A: Property between Framwellgate Bridge and the lane to Broken Walls
Reference: TOW. 1 - 15
These deeds belong to the small block of property situated in Durham City at the south-east end of Framwellgate bridge, on the river bank in the angle between Silver Street and the footpath from Silver Street to Broken Walls. The part fronting onto Silver Street was for many years in different ownership from the back part, the access to which from Silver Street was by the footpath to Broken Walls.
The surviving deeds of the back part, away from Silver Street, begin earlier than those of the front, in 1774, when George Pearson, cutler, of Durham City bought from Christopher Johnson of Durham City gentleman, Michael Waugh of Durham City, brazier, Robert Waugh of Durham City, merchant and Margaret Hobson of Crossgate widow, a piece of land on the west of the lane from Framwellgate Bridge up to Broken Walls. Round the other three sides of the premises, which measured only 10ft x 22ft, ran a passage leading to stables formerly belonging to Thomas Richardson and Michael Hodgson. George Pearson had recently built a house and shop on this small plot. This had been necessary as the house previously there, had been washed away by a late flood of Wear [ 1771 ]. Before the flood, the house had been occupied by William Vasey, George Wheatley senior and junior and Mary Chicken. An earlier owner of the plot had been John Willie. On his death he left interests in it to three people, his widow Margaret whose share passed to Ann Wallace then Christopher Johnson, Edward Hall whose share passed to Margaret Hobson and lastly Thomas Waugh, whose share went to Michael and Robert Waugh. Pearson bought it, excepting any right of common appurtaining to the premises and mortgaged it the same day to John Marshall, breeches maker of South Street, Durham City.
George Pearson's son, another George, also a cutler, mortgaged the premises to Francis Smales on 8 May 1822. By this time the passage to the stables had gone and on the west of the plot was the Wear, on the east the lane to Broken Walls, on the South, waste ground and on the north side, between Pearson and Silver Street, the premises of John Robson. In 1828 George Pearson bought a quay on the south side of Framwellgate Bridge measuring 16ft from east to west and 11½ft from north to south, lately occupied by John Robson. It was sold to Pearson by nine assorted Robsons and Robinsons. Smales' executors transferred the mortgage to Pearson's house and shop to Lewis Walton of Gainford on 31 May 1832, when the neighbours of the plot were unchanged from 1822.
On 31 May 1842 there was a further mortgage transaction involving Walton's executors and Robert Ingram Shafto. By this time neighbour John Robson had been succeeded by John Ebdy. The premises were said to border on the west on the Wear and George Pearson's property. This latter must be the quay he purchased in 1828 which was not mentioned in 1832. The east and south sides are bounded by the footpath and waste as before.
In 1845 Durham University wished to buy the Pearson property in order to demolish the buildings again and to rebuild on the site. On 18 February 1845 George Pearson, now termed whitesmith, and his widowed mother Mary, Shafto, Durham University and its agent William Charles Chaytor, joined in 2 lengthy transactions one of which rehearses the parts of Acts of Parliament which governed the University's finances. The University acquired Pearson's house and workshop and also his quay and yard. It also acquired an adjoining house occupied by Isabella Weiland. This must have been built on the waste, which adjoined Pearson's premises on the south side as described in earlier transactions. Certainly it could not lie in any other direction as the west, north and east of the premises were occupied by the river, Edby and the footpath. Only on the south side does the description change in 1845, when instead of bordering on waste in that direction, Pearson's premises bordered on Dean and Chapter land i.e. the banks of the river. The occupants of the properties can be traced further in Durham Street and business directories.
