A look back at Wholton, Teesdale Mercury

A look back at Wholton

Jan 9, 2008

WHORLTON nowadays is a small village situated about a mile east of Barnard Castle on the northern bank of the River Tees, near to where a rather special suspension bridge crosses the river.

However, back in the 11th Century the historian, Simeon of Durham, referred to the village as Queorningtun and 300 years later, in 1346, the village was called Quernington - this time in the Durham Registers.

How on earth did Quernington turn into Whorlton? It must have caused some problems because in the Durham records of the 17th century, the village is referred to as Quarrington alias Whorlton. The late Victor Watts, in his ‘A Dictionary of County Durham Place-Names', explains that the name means, ‘Settlement on the Cweorning, the stream where mill stones are found'. Presumably the Cweorning is the stream now called Whorlton Beck.

I wonder if there are still millstones to be found there. Unfortunately Victor Watts didn't explain why the name changed so radically.

Whorlton Parish included the village itself plus the estates of Arlaw Banks, Sledwich, Humbleton, Etherley, Whorley Hill and part of Stubb House.

Arlaw Banks lies on the Darlington Road and Whorley Hill and Humbleton to the north of the road.

Etherley and Stubb House are to the east of Whorlton. Stubb House marks the eastern boundary of the parish and Sledwich Hall marks its western boundary. Sledwich Hall is of considerable antiquity. According to Nikolaus Pevsner, Sledwich contains masonry dating from the 13th Century - it's very unusual that a house should be so old.  

When these outlying estates were included with the village, there were about 55 houses in the parish in 1821 with a population of around 300 - Whorlton has never been particularly large. Although it is often called a parish Whorlton was, like Barnard Castle, a chapelry of Gainford, so Whorlton church was technically a chapel.

The present church was built in 1853 on the site of the old church. According to parishioners of Whorlton, the font from the old church stands near the church entrance.

The historians Mackenzie and Ross, writing in 1834 - before the present church was built - report that there was at that time the remains of an old cross standing in the churchyard.

There is plenty of evidence for a church being in Whorlton for many generations, including the parish registers that go back to 1626 - quite a respectable age for such records.

The registers contain a lot of detail. From them we learn about a warning of an attack from Scotland, plague in Barney and the font being broken. Is this the old font now standing outside the church? All this information, plus the record of an illegitimate birth, is taken from the baptism registers for 1643, 1644 and 1645. The warning about the expected attack from Scotland was recorded on February 4, 1643. The entry reads: ‘Mary, d. Robert Johnson. Wch was the Day yt all men were warned to goe against ye Scotts, and yt Day was ye Beacons set on fire to warn all ye country."

 The font was evidently broken in 1644. The relevant record reads: "3rd October. Jane, d. Robert Earle; and ye last that was baptised in ye font before it was broken."

The information about the plague is in an entry for May 25, 1645: "Isabel, d. Phillip Bambridge, Stanton, was baptised because they would not goe to Barnard Castle wth it for ye plauge." And the illegitimate child? Well he was baptised on February 28, 1644 and the entry reads: "Barnard, illegit. S. Elizabeth Wilson, and ye supposed son of Henry Johnson."

The registers also provide information about a couple of well-known Teesdale families, the Withams and the Wycliffes.

The Withams occupied Sledwich Hall in the latter half of the 17th century, having acquired the estate from the Tunstall family. Cuthbert Tunstall, Bishop of Durham, had been given the Sledwich Estate in 1551 by Edward VI. 

The Witham family were, of course, Roman Catholics and their children weren't baptised at the parish church, but they nevertheless appear in the records. For example, on July 16, 1679 the register states: "Elizabeth, d. Mr. John Wytham, was baptised the 16 day of July, as I was informed by the father, he being a Papist'.

The Wycliffe family appear in the records around the same time. In June 27, 1697 the entry reads: "Ambrose, s. Mr. Francis Wycliffe." Ambrose was followed in succeeding years by Anne, Francis, Fortune, Margaret, Favour and Fortune - maybe the earlier Fortune had died - Catherine, William, Thomas and Christopher - another large family.

It's interesting to note that the two daughters and heirs of William Wycliffe, who died in 1612, married into the Witham and Tunstall families. So these three great families were all joined by marriage and they all had a close affinity to Whorlton. In later years, the Headlam family, in particular Archdeacon Headlam and his son, Canon Arthur Headlam, had much influence in the village being instrumental in the building of the bridge and  houses in Whorlton and in the rebuilding of the church. Another member of the Headlam family became Bishop of Gloucester and is buried in the churchyard. It's really surprising isn't it how many people of influence have had strong connections with Teesdale.

First published in the Mercury, January 2, 2008