In prehistoric times, a large area of what is now County Durham formed part of a glacial lake. The land south of the River Tees was formerly a part of the Viking Kingdom of Jorvik (York) while the area to the north of Hartlepool remained in the old Anglo-Saxon province of Northumbria.

Monkwearmouth is where Sunderland's history really begins. In 674 A.D the land on the northern bank of the river overlooking the coast at Wearmouth was granted by Ecgfrith, King of Northumbria to a noble called Benedict Biscop who used the land to build a monastery. All that remains of the monastery today is the Anglo-Saxon church of St Peter which is one of the most historic churches in England. Biscop had great ambitions for his monastery at Wearmouth and brought in masons and glaziers from France and even employed an Archchanter, from St Peter's cathedral in Rome.

The Venerable Bede (675-735) who tells us that he was born in the vicinity of Sunderland, began his monastic life at Monkwearmouth before moving on to Biscop's other later monastery at Jarrow on Tyne. The ancient churches of St Pauls, Jarrow and St Peters Monkwearmouth, were described by Bede as "one monastery in two places", both still stand today in what are strikingly similar, riverside settings. Monkwearmouth and Jarrow, were two of the most important centres of Northumbrian culture and learning, in that period of history which today we call the `Dark Ages'.

Sir Timothy Eden in his History of Durham (1948) beautifully explains the former importance of these two venerable places;

Sadly the Anglo-Saxon life of St Peters Monkwearmouth was brought to an end in the ninth century by Viking raids when it was sacked by the Danish pirates Hubba and Hingmar. Fortunately the Monkwearmouth and Jarrow churches were re-established in Norman times when they became monastic cells of the great cathedral of Durham.

The Sundered Land

Although the greater part of Sunderland lies to the south of the Wear some of the oldest and most historic parts of the modern town are on the northern bank of this river. Undoubtedly the most historic part of Sunderland is that area on the north bank by the coast called Monkwearmouth. Sunderland was originally part of Monkwearmouth and in fact the name Sunderland derives from `Sundered Land', that is land that was sundered or seperated, from the monastic estates of Monkwearmouth in Anglo-Saxon times. For centuries Sunderland was only a part of Wearmouth and although the name Sunderland was commonly used for the whole area, it was not until 1719 that Sunderland itself achieved the status of a seperate parish. In 1897 roles were finally reversed and Monkwearmouth officially became part of the town of Sunderland.

Sunderland, the largest town on the eastern coast of England, grew primarily as a result of its development as a coal exporting harbour at the mouth of the River Wear. The growth of the town took place despite centuries of fierce resistance from the wealthy and powerful town of Newcastle upon Tyne, which posessed a Royal Charter, restricting the shipment of coal from nearby ports like Sunderland. During the Civil War the rivalry between the ports of Sunderland and Newcastle was intensified, when Newcastle became a staunchly Royalist City.

Sunderland, partly influenced by its large contingent of Scottish traders supported the Parliamentarians under Oliver Cromwell. In 1642 Sunderland received a garrison of Parliamentarians from Cromwell composed mainly of Scots or `Blew Caps' as they were nicknamed. Sunderland therefore became a centre for Parliamentarian offensives against Royalist strongholds of North Eastern England like Durham City and Newcastle upon Tyne. The most significant of the Parliamentarian attacks upon a North Eastern town was the siege of Newcastle in 1644, where for a time the walled Tyneside town held out against parliamentarian forces comprised mainly of Scots.

Sunderland's stance in the Civil War aroused much bitterness from the Newcastle Royalists. The role of Sunderland and Newcastle in the Civil War was of extreme importance, as Newcastle was the major supplier of coal to London. If Sunderland had followed Newcastle and supported the Royalist cause, the essential supply of coal to Cromwell's London would have been virtually cut off and perhaps the outcome of the Civil War may even have been different. In fairness to Sunderland, it was perhaps not surprising that its symapathies lay with the Parliamentarians rather than the Royalists, as after all it was a Royal Charter that restricted Sunderland's trade and gave Newcastle a somewhat unfair advantage in any competition between the two ports. One result of the Civil War, was that Sunderland and its coal trade began to rapidly expand while Newcastle, though remaining the major coal port of Britain, had permanently lost its monopolistic hold on the export of local coal.

Shipbuilding Traditions

Sunderland was long an important coal port, but the industry for which the town was until recently better known was shipbuilding. Since 1346 when a certain Thomas Menville was recorded as building vessels here, Sunderland has had a shipbuilding industry and indeed it is claimed that shipbuilding had taken place in even earlier times. In 1885 a primitive 2000 year old dug out canoe, was found in the River Wear at Sunderland near Hylton, in the north west of the town. This is claimed to be the first example of Sunderland boat building workmanship.

Whatever the origins of shipbuilding on Wearside, by 1814 Sunderland had 24 shipyards, a figure which had risen to 65 in 1840. By the mid twentieth century, when the town produced more than a quarter of the nation's total tonnage of merchant and naval ships for World War Two Sunderland was widely regarded as the largest shipbuilding town in the world. Sadly, despite strong opposition from workers and community leaders, Sunderland's last shipyards were closed down in 1988.