Coatham Mundeville, County Durham

THE GHOSTS OF COATHAM MUNDEVILLE

Coatham Mundeville is a tiny hamlet in the vicinity of Darlington, sitting almost next to the Great North Road, now better known as the A1(M) Motorway. Its name was originally recorded in 1200 as Cotum Super Scryne (Cotum upon Skerne) however by 1274 it was known as Coatham-Amundville and took its name from its first recorded owners, the Amundville family who probably hailed from Mondeville, a town close to Caen in Normandy. Obviously this means the first Amundville’s came across with, or even shortly after, William the Conqueror in 1066. During his reign the North of England was always a hotbed of resentment and his armies came and went pillaging the lands in an effort to stamp out any sparks of rebellion, it didn’t always work. Various measures were tried, land was given to his followers, as in the case of Coatham Mundeville, however this area was also in the remit of not the King, but the Prince Bishops of Durham.

These men, not always of ecclesiastical background but more often than not just well trusted men of the King, ruled the north of England, Kings in all but name. They could mint their own coins, judge and make their own laws, even raise their own armies. One way to pay for this was to also gather taxes from people who lived in their lands and the Lord of Coatham Mundeville was no exception. As I have just written it is mentioned in 1274, this was because a Chaplain was paid to pray for Thomas Amundville and his family in the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene, this first Chapel is mentioned more in history, for example the burying in 1349 of four ploughmen, victims of the Black Death but by 1680 was described as being in a ruinous state, a new chapel, on a new site, was built in 1864 and bears the name of the previous Chapel, however the old Chapel’s remains are now only underground in the vicitnity of a Public House, named today as the Foresters Arms.

Thomas Amundville however is mentioned in relation to Coatham in around 1200 when he granted an oxgang of thirteen acres, an acre of meadow, and a toft and croft, to Richard, son of Walter Parson, of Halcton (Haughton), and his heirs by his betrothed wife, paying a pound of cumin seed on St. Cuthbert's Day and knight's service as belongs to one oxgang, of the whole fee which Thomas Amundeville holds of the Crown, viz. nine carucates by the service of one knight. Richard, the grantee of the charter, was under age, and his mother, Christiana, was to have the lands and wardship during his non-age; and if Richard had no issue by his wife, he might dispose of the grant to any of the sons or daughters of his father Walter.

Some years later, Galfrid Russell, Seneschal of Durham, recites, that Thomas de Amundeville sold him the manor of Cotum super Scyren, and that he is bound, in periculo anime sue,(at risk of his soul) upon his hopes of salvation, to provide and maintain one chaplain to celebrate daily in the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene, of Cotum, for the soul's rest of Thomas de Amundeville, and his parents Ralph and Clarice, and of Richard Tingri, and of all the faithful departed, with various penalties for non-observance. The charter states that the Chantry Priest was to begin to celebrate on the Feast of Pentecost 1274. Galfrid Russell by subsequent charter released all his right to the Bishop of Durham, charged with the perpetual maintenance of the Chantry. The subsequent history of this foundation is, I think, totally lost. Yet, as late as 1680 an antiquarian named Mickleton mentions “Coatham Mundeville Chapel, founded by Galfrid Russell, pertinet ad Ecclesiam de Haughton, quam reparare debet, nunc multum est in decasu, et ibidem nihil actum est in divinis.”(pertaining to the Church of Haughton, which he must repair, is in much decay and there is nothing done to the divine). It is believed only the shell of the Chapel is still standing in 1680. So if the Bishop of Durham was supposed to look after the Chapel, then why did it fall into ruins? Well for a number of years, there wasn’t a Bishop of Durham. With Parliaments victory in the First English Civil War one of their main religious concerns was the power of the Bishops and so when the Episcopates of England were abolished on the 9th October 1646 until the re-establishment in 1660 there was no one to care for the building, nor keep praying for the souls of the Amundville’s etc.

