Help with a place name

[angie36]

Hi, I am hoping someone can help me locate a place. On the parish record of the marriage between Christopher Arnison and Elizabeth Meynell, 1829, Romaldkirk. The grooms parish is given as Heads. The brides parish is blank. Does anyone know where Heads is, or where might have been known as Heads?

Thanks
Angela

[The Mc]

I have not heard of Heads, and it's not on the Genuki list of Romaldkirk parishes as below or in the Yorkshire parish index either .....

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/NRY/Romaldkirk/index.html

[angie36]

Thanks, I know, I have searched, I wondered if it was maybe short for something - or perhaps it is mispelled on the transcription. Was hoping it might ring a bell with someone.

[Geordie Mag]

Yes - it will be short for something, and I reckon it was farm or small collection of houses within Romaldkirk parish. I would guess they both came from Romaldkirk parish, that the bride came from somewhere close in to the village, but that the groom came from further out. For example, there is still a Scarhead farm at the top of Lunedale. A lot of Lunedale is now under the reservoir, but there may originally have been a group of houses there, at the head of the valley. There is also a Fountainhead at the top of the road out of Cotherstone to Bowes. There might have been something at the top of Baldersdale, again now under a reservoir.

[angie36]

Thanks for this, they lived in Cotherstone, and I hadn't considered that it could be a small group of houses. 

[Geordie Mag]

Small groups of houses, apparently now in the middle of nowwhere , are characteristic of all the North Pennines, because of their mining history. Some of those in County Durham are still very much communities, but the ones higher up the dales tend to have been abandoned.
I have been looking at maps and our 1940s book on Teesdale. The latter mentions "the houses at Balderhead", so obviously a small community still there at that time. In Lunedale, besides Lune Head, the current OS map shows farms at Lane Head and Beck Head, very close to each other. they are above the reservoir, There may have been other houses, now under the reservoir.
However, what really came up trumps was the "Keys to the Past" website of Durham County Council. Put Lunedale into their "search records" and there are all the listed buildings and historical features including a photo of the 19th century miners' cottages at Lune Head. There will also be entries for Balderdale, Cotherstone and Romaldkirk, so you might find some other possibilities.