Hart is a village and

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 authorit ...

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 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 ...

, north-west of

Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County D ...

History

Evidence of occupation in Hart can be seen from 6000 BC, with farming first appearing around 3500 BC. By 1000 BC the area is more extensively settled, including farming buildings and field systems. Activity increases around 650 AD with the establishment of St Hilda's Monastery in Hartlepool. The monastery is destroyed by Viking activity in the 9th & 10th centuries. However Viking lords continue to inhabit Hart. Robert de Brus I gained control of the area in around 1119, with control passing to the Clifford family in 1306 following Robert de Brus VII's attempt on the Scottish throne. In 1587 the parish suffered from the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

, and it was noted in the parish register that "89 corpses were buried, whereof tenne were strangers." In 1652 it was noted that John Pasmore was buried "On Black Monday 29 March. There was a star appeared in the South-east, ye sun eclipsed." In 1596 Ellen Thompson was condemned as a

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

and buried under the

stile A stile is a structure or opening that provides people passage over or through a boundary via steps, ladders, or narrow gaps. Stiles are often built in rural areas along footpaths, fences, walls, or hedges that enclose animals, allowing people ...

of St Mary Magdalene church (the mother church of St Hilda's) at the east entrance to the churchyard. Another woman, known as Old Mother Midnight of Elwick, may have been buried in the same place in 1641. Other Hart women accused of witchcraft include Helen de Inferno (1454) and Alison Lawe (1582). The Jesuit Thomas Ellerker was born in Hart in 1738. In May 2021, the parish council alongside the parish councils of the villages of Elwick, Dalton Piercy and Greatham all issued individual votes of no confidence in

Hartlepool Borough Council The Borough of Hartlepool is a unitary authority area in ceremonial County Durham, England. The borough's largest town is Hartlepool. It borders the County Durham district as well as the boroughs of Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tee ...

, and expressed their desire to re-join

The manor house and church

In the late 1100s the de Brus family build the manor house & chapel; the latter remains as the basis of the present St Mary Magdalene Church. Following Robert Brus VII's attempt on the Scottish throne in 1306 the manor farm is one of the assets seized by the English authorities and given to the Clifford family. The Cliffords hold ownership until 1586, when it is sold to John Lord Lumley, and it is sold to Sir George Pocock in 1770. In 1830 the estate passes to William Henry, Duke of Cleveland, and is subsequently inherited by Frederick Aclom Milbank, whose family own the manor until at least 1928. Only a little of the original manor and its associated buildings can still be seen, including an 18th-century outbuilding wall and a section of 14th-century wall, which is a scheduled monument. The Norman-era St Mary Magdalene Church is Grade I listed and has undergone significant modification since it was built, including the carving of St George & the Dragon on the south exterior wall. The church is part of the Durham Diocese and is (current to 2017) a Church of England parish church.

Tourism

Just outside the village is

Hart Bog Hart Bog () is a 1.79 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in County Durham, England notified in 1968. SSSIs are designated by Natural England, formally English Nature, which uses the 1974–1996 county system. This means t ...

, which is on the

List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cleveland This is a list of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in Cleveland, England, Cleveland, England, United Kingdom. In England the body responsible for designating SSSIs is Natural England, which chooses a site because of its fauna, p ...

Climate

Climate in this area has small differences between highs and lows and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

subtype for this climate is " Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/

Oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

).Climate Summary for Hart, England
/ref> File:Holme Farm, Hart - geograph.org.uk - 413295.jpg, Holme Farm File:The White Hart Public House - geograph.org.uk - 413294.jpg, The White Hart Public House File:The stepped sides of buildings in Hart - geograph.org.uk - 413296.jpg, Stepped sides of buildings in Hart Village File:Burns Close, Hart - geograph.org.uk - 279059.jpg, Burns Close File:Parting of the ways, Hart - geograph.org.uk - 279058.jpg, Parting of the ways File:Hart "Station" - geograph.org.uk - 208959.jpg, Hart village "station", former site

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in County Durham Borough of Hartlepool Places in the Tees Valley