Acomb history
The parish
of Acomb lies on the north bank of the River Tyne opposite the
town of Hexham. The land rises sharply from the river bank and
carries on upwards towards Hadrian’s Wall. The principal
stream through the parish is the Birkey Burn which flows into
the River Tyne at St John Lee. The land ranges from riverside
arable fields in the west of the parish to the fells close to
Hadrian’s Wall in the north east.
Although
there may have been earlier inhabitants, the first evidence
for human activity comes in the shape of one of the most southerly
examples of a Neolithic
cup
and ring marked stone in Northumberland. Some Bronze
Age cist
burials have been found along the eastern bank of the
River North Tyne.
Roman
activity is represented by Hadrian’s Wall which crosses
the northernmost part of the parish.
There
is some evidence of early
medieval activity in the parish with the discovery of
two burials
at Acomb but there is no supporting evidence of settlement.
The earliest documentary evidence relating to Acomb is the
subsidy roll of 1295 where it is listed under the regality
of Hexham. The focus of medieval
settlement may lie around St John Lee, where there has been
a church
since at least the 14th century. The character of the parish
at this time appears to have been one of dispersed farmsteads,
much as it is today.
A
significant part of the population of the parish and surrounding
areas were employed at the Fallowfield
lead mine from as early as the 16th century to the mid-19th
century. This is testified to by the many references to lead
miners in the St John Lee parish register. By 1840 the mine
was in decline and the extraction of witherite and barytes
was begun. The mine closed in 1913 because of flooding. In
addition there was also a colliery at Acomb. The village of
Acomb contains several listed 18th and 19th century houses
and beyond are several 19th century planned farms which demonstrate
the essentially rural character of the parish. The remains
of a lime
kiln demonstrates the 18th and 19th century drive to improve
agricultural lands.
Today
Acomb is still a country village, though now supporting a
growing commuter population to Hexham, Newcastle and Carlisle.
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