Web site of Dufton Village Hall
Dufton History
The origins of Dufton are not certain, but the Eden Valley in general was populated in Roman times with many small scattered settlements and farmsteads consisting of stone huts and enclosures often found on the higher land. There is an example of such a settlement at Castle Hill 1½ miles to the south of the village.
There are two possible explanations for the name of the village. It could derive from Old English meaning “dove farm or settlement”, or the first part could be a personal name Duff. The Old English suffix ‘tun’ now ‘ton’ suggests an early foundation from the late seventh century until the twelfth century. The present layout of the village suggests it was established in its present form by the medieval period.
The village has no church within its confines. The Parish Church of St Cuthbert is
¾ mile north west of the village between Dufton and Knock. Re-
In the medieval period the area was surrounded by forest used for hunting and timber.
In the early part of the thirteenth century the manor belonged to the Greystokes,
from whom it passed in marriage to the Dacres of Gilsland. Afterwards it was owned
by Philip Howard, Earl of Arundel, whose grandson Henry granted a lease of the lordship
for ninety-
No medieval structures are known to survive in the village although their fabric may be incorporated into some of the seventeenth and eighteenth century remodelled buildings. The plan form of the village displays strong medieval characteristics, suggesting medieval buildings have been rebuilt or remodelled within their existing locations. Dufton Hall, which dates at least from the seventeenth century and possibly the sixteenth, is thought to have been the site of the Manor House. The other oldest surviving buildings date from the seventeenth and early eighteenth onwards.
St John Boste was born in Dufton in about c1544. He later became a Catholic Priest and was martyred when he was executed at Bryburn, Durham in 1594. He was canonized in 1970.
Although there was some lead mining activity in the North Pennines in the medieval
period, it only became established as an industry in the late seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries, before declining in the nineteenth century. The Quaker owned London Lead
Company controlled the mines in the Dufton area from the eighteenth century onwards.
As well as developing the mines, it also developed mine workers cottages and farmsteads.
The company had a smelt-
St John Boste was born in Dufton in about c1544. He later became a Catholic Priest and was martyred when he was executed at Bryburn, Durham in 1594. He was canonized in 1970.
Although there was some lead mining activity in the North Pennines in the medieval
period, it only became established as an industry in the late seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries, before declining in the nineteenth century. The Quaker owned London Lead
Company controlled the mines in the Dufton area from the eighteenth century onwards.
As well as developing the mines, it also developed mine workers cottages and farmsteads.
The company had a smelt-