Q I HAVE been doing some research on Witton Gilbert but cannot get past the Norman Frenchman called Gilbert De Leia. How old is Witton Gilbert, some say it goes back to the Iron Age? - David Brigader, Durham.

A THE name Witton probably dates back to Anglo-Saxon times and derives from Widu-ton meaning the wood settlement. This would suggest a settlement that specialised in cutting down trees for building and fuel. The name Gilbert should be pronounced with a soft G, reflecting the French speech of the higher orders of society in medieval times.

The manor of Witton was given to Gilbert De Leia by Hugh Pudsey, the 12th century bishop of Durham. However there is evidence that Witton Gilbert is named after another medieval Gilbert, Gilbert the Sheriff, who also had strong connections with Witton. So the name Witton goes back to Anglo-Saxon times and the addition of Gilbert dates from the Norman period.

Of course people are likely to have lived in the vicinity of Witton Gilbert in earlier times and there may have been some settlement here in the Iron Age. There is plenty of evidence of human settlement in and around Witton Gilbert from an even earlier period. Mysterious cup and ring markings have been found here which date from the late Neolithic age. They take the form of cup-shaped depressions carved into the rocks alongside concentric rings.

Witton Gilbert is one locality where there is a notable cluster, although they are found most densely around the Milfield basin near Wooler in Northumberland. Clusters can also be found at various places in the Pennines and in Ireland. Their purpose is unknown.

Q CAN you help me answer a quiz question on the country of birth of Mother Teresa? The city of Skopje (where she was born) has had such political change that it could be Albania, Macedonia or Yugoslavia. - Dave Cadman, Darlington.

A MOTHER Teresa was born Agnese Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, in 1910. Her city of birth is now the capital of the Republic of Macedonia, but at the time it was part of the Vilayet of Kosova, itself a part of the Ottoman Empire under Turkish rule. The city was liberated by Albanian freedom fighters in 1912 but soon after was captured by the Serbs.

If you have a Burning Question, or can improve on any of the answers above, please write to Burning Questions, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF or e-mail david.simpson@nne.co.uk

Published: 11/02/2003