At St. Oswald in the city of Durham :

• 2,844  burials covering 1750-1793 and filling the 1844 gap. This gives us continuous coverage of the burials at St. Oswald from 1750 to the end of 1868 – over 100 years of burials in the heart of Durham.
• 1,019 baptisms covering 1773-1793 and filling the 1844 gap. We now have continuous baptism coverage at St. Oswald for 1773-1869 – almost 100 years.

Residences mentioned  include Aldin Grange (also called Aldernage), Auton Stile, Baxter Wood, Bearpark,  Brancepeth,  Broom (also called Brome), Burnhall, Butterby, Church Street, Claypath, Court Lane, Croxdale, Elvet Bridge,  Farewell Hall,  Gilesgate, Hallgarth Street, Houghall, King Street, Little St. Mary parish, Market Place, New Elvet, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Old Burnhall, Old Elvet, Old Durham, Pittington, Relly, Sadler Street,  Shincliffe, Stonebridge, Stotgate, Sunderland Bridge, White Houses, Whitfield House, and the adjacent parishes and chapelries of St. Giles, St. Margaret’s, St. Mary le Bow, and St. Nicholas, plus the institutions of the Workhouse , Infirmary, and County Gaol.

Sample burials:

• 5 Jan 1750 John Hewitt, son of George Hewitt (tailor)
• 1 Jul 1760 Mr. John Byerley, late officer in the excise
• 7 Jan 1770 Jane Featherstonhaugh, wife of William Featherstonhaugh
• 13 May 1780 Mrs. Eleanor Suggett, widow, late mistress of a Boarding School in this parish
• 18 Feb 1790 Frances Salvin, of Croxdale, daughter of William Salvin (esquire, papist)
• 15 Jun 1793 Ann Laybourn, age: 69, papist, late servant to William Salvin esquire of Croxdale
• 13 Mar 1844 Mary Longstaff, of Old Elvet, age: 94

Sample baptisms:

• 11 Jul 1773 Henry Brymer Blacket, son of Joseph Blacket (spinning wheel maker)
• 19 Mar 1780 Samuel Marlowe, son of Mr. Robert Marlowe (singing man)
• 10 Mar 1782 Robert Carnes, infant son of William Carnes (joiner, of St.Nicholas Parish) by his wife Ann (who died in childbirth and was buried this day in the Churchyard of this parish)
• 1 Aug 1790 John Wall, son of John Wall (shopman to Mr. Green a chemist)
• 29 Oct 1793 Augusta Andrews Lindesay, daughter of Martin Lindesay (esquire, late a captain in the 26th Regiment of Foot)
• 7 Jan 1844 James Maxfield Lister, of New Elvet, son of Joseph (baker) & Mary Lister

At Merrington St. John the Evangelist in Auckland district:

• 1, 827 baptisms and 1,139 burials covering 1762-1812. These are mostly from the Bishop’s Transcript with gaps filled in from the parish register and extensive checking against the parish register.
• 169 marriages covering 1791-1812, including witnesses. Also included are several “banns called but not married here”, which will show up in your search results as Marriage Banns.
• 201 marriages covering 1863-1884.  These are fully detailed, with fathers, occupations, ages, and witnesses.

When we compared the baptisms and marriages up to 1812 against the IGI, we found a surprisingly large number of omissions in the IGI, and several errors such as missing middle names or incorrect first names or parent names. Residences mentioned include Brass’s House, Butcher Race, Chilton, Crawley, Ferryhill, Fog Close House, Great Chilton, Green Lane, Hall Heads, Hett, Hill House, Howl House, Leasingthorne, Little Chilton, Merrington, Merrington Mill, Middlestone, Rushyford, Thinford Lane, Thrundle, Tudhoe, Tursdale Mill, West Close House, Westerton, Windlestone, and York Hill.

Mothers were not mentioned in baptisms here until September 1779. However, the good news is that the clerk started recording mother’s maiden surname in June 1796, nearly 2 years before it was required. Parents’ nativity details followed on schedule starting in January 1798.

