(bishopric of), one of the counties of England. It lies between Cumberland and Yorkshire, being bounded on the west by part of Cumberland and Westmoreland, and on the east washed by the German ocean. It is 39 miles long and about 35 broad, of a triangular shape, the basis being formed by the seacoast; and contains 52 parishes, four wakes, one city, eight market-towns, a considerable number of villages and villas, and about 120,000 inhabitants. The climate varies in different parts. Towards the west, among the inland hills, the air is keen, pure, and penetrating; on the sea-fidemore soft, though not so wholesome. The county is watered by 16 rivers, some of which are navigable by boats and lighters; and most of them abound with trout, pike, and salmon. The face of the country is agreeably diversified with hill and dale, wood and water; and, except in the western part, where there is a great number of naked hills, it generally exhibits the appearance of extraordinary cultivation and fertility. The soil in the hilly parts is barren; but the plains are remarkably fruitful. It produces corn and cattle in great abundance and perfection. The mountains yield iron, vitriol, and a considerable quantity of lead; and almost every part of the bishopric affords plenty of coal, which employs a great number of hands and vessels.

Durham is a county palatine, governed by the bishop, who had formerly great prerogatives. He had power to create barons, appoint judges, convolve parliaments, raise taxes, and coin money. The courts of justice were kept in his name; and he granted pardons for trespasses, alienations, rapes, murders, and felonies of every denomination. He erected corporations, granted markets and fairs, created officers by patent, was lord admiral of the seas and waters within the county palatine; great part of the lands were held of the fee in capite. In a word, he exercised all the power and jurisdiction of a sovereign prince. How and at what period these prerogatives were obtained, it is not easy to determine. Malmesbury says, the lands were granted by king Alfred, who likewise made the church a sanctuary for criminals. This fee was anciently called the patrimony of St Cuthbert, who had been bishop of Lindisfarne or Holy Island near Berwick. His bones being transferred to Durham, were long esteemed as precious relics; and the people of the county considered themselves as Halwerk men, exempted from all other but holy work, that is, the defence of St Cuthbert's body. Certain it is, they pretended to hold their lands by this tenure; and refused to serve out of the county either for the king or bishop: but king Edward I. broke through these privileges, and curtailed the prerogatives of the bishops, which were still further abridged by Henry VIII. Nevertheless, the bishop is still earl of Sadberg, a place in this county, which he holds by barony. He is sheriff paramount, and appoints his own deputy, who makes up his audit to him, instead of accounting to the exchequer. He has all the forfeitures upon outlaws; and he and his temporal chancellor act as justices of the peace for the county palatine, which comprehends Creke in Yorkshire, Bedlington, Northam, and Holy Island, in Northumberland, the inhabitants of these places having the benefit of the courts at Durham. The judges of assize, and all the officers of the court, have still their ancient salaries from the bishop; and he constitutes the standing officers by his letters patent. He has the power of presiding in person in any of the courts of judicature. Even when judgment of blood is given, this prelate may sit in court in his purple robes, tho' the canons forbid any clergyman to be present in such cases: hence the old saying, Solum Dunciensium stola jus dictet et enfe. It was not till the reign of Charles II. that the bishopric sent representatives to parliament. At present it sends only four; two knights for the shire, and two burgesses for the city.

