HARTLEPOOL, a parish and borough and seaport, in the north-eastern division of STOCKTON ward, county palatine of DURHAM, 19 miles (E. S. E.) from Durham, and 257 (N. byw.) from London, containing 1249 inhabitants. In the time of the Normans this place obtained the name ofHartlepol, signifying the pool or mere of the " Harts," or deer from its situation on the eastern coast, near the mouth of the Tees, on a promontory frequented by deer. The earliest mention of it in history is towards the middle of the seventh century, when Heiu, who is said to have been the first remale that took the veil in the Saxon kingdom of Northumberland, founded the monastery of Heruteu at or near this place, of which she became abbess. Retiring soon after, she was succeeded in the abbacy by Wilda, whom the inhabitants subsequently chose for their tutelary saint. No further mention is made of this religious house until the period of its utter demolitionby the Danes, which, according toLeland, took place in the year 800. In 1171, Hugh, Earl of Bar, brought his fleet into St. Hilda's bay, with a body of Flemish soldiers, intended to assist William, King of Scotland, in his invasion of England. The family of Bruce were lords of Hartness, but on the accession of Robert Bruce to the throne of Scotland, his estates in England were forfeited, and Hartlepool was conferred on Robert de Clifford. Soon after this it was attacked by Sir James Douglas, whose soldiers committed great devastation in the town, compelling the inhabitants to take refuge on board the vessels in the bay, to preserve their lives and property. During the invasion of Scotland by Edward I. and his. immediate successors, the port was frequently visited, and its ships and sailors pressed into the service. In 1346, it furnished five ships and one hundred and fortyfive men towards the armament prepared by Edward IIL for the invasion of France. It was at this time a place of considerable importance, and on the insurrection of the northern lords it was taken possession of and garrisoned by them. The royalists held it during the early part of the contest between Charles I. and his parliament; but in 1644, when the Scots entered England to assist the parliament a second time, Hartlepool was taken by the Earl of Calender, who threw up intrenchmentsi placed a garrison in the fortress, and kept possession of it till 1647, when, with other northern towns, it was transferred to the parliament. It appears to have been strongly fortified; within the walls was a basin which served as a harbour j it comprised nearly twelve acres of ground, and was guarded by a range of towers on each side, and at the entrance were two round towers, with a chain capable of being thrown across the mouth of the harbour, which was so capacious that one hundred- large ships might anchor in it, secure from storms or the enemy; it is now nearly choked up, and in 1808 it was granted to an individualwho enclosed it for cultivation, but an indictment having been brought against him, a verdict was obtained at Durham in 1813, and the undertaking was abandoned. .The old walls, and forts are in ruins, yet sufficient still remains to convey, probably beyond those of any others in the kingdom, a correct idea of the ancient method of fortification. On the moor near the town are two batteries mounted with cannon and defended by an intrenchment. The town stands on a kind of peninsula formed by the German ocean, and consists of one principal and several smaller streets; but it is only scantily supplied with water from a few wells. The surrounding scenery is of a "romantic character, particularly along the sea-shore, where the shelving precipitous rocks, which the lashing of the waves has hollowed into caverns and recesses, present a wild and picturesque appearance; several good houses have been erected for the accommodation of numerous visitors, who resort to the town for sea-bathing. Without the walls, near Water gate, is a celebrated chalybeate spring, called the Spa Well, which is covered by the tide at high water: it contains iron with Epsom salt, calcareous earth, some sea-salt, and a little sulphur; and near the southern battery is another spring, which contains iron and sulphur. The commerce of the port, now a member of the port of Stockton, was formerly considerable, but it has almost entirely declined. In 1680 the custom-house establishment was removed to Stockton; and a principal coast officer, two tide waiters, and boatmen, are the only custom-house agents stationed here. The limits of the port extend from the Black shore in the river Tees on the south, to the Blackballs on the sea-shore northward. The present harbour, which is distinct from the old one, possesses considerable advantages for commerce; it is formed by a pier projecting from a point to the south of the southern wall, which having become greatly dilapidated, application was made to government for assistance towards repairing it, but without success: a subscription was then set on foot with a view to raise £3500, the amount estimated to be necessary for that purpose; in 1811 and the two succeeding years, the sum of £1857 was raised, and expended thereon; but this being wholly insufficient, an act of parliament was passed, April 15th, 1813, authorising a duty to be levied on vessels, and a rate on the householders, for the purpose of completing this desirable object. The pier is nearly straight, and extends one hundred and fifty-four yards from east to west. The Master and Brethren of the Trinity House at Newcastle have the appointment and regulation of the pilots for this port; and here is a life-boat under the management of a local committee. The fishery is now the chief source of employment to the inhabitants, about two-thirds of them being engaged in it: the kinds of fish caught are cod, haddock, ling, skate, whiting, soles, plaice, herrings, and mackerel, and likewise turbot, the fishery for which is very productive, and a considerable quantity is annually sent to London. The market, formerly held on Thursday, is now on Saturday; and the fairs, which were once held on May 14th, August 21st, October 9th, and November 27th, and to which a court of pie-powder was attached, have nearly fallen into disuse. The first charter granted to the borough was by John, in 1230; and Elizabeth, in 1593, gave the inhabitants a new charter, by which the government is vested in a mayor, recorder, and twelve capital burgesses, assisted by a town clerk, two Serjeants at mace, and other officers. The mayor is annually chosen from among the aldermen, on the Monday after Michaelmas-day, and is a justice of the peace for the borough. The freedom is obtained by gift of the corporation, patrimony, or servitude; it descends to the eldest son only, or to the eldest surviving son, in case the former die before he has been admitted. Among the privileges of the freemen is the right of pasturage for a cow and a horse on the town moor, the soil of which belongs to the mayor and chief burgesses. Courts leet and baron, the latter of which takes cognizance of debts under 40s., are held twice a year, before the recorder or his deputy. .The guildhall, in which the public affairs of the borough are transacted, was built about the year 1750. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Durham, endowed with £600 private benefaction, £200 royal bounty, and £ 1600 parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of the Vicar of Hart. The church, dedicated to St. Hilda, is a spacious structure ia the early style of English architecture, with some portions in the later Norman character, and having a lofty embattled tower strengthened with bold flying buttresses, and enriched with crocketed pinnacles. The nave is separated from the aisles by a range of light clustered pillars, and pointed arches on each side; the chancel baring sustained much injury from high winds, was rebuilt in 1724, and is the most modern part of the structure. Among the ancient monuments are some belonging to the royal family of Bruce, and a very large altar-tomb to the memory of some individual unknown. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists' The free school was founded in 1742, by John Crooks of this town, gent., by whom it was endowed with land producing then £15 per annum, for a master to instruct twenty-four boys, in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and £5 a year for purchasing shoes and shirts for them: the endowment now, yields £28 per annum, and the number of boys has consequently been increased to thirty, but the distribution of clothes is discontinued. A Sunday school, established about the year 1810, is supported by subscription. The poor receive the interest on various sums of money bequeathed for their benefit, besides therent of nineteen acres of land, purchased with a bequest of £500 by Henry Smith, alderman of London, in 1620, and now let for about £110 per annum. A convent of Franciscan friars was founded here prior to the year 1275, the exact site of which is not known, but it is supposed to have been near a house now called the Priory, where the foundations of some ancient building have been discovered. The Rev. William Romaine, a learned divine, and a celebrated Hebrew scholar, was born at Hartlepool in 1714; he was for many years rector of St. Anne's, Blackfriars, London, where he was buried.