• 29 Sep 1766 Christopher Grey, of Hill House, an adult
• 20 Oct 1771 Jane Binley, of Merrington, daughter of Marmaduke Binley
• 16 Sep 1779 Hannah Arrowsmith, of Rushey Ford, daughter of William & Elizabeth Arrowsmith
• 25 Dec 1789 Mary Emerson, of Windlestone, illegitimate daughter of Frances Emerson
• 11 Oct 1796 Robert Gillhespe, of Merrington, born 29-Sep 1796, son of Martin Gillhespe & Elizabeth late Humble
• 4 Feb 1798 Thomas Best, born 21-Jan 1798, 4th son of George Best (labourer, native of Heighington) by his wife Mary Fatkin (native of Blackgate)
• 11 Apr 1812 Michael Scurr, born 22-Sep 1811, 9th son of Thomas Scurr (farmer, native of Thautny Beans) by his wife Hannah Storey (native of Thornaby)

In burials, mothers were mentioned only for illegitimate children, until late 1779, when both parents started being mentioned in a child’s death. Of course the 1798-1812 period provides all sorts of lovely details.

• 2 Apr 1764 Mary Sherriton, of Chilton, wife of John Sherriton
• 31 May 1775 Mary Gibbin, of Tudhoe Moor House, daughter of Thomas Gibbin
• 12 Oct 1781 Ralph Garr, of Butcher Race, son of Richard & Mary Garr
• 2 May 1795 Barbara Greensides, of Ferryhill, widow of Charles Greensides
• 11 Sep 1798 Elizabeth Dodsworth late Hugal, of Merrington, age: 71, died 9 Sep, wife of Richard Dodsworth (schoolmaster)
• 5 Feb 1804 Jonathan Burnup, of Hett, age: 13, died 3 Feb, son of Charles Burnup (weaver) by his wife Margaret late Welsh
• 7 Feb 1812 Thomas Calvert, of Old Durham in the parish of St. Oswald, age: 39, Land Steward, died 4 Feb

The effect of the 1798-1812 details can be far-reaching. The 1804 burial of Jonathan Burnup above provides his mother’s maiden name, which was not given in his 1793 baptism record. This burial gives the maiden name of the mother of someone born in 1753:

• 14 Mar 1805 Margaret Craggs, of Ruffley, age: 52, died 11 Mar, daughter of George Craggs (farmer, deceased) by his wife Ann late Smithson (deceased)

and this burial gives the maiden name of a woman born about 1706, if her burial age is correct:

• 8 May 1808 Clare Brown late Watson, of Elm Park in the parish of Wolsingham, age: 102, died 6 May, widow of Joseph Brown (farmer)

Sample marriages:

• 24 Jan 1791 George Pearson, of the parish of Staindrop married Ann Burdon, of this parish, by banns
  Witnesses: John Burdon, James Burdon
• 1 Mar 1810 Henry Howlet, of the City of York married Ann Sample, of this parish, by licence
  Witnesses: Thomas Arrowsmith, Mary Arrowsmith, Jane Arrowsmith, William Lynn
• 19 Jan 1863 Thomas Willey (widower, labourer), age 55, of Middlestone, son of Michael Willey (farmer), married Anne Cummins (widow), age 59, of Middlestone, daughter of Peter Roxby (collier), after Banns
  Witnesses: Robert Charlton, Harriet Jackson
• 16 Oct 1881 George Dickenson (widower, mason), age 50, of Merrington, son of Matthew Dickenson (mason), married Ann Blenkinsop (widow), age 51, of Merrington, daughter of John Todd (labourer), after Banns
  Witnesses: Thomas Sidgwick, Robert Charlton

1,679 baptisms and 1,122 burials at Lamesley St. Andrew in Chester-le-Street district, covering 1835-1851 but temporarily missing 1840, which we will add from the parish register as soon as possible. These are from the Bishop’s Transcript.  This set caused our burial count to pass 800,000, causing a minor celebration of sorts.

