699 baptisms and 535 burials at Houghton-le-Spring St. Michael & All Angels, from the parish register, filling in the gap we had for 1771-1777.  We now have continuous Houghton baptisms from 1762 to mid-1797 and are working on the 1797-1812 gap. Some baptism samples:

• 31 Mar 1771 Jane & Eliza Noble, of Houghton, daughters of George Noble & Jane
• 2 Nov 1777 George Addy, of East Rainton, son of Matthew Addy & Jane
• 17 Nov 1777 Mary [Story/Maude], of Newbottle, the wife of Anthony Story of Newbottle, Gentleman was baptised publicly in the Church as an Adult, having been born of parents who were of the Congreg, vide [see] Christenings in the year 1754
  [Note: Mary's maiden name is not stated, but since Anthony Story married Mary Maude in Houghton in 1775, and there is a christening for Mary Maude at Houghton in 1754 as per the vicar's note, we assume this is her.]

and some burials:

• 9 Mar 1777 Ann Noble, of Wilson’s Row, daughter of George Noble
• 17 Oct 1772 Mary Earl, of Hetton Field House, wife of Christopher Earl
• 21 Sep 1776 The Revd Thomas Griffith, of Houghton, M.A., late master of Kepier School in Houghton-le-Spring

Abodes mentioned include Collier Row, Cross Fines, Dubmire Moor, East Herrington, East Rainton,  Ewe Hill, Fence Houses, Hetton, High Dubmire, High Pit Houses, Houghton, Leamside Lane, Low Dubmire, Middle Herrington, Moorsley, Morton Acres, Morton Fence, Morton Hill, Newbottle, Rainton (Bridge, Gate, Meadow, Stables, Turnpike, and Woodside), Sedgeletch, Stots Pasture, The Knott, Torrish Hill, Tile Sheds aka Tyle Shades, West Herrington, West Rainton, and Wilson’s Row.

764 baptisms for 1798-1812 and 562 burials for  1797-1812 at Sedgefield St. Edmund the Bishop in Stockton district, from the Bishop’s Transcript with some cross-checking against the original parish register. These are the detail-rich years the genealogists love so much! Most baptisms give the mother’s maiden name and parents, and some give also the father’s birthplace; most burials name the parents or spouse or give an occupation. Some samples:

• baptized 19 Dec 1801 Lucy Mary Eliza Hollingsworth, born 27 Oct 1801, 2nd girl, daughter of the Revd. Nathaniel Hollingsworth (Curate of this Parish) by his wife Lucy Compton Neve (daughter of Dr. Nieve, Professor of Divinity, Oxford, by his wife Ann Margaret)
• baptized 30 Mar 1807 Mary Blenkinsop, born 15 Mar 1807, illegitimate daughter of John Kilvington (reputed father, sadler of Malton in Yorkshire) & Jane Blenkinsop (of Fishburn)
• baptized 17 Nov 1811 Elizabeth Frances Barrington, born 18 Oct 1811, 14th child, 5th daughter of Rev. George Barrington (Rector of this parish) by his wife Elizabeth Adair (daughter of Robert Adair, Esq. and The Right Honourable Lady Caroline Adair)
• buried 28 Feb 1811 Dorothy Coatsworth, of Mordon, age: 46, died 26 Feb, widow of the late Ralph Coatsworth (cartwright)
• buried 9 Jun 1812 Archibald Campbell, of Sedgefield, age: 81, died 6 Jun, gardener
• buried 3 Sep 1805 Caroline Oswald, of this parish, age: 9 months, died 1 Sep, daughter of Tobias Oswald (shoemaker) by his wife Ann

Besides the town of Sedgefield, residents lived at Bradbury, Butterwick, Coal Hill, Elmdon, Embleton, Fishburn, Foxton, Galley Law, Glower O’er Him, Grindon, Hardwick,  Howling Carr, Kelloe, Layton, Lizards, Mordon, Murton, Old Acres, Shotton, Trimdon, and Weterton.

1,214 baptisms at Brancepeth St. Brandon in Durham district for 1708-1739. Includes over 3,300 godparents (although of course some people may have served as godparents for more than one child).  Nearly all of these baptisms list at least 2 godparents.  There are also a number of Catholic or other non-conformist births that occurred earlier.  Mothers are not consistently named until 1716. 

Abodes listed include Billy Row, Boggle Hole, Brancepeth, Brandon (plus East and West Brandon), Burnigill, Butchers Race, Cockshaw House, Coldstream, Colepitt House, Crook, Durham city, East Park, Hare Holme, Helmington Row, Hill House, Hole in the Wall, Holy Well, Humble Sledge, Ivesley, Jobs Hill, Langley, Little Burn, Low Field, Morley, Mown Meadows, Oakenshaw, Primrose Side, Sleetburn, Standalone, Stanley, Stockley, Tudhoe, Unthank, Waterhouses, West Park, and Willington.

