History
From Saxon Times
The name of the ancient Saxon settlement of Boldon comes from the Saxon word "bol" or "bothel" which meant building and "don" or "dun" which meant hill, probably referring to a wooden church which stood on the top of the hill overlooking the River Don where the beautiful thirteenth century church of St Nicholas now stands. Boldon is not listed in the "Doomsday Book" which records the lands of the king but it is listed in the "Boldon Buke" which records the lands of the Bishop of Durham along with the dues owed to the Prince Bishop by the tenant farmers and smallholders who had to work three days a week for the Bishop and also supply quantities of corn, hens and eggs. In 1183 the "Boldon Buke" refers to a village, Newton near Boldon which remained a typical Norman village until the beginning of the 20th century when it consisted of fewer the 200 houses stretched along either side of the main road between Newcastle and Sunderland. Boldon became known as West Boldon while Newton became known as East Boldon. By the 14th century there was a water mill and a wind mill but the mill which still survives in West Boldon was not built until 1834.
The Battle of Boldon Hill 1644
Boldon stood between the Royalist Newcastle and Parliamentarian Sunderland. Perhaps this was the beginning of the rivalry which exists between the cities, although now it is principally between the football clubs. At this time the Scots were also Parliamentarians and invaded invaded the region in order to attack the Royalist in Newcastle but the forces of the Marquis of Newcastle marched to Boldon to do battle with them. The Scots were defeated in what became known as the Battle of Boldon Hill, (Nanny Cow Hill). One of the Scottish cannons discarded during the retreat was recovered from the River Wear and now stands in Barnes Park, Sunderland as a memorial to the battle.
The population of the Boldons increased very slowly and by the 19th century it had barely reached 1000 but it had gained a reputation of being a healthy place to live and as it had relatively easy access to both Newcastle and Sunderland many grand houses and attractive terraces of substantial family homes with accommodation for servants.
Boldon Colliery
During the first half of the 19th century the main industries in Boldon were stone quarrying, brick-making, tanning and brewing but during the later half of the century the demand for coal increased enormously so the Harton Coal Company sank a coal shaft in the area in 1866 and built houses for the workers thus creating a new village of Boldon Colliery. The colliery had remained very important to the area for over 100 when it was closed in 1982. Other industries have moved in to replace the colliery as the main source of employment.
To add to this history click here.
Business Parks
This part is under preparation.
Reference:- "The Boldons in picture postcards" by Sybil Reeder ISBN 90 288 26254
CANNON BALL from Battle of Boldon Hill, 1644
Unique ID: NCL-A1C882
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow status: Awaiting validation 
A cast iron cannonball of Post-Medieval date, probably from
a Civil War battle in the area dating to 1644.
The ball weighs approximately 5 lbs with a diameter of
86.03mm. The ball was cast in a mould consisting of two hemispherical halves,
as a flashmark is visible around much of the ball's centre. There are no
further distinguishing features.
The surface has suffered from corrosion.
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder.
Chronology
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Early
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1644
Date to: Circa AD 1644
Dimensions and weight (see picture below)
Quantity: 1
Weight: 268 g
Diameter: 86.03 mm
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 1st January 2006 - Saturday 1st
January 2000
Personal details
Found by: This information is restricted for your login.
Recorded by: Dr Robert Collins
Identified by: Dr Robert Collins
Materials and construction
Primary material: Iron
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete
The information
on the cannonball can be found on https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/560814