Other records for Coatham Mundeville show a John de Amundeville, son of Thomas, granted lands in Cotum to Ralph de Richmond, under the rent of a pound of cumin seed (This must have been a very expensive product in medieval England). In 1331 Robert, son of Robert de Levingthorpe, released his lands in Cotum to Ralph de Rikenhall and his wife Agnes; and to the same Rikenhall, John, the Chaplain of Cotum, also gave all his lands. Thomas, son of Thomas de Skirmingham, granted lands in Cotum and Ric-condale (Ricknall) to Alan de Cunsclive (Coniscliffe).

The Bishop had his Manor Court at Coatham, where suit was done once in three weeks. The Graystanes, who derived their name from a neighbouring manor, and the Surtees, were the principal free tenants in the 14th century. In 1373 William de Graystanes died seised(owned) of half a chief messuage, (a plot of land) three cottages, six score acres, two acres of meadow, and half the water-mill of Cotom Mondevill, held of the Bishop by homage fealty, 9s. 3d. half a pound of pepper, and 6d. for warde-silver. In 1379 Sir Thomas Surteys, Knight, died seised of the other moiety of the same lands by the same services. His son Alexander Surteys settled certain rents out of his lands in Cotham for the support of St. Mary's Chantry in the Church of Dinsdale.

Other mentions of Coatham Mundeville in history include the following. By Inquiry 17 January 1597-8, Anthony Arrowsmith,(although this may mean he makes arrows, it may be a name given to his ancestors which he still has and doesn’t mean this Anthony is still an Arrow maker) Gentleman died, seised of a chief messuage, cottage, garden, and orchard, thirty acres of arable, ten of meadow, and forty of pasture, by 10s. rent to the Bishop's Bailiff of Cotham; homage of Thomas, son and heir of Anthony Arrowsmith, 18 December 1602, Thomas Arrowsmith, then of Stainthropp, Gentleman sold by Indenture enrolled to William Jackson, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, Gentleman his chief messuage in Cotham, with the garths, another messuage, a parcel called Miresflatt, Coundengarth, Read-close, Sutorsslacke, Wyliehill, Wylson's-field, and le Deade-medowes.

A branch of the Tunstalls (descended from Ralph Tunstall, Archdeacon of Northumberland and Rector of Croft, and Chaplain to Archbishop Grindall,) held lands here for some descents. Thomas Tunstall, Gentleman son of the Archdeacon (and father of Ralph Tunstall, Rector of Long-Newton), was of Cotham Mundeville, and entered his descent at St. George's Visitation in 1615.

In 1684 the freeholders within the Constablery of Coatham were, Ralph Tunstall, Clerk, in Lincolnshire; William Jackson, Gentleman; George Morland, Esquire Justice (Judge), (Graystones); William Wilson, of Coatham-hall Garth, Gentleman at Durham; John Nicholson, Gentleman Doctor of Physick, at York.

Coatham Mundeville today is listed by Historic England as a Medieval Village with a Fishpond and Ridge and Furrow fields, the Fishpond would have been created to provide fish for the local manor, while Ridge and Furrow describes the farming practice of the times and are very rare in the country as most have simply been ploughed by more modern farming methods. The afore mentioned Foresters Arms is a listed building too, built in 1800 its current name doesn’t appear on Census records until 1881, though is recorded as the Foresters Arms in 1873 in a Post Office Directory. In the 1841 Census information is limited to begin with, however there are no Publican’s or Victuallers listed, in 1851 there are two Victuallers listed, one of these must be the Foresters Arms, however the pub probably had a different name, the name of the two public houses in 1851 aren’t mentioned, they are just listed as being in Coatham Mundeville, in 1861 the two names do appear, the Kings Arms Inn and the Wheatsheaf, by 1871 there is just one public house, it is listed simply as Coatham Mundeville, however it is the same Innkeeper as the one mentioned in the 1873 Post Office Directory so its safe to assume it’s the same place. In 1881 the Foresters Arms Inn is first mentioned in census records.

