%		3	4
Brexit	25,444	8.4%	new	0	0
Liberal Democrats	21,356	7.0%		0	0
Greens	5,985	2.0%		0	0
Others	4,725	1.6%		0	0
Total	303,260	100.0		7

Emergency services

The police and fire services operate according to the 1974-96 ceremonial county boundaries:

• Durham Constabulary,Ron Hoggwas first elected theDurham Police and Crime Commissionerfor the force on 15 November 2012.
• Cleveland Police
• County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service,it is under supervision of a combined fire authority consisting of 25 local councillors: 21 from Durham County Council and 4 from Darlington Borough Council.
• Cleveland Fire Brigade.

TheNorth East Ambulance Service NHS TrustcoverNorth East Englandand are responsible for providing ambulance services for theNHS.Northumbria Ambulance Service and County Durham Ambulance Service (following historic county borders) merged on 1 April 1999 to become the North East service.In 2005 the area was adapted to the modern North East England regional extent.

Air ambulance services are provided by theGreat North Air Ambulance.The charity operates three bases, including one inEaglescliffe.

TeesdaleandWeardaleSearch and Mountain RescueTeam, are based at Sniperly Farm inDurham Cityand respond to search and rescue incidents in the county.

Demography

Population

Further information:List of settlements in County Durham by population,List of places in County Durham,andList of civil parishes in County Durham

#	Local authority	2011 census
–	Ceremonial county	853,213
1	District of County Durham	513,242
2	Borough of Stockton-on-Tees(north Tees)	136,079
3	Borough of Darlington	105,564
4	Borough of Hartlepool	92,028

TheOffice for National Statisticsestimated in 2016 that theDurham County Councilarea had a population of 522,100, theBorough of Darlingtona population of 105,600, theBorough of Hartlepoola population of 92,800, and the part of theBorough of Stockton-on-Teesin County Durham (the other part being in North Yorkshire) a population of 137,300.This gives the total estimated population of the ceremonial county at 857,800.

Employment

The proportion of the population working in agriculture fell from around 6% in 1851 to 1% in 1951; currently less than 1% of the population work in agriculture.There were 15,202 people employed in coal mining in 1841, rising to a peak of 157,837 in 1921.

Settlements

Further information:List of places in County DurhamandList of civil parishes in County Durham

County Durham has a mostly rural character, especially in the west. Small population centres scatter between Durham, Crook, Bishop Auckland, Shildon, Newton Aycliffe, Sedgefield and Peterlee. These places were populated by the draw of collieries during the Industrial Revolution. The south east side of the county Between Hartlepool and Darlington form part ofTeessidewith settlements on the south side of the river.While the north east part of the county (on the border with Tyne and Wear) forms part ofTynesideandWearside.

Changes

Former non-metropolitan county

Population over time of the current remit of Durham County Council between 1801 and 2001

Year	Population		Year	Population		Year	Population
1801	59,765		1871	273,671		1941	511,590
1811	64,781		1881	329,985		1951	504,943
1821	74,366		1891	360,028		1961	506,070
1831	86,267		1901	419,782		1971	509,307
1841	121,602		1911	492,503		1981	501,639
1851	161,035		1921	503,946		1991	505,625
1861	217,353		1931	518,581		2001	493,470
Source: A Vision of Britain through Time.

At the2001 Census,Easington and Derwentside districts had the highest proportion (around 99%) in the county council area of resident population who were born in the UK.13.2% of the county council area's residents rate their health asnot good,the highest proportion in England.

96.6% of County Durham's residents are White British, with other white groups making up a further 1.6% of the population. Around 77% of the county's population are Christian whilst 22% have no religion, and around 1% come from other religious communities. These figures exclude around 6% of the population who did not wish to state their religion.

As at 2001, Chester-le-Street district has the lowest number of available jobs per working-age resident (0.38%).

1900s

Since theLocal Government Act 1972historic county boundaries now lie within other administrative counties. These include:

Tyne and Wear	South Tyneside,City of Sunderlandandmetropolitan borough of Gateshead	administrativelyremovedin 1974
North Riding of Yorkshire	Small number of settlements south of the Tees, such asStartforth,	administrativelyaddedto county control in 1974.
Cleveland county	Hartlepool borough	administrativelyremovedfrom historic county control in 1974,addedto ceremonial county control in 1996.
Cleveland county	Stockton-on-Tees (North Tees) borough	Two previous separate administrativepartial removalsfrom historic county control in 1968 and 1974,addedto ceremonial county control in 1996.

