From directories and other sources comes evidence of trades and occupations in the port and surrounding area before 1800.
Sunderland cottages are a distinctive local feature.
Very many of Sunderland's male population were freemasons in the late 18th century.
The coal trade was at the centre of Sunderland's economy throughout the 18th and 19th century.
The coal reserves nearest to the coast could not be reached before deep-mine technologies were developed early in the 19th century.
The first Wearmouth Bridge is a Sunderland icon, commonly used to illustrate local pottery.
Duchess Georgiana married the 5th duke of Devonshire in 1775.
The Blacksmith's Shop at Hardwick Colliery (Holmewood).
An agreement made in 1656 between the 3rd earl of Devonshire's receiver, Humphrey Poole, and nine colliers concerning the working of coal at Heath.
In 1811, just short of his 21st birthday, William Spenser Cavendish (the 6th duke of Devonshire) inherited one of the largest landed estates in the
