917 baptisms and 951 burials at Durham St. Margaret’s covering 1798-1812, from the Bishop’s Transcript with some cross-checking against the parish register. Residences mentioned besides “this chapelry” include the College, Crossgate, Framwellgate, St. Mary le Bow, St. Nicholas, and White Smocks.

There are many fine examples of the extraordinarily detailed records of this period:

• baptized 18 Mar 1798 Sarah Wennington, born 19 Aug 1797, 4th daughter of Thomas Wennington (papermaker, native of Kirby Hill, Yorkshire) by his wife Isabella late Bewick (native of Kirby Hill, Yorkshire)
• baptized 11 Oct 1812 William Savage, born 4 Aug 1798, 2nd son of Robert Savage (labourer, native of Orton, Westmorland) by his wife Jane late Foster (native of Northumberland)
• buried 12 Jan 1798 John Ayre, of this Chapelry, age: 7 months, died 11 Jan 1798, son of William Ayre (cordwainer) by his wife Elizabeth late Ladderdale
• buried 25 Oct 1800 Robert Fewster, of this Chapelry, age: 49, died 21 Oct 1800, weaver, smothered at Messrs Salvins stone quarry
• buried 19 Apr 1812 Mary Sadler, age: 66, died 14 Apr 1812, wife of John Sadler (late a comedian)

Here is an interesting clerical error – in this burial, apparently the clerk mis-heard the name Dempster as “Gamester” – I only noticed it after processing some baptisms listing the same mother and other details with the surname Dempster:

• 29 Nov 1798 Catharine Gamester, of this Chapelry, age: 6 weeks, died 28 Nov 1798, daughter of William Gamester (cartwright) by his wife Susan late Elliott

These baptisms helped uncover the story:

• 13 Apr 1800 Ann Dempster, born 12 Feb 1800, 2nd daughter of William Dempster (joiner, native of Hexham, Northumberland) by his wife Susan Elliott (native of Hexham, Northumberland)
• 2 May 1802 Margaret Dempster, born 27 Feb 1802, daughter of William Dempster (cartwright, native of Hexham) by his wife Susannah late Elliott (native of Durham)

and the tale was corroborated by the marriage of William Dempster to Susannah Elliott at Hexham in 1798. Genealogy is detective work !

399 marriages at Houghton-le-Spring St. Michael & All Angels, covering 1786 to early Jan 1800, including witnesses. Some samples:

• 11 Nov 1786 Christopher Gustard married Margaret Day, both of this parish, by banns
  Witnesses: John Burnop, John Watson
• 6 Jan 1800 Edward Potts, of the parish of Bishopwearmouth married Jane Robinson, of this parish, by licence
  Witnesses: Eliza Jefferson, Thomas Robinson

Replaced the baptism index for Whickham for 1674-1679 with full details, so the details of those 3,597 baptisms are now instantly available.

702 baptisms at South Shields St. Hilda, for the year 1832. Residences mentioned include Harton, North Shields, South Shields, Templetown, and Westoe. A sampling:

• 11 Jul 1832 John Lochart Mather, of Westoe, son of James Mather (wine merchant) & Grace Phillipa Mather
• 25 Apr 1832 Henry McGregory [McGregor], of South Shields, son of Andrew McGregory [McGregor] (shipwright) & Ann

The 2nd baptism is interesting because it provides yet another variation on this family’s name. Andrew Gregor married Ann Robson in 1814 at Gateshead, and they christened six children between 1817 and 1829 at St. Hilda’s with the surname Gregor, but Henry, in 1832, was christened McGregory. The family then appears in the 1841 census as McGregor. We have added McGregor as an index to all the Gregor and McGregory entries, as we figured that was the most common name people would search for.  Just another lesson in how you have to be alert for surname variations !

3,201 burials at Sacriston St. Peter covering 1866-1906. This parish was carved out of Chester-le-Street and Witton Gilbert in 1863, but records don’t start there until 1866. Residences mentioned besides Sacriston  include Broad Myres, Byron Pit, Charlaw Pit, Chester Moor, Craghead, Crook, Daisy Hill, Durham City, Edmondsley, Findon Hill, Holmside, Kimblesworth, Lanchester, Mount Pleasant, Nettlesworth, New Town, Plawsworth, Stanley, Tan Hills, Waldridge, Waldridge Fell, and Witton Gilbert.

The six longest-lived people in this 40 year period were women – here are the oldest 3, followed by the oldest male and a couple of randomly-chosen burials with interesting comments:

• 12 Jan 1895 Elizabeth Hetherington, of Rose Cottage, Sacriston, age: 95
• 17 Oct 1901 Sarah Bell, of 14 Victoria Street, age: 92
• 24 Dec 1887 Ann French, of Edmondsley, age: 90
• 28 Mar 1888 Henry Embleton, of Findon Hill, Sacriston, age: 87
• 29 Jul 1896 Ralph Alderson, of Oliver’s Terrace, New Town, Sacriston, age: 10, accidentally drowned at Sacriston Gas House
• 19 May 1899 Isabella Horsfield, of Stone Row, Edmondsley, age: 48, buried with her daughter and grandson at the same time and in the same grave.

