West Rainton is a village in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

West Rainton and Leamside West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

, 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 ...

, England. It is situated between

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 No ...

and

Houghton-le-Spring Houghton-le-Spring ( ) is a town in the City of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, North East England which has its recorded origins in Norman times. Historically in County Durham, it is now administered as part of the Tyne and Wear county. It is s ...

. Leamside is about to the west, and the south-western end of the village is known by the separate name of Rainton Gate. The village straddles a ridge parallel to the A690 with extensive views to the west. At the 2001 census it had a population of 2,255, increasing to 2,316 at the 2011 Census.

History

The naming of the township was for one of the seven monks who followed the body of

St Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Nor ...

from

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important ...

to Durham. Spellings of this name Reingwald have included Reynington, Reynoton, Reynton, and Rayntona. The area belonged to the Prior and convent of Durham and was densely wooded, a park keeper being recorded as appointed in 1338. In 1657 Richard Marshall assigned a tenement and farm holding in West Rainton to Marmaduke Allenson. It then passed into the hands of West Rainton's more famous son – Sir John Duck, 1st Baronet – a

Dick Whittington Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423) of the parish of St Michael Paternoster Royal, City of London, was an English merchant and a politician of the late medieval period. He is also the real-life inspiration for the English folk tale ''Dick ...

of the North East of England. He owned and built Rainton Hall around the year 1688. The following is from ''History, Topography and Directory of Durham'', Whellan, London, 1894; "The village of West Rainton is about four miles north-east of Durham, and formerly contained an ancient chapel with chantry dedicated to the Virgin Mary; some of the old stones may be seen in the different buildings in the village. The Old Hall, situated in the centre of the village, was built about 1690, by Sir Jno. Buck, now in a state of dilapidation, and let in tenements occupied by pitmen. There is a library, reading, and news-room here. There are two batteries of the Second Durham Artillery Volunteers, having a drill-hall here, built by the Marquess of Londonderry in 1880, the headquarters being at Seaham Harbour."

St Mary's Church

Saint Mary's church built 1864 has a spire added in 1877 that is a prominent feature of the area visible for many miles. The spire was gifted by

Sir George Elliot, 1st Baronet Sir George Elliot, 1st Baronet, JP (18 March 1814 – 23 December 1893) was a mining engineer and self-made businessman from Gateshead in the North-East of England. A colliery labourer who went on to own several coal mines, he later bought ...

in memory of his daughter Elizabeth. A large granite tablet was used to record this donation and was of special interest being taken from the

Great Pyramid of Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza is the biggest Egyptian pyramid and the tomb of Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu. Built in the early 26th century BC during a period of around 27 years, the pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, ...

, obtained in 1876 with the permission of the Egyptian

Khedive Khedive (, ota, خدیو, hıdiv; ar, خديوي, khudaywī) was an honorific title of Persian origin used for the sultans and grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire, but most famously for the viceroy of Egypt from 1805 to 1914.Adam Mestyan"Kh ...

Isma'il Pasha Isma'il Pasha ( ar, إسماعيل باشا ; 12 January 1830 – 2 March 1895), was the Khedive of Egypt and conqueror of Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when he was removed at the behest of Great Britain. Sharing the ambitious outlook of his gran ...

; Elliot was a financial adviser to the Khedive. The church is a substantial Grade II* listed building, able to seat 500 worshippers. It contains a

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

Antonio Salviati Antonio Salviati (18 March 1816 – 25 January 1890) was an Italian glass manufacturer and founder of the Salviati family firm. Biography A native of Vicenza, Salviati was a lawyer who became interested in glass work after participating in re ...

. Previously an ancient chapel stood nearby.

Coal mining

Coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

in the area is mentioned as early as the 12th century. In Whellan's 1894 Directory of

some 1185 men and boys were employed in the Adventure, Alexandrina and Meadow pits sunk between 1817 and 1824. The coals produced were Londonderry Wallsend, Pittington Wallsend, and Londonderry Primrose, for household purposes, and the Hartley for steam purposes. The "Adventure" pit employed 389 people at its peak in 1940. Much of the newer housing in the village dates from the 1950s and was built to house the workforce for the pit as there was little other employment available locally. Although no "disasters", (i.e. pit accidents resulting in five or more deaths) were reported at Adventure, 23 lost their lives there. The pit was closed in 1978. Nearby, the Leamside line railway, now disused, is still in place.

Local facilities

A mile to the west can be found the remains of

Finchale Priory Finchale Priory () sometimes referred to as Finchale Abbey was a 13th-century Benedictine priory. The remains are sited by the River Wear, four miles from Durham, England. It is a Grade I listed building. Early history Godric was born about ...

sacked by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

during the dissolution of the Monasteries. To the south, in a wooded area is an area owned by the Moor House scouts group. It is a site providing accommodation and adventure challenges and sleeps up to 38 youngsters.

Gallery

Image:StMaryWR1.JPG, St Mary's church Image:WRaintonCommon.JPG, The Common, locally named 'The Rec' Image:1NorthSt.JPG, North Street Cottage Image:StMaryWR2.JPG, St Mary's church from the south Image:WestRaintonSchoolRH.JPG, West Rainton Primary School Image:West Rainton Ebenezer Chapel.JPG, Former chapel on Hall Lane, now a private residence. The stone reads "Ebenezer 1922"

External links

Census information

Parish Council Web Site

* http://parishes.durham.gov.uk/westraintonleamside/Pages/default.aspx

References

{{authority control Villages in County Durham