County Durham (/ ˈ d ʌr ə m / DURR-əm), officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England. The ceremonial county spawned from the historic County Palatine of Durham in 1853. In 1996, the county gained part of the abolished ceremonial county of Cleveland. The largest settlement in the county is Darlington, followed by Hartlepool, and then Stockton-on-Tees.