A 'croc's tail' in the loop of a river

Many people are familiar with the striking stone terraces of Croxdale village alongside the busy A167 to the south of Durham. Most identify this place as Croxdale but it is, in fact, a former colliery settlement that sprung up in the latter half of the 19th Century and was, until recent times, often called Croxdale Colliery.

The older and original Croxdale is a much smaller settlement, a hamlet of farm buildings clustered around Croxdale Hall half a mile to the north-east.

The A167 makes the journey between the two Croxdales precarious whether on foot or by car. Crossing the road can be dangerous and cars can easily miss the turn-off towards the village of Sunderland Bridge.

This village actually lies in between the old and new parts of Croxdale and the history of Sunderland Bridge is virtually inseparable from that of the two Croxdales. Also inseparable from Croxdale's history is the magnificent 19th Century mansion, Burn Hall. It lies three quarters of a mile north of Sunderland Bridge on the western side of the A167 and is very much a part of Croxdale's story.

Old Croxdale, with Croxdale Hall at its centre, lies in beautiful wooded parkland east of the River Wear. It can be approached from the village of Sunderland Bridge or by footpath from Shincliffe, Butterby or Bowburn.

Woodland stretching from Shincliffe in the north to Tursdale in the south has been here since ancient times.

The name of Croxdale has aroused much curiosity and academics believe it is named after a man with the Viking name Krokr meaning "crooked back". Croxdale was his "tail of land" since early spellings of the village name point to the meaning Croc's Tail. This could be due to its location between two becks or because of its proximity to several tail-like loops of the River Wear.

Alternatively, some locals believe an age-old superstition that a cross or "crux" was erected here in the deep and dark woods in ancient times to ward off evil spirits and demons. In a recent Durham Memories we have alluded to the ghosts and trolls associated with this very same wood at Shincliffe and Tursdale.

The earliest recorded owner of Croxdale was Roger De Routhberi in 1291, whose family presumably hailed from the Northumbrian town of Rothbury. Roger was also owner of neighbouring Shincliffe, but his son renounced claims to that village and it passed to the Priors of Durham.

By 1350, Croxdale belonged to Robert De Whalton, Treasurer of Brittany. It was his granddaughter, Agnes, who in 1409 married Gerard Salvin, a member of a family that would dominate the history of Croxdale to the present day.

The Salvins came to England at the time of the Norman Conquest. Their patriarch was Joceus Le Flamengh, who received land in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire. By virtue of his wooded habitation he took the name Silvan, a variation of Sylvan. It was later corrupted to Salvin.

Gerard Salvin and his heirs inherited Croxdale upon the marriage to Agnes and the next ten owners of Croxdale were all rather confusingly called Gerard Salvin. The only break came in the Civil War when Gerard, son of the ninth Gerard Salvin, supported the Royalists and was slain at Marston Moor.

Fortunately his father, the ninth heir, was not engaged in active Royal service so his estate was not confiscated. It passed directly to his grandson, the 11th Gerard Salvin. It is worth noting that part of the nearby Nickynack Beck, the stream that marks the southern boundary of Durham City, is known in part as Gerard's Gill.

The Salvins were principally known in Durham as staunch Roman Catholics even after the Reformation when members of this faith were persecuted.

For centuries the Salvins actively encouraged Roman Catholicism in the area, at places such as Tudhoe, and in the 20th Century they gave up their mansion, Burn Hall, to a Roman Catholic mission.

However, the Salvins are most closely associated with the old part of Croxdale. This is an especially beautiful part of Durham with a park that includes lakes and an orangery.

It is only open to the public by appointment on limited occasions as detailed on the gate, but public footpaths skirt its grounds and offer an opportunity to admire some interesting buildings.

The hall itself dates mostly from the mid-1700s, but may include fabric from earlier times. It incorporates a Roman Catholic chapel built in Gothic style and outside the hall, enclosed by a wall stands a small medieval chapel with a Norman door. This was Croxdale's original church and was named by Hugh Pudsey, the 12th Century Bishop of Durham as a dependent chapel belonging to the parish of St Oswald in Elvet.

It served the community, including Butterby and Sunderland Bridge until 1845.

In that year, the Salvins built a new church for the local community. It was dedicated to St Bartholemew and erected in Sunderland Bridge village near the Great North Road - now the A167. The Salvins retained the old church as a private chapel. Many centuries ago an ancient cross was found at the old chapel. Perhaps it was the very cross that warned off the evil spirits in ancient times.

If you have memories of Durham, including old photos or stories of people and places you would like to share with The Northern Echo, write to David Simpson, Durham Memories, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF, e-mail david. simpson@ nne. co. uk or telephone (01325) 505098.

Published: 31/10/2003