In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Bedlington like this:
BEDLINGTON, a township, a parish, and a subdistrict, in the district of Morpeth Northumberland. The township lies on the river Blythe, and on the Morpeth and Tynemouth railway, 5 miles SE of Morpeth; it includes an irregularly built village, chiefly of one spacious street, about a mile long, commanding a fine sea-ward view; and it has a station on the railway, and a post office‡ under Morpeth, and is a seat of petty sessions. ...
The monks of Durham, at the Conquest, when fleeing to Lindisfarne with the remains of St. Cuthbert, rested a night here. The parish includes also the townships of North Blyth, Chambois, Choppington, Netherton, and East and West Sleakburn; and, prior to October 1844, it formed part of the county of Durham. Acres, 9,011; of which 523 are water. Real property, £45,326; of which £29,937 are in mines. Pop. in 1841, 3,155; in 1861, 8,328. Houses, 1,490. The property is not much divided. The manor belonged anciently to the Crown, and passed to the Bishops of Durham. The inhabitants are employed chiefly in the coal-trade, in quarrying-works, in ironworks, and in chain and nail making. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Durham. Value, £600.* Patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Durham. The church was repaired and enlarged in 1818. The vicarages of Chambois and Choppington are separate charges. There are chapels for Presbyterians, Baptists, Wesleyans, and Primitive Methodists. There is also a mechanics' institution. The Rev. F. Woodmas, the expositor of Chrysostom, was vicar from 1696 to 1710.-The subdistrict comprises three parishes, two parochial chapelries, parts of three other parishes, and part of another parochial chapelry. Acres, 50,622. Pop., 15,577. Houses, 2,822.
Bedlington through time
Bedlington is now part of Wansbeck district. Click here for graphs and data of how Wansbeck has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Bedlington itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Bedlington, in Wansbeck and Northumberland | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/3213
Date accessed: 24th April 2024
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