Tarset is a civil parish in Northumberland, England, created in 1955 from parts of Bellingham, Tarset West and Thorneyburn parishes.[2] It is 4 miles (6 km) west-north-west of Bellingham. Today it shares a parish council with the adjacent parish of Greystead. It is partly located within the Northumberland National Park,[3] and also mostly within the international dark skies park.[4]
| Tarset | |
|---|---|
  Tarset Location within Northumberland | |
| Population | 289 (2011(including Greystead))[1] |
| OS grid reference | NY792854 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HEXHAM |
| Postcode district | NE48 |
| Police | Northumbria |
| Fire | Northumberland |
| Ambulance | North East |
| UK Parliament | |
History
edit
The Comyns, Scottish knights, were established in Tynedale in the 12th century and the manor of Tarset was granted to William Comyn in around 1222. Licence to crenellate was granted to John Comyn in 1267, and Tarset Castle was built half a mile south-west of the present village, of which only grassed-over remains can now be seen. Two miles to the south-west on Birks Moor are the remains of the fortified house known as Dally Castle, believed to have been erected by David Linsey in his manor of Chirdon.
Governance
editTarset is in the parliamentary constituency of Hexham.
Demography
editTarset has a population of 196.[5] In 1831, its population was 169.[6] In 1968, its population was 149.
Transport
editTarset was served by Tarset railway station on the Border Counties Railway which linked the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, near Hexham, with the Border Union Railway at Riccarton Junction. The first section of the route was opened between Hexham and Chollerford in 1858, the remainder opening in 1862.[7] The line was closed to passengers by British Railways in 1956. Part of the line is now beneath the surface of Kielder Water.
Notable people
editJohn Candlish – politician, Liberal mayor of Sunderland, shipbuilder and glass-bottle manufacturer, owner of Sunderland Beacon and founder of Sunderland News.
Matthew Festing – Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from 2008 until his resignation in 2017 [8]
References
edit- ^ "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ A Vision of Britain Through Time: Tarset Civil Parish
- ^ Northumberland National Park interactive map
- ^ Northumberland international dark sky park location map
- ^ Census 2001 Archived 2012-05-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Samuel Lewis (1831). "Tarset". A Topographical Dictionary of England. S. Lewis. p. 268.
- ^ Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. CN 8983.
- ^ "FRA' MATTHEW FESTING, FORMER GRAND MASTER OF THE ORDER OF MALTA (1949-2021) – Order of Malta".
Further reading
edit- "Local history: Tarset". Keys to the past. Durham County Council and Northumberland County Council. 22 January 2008. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011.
- Tarset Archive Group (TAG) Tarset Digital Archive, covering all aspects of the human and natural history, past and present.
External links
edit- Tarset Community Website
- A detailed history of Tarset Castle
- Images of Tarset Castle site
- Location and History of Greenhaugh and Tarset (Northumberland National Park Authority)
- Tarset on Google Maps
- Black Middens Bastle House (English Heritage)
- Tarset Weather (Gatehouse Weather Station)
- Sidwood (Forestry England)
Media related to Tarset at Wikimedia Commons