Residences mentioned besides Lamesley include Allerdean, Allerdean Engine, Banesley Lane, Birtley, Birtley Lane, Birtley North Side, Black Fell, Blea-berry House, Boggle Hole, Bracken Beds, Byker Hill, Chowdean, Coal House, Cooper House, Cow Close, Derwent Crook, Eighton Banks, Gateshead Fell & Low Fell, Greenwell House, Harlow Green, Hedley, Heworth, High Eighton, High Hills, Kibblesworth, Leybourn Hold or Hole, Long Acres, Loosing Hill, Low Eighton, Low Fell, Low Urpeth, Moor Mill, the Mount, Newcastle, Old Engine, Ouston, Ouze Law, Pelton & Pelton Fell, Penny Fine, Pit Hill, Quarry House, Ravensworth, Sheriff Hill, Silver Hill, Street Gate, Sunderland, Tinkler Row, Trench Hall, Urpeth, Urpeth Oil Mill, Weston Row, Windy Nook, and Wrekenton.

Sample baptisms:

• 1 Jan 1835 Elizabeth Philippa Yorke, of Wimpole, daughter of Charles Philip Yorke (Capt. RN) & Susan, Earl & Countess of Hardwicke
• 21 Aug 1836 Richard Talentyre Clark, of Bleaberry House, son of William (pitman) & Ann Clark
• 2 May 1841 Thomas Watson, of Eighton Banks, son of Luke Morrison Watson (quarryman) & Elizabeth
• 7 Sep 1851 Thomas Campbell Strathmore, of Gateshead Low Fell, son of Ralph (tailor) & Jane Strathmore

Sample burials:

• 17 Jan 1851 Henry Augustus Cooke, of Wreckenton, age: 33
• 26 Sep 1846 David Ronald, of Eighton Banks, age: 102
• 28 Oct 1839 Pattison Parkin, of Eighton Banks, age: 66
• 16 Jan 1835 William Peacock, of The Stables, age: 84

2,046 marriages at Brancepeth St. Brandon in Durham district, from the start of the parish in 1599 to the end of 1812. We now have marriages here from 1599 to mid-1837. This addition has all available details including witnesses. Abodes mentioned besides Brancepeth include Auckland St. Andrew, Auckland St. Helen, Aycliffe, Billy Hall, Billy Row, Bishop Auckland, Bishopton, Brandon, Chester-le-Street, Crook, Durham city, Easington, Esh, Greaty Aycliffe, Hamsterley, Hart, Helmington Row, Houghton-le-Spring, Lanchester, Langley, Merrington, Middleham, Monkwearmouth, Newcastle, Oakenshaw, Page Bank, Pittington, Primrose Side, Ryton, Sedgefield, Stanhope, Stockley, Sunderland, Trimdon, Tudhoe, Unthank, Waterhouses, Whitworth, Willington, Witton-le-Wear, and Wolsingham.

This batch provides an opportunity to survey the changing level of details in marriages over time, at least in this parish. Marriages before 1629 showed only the date and names of the people getting married, like this:

• 27 Oct 1600 William Lax married Elizabeth Brack
• 9 Sep 1628 Marmaduke Hyfield married Ann Bowman

In 1629 there is a spurt of parental details, abodes, and witnesses, like this:

• 2 Jun 1629 Charles Thomas Kell, son of John Kell (deceased, of Helmington Row), married Elizabeth Comyn, daughter of William Comyn (of Helmington Row)
  Witnesses: Samuel Moberley, of Brancepeth
• 29 Jan 1633 William Dowthwaite, of Brancepeth, son of William Dowthwaite, married Mary Hull, daughter of Nicholas Hull
  Witnesses: William Shaw, Ralph Douthwait

Then the parents disappear in early 1633, but the abodes and witnesses continue sporadically, with long stretches where no witnesses are recorded:

• 7 Jun 1665 Anthony Yates married Adeline Jackson
  Witnesses: George Morrison, Robert Linley
• 20 May 1696 Richard Brice, of Durham married Ann Sidgwick

From 1697 to 1745, witnesses are almost always shown, and sometimes the groom’s abode:

