Topics > Tyne and Wear > South Tyneside > South Shields > Harton > Harton Township, 1848
Harton Township, 1848
HARTON, a township, in the chapelry and union of South Shields, parish of Jarrow, E. division of Chester ward, N. division of the county of Durham, 2 miles (S.E.) from South Shields; containing 265 inhabitants. This place, anciently Heortedun, was included in Aldwin's donation to the monastery of Jarrow, and, with the other lands of that establishment, became the property of the convent of Durham; it was granted to the cathedral after the Dissolution, and is now held under the Dean and Chapter. The township is bounded on the east by the North Sea, and comprises 1,390a. 1r. 37p., of which 884 acres are arable, 445 meadow and pasture, and the remainder roads and waste; the soil is chiefly clay, and coal is found in abundance. On the sea-shore, near Marston Rock, is a verdant island called the Velvet Bed, which is a favourite resort of visiters from Tynemouth and the neighbouring places; and near it is a remarkable cavern, named the Fairies' Kettle. A church was erected in 1836, at an expense of £650, raised by subscription; it is a neat structure in the early English style, with a square embattled tower crowned by pinnacles, and contains 280 sittings, of which 138 are free: the living is a curacy, in the patronage of the Incumbent of South Shields. The tithes have been commuted for £5 payable to impropriators, and £249 to the curate of the chapel of Trinity, South Shields.
Extract from: A Topographical Dictionary of England comprising the several counties, cities, boroughs, corporate and market towns, parishes, and townships..... 7th Edition, by Samuel Lewis, London, 1848.