Some samples:

• 5 Apr 1708 Dorothy Pickering, of Willington, born 16 Mar 1708, daughter of Charles Pickering
  Godparents: Humphrey Darlington, of Sunderland Bridge; Jane Friend, of Oakenshaw; Ann Smith, of Stockley
• Elizabeth Mason, of Brandon, born 31 Jul 1697, daughter of Michael Mason, birth of papist or dissenter, registered at request of parent
• 1 Sep 1717 Elizabeth Dodsworth, of East Brandon, born 18 Aug 1717, daughter of Bartholemew Dodsworth by his wife Catherine
  Godparents: William Hull; Elizabeth Hull; Elizabeth Bryan
• 9 Mar 1729 Ralph Curtley, of East Brandon, born 31 Jan 1729, illegitimate son of Ralph Burd (of Garmaside [Garmondsway] Moor, Middleham) by Jane Curtley [Kirtley], born at Willington, privately baptised 1 Feb
  Godparents: Thomas Curtley; Robert Hall; Elizabeth Oats
• 24 Jun 1739 Jane Hutchinson, of Sleet Burn Mill, born 27 May 1739, daughter of Ralph Hutchinson by his wife Elizabeth, privately baptised 30 May
  Godparents: William Atkinson; Margaret Splace; Elizabeth Davison

Remember to search among the godparents by checking the box “Search for this person ONLY as a Witness, Godparent, or any secondary role ” on the search form. (Yes, I did shorten the label a bit, but not much!)

408 baptisms covering 1765-1812 at the Whitworth Parish Church. Remember, Whitworth is not indexed by the IGI, so these are little-known records!  Abodes mentioned include Byers Green, Brancepeth, Lowfield, Tudhoe, and Whitworth. Some samples:

• 3 Jul 1765 Anne Adamson, of Whitworth, daughter of Ralph Adamson (weaver) & Catherine, private baptism
• 22 Apr 1776 Robert Eden Shafto, of Whitworth, born 23-Mar 1776, son of Robert Shafto (esquire)
• 10 Oct 1790 Joseph [Gibson/Palmerly], illegitimate son of Thomas Palmerly & Grace Gibson
• 25 Dec 1810 William Forster, of Byers Green, born 30-Aug 1810, 1st son of William Forster (native of Mickleton, formerly of Romaldkirk, Yorkshire) by his wife Ann Towlson (native of Hart)

Having disbelievingly encountered the name Dodds Dodds as a father in later baptisms, I was delighted to find his own baptism:

• 16 Aug 1801 Dodds Dodds, born 1-Jul 1801, son of John Dodds (of Byers Green) & Elizabeth Wheatley (native of this parish)

Why would someone name their child Dodds Dodds ???

We now have a continuous run of baptisms at Whitworth from 1765-1873.

319 baptisms on the Sherburn Wesleyan Methodist Circuit from January 1861 to Sept 1910. Most of these Methodist families lived in Sherburn or the associated Sherburn Hill, House, Colliery, or Station, but a few lived at Carrville, Gilesgate, Pittington, Littletown, and Washington. Some samples:

• 21 Jan 1864 John Holmes, of Sherburn, born 10 Nov 1863, child of Henry Featherstone Holmes & Hannah
• 26 Jan 1871 Matthew Lowry, of Sherburn, born 12 Dec 1870, child of Clapham [Claughan] Lowry & Esther
• 24 May 1888 William Guy Murray, of Sherburn, born 17 Apr 1888, child of John Simpson Murray & Elizabeth
• 3 Sep 1908 John Davison Barrass, of Sherburn 7 South Street, born 24 Aug 1908, child of Henry Barrass & Jane

2,838 marriage bonds issued by the Durham Diocese 1776-1781.

Marriage bonds often provide ages, occupations, and place of residence for the bride and groom during a period when marriage registers did not provide that information. Please read the Marriages Bonds section of the Transcription Samples page for a description of what information is found in bonds, allegations, and associated documents, and how we present that information.

The Diocese of Durham covered all of County Durham and parts of Northumberland and North Yorkshire. Marriage bonds were not issued on a per-district basis, so the District filter is ignored when the marriage bond database is searched.

These records are from Ron Nubley’s Index, which we are in the process of integrating into our collection, so when you buy one of these, you will immediately get the brief index entry, and the full entry will be transcribed and emailed to you within 3 days, at which point it becomes part of our database and you can view it again at any time.

As a sample, the presence of Timothy Gildroy as a surety in the 2nd marriage might indicate that these 2 Wanlass/Wandless families are related:

• 23 Oct 1777 Timothy GILDROY, 20, widower, keelman, Monkwearmouth
  Margaret WANLASS, 22, Monkwearmouth
  Surety: Thomas POTTS, shopkeeper, Monkwearmouth
• 4 Jun 1778 Peter WANDLESS, 60, widower, yeoman, Monkwearmouth
  Elizabeth BROWN, 60, widow, Ebchester
  Surety: Timothy GILDROY, keelman, Monkwearmouth

and indeed it does turn out that in Peter Wandlass’s will, he mentions his daughter Margaret, wife of Timothy Gildroy. The sureties are often relatives or close friends of the groom, so pay attention to them.