The papers relating to the front part of the property nearest to the south-east end of Framwellgate Bridge and bordered by the river, Silver Street, the footpath to Broken Walls and the premises sometime occupied by Pearson, begin in 1828, when the premises were purchased by the Justices of the Peace from John Gray Hopper for the improvement of Framwellgate Bridge. The materials from the buildings demolished to widen the road and the land not required for the road, were auctioned in May 1828. The premises, which had been occupied, when whole, by Thomas Liddle, were bought in truncated form by John Ebdy of South Street, Durham, ropemaker, who bought the materials too and built a house. Ebdy's premises were described as lying between the Wear and the lane from Framwellgate Bridge to Broken Walls. It is also described as being on at least two levels with 384 square feet being at street level i.e. on Silver Street. The demolished premises had been used by Thomas Liddle and also Williams Wright and Reed and also George Pearson. This means Pearson used part of the next door property not owned by him, The deeds of his own back part show it was not affected by the bridge-widening: This deed does not mention John Robson whom Pearson's deeds mention as being John Ebdy's predecessor. Ebdy was forbidden to install a steam engine on the premises, or to indulge in any noisome or offensive trade there.
In 1834 John Ebdy, ropemaker, and others conveyed to Richard Thompson, his house, two shops and appurtenances, lately occupied by Robert Sutherland, bookseller, Ann and Harriet Ebdy, to Richard Thompson of Durham, gentleman. The premises were described as being bounded by the Wear, the street [Silver Street] the lane from Silver Street to Broken Walls and George Pearson's property. The following year Thompson sold the premises to Durham University. The neighbours were described as in 1834, but the occupants "now or lately" were given as Sutherland, the Ebdys and also John Wheatley. Thus by 1845 Durham University owned both parts of this property.
Durham City street directory of 1855 reveals that the number of Pearson's property, (cutler whitesmith and bellhanger,) was 20 Silver Street and that occupied by Sutherland, 21 Silver Street. In 1907 Durham University proposed to sell 21 Silver Street to Samuel Adams, confectioner. The property then comprised a shop and dwelling occupied by Mr. Wilkinson, two smiths' shops occupied by Pearson, two two-roomed cottages occupied by Mrs. Pearson and Mr. Clark with yard, conveniences and land behind, in all 260 sq. yards. In 1908 Adams leased to Messrs. Taylor and Jobling the second floor of the premises already occupied by them as a photographic studio and reception rooms.
Although it is not illustrated in these deeds, one John Gray claimed allotments on Framwellgate Moor in respect of three burgages between Framwellgate Bridge and the lane to Broken Walls. This claim went to arbitration in 1802-3 and the decision was given, by William Hoar and Robert Hopper Williamson, that the front and back premises together comprised only one burgage plot and thus shared only one allotment on the Moor. They also decided on the claim of Gray and Handcock that a burgage washed away still retained grazing rights and a consequent moor allotment on the division.

B: Property later known as 36 Silver Street, backing on to Back Silver Street
Reference: TOW.16-40
These deeds belong to no. 36 Silver Street, premises backing onto the street known at various times as Walker Gate or Walker Chare (1760), Water Gate or Back Lane (1821) or Back Silver Street in 1977.
The first deed, 1760, describes the premises as a burgage with a brewing lead, a lead gutter, a kitchen and stables, in the occupation of John Snowdon, innkeeper and Thomas Miller and John Wilkinson, cordwainers (shoemakers). The premises were oddly shaped with Silver Street to the south, James Lampton to the west and Walker Chare and Thomas Hornsby to the north. In 1760, the property, Durham Dean and Chapter leasehold, was assigned by Thomas Pemberton of Sunderland to John Miller of Silver Street.
In 1784 Miller's daughter etc. assigned it to Quintin Blackburn, who later obtained the freehold, quoting a missing deed of 1774. The occupier of the premises had then lately been Robert Dixon, with unchanged neighbours. John Marshall, breeches maker and Thomas Ebdon of Durham, North Bailey also were concerned in the transaction. In 1805 the occupiers were Robert Dixon and Grace Miller. The latter is given as only occupier in 1807 when the description of the property and neighbours was still unchanged. In 1814 Blackburn junior conveyed the premises to William Garth merchant, who was already in occupation of what was described as a freehold dwelling house with yard behind. The separate kitchen and stables had gone. Garth mortgaged it to Robert Colling and others, but by 1821 his debts overcame him and this property, together with a farm and other property at Alwent, passed to trustees. The trustees and Colling's executors sold the Silver Street property to Thomas Wilburn.