capital of the above mentioned county, is situated in W. Long. 1. 14. N. Lat. 54. 50. It stands on a hill almost surrounded by the river Wear; and is considerable for its extent and the number of its inhabitants, as well as for being the see and seat of the bishop, who is lord paramount. It stands about 280 miles north from London; being remarkable for the salubrity of its air, and the abundance and cheapness of its provisions. These circumstances have induced a great deal of good company to take up their residence at Durham, which is still further animated by the presence and court of the bishop and his clergy. The town is said to have been built about 70 years before the Norman conquest, on occasion of bringing hither the body of St Cuthbert. It was first incorporated by king Richard I. but queen Elizabeth extended its privileges. At length, in the year 1684, it obtained a charter; in consequence of which, it is now governed by a mayor, 12 aldermen, 12 common council men, with a recorder, and inferior officers. These can hold a court-leet and court-baron within the city; but under the style of the bishop, who as count palatine appoints a judge, steward, sheriffs, and other inferior magistrates. The mayor and aldermen also keep a pie powdres court at their fairs, and pay a yearly toll to the bishop. They have a weekly market on Saturday, and three annual fairs. Durham is about a mile in length, and as much in breadth, resembling the figure of a crab, the market-place exhibiting the body, and the claws being represented by the streets, which bend according to the course of the river, that almost surrounds one part of the city. They are, moreover, dark and narrow; and some of them lying on the acclivity of a steep hill, are very difficult and dangerous to wheel-carriges. The houses are in general strong built, built, but neither light nor elegant. The most remarkable edifices are the cathedral with six other churches, three standing in the city, and as many in the suburbs; the college; the castle, or bishop's palace; the tolbooth near St Nicholas's church; the cros and conduit in the market-place; with two bridges over the Elvet. The cathedral was begun by bishop Carilepho in the 11th century. It is a large, magnificent, Gothic structure, 411 feet long, and 80 in breadth, having a cros aile in the middle 170 feet in length, and two smaller aisles at each end. On the south-side is a fine cloister; on the east, the old library, the chapter-house, and part of the deanery; on the west, the dormitory, under which is the treasury and a chantry; and on the west side is the new library, an elegant building begun by dean Sudbury about 70 years ago, on the spot where stood the old refectory of the convent. The middle tower of the cathedral is 212 feet high. The whole building is arched and supported by huge pillars. Several of the windows are curiously painted; and there is a handsome screen at the entrance into the choir. Sixteen bishops are interred in the chapter-house, which is 75 feet long and 33 broad, arched over-head, with a magnificent seat at the upper end for the installation of the bishops. The confirmary is kept in the chapel or west aisle called Galilee, which was built by bishop Pudsey, and had formerly 16 altars for women, as they were not allowed to advance farther than the line of marble by the side of the font; here likewise are deposited the bones of the venerable Bede, whose eulogium is written on an old parchment scroll that hangs over his tomb. The long cros aile, at the extremity of the church, was formerly distinguished by nine altars, four to the north, and four to the south, and the most magnificent in the middle dedicated to the patron St Cuthbert, whose rich shrine was in this quarter, formerly much frequented by pilgrims. The church is possessed of some old records relating to the affairs of Scotland, the kings of which were great benefactors to this cathedral. The ornaments here used for administering the divine offices, are said to be richer than those of any other cathedral in England. Before the reformation, it was distinguished by the name ecclesia sancta Maria et sancti Cuthberti; but it obtained the appellation of ecclesia cathedralis Christi et beatae Mariae, in the reign of Henry VIII., who endowed the deanery with 12 prebendaries, 12 minor canons, a deacon, sub-deacon, 16 lay singing men, a schoolmaster and usher, a master of the choir, a divinity reader, eight alms-men, 18 scholars, 10 choristers, two vergers, two porters, two cooks, two butlers, and two sacristans. On the south-side of the cathedral, is the college; a spacious court formed by the houses of the prebendaries, who are richly endowed and extremely well lodged. Above the college-gate, at the east end, is the exchequer; and at the west, a large hall for entertaining strangers, with the granary and other offices of the convent. The college-school, with the master's house, stands on the north side of the cathedral. Between the churchyard and castle, is an open area called the palace-green; at the west end of which stands the shire-hall, where the assizes and sessions are held for the county. Hard by is the library built by bishop Cofin; together with the exchequer raised by bishop Nevil, in which are kept the offices belonging to the county-palatine court.

There is an hospital on the east, endowed by bishop Cofin, and at each end of it are two schools founded by bishop Langley. On the north, is the castle built by William the Conqueror, and afterwards converted into the bishop's palace, the outward gate of which is at present the county-goal.

The city consists of three manors; the bishop's manor containing the city liberties and the bailey, held of him by the service of cattle-guard; the manor of the dean and chapter, consisting of the Elvet's cros gate, south-gate street; and the manor of Gilligate, formerly belonging to the dissolved hospital of Kepyrar in this neighbourhood, but granted by Edward VI. to John Cockburn, lord of Ormiston, and late in the possession of John Tempell, Esq. The bishopric of Durham is one of the best in England, not only on account of its ample revenues and prerogatives, but because living is remarkably cheap in this county, and the bishop has a great number of rich benefices in his gift.

In the neighbourhood of this city is Nevil's cros, famous for the battle fought in the year 1346, against David II., king of Scotland, who was defeated and taken.