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Houghton-le-Spring is a former mining town in the North-East of England, and part of the City of Sunderland. It is situated between Newbottle and Hetton-le-Hole and lies about 8 miles to the south west of Sunderland.
The name Houghton (pronounced Horton) comes from the Old English hoh meaning hill and tun meaning settlement. In 1311 the village was owned by Albreda widow of Lord Henry Spring, hence the addition of 'le spring'.
The parish church of St Michael and All Angels dates back to Norman times and contains the grave of Bernard Gilpin, known as the Prophet of the North. Gilpin was Archdeacon of Durham and in 1557 became the rector at Houghton-le-Spring, which at that time was one of the largest parishes in England.
External Links
- Durham Miner Project: Houghton le Spring A short history [1] (http://www.durham-miner.org.uk/miner/projects.nsf/0/a8d4c09aa7919e1b80256eba00389199?OpenDocument)
- GENUKI Houghton-le-Spring [2] (http://website.lineone.net/~pjoiner/genuki/DUR/HoughtonleSpring/)
- North East England History Pages: North Durham Chester-le-Street and Washington [3] (http://www.thenortheast.fsnet.co.uk/Chester-le-StreetandWashington.htm)
Famous People from Houghton-le-Spring
- Bernard Gilpin (1517-1583)
- Sponsored the Equal Pay For Equal Work Bill in the 1970s, but best remembered as being fervently anti-Royalist, as such he branded
- the Queen "a clockwork doll",
- Princess Margaret "a floozy", and
- Prince Charles "a twerp".
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