County Palatine of Durham County Durham

the territory became known county durham, liberty under control of bishops of durham, had various names: liberty of durham , liberty of st cuthbert s land lands of st. cuthbert between tyne , tees or liberty of haliwerfolc .

the bishops special jurisdiction rested on claims king ecgfrith of northumbria had granted substantial territory st cuthbert on election see of lindisfarne in 684. in 883 cathedral housing saint s remains established @ chester-le-street , guthfrith, king of york granted community of st cuthbert area between tyne , wear. in 995 see moved again, durham.

durham palatinate plaque.

following norman invasion, administrative machinery of government extended northern england. northumberland s first recorded sheriff gilebert 1076 until 1080 , 12th-century record records durham regarded within shire. bishops disputed authority of sheriff of northumberland , officials, despite second sheriff example being reputed slayer of malcolm canmore, king of scots. crown regarded durham falling within northumberland until late thirteenth century. matters came head in 1293 when bishop , steward failed attend proceedings of quo warranto held justices of northumberland. bishop s case went before parliament, stated durham lay outside bounds of english shire , time immemorial had been known sheriff of northumberland not sheriff of durham nor entered within liberty sheriff. . . nor made there proclamations or attachments . arguments appear have prevailed, fourteenth century durham accepted liberty received royal mandates direct. in effect private shire, bishop appointing own sheriff. area became known county palatine of durham .

sadberge liberty, referred county, within northumberland. in 1189 purchased see continued separate sheriff, coroner , court of pleas. in 14th century sadberge included in stockton ward , divided 2 wards. division 4 wards of chester-le-street, darlington, easington , stockton existed in 13th century, each ward having own coroner , three-weekly court corresponding hundred court. diocese divided archdeaconries of durham , northumberland. former mentioned in 1072, , in 1291 included deaneries of chester-le-street, auckland, lanchester , darlington.

the term palatinus applied bishop in 1293, , 13th century onwards bishops claimed same rights in lands king enjoyed in kingdom.