Old Burdon village

The earliest certain reference to Old Burdon is in Boldon Buke 1183 (a survey of land belonging to the Bishop of Durham, Hugh du Puiset) assuming it the same as the Little Burdon mentioned there. At that time it was held by John de Houghton, "(who) rendered 10s and carted wine with 4 oxen, and goes in the great chase with two greyhounds". In the 14th century Lord Nevill and partners held, as free tenants, the vill of Little Burdon. In the mid-19th century it consisted of a double courtyard farm on the west side of a north-south lane, probably much as today. In 1856 Robert Bolton was the farmer at Old Burdon.