History of Birtley
The parish of Birtley lies in central Northumberland. It stretches from the relatively fertile banks of the River North Tyne in the west to the open moorland of Buteland Fell to the north. The name Birtley derives from the Old English words for ‘bright clearing’.
The importance of farming to this area is shown by the survival of prehistoric and medieval cultivation remains in the parish. These contrast with the industrial remains from ironstone, coal and lime extraction.