The above is the census entry for 1881. Note the spelling is Foristers.

The family running the Foresters Inn are the Graham’s, William is 55 and hails from East Witton in Yorkshire along with his wife Dorothy, aged 47 and their three children Emma 15 (who works in the Pub), Jonathan and Esther aged 12 and 8 are both Scholars.

The above is the census entry for 1891.

The Graham family are still there ten years later, William and Dorothy are still there. We have news articles reporting that on a handful of occasions in the early 1890’s that William is fined for various amounts for selling alcohol at times of the day when he shouldn’t be. We also see another daugther has moved in with them, named Martha aged 28. Ettie is probably Esther and both these daughters work in the Inn. We also see listed Emma and Willie Simpson, these are probably the children of Martha and not the now missing Emma mentioned in the previous entry, the reason being is the following census entry below.

The above is the census entry for 1901.

Emma Graham is now the Innkeeper and working with her is Emma Simpson, her neice, meaning Martha is the logical choice of her mother.

The above is the census entry for 1911.

Emma Graham is still the Innkeeper in 1911, with her now however is a different neice, Alice Simpson. The Graham family has worked and lived in the Foresters Arms since at least 1881 until 1911, a span of at least forty years. From a news report in 1926 we know the Graham’s are still there however when Thomas A Graham is fined for supplying illegal alcohol, probably selling drink at times when he isn’t licenced to. A year later a John Graham is the new Landlord and he tries, unsuccessfully, to get a special licence to be allowed to stay open after hours so his patrons can celebrate an eclipse of the sun.

However the Graham’s are not the earliest Innkeepers, in the aforementioned 1873 Post Office Directory the landlord is a John Carlisle.

This name is also noted in the following entry from the 1871 Census.

Although no name is given for the public house, it is reasonable to assume this is the same Public House he is an Innkeeper of. We may also have a reason for him leaving before 1881, this is dated as 1872.

Previous to this are two public houses, the Kings Arms Inn and the Wheatsheaf Inn, at the moment its impossible to know if either of these is the Foresters under another name.

The last records for the owners of the Foresters Arms comes from the 1939 Register, a special census created in the build up to World War Two, the following is the entry for this document.

Here we see the Graham’s are no longer the Landlords, Ernest Walker and Emily Walker are now running the Inn, in this document the numbers are not their ages like in the census’, it is the year they were born, Ernest on April 3rd 1888 and Emily on the 30th September 1892.

The Foresters Arms Inn was sometimes used as a Coroner Court for deaths occuring nearby, in 1896 there was a strange death of a nearby man. Henry Robinson, aged 50 (some reports say 60), lived and worked at nearby Stanley Farm. On the 5th March he suddenly took ill, as reported by his wife,Hannah. By the 18th he had passed away and left to his widow the sum of £86, a tidy sum in that time. Because of the nature of his death however there was a public inquiry which was conducted by the Coroner Mr J. T. Proud, from inside the Foresters Arms.

There is likewise a similar inquest into another death near the Inn, this time in 1926 when 39 year old Farmer Edward Young is out shooting in fields nearby when he stumbles and falls on his gun which goes off, killing him in the process. It is believed the field in which this happened is just to the rear of the Foresters Inn where the old Chapel is believed to have been.

