Historical information related to Esh Parish

Esh Winning, which has sprung into existence since the opening of the colliery in 1859, may, like its neighbour Waterhouses, be called a model colliery village. Here is a fine miners' institute, and a small stone chapel-of-ease. The houses built on the south side of the road are really all that could be desired. A large garden is attached to each house, to be cultivated as the pleasure of the occupant directs. It is situated about six miles west of Durham, in the Dearness valley, and a mile below Esh, surrounded by a beautiful country.

Langley Park Village is situated on the west side of the Brownie, about five miles north-west of Durham, and within half a mile of Witton Gilbert railway station. The sinking of Langley Park Colliery in 1876, on the opposite side of the river, gave exist­ence to this village, whose present population amounts to over 2000 souls. (The colliery is described under Lanchester.)

Ushaw Moor is another colliery village in this parish, four miles west of Durham, and two miles from Esh, on the road between Waterhouses and Durham. The inhabi­tants are employed at the Ushaw Moor Colliery. There is a Catholic day school and an iron chapel-of-ease to Esh, also a reading-room. Ushaw Moor railway station is half a mile distant from the village.

The Parish Church is a small stone structure, dedicated to St. Michael, and occupies the site of a chapel of very ancient date. An inscription upon a stone in the north wall states that it was rebuilt in 1770. It was again restored in 1850, and in 1889 improvements were made at a cost of £200. The church consists of nave, chancel, and south transept, and a neat porch, added in 1884, to the memory of Rev. Dr. Lee, by public subscription. The windows of the chancel are filled with stained glass, that in the east representing the Offering of Isaac, the Presentation in the Temple, and Christ blessing Little Children. The side lights represent the Crucifixion and Ascension. The narrow windows in the chancel were replaced by one of four lights in 1889, and the single window in the south wall was doubled and filled with stained glass. The earliest record of the register dates back to a baptism in 1558, and the bell bears the inscription, "Maria Gratiana, 1695." The prebend of Esh was part of the collegiate church of Lanchester ; and the tithes of corn and hay were granted by the crown to Edmund Dodding and Miles Downing, gents. These tithes have passed through various hands to the Smyths, who have again disposed of them. At the Dissolution a small pension was reserved for this living, which afterwards was augmented from Lord Crewe's trustees and Queen Anne's Bounty. In 1835 it was stated to be worth £65 ; the dean and chapter since added Underside Farm, then of the value of £40; and from other sources it was increased to ,£190. It is now in the patronage of the Bishop of Manchester, and is valued at £320 per annum. The Rev. Wm. Stuart White, M.A., is the incumbent. The parsonage, a handsome structure, erected in 1852, is on the declivity of a lofty hill, and commands an extensive view of the surrounding country.

There are two chapels-of-ease in this parish: the one at Langley Park, dedicated to All Saints, is a brick building, with seating for 300. The chapel at Esh Winning is a neat stone structure, capable of seating 180; and the Ushaw Moor Iron Mission Room will accommodate the same.

St. Michael's Catholic Church is situated at Esh Laude. It was built about 1798 on a site given by Sir Edward Smythe, Bart., and provides seating for 300. It is a neat stone edifice, consisting of nave and an apsidal chancel of three lights, filled with stained glass. The altar is a memorial to Cardinal Wiseman. The presbytery, which is a good stone house, is attached to the church, both of which are pleasantly enclosed. Rev. Samuel Harris, priest.

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Catholic Church is situated at New House, close to the site of an ancient chapel, partially destroyed by the pursuivants in their search for Father Boste, who was discovered in hiding, and hanged, drawn, and quartered, July 24, 1594, in the neighbouring wood, it is believed. It must have been in some way rebuilt, as the deed of New House bears the date, April 15, 1651, the "partys to ye deed being George Smythe and Edward Smythe his son." " That one priest of the secular clergy, may, for the comfort of our neighbours, have convenient lodging, with provision for fire, and meat for one horse and two kine, with a stipend of ;£10 yearly." The people being few, and the chapel in a ruinous state, the incumbency was removed to Esh Laude in 1798. In 1871 a small church was built here, on a site granted by I Sir Charles F. Smythe and Henry Smith, Esq., which soon became too small, and in 1881 the present handsome church was erected. It is in the Early English style, con­sisting of nave and chancel. At the west end is a square mediaeval tower, and on the north side there is a beautiful chapel in marble, dedicated to the Souls in Purgatory. The cost of the church, which has seats for 400, amounted to £2200. The presbytery adjoins, being in the same grounds, which are tastefully laid out. There is a burial-ground of about an acre. Rev. Philip C. Fortin is priest.

