History in the Landscape : The Archaeology and Architecture of Weardale
Client: The Weardale Society.

A 200 page popular publication by Caroline Hardie and Niall Hammond being launched in 2008. To buy this book please contact us to arrange payment. Costs are £9.95 for the book plus £1.31 postage.

Introduction
In this book we have organised Weardale's past into themes in an attempt to make sense of thousands of years of history. Our themes cover the changing concepts of sacredness which ultimately expressed themselves in a variety of different versions of Christianity, but started in the distant past where we can only speculate about belief systems based on ancient burials and rock carvings. Many other aspects of the past have intertwined to make Weardale what it is today. The curious course of farming via the massive destruction of Anglo-Saxon northern lands by William the Conqueror, the Prince Bishop’s hunting parks and planned villages and beef rearing farms, the explosions in population and building brought about by lead mining and finally the tales of hazardous journeys across the dale in treacherous weather. What shines through the past is the robust character of the Weardale inhabitants who have had to contend with difficult farming terrain and a form of oppressive feudalism that controlled not just agricultural activities, but private beliefs and behaviour. Many of the Weardale names have been here for centuries. A brief glimpse in the telephone directory will show that the Nattresses, Pearts, Stobbs and Emersons still live here as they did 500 years ago.

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