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Houghton-le-Spring is a town in North East England, which has its recorded origins in Norman times. It lies in the local government district of the City of Sunderland, administratively in Tyne and Wear, and in the historic county of County Durham. It is situated almost equidistant between the cathedral city of Durham 7 miles (11.3 km) to the south-west and Sunderland about 6 miles (9.7 km) to the north-east. The town of Seaham and the North Sea lie about 5 miles (8 km) directly to the east. The villages and towns of Newbottle, Fencehouses and Hetton-le-Hole lie nearby. It has a population of 36,746.〔(Office for National Statistics : ''Census 2001 : Urban Areas : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population'' ) Retrieved 2009-08-26〕 Other villages within the Houghton-le-Spring postal district include: Philadelphia, Shiney Row, Chilton Moor and Woodstone Village. The A690 road from Durham to Sunderland meets the A182 in Houghton at an unusual interchange. Heading northeast, slip roads leave the A690, heading up to a roundabout, while the A690 climbs and travels above a second roundabout, before the entry slip joins the A690 itself.〔(Aerial photo )〕 ==History== The earliest mention of the town's name is in the Boldon Book in 1183 as 'Hoctona'.〔(Wear side online )〕 An English transcription states: :''In Houghton are thirteen cottagers, whose tenures, works and payments are like those of Newbotill; and three other half cottagers, who also work like the three half cottagers of Newbotill. Henry the greeve, holds two oxgangs of for his service. The smith - for his service. The carpenter holds a toft and for his service. The punder (one who impounds straying animals) has and the thraves of Houghton, Wardon and Morton; he renders 60 hens and 300 eggs. The mills of Newbotill and Bidic, with half of Raynton Mill, pay XV marks. The demesne, consisting of four carucates and the sheep pastures are in the hands of the lord.'' An ancient document dated 1220 describes the town as 'Houghton Sprynges'. The name Houghton comes from the Old English ''hoh'' meaning hill and ''tun'' meaning settlement. During excavations under the church of St Michael and All Angels in 2008-09 as part of the church’s refurbishment, not only were Roman remains discovered but some very ancient stones which suggest that the area has been settled since prehistoric times and that the site of the church has had some religious significance for thousands rather than hundreds of years. Glass inserts in the new floor of the church enable some of these to be seen. In 1311, the village was owned by Albreda, widow of Sir Henry Spring, hence the addition of 'le spring'. That explanation of the addition of ‘le Spring’ is debatable and there are alternatives. One opinion is that it is derived from the Le Spring family, Lords of Houghton in ancient times. Another explanation, which is backed up by a "Regester Booke belonginge to the Paryshe of Houghton in the Springe" from 1598,〔Lanagan, Paul; (2009). Houghton-le-Spring in Old Photographs Vol 1 ISBN 978-0-9555059-3-5〕 is based around the medicinal springs which flow from the surrounding limestone rocks. This latter explanation ties in with the Roman names in the area in which "le" is taken to be "in the" as in Chester-le-Street, Witton-le-Wear, Dalton-le-Dale, Hetton-le-Hole.〔(History of the town )〕 Credence is added to this consideration by the area of the town formerly known as the Lake and the stream/spring that nowadays still runs through the centre of the town, although this has long since been directed to run through a culvert. The parish church of St Michael and All Angels dates back to Norman times and contains the tomb of Bernard Gilpin, known as 'the Apostle of the North'. Gilpin was Archdeacon of Durham and in 1557 became the rector at Houghton-le-Spring, which at that time was one of the largest parishes in England. During World War II, Houghton was relatively unscathed from the bombing raids on nearby Sunderland as it was not worth bombing.〔(Houghton-le-Spring during World War II )〕 Houghton was an active coal-mining town. The local mine began to sink its first shaft in 1823 and was active until its closure in 1981. At its peak in the early 20th century, the pit employed over 2,000 workers.〔(Durham Mining Museum )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Houghton-le-Spring」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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