In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Gainford like this:
GAINFORD, a village and a township in Teesdale district, and a parish partly also in Darlington and Auckland districts, Durham. The village stands on the river Tees, at the boundary with Yorkshire, and adjacent to the South Durham and Lancashire Union railway, 7¾ miles WNW of Darlington; consists mainly of one wide street, extending parallel with the river; and has a station with telegraph on the railway, and a post office under Darlington. ...
A Roman station was here; and many vestiges of it exist; and numerous Roman coins have been found. A castle also is said to have been built here by Egfrid, Bishop of Lindisfarne; but no trace of it exists, either in structure or in local tradition. The township comprises 2, 274 acres. Real property, £4, 451; of which £70 are in quarries. Pop., 735. Houses, 153. The parish contains also the townships of Cleatlam, Headlam, Langton, Morton-Tinmouth, Whorlton, Westwick, Barnard-Castle, Stainton-with-Streatlam, Marwood, Pierse-Bridge, Denton, Summerhouse, Houghton-le-Side, and Bolam. Acres, 24, 145. Real property, £39, 147. of which £1, 352 are in mines, £377 in quarries, and £620 in gas-works. Pop., 7, 264. Houses, 1, 375. So many as 4, 477 of the pop. were in Barnard-Castle. The property in various parts is much subdivided. The manor belonged anciently to the Baliols, and belongs now to the Duke of Cleveland. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Durham. Value, £801.* Patron, Trinity College, Cambridge. The church was originally built by Egfrid, bishop of Lindisfarne; underwent such changes as now to present no marks of great antiquity; has a tower; contains some brasses; and is in good condition. The chapelries of Barnard-Castle, Denton, Bolam, and Whorlton are separate. There are several dissenting chapels and some charities, besides those in Barnard-Castle. The total of charities is £171. Sir Samuel Garth, the author of the "Dispensary, " was a native. Gainford is mentioned by Sir Walter Scott in his "Rokeby:"-
He views sweet Winston's woodland scene,
And shares the dance on Gainford green.
Gainford through time
Gainford is now part of Teesdale district. Click here for graphs and data of how Teesdale has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Gainford itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Gainford, in Teesdale and County Durham | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/1861
Date accessed: 19th April 2024
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