About David Simpson
Click here to hear David Simpson talk about Lindisfarne and the Vikings on an Australian ABC radio station recorded June, 2010.
David Simpson is the author of fourteen books on northern history and worked for fifteen years as a writer, researcher and columnist for The Northern Echo and later its sister paper The Durham Times until made redundant in January 2009. David lives in Durham City and enjoys photography, going out in Durham and Newcastle and spending time with his young daughter. He currently works as an Information Officer in Durham where he writes and edits publications for people with Learning Disabilities. David is best known as a northern historian and over the years he has made several television and radio broadcasts including appearances on local radio and on BBC Radio 4. David is currently working on two new publication projects and is developing a website about London, which will be a sister site for England's North East. He has recently joined the Northumbria Trails Team www.northumbriatrails.com team which intrdoduces North Americans to the rich heritage of our region.
His TV appearances span the region from Berwick to Billingham popping up on Ant and Dec's History of Tyneside (Tyne Tees Television), The Face of Britain (with Neil Oliver for Channel 4), Northern Eye (Tyne Tees Television), North East Tonight (Tyne Tees Television), Wayward Women (4 episodes for ITV), Martina Cole's Ladykillers (ITV 3), The One Show (with Phil Tuffnel, BBC 1), How Newcastle was Built (with Adam Hart Davis for The History Channel) and Countrywise (with Bettany Hughes ITV). David has given over two hundred talks on local history and has a particular interest in dialect and place-names.
Though born in Durham City, as a bairn David lived in the station house at Chester-le-Street railway station and for a number of years resided at Eaglescliffe near the town of Yarm on the fringe of Yorkshire. He has worked at Beamish Open Air Museum and The National Garden Festival in Gateshead and has a passion for tourism as well as history. While working at the NGF he gave tours to visitors including foreign ministers, company directors, school children from Chernobyl, local mayors and other visitors. For a time David toured with a band called The Whisky Priests as a drummer, though he would never claim his talents lay in that direction.
In the early 1990s David was a proprietor of his own publishing business called North Pennine Publishing writing books, selling and marketing them around the shops and on one occasion personally presenting copies to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. David has undertaken various research projects for a tourism development company and has hosted 'hysterical' guided tours with actors for a conference, drawing on his experience in the field of amateur dramatics. He can very occasionally be seen performing as an actor with Durham Dramatic Society at Durham's City Theatre and was a past member of the Durham Shakespeare Group.
In 1999 David published The Millennium History of North East England, a year-by-year chronological history of the region. This work was praised by the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair in December 1999 in connection with his Millennium Address to the Nation.
David likes to spend his spare time with his daughter, and has a particular passion for photography. The photographs on this site were taken by him.
David also runs the yorkshire-england.co.uk website and owns the domains of several other website addresses including englandscapital.co.uk, englandsmidlands.co.uk, englandseast.co.uk, englandsnorth.co.uk, englandssouth.co.uk, scotlandslowlands.co.uk, scotlandshighlands.co.uk and cymruwales.co.uk all of which he hopes to develop in the near future.
Publications by David Simpson
CHESTER-LE-STREET AND WASHINGTON (November 2007)
by David Simpson
Business Education Publishers Limited
ISBN ISBN 978 1 901888 58 4
176 pages including 16 pages of colour inserts Price £12.95
Chester-le-Street and Washington features the remarkable history of two North East towns. One has a history stretching back to Roman and Saxon times and was once the spiritual capital of the region long before Durham or Newcastle rose to prominence. The other is a new town embracing older communities like the ancestral home of the Washington family. Here too are some of the oldest industrial riverside communities of the region. As well as the two towns the book also covers Beamish, Pelton, No Place, Kibblesworth, Ravensworth, Waldridge, Penshaw, Lumley, Lambton Park, Bournmoor and Birtley. It is a history encompassing Saxon bishops, Eric Bloodaxe, Daniel Defoe, Radical Jack, iron works, sweet factories, pit disasters, riotous football and first class cricket. It is a history of castles, halls, mansions, dukes and earls, nobles and rebels, political reformers and a Scottish earl who came to hide. The story includes hippos, lions, and a worm with a twist in its tale, a famous painting, a buxom landlady recalled in song and a mischievous goblin. There are smuggling bandits, keelmen, pitmen, a Greek monument, a Roman viaduct and even the remarkable female founder of Iraq who hailed from Washington. Whether you are a visitor, exile, local, or just curious you will find this is a land with many surprising stories to tell.
