At Great Stainton, also known as Stainton-le-Street, from the Bishop’s Transcript with extensive cross-checking against the original parish register, plus some missing records added from the register:

• 366 baptisms 1762 to 1855
• 148 burials June 1762- April 1854

The Stainton register was a mess. Especially in the 1760s-1790s, it seemed to have had numerous baptisms recorded on scraps of paper that were then stuck into the register. We found several baptisms in the Bishop’s Transcript that could not be found in the original register, leading us to assume they were lost from the original register after the Bishop’s Transcript was made.

This parish, in Stockton district, served residents of Elstob, Bishopton, Aycliffe, Woodham, and of course Stainton-le-Street. A sample baptism from the detail-rich period:

• 25 Dec 1797 Ann Boazman, born 20 Nov 1797, daughter of John Boazman (of this parish) & Ann his wife late Byers (of Little Staynton, Bishopton)

At Barnard Castle St. Mary, for 1834-1842, from the Bishop’s Transcript:

• 1,508 baptisms
• 1,147 burials

This caused our burial count to reach a milestone – our 500,000th burial was:

• 22 Feb 1842 Elizabeth Bell, of Barnard Castle, age: 14

The oldest person in this burial set was:

• 19 Nov 1839 Mary Longstaff, of Barnard Castle, age: 99

People baptized with the most lengthy interesting names:

• 29 Jul 1834 Richard Darlew Higson Waddilove, of Barnard Castle, son of Richard Darlew Higson Waddilove (cooper) & Elizabeth
• 5 Dec 1842 Louisa Ann Barthropp Shafto, of Barnard Castle, daughter of John Delavel Shafto (spirit merchant) & Anne

As well as Barnard Castle, residences listed include Marwood, Stainton, Startforth. Streatlam, Romaldkirk, Langleydale, Kinninvie, and Westwick.

92 burials at Durham St. Nicholas 1813-1818, from the Bishop’s Transcript. Occasionally the clerk included parents or occupations for the deceased. St. Nicholas included Claypath, the House of Corrections, and the Workhouse.

Merrington St. John the Evangelist, also known as Kirk Merrington, 1813-1821, from the Bishop’s Transcript:

• 351 baptisms
• 211 burials
• we also added the marriage witnesses to our existing Merrington marriages for this period

Merrington or Kirk Merrington parish, in Auckland district, included residents of Butcher Race, Chilton, Ferryhill, Hett, Merrington, Middlestone, Rushyford, Tudhoe, and Windlestone.

237 baptisms and 191 burials at Durham St. Giles from 1813 to the end of 1818, from the Bishop’s Transcript. In 1818, for some reason, the clerk returned to the old practice of listing a child’s parents in a burial, and the spouse of a deceased woman, plus some occupations. For example:

• 21 Aug 1818 Thomas Tilly, of St. Nicholas, age: 3 weeks, son of John Tilly (weaver) & Elizabeth
• 7 Jul 1818 Eleanor Moody, of St. Giles, age: 73, wife of William Moody (blacksmith)

Burials and baptisms here included residents of St. Oswald, St. Nicholas, Milburn Gate, Framwellgate, and North Bailey. There were several births to women in the House of Correction (gaol), and parents from places as far-flung as Ireland (a soldier in the 4th Irish Dragoons) and a silkweaver from Glasgow, Scotland.

1,848 burials at Darlington St. Cuthbert’s in the detail-rich period of 1798 to the end of 1812, from the Bishop’s Transcript. You can expect to discover the parents of deceased children, mother’s maiden surnames, married women’s maiden surnames, and much more. Some examples:

• 28 Aug 1801 Ann Headlam late Umpleby, of Leeds, Yorkshire, age: 87, died 25 Aug, widow of Thomas Allan, a labourer, and of Thomas Headlam (woolcomber)
• 11 Nov 1800 John Chipchase, of Darlington, age: 6 months, died 9 Nov, son of George Chipchase (printer) & Jane his wife late Matters [Matthews]
• 18 Feb 1798 Mary Smith late Plews, of Barnard Castle, age: 39, died 16 Feb, wife of John Smith (weaver of Darlington, native of London), died of childbed

In addition to Darlington, residences listed include Archdeacon Newton, Auckland, Aycliffe, Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, Blackwell, Cockerton, Cockfield, Denton, Egglescliffe, Gainford, Haughton-le-Skerne, Hurworth, Staindrop, Stainton, Stockton, plus the Yorkshire communities of Ainderby Steeple, Appleton-le-Wisk, Barton, Croft, Eryholme, Hudswell, Long Cowton, Masham, Marske, Northallerton, Richmond, Romaldkirk, Thirsk, and Yarm, and some Westmorland communities as well.

There were several epidemics in this period of smallpox, scarlet fever, measles, and whooping cough, which killed many children, but the most frequently stated cause of death was “decline”, which covered any wasting disease, most often probably consumption (tuberculosis). ”Convulsions” was cited as the cause of death for many infants. There are also frequent cases of apoplexy, consumption, dropsy, fever, childbirth, and a few cases of accidents, burnings, drownings, suicide, intemperance, hydrocephalus, and the unpleasant-sounding “worm fever”.

115 burials at Hamsterley St James 1813-1819. The clerk was kind enough to continue the practice of including the occupations of deceased men, the parents of deceased children, and husbands of deceased women. For example:

• 24 Dec 1819 John Hardy, of Stonechester, age: 73, blacksmith
• 21 Mar 1818 Jane Best, of Southside, age: 10 months, daughter of John Best (gardener) & Sarah
• 12 Feb 1816 Ann Baxter, of Gibsnees, age: 52, wife of Robert Baxter (farmer)

These have actually been online for a couple of weeks, but we forgot to announce them here!

304 marriages at Kelloe St. Helen for 1762-1812, including witnesses. Marriages at Kelloe took place between residents of Bishop Middleham, Bishopwearmouth, Brancepeth, Chester-le-Street, Durham city, Garmondsway Moor, Monk Hesleden, Pittington, Sherburn House, and Trimdon. For example:

• 10 Jul 1775 Rev. James Robson (clerk), of Sherburn House married Eleanor Raven, of Sherburn House Extra Parochial, by license
  Witnesses: Sarah Colman, John Hood

We now have a complete run of marriages at Kelloe from 1762 to 29 March 1858.

526 baptisms at Staindrop St. Mary the Virgin 1813-1821, transcribed from the Bishop’s Transcript.

Staindrop, in Teesdale district, covered the communities of Alwent, Cleatlam, Gibsknees, Hilton, Hulam, Hungerknowle, Ingleton, Keverstone, Langleydale, New Raby, Raby Castle & surroundings, Shotton, Staindrop, and Wackerfield. Some of the same families can be found in the recently released Cockfield records.

Cockfield St. Mary baptisms and burials for 1819-1828, transcribed from the Bishop’s Transcript

• 407 baptisms
• 132 burials

In Teesdale district, Cockfield listed residents of Bishop Auckland, Butterknowle, Cockfield, Copley, Esperley Lane, Evenwood, Gaunless Lead Mill, Heighington, Langleydale, Low Wham, Lynesack & Softly, Morley, Mount Slowly, Raby, Roddymoor, Shotton, Southside, West Auckland, West Pitts, and Woodland.