2,938 marriage bonds issued by the Durham Diocese 1796-1800. The Diocese of Durham covered all of County Durham and parts of Northumberland and North Yorkshire.

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. For example:

6 May 1797 William Little, age 30, widower, linen-draper, of Tynemouth, [Northumberland] obtained a licence to marry Mary Wanlass, age 18, of Tynemouth
Sur: Joseph Wanlass, yeoman, of Garrigill, [Cumberland] (who is her father & consents)

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.

1,264 burials at Heighington St. Michael from Sep 1847 to the end of 1900. Residences mentioned include Aycliffe, Bishop Auckland, Bolam, Brancepeth, Broom Dykes, Burtree Gate, Coatsaw Moor, Coundon, Cross Lanes, Darlington, Eryholme, Etherley, Evenwood, Ferryhill, Gainford, Heighington, High Side, Houghton Bank, Houghton-le-Side, Howden-le-Wear, Middridge, New Moor, New Shildon, Primrose, Redworth, Royal Oak, School Aycliffe, St. Andrew Auckland, Shildon, Stockton, Todd Fall, Twinsburn, Walworth, Walworth Gate, West Auckland, West Thickley, Whitworth, and Yarm.

Samples:

• 9 Sep 1847 Dorothy Spencer, of Broom Dykes, age: 66
• 3 Jun 1868 Gibson Knox, of Todd Fall, age: 26
• 23 Sep 1882 John Zell, of Heighington, age: 55, sexton
• 15 Nov 1898 Jane Franks, of North Cowton, Yorkshire, formerly of Heighington, age: 66

1,004 burials at Haughton-le-Skerne St. Andrew covering 1883 to mid-June 1937. Residences mentioned include Barmpton, Bishop Auckland, Coatham Mundeville, Cockerton, Darlington, Drinkfield, Gainford, Great Burdon, Harrowgate, Haughton-le-Skerne, Sadberge, and Whessoe.

Samples:

• 17 May 1930 Martin Gawin Meehan, of Haughton-le-Skerne, age: 39, Roman Catholic
• 16 May 1903 John Alderson Wallace, of The Mill, Haughton, age: 4, drowned in the river Skerne
• 2 Jun 1898 Charles Todd, of Haughton-le-Skerne, age: 76, sexton for 28 years
• 10 May 1883 Esther Blair, of Great Burdon, age: 45

790 burials at Wolviston St. Peter covering 1869-1936. Wolviston was a chapelry in the parish of Billingham St. Cuthbert and burials prior to 1869 were recorded in the Billingham register. Residences mentioned include Billingham, Egglescliffe, Elwick Hall, Greatham, Haverton Hill, Middlesbrough, Newton Bewley, Norton, Sedgefield, Stockton, Thornaby, West Hartlepool, Wolviston, and Wynyard.

Some samples:

• 21 Oct 1875 Margaret Walker, of Alms Houses, Wolviston, age: 73
• 20 Aug 1884 Jane Walker, of Wolviston, age: 10 minutes, baptised privately by the attendant doctor at the time of birth
• 15 Mar 1909 Robert William Hudspeth, of Wolviston, age: 16, burnt to death.
• 1 Mar 1913 Ann Anderson, of Pretoria House, Wolviston, age: 97
• 10 Jul 1935 Lawrence Wright, of Wolviston, age: 13, Roman Catholic

1,714 burials at Shincliffe St. Mary the Virgin, covering 1847-1903. Residences mentioned include Bishopwearmouth, Bowburn, Brandon Colliery, Cornsay Colliery, Coxhoe, Crow Trees, Dragon Villa, Durham City, Framwellgate, Gilesgate, Houghall and Houghall Colliery, Langley Moor, Monkwearmouth, New Elvet, New Shincliffe, North Brancepeth Colliery, Old Durham, Pelaw Wood House, Sherburn House, Shincliffe (Bank Top, Colliery, Hall, Mill, Moor, etc.), Tudhoe Colliery, and Whitwell Grange.

Samples:

• 7 Jan 1847 John Hodgson, of Coldstreams, Tudhoe, age: 44
• 12 Jan 1861 Ann Darling, of Shincliffe Colliery, age: 96
• 24 May 1885 Ralph Adamson, of Shincliffe Colliery, age: 72, this was the first burial in the new ground.
• 11 Sep 1903 Barbara Adamson, of 9 Roman Road, South Shields, late of Durham City, age: 65