Tanfield, County Durham

Tanfield is a former mining village in County Durham, England, near Stanley, and the location of Tanfield Railway, the Causey Arch and Tanfield School.

Tanfield

Back street in Tanfield Lea, County Durham
Tanfield
Location within County Durham
Population8,270 (2011.Ward)[1]
OS grid referenceNZ191557
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDurham
Postcode districtDH9
PoliceDurham
FireCounty Durham and Darlington
AmbulanceNorth East

History

The village was first recorded in 1179 as Tamefeld, believed to be Old English for "field by the River Team", but it is mentioned in an account by John of Hexham of the Scottish invasion of 1138. The village church is from the 10th century.[2]

Economy

Collieries
  • Tanfield Lea Colliery, Tanfield Lea. Closed 25 August 1962. Owners:- Lambton, Hetton & Joicey Collieries Ltd; (1947) NCB. Location:- (Sheet 88) NZ188544, 54° 53' 2" N, 1° 42' 25" W, 7 miles (11 km) SW of Newcastle.
  • Tanfield Moor Colliery, Tantobie. Opened before 1828. Closed Oct 1948. Owners:- Lambton, Hetton & Joicey Collieries Ltd. Location:- (Sheet 88) NZ169545, 54° 53' 6" N, 1° 44' 12" W, 7.5 miles (12.1 km) SW of Newcastle.
  • East Tanfield Colliery, Tantobie. Opened 1844. Closed January 1965. Owners: - James Joicey (from 1844), East Tanfield Colliery Co. Limited (from 1917), South Derwentside Coal Co. Limited (from 1929). National Coal Board (from 1947). Location: - (Sheet 88) NZ194552, 54° 53' 28" N, 1° 41' 51" W, 6.5 miles (10.5 km) SW of Newcastle

The village has the highest rate of people aged 16–74 who have never worked, the figure stands at 33.33 percent, in the whole of England and Wales.[3]

Religious sites

The village church of St. Margaret of Antioch dates back to 900 AD, but the present structure was built in the 18th century. It was the parish church of Beamish Hall, former home to the Eden, Joicey and Shafto families. There is a Methodist church in Tanfield Lea.

Notable people

Tanfield was the home of Tommy Armstrong (1848–1919), the "pit-man poet", whose grave is in the village cemetery.

References
  1. "Stanley Ward population 2011". Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  2. "Local History: Tanfield (County Durham)". Durham County Council and Northumberland County Council. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  3. http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-key-statistics/urban-areas-in-england-and-wales/urban-areas-in-england-and-wales-ks09a--economic-activity---all-people.xls


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