379 marriage bonds filed in 1823 in the Diocese of Durham. These are brand new, not previously in our bond index. Early 1823 bonds include baptism details!

In this period, marriage bonds often provide ages, occupations, place of residence, and sometimes a father or mother for the bride and groom during a period when marriage registers did not provide that information. Please read the Marriage Bonds sectionof 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 the first 3 months of 1823, most bonds also provide the bride and groom’s birthdates, places and dates of baptism, one or both parents’ names (often including the mother’s maiden surname), and sometimes the child’s order within the family (1st son, 2nd daughter, etc.). Sometimes there is the name of a brother or other relative who is swearing to the accuracy or existence of the baptism, or to the bride’s age if no baptism documentation could be found.

Here are two examples that are loaded with valuable information, including (in the 2nd example) a rather sweet memory of the godmother carrying the baby to church for her baptism:

• 15 Jan 1823 Joseph Hodgson (surgeon, bachelor, born 15 Jan 1798, 1st child, baptized 17 Mar 1798 at Tanfield), age 21 and upwards, of Sunderland, County Durham, son of Joseph Hodgson (fish hoop maker, native of Hartlepool) & Sarah Carrick (native of Lanchester Parish), obtained a licence to marry Charlotte Allison (spinster, minor, born 16 Jun 1804, 7th child, baptized 19 Aug 1804 at Houghton-le-Spring, with consent of her natural & lawful widowed mother), age under 21, of Sunderland, daughter of Ralph Allison (shopkeeper, native of Sherburn) & Elizabeth Coulthorp (native of Burnopfield), directed to Sunderland
  Surety: Robert Coates, butcher of Sunderland, Elizabeth Allison, widow
• 22 Feb 1823 Donald Angus (ship carpenter, bachelor), age 21 and upwards, of Bishopwearmouth, County Durham obtained a licence to marry Dorothy Fawcus [Falcus] (spinster), age 21 and upwards, of Bishopwearmouth, daughter of Robert Fawcus [Falcus] (yeoman of South Shields), directed to Bishopwearmouth. Thomas Jackson, gardener of Warkworth, certified that he stood godfather to the said Dorothy Falcus when she was baptized at Warkworth about 25 years ago, and her father adds that it was the 10th January 1798. The wife of Thomas Jackson was one of the godmothers and carried her to the church – but she is ill and cannot come to add to her husband’s testimony. Robert Fawcus of South Shields made oath that he is well-acquainted with Donald Angus who intends to marry his daughter Dorothy, and that Donald was baptized in Cross parish in Scotland.
  [Note: There is a letter dated 16 Feb 1823 from the Vestry at Warkworth claiming that the baptism entry for Dorothy Fawcus could not be found, and that there must have been some sort of clerical error made, at the time, because her siblings had been regularly entered.]

Note that “age 21” means “21 and upwards” in these documents. This is about as helpful as “of full age” on a civil registration marriage – it serves only to separate the minors from everybody age 21 to 100. However, marriage bonds sometimes provide additional information. Here is an example of a couple whose official age is given only as “21 and upwards”, but additional information shows the groom to be over 60:

• 20 Jan 1823 Thomas Bell (gentleman, widower), age 21 and upwards, of Bishop Auckland in the parish of Auckland St. Andrew, County Durham obtained a licence to marry Mary Jopling (spinster, born 26 Sep 1792, baptized at the Baptist Chapel, Hamsterley), age 21 and upwards, of Bishop Auckland, daughter of James (of Butterknowle in the parish of Hamsterley) & Ann Jopling, directed to St. Andrew. Silas Jopling made oath that the baptism of Thomas Bell cannot be found, but he knows him to be upwards of 60 years of age.
  Surety: Silas Jopling, farmer of St.Andrew’s Auckland

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.

At All Saints in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, from the Bishop’s Transcript:

• 1,893 baptisms covering 1819-1921
• 1,049 burials covering 1819-1827

Many County Durham residents worked across the River Tyne in Newcastle and in collieries up and down both sides of the river, so you will find many of the same families who are also found in Gateshead, Hebburn, Jarrow, and other border communities along the Tyne. Residences mentioned besides streets in All Saints parish include Ballast Hills, Battle Hill, Benwell, Bigge’s Main, Bill Quay, Bird Nest, Blyth’s Nook, Brunton, Byker (also Byker Bar, Hill, and Old Engine), Cowgate, the Cut, Deckham Hall, Dents Hole, Dog Bank, Egypt, Fawdon, Felling Shore, Gateshead, Gateshead Fell, Glasshouses, Groat Market, Heaton, Hebburn, High Bridge, Howdon Pans, Jesmond, Kenton