As recent incomers to the village of Ebchester, my wife and I were totally amazed at the warmth and freindliness shown towards us by the people of Ebchester. Nothing seems to much trouble to them, If you mention in passing to a neighbour that you need something it is there on your doorstep within minutes, If you need a hand with anything they are queuing up to help.
This is quite a unique and a very refreshing thing to find in this day and age.
As i am keen on local history I was amazed at the amount of history that is attached to such a small village and it's neighbouring villages, villages such as Whitonstall, Hamsterly, Shotley Bridge, Chopwell, and Medomsley.
Iam well aware that other people have put into print the history of Ebchester better than i ever could, but i have decided to have a go anyway.
This would not have been possible without the help without the help of the new freinds and neighbours in the village.

Records state the earliest earlest people to settle near Ebchester were the Brigantes, who were a Welsh speaking people of Roman-Celtic Britain whose land streched from the shores the North Sea to the Irish Sea. They were tribal and often at war with each other. There were several tribes spread throughout Northern England, the Caruetti in Cubria, Setantii in Lancashire, Latenses Leeds.The Lopocares, Corionototae, Tectoverdi, were all located in the Tyne valley.
Brigante is thought to mean (People of the uplands, or hill dwellers) We have to rely on Roman records to learn about these tribes.
Over the years relics have been unearthed by farmers and land workers which substantiate the roman records.
Because of these records and artefacts it is known that they were organised and fearless worriors and fine craftsmen, skilled in weapon making and fine preciouse jewllery. The Celts were very good at working the land and made excellent farmers.They were skilled in the use of chariots but the Romans left them standing in this department.
There is evidence that a tribe had a significant camp at Medomsley, iron weapons have been unearthed there dating to the Brigante period, there is also evidence of the Brigantes having a large camp at Corbridge,this could be a possible reason why the Romans built forts in and around these arias as they would be in a good position to control these warlike people.
Mugglleswick also has evidence of a Brigante camp, a grave barrow and pot containing the remains of a cremation were found at the Sneep.
A stone axe was found at Ebchester in 1995 dating back to c 1500, it was made from Longdale Lava", a green stone. it was found by Mr W Dodd's of Mains Farm.

Local records state that on the 17th of October 1346, King David of Scotland, after crossing the river Tyne and then the Derwent at Ebchester, camped on the banks of the Derwent, on his way to the battle of Red-Hills, commonly known as the Battle of Neville's Cross.

In 1644 the Scots after fighting with Sir Gamaliel Dudley and Lord Henry Cavendish, crossed the Tyne at Eltingham, Bywell, and Ovingham, headed for Sunderland following a route which took them via Ebchester and Chester-lee street.

On the 19th of August 1654 John Hunter from Medomsley said that when he attended a meeting of a new religious sect called the Quakers the devil appeared. The meeting took place at Benfieldside.
In 1790 the devil appeared again when he attended the opening of a new christian meeting house, again at Benfieldside.

On April the 2 1673, Dorothy Green from Edmondbyers,Elizabeth Pickering of Whittonstall, Catherine Elliot and Elizabeth Atchinson, both of Ebchester, along with others, were committed to trial at Newcastle Assises for practising whitchcraft. The accuser was Ann Armstrong, a simple country girl of low intelligence.The case was latter transfered to Morpeth. Some records state they were hung,others say they were all aquitted when the court accepted that the allegations were flights of fancy by an illiterate servant girl. The aquittal came to late for Dorothy Green as she died in prison.

In April 1750 as some workmen were sinking a draw well at Ebchester they discoverd an aqueduct to a Roman bath.

In June 1789. a group of boys fishing in Ebchester discovered the body of a child buried in mud on the bank of a streem. For some reason a stake had been driven through the childs body pinning it to the earth. Details of the crime are sparse but it was recorded that other murdered children's body's had been discovered in the area in previous months.