The Inn of course isn’t the oldest building in the area of Coatham Mundeville, although some of the Farms may be older, none are as grander as a place named Hall Garth. Today it is a popular Hotel with a pleasant surrounding and atmosphere. The oldest parts to this structure date to the mid to late 1600’s, though there are claims it was built around a century earlier. Its first known owner is from 1684 which would fit with what we can see of the building today being the actual first build date, plus the nearby Chapel ruins would have been a ready made source of already cut stone, a man made quarry which would have been used as many others were in history, in fact many buildings in the north of England have parts of Hadrians wall in them. The land Hall Garth was built upon was used in preceding centuries, most notable as one of many hunting lodges used by the Bishops of Durham, Antony Bek in the late 13th Century is said to have built a more substantial lodge there during his reign as Prince Bishop, he also heavily modified nearby Auckland Castle from a hunting lodge into a Palace, Major additions to the 17th century work at Hall Garth have occurred on a regular basis since. The garden too is mentioned in the 17th Century whilst upgrades were added at the beginning of both the 18th and 19th Centuries. Internally it is believed the dog-leg staircase is of the 17th Century as well.

Originally built for William Wilson in 1684 it soon passed into the Dalston family, an eminent local name it was soon passed by marriage to the Norton’s when William Norton married Mary Dalston in 1732, their only son, another William, married Dorothy Surtees, another eminent local family name in 1768 however they had no children to pass on Hall Garth to, even when Dorothy married twice more there was no issue and so the house was passed to a Mary Dalston who married Thomas Hodgeson who then sold to Reverend James Robson, Vicar of Aycliffe. He resided there from 1773 to 1805 when the Porthouse family took over. Thomas Porthouse lived and worked from the property as a businessman of the Porthouse Company in a tax redemption statement in 1798.

New owners take over in the 1830’s and are listed below. In the 1851 Census there is a remarkable entry for the residents of Coatham Hall Garth,

Above is the 1851 Census entry for Hall Garth.

We can see the head of the house is Henry Pascoe Smith, his occupation is as a Lieutenant on 1/2 pay, meaning he was a professional soldier but not on active duty and so only received half pay, he is a member of the 12th Regiment of Foot which had various names in the Victorian period but were mainly knows as the East Suffolk Regiment. In 1854 the Regiment went to Australia but we have records showing Henry Pascoe Smith stayed at Coatham and worked as a Justice of the Peace, which is also noted on the census record above. He originally came from Cornwall while his wife, Sarah elizabeth halis from Kent. They have no children but plenty of servents, William Chapelow, Footman, John Hope, Coachman / Groom, Mary Graham, Housekeeper (potentially related to the Graham’s of the Foresters Arms), Mary Haller, Cook and Jane Luck, Housemaid. Living with them is their nephew Henry Ian Watsford a student at Durham University.

The above is a Post Office Directory entry from 1858.

Henry Pascoe Smith had many irons in many fires as, although not noted on the Census records, he was heavily involved in the Railways, notably their construction. It is believed that he had railway sleepers placed in the nearby Dean Beck beneath a waterfall.

Henry and Sarah still remained at Hall Garth in the 1861 Census record.

Henry is still listed as in the army on half pay and as a Justice of the Peace. Elizabeth Watsford is listed as a visitor however in the last record a Watsford was a nephew, so this must be another relative on Sarah’s side of the family. Also listed in William Harrison, I can’t make out if Harrison is his surname or if he has Watsford as his surname. He is listed simply as a Gentleman. The Servents are there too, William Bilborough Sewell is the Footman, Jan Annie Warwick, Housemaid, Mary Turnbull, Cook, and now Annie Graham as Kitchen Maid, again the Graham surname mentioned.

By the Next Census in 1871 Henry has passed away, living at Hall Garth is his widow Sarah.

She has a niece living with her, Mary Elizabeth Watsford, with four servents, William Pickersgill is the Footman while Ann Pickersgill is the Kitchen Maid, probably Williams younger sister. Jane Athers it the cook, with possibly her daughter Sarah Athers as House Maid.

The above is the 1881 Census record for Hall Garth.

Mary Elizabeth Watsford inherits Hall Garth on the death of Sarah, her Aunt. She lives alone with servents, sisters Mary Jane and Sarah Lucretia White are both House Maid’s, Annie Jenson is the Cook while Thomas Walker is the Coachman.

Above is the Census Record for Hall Garth in 1891.