• 4 May 1697 George Arrowsmith, of East Brandon married Jane Joblin
  Witnesses: T. Shadforth, [blank] Arrowsmith, wife of James Arrowsmith, Henry Threlkeld
• 11 Jun 1724 John Jopling, of Wolsingham married Ann Applegarth
  Witnesses: George Jopling, Henry Threlkeld, John Harrison
• 16 Jul 1745 Thomas Archer married Eleanor Carr
  Witnesses: Thomas Pattison, Margaret Dunn

Marriages from August 1745 to early 1754 are very terse, with no witnesses or abodes:

• 5 Nov 1745 Robert Lamb married Jane Proctor
• 9 Jul 1752 Nicholas Marshal married Isabel Gent

After the passage of Hardwicke’s Marriage Act, from March 1754 to the end of 1812, the groom’s abode and witnesses are present in nearly every marriage:

• 25 Jan 1755 Thomas Usher, of Brancepeth married Thomasin Hopper
  Witnesses: John Dunn, Thomas Pattison
• 6 Jul 1779 Henry Pigg, of Auckland St. Andrew married Elizabeth Craggs, married by licence
  Witnesses: Robert Craggs, Ralph Meggeson
• 19 Jul 1812 Joseph Blackbird, of Tanfield married Elizabeth Colling
  Witnesses: Edward Lidddle, Ephraim Hall

Here is a link to a fascinating, highly detailed tale of the Scottish bigamy case that led to the passage of Hardwicke’s Marriage Act:

• http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/lhr/17.1/leneman.html

This data set also includes banns that were read at Brancepeth from 1754 to the end of 1812, but the marriage was not subsequently recorded there. Sometimes, if a marriage was not recorded or the record has not survived, the record of banns being read is the only clue to who the parties are in a marriage. For example:

• 16 [May-Dec] 1774 Richard Paddison, of Brancepeth & Elizabeth Theakston
  [Note: date last banns read, not married here. Month not shown; entered between 1 May and end of year.]

We have not yet located this marriage, so we do not know whether or not it actually happened. If we came across baptisms for children of Richard & Elizabeth Paddison or Pattison in the Brancepeth area in the following 10 years, the only clue (but not proof) to Elizabeth’s identity might be these banns.

Replaced the index to marriage bonds 1680-1689 with full details, so those 1,544 records are now instantly available.

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 Marriage 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:

• 24 Apr 1680 Edward Clayton (ship-wright), of Wall Nook obtained a licence to marry Rosamond Hinde (widow), directed to Lanchester
  Surety: Ralph Clayton, felt-maker
  [Note: married 27 Apr at Lanchester.]
• 22 Nov 1683 Anthony Coates (mariner), of Stockton-upon-Tees obtained a licence to marry Peregrine Holmes, of [Coniscliffe], directed to Coniscliffe
  Surety: John Dixon, mason, of Auckland
• 19 Nov 1689 Anthony Gregson (gentleman), of Sunny Lawes, Northumberland obtained a licence to marry Jane Robson
  Surety: Richard Smith, gentleman, of Ramside
  [Note: married 21 Nov at Pittington.]

Marriage bonds cover the entire Diocese of Durham i.e. Durham, Northumberland, North Yorkshire. There are a few licences in our collection that were issued by York. Because bonds cover the whole diocese, there is no way to limit your search of bonds to a single district. If you select a district from the District menu, your selection will be ignored when the marriage bonds database is searched.

13,528 new Darlington burials !

• 9580 burials at Darlington West Cemetery covering 1905-1920
• 3948 burials at Darlington North Cemetery covering 1874-1892

Darlington North Cemetery opened in 1874, on ground donated by Arthur Pease, MP, and his brothers. There is some interesting Pease family (of Darlington) history in Arthur Pease’s obituary at the Durham Mining Museum’s excellent website. 

Like earlier burials at West Cemetery, these burials include the father’s (or single mother’s) name only for stillborn children.

