 "St Mary's, West Rainton, Co. Durham"
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"This parish, comprising the townships of Cocken, Moorhouse, and West Rainton, was formed from the parish of Houghton-le-Spring by an Order in Council dated 15th May 1838, and constituted a separate and distinct parish. The number of inhabitants in 1801 was 435; in 1811, 629; in 1821, in consequence of the extension of coal-mines, 1160; in 1831, 1184; in 1841, 1054; in 1851, 1509; in 1861, 1447; in 1871, 2237; in 1881, 2888; and in 1891, 2793."
[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]
The Church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a fine stone building, in the French Gothic style, erected in 1864, on the site formerly occupied by a small chapel, built in 1825. The church consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with a tower and spire at the north-west angle. The total cost of the church itself was £6000. The tower and spire, which is 130 feet high, was added in 1877, and was the gift of Sir George Elliott, in memory of his daughter. The church stands well from the road, within a spacious burial-ground, and will seat 500.
Earliest Reference to Coal Mining at West Rainton.
Coal is mentioned in the records of County Durham as early as the 12th century, when the Boldon Book (1183) mentions a coal miner at Escomb. It states that the coal miner provided coal for the iron-work of the ploughs at nearby Coundon. The book also records that the smiths of Sedgefield and Bishop Wearmouth were making use of local coal. Most of the early coal mines of the region, were along the banks of the Tyne where seams were shallow and easily mined. As early as the mid 1300s, mines were recorded at Cockfield, Coundon, Hett, Lanchester and Ferryhill, along with others further east at Lumley and Rainton. The monks of Durham are recorded as |
