History in Durham County

Durham is quite a small city and many people settled here permanently and it is a district of County Durham in Britain. It became famous because it has Norman Castle and Cathedral and now is home to Durham University. Durham's HM Prison is also located very near the city centre. The name Durham is derived from the Old English dun, which means hill and the old German holme.

Historians believe that people settled here around 2000 BC, but the modern city history can exactly be traced to 995 AD when a group of monks settled here on a high peninsula to build a church. The legendary story states that monks settled here due to one reason or another and erected a Cathedral, the first known building of the county.

Many future saints settled here and this place was considered to be important religiously. Saint Cuthbert became famous because of his healing powers and very soon got the name of wonder worker of England. His bones lie in a tomb that is in the Cathedral constructed in his memory up to now. Many pilgrims came here to see them during mediaeval times.

Bishops of the county Durham had enormous powers and were considered equal in stature to the King of England. All the functions were carried out from various buildings and castles, many of which still exist.

The castle suffered considerable damage and dilapidation during the Commonwealth due to the abolition of the office of bishop whose residence it was. Cromwell confiscated the castle and sold it to the Mayor of London shortly after taking it from the bishop. A similar fate befell the Cathedral, it being closed in 1650 and used to incarcerate 3,000 prisoners. Graffiti left by them can still be seen today etched into the interior stone.

After the Restoration in 1616, John Cosin, a former Canon was appointed bishop and set about a major restoration project. This included the commissioning of the famous elaborate woodwork in the cathedral choir and the Black Staircase in the castle. Other renovations were carried out to both the city and cathedral by his successor Bishop Lord Nathaniel Crewe.

In 1720 it was proposed that Durham could become a sea port by digging a canal north to join the River Team, a tributary of the River Tyne near Gateshead. Nothing came of the plan, but Neptune was a constant reminder of Durham's maritime possibilities. The thought of ships docking at the Sands or Millburngate remained fresh in the minds of Durham businessmen.

In 1759, a new proposal hoped to make the Wear navigable from Durham to Sunderland by altering the river's course, but the increasing size of ships made this impractical. This was further compounded by the fact Newcastle-upon-Tyne had grown as the north east's main port and centre for shipping.

The Great Reform Act, 1832 saw the removal of the Prince Bishop's powers, although he still has the right to a seat in the House of Lords and is regarded as the third most senior bishop in the Church of England. The Court of Claims of 1953 granted the traditional right of the bishop to accompany the sovereign at the coronation, reflecting his seniority.