Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Stockton, (or Stockton on Tees)

Stockton.-- (or Stockton on Tees), parl. and mun. bor., manufacturing town, river port, par., and township, Durham, on river Tees, 4 miles from its mouth, 4 miles SW. of Middlesbrough and 236 from London by rail - par., 5343 ac. (168 water), pop. 42,242; township, 3162 ac. (150 water), pop. 41,719; parl. bor. (including South Stockton local government district, mostly in Stainton par., North-Riding Yorkshire, on opposite side of river), 7157 ac., pop. 55,460; mun. bor., 1184 ac., pop. 41,015; 4 Banks, 2 newspapers. Market-days, Wednesdayand Saturday. Stockton was long under the bishops of Durham, one of whom built its castle, which was dismantled after the Civil War, and has now totally disappeared, its last remains having been removed in 1865. Its commerce rose to importance through the decline of Hartlepool about 1683, and was checked by the recent rise of Middlesbrough, but is still large and flourishing. (For shipping statistics, see Appendix.) The mfrs. formerly consisted almost exclusively of linen and sailcloth, but the development of the iron mines of Cleveland has led to a rapidly increasing trade in iron smelting and rolling, iron shipbuilding, and the mfr. of iron rails, iron bridges, marine engines, boilers, gasholders, &c. There are also potteries and bottle works. Stockton is a well built town, and has many handsome public edifices. It was incorporated prior to 1344, and was made a parliamentary bor. in 1867. It returns 1 member to Parliament.


(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "parliamentary and municipal borough"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Stockton on Tees AP/CP/Ch       County Durham AncC
Place names: STOCKTON     |     STOCKTON ON TEES     |     STOCKTON OR STOCKTON ON TEES
Place: Stockton on Tees

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