VCH Explore

Explore England's Past

North East

The parish church of St Michael and All Angels in Bishopwearmouth belonged to the bishop of Durham, who appointed its rectors.

After its destruction by the Vikings the once proud Anglo-Saxon monastery of Wearmouth remained ruinous and uninhabited until the later 11th centur

The Anglo-Saxon monastery at Wearmouth (Monkwearmouth) was founded in 673 by the Northumbrian nobleman, Benedict Biscop and was supported by a larg

Much of what we know of Anglo-Saxon Sunderland comes from the writings of the celebrated monk and scholar Bede who, in his famous work The Eccl

There is no firm evidence of Roman settlement in Sunderland, with the main sites of occupation in the region being the Roman forts at Newcastle, So

The proximity of the river Wear, the mouth of which provided the only substantial harbour between Hartlepool and South Shields, was crucial to the

On 4 March 1644, the Scots occupied Sunderland, thus gaining a secure base of operations in northern England and a port to receive supplies.  This

The town plan of Sunderland was determined by the layout of its medieval burgages.

Although much of the earlier road pattern has been swept away, it is still possible to make out the shape of medieval villages at Southwick and Bis

St Catherine's chapel, Hylton Castle

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