"In process of time, when frds increased", the Sunderland Meeting's burying ground was usually "at West Bowden in ye garden of Christopher Trewhitt, where...a great many of our frds were buried, as also from Shields". The distance from Sunderland proved too inconvenient, and in 1670 the Friends acquired the first of their burial grounds in Sunderland (SMR 64). The earliest reference found to a burial at Boldon is 1657, the latest 1670. Phillips could not locate this cemetery. The OS give the above grid ref, based on a published letter from Rev. J.T. Brown, who said that in the extreme north-west corner of the garden of the old hall 11 skeletons in soft wood, unmarked, coffins were dug up in c. 1899. He had learned that this was traditionally, the site of the Quaker burying ground.

The names South, East and West Fields survive within the township of Whitburn on the 1st ed. OS 6", and roughly correspond with the surviving traces of ridge and furrow. East Field: there is ridge and furrow on the rifle range, centred on NZ 410 627. West Field: certain and probable remains both north and south of Cleadon Lane NZ 39 62. South Field: traces of ridge and furrow south-east of the village, south of Moor Lane and west of Sunderland Road, NZ 39 60, 39 61, 40 61. There are slight traces of ridge and furrow on the Leas at Marsden and south of Trow Point, which can be seen in low winter sunlight running east to west and occasionally north-east to south-west. The fields at the Leas are enclosed by low banks. Just above Man Haven there is a long wedge-shaped enclosure with slight hollows within - the site of a series of barns of unknown date.

In 1853 the Rev. G.C. Abbes of Cleadon donated to the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle a tiny Anglo-Saxon buckle, decorated with garnets held in gold cups. In 1822 it was reported that this donation had been found in a rock sepulchre at East Boldon and, in 1905, the VCH stated that it was "associated with a burial in a rock tomb at East Boldon". There is no further information about either the skeleton, or the location of the grave. Dated C6-7th.

The Archaeological Newsletter, which it has not yet been possible to check, was quoted by Miket as follows: "A bronze age burial has been unearthed by Mr Cuthbert of the Marsden Estate, South Shields, Durham, while digging in his garden. Several bones, teeth and fragments of skull were also found. Dr I.A. Richmond has inspected the find". Miket went on to comment as follows: "The firm attribution of the burial to the 'bronze age' and a belief that Richmond would make such an identification without firm dating evidence are both incredible".

Gibbs included Cleadon in his list of flint sites thus: "CLEADON. Sand pits. Bared surfaces and top gravel. Limpets and Artifacts". Miket equates this with the "rolled flints" recorded as coming from a raised beach, though these were not said to be artifacts. The find spot remains utterly obscure, but note that there were quarries on the site of Cleadon Park, south of Quarry Lane, in the middle of the last century, see above grid ref.

Parish church on the south side of the village, behind the main street. Consists of an aisled five-bay nave, with west tower, a three-bay chancel without aisles, and a south porch. It seems to be agreed that most of the medieval fabric is early C13, (Ryder suggests that the lower part of the tower is perhaps of 12th century), Hamilton Thompson suggesting that the chancel was built later than the nave, with the upper part of the tower being added in the C15. The principal post-medieval alterations were the replacement of all the windows except the vesica-shaped light in the south aisle, and the removal of a short spire (on the tower in Boyle's time). (10) attributes much of the damage to the restoration of 1865-8, but Surtees notes a thorough repair before 1820. Monuments - two foliated-cross tomb lids outside west wall, south aisle - Michael Matthew d1689, the anachronism of a recimbent effigy on a tomb-chest. By W. Smith. Small watch house in sw corner of churchyard. Former paraochial school. 1824, stuccoed, one-storey, with three arched windows in arched recessed panels to north and south {Pevsner}. 2 medieval bells and medieval bell frames. Dated C13th.

There exists a published photograph (1905) entitled "Whitburn Tithe Barn", which was said to be at the bottom of the rectory garden. The 1st ed. OS shows a building of likely size in an enclosure outside the south-east corner of the rectory garden, with access to a lane/track leading east to East Street. This is also shown on a plan of the village of Whitburn, 1817. The tithe plan also shows and lists a tithe barn in this location. On the modern map it has been replaced. The photo shows a long stone building with pantiled roof, and high, wide, centrally placed double doors. There is a window on one side of the door, and a double row of ?put-log holes across the front of the building, the lower row very close to the ground. The visible gable end looks partly rendered, or has possibly had another building against it. An alternative view is that the gable end had been largely rebuilt in brick. If correctly located, it faced south, and the view of it is from the south- west.
Map evidence shows the building range reduced in size between the 1870s-1890s. The adjacent shorter range was also demolished at this time. Following damage during the Second World War it was demolished. The north wall of the barn survived and forms the present northern site boundary wall. The remains of the tithe barn and the remains of later buildings present on the site were recorded in 2015 ahead of proposed development on the site.

In his list of flints Gibbs appears to have conflated finds from two different places on Downhill. He mentions that a "Quarry on South-West side" (the above grid and map ref), and "trenches on the south side, 'Nanny Cow Hill' produced "Flakes and Artifacts. Cist burial, Iron Age". As the latter was certainly on the reservoir site of Nanny Cow Hill (NZ 352 601, NZ 36 SE), and is represented by SMR 873-878, it must be assumed that flakes and artifacts were found at the quarry, though perhaps at the reservoir as well.

"During the excavations in 1899 for the Reservoir at Down Hill (part of Nanny Cow Hill)... the grave of a man...was uncovered...before interested parties could arrive...the workmen had allowed the lining stones to fall in and perish". With the bones were found "a metal spear-head", and several pieces of pottery". Miket makes the reasonable assumption that this was a description of a cist. Whether it was under the ? barrow (HER 873) is anyone's guess. The spearhead was supposedly in Sunderland Museum and prompted Gibbs to attribute the cist burial to the Iron Age and the OS followed him.

In 1898-9 the Sunderland and South Shields Water Company constructed a service reservoir at Downhill (Nanny Cow Hill) on high ground south of West Boldon. While there seems no doubt that prehistoric finds were made in the course of this work, the evidence for the onetime existence of a barrow on the site depends entirely on Preston's statement, nearly 40 years later, that "the waterworks necessitated the removal of the barrow". Young, another 50 years on, and presumably because of the pottery etc., puts the 'barrow' in his Class B, - a site which upon destruction or complete excavation has proved to be a barrow. On 31 August 1898 the Rev. HE Savage exhibited "fragments of two large Ancient British cinerary urns [one plain, one decorated with incised chevrons] found at Boldon while excavating for the Water Company's reservoir". A map accompanies the published note but there are no illustrations of the pieces, which are now lost. Gibson describes a Food Vessel and a Food Vessel Urn, pink fabric and bearing "oval impressions arranged herringbone fashion". Miket describes the decoration as "oblique pseudo-maggot designs". Miket notes that pottery also included a sherd of medieval green-glazed pottery, saying 'the combination is unlikely'. The whole assemblage may be unreal or later contaminated.