About the Society

The Society was formed in 1934 at the proposal of E. R. Hanby-Holmes, a Barnard Castle solicitor, and some of his clients for the purpose of identifying and recording the literature pertaining to the history of Teesdale, held in public and private libraries.

The Society adopted as its emblem a depiction of the Seal of the Burgesses of Barnard Castle, which was in use in the early 16th century. William Hutchinson of Barnard Castle, the 18th century author of the "History of Durham", interpreted the iconography of the seal thus ".....the cross is that which was borne in the Crusades and the figures of the sun and moon were....representative of the church: as the moon receives its light from the sun, so the church receives her illumination from Christ...."

The town of Barnard Castle takes its name from that of its founder Bernard Baliol, who in the twelfth century began to replace an earlier timber fortification with the massive stone castle, much of which still survives. Though the the castle was important as a defence against Scottish raids, it is best known for its role during the Rising of the North of 1569 when it was held for the Crown by Sir George Bowes.

Some Historical Facts about Teesdale

• Seat of the Catholic Uprising against Elizabeth I in 1569, by the Earl of Westmorland, Raby Castle

• Local churches recorded in Saxon times

• Newbiggin Chapel is the oldest Methodist chapel in continuous use (established 1759)

• Unique flora surviving from the last ice age,  10,000 years ago

• Location of Sir Walter Scott's poem "Rokeby", published 1813

• Velazquez's  'lost' painting, Toilet of Venus , was discovered in Teesdale, at Rokeby in the mid1800s

• The Quaker London Lead Company operated lead mines in Teesdale for nearly 200 years, to1905, influencing every aspect of life in the dale - economic, social, spiritual, educational etc.

• Three medieval castles, two roman forts as well as extensive and well-preserved remains of prehistoric and later settlements.