Paperback
176 pages plus 16 page colour insert. Published November 2006. £12.95 plus postage and packing on single copies (UK £2.50). For multiple copy orders or overseas orders please contactBusiness Education Publishers Limited
ISBN 978 1 901888 58 4
This book may be ordered from online bookstores such as amazon or direct from the publishers at Business Education Publishers Limited, E-volve Business Centre, Cygnet Way, Rainton Bridge Business Park, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 5QY Tel No: +44 (0) 191 3055165
DURHAM CITY (November 2006)
by David Simpson
Business Education Publishers Limited
ISBN ISBN 978 1 901888 50 8
192 pages including 16 pages of colour inserts Price £12.95
Durham City is based on the Durham Memories column that appears in The Northern Echo newspaper and features the history of Durham City and its surrounding suburbs. It includes the historic city centre with all its wonderful buildings and wealth of history but also visits the city's outer reaches, where Framwellgate Moor, Pity Me, Crossgate Moor, Neville's Cross, Gilesgate Moor and Carrville and many places besides are explored. Throughout the book, colourful characters that have inhabited the city, such as the oversized actor Stephen Kemble, the eccentric mayor called 'Icy' Smith and a tiny man called Joseph Boruwlaski, are recollected. Whilst on the more sinister side the notorious inmates of Durham Prison and the hangings at Dryburn are documented. Homage is paid to the occasional shop, pub and church and of course the University of Durham, along with South Road, with its nineteenth century mansions and forgotten roadside inns hidden amongst the colleges of today. The names of influential people that lived in and around the city in grand mansions such as Western Lodge, Dryburn and Springwell Hall are also uncovered. Whether you are a visitor, a local or an exile, it is hoped that you will enjoy this journey through the history of Durham City.
Paperback 192 pages plus 16 page colour insert. Published November 2006. £12.95 plus postage and packing on single copies (UK £2.50). For multiple copy orders or overseas orders please contact
This book may be ordered from online bookstores such as amazon or direct from the publishers at Business Education Publishers Limited, E-volve Business Centre, Cygnet Way, Rainton Bridge Business Park, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 5QY Tel No: +44 (0) 191 3055165
THE DURHAM VILLAGES (November 2006)
by David Simpson
Business Education Publishers Limited
ISBN 978 1 901888 51
176 pages including 16 pages of colour inserts Price £12.95
The Durham Villages is based on the Durham Memories column that appears in The Northern Echo newspaper and features the history of more than 70 villages and hamlets within a five to six mile radius of Durham City. It includes all the villages within the present administrative district of Durham City as well as Sacriston, Edmondsley, Plawsworth, Lanchester and all the villages in the Browney valley. Places covered by this book include Old Durham, Shincliffe, Houghall, Croxdale, Sunderland Bridge, Hett, Whitwell, Brandon, Browney, Langley Moor, Brancepeth, Brancepeth Castle, New Brancepeth, Esh Winning, Waterhouses, Esh village, Ushaw Moor, Ushaw College, Bearpark, Broompark, Langley Park, Wall Nook, Cornsay Colliery, Satley, Quebec, Hamsteels, Kimblesworth, Nettlesworth, Witton Gilbert, West Rainton, Great Lumley, Pittington, Littletown. Sherburn, Sherburn Hospital, Sherburn Hill, Shadforth, Ludworth, Kelloe, Quarrington Hill, Cassop, Bowburn, Tursdale and Coxhoe. Some of the places covered are mining villages whose histories are limited to the nineteenth century whilst others have much longer histories. However, it is indisputable that all lie in beautiful countryside that is intersected by the charming valleys of the Browney and Deerness in the west and enriched by the rolling scenery of the limestone hills in the east. In many places there are often wonderful views that occasionally encompass the beautiful Durham Cathedral. It serves as a constant reminder that history is never very far away.
Paperback
176 pages plus 16 page colour insert. Published November 2006. £12.95 plus postage and packing on single copies (UK £2.50). For multiple copy orders or overseas orders please contactBusiness Education Publishers Limited
ISBN 978 1 901888 51
This book may be ordered from online bookstores such as amazon or direct from the publishers at Business Education Publishers Limited, E-volve Business Centre, Cygnet Way, Rainton Bridge Business Park, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 5QY Tel No: +44 (0) 191 3055165
NORTH EAST ENGLAND: Places, History, People and Legends
BUSINESS EDUCATION PUBLISHERS LTD : ISBN 1 901888 37 1
by David Simpson illustrated throughout
Business Education Publishers Ltd. : ISBN 1 901888 35 5
(Price £7.95 plus p & p)
Stretching from the River Tees to the River Tweed, the North East of England was the ancient heartland of the Kingdom of Northumbria. It was the birthplace of the railways, the 'borderland zone' of the Scottish raids and the quiet retreat of the ancient Celtic saints. It is a region steeped in history and a home to wonderful sites like Durham Cathedral, Hadrian's Wall and the bustling quayside of Newcastle upon Tyne. Travelling across the region from Durham and Teesside to England's northernmost county of Northumberland, this book explores the places, people, history and legends of this remarkable region.
Paperback, 224 printed pages, published April 2003
Business Education Publishers Ltd. : ISBN 1 901888 35 5
This book may be ordered from online bookstores such as amazon or direct from the publishers at Business Education Publishers Limited, E-volve Business Centre, Cygnet Way, Rainton Bridge Business Park, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 5QY Tel No: +44 (0) 191 3055165
NORTHERN ROOTS
Who we are, where we came from, why we speak the way we do
by David Simpson
Business Education Publishers Ltd. : ISBN 1 901888 35 5
(Price £7.95 plus p & p)
The origins of the people of Northern England from Celtic and Viking times to the present day. Covers place-names northern surnames, Irish immigration in Northern England, the Border Reivers and a dialect glossary. Covers the whole of northern England from Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester to Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
Paperback, 160 printed pages, published December 2002.
