Byers Green

Byers Green is a village in the civil parish of Spennymoor, in the Wear valley, in County Durham, England. It is situated approximately 2 miles from the A688 road, which connects the town of Bishop Auckland to the city of Durham. The village is adjacent to the River Wear and has a population of around 1,200 people and is known for its picturesque countryside and historic landmarks. The name Byers Green comes from the Old English word byre, which means "cowshed", and the Middle English word grene, which means "village green" or "hamlet". The name translates to "(the green by the) cowsheds". Byers Green was a farming area throughout the medieval period and into the 16th and 17th centuries. Vinovia or Vinovium was a Roman fort and settlement built around AD 79 situated just over 2 miles to the south-west of Byers Green. The ruins are now known as the Binchester Roman Fort. One of the most notable landmarks in Byers Green is the Parish Church of St. Peter the Apostle. St Peter's Church built in the 1830s serves the villages of Binchester, Newfield and Byers Green. The Old Hall, located on the north-east perimeter of Byers Green, has a long history. The origins of the building are difficult to date, but some suggest the yard's small cobbling may be Roman. The broad central stone wall and internal stone arch on the ground floor indicates a pre-1600 structure. The Trotter family were associated with Byers Green Hall since the 15th century, when Roger Trotter was an exchequer tenant at Bires. The family remained in possession until the 1940s. Byers Green Hall was rebuilt several times between the late 16th and early 18th centuries Thomas Wright, (1711–1786) an 18th-century astronomer, architect, garden designer, mathematician and polymath was born and died in Byers Green Hall (a second large Hall located in the centre of the village to the East of the High Street - now demolished). Wright was educated at King James I Grammar School in nearby Bishop Auckland prior to being…