1800s

Further information:Exclaves

Throughout the 1800s exclaves, of the historic county, each were given back to surrounding shires and lands they were closer associated with:

East Riding of Yorkshire	Howdenshire
North Riding of Yorkshire (now North Yorkshire)	Allertonshire
Northumberland	Bedlingtonshire,Islandshire(includedBerwick-upon-Tweed)

Economy

Economic output

The chart and table summarise unadjustedgross value added(GVA) in millions ofpounds sterlingfor County Durham across 3 industries at current basic prices from 1995 to 2004.

	Gross Value Added (GVA)(£m)
	1995	2000	2004
Agriculture, hunting and forestry	45	33	48
Industry, including energy and construction	1,751	1,827	1,784
Service activities	2,282	2,869	3,455
Total	4,078	4,729	5,288
UK	640,416	840,979	1,044,165

Businesses

Phileas Fogg snacksare made by theUnited BiscuitssubsidiaryKP SnacksinConsetton the Number One Industrial Estate. NearbyCAV Aerospacemakeice protection systemsfor aircraft.Thomas Swan,an international chemicals company, is inCrookhall.TheExplorer Group,who ownElddis,make caravans atDelves.TheLG Philips Displayscathode ray tubefactory atCarrville,Durham was the second largest employer in the north east after Nissan, before the company went bankrupt in 2006.Northumbrian Wateris inPity Me,Framwellgate Moor.Esh Group is a large construction company based south of Durham inBowburn.Schmitz CargobullUK is the UK's biggesttrailermanufacturer, notably forrefrigerated trailers,and is based atHarelawnear thePontop Pike mast.

Flymos are made inNewton Aycliffe

Black & DeckerandElectroluxhad large factories atSpennymoor,but moved production overseas. Thorn Lighting of theZumtobel Lighting Groupare on the Green Lane Industrial Estate at Spennymoor. Since 2007RF Micro Devices(RFMD) have made electronicwaferson the Heighington Lane Business Park atNewton Aycliffe,on the site formerly owned byFujitsu.Slightly to the north,TKA Tallentmake automotive axles and chassis components.Husqvarna-Flymo,formerly owned by Electrolux, are on the Aycliffe Industrial Estate, where the world's first hovermowerwas built in 1965. InWest Auckland,Potters Europemakeroad reflectors.GlaxoSmithKlinehas a site atBarnard Castlethat makespharmaceuticals.

NSKmake ball bearings on the North West Industrial Estate at Peterlee, andGWA InternationalsubsidiaryGliderolUK buildgarage doors.Mecaplast GroupUK produce automotive components on the Low Hills Industrial Estate inEasington Villagenear Peterlee.Reckitt Benckisermakecough syrupandindigestion remediesatShotton,near Peterlee until 2014.Walkers Crispshave a site north of Peterlee.

Culture

Mining and heavy industry

John Wilson CarmichaelA View of Murton Colliery near Seaham, County Durham,1843

A substantial number of colliery villages were built throughout the county in the nineteenth century to house the growing workforce, which included large numbers of migrant workers from the rest of the UK.Sometimes the migrants were brought in to augment the local workforce but, in other cases, they were brought in as strike breakers, or "blacklegs". Tens of thousands of people migrated to County Durham from Cornwall (partly due to their previous experience oftin mining) between 1815 and the outbreak of the First World War, so much so that the miners' cottages in east Durham called "Greenhill" were also known locally as "Cornwall", and Easington Colliery still has a Cornish Street.Other migrants included people from Northumberland, Cumberland, South Wales, Scotland and Ireland.Coal mining had a profound effect on trade unionism, public health and housing, as well as creating a related culture, language, folklore and sense of identity that still survives today.

The migrants also were employed in the railway, ship building, iron, steel and roadworking industries, and the pattern of migration continued, to a lesser extent, up until the 1950s and 1960s. Gateshead was once home to the fourth-largest Irish settlement in England,Consett's population was 22% Irishand significant numbers of Irish people moved to Sunderland, resulting in the city hosting numerous events onSt. Patrick's Daydue to the Irish heritage.