ISBN 1 901888 35 5
This book may be ordered from online bookstores such as amazon or direct from the publishers at Business Education Publishers Limited, E-volve Business Centre, Cygnet Way, Rainton Bridge Business Park, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 5QY Tel No: +44 (0) 191 3055165
THE MILLENNIUM HISTORY OF NORTH EAST ENGLAND
by David Simpson
Published by leighton in association with The Northern Echo :
ISBN 0 9536984 3 2
A chronological history of North East England from Roman times to the present day. The Millennium History of North East England was hailed by the Prime Minister, Tony Blair in His Millennium Address to the Nation December 1999.
Hardback, 340 printed pages, published December 1999
ISBN 0 9536984 3 2
This book may be ordered from online bookstores such as amazon or direct from the publishers at Business Education Publishers Limited, E-volve Business Centre, Cygnet Way, Rainton Bridge Business Park, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 5QY Tel No: +44 (0) 191 3055165
STEEL RIVER- A two thousand year journey of the River Tees
by David Simpson
Published by The Northern Echo : ISBN 1 899432 05 1 (Price £4.95 plus p & p)
A chronological and region by region history of the River Tees from Teesdale to Middlesbrough. Chapters on Teesdale and Barnard Castle, Darlington, Yarm, Stockton-on-Tees, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough.
Paperback 120ppages, published 1996
OUT OF PRINT
DURHAM MILLENNIUM -
A thousand years of Durham City
by David Simpson
THE NORTHERN ECHO ISBN 1 899432 03 5 : OUT OF PRINT
A chronological history of Durham City. Chapters on the city's origins, the cathedral, castle, market place, Elvet, Gilesgate, Framwellgate Moor/Nevilles Cross and surrounding villages.
Paperback, 96 printed pages, published 1995
THIS BOOK IS
NOW OUT OF PRINT
CORNERS OF DURHAM - Tales and History of the City
NORTH PENNINE PUBLISHING (Durham) ISBN 1 874617 05 8 : OUT OF PRINT
by David Simpson illustrated by Fred Atkinson
A charming A4 guide to the history and legends of Durham City.
Paperback
40 printed pages, published 1992
THIS BOOK IS NOW OUT OF PRINT
PRINCE BISHOP COUNTRY - The People History and Folklore of County Durham
NORTH PENNINE PUBLISHING (Durham) : ISBN 1 874617 00 7 : OUT OF PRINT
by David Simpson illustrated by Fred Atkinson
An attractive illustrated guide to the people, history and legends of County Durham, origin of the Prince Bishops. Durham City, Weardale, Derwent Valley, Coal mining origins.
Published with the assistance of Durham County Council.
Paperback, 60 printed pages, published 1991
THIS BOOK IS NOW OUT OF PRINT
HADRIAN'S VALE AND GEORDIELAND - The People History and Folklore of the River Tyne
NORTH PENNINE PUBLISHING (Durham) : ISBN 1 874617 04 X: OUT OF PRINT
by David Simpson illustrated by Fred Atkinson
A little illustrated guide to the people, history and legends of the Tyne Valley, Hexham, Hadrian's Wall, Newcastle, Tyneside and Gateshead.
Paperback, 60 printed pages, published 1991
THIS BOOK IS NOW OUT OF PRINT
VALE OF THE VIKINGS - The People History and Folklore of the River Tees
NORTH PENNINE PUBLISHING (Durham) : ISBN 1 874617 01 5: OUT OF PRINT
by David Simpson illustrated by Fred Atkinson
An attractive little guide to the people, history and legends of Teesdale, Darlington and Teesside, following the course of the River Tees from Cross Fell to Cleveland with particular interest in the valley's Viking heritage. Illustrated throughout with the drawings of artist Fred Atkinson
Paperback, 60 printed pages, published 1991
THIS BOOK IS NOW OUT OF PRINT
SHORE OF THE SAINTS - The People History and Folklore of the North East Coast Whitby to Berwick
NORTH PENNINE PUBLISHING (Durham) : ISBN 1 874617 02 3: OUT OF PRINT
by David Simpson illustrated by Fred Atkinson
An attractive little guide to the people, history and legends of the North East coast from Whitby to Berwick. Features local legends like the Laidley Worm. Lots of references to the Christian heritage of the North East coast.
Paperback, 60 printed pages, published 1991
THIS BOOK IS NOW OUT OF PRINT
THE BORDER COUNTY - The People History and Folklore of Northumberland
NORTH PENNINE PUBLISHING (Durham) : ISBN 1 874617 0 31: OUT OF PRINT
by David Simpson illustrated by Fred Atkinson
An attractive little guide to the people, history and legends of the county of Northumberland north of Hadrian's Wall. With emphasis on the county's important border history.
Paperback, 60 printed pages, published 1991
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