Durham was founded in 995 by Anglo-Saxon monks seeking a place safe from Viking raids to house the relics of St Cuthbert.

The university is a significant employer in the region, alongside the local council and national government at the land registry and passport office.

[8] The present city can clearly be traced back to AD 995, when a group of monks from Lindisfarne chose the strategic high peninsula as a place to settle with the body of Saint Cuthbert, that had previously lain in Chester-le-Street, founding a church there.

The 12th-century chronicler Symeon of Durham recounts that after wandering in the north, Saint Cuthbert's bier miraculously came to a halt at the hill of Warden Law and, despite the effort of the congregation, would not move.

The shrine of Saint Cuthbert, situated behind the High Altar of Durham Cathedral, was the most important religious site in England until the martyrdom of St Thomas Becket at Canterbury in 1170.

Firstly, the miraculous healing powers he had displayed in life continued after his death, with many stories of those visiting the saint's shrine being cured of all manner of diseases.

As long as he remained loyal to the king of England, he could govern as a virtually autonomous ruler, reaping the revenue from his territory, but also remaining mindful of his role of protecting England's northern frontier.The bishops had their own court system, including most notably the Court of Chancery of the County Palatine of Durham and Sadberge.

[28] The county also had its own attorney general,[18] whose authority to bring an indictment for criminal matters was tested by central government in the case of R v Mary Ann Cotton (1873).

In 1758, a new proposal hoped to make the Wear navigable from Durham to Sunderland by altering the river's course, but the increasing size of ships made this impractical.

Practically every village around the city had a coal mine and, although these have since disappeared as part of the regional decline in heavy industry, the traditions, heritage and community spirit are still evident.

[52] Early in the 20th century, coal became depleted, with a particularly important seam worked out in 1927, and in the following Great Depression Durham was among those towns that suffered exceptionally severe hardship.

[57] Durham was not bombed during World War II, though one raid on the night of 30 May 1942 did give rise to the local legend of 'St Cuthbert's Mist'.

This states that the Luftwaffe attempted to target Durham, but was thwarted when Cuthbert created a mist that covered both the castle and cathedral, sparing them from bombing.

[60] The River Wear flows north through the city, making an incised meander which encloses the centre on three sides to form Durham's peninsula.

Heading west, Silver Street leads out of the Market Place towards Framwellgate Bridge and North Road, the other main shopping area of the city.

This primarily helps to maintain separation from Chester-le-Street,[61] and restrain expansion of the city and coalescence with nearby villages such as Bearpark, Great Lumley and Sherburn.

[11]Sir Walter Scott was so inspired by the view of the cathedral from South Street[63] that he wrote "Harold the Dauntless", a poem about Saxons and Vikings set in County Durham and published on 30 January 1817.

The following lines from the poem are carved into a stone tablet on Prebends Bridge: Grey towers of Durham Yet well I love thy mixed and massive piles Half church of God, half castle 'gainst the Scot And long to roam those venerable aisles With records stored of deeds long since forgot.

[9] The outlying areas were known as the townships and owned by the bishop,[11] the most famous of these being Gilesgate (which still contains the mediaeval St Giles Church), Claypath and Elvet.

[8] Most of the mediaeval buildings in the commercial area of the city have disappeared apart from the House of Correction and the Chapel of Saint Andrew, both under Elvet Bridge.

[79] A local referendum was held on creating a parish council for unparished areas of Durham City in February and March 2017, in which 66% of voters supported the proposal.

This is a table of trend of regional gross value added of County Durham at current basic prices published Archived 25 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine (pp.

[95] The holder of the office of Bishop of Durham was appointed by the King to exercise royal authority on his behalf and the castle was the centre of his command.

It is generally regarded as one of the finest Romanesque cathedrals in Europe and the rib vaulting in the nave marks the beginning of Gothic ecclesiastical architecture.

The cathedral has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site[98] along with nearby Durham Castle, which faces it across Palace Green, high above the River Wear.

Durham railway station is a stop on the East Coast Main Line between Edinburgh Waverley and London King's Cross.

Durham market place and its peninsula form the UK's first (albeit small) congestion charging area, which was introduced in 2002.

[127] Durham's nearest airports are at Teesside, within the county to the south-east, and Newcastle to the north; both are located 25–30 miles (40–48 km) from the city by road.

There is a path running alongside the river's south bank (i.e. the Cathedral side) for the entire length of the stretch available for rowing, the concrete section between Hatfield College boathouse and Elvet Bridge being completed in 1882.

[148] The club takes part in the government scheme playing for success where it uses sport to combine rowing, science, computers and video to help boost literacy and numeracy.