VOTE for Darlington. Memories 83 last May told of the archaeological dig at Faverdale on the north-west of Darlington, where in the First Century British people made their home and traded with their Roman conquerors.

The most exciting find was a small building with a hypocaust – an underfloor heating system – which could have been a sauna.

Also found was a cup on which the owner, Januarius, had scratched his name. This must make him the first named Darlingtonian.

Today’s Darlingtonians are being called on to back the dig by voting for it in the annual awards run by Current Archaeology magazine.

Faverdale has reached the final of the Rescue Dig of the Year category, where it is up against some stiff competition – for a start, there’s 10,000 years of finds from beneath the Olympic Park in east London in the same category.

But Faverdale tells a fascinating story of what everyday life was like 2,000 years ago here in the North-East, so it deserves a vote.

To cast your vote, go to archaeology.co.uk before Friday.

PreConstruct Archaeology, the company that did the digging with assistance from Darlington Borough Council and Argos, is producing a colour booklet about the excavations to coincide with an exhibition of the finds at Crown Street library due to open on March 4. More in a future Memories.

THE latest publication from the prolific Barningham Local History Group on the southern edge of Teesdale is a study of local field names, titled Jam Letch and Jingle Potts.

The group’s curiosity was awoken a couple of years ago when renovations at the village rectory unearthed an 1838 tithe map, showing the fields and the amount the farmers owed in taxes to the church.

Then the group dug up a wonderful tussle between a rector, the Reverend Jonathan Lowe, and the farmers.

He was new to the village in 1685 and set about trying to collect every penny that the farmers owed.

Unsurprisingly, this did not go down well with the farmers.

They blocked him from walking across their fields, and arrested him for trespass.

The case went to court and the rector was fined.

On the 1838 map – handdrawn on linen – there were 388 fields, all individually named.

On a 2013 Google Earth page – devised by satellite – there are 175 fields.

Hedgerows have vanished, and the field names are fast disappearing. So the book records them.

Some names, like Calf Close, describe what was kept in the fields. Others, such as Scott Close and Sarah Moor Close, tell who owned the fields.

Many, like Low Pasture, describe the field, or Far West Mill Mire, where it is located.

Then there are the oddities, like North-East Chariot – rental from the field probably benefited a charity.

Or Jingle Potts, which probably means a field pockmarked by potts, or holes, where gravel or shingle – jingle – has been dug.

All fascinating stuff, available for £10 plus £1.50 post and packing from Jon Smith, Heath House, Barningham, North Yorks DL11 7DU.

Call 01833-621374 or email history@smithj90.fsnet.co.uk AFTER Nelly Burdon comes Johnny Best.

Nelly, you will remember from last week, was either a witch or a little girl who drowned. She has a beck named after her which runs into the Tees at Yarm.

“I wondered if you knew the reason behind Johnny Best’s beck that runs under the road between Redworth and Shildon?” asks Eric Meadows, of Darlington.

Johnny Best’s Beck has perplexed us before. Locals know it as such although Ordnance Survey maps seem to call it Red House Beck.

So who was Johnny?

If you know of a stream with a strange name that you would like more information on, please let us know. After all, we are at your beck and call.