It is all change ten years later, the Watsford’s are gone, head of the house is 31 year old Margaret Prothero, she is listed as a wife, not a widow, however her husband is not there. She and her mother Caroline come from Ireland but her children are born all over England so her husband may be a businessman who travels a lot. Two young daughters, Evelyn (4) and Cecil (1) also live in the house as well as her 19 year old Stepson, John Fletcher Church. With more people living there, it looks like there are more servents that ever before too. Mabel Pepper is the cook (quite apt from her surname), John Pointer is the Gardener, Esther Wilkinson is the Ladies Maid, William Knibbs the Groom, Beatrice Blaydon the Parlour Maid, Lydia Hall the Kitchen Maid and finally Sarah Smith is the Nurse (if you recall a Sarah Smith was either married to, or head of the house for at least 30 years prior, obviously a different person).

Sadly by 1894 this is how Coatham Hall Garth is listed in the Whellens Directory of Nobility and Gentry.

It is interesting to read that in 1894 there is a story about a Nun being immured inside a wall as when I was asked to create this article the lady who asked (Laura Large, who works at both the Foresters and Hall Garth) told me about the Nun story. It would seem it’s a very old story but sadly I don’t think it holds up historically. Interesting as it is.

The above is the Census record for 1901

At the turn of the 20th Century Hall Garth is noted as a Mansion, living there is the Carrick family, head of the house is Henry Carrick, a Mechanical Engineers from Northumberland, he lives with his wife Elizabeth and two daughters, Frances Anne and Ethel Minnie. Of course they have servents too, Elizabeth Augusta Webster is the cook, Margaret Eleanor Hadrick is the Waiting Maid with Emma Sarah Routh the Housemaid.

The above is the Census record for 1911.

By 1911 the house has new owners once more. Head of the house now is Robert Bradby Summerson, he is a Managing Director of a Railway Iron Works (Darlington has a long history of Iron and Steel Works). His father was Thomas Summerson, Thomas had risen through the ranks of society, he began work at the age of fourteen in 1824, drilling stone block sleepers for the Darlington & Stockton Railway (the worlds first passenger railway), by 1869 he had worked his way up to own his own Foundry, the Albert Hill Foundry was re-named the Thomas Summerson Foundry. It is thought Thomas acquired Hall Garth in the early 1900’s and in the above Census his son Robert lives with his wife Muriel Emily and his young children, Thomas Hawksley and Pamela. With them are a handful of servents, Lilian Josephine Brown is a Nursery ? (I can’t make out the second word?), Elizabeth Doris is a Nurse, Edith Wilson is a Partnermaid (this may be something else, its hard to make out the handwriting). Minnie Hammond is the Housemaid while Elsie Blenkinsopp is the Kitchenmaid.

The Summerson’s are still there in 1939, sadly I can’t attached the file as many of them are closed, what information that is available is that Robert Summerson is there with Muriel Emily and Thomas Hawksley, the rest of the family may be there too but some lines are blanked out. Servents wise there is Pamela Stewert (who may be a visitor), George Ward is a Butler, Jane Hankes is Cook and Phobe Wayman is a Housemaid.

The Summerson family had four generations live at Hall Garth, by the 1970’s however the house was up for sale and became the Hotel it is today.

Room Two at Hall Garth has experienced some strange activity, while knocking noises all over the Hotel have been attributed to the previously mentioned Nun, the taps in Room Two have been known to have a mind of their own. In Coatham itself there have been stories of a headless horseman slowly trotting his horse along the ancient roads in the area. This may be linked to an old story from nearby Newton Aycliffe. When the earliest trains were trundling along their new tracks they would often spook horses, unused to the sounds and smells of the new technology it is thought at Newton Aycliffe, near Greenfield, that a horse was spooked and tossed its rider onto the tracks where he was knocked unconcious, then the train came along and cut his head off. Could it be the same ghost coming to haunt the many owners of Railways associated with Hall Garth?