The small village of Archdeacon Newton lies on flat ground to the north-west of Darlington. Although it was once part of the large parish of Darlington, it is now a parish in its own right. As its name suggest the village was once owned by the Archdeacon of Durham. 'Newton' literally means 'New Town'; this suggests that the Archdeacon actually founded and built the village in the medieval period. The remains of some of the medieval structure are still visible. Although used now used as a farmbuilding, this structure contains traces of its use as a medieval house. Another farmbuilding nearby was probably once a house, built in the first half of the 16th century. Other remains includes the earthworks of a medieval moated site, an old fishpond and a series of banks and ditches marking the sites of enclosures. There must also once have been a chapel here, although no remains can be seen today. We know it existed because in 1414 three local men, Robert Fisher, John Nicholson and John Deves were given a licence to hold religious services in a chapel in the village.

Unfortunately, these medieval remains are the only recorded historical or archaeological sites to be found in the village. Although prehistoric and Roman remains are found in other nearby parishes, no trace has been found in Archdeacon Newton itself. This is probably because it is a very small parish, and little archaeological or historical research has been carried out here.

The village is still a small farming hamlet, though since World War II the landscape has changed with the construction of the A1(M) motorway just to the south-east.