Sadberge was a

wapentake A hundred is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region. It was formerly used in England, Wales, some parts of the United States, Denmark, Southern Schleswig, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek, ...

in northern England until the 16th century. Named after the village of

Sadberge Sadberge () is a village in County Durham, England, situated between Darlington and Stockton-on-Tees. It is administered as part of the borough of Darlington. History The village's name is Old Danish for "flat hill", an accurate description of ...

, the wapentake covered land now in

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, north of the River Tees as far west as Barnard Castle and as far east as

Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County D ...

.Pocock & Norris p.24

History

Wapentakes were found in the Danelaw, most notably the

wapentakes of Yorkshire This is a list of wapentakes in Yorkshire. North Riding of Yorkshire East Riding of Yorkshire West Riding of Yorkshire Ainsty and the City of York As York acted as the capital of Yorkshire and it is right in the centre at the jun ...

. In the 12th century, the wapentake (or " Earldom") of Sadberge was a

liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

of the county of

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

. In 1139, Northumberland and its liberties were given to the

kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a l ...

by England's King Stephen. It was reclaimed in 1157 by Henry II. In 1189

Hugh de Puiset Hugh de Puiset ( c. 1125 – 3 March 1195) was a medieval Bishop of Durham and Chief Justiciar of England under King Richard I. He was the nephew of King Stephen of England and Henry of Blois, who both assisted Hugh's ecclesiastical c ...

, the

Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...

, purchased the manor and wapentake of Sadberge from Richard I for £11,000.Pocock & Norris p.30 The wapentake was initially administered separately from the Bishop's

County Palatine of Durham The County Palatine of Durham and Sadberge, commonly referred to as County Durham or simply Durham, is a historic county in Northern England. Until 1889, it was controlled by powers granted under the Bishopric of Durham. The county and Northum ...

, and sometimes called the "county of Sadberge", with its own sheriff,

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within the coroner's jur ...

and court of pleas. Sadberge's institutions gradually merged with those of Durham, ending with its

assizes The courts of assize, or assizes (), were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes ...

, last held in 1576. By the 14th century its area was included within two of Durham's four "wards" (subdivisions akin to the hundreds of other English counties). Prior to the

Durham (County Palatine) Act 1836 The Durham (County Palatine) Act 1836 (6 & 7 Will 4 c 19) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It abolished the temporal authority of the Bishop of Durham within the County Palatine of Durham, placing the county under lay administ ...

, the county was officially called "Durham and Sadberge"; a name retained for the

Court of Chancery of the County Palatine of Durham and Sadberge The Court of Chancery of the County Palatine of Durham and Sadberge was a court of chancery that exercised jurisdiction within the County Palatine of Durham (including the wapentake of Sadberge) until it was merged into the High Court in 1972. C ...

until its abolition by the

Courts Act 1971 The Courts Act 1971 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the purpose of which was to reform and modernise the courts system of England and Wales. It established the Crown Court, introduced the posts of circuit judge and recorder ...

Area

Sadberge comprised several discontiguous portions:; * An area which became the northeast part of Stockton ward, comprising the parishes of Hart,

Stranton Stranton is an area of south Hartlepool in the borough of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It is a former village and parish. The ancient parish boundaries were the North Sea to the east, Greatham Creek, an arm of the Tees, to the south, the p ...

Elwick Hall Elwick is the name of the following places: In the United Kingdom: *Elwick, County Durham, a village and civil parish * Elwick, Northumberland, a village * Elwick, Orkney (Norse: Ellidarvik) *Elwick Bay, on the south coast of Shapinsay Shapi ...

and Greatham (excluding Claxton) * An area which became the southwest part of Stockton ward, comprising the parishes of Stainton, Elton,

Long Newton Longnewton (also known as Long Newton) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees (borough), Stockton-on-Tees and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. The population taken at the 2001 Censu ...

, Egglescliffe,

Middleton St George Middleton St George is a large village and civil parish in the borough of Darlington and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated approximately east of Darlington. According to the 2011 UK Census the population was 3,77 ...

Low Dinsdale Low Dinsdale is a village and former civil parish in the borough of Darlington and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. The Parish population taken at the 2011 census was 871. It is situated a few miles to the south-east of Darli ...

and Hurworth, and the

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, ...

s of Coatham Mundeville and

* An area merged into

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underw ...

ward, comprising the parishes of Coniscliffe and Gainford

References

Sources

Citations

{{reflist Hundreds of England History of Northumberland History of County Durham 1536 disestablishments in England Liberties of England