Durham Miners' Gala 2008

The culture of coal mining found expression in theDurham Miners' Gala,which was first held in 1871,developed around the culture of trade unionism. Coal mining continued to decline and pits closed. The1984–1985 United Kingdom miners' strikeinvolved many miners across the county. Today no deep-coal mines exist in the county and numbers attending the Miners' Gala decreased over the period between the end of the strike and the 21st century. However recent years have seen numbers significantly grow, and more banners return to the Gala each year as former colliery communities restore or replicate former banners to march at the Gala parade.

Art

In 1930, theSpennymoor Settlement(otherwise known as the Pitman's Academy) opened. The settlement, initially funded by thePilgrim Trust,aimed to encourage people to be neighbourly and participate in voluntary social service.The settlement operated during theGreat Depression,when unemployment was widespread and economic deprivation rife; Spennymoor was economically underprivileged. The settlement provided educational and social work, as well as hope; this included providing unemployed miners with on outlet for their creativity, a poor person's lawyer service, the town's first library and the Everyman Theatre. The output included paintings, sewing, socially-significant plays, woodwork and sculptures. Several members went on to win adult scholarships at Oxford Universitywhen such a route would normally be closed to the underprivileged. Former members include artistsNorman CornishandTom McGuinness,writerSid ChaplinOBE and journalist Arnold Hadwin OBE. The Spennymoor Settlement at its home in the Everyman Theatre (Grade 2 listed) is still operating, administered by the current trustees, offering community events and activities, including Youth Theatre Group, an Art Group and various classes, as well as offering community accommodation facilities.

Several Durham miners have been able to turn their former mining careers into careers in art. For example,Tom Lamb,as well as the aforementioned Tom McGuinness and Norman Cornish. Their artworks depict scenes of life underground, from the streets in which they lived and of the people they loved; through them, we can see, understand and experience the mining culture of County Durham.

In 2017, The Mining Art Gallery opened in Bishop Auckland in a building that was once a bank.Part of the Auckland Project, the gallery includes the work of artists from within County Durham and beyond, including such other North-Eastern mining artists asRobert Olley,as well as contributions from outside the region. It features three permanent areas and a temporary exhibition area; the gallery's Gemini Collection includes 420 pieces of mining art. Much of the artwork was donated, by Dr Robert McManners and Gillian Wales, for example.

In 2019, 100 years after his birth, a permanent tribute to the work of the artist Norman Stansfield Cornish MBE was opened within the Town Hall, and a Cornish Trail around the town was established to include areas of the town depicted in Cornish's artwork.

Music

As with neighbouring Northumberland, County Durham has a rich heritage ofNorthumbrian music,dating back from the Northumbrian Golden Age of the 7th and 8th centuries.Bedemade references to harp-playing, and abundant archeological evidence has been found of wooden flutes, bone flutes, panpipes, wooden drums and lyres (a six-string form of harp).North-East England has a distinctive folk music style that has drawn from many other regions, including southern Scotland, Ireland and the rest of northern England, that has endured stably since the 18th century.Instruments played include, in common with most folk music styles, stringed instruments such as the guitar and fiddle, but also the Northumbrian smallpipe, which is played and promoted by people including theNorthumbrian Pipers' Societythroughout the North East, including County Durham, with the society having an active group in Sedgefield.Contemporary folk musicians includeJez Loweand Ged Foley.

In 2018, TheArts Councilfunded the Stories of Sanctuary project in thecity of Durham.The project aims to assist people living in the city to share their stories about seeking sanctuary in the North East through photography, stories, poetry and music. The art is based on a history of sanctuary in Durham, from St Cuthbert's exile, through to the miners' strike of 1984, and to refugees escaping civil war in the Middle East. The music produced as part of the project includes contributions from singer-songwriter Sam Slatcher and viola player Raghad Haddad from the National Syrian Orchestra.

Other notable performers/songwriters who were born or raised in the county includePaddy McAloon,Eric Boswell,Jeremy Spencer,Alan Clark,Martin Brammer,Robert Blamire,Thomas Allen,Zoe Birkett,John O'Neill,Karen HardingandCourtney Hadwin.

Flag

Main article:Flag of County Durham

County Durham flag

County Durham has its ownflag,registered with theFlag Instituteon 21 November 2013.

