Bedlington
Encyclopedia
Bedlington is a town in Northumberland
, to the north of the Tyne and Wear
urban area. It lies 10 miles (16 km) north of Newcastle
and 4.5 miles (7 km) southeast of the county town of Morpeth
. Other nearby places include Ashington
to the north northeast, Blyth
to the east and Cramlington
to the south.
The parish of Bedlington constituted the historic exclave of County Durham
called Bedlingtonshire
. It is famous for giving its name to a breed of dog - the Bedlington Terrier
.
Bedlington was an industrial town with an iron works
and several coal mines. However in more recent times the town has undergone many changes, and is now more of a dormitory town .
Bedlington and the hamlets belonging to it were bought by Cutheard, bishop of Durham, between 900 and 915 , and although locally situated in the county of Northumberland became part of the county palatine (from Lat. palatium, a palace) of Durham over which Bishop Walcher was granted royal rights by William the Conqueror.
When these rights were taken from Cuthbert Tunstall
, Bishop of Durham, in 1536, Bedlington among his other property lost its special privileges, but was confirmed to him in 1541 with the other property of his predecessors. Together with the other lands of the see of Durham, Bedlington was made over to the ecclesiastical commissioners in 1866. Bedlingtonshire was made part of Northumberland for civil purposes by acts of parliament in 1832 and 1844. (Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
)
, to nearby Newcastle upon Tyne
, which is where the majority of residents have employment. The town's front street has one supermarket, a post office, and several other smaller shops; however, the number of these is starting to decline. A weekly market is held on Thursdays, next to the magistrates' court; the number of market stalls is now also starting to decline, with the event quickly becoming a glorified car boot sale since the opening of a new Tesco
supermarket right beside it. Bedlington is served by two secondary schools: Bedlingtonshire Community High School
and St Benet Biscop Catholic High School, which was recently awarded Business and Enterprise College status, and is sponsored by the Co-operative Group
.
There is a Roman Catholic congregation who worship in a relatively new church called St Bede's. In addition, there is a Salvation Army church.
Hartford Hall lies within the parish. Much of the riverside land between Bedlington and the hall forms the Bedlington Country Park, a designated Local Nature Reserve
.
, The Journal
. These papers cover Tyneside and south east Northumberland. The Newspost Leader is weekly and covers most of the former district of Wansbeck
.
Local community radio project South Northumberland Radio Group (SNRG) has been established to provide the community area of Wansbeck, Blyth Valley and Castle Morpeth with broadcast standard facilities for audio recording and training, and also to provide an FM radio service to the district. The studio and transmitter are in Bedlington and soon the station will be open to assist in the creation and broadcast of radio programmes with a local focus. In addition, the studio will be open to individuals, community groups and educational establishments for the purpose of media and technology training, and to facilitate the creation of other audio media.
There are also several radio regional stations provide local broadcasts. Local news on television is provided by ITV Tyne Tees and BBC Look North. These TV stations cover most of the north east, County Durham, Teeside, Tyneside and Northumberland.
Bedlington has reached news as far as the United States with a recent investment by the worlds 488th richest man choosing to invest in Bedlington Terriers Football Club after tracing his family roots to the town.
"Sport can be about local people, local pride and having a lot of fun. For all the Manchester Uniteds, San Francisco 49ers, and Texas Rangers at the top, there are hundreds of minor teams struggling along. Keeping them going is a tremendous challenge."
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, to the north of the Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
urban area. It lies 10 miles (16 km) north of Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
and 4.5 miles (7 km) southeast of the county town of Morpeth
Morpeth, Northumberland
Morpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...
. Other nearby places include Ashington
Ashington
Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England with a population of around 27,000 people; it was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is located some north of Newcastle upon Tyne off the A189. The south of the town is bordered by the River Wansbeck...
to the north northeast, Blyth
Blyth, Northumberland
Blyth is a town and civil parish in southeast Northumberland, England. It lies on the coast, to the south of the River Blyth and is approximately 21 kilometres northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne...
to the east and Cramlington
Cramlington
Cramlington is a town and civil parish in the county of Northumberland, North East England, situated north of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The town's name suggests a probable founding by the Danes or an Anglo-Saxon origin, the word "ton" meaning town. The population was estimated as 39,000 in...
to the south.
The parish of Bedlington constituted the historic exclave of County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
called Bedlingtonshire
Bedlingtonshire
Bedlingtonshire is an area in north east England, consisting solely of the parish of Bedlington. It was an urban district in the county of Northumberland from 1894...
