"Gilbert de Whitley received royal licence on April 9th, 1345, to crenellate his manor house at Whitley. The tower recurs in the list of castles and fortalices drawn up in 1415, but probably soon fell into disuse, as there is no mention of it in the survey of 1538, and no tradition survives as to its site. Gilbert de Whitley was an expert military architect, holding the office in 1356, of master and supervisor of the king's work in the castle of Newcastle". Dated C14th.

The name Whitley derives from the Anglian for white lea or pasture, and may suggest Anglian origins. Variations of the name include Wheteley, Hwyteleg and Whitlag. A gift of Henry I to Tynemouth Priory, Whitley is listed as one of their possessions at the beginning of the C12, and appears in subsequent taxation lists without any indication of size or number of tenants. In c. 1539 there were 5 copyhold tenants, each with a tenement and land, and also a cottage and orchard: these figures were repeated in 1633. It appears as an east-west 2 row village, perhaps with green, with the hall in the centre of the south side, and still very small, in the mid C19. Today the site lies around the major cross-roads of Park View - Whitley Road east-west, Park Avenue - Marden Road north-south. York St marks the back lane on the north side; there are a few remnants of stone partition walls on the north side, but most buildings are 20th century brick. One ashlar-fronted house on N side, ?18th century, 270 Whitley Road. Dated C12th.

There was a coalmine somewhere at Heworth at least as early as the C14. Fowler published several references to the expenses of Heworth mine in 1377- 8, viz. sharpening picks, binding buckets, the purchase of a cord and a barrel, the payment of colliers' wages and for drawing water there. The coalmine account rolls of 1433-4 record the payment of 20s for making a shaft in Heworth field for the winning of coal. Dated C14-15th.

There are references to, probably several, quarries on Heworth Moor and at Over Heworth. In 1359-60 two men were given separate plots on the moor to quarry, one with 5 men and the other with 3. In 1371 Chilsid quarry is specifically named. In 1378 3 men took the quarry at the end of Upper Heworth for a year, to work it by 2 men with 2 picks. In 1580 Edward Thomson leased a stone quarry at Over Heworth and Ric. Bell and associates took a new quarry. There are also references to payment for the carriage of stone, including millstones, across Heworth land, so presumably from somewhere else, to the Tyne. Dated C14-16th.

Four references have been found to the digging of clay in Over Heworth in the C14. In 1357-8 John Oteson, potter, was assigned a rod of clay for 20s 6d, but the court proceeded against 3 others for taking the same without licence. In 1379 the convent's terrar took clay worth 13s 4d for tenements, i.e. presumably for building operations, and for 20s John Buron and Adam Potter of Gateshead were licensed to dig clay for a year with 2 men. The precise location of this activity is unknown. Dated C14th.

The bishop of Durham possessed for a time the forests of Gateshead and Heworth, and in order to enjoy the hunting he had "a dwelling house" or "a small manor house" conveniently near at hand, in Gateshead. In 1225 the chief forester stated that Bishop du Puiset frequently resided at Gateshead. Its location is uncertain, though it may have been the large building at the south end of Oakwellgate known as Palace Place when sold in 1586 and later as King John's Palace (HER 5589). Alternatively, the bishop's manor house could have been on the site of Park House (HER 5094). Dated C12th.

Attached to the episcopal estate of Gateshead was Bishop Puiset's favourite 'chase' of Heworth. The Bishop of Durham had his own deer park at Bishop Auckland. It had the added advantage of being well-wooded, and hence of great economic value (being assessed by the forester at 1,000 marks) since timber could easily be extracted and moved by rafts on the Tyne. As it was uncomfortably close to the prior and convent's demesne of Heworth there were disputes of ownership, finally resolved in 1195 when Puiset confirmed to the convent his whole wood of Heworth. The prior received a grant of free warren in his park at Heworth from Bishop Farnham in 1248. The location and size of this tract of land are unknown. Dated C12th.

Wardley is not included in Henry II's confirmation of the prior and convent's estates so the usual inference is that it was carved later out of one or more of the surrounding townships. Note, however, Walter de Selby resigning the vill of Wardley to the prior and convent, ? mid C13. The manor was certainly in existence by 1264 when the prior built camera, hall and chapel there. Other structures noted in the medieval accounts - kitchen, grange, bovaria, byre, stable, henhouse, herringhouse, farina, dovecot and a bridge, presumably over the moat. For much of the C14 in hand and used for the monks' recreation; leased or granted out thereafter, sometimes to retired priors. After the destruction of the Priors House in the early 14th century by the Scots, the Manor House was restored with a deep moat surrounding it. Not sure whether it was re-excavated or newly created. The Manor House was the administrative centre of a large enclosed farm. In the mid 18th century Wardley was split into five farms, with the moated enclosure split between Wardley Manor House Farm and South Wardley Farm. Remains of the moat visible on S and SE; E side was illegally filled in in the 1970s and has been relocated by excavation. N two-thirds are obscured by various industrial activities. The moated site was scheduled in 1986 for its good earthwork survival, historic interest and archaeological potential. In 1999 scheduling was extended to include the full extent of the site underneath and to the north of Bowes Railway. Schedule amended 06/11/15 to remove the area within Coats Yard as the archaeological remains here are degraded and fragmentary. Dated C13th.

In addition to SMR 717, Hodgson noted "another pediment of a cross" in the centre of Leam Lane between White Mare (sic) Pool and Jingling Gate. The latter was at the junction of Lingey Lane and Leam Lane (NZ 2998 6066). As Leam Lane, the Wrekendyke, was an important and early parish and township boundary, this and SMR 717 were obviously boundary crosses.

"...the pediment of the cross, which stands in the middle of Leam-lane, at Whitemere Pool,...". As Leam Lane, the Wrekendyke, was an important and early parish and township boundary, this and SMR 718 were obviously boundary crosses.