The premises had been reshaped by then, as the neighbours on the east are given as once Thomas Robinson, then William Johnson, on the west Ralph Crozier and north and south, Water Gate (alias Back Lane) and Silver Street. The property was described as a dwelling house, shop yard and buildings, the latter doubtless once all or part of the stables and kitchen. In 1822 the trustees of Edward Moore obtained a financial interest. The description of premises and neighbours was unchanged. Thomas George obtained an interest in 1826 when the description was of a dwelling house with a garden behind in the occupation of Edward Moore, grocer. There was no change of description until a further mortgage transaction of 1838 when Edward Moore had been succeeded as occupier by Ralph Elliot. This deed of 1826 concerned two other properties. One was a set of premises in Milburngate once occupied by Peter Mackay, Lockey Donen and James Cloth and later by William Robinson. The neighbour on the north and west was Thomas Wilkinson, on the east, John William Addison and on the south, William Lynn and Thomas Bond. The last property concerned was the Clock Mill in Crossgate borough, Durham City, in which Thomas George had had an interest since 1826. In the last deeds of this series in 1840, the property was at last described as no. 36 Silver Street, a house and shop. The occupant was then William Trail. On the west Ralph Crozier had at last been followed by his son of the same name. Neighbours on the east were given as William Morrow, successor of George Robinson.

C: Property later known as 36 Sadler Street, a public house
Reference: TOW.47 - 64
This section deals with the deeds of the property which came to be known as 36 Sadler Street, Durham City. The series begins in 1743 when Robert Didsbury, cordwainer of Sadler Street acquired the property from three ladies and their husbands. These couples were John and Margaret Henzell of South Shields, Phillip and Mary Moor of North Shields, and William and Jane Thompson of South Shields. The three wives were all granddaughters and heirs of Mary Haropp, widow, daughter and devisee of John Wood of Mansfield, Notts. The property was described as a burgage in Sadler Street with Cornelius Wetherell's property to the north and John Gowland's to the south. The next surviving deed, 1785 shows that Ann Didsbury left the property to John Brown, grocer, in trust, to educate Mary Brown, Ann's granddaughter. At Mary's majority the property passed to James Pearson, cordwainer of Durham and Elizabeth his wife, together with a pew in St. Nicholas' Church. The pew had the middle aisle of the Church to the south of it and pews occupied by Messrs. Turbit, Dunn and Waugh to the east, west and north sides. As for the house neighbours, Wetherell had been followed by Thomas Robinson and Gowland by Mrs Brocketts. In this deed of 1785 the property is said to be subject to a £0. 5s. 0d. annual payment known as Feversham's or Duncombe's rent, which is not mentioned in the other papers.
In 1827 the property was more fully described as being in two parts. The back was a public house, once called the Royal Tent, but then the Nag's Head, then occupied by Thomas Hutchinson but formerly by John Jackson. The front part was a shop, then occupied by John Stoddart. The property was then bounded by Sadler Street on the west, Philip Fewster's property on the east, Jane Clark on the west and David Hilton on the north. The pew was still included with the property, from which it was excluded in another deed of 1829, in which the neighbours were unchanged but the occupancy of the front shop had passed from Stoddart to Thomas Hodgson. In 1832 Thomas Hutchinson was still the innkeeper, but Hilton on the south had been succeeded by Turner Meggison. Hutchinson was still occupying the premises in 1835 when Ralph Wilkinson had the front shop. Thomas Hutchinson became an insolvent debtor and the last transactions concerning the property were in 1839. In that year the formal deed states that the neighbours were still Meggison, Clark and Fewster, the occupants Hutchinson and Wilkinson and the name, the Nag's Head. However, the informal agreement made between the same men concerning the purchase, gives the name as the Lambton Arms and the tenant, John Muse, with Charles Sanderson Ilderton in the front shop on Sadler Street, which illustrates how legal description can lag behind the contemporary situation.

