and Cleadon. By the 12th century, Whitburn appears to have been well-established as a two row green village (two rows of properties facing onto a linear green). Whitburn had a tithe barn, a stone building which formed part of the village's feudal system, situated off Church Lane until it was destroyed by a bomb in the Second World War. Whitburn Parish Church (constructed in the 13th century) and Whitburn Hall (constructed in the 16th century) became the focal points of the village. Whitburn is recorded in the Boldon Book of 1183 as Whitberne and was listed alongside Cleadon. The combined land area of Cleadon and Whitburn was approximately , suggesting that the settlements were well-established by the time of the Boldon Book. The entry in the Boldon Book mentions a "John of Whitburn" who "holds 40 acres and 1 toft and returns 8s and goes on missions for the Bishop." The use of the word "cornage", an old form of taxation pre-dating the Anglo-Saxon period, further suggests that Whitburn was among the oldest of settlements in the area. In 1183, Whitburn and Boldon formed part of the bishop's estates and much of the surrounding land belonged to the Prior of Durham Cathedral. 200 years after the Boldon Book, the Bishop of Durham (Thomas Hatfield) commissioned the Hatfield Survey. Cleadon and Whitburn are again listed together as a single parish with two townships. The survey also mentions Whitburn Windmill. Whitburn operated under a manorial system until 1718 when the Land Enclosure Act came into force and a number of farms were created. Until the mid-late 19th century, Whitburn was a largely agricultural and fishing community. Throughout the 19th century, the population of Whitburn Parish grew from 675 in 1801 to 2,738 in 1891, largely driven by increased industrialisation. A contemporary description from 1834 describes the villages as having "a more sheltered and comfortable appearance than most places on the bare-eastern coast." Another description of the village from 1857 records it as having "a Wesleyan Methodist chapel, a post-office, a brewery, and three public houses." The 1891 census reveals that Whitburn's population included wealthy industrialists, entrepreneurs, coalminers and fishermen. Detached villas and terraces were built along with two schools and the Wesleyan Chapel, which was replaced by the current Methodist Church in 1881. Whitburn Colliery (also known as Marsden Colliery) opened in the 1840s, stimulating the local brick and iron industries and