Stannington Civil Parish

2,219  (2021 Census)

1,280  (2011 Census)

1,219  (2001 Census)

The population has grown considerably, largely in association with new housing developments built at St Mary's Park, on Green Lane and St  Mary's Lane, including 'Stannington Park' and 'Stannington Mews' on the site of the former St Mary's Hospital. There are also new housing developments at Stannington Station.

Historical

Ancient Townships

(in modern CP area)

Bellasis-with-Boghall

Blagdon-with-Milkhope

Clifton-with-Coldwell

Duddoes-with-Whinney Hill (included East, Middle & West Duddo)

Plessey-with-Shotton

Saltwick

Stannington

Horton Grange (Dinnington Parish)

Most townships became civil parishes in their own right in 1866 (see below). This doesn't seem to have been the case for the townships in Stannington. Horton Grange (Dinnington Parish) did become a civil parish in 1866.

Stannington Parish  (St Mary)

The parish was divided into three divisions, called Stannington North-East Quarter, Stannington North-West Quarter, and Stannington South Quarter.

Dinnington Parish (St Matthew) - Horton Grange

Ancient parishes refer to the parishes before the split between ecclesiastical (church) and civil parishes in the 19th century. They had a parish church and often were composed of multiple townships and chapelries. In many cases, townships and parishes were originally based on the territory of manors from the feudal system during medieval times. Civil parishes were created following the Poor Law Amendment Act 1866, in which Church of England parishes, extra-parochial areas, townships and chapelries, became "civil parishes" which could set their own poor rate (tax). Then the reforms of Local Government Act 1894 established elected civil parish councils (or parish meetings for parishes with less than 300 residents) and created urban and rural districts. Boundaries of parishes and civil parishes may have changed over time.

Castle (ward) - West Division

Castle Ward Poor Law Union, formed in 1836. 

Castle Ward Poor Law Union Workhouse intitally used an existing workhouse at Heddon-on-the-Wall; Heddon Square, built in 1796, which had been previously used to house mine workers and Huguenot refugees (French Protestants who fled from the French Catholic government in the 17th century). A new and larger workhouse, designed by John and Benjamin Green, was built in Ponteland in 1848, which could house 120 inmates. This was later extended.

Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 parishes were grouped into Unions, each of which had to build a workhouse if they did not already have one. It ended the old system of locally provided poor relief which had come under strain as numbers out of work grew, following increasing mechanisation of agriculture and the economic downturn after the Napoleonic Wars, along with changing social attitudes. The workhouse provided those unable to support themselves financially with accommodation and work. Inmates were generally segregated into men, women, boys and girls. 

The workhouse system was abolished by the Local Government Act 1929, but many workhouses lived on as ‘Public Assistance Institutions’ until the National Assistance Act 1948.

District Council:

Castle Ward Rural District, formed in 1894. The district was abolished in 1974, following the Local Government Act 1972.

Castle Morpeth District Council (1974 - 2009)

The district council was abolished when Northumberland became a unitary authority on the 1st of April 2009.

Major Boundary Changes

1955 - Stannington CP was enlarged by the abolition of Horton Grange Civil Parish

Note: the southern part of Horton Grange CP was transferred to Dinnington CP. The northern part, including the hamlet of Horton Grange, was transferrd to Stannington CP.

County / Unitary Authority

The ancient county of Northumberland was enlarged following the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844; Bedlingtonshire, Norhamshire, Islandshire, the Farne Islands and Monks' House all became part of Northumberland. Up to then they had been enclaves of County Durham.

Northumberland County Council formed 1889.

Major boundary changes came into effect on the 1st April 1974. This followed the Local Government Act 1972, which formed the non-metropolitan county of Northumberland. This excluded the City of Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside, which up to then had been part of Northumberland, but now became part of the newly formed Tyne & Wear.

Northumberland County Council became a unitary authority on the 1st of April 2009.