The College of St. Cuthbert, Ushaw, dates its origin from the year 1794, when a few English Catholic students, who had been driven from Douay by the excesses of the French Revolution, assembled under the presidency of the Rev. Thomas Eyre, at Crook Hall, in the parish of Lanchester. For more than two hundred years before this time the Catholics of England had been compelled to seek in foreign countries an education which the penal laws denied them at home ; and of all the colleges to which they resorted for the purpose, none was more famous than that established by Cardinal Allen, in 1568, at Douay, in French Flanders. It was the first college founded in strict accordance with the decrees of the Council of Trent, and up to the time of its sup­pression it supplied the largest proportion of secular priests for the English Mission, in addition to being the alma mater of many of the English laity. During the times of persecution, about 170 of its priests perished on the scaffold in England, and number­less others died, either in prison or exiles from their native country. The College of Douay being seized by the army of the French Republic in 1793, the professors and students, with the exception of a few who had made their escape, were arrested and imprisoned in the fortress of Doulens in Picardy. The number seized amounted to forty-one, but of these fifteen managed, at different times, to effect their escape, and to reach England in safety. The twenty-six who remained were joined by sixty-four members of the secular College of St. Omer, and they remained in captivity till the fall of Robespierre in 1794, after which event they were released, and finally all returned to England at the beginning of 1795.

Meanwhile the English bishops had been making provision for the reception of the students who had been arriving in small parties from France. A school at Old Hall Green, in Hertfordshire, accommodated those who belonged to the south, while those who belonged to the north found a temporary residence at Crook Hall, numbers rapidly increasing, Bishop Gibson, the Vicar-Apostolic of the Northern District, conceived the design of founding a college on a larger scale ; and with the assistance of the Catholic clergy and laity, he was enabled to purchase from Sir Edward Smythe, Bart, a small estate at Ushaw, consisting of 300 acres; and here, in 1804, was begun the building of the present college. The community from Crook Hall took possession of their new abode in 1808.

The college stands on an eminence overlooking the valley of the Dearness and the ruins of Beaurepaire, and commands an extensive prospect of the surrounding country. It is built of stone, in two styles of architecture, the earlier portion being plain and massive; the later additions are carried out in Early English and Late Decorative Pointed styles. The south front is about 900 feet long from east to west. The great library, with the study hall underneath it, is at the extreme east end; next comes the south wing of the quadrangle, the oldest part of the building; adjoining that is the church; then a receding cloister leads to the junior college. Behind, to an average depth of 260 feet, stand the other wings of the quadrangle, the infirmary, the swimming bath, the kitchens, and offices. The buildings cover an area of eight acres. In front there is a large artificial pond, spacious enough to afford skating room in winter for 300 or 400 boys. The grounds round about it are well covered with luxuriant shrubs, and laid out with flower-beds and walks for the students. In addition, there are large playgrounds for the use of the senior and junior colleges, including an extensive cricket ground and a number of lawn-tennis courts. A few hundred yards to the south-west stand the farm buildings; and at a distance of about half a mile to the north there is a small coal-pit belonging to the college, from which is drawn a supply of coal for consumption in the house and at the gas-works.

The college is of gradual growth, consisting at first only of the central quadrangle; it has been added to according as the needs of the Catholic body required, till now it can accommodate more than 300 students. The course of studies is similar to that of our great public schools, though the bulk of the students, in the higher classes at least, are preparing for the priesthood.

In 1840 the college was affiliated to the University of London, and began to present candidates for the degrees that could be obtained there. Since 1863, the Matriculations, Intermediate Arts, and B.A. examinations have been held each year at the college, and great success has been achieved. The studies are arranged in three courses, the Lower, the Higher, and the University course. The Lower course provides elementary instruction for those who enter at an early age. It embraces the study of the English language so far as to enable a pupil to acquire accuracy and facility in composition, a complete course of arithmetic, the outlines of Bible history, of English history, and modern geography, the study of French and Latin grammar, and of easy authors in those languages. The students in this course occupy a separate portion of the college buildings, where the hours of study and other arrangements are adapted to their age. The Higher course embraces the study of the Greek language, of algebra and geometry, and of the histories of Greece and Rome, in addition to the further study of the English, French, and Latin languages, of the history of England and modern geography, with continued practice in English composition. The University course, by which these studies are followed and completed, is arranged for a period of four years. In it is embodied the curriculum of the London University for a degree in arts. In the first year the whole class is prepared for matriculation. The second and third years are spent in the preparation of the subjects required for the Intermediate examination in Arts and the B.A. examination. The fourth year is devoted to the study of metaphysics and moral philosophy, or, in the case of those who do not proceed to the B.A. examination, the third and fourth years are given to the study, conjointly, of natural science and metaphysics and moral philosophy. These general studies are succeeded in the case of those who are studying for the Church by a three years' course of theology. A period of fourteen years is required to pass through the entire course.