Samples:

• 10 Jan 1905 stillborn child Hardy, of George Street, child of Andrew Hardy
• 30 Apr 1884 James Race, age: 98, died at the Union Workhouse
• 21 May 1875 Esther Dutton, of North Road, age: 78
• 18 Dec 1889 Ann Overend, of Charles Street, age: 92
• 3 Jan 1920 unnamed female child Flint, of 3 Silver Street, age: 15 minutes
• 15 Mar 1919 stillborn child Hopper, of 20 Ethel Street, child of Rhoda Hopper
• 11 Jul 1891 John Hillary Galloway, of Wales Street, age: 79
• 12 Apr 1917 Sarah Boreham, of Azalea Terrace North, Sunderland, age: 72, [burial of] cremated remains
• 27 Jan 1908 Robert Clement Weighell, of Skerne House, Janson Square, age: 32, found in the River Skerne

Abodes mentioned include many street addresses and neighbourhoods within Darlington, plus Albert Hill, Archdeacon Newton,  Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, Blackwell, Cockerton, Drinkfield, Elmcroft, Fairfield Nursing Home, Fighting Cocks, Four Riggs, Harrowgate Hill, Haughton-le-Skerne, High Coniscliffe,  Hurworth, Low Coniscliffe, Middlesbrough, Middleton St. George, Mount Pleasant, New Shildon, Northallerton, North Cowton, Peaceful Valley, Redcar,  Rise Carr, Sedgefield, Shildon, Springfield, St. Joseph’s Home, Stapleton. There was also a surprising number of burials from further-away places such as Newcastle and South Shields - either travellers who died in Darlington, or people who died in a distant place and were brought home (or perhaps to their previous home) for burial.

557 baptisms and 354 burials at Haughton-le-Skerne St. Andrew in Darlington district, covering 1765-1796. These are from a combination of the Bishop’s Transcripts and the parish register, for maximum detail and coverage. Residences mentioned include Aley Hill, Barmpton, Burdon, Burtree House & Gate, Coatham, Dales House, Darlington, Forth Moor, Great Burdon, Harrowgate, Haughton-le-Skerne (and Haughton Lane, Mill, and Moor), High Beaumont Hill, Honey Pot Lane, Humbleton, Huntershaw, Lingfield, Morton Palms, Muskey Nooks, Myers Flat, Postgates, Red Hall, Skerningham, South Burdon, Throstle Nest, Whessoe, and Yarm Lane.

Sample baptisms – mothers are not listed (except for unmarried mothers) until 1792:

• 15 Sep 1765 Ann Ridley, of Whessey [Whessoe], daughter of Walter Ridley
• 8 May 1774 John Goodburn, an adult servant to Mr. Wastell
• 17 Jun 1787 Thomas Shildon, of Barmpton, illegitimate son of Judith Shildon
• 24 Jun 1792 Mary Dent, of Haughton, daughter of John & Rachel Dent
• 25 Dec 1796 Alice Robinson, of Burdon, daughter of Simon & Esther Robinson

Sample burials:

• 26 Sep 1767 Margaret Jefferson, of Lowson Slack, P [poor]
• 11 Aug 1775 Henry Shildon, of Barmpton, son of Abraham Shildon
• 13 Apr 1786 Elizabeth Bamblet, of Darlington, wife of Peter Bamblet
• 3 Jun 1793 Ann Pigg, of Haughton, daughter of Charles & Mary Pigg
• 28 Mar 1795 The Rev’d William Vaughan, Rector of Haughton

185 marriages at Barnard Castle St. Mary in Teesdale district, covering 1807-1812, with witnesses.  Samples:

• 30 Apr 1807 Thomas Cornforth, of the parish of Northallerton married Catherine Wilkinson, of this chapelry, by licence
  Witnesses: Hannah Wilkinson, John Maugham, George Powell
• 25 May 1809 Matthias Bradley, of the parish of Startforth married Elizabeth Miller, of this chapelry, by licence
  Witnesses: Mary Richmond, Elizabeth Bradley, Robert Taylor, Ralph Bradley
• 23 Jan 1812 Thomas Ullathorne, of this chapelry married Jane Hutton, of this chapelry, by licence
  Witnesses: Matthew Hutton, Jane Deighton

We now have marriages at Barnard Castle for 1800-1837.