Murton village

The earliest reference is in a list of townships of which Tynemouth Priory received confirmation in 1189. Five tenants contributed to the 1296 lay subsidy. In the mid 14th century there are references to "Estmoreton" and "Westmorton", but it is not known which is the surviving village. In 1539 there were 4 copyhold tenants each with a tenement, 42 acres of arable, 8 acres of meadow, and rights of common on Shire Moor, enclosed in 1790. On the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map Murton was a 2-row hamlet with a green, and at least 2 farms still on the main street. Today it largely consists of modern houses. A watching brief in 2013 revealed a post-medieval culvert in the fields to the north of the present village but nothing relating to the medieval settlement.