Unlike Sheriff Hill, Carr Hill and Low Fell, Deckham's history is sparsely recorded. It indicates that, by the middle of the 19th century, there was a small settlement which was part of Gateshead Fell; a wild and treacherous area of common land notable for the criminality of the tinkers and hawkers who lived there. Ordnance survey mapping illustrates the sparsity of buildings in 1860; the area contained little except Deckham Hall, a few other dwellings and two public houses at the point where the old turnpike road branched off towards Carr's Hill. The two public houses were the 'Speed the Plough' and 'The Ship'.