HARTLEY, a village and a township in Earsdon parish, Northumberland. The village stands on the coast, at the month of Seaton burn, adjacent to the Blyth and Tyne railway, 4¼ miles SSE of Blyth; and has a station on the railway. The township includes also SeatonSluice village and Rocky Island. Acres, with SeatonDelaval, 4, 219. Pop. of H. alone, 1, 567. Houses, 331. Hartley colliery was the scene of a terrific accident in Jan. 1862; when, by the breakage and fall of the beam of the pumping engine over its only shaft, 5 men were instantaneously killed, and 215 men and boys were buried alive. A tidal harbour, with capacity for about 14 vessels, used for the export of coal, is at Seaton Sluice. Here also are extensive bottle works. Remains of an ancient hermitage are on Bates Island. There are chapels for Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists, New Connexion Methodists, and U. Free Methodists.

(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))