WHEN John Thompson married Elizabeth Bedell in a small village church 344 years ago, it was the start of a family dynasty still going strong in the same rural area.

Since that wedding on June 4, 1663, scores of Thompsons have made a living as lead miners and farmers in and around Newbiggin in Teesdale, near Barnard Castle, County Durham.

Their story has now been told in a book written by Norma Smith, the great-great-great- great-great-great-great-granddaughter of the original couple, who both lived at Moor Rigg in the upper dale.

Later, the Thompsons bought some land on a hill above Newbiggin and, in 1719, built a farmhouse called The Bell, along with two cottages, a cobbled yard and outbuildings.

That was to be their home for generations, and it is still there today, though in different ownership.

Norma Smith waded through parish records, ancient wills and other documents to trace dates of births, marriages and deaths for her 80-page paperback book, The Story of a Lead Mining Family - the Thompsons of The Bell, Newbiggin, Teesdale.

She feels the family could have originated in the borders, where they were possibly reivers -- fierce types who indulged in kidnapping, cattle stealing and murder - before moving to the dale prior to the 1663 marriage in Middleton in Teesdale.

She said: "I found it fascinating to go through all the records, and then decided to put them into a book so that there would be a permanent reminder of the family."

The first John Thompson's son, also John, married Margaret Longstaff in 1717. His son, also named John, married Ann Proud in 1746. And his son, a fourth John, married Margaret Coltherd in 1786.

Most of the couples had large families, but knew regular tragedy, as many of the children died in infancy.

Farming was never easy high up in the North Pennines but, like many other families, the Thompsons combined it with jobs in the lead mines which opened up in the area in the 1700s.

The authoress's great-great-great-grandfather, Matthew Thompson, who married Peggy Horn in 1813, became a lead miner as well as running the farm. He was only 45 when he died, leaving Peggy with a large family. She married Isaac Watson a few years later.

Matthew's son, William, who married Sarah Readshaw in 1841, also did mining as well as farming.

Their 11 children were all born at The Bell. One of them, Jacob, who married Mary Collinson in 1875, is Mrs Smith's great grandfather.

Over the decades, several Thompsons have moved away, some to Weardale and other parts of the North-East and some to Australia. But there are still a lot living in Teesdale, many descended from the 1663 wedding couple.

Mrs Smith, who now lives in Cumbria, dedicates the book to her mother, who was born Hilda Thompson. She was proud of her forebears, and passed on a great deal of information about them before she died in 1996.

The book was launched at Middleton in Teesdale Methodist Church on Saturday.

The book is being published by Mosaic (Teesdale) and will be on sale in shops at £9.50