Ebchester
Encyclopedia
Ebchester is a village in 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...

, in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is situated to the north of Consett
Consett
Consett is a town in the northwest of County Durham, England, about southwest of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is home to 27,394 .Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. In 1841, it was a village community of only 145, but it was about to become a boom town: below the ground was coking coal and...

 and to the south east of Whittonstall.

The parish church, which is dedicated to St. Ebba
Aebbe the Elder
Saint Æbbe the Elder founded monasteries at Ebchester and St Abb's Head near Coldingham in Scotland.-Early life:Æbbe was a princess, the daughter of King Æthelfrith of Bernicia and Acha of Deira. Æthelfrith had invaded the neighbouring kingdom of Deira in 604. Assuming the throne, he united Deira...

 is of ambiguous origin, being of partly Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...

 construction with a foundation, described as being pre-Conquest
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...

. Much of the stone in the walls and doorway had been taken from Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 rubble of the fort of Vindomora
Vindomora
Vindomora was an auxiliary castra on Dere Street, in the Roman province of Britannia Inferior...

, on which most of the village is located. The church was restored in 1876 and a vestry was added in 1893 at the church's north-west end.

Until the creation of the separate parish of Shotley Bridge
Shotley Bridge
Shotley Bridge is a village in the Derwent Valley, adjoining the town of Consett in County Durham, England. Shotley Bridge was once the heart of Britain's swordmaking industry.The origins of swordmaking here dated from 1691...

 in the 19th century, many people from there were christened, married and buried in St. Ebba's church. Quite notably, these include many of the sword-makers from Shotley Bridge
Shotley Bridge
Shotley Bridge is a village in the Derwent Valley, adjoining the town of Consett in County Durham, England. Shotley Bridge was once the heart of Britain's swordmaking industry.The origins of swordmaking here dated from 1691...

 of which perhaps the most notable is the monument of Joseph Oley, which reads "The last of the Shotley Bridge swordmakers" and can be found in the churchyard. Many memorials inside the church refer to the Surtees family.

Notable people from Ebchester

  • Denise Welch
    Denise Welch
    Jacqueline Denise Healy is an English actress, dancer and television presenter.-Early life:Denise Welch was born in Ebchester, County Durham, to father Vin and mother Ann and has a younger sister Debbie...

    , actress (Coronation Street
    Coronation Street
    Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...

    and Waterloo Road
    Waterloo Road (TV series)
    Waterloo Road is an award-winning British television drama series, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 9 March 2006. Set in a troubled comprehensive school in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, the series focuses on the lives of the school's teacher and students, and confronts social...

    )and day time Tv presenter on ITV's Loose Woman

External links

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