The college can number amongst its alumni many eminent names. Of those who are now no more may be mentioned Cardinal Wiseman, first Archbishop of West­minster; Cardinal de la Puento, Archbishop of Burgos; Archbishop Errington, and many bishops of the northern dioceses of England; Dr. Lingard, the historian of England, and Mr. Justice Shee. At present the two Scotch archbishops, Archbishop Macdonald of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, and Archbishop Eyre of Glasgow, as well as one Scotch and five English bishops, are old students of Ushaw.

The church, which is dedicated to St. Cuthbert, the patron-saint of Durham and of the college, occupies a prominent position in the centre of the south front. It was erected in 1882-84 from the designs of Messrs. Dunn and Hansom, of London and Newcastle, on the site of a previous chapel, built some forty years before by A. W Pugin. This, as the college grew, became much too small for the increased number of students, and with much regret was pulled down to make way for the present structure. The total cost of the present building, over; £16,000, was raised by subscriptions from old alumni and friends of the college. It consists of an ante-chapel, choir, and sanctuary, ending in a three-sided apse, in which stand the magnificent high altar, erected in 1890, at a cost of £2000, from designs by Mr. Peter Paul Pugin, and pre­sented as a thank-offering to the college by the late Canon William Taylor Smith. The ante-chapel, which forms the north and south transepts, is 74 feet in length by 20 in width, and is entered from the house by a long cloister, running along the north wall of the church. In the south transept, separated from the ante-chapel by a carved oak screen, the gift of Coventry Patmore, and erected in memory of his son, who was a student at the college, stands the altar of the Sacred Heart. This was formerly the high altar of the old chapel, and is of Caen stone, with an elaborately carved reredos, divided into six compartments, each containing a mystery of the Passion, sculptured in high relief. On the left, under an imposing canopy of stone, stands a marble statue of the Sacred Heart, executed by Mr. Wall of Cheltenham.

The choir is separated from the ante-chapel by a stone screen, forming three separate arched compartments, vaulted and groined in stone. In the compartment on the right is an altar dedicated to St. Gregory the Great, in that on the left, one dedicated to the Venerable Bede; while that in the centre forms the passage into the choir. At each side of the screen is a carved niche, that on the right containing a life-size marble statue of the Holy Virgin and Child, and that on the left, one of St. Joseph. Both these beautiful works of art are from the studio of Hoffman of Rome.

The choir is entered from the screen through folding glass doors, and is 91 feet long and 35 broad, the sanctuary beyond being 36 feet more. On each side are three rows of benches, the third being divided into stalls, with canopies rising to a height of 15 feet. Above the canopies, on the left, is the organ chamber, containing a magnificent instrument, originally by Bishop, but remodelled and enlarged by Messrs. Bevington & Sons of London. In the centre of the aisle stands a lectern of brass, surmounted by an eagle, whose extended wings form a desk for the Missal.

In the sanctuary the prominent feature is the splendid high altar. Set upon steps of red Belgian marble, there stands a massive altar with double gradus and basement for the reception of the wooden canopy and pinnacle, which rises gracefully to the height of 40 feet, and is tastefully gilt and decorated. The reredos contains nine painted panels, those on the left showing the Ark of the Covenant with Moses and Aaron, which typifies the real presence of God made man in the Blessed Sacrament. On the right Mary kneels and receives from the angel Gabriel the announce­ment of the Incarnation of God the Son. The panels at the back of the altar represent angels in the attitude of adoration. The windows of the sanctuary are all filled with stained glass, the west window representing scenes from the life of St. Cuthbert. Of those in the choir, two only contain stained glass, and represent the saints of the North. The great east window represents the Church triumphant, or the eternal glory of the saints and servants of God, according to the vision of St. John in the Apocalypse, where he describes "a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations and tribes and tongues, standing before the throne."

There are in addition many smaller chapels, as for instance, the Oratory of the Holy Family, which contains a fine picture of the Adoration of the Magi, painted by Rohden, a pupil of Overbeck ; the Lady Chapel; the chapels of St. Charles Borromeo and of St. Michael, both excellent examples of elaborate carving; and that of St. Joseph.

