A NEW book about the history of Darlington churches is launched next week in the Crown Street library.

It is by Darlingtonian Colin Wilkinson, who now lives in Ingleby Barwick, and it has come out of his research for his MA at Teesside University.

It outlines religious history in the town, and looks at all the individual churches – those that survive and that those that have gone.

It is quite amazing how many have gone – for instance, the huge chapel that stood on the corner of Greenbank Road and Woodland Road until 1965, and the enormous Methodist church in Corporation Road which had a tall steeple that was taken down during the Second World War for fear it would be struck in an air raid.

The book contains many illustrations from the library's Local Studies collection, and some of them will be on display at the launch.

It also contains many fascinating pieces of churchly information. For instance:

18th Century craftsmen working on the roof of St Andrew's in Haughton drew around the outside of their boots on the tiles so that their contributions are never forgotten;

In 1559, a fine of 12d was introduced for being absent from church. In 1603, churchwardens at St Cuthbert's recorded that 106 people in a month had failed to show and so were eligible for fining;

In the 2011 census, 71 per cent of Darlington's population described themselves as "Christian" – higher than the national average of 59 per cent;

It is said that two members of the Pease family owned adjoining plots of land where St John's Church at Bank Top is now. One of the Peases apparently told his cousin not to sell to the church authorities in the hope of driving up the price. Then, behind his cousin's back, he sold his plot to the church for an exorbitant sum, causing a poetic resident to write:

"A fine case of cozening! A beautiful do!

I ne'er knew a better. Good reader, do you?

Twas a feat even for Quakers – not one in a dozen

Could once fleece the church and bamboozle a cousin."

Colin is talking about his research, and signing copies of his book, A History of Darlington Churches, in informal sessions between 10am and 1pm on Tuesday and Thursday.