Set in the northernmost hills of the North Pennines, it is perhaps the remoteness, the elevated position and the unforgiving climate that have given Hunstanworth people their special resilience.
For centuries, grazing livestock and small-scale lead mining provided an extremely modest living for the few hardy families that could survive the bitter winters. Early 19th Century mechanisation created a demand for hundreds more lead miners, and a huge influx of families from Cornwall and other areas swelled the population. When cheaper Spanish lead ore became available around 1880 the mines closed down, and most of the incomers moved on to find work elsewhere.
This section tells the stories of just some of the individuals from this once thriving rural community…