D: 55 Sadler Street, between the Street and the Castle hill near the Gaol Gates
Reference: TOW.65 - 75
This collection of deeds relates to the premises at the west side of Sadler Street, Durham City, probably number 55 (see the 1874 Durham City Directory). The series of deeds begins in 1688 when Richard Greene, glazier, of Durham City sold the burgage he occupied, to John Maire of Gilesgate, Durham, gentleman. The premises were situated in Sadler Street, Durham, backing onto the Castle Hill, near the Gaol gate, with Edward Turner the neighbour to the north and a house once occupied by Stephen Elrington and later Jane Fawdon to the south. By 1755, the next deed Turner had been succeeded by Thomas Potts and Jane Fawdon by Cuthbert Hildon, glazier. Robert Harrison was then occupant, a deed of 1772 states that Thomas Potts' immediate predecessor had been Robert Fawell and that Hilton on the south was followed by William Rippon and the George Sikes. Rowland Harrison whitesmith was then the occupant. Potts and Sikes continued to be cited as neighbours to 1871. Occupants after Harrison were given as Elizabeth Chisman (1854), Jonathon Atkins (1871, 1876 and 1877) and one Forster (in 1876). In 1876 Potts' successor on the north is given as William Sewell, with William Earle on the south in the premises once occupied by Sikes. Street directories given a slightly different account of the neighbours. In 1877 the premises were still being described as being near the Gaol Gates, which had been demolished some 40 years before.

E: 49 [?] North Bailey, a dwelling house on the west side of the North Bailey near the Queen Street junction
Reference: TOW.76 - 99
The next two sections concern premises backing on to one another in the North Bailey and Queen Street, Durham City. The premises eventually came in to the same ownership towards the end of these two series of deeds.
The series begins for one, the North Bailey property, in 1742, when it was described as a newly erected dwelling house with a garden behind and a summer house, extending 14 yards, "adjoining" it. Later deeds say the summer house was "in front". Joseph Gray, watchmaker of Durham City, and Martha his wife conveyed the property to Thomas Randall of Durham City, gentleman. The North Bailey lay to the east of the property. John Floter was the southern neighbour. On the north side was a long brick wall newly built by Joseph Gray, provisions for the maintenance of which were included. On the west were two stables, one of which belonged to John or Sarah Dixon, also an old wall belonging to Abraham Taylor. There was a fee farm rent of £0. 2s. 6d. issuing from the area of the summer house and that part of the garden adjoining it. Randall left the property to Elizabeth Gibson whose legatee in turn was Robert Punshen who had a son John. When Elizabeth Gibson made her will in 1779 the occupier of the premises was John Curry. By 1805 the occupiers were Joseph Sanderson of Durham City, gentleman and his wife Margaret, who had lately added three rooms onto the north side of the house.
Over the brick wall which formed the northern boundary was a garden belonging to William Holmes and on the south side Floter had been followed by John Nicholson's heirs. On the west was still the old wall of William Taylor. A formal description of the property that same year, in 1805, was 2 messuages, 2 cottages and a garden in the North Bailey. The Sandersons were still in occupation in 1811, but only the widow Margaret was there in 1817.
By 1825 the summer house of 14 yards was described only as a building of that size. The occupant then and in 1830 was Mr. Thomas Christopher Maynard. The last deed in the series was in 1857 when the description changed. Maynard was still in occupation then. On the North side, in William Holmes' garden, public offices had been built. On the south John Nicholson's heirs had been followed by William Davison. Where Abraham Taylor's wall had stood, now almshouses had been erected by the Bishop. This is the direction backing towards Queen Street and being in the angle of the two streets, was probably rather more south-east than east. This meant that the description as backing onto the Bishop's alms houses was not incompatible with backing also onto Queen Street property as the deeds of that property claim. The Queen Street deeds also confirm the location of the alms houses.

