Reverend David Fleming

The First Vicar Of Coxhoe

Reverend David Fleming 1830 – 1920

Vicar of St. Mary’s Church, Coxhoe 1867 – 1920

Honorary Canon of Durham Cathedral 1916 – 1920

 David Fleming was born in Old Monkton, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

A member of the Royal Astronomical Society.  He was awarded a BA at Glasgow University.  He worked as a curate at Leeds, Grosmont and West Hartlepool.

In 1867 he was appointed vicar of Coxhoe, the living earning him £300 per year.  At first he lodged in a blacksmith’s house near Coxhoe crossroads.  

At that time the village had no church building.  Services were held in an old cottage and at the old Temperance Hall near Foundry Row. St. Mary’s Church was opened in 1868 and had a capacity of 458 people. 

Rev. Fleming involved himself in church and community alike, helping St. Mary’s to flourish and the church school to develop.

Photographs show him attending social events at Coxhoe Hall.

Rev. Fleming never married and employed a number of domestic servants over the years.  The 1871 Census records him as living at the Vicarage, his domestic servant at the time being Christina Seymour, aged 50 from Coniscliffe. His sister Elizabeth Fleming is recorded as his housekeeper in 1881 and 1891.  Domestic servant in 1891 was Ellen Downs, aged 19, from Cornwall. 

Margaret Gibbons, aged 20 from Burnhope was domestic servant in 1901.  Elizabeth Ayre, from Wingate was housekeeper (aged 50) at that time and also in 1911.  In his last Will he bequeathed “a legacy of £50 and all my bed and table linen to my housekeeper Elizabeth Ayre provided she shall continue with me to my decease”.   One month’s wages was bequeathed to any other servant in his service at his death.

In 1916 he was made an honorary Canon of Durham Cathedral.

Canon Fleming died on 15^th December 1920 aged 90 years having spent 53 of them at St. Mary’s Parish Church.

He had asked that ‘he be buried in Coxhoe Churchyard close to the east end of the Church in front of the east window”.

In his obituary published on 24^th December 1920 the Durham Advertiser described him as ‘of kindly disposition to all classes, irrespective of creed, doing many kindly actions in a quiet, reserved manner, the late Mr Fleming was greatly esteemed “’.