Parish registers suggests that the settlement dates to a least the sixteenth century. The village existed in a largely agricultural state, with a
windmill being its one feature up till the nineteenth century. In 1804
Bishop William Gibson ordered the building of St. Cuthbert's College, later named
Ushaw College, which opened in 1808. A chapel was added in 1847, followed by a library and exhibition hall. This closed in 2011 as a seminary and opened in 2014 as a visitor attraction and is known as Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Gardens. In 1858 a
drift mine was established at Ushaw Moor Colliery selling
coal on the
landsale system. This was purchased in 1879 by Henry Chaytor of
Witton Castle. During his tenure there was a large strike, following the deliberate sacking of an elected union leader in 1881. The strike was ended when a number of
policemen were brought into the village to evict the strikers and their families; such treatment was not uncommon in those times. Mr Chaytor, sick of the years of industrial unrest, sold Ushaw Moor colliery to Pease & Partners in 1883. From this time, the workmen and community had an easier life, the new owners helping rather than opposing them. However, Ushaw Moor colliery closed in 1960, as part of the collapse of the Durham coal fields. In the last thirty years it has grown and become the centre of the Deerness Valley, becoming unusually prosperous where most pit villages have struggled. Good links with Durham and
Newcastle and good local schools and amenities has meant it is very popular with first time buyers. ==Geography==