Katie, Holly and James Moffatt designed the flag and entered their design into a competition launched by campaignerAndy Strangeway,who spoke of the flag as"free, public symbol for all to use, especially on 20th March each year, which is not only County Durham Day but also St Cuthbert’s birthday.”[sic - 20th March is actually the date of Cuthbert's death]

The flag consists of St Cuthbert's cross counterchanged with the county's blue and gold colours.

Education

University

Durham Universityis based inDurhamcity and is sometimes held to bethe third oldest university in England.Teesside Universityhas a campus in Darlington.

Colleges

Further information:List of schools in County Durham,List of schools in Darlington,List of schools in Hartlepool,andList of schools in Stockton-on-Tees

Carmel College Sixth Form

• Bede Sixth Form College,Billingham
• Bishop Auckland College
• Carmel College Sixth Form,Darlington
• Darlington College
• Derwentside College,Consett
• Durham Sixth Form Centre,Durham
• East Durham College,Durham and Peterlee
• Hartlepool College of Further Education
• Hartlepool Sixth Form College
• New College Durham,Durham
• Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College,Darlington
• Stockton Sixth Form College
• St Bede’s Catholic Academy and Sixth Form CollegeLanchester

Places of interest

Apollo Pavilion,Peterlee,concrete art designed byVictor Pasmorein 1969. TheBarnard Castle,a castle the adjoining town having aButter Marketfolley Beamish Museum,Stanley, open air living museum Binchester Roman Fort Bowes Museum,Barnard Castle TheCastle Eden,a castle with adjoining village which is famous for theCastle Eden Brewery. Castle Eden DeneNature reserve, coal mining heritage. Causey Arch,near Stanley Crook Hall and Gardens Fox & Parrot Wood Hamsterley Forest Hardwick Hall Country Park,Sedgefield High ForceandLow Forcewaterfalls,on theRiver Tees Lambton Castle North of England Lead Mining Museum,includingKillhope Wheel,Cowshill Locomotionrailway museum, inShildon Longoviciumruin auxiliary Roman Fort, Lanchester Raby Castle,Staindrop The Raby Huntin Summerhouse, the only 2-Michelin Starrestaurant in North East England. Seaham Hall Sedgefield Racecourse,the town has a notableCosinwoodwork in St Edmund's Church. Whitworth Hall,Spennymoor Tanfield Railway Ushaw College,Catholic Seminary of great religious heritage. Weardale Railway,atStanhope, County Durham,Wolsingham and Bishop Auckland

Bishop Auckland Kynren,theme park and night show depicting British History TheAuckland Castle Gothic Revival styleBishop Auckland Town Hall Escomb Church,nearBishop Auckland Durham City Durham Castle and Cathedral,aWorld Heritage Site Durham Light InfantryMuseum, Aykley Heads Durham University Oriental Museum,Asian artefacts and information. Finchale Priory Darlington Borough Head of Steam South Park, Darlington Rockcliffe Hall,Hurworth Darlington Market Hall Hartlepool Borough Ward Jackson Park National Museum of the Royal Navy, Hartlepool Heugh BatteryMuseum Hartlepool Art Gallery Stockton-on-Tees Borough Preston HallandPreston Park,museum Ropner Park Stockton Globe Theatre Stockton ARC Theatre Tees Barrage International White Water Course

Gallery

• 
  Tees Barrage International White Water Course
• 
  Kynren
• 
  Tanfield Railway
• 
  Beamish Museum
• 
  Butter Market, Barnard Castle

See also

• List of Lord Lieutenants of Durham
  • List of Deputy Lieutenants of Durham
• Custos Rotulorum of Durham– Keepers of the Rolls
• List of High Sheriffs of Durham
• County Durham (UK Parliament constituency)– Historical list of MPs for County Durham constituency

References

Sources

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Durham (county)".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 706–708.

Further reading

• Samuel Tymms (1837)."Durham".Northern Circuit.The Family Topographer: Being a Compendious Account of the... Counties of England. Vol. 6. London: J.B. Nichols and Son.OCLC2127940.

External links

• County Durham Lieutenancy
• Visit County DurhamArchived28 August 2020 at theWayback Machine
• Visit North East England
• County DurhamatCurlie
• "Durham",Historical Directories of England & Wales,UK:University of Leicester
• Images of County Durhamat theHistoric England Archive