F: House in Queen Street, [Owengate] and extending towards the North Bailey, backing on to E
Reference: TOW.100-104
This piece of property lay in Queen Street (later known as Owengate) on the south side, that is on the left as one approaches the Cathedral. On the west lay William Walker's property, on the east that of William Holmes. On the south was the house occupied by the Sandersons which also bordered on Holmes' garden. In October 1810 the property was unoccupied and passed from the Johnson family to Simon Binks. Previously it had been occupied by Christopher Johnson and before that had been the law office, for many years, of his father of the same name. Binks, a tailor and draper, altered and improved the property and let it briefly to Thomas Tilley and Mrs Bapty. William Todd was the occupier in May 1811 when John Dunn acquired the property. The neighbours then were still Holmes, Sanderson and Walker. Dunn made a will in 1841 and in 1846 his heirs disposed of the house to Maynard who lived in the house adjoining the back.
By then both Walker and Holmes, the neighbours on either side in Queen Street had been replaced by Durham University. Maynard mortgaged both properties in 1857, when the University is not mentioned as neighbour. On what had been Holmes' garden, public offices had been erected [the Exchequer]; on Walker's property, the Bishop's alms houses. At some point the property in Queen Street had incorporated the stables which lay west of Abraham Taylor's wall, the Bailey property's western boundary, as by 1810 the Queen Street property had the Sanderson house in the Bailey as direct neighbour, no stables in different hands intervening.

55-58 New Elvet, once a coach manufactory
Reference: TOW.105-123
The latest deeds of this property in Old Elvet describe it as numbers 55-58 in 1906.
The first description is in the will of Thomas Gibbon of the College Durham, made 1794, proved 1796. He describes the property simply as leasehold property held of Durham Dean and Chapter in the parish of St. Oswald, Durham. After his death his trustee, Matthew Woodifield, obtained the freehold of the two burgages and their allotment on Elvet Moor. On their majority Gibbon's granddaughters sold the two burgages in 1814 to John Leybourne. The two burgages adjoined each other, one being north of the other. To the north of the northern burgage was Thomas Errington's property, to the south of the southern one Peter Brass' property. The river Wear lay to west and the street [New Elvet] to the east. The occupiers were then or lately Henry Douglas, painter and glazier John Nattress, publican and widow Taylor.
In 1815 Leybourne sold to John Alderson, shopkeeper, most of the northern burgage adjoining the Errington property which had now passed to Samuel Strong. Leybourne retained a stable between the premises, sold and the Wear on the west, but sold off a cellar beneath which measured 21½ft x 9½ft. Alderson used the building for a grocery business and was obliged to mortgage it in 1822.
In 1824 Samuel Strong bought the southern property from John Leybourne and in 1838 his widow Ann bought the northern one from Alderson's heirs. The Strongs already held the next property northwards. John Boyd was then the occupant of the erstwhile grocery shop. The 1838 deed contains much genealogical information about the Alderson, Bolam and Alnwick families and the supporting documentary evidence for it is preserved in a separate file.
In 1889 the heirs of Ann Strong's daughters Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Metcalfe, disposed of the property to James Seyburn. The occupants of the northern burgage were then listed as John Boyd then Edward Dean and James Emmerson. Those of the southern burgage were given as Nattress, widow Taylor, then James Emmerson also. In the house adjoining the northerly burgage Ann Strong had been followed by Mrs. Robinson.
In 1896 Seyburn had a house and carriage manufactory in number 58 New Elvet. He had let no. 57 to Mrs Clarke and Mr. W. Whitbread. Numbers 55 and 56 were let to Mr. B. Gleason. Seyburn had mortgaged all the premises, mainly to George Dalgleish, draper. According to the 1893 Durham Street Directory, these premises were then rather more densely populated.
The last papers, of 1906 show that the part of these premises adjoining the coach manufactory had become a public house, the White Swan [no. 57]. Numbers 55 and 56 were then described as tenemented properties and no. 58 as being a freehold house and shop, carriage manufactory, warehouses, workshop and premises. These deeds may be a continuation of the series in bundle 21 of Durham University Surveyor's Department Deposit, also in this repository, but until the papers between 1745 and 1794 are found, this cannot be established.