CHESTER-le-STREET, a parish, county palatine of DURHAM,
comprising the chapelry of Great Lumley, and the townships
of Lambton and Little Lumley, in the northern division of EASINGTON
ward; and the chapelries of Lamesley and
Tanfield, and the townships of Beamish,Birtley, Chester
le Street, Edmondsley, Harraton, Hedley, Kibblesworth,
Lintz-Green, Pelton, Plawsworth, Ravensworth, Urpeth,
Ouston, and Waldridge, in the middle division of CHESTER
ward, county palatine of DURHAM; and containing
13,936 inhabitants, of which number, 1892 are in
the township of Chester le Street, 6 miles (N.) from
Durham. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry
and diocese of Durham, and in the patronage
of Lord Durham and W. Joliffe, Esq., alternately. The
church, anciently collegiate, is dedicated to St. Mary
and St. Cuthbert, and is a well-built structure, partly in
the early and partly in the later style of English architecture,
with a tower square at the base, but octagonal
above, supporting a beautiful spire, one hundred and
fifty-six feet high, considered to be the handsomest in
the north of England: the north aisle contains an interesting
series, from the time of the Conqueror down to
that of Elizabeth, of fourteen effigies carved in stone,
and resting on the same number of altar-tombs, of the
family of Lumley, of Lumley Castle. To this place
Eardulph, the eighteenth prelate of the church of Lindisfarne,
in 882, removed the relics of St. Cuthbert, an
effigy of whom was subsequently found here, when the
Danes made a devastating inroad on the coast; and having
founded the church, it continued the head of the
diocese, under a succession of eight bishops, until its
removal to Durham, in 995, After this it was merely
rectorial until 1286, wjhen Bishop Anthony Beck founded
a collegiate establishment, consisting of a dean, seven
prebendaries, three deacons, and other ministers, which
was included in the suppression of similar institutions
in the 1st of Edward VI. There are places of worship
for Independents and Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists.
The village is pleasantly situated in a valley, about
a quarter of a mile west of the river Wear, on the
road to Berwick; it occupies the site of the Roman
station Condercum, on the line of the Roman military
way leading to Newcastle: several Roman coins, and
an altar much defaced, have been found. The Saxons
named it Cunceastre, or Cuneagester. The manufacture
of nails, ropes, tiles, &c. is carried on, and the neighbourhood
abounds with coal: a market was formerly
held weekly, but it has fallen into disuse. The river
Wear is navigable to this place, where it is crossed
by a bridge erected in 1821. On the 17th of November,
1771, this river overflowed its banks, and greatly
damaged many of the houses and other property. A
mechanics'institution was established in 1825; and a
Sunday .school is supported by voluntary contributions.
A court leet is held twice a year by the Bishop of Durham,
as lord of the manor, wherein small debts are recoverable;
and the petty sessions for Chester ward
take place every alternate Thursday: a coroner is also
specially appointed for the division. Twelve poor children
are educated from a bequest by Mrs. Teward, in
1718.