Brancepeth, County Durham
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox UK place Brancepeth is a village and civil parish in County Durham, in England. It is situated about Template:Cvt from Durham on the A690 road between Durham and Weardale. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 414.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Name origin
The name likely derives from "Bran's Path", after Saint Brandon, the parish church's patron saint.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to another story, the village's name is said to derive from "Brawn's Path". There is a legend that Brancepeth was once terrorised by an enormous brawn (boar), which was eventually killed by a knight named Sir Roger de Ferie in 1208. A commemorative stone marks the traditional location of the brawn's death.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
Brancepeth Castle was until 1570 the fortress of the Neville Earls of Westmorland. The castle was extensively modified and rebuilt in the 19th century by Viscount Boyne (later Baron Brancepeth). It was later a military hospital.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
St Brandon's Church was famed for its exceptional 17th-century woodwork, until it was destroyed in a major fire in 1998; the church has since been restored and reroofed.<ref>Template:Cite ODNB</ref>
In 1924, Harry Colt laid out a golf course on the deer park which formed part of the estate surrounding the castle. A club house was created from the old coach house and stables and remains in use by Brancepeth Castle Golf Club.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Notable residents
- Arthur Prowse (1907–1981)
- Frederick William Sanderson (1857–1922)
References
Further reading
- Margot Johnson. "Brancepeth" in Durham: Historic and University City and surrounding area. Sixth Edition. Turnstone Ventures. 1992. Template:ISBN. Pages 34 to 37.
External links
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