Historically the village was a township in the ancient parish of Sockburn, a parish divided by the River Tees between the North Riding of Yorkshire (which included Over Dinsdale) and County Durham (which included the township of Sockburn).
Historically, the village was part of a larger territorial division in the ancient parish of Sockburn, which was separated by the River Tees into two areas: one in Yorkshire's North Riding (including Over Dinsdale) and the other in County Durham (which included the township of Sockburn).