High Friarside is a village in County Durham, England classified as a suburban area.[1] It is situated a short distance to the west of Burnopfield.[2]
The placename is variously recorded as Frevejohanside, Frerejonside, and Freresyde meaning "Friar (John’s) hill".[3] There are also localities called Low Friarside and Middle Friarside.
At Low Friarside there are the ruins of a chapel. The date of the foundation of the chapel (sometimes referred to as a chantry or house, and possibly connected to a hospital) is unknown. However, it was in existence in 1312 when Bishop Kellawe collated John Eryum to 'the house, chapel, or chantry of Friarside (Frerejohanside) near Derwent.'[4] In Bishop Hatfield's Survey (1383), the warden of the chantry of Friarside held a messuage and 22 acres of land in Wolsingham. In 1439 Bishop Neville appropriated it with all its revenues to the chantry of Farnacres after that site had suffered floods and a decrease in finances.[5]
A list of masters of the chantry/chapel include, John Eryum, 1312; Richard de Egglescliffe, 1376 (?) William Thorp, 1376; Oswald, bishop of Whithorn, d. 1417; Robert Frend, 1418; William Cross, 1422; and, John Gare, 1423.[6]
The hospital seems to have been demolished in 1450 . However, the chapel survived and with the closure of the chantries in England 1548 it was recorded that Friarside still had one bell perhaps indicating continued usage.[7]
At Middle Friarside there is moat with multiple embankments and ditches.[8]
There was a coal mine, South Garesfield Colliery, also known as Friarside Colliery and North Lintz Colliery that operated 1865-1960 (located to the west of Low Friarside.[9]
Longstaffe, W. Hylton Dyer. (1970). Early history of Ebchester, Friarside, and Medomsley.. Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland 2. Vol 2, pp. 125-133.