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Frosterley is a village in
County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...
, in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. It is situated in
Weardale Weardale is a dale, or valley, on the east side of the Pennines in County Durham, England. Large parts of Weardale fall within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) – the second-largest AONB in England and Wales. Th ...
, on the River Wear close to its confluence with Bollihope Burn; between
Wolsingham Wolsingham is a market town in Weardale, County Durham, England. It is situated by the River Wear, between Crook and Stanhope. History Wolsingham sits at the confluence of the River Wear and Waskerley Beck. It is a small settlement and one ...
and Stanhope; 18 miles west of
Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
City and 26 miles southwest of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
. In the 2001 census Frosterley had a population of 705. Frosterley is on the Weardale Railway. Heritage trains currently run to Stanhope,
Wolsingham Wolsingham is a market town in Weardale, County Durham, England. It is situated by the River Wear, between Crook and Stanhope. History Wolsingham sits at the confluence of the River Wear and Waskerley Beck. It is a small settlement and one ...
and Witton-le-Wear


History

The area has been inhabited since
Mesolithic The Mesolithic ( Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymo ...
times: Mesolithic flints and
Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...
stones axes have been found in the vicinity. A bronze spearhead was found in a local quarry dating to the late
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
circa 1000 BC. The village itself has
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
origins, and although the original houses have long been replaced, the village still retains its medieval pattern. On the north of the village are the remains of
St Botolph Botolph of Thorney (also called Botolph, Botulph or Botulf; later known as Saint Botolph; died around 680) was an English abbot and saint. He is regarded as the patron saint of boundaries, and by extension, of trade and travel, as well as vario ...
’s Chapel. What remains is an earthwork mound surrounded by a modern housing estate (Kirk Rise). The site was excavated in 1995, before the estate was built, and the probable remains of an ecclesiastical building were discovered. It is thought this was built around the 10th or 11th century and dedicated to the east Anglican saint St Botolph, who lived in the 7th century and was very popular in medieval times, though little is now known about him. It is thought the village originally may have been named after the saint. The first specific mention of a chapel at Frosterley is in a document of 1346. As late as 1522, the chapel was still in use, but by the late 18th century it was described as 'disused' and 'gone to decay'. The place name Frosterley is first mentioned in the Bolden Book in 1183. Another reference to the place-name 'Frosterley' occurs in the Close Rolls of 1239, where it appears as ''Forsterlegh'', meaning 'the forester's clearing'. The parish church of St Michael and All Angels was buil tin 1869 by G. R. Street. The parish hall was originally a chapel of ease built in 1833. There was also a Primitive Methodist chapel (at Bridge End) and a Wesleyan Methodist chapel in Frosterley.


Frosterley Marble

A black limestone containing fossil crinoids of the Carboniferous Period, some 325 million years ago. When cut and polished the result is a beautiful ornate stone, much desired for church decoration, particularly during the Middle Ages Frosterley Marble has been taken from the Rogerley Quarry for more than 700 years; the decorative columns found in
Durham Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...
date from about 1350. Examples of Frosterley Marble can be found at several places in the village, the church of
St Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
and All Saints, the railway station and behind the car park in the centre of the village.


Rogerley Mine

The Rogerley mine, located in a 19th-century limestone quarry, was the only mine known to be operated on a commercial basis solely for mineral specimens in the UK. It closed at the end of the 2016 summer season.


Gallery


References


External links


St BotolphWeardale RailwayStone in Archaeology databaseFrosterley Marble leaflet
(
North Pennines The North Pennines is the northernmost section of the Pennine range of hills which runs north–south through northern England. It lies between Carlisle to the west and Darlington to the east. It is bounded to the north by the Tyne Valley and ...
''Rockworks'' project)
Rogerley Mine information and photo galleries
at
Mindat.org Mindat.org is a non-commercial online database, claiming to be the largest mineral database and mineralogical reference website on the Internet. It is used by professional mineralogists, geologists, and amateur mineral collectors alike. The ...

Frosterley Marble
{{authority control Villages in County Durham Stanhope, County Durham