. It is famous for giving its name to a breed of dog - the Bedlington Terrier
Bedlington Terrier
The Bedlington Terrier is a breed of terrier named after the mining town of Bedlington, Northumberland in North East England.- Description :Appearance:...
.
History
The place-name 'Bedlington' is first attested circa 1050 in a biography of Saint Cuthbert, where it appears as 'Bedlingtun'. The name means 'the town of Bedla's people'.Bedlington was an industrial town with an iron works
Bedlington Ironworks
Bedlington Ironworks, in Blyth Dene, Northumberland, England, operated between 1736 and 1867. It is most remembered as the place where wrought iron rails were invented by John Birkinshaw in 1820, which triggered the railway age, with their first major use being in the Stockton and Darlington...
and several coal mines. However in more recent times the town has undergone many changes, and is now more of a dormitory town .
Bedlington and the hamlets belonging to it were bought by Cutheard, bishop of Durham, between 900 and 915 , and although locally situated in the county of Northumberland became part of the county palatine (from Lat. palatium, a palace) of Durham over which Bishop Walcher was granted royal rights by William the Conqueror.
When these rights were taken from Cuthbert Tunstall
Cuthbert Tunstall
Cuthbert Tunstall was an English Scholastic, church leader, diplomat, administrator and royal adviser...
, Bishop of Durham, in 1536, Bedlington among his other property lost its special privileges, but was confirmed to him in 1541 with the other property of his predecessors. Together with the other lands of the see of Durham, Bedlington was made over to the ecclesiastical commissioners in 1866. Bedlingtonshire was made part of Northumberland for civil purposes by acts of parliament in 1832 and 1844. (Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
The Counties Act 1844 , which came into effect on 20 October 1844, was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which eliminated many outliers or exclaves of counties in England and Wales for civil purposes....
)
Development
The town has good bus links, including the X20, X21 and X22 via ArrivaArriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
, to nearby Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, which is where the majority of residents have employment. The town's front street has one supermarket, a post office, and several other smaller shops; however, the number of these is starting to decline. A weekly market is held on Thursdays, next to the magistrates' court; the number of market stalls is now also starting to decline, with the event quickly becoming a glorified car boot sale since the opening of a new Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
supermarket right beside it. Bedlington is served by two secondary schools: Bedlingtonshire Community High School
Bedlingtonshire Community High School
Bedlingtonshire Community High School is a Maths and Computing College located in Bedlington, Northumberland in the North East of England...
and St Benet Biscop Catholic High School, which was recently awarded Business and Enterprise College status, and is sponsored by the Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
.
Local Parish
One of the most important historic buildings is the Anglican parish church, which is dedicated to St Cuthbert. It is reputed that the church takes its dedication from an event that occurred December 12, 1069: fleeing northwards from the Conqueror's army, the monks of Durham are said to have rested the body of St Cuthbert in Bedlington Church. The building, originally of Saxon design, was rebuilt about a hundred years later. Little of either the Saxon or the Norman church has survived.There is a Roman Catholic congregation who worship in a relatively new church called St Bede's. In addition, there is a Salvation Army church.
Hartford Hall lies within the parish. Much of the riverside land between Bedlington and the hall forms the Bedlington Country Park, a designated Local Nature Reserve
Local Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
.
Local Media
The local newspapers are: The Evening ChronicleEvening Chronicle
The Evening Chronicle is a daily, evening newspaper produced in Newcastle upon Tyne, covering Tyne and Wear, southern Northumberland and northern County Durham. It was founded in 1885 by Joseph Cowen...
, The Journal
The Journal
The Journal was a popular current affairs newsmagazine on CBC Television from 1982 to 1992. It aired weeknights at 10:22 pm, following The National at 10:00 pm, and expanding on stories presented on there with in-depth interviews, documentaries, and televised "town hall" meetings...
. These papers cover Tyneside and south east Northumberland. The Newspost Leader is weekly and covers most of the former district of Wansbeck
Wansbeck
Wansbeck was a local government district in south-east Northumberland, England. Its main population centres were Ashington, Bedlington and Newbiggin-by-the-Sea....
.
Local community radio project South Northumberland Radio Group (SNRG) has been established to provide the community area of Wansbeck, Blyth Valley and Castle Morpeth with broadcast standard facilities for audio recording and training, and also to provide an FM radio service to the district. The studio and transmitter are in Bedlington and soon the station will be open to assist in the creation and broadcast of radio programmes with a local focus. In addition, the studio will be open to individuals, community groups and educational establishments for the purpose of media and technology training, and to facilitate the creation of other audio media.
