Ingram Parish and Township

The 19th century parish of Ingram, which forms the basic framework for the historical summary set out in volume XIV of the Northumberland County History (NCH XIV (1935), 457-81), embraced the townships of Fawdon and Reaveley as well that of Ingram itself. These are recorded as separate localities in the feudal aid of 1242, published in ‘the Book of Fees’ (Liber Feodorum II, 1117-8; see Selected Sources and Surveys no.1), and may therefore be considered territorial vills or townships by this date, although Reaveley was said to be member of Ingram.

The same document - which reflects the mid-late 13th century zenith of medieval settlement expansion - records a further vill, Hartside, which formed another ‘member’ of Ingram manor. This township covered the north side of the upper Breamish Valley above Ingram, the settlement lying north east of the present Hartside Farm west of Ingram. The south side of the valley was incorporated in Alnham parish and Alnham Township or, for a time, Alnhamsheles which was the counterpart of Hartside.

Following the retreat of permanent settlement in the late medieval period, Hartside was merged first with Fawdon and Clinch Township and then, in the later 19th century, transferred to Ingram Township. The arrangement of the townships in Ingram parish in the early-mid 18th century is succinctly set out in a entry in the parish register dated 28th June 1737 (reproduced by NCH XIV (1935), 456):

The parish of Ingram is divided into three several divisions, the first Division whereof contains the Town of Ingram, Greenside Hill, Grieve’s Ash, Lynhope, and Standrope, the second Division whereof contains the town of Faldon, the Clinch and Hartside, the third Division whereof contains Reeveley and the towns thereunto belonging.

Of all the 19th century townships, Ingram was by far the largest, covering an area estimated at 6523 acres in 1891, making up the bulk of Ingram Parish. At the same date Fawdon and Reaveley were estimated at 2110 acres and 2340 acres respectively.