In 1293 there is reference to a bridge at Brunton. "The jury present that the bridge of Brunton is broken down and needs repair by Walter Dunn of Brunton who holds 5 acres and William of Brunton who holds 1 toft and 2 acres assigned of old to the repair of the bridge... The jury say that Walter is in wardship to William and that William is responsible for the repair of the bridge, and the sheriff is ordered to distrain his goods for that purpose half a mark". This bridge was presumably that still called Brunton Bridge which crosses the Ouse Burn, and carried the road from the Ponteland Road at Kenton Bank Foot to Dinnington.

West Brunton was a member of the barony of Styford or Bolbec, and had 8 taxpayers in 1296. It had all come into the hands of the Heselrigg family by the 17th century and remained with them until sold in 1768, after which it ended up with the Bells (1825). The township bordered Woolsington, Newbiggin, Kenton, Fawdon, East Brunton and Dinnington. The location of the village, however, is uncertain, but perhaps was at Brunton Bridge Farm.

A late 18th and early 19th century landscape park and pleasure grounds providing the setting for a 17th century and later country house. A plan by John Robertson of Woolsington of 1727 shows a formal garden to the south and east of the 17th century Woolsington Hall (HER 4870). A central path ran from the hall past formal beds to gates on the south boundary (HER 4916). West of the Hall was a grove of trees, with an orchard of fruit trees planted in a kitchen garden. Armstrong's map of 1769 shows the Hall approached from the west, standing within a compact, rectangular enclosure with no parkland indicated. By the early 19th century wings had been added to the Hall which stood at the southern edge of a belt of pleasure ground. The Hall overlooked the park, which was planted with clumps of trees and enclosed by a belt of trees, and led south to a lake, formed from the Ouse Burn. Since then the landscape has been little altered with the exception of a 20th century housing estate in the south-west corner of the park. The entrance at the south end of the Park is marked by a lodge and a pair of early 19th century gate piers and walls (listed grade 2, HER 4916) through which the main drive leads north across the centre of the Park. The pair of cast-iron gas lamps also early 19th century are also listed grade 2 (HER 4915). A longer ride led through South Lodge Plantation, across a stone bridge (HER 4920) over the waterfall (HER 4921) at the east end of the lake, through the pleasure grounds east of the Hall. A second lodge, Bee Croft, stands outside the Registered Park, north of Woolsington Bridge, on the west side of the Park. A further entrance, now the main entrance, lies north-west of the Park. The principal building is Woolsington Hall (listed grade 2*, HER 4870). To the north east is an early 19th century wing (listed grade 2, HER 4872). Stables and a coach house (late 19th century, listed grade 2, HER 4914) stand to the north. To the east of the Hall, facing south, is an orangery (listed grade 2, HER 4873) dated 1797. Lawns below the south front are separated from the park by a ha-ha. In 1999 there was a revolving summerhouse of early to mid 20th date on the lawn. This has now gone. Its location is probably marked by a circular earthwork (HER 4917). Mature trees now form screens to the west and east of the south lawn. The main area of pleasure grounds lies to the west of the Hall. A gravelled walk passes through a low ornamental fence into the formal gardens which lie to the south of the kitchen garden. A long walk runs parallel to the kitchen garden wall. At the eastern end is a small paved garden. At the centre of the garden, box hedges form a pattern of formal beds. The focus is an iron-work rose arbour and circular seat. Some of the decorative ironwork fences which divide up the garden survive. The sundial shown on the first edition OS of 1861 has gone. There is a tennis court at the south-west corner of the garden and a pavilion. This is probably 20th century, contemporary with the adjacent area of rockwork. The layout of the park remains much as in the early 19th century. The park is encircled by a broad shelter belt of trees, through which run the west and east rides. A strip of housing has encroached into the western shelter belt. The Park is now partly under arable cultivation. It is planted with a number of large clumps of trees. The standing stones (HER 4922 and 4923) in the eastern half (present in 1998) have gone. The lake (HER 4919) is partly stone-edged. It is formed by the damming of the Ouse Burn from Woolsington Bridge to the weir and waterfall. At the centre-point of the lake is the site of a boathouse. Some 150m to the north-east of the dam is a bath-house. 100m east of this structure is the site of the icehouse. At the centre of the kitchen garden (HER 4918) is an artesian well, pool and pump. A number of trained fruit trees survive. A range of glass houses line the north wall. On the outer north side of the wall there is a row of bothies and potting sheds. A gardener's house (HER 16024) stands just outside the north-east corner of the garden. REGISTERED HISTORIC PARK.

In 1286 John de Ferlington granted to Robert de Mitford, burgess of Newcastle, his whole vill of Brenkley, with the exception of his manor and demesnes.

A member of the barony of Mitford, in 1242 it was held with Brenkley by the heirs of Henry de Ferlington. There were 6 taxpayers in 1296, 10 in 1312. A rental of 1303 showed that 11 men each held a house with curtilage and 1.5 acres arable and there were 2 other tenants. In the mid 15th century the manor was sold to the Heselrigg family, and remained with them until sold to Matthew Bell in 1763. In the 18th century Dinnington consisted of 2 rows, set far apart, on either side of a green, with the east end of the green largely closed off and partly covered by a block of buildings.

In 1820 part of the field called the Back Yards, on the north-west edge of Dinnington, was dug up. In addition to the foundations of a building, the supposed chapel, "About a yard below the surface, they discovered a number of bones, supposed to be human, and some sculls with the teeth perfect in the jaw bones".

In 1820 part of the field called the Back Yards on the NW edge of Dinnington was dug up. In addition to human bones, "The foundation of a building was also discovered. The stones were a yard in length, and otherwise proportionately large. Numerous other stones and firebricks were also found, and a regular pavement of whin stones to some extent. Two stones, which had been dressed, when joined together formed the figure of an octagon, and were evidently the remains of a gothic pillar. A stone was also found, in the shape of a ball, with a perforation in the centre, similar to such as were anciently used on the tops of pillars at the entrance gate of mansion houses, or other buildings". Locally it was generally believed that a church or chapel had formerly stood in the Back Yards, although there is no medieval documentary evidence to support this other than a reference to a "toft next the graveyard wall" in 1304.

The mill of Brenkley is first mentioned in the early 13th century when Henry de Ferlington granted one mark of rent from the mill to Hexham Priory. The rent later fell into arrears and, in 1285, the prior brought an action to recover it. He accused John de Ferlington of demolishing the mill. There is no clue as to the source of power for this mill, and hence to its site. A windmill seems slightly more likely than a watermill in this area.

The vill of "Merdesfen" was first mentioned in 1190 when a toft there was granted by Sir Roger Bertram to St. Batholomew's Nunnery. There were 8 taxpayers in 1296, 10 in 1312. In 1331 there were 7 occupied tenements, in 1335 24 tofts (probably abandoned). Possibly the village, as such, did not survive the Middle Ages, and its site was thereafter marked by the surviving North Farm and the former South Farm, at the north-east end of Dinnington.

In 1485...the trustees of the late Thomas Forster of Brenkley granted to Newminster Abbey all Forster's land in Mason and a windmill there.... The site of this mill could be at the existing farm of Mill Hill, although no mill is shown there on the first edition Ordnance Survey plan.