Replaced the index to marriages at Ryton Holy Cross 1750-1851 with full details so those 3,669 marriages are now instantly available. Witnesses were transcribed for about 50% of these marriages, mostly not transcribed when they were the frequently-appearing witnesses who were probably clerks.

At Durham City, St. Nicholas, from the Bishop’s Transcript:

• 603 baptisms for 1818-1828
• 275 burials for 1819-1836

Here are some samples from a family with an unusual name:

• baptized 7 May 1820 Sarah Kashew, of Claypath, St. N., daughter of John Kashew (cotton weaver) & Frances, private 9 Apr
• baptized 28 May 1826 Marian Kashew, of Claypath, daughter of James Kashew (shoe maker) & Elizabeth
• buried 13 Mar 1834 John Kashir [Kashew], of Claypath, age: 17

For some reason this parish had a lot of private baptisms, with the private baptism date given in the margin of the register, followed later  by the public church baptism. Since the private baptism date is earlier, it provides a closer reference point to the child’s actual birthdate, and sometimes the church baptism occurred more than a year after the child’s birth. For example, this baptism shows that the child was actually born at least 2 years and 4 months before the church baptism date:

• 17 Dec 1826 Susannah Craggs, of Silver Street, daughter of William Craggs (tailor) & Eleanor, private 11 Aug 1824

Residences mentioned include Back Lane, Claypath, Elvet Bridge, Market Place, Paradise Gardens, Providence Row, Sadler Street, Silver Street, and the St. Nicholas Workhouse, Poorhouse, and House of Correction. There were also a number of soldiers stationed at Durham, as evidenced by baptisms of their babies.

1,207 burials at East Rainton St. Cuthbert’s from its opening in Jan 1867 to Sep 1902.  The parish of East Rainton was carved out of West Rainton in 1867.  It included burials of residents of Black Boy, Chilton Moor, Coal Bank Terrace, Cross Lanes, Dunwell Pit, East Rainton, Hazard Pit, Hetton Downs, Hetton-le-Hole, High Moorsley, Low Moorsley, Middle Rainton, Moorsley, Nicholson’s Pit, North Pit, Rainton Bridge (and Gate and Mill), Stobley Moor, and West Rainton.

Some samples:

• 10 Mar 1868 Thomas Meek, of Rainton Bridge, age: 80
• 23 May 1901 Hannah Tindle, age: 29, died at Newcastle Infirmary
• 3 Jan 1902 Samuel George Speight, of Low Moorsley, age: 2 days

5,877 burials at West Rainton St. Mary’s churchyard, from its opening in 1825 to the end of October 1901.  At Rainton, halfway between Durham City and Houghton-le-Spring, coal is only 20-30 feet below the surface and it has been mined since ancient times. The Industrial Revolution created a much greater demand for the black gold and by the beginning of the 19th century there were over 20 small and shallow mines, covering some 10 square miles, which each had names but were collectively called ‘Rainton Colliery’. The increasing numbers of coalminers and their families put intolerable pressure on the parish church at Houghton-le-Spring and especially on its graveyard.  The solution was the carving out of a second parish. In 1825, West Rainton Chapel, a chapelry in Houghton-le-Spring parish, was created.  The foundation stone was laid by Mr. Robert Heaviside, who was buried in the graveyard in 1845.  In 1838, the chapelry became the separate parish of West Rainton St. Mary’s.  It was the parish church for Rainton (West, Middle and East), Low and High Moorsley and a score of tiny mining hamlets, but also received corpses from places as far afield as Coxhoe, Monkwearmouth, Yorkshire and Whitehaven in Cumberland. As all of these places had their own graveyards and cemeteries, it is possible that these people all had an ancestral connection to Rainton, or perhaps just happened to be visiting there when they died.

In this register, parents of children are usually named until the end of 1833, but spouses were not recorded (one burial named the spouse). Death dates started appearing in 1838, and are transcribed for 1838 and 1839 burials, but for burials from 1840 to 1851, we did not transcribe the death dates. They are hard to read and time-consuming to transcribe, and almost invariably occurred 0 to 5 days before the burial, so they don’t really add much in the way of information. That having been said, we will be transcribing death dates when they occur in the future.

Samples:

• 29 Oct 1826 Michael Pearson, of Pit Field, age: 73
• 14 Mar 1831 Harry Armitage, of Rainton Bridge Shops, age: 10 and a half months, son of John Armitage & Sarah
• 28 Sep 1839 Mary Nattrass, of Middle Rainton, age: 46, died 27 Sep
• 19 Aug 1877 Margaret Scott, of Leamside, age: 48, killed by lightning
• 31 Aug 1901 Lambton Robert Johnson, of Cocken Terrace, Leamside, age: 9 months