Replaced the baptism index for Ryton Holy Cross 1826-1851 with full entries so those 2,114 baptisms are now instantly available.

739 baptisms at Houghton-le-Spring St. Michael & All Angels, for 1762-1770. Some samples:

• 15 Feb 1763 Margaret Galley, of West Rainton, daughter of Ralph Galley & Sarah
• 14 Apr 1767 Susan Mary Ann Lambton, daughter of Major General John Lambton and Lady Susan
• 30 Dec 1770 Elizabeth Stove, of Houghton, daughter of Anthony Stove & Jane

Fixed a bug that was making the Ryhope & Hetton burials un-viewable. If you purchased a Ryhope or Hetton burial but could not view it, you can now view it by clicking My Previous Orders (when logged in) – most recent records are at the bottom of the list – and this time, when you click View Record, it will actually be there! My apologies for the glitch.

3,500 burials at Ryhope Cemetery from its opening in 1898 to the end of Oct 1923. Most burials list parents, husband, or occupation of the deceased, unlike the terse parish register. Many of these have been checked against the GRO death index when there were questions about age or name.

From 1895, Ryhope was the site of the Sunderland Borough Asylum, called Cherry Knowle Hospital after the creation of the National Health Service in 1948. Hundreds of inmates, many of whom received a pauper’s funeral, were buried at Ryhope Cemetery, the nearest and therefore the cheapest place to inter them.

Examples:

• 11 Aug 1899 Edward Bosterman, age: 32, mason, died at the Sunderland Borough Asylum [Cherry Knowle Hospital]
• 26 Jul 1899 Joseph Anderson Gibson, age: 32, fireman on steam ship, died at the Sunderland Borough Asylum [Cherry Knowle Hospital]
• 24 Mar 1899 Sarah Ann Lemon, of 1 Queen Street, age: 43, wife of James Lemon
• 4 Sep 1899 Barbara Gordon, of 16 Railway Street, age: 4 months, daughter of Jane Gordon
• 1 Aug 1903 John Stephenson Brown, age: 19, son of Elijah Brown (deceased), killed at Ryhope Colliery
• 5 Mar 1902 Roger Musgrove, of 75 Burdon Street, age: 18, son of Henry Musgrove
  [Note: He was 16 according to the GRO death index]

2,013 burials at Hetton Cemetery in Hetton-le-Hole, from its opening in May 1891 to the end of 1902. In the first 2 years, many of the children’s deaths have parents listed, and some adult deaths list their occupations:

• 29 Apr 1892 Alice Oliver, of Bog Row, age: 16, daughter of David Oliver (mason)
• 12 Jun 1892 Stephenson Brown, of Market Street, age: 91, shoemaker

but in mid-1893, the information becomes more terse, although parents and occupations are still occasionally listed:

• 26 Aug 1893 Edward M. Modral, of Caroline Street, age: 2
• 21 Jul 1898 Thomas Gillis, age: 37, died at Sedgefield Asylum

4,696 burials at South Shields St. Stephen’s for 1848-1873. St. Stephen’s was split off from St. Hilda’s in 1846, but the burial ground did not open until August 1848. St. Stephen’s was known as the “pilot’s church” because it covered the area along the Tyne riverside, including  Jarrow Slake, Harton, Mill Dam, Temple Town, Tyne Dock, and Westoe. Lots of sailors drowned or died from accidents while in port, many from far-off places:

• 30 Oct 1852 Kils Progas, of Norway, age: 37, wrecked, born Norway
• 30 Apr 1872 Wilhelm Spoerch, age: 28, seaman, killed in the fall from the ship, by Coroners Order
• 12 May 1863 John Walters, of London, age: 15, drowned out of the ‘John & Mary’ off & at South Shields

In a mini-milestone, our 560,000th burial to be placed online was:

• 15 Jan 1856 Margaret Dearey, of West Holborn, age: 76

Replaced the baptism index for Ryton Holy Cross 1813-1825 with full entries so those 2,070 baptisms are now instantly available.

1,211 burials 1798-1812 at Stockton St. Thomas, from the Bishop’s Transcript, during the period of rich detail. Some examples:

• 2 Mar 1798 William Lumley, age: 9, died 27 Feb 1798, son of Francis Lumley (baker) & Sarah Tattersall, his wife
• 1 Dec 1812 William Beckitt, age: 76, died 29 Nov 1812, clockcleaner
• 11 Mar 1811 Mary Ridsdale late Ward, age: 77, died 9 Mar 1811, widow of Ralph Ridsdale (shoemaker)

This extends our burial coverage of Stockton from 1762 to 1812.

733 baptisms and 392 burials at Penshaw All Saints, covering 1808-1812, from the Bishop’s Transcript. This fills our Penshaw gap and gives us continuous coverage of Penshaw from 1762 to 1822. Of course this is the wonderfully detailed period for baptisms and burials – some examples:

• baptized 3 Jan 1808 John Cuthbert, born 12 Jul 1807, 5th son of Ralph Cuthbert (pitman, native of Tanfield Parish) by his wife Mary Humble (native of Chester [le-Street] Parish)
• baptized 13 Dec 1812 Rebecca Crake, born 30 Sep 1812, 2nd daughter of George Crake (pitman, native of Houghton Parish) by his wife Jane Morgan (native of Longbenton Parish [Northumberland])
• buried 11 Oct 1812 Robert Sheavels, of Shiney Row, age: 7, died 10 Oct, son of John Sheavels (pitman, native of Chester Parish) by his wife Elizabeth Hunter, native of Houghton Parish
  [Note: killed in the Herrington Mill Pit Explosion, Penshaw, October 10th]
• buried 22 Jun 1812 Mary Emmerson late Graham, of Shiney Row, age: 63, died 20 Jun, native of Kirk Lowton, Cumberland, wife of John Emmerson (pitman, native of Tanfield Parish)
• buried 18 May 1808 Thomas Bailey, of Old Painshaw, age: 60, died 16 May, barber, native of Houghton Parish, husband of Ann Clark (native of Gateshead Parish)

Penshaw at this time included Biddick, Burnmoor, Carr Houses, Coxgreen, Herrington Burn & Wood, Mill Houses, New Lambton, New Painshaw or Penshaw, Offerton Haugh, Old Painshaw or Penshaw, Penshaw Bog & Staiths, Shiney Row, and Wapping.