mSTOBT OF BISHOP AUCKLAND. 39 travelling at that time ; when, in addition to the fear of highwaymen, according to the testimony of " Will Roughhead," guard of the Telegraph coach, " the road from Rushyford to Durham was so bad that, in winter, he was provided with a flambeau, and used to walk before the coach, for several miles, calling out to the driver to turn his horses to the right or left, accordingly as the holes were more or less deep." The late Mr. Hoult, of Rushyford, has been known to state that in the winter of 1811, he lost no less than seven horses, whose legs were broken on the rough road between Durham and Darlington. If the turnpikes on such an important route as the direct road between Edinburgh and London were in such a bad state, we may form some idea of what would be the condition of the more out of the way roads in our own immediate neighbourhood.* The town, at the time about which we are writing, contained rather under 2,000 inhabitanta We give the following statistics of the population of the whole parish of St Andrew's Auckland, for the years 1811-21, which will be interesting when compared with those of the present day : — State or the Population or Tms Pabish or St. Andrew's Auckland, as taken in the Year ISll. TowNSHipe. Bishop Auckland {wiih Etherley) Hunvick Township Newton Cap Township South Church Coundon ... .•• Coundon Grange Middridge ... ... ••• ••• Westerton East Thickley Pollard's Lands Byers Green Windlestone Shildon ... Eldon ... ... ••• ... ••• Binchester Newfield... Middleston ... ... ... EOCBReL Pamilib. Halm. FlMAUB. TOTAU ... 367 461 ..• 788 1,019 1,807 ... 31 36 74 76 160 ... 28 28 74 60 134 ... 23 27 66 68 134 ... 34 34 75 88 134 3 3 11 12 23 ... 49 49 92 107 199 ... 13 13 30 28 68 2 2 6 7 13 ... 20 20 43 60 93 ... 61 61 95 104 199 ... 36 40 89 101 190 .. 27 32 62 62 124 ... 18 22 45 49 94 6 6 15 16 31 3 3 6 7 13 ... 18 18 44 44 88 728 843 1,615 1,898 3,513 St. Akdkkw's Auckland, as TAKUr IN THX TKAR 18 HODBH. Famiub, Halb. FBCAUB. Total. ... 394 637 1,008 • •• 1,172 2,180 ... 26 29 59 • •• 60 119 2 2 6 • •• 6 11 6 6 23 ... 26 49 ... 44 46 116 ... 106 222 ... 21 26 61 ... 56 117 5 6 9 • •• 19 28 2 2 6 ... 6 11 ... 26 28 73 • •• 72 145 ... 32 33 82 ... 78 160 ... 50 64 119 ..• 112 231 ... 24 26 37 • •• 57 94 ... 22 24 50 ... 67 117 ... 13 16 35 ... 42 77 ... 38 39 92 ... 81 173 State or the Population or the Parish or TOWMSHIPa Bishop Auckland (with Etherley) South Church xmcKiey ... ... ••• •«• ••• Binchester Coundon ... ••• Pollard's Lands Coundon Grange Newfield... ... ••• ••• Newton Cap Hunwick... Byers Green ... ••• Eldon ... •• ... ••• ••• Middleston Westerton Windlestone 745 ... S69 ...1,744 ... 1,961 ... 3,S24 But those were days when Bishop Auckland might be said to be in its transition state; when the concentration of speculative enterprise and capital was introducing a new element • The Act lor making a taznpike road from Sunderland Bridge to Barnard Castle and Bowes was passed in 1748. Digitized by Google
