Hartlepool Leasing

Did You Know?

The original town of Old Hartlepool, known locally as the 'Headland', was founded on the site of a monastery that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times. The monastery was destroyed during a Danish raid in 800 AD.

The place name derives from Old English heort ("hart"), referring to stags seen, and pōl (pool), a pool of drinking water which they were known to use. Records of the place-name from early sources confirm this.

The name Hartlepool is thought to derive from 'heopru', the Saxon term for the place where harts, or deer, drink.

In the 12th century, St. Hilda's Church was built on the site as a burial place for the powerful local Norman family of De Brus. As a natural harbour, Old Hartlepool soon grew into a small fishing town. King John granted it a Royal Charter in 1201.

By the 13th century the town had become strategically important for the powerful Bishops of Durham and the Crown. The ever-present fear of Scottish attack led to the building of defensive walls around the town, which marked an important period of local history and fortification. During early modern times, Hartlepool developed into one of the busiest ports on England's east coast.

The Bruces acquired Hartlepool after the Norman Conquest although their period of ownership was characterised by disputes with the Prince Bishops of Durham over who exactly owned the place.

One notable Scottish raid on Hartlepool occured in 1315, the year after King Edward I had been defeated by King Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn. Robert the Bruce may have had a particular grudge against Hartlepool as it was the place to which the English King Edward had fled following the battle.

Throughout the Middle Ages Hartlepool virtually monopolised the shipping of the Durham Bishopric and was one of the busiest places on the eastern coast. Such was its importance that it regularly attracted pirates who hampered the trade here and at neighbouring ports like Whitby.

Some parts of Hartlepool’s town wall date from the 14th century including the historic Sandwell Gate which can still be seen. Here the wall is eight feet three inches thick.

At the Siege of Dunbar in 1650 it was said that the French had come into the possession of a detailed map of Hartlepool and hoped to set men ashore to fortify the place as a base for seizing the whole of northern England.

When the early 19th century arrived, Hartlepool had become more of a resort than a fishing port. It was a place where the 'better off' came to enjoy the fresh sea air.

The outbreak of World War I in 1914 fuelled Hartlepool's success as a centre of the shipbuilding industry. Indeed, the town was thought to be so strategically prominent that it was the target of several German attacks.

The move away from heavy manufacturing in Britain with the closure of the shipbuilding docks from the 1960s brought change once again to Hartlepool, with the subsequent transformation of the old docks into a new marina complex.

The star attraction berthed in the quay is however the beautiful HMS Trincomalee, the oldest surviving British 18th century warship which you can get on board and explore.