In the junior college there is the chapel of St. Aloysius for the use of the younger students, a bright and cheerful Gothic structure, 64 feet in length by 22 in width. It contains an altar of Caen stone and marble, in the reredos of which are two carved panels, representing scenes from the life of St. Aloysius. On the left there is an image, in white marble, of the Blessed Virgin seated, with the Divine Child standing at her knees. This beautiful work of art is again from the studio of Hoffman.

The Library stands at the south-east corner of the old quadrangle, and is a large and lofty room, elegant in its architectural details, and ornamented with some beautiful windows filled with stained glass. The books, nearly 50,000 in number, are arranged in classes, on shelves attached to projecting partitions, between each of which is a table with seats for the use of the students. The library is particularly rich in biblical, theological, and patristic literature. For the younger students there are several reading-rooms containing books more suited to their age.

The Refectory, or dining-hall, is a fine apartment, 104 feet in length by 37 in breadth, and contains the portraits of a number of the founders, presidents, patrons of the college, and other distinguished persons.

The Exhibition Hall, where the academic and dramatic displays take place, is a highly decorated apartment, with a roof of oaken framework of the most superb character; the pillars, beams, and pendants being finely carved. The interior dimensions are—length 82 feet, width 37 feet, height to the apex of the roof, 41 feet. At one end is a stage, 26 feet in depth, with proscenium and arrangements for lighting, scenery, &c. The benches are arranged in gradually ascending tiers, affording accommodation for about 400 people.

A large swimming-bath, adjoining the house, and connected with it by corridors, is now (1893) in course of erection. The bath itself will be 72 feet long and 30 wide, and will be warmed by a system of hot-water pipes, so as to be available for use all the year round.

The mode of admission is by application to the president. The pension for students over ten years of age is sixty guineas per annum, and for those under that age fifty guineas per annum, to be paid half-yearly in advance. President—The Right Rev. Thomas William Wilkinson, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle.

The Wesleyan Chapel at Langley Park is a good stone building, erected in 1881, at a cost of £700, to seat 250.

The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel at Esh Winning was erected at a cost of £500, the site being given by the colliery owners. It is a brick building, with accommodation for 350, built in 1885.

The Primitive Methodist Chapel at Langley Park was built in 1883, at a cost of £782 including site, and the seating is for 350. It is a good stone building. The Primitives have a small iron chapel at Esh Winning for about 100 persons.

The Schoolhouse and Dwelling for the teacher were erected in 1836, and stand near the church at Esh village. The Ecclesiastical Commisssioners contribute, £15 per annum. The average attendance is about 55.

The Catholic Schools of St. Michael, also near the parish church, were erected in 1851; they have since been enlarged, and will now accommodate 200, the average attendance being 150. These schools are built of stone, and the Sisters of St. Paul are the teachers.

At Ushaw Moor there is another Catholic school, an iron structure, erected in 1874, having accommodation for 150, and an average attendance of 130. There is also a small school adjoining the Catholic church at New House.

The British School at Langley Park is a good brick building, situated within a spacious playground. It was built by the late Dr. Lee and W. Logan, Esq., in 1877, and is so constructed that it may be divided into boys, girls, and infants; at present it is used as mixed and infants, with accommodation for 400, the average being full up.

At Esh Winning the British School, erected in 1890, by Messrs. Pease and Partners, is a very fine white brick building, with every modern improvement. Excellent accom­modation is provided for over 400 children.

The Langley Park Reading-Room and Library was opened in 1876. The library-contains 500 volumes, and present number of members is 300, the yearly subscription being 45s 4d.

The Miners' Institute at Esh Winning, provided by Messrs. Pease and Partners, is an excellently arranged building, comprising library, reading and billiard rooms, science classes are taught here in the winter months. The library is well stocked, and the reading-room is liberally supplied with the usual papers and magazines. The weekly subscription of one penny is all the fee.

At Ushaw Moor the Literary Institute contains a reading and billiard room and library.

Esh Hall, an interesting old domicile, formerly the seat of the Smyths, is at present unoccupied.

Flass Hall, the seat and property of Edward Leadbetter-Smith, Esq., occupies a low and sequestered situation near the Dearness, five miles west of Durham. It was formerly possessed by the Brasses, Johnsons, and Halls.

Hamsteels was annexed to this chapelry in 1833, having previously belonged to the parish of Lanchester. Blackburn was anciently the estate of the Carlisles, and was transferred by marriage to the Thirlkelds in 1488, from whom it passed to the Wranghams in the reign of Elizabeth. Middlewood, or Ushaw Moor, containing about 600 acres, was enclosed and divided, in accordance with the provisions of the Act 2 George III., 1760. (For other villages and parts of the former parish of Esh, see hamsteels and waterhouses, parishes containing portions of this ancient parish.)