There are also several radio regional stations provide local broadcasts. Local news on television is provided by ITV Tyne Tees and BBC Look North. These TV stations cover most of the north east, County Durham, Teeside, Tyneside and Northumberland.
Bedlington has reached news as far as the United States with a recent investment by the worlds 488th richest man choosing to invest in Bedlington Terriers Football Club after tracing his family roots to the town.
"Sport can be about local people, local pride and having a lot of fun. For all the Manchester Uniteds, San Francisco 49ers, and Texas Rangers at the top, there are hundreds of minor teams struggling along. Keeping them going is a tremendous challenge."
Notable residents
- John BirkinshawJohn BirkinshawJohn Birkinshaw was a 19th Century railway engineer from Bedlington, Northumberland noted for his invention of wrought iron rails in 1820. Up to this point, rail systems had used either wooden rails, which were totally incapable of supporting steam engines, or cast iron rails typically only 3 feet...
, railway engineer - Daniel GoochDaniel GoochSir Daniel Gooch, 1st Baronet was an English railway and transatlantic cable engineer and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1885...
(1816–1889), railway and cable engineer - John Viret GoochJohn Viret GoochJohn Viret Gooch was the locomotive superintendent of the London and South Western Railway from 1841 to 1850. He was the brother of Sir Daniel Gooch, 1st Baronet , who was the first Locomotive Superintendent of the Great Western Railway from 1837 to 1864 and its Chairman from 1865 to...
(1812–1900), railway mechanical engineer - Thomas Longridge GoochThomas Longridge GoochThomas Longridge Gooch was civil engineer of the Manchester and Leeds Railway from 1831 to 1844.-Biography:...
(1808–1882), civil engineer - Jayne MiddlemissJayne MiddlemissJayne Middlemiss is a London-based British television and radio presenter, originally from Northumberland. She began presenting music television shows such as The O-Zone and Top of the Pops in the mid '90s, before presenting a variety of other television and radio shows, including on BBC 6 Music...
, television presenter and former glamour model - Denis MurphyDenis MurphyDenis Murphy may refer to:*Denis Murphy , Irish traditional musician from the Sliabh Luachra area*Denis Murphy , Australian Labor Party politician and historian...
(1948–), Labour Party MP for Wansbeck - Mary Weightman MBE (1906-2005), pianist and animal welfare worker
- Kenneth PearsonKenneth PearsonKenneth Pearson is a former English cricketer. Pearson was a right-handed batsman who fielded occasionally as a wicket-keeper. He was born in Bedlington, Northumberland....
(1951-), cricketer
Twin towns
| Country | Place | County / District / Region / State | Date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... ! style="background: #CCCCFF; c>lor: #000000" ! |  |
Schalksmühle Schalksmühle Schalksmühle is a municipality in district Märkischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the town with the highest rate of millionaires relating to the population in North Rhine-Westphalia.-Geography:... ! style="background> #FFFFFF; color: #000000" ! |  |
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the... |
1974 |
Neighbouring towns
- BlythBlyth, NorthumberlandBlyth is a town and civil parish in southeast Northumberland, England. It lies on the coast, to the south of the River Blyth and is approximately 21 kilometres northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne...
- CramlingtonCramlingtonCramlington is a town and civil parish in the county of Northumberland, North East England, situated north of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The town's name suggests a probable founding by the Danes or an Anglo-Saxon origin, the word "ton" meaning town. The population was estimated as 39,000 in...
- BebsideBebsideBebside is a village in Northumberland, in England. It is situated to the west of Blyth....
- StakefordStakefordStakeford is a village in south east Northumberland, England, about north of Newcastle upon Tyne. It lies across the River Wansbeck from Ashington, the nearest town. The village takes its name from the former river crossing to the north of the village, this was a crossing through the mudflats...
- MorpethMorpeth, NorthumberlandMorpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...
- AshingtonAshingtonAshington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England with a population of around 27,000 people; it was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is located some north of Newcastle upon Tyne off the A189. The south of the town is bordered by the River Wansbeck...
External links
- Bedlington Website
- Bedlington Terriers F.C.
- Wansbeck District Council
- Bedlington Photos
- GENUKI (Accessed: 5 November 2008)
- Northumberland Communities (Accessed: 5 November 2008)