Piercebridge
| Piercebridge | |
|---|---|
 St Mary's Church, Piercebridge |
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 Piercebridge
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| Piercebridge shown within County Durham | |
| Population | 113 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | NZ209157 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DARLINGTON |
| Postcode district | DL2 |
| Dialling code | 01325 |
| Police | Durham |
| Fire | County Durham and Darlington |
| Ambulance | North East |
| EU Parliament | North East England |
Piercebridge is a village and civil parish in the borough of Darlington and the ceremonial county of Durham, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 Census was 113. It is situated a few miles west of the town of Darlington. It is on the site of a Roman fort of AD 260–270, which was built at the point where Dere Street crossed the River Tees. Part of the fort is under the village green. The settlement has been in continuous use ever since.
The excavated Roman fort is open to the public and the remains of Piercebridge Roman Bridge over the Tees now lie around 90 metres (300 ft) south of the current course of the river, approximately 450 metres (1,480 ft) east of Piercebridge, at the east side of Cliffe, Richmondshire.
Piercebridge is named after its Roman bridge or brigg: in 1104 it was Persebrig; in 1577 it was Priestbrigg. It is thought that pierce comes from pershe, meaning osiers, perhaps because the bridge was at least partly made of osier twigs in 1050 when the name is first recorded. Alternative suggested meanings, of "priest" and the name "Piers", would be too modern in origin for such an old place name. The village is sited where the York-Newstead Roman road known as Dere Street crosses the River Tees.
The Romans built a fort here to defend the crossing against the Brigantes, but after the Romans left in around 410 AD there was no important Saxon or medieval settlement, although some people stayed on in the fort for a century or so. It is thought that this plain in the Tees Valley became the centre of the Catraeth kingdom of the descendants of the Brigantes. There was no medieval Piercebridge parish, but there was a chapel recorded in 1546. The name of White Cross Farm and cottage may come from the 17th century apocryphal tale that one of the Dukes of Cleveland demanded the whitewashing of houses on his land so that he could recognise his own property should he require shelter during a storm while hunting. The 18th-century farmhouse, Piercebridge Grange, may be on the site of a monastic grange. It was tenanted by James Rawe, gentleman, in 1847. It is now a Grade II listed building, but was derelict by 2008. Piercebridge Battle was partly fought on the bridge, when on 1 December 1642 a small Royalist contingent including William Cavendish defended it against Parliamentarians led by Lord Fairfax. St Mary's church and churchyard were used for 115 extant memorials and burials from 1836 to 1987. In 2001 the Piercebridge area suffered in the foot and mouth epidemic.
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