Regional Information
The Headland on the north east coast was once probably an island. In Anglo-Saxon times it was named 'Hereteu', which means 'Stag Island', with the wider district subsequently becoming known as Hart or Hartness.
At an early stage, the Headland, a fishing community, was distinguished from the wider district by the addition of the word 'pool'. Old Hartlepool is first mentioned in historic texts datingn from 647 AD, but little is known about its development until the granting of its first Royal Charter in 1201. Despite the administrative merger with the much younger neighbouring community of West Hartlepool in 1967, the village of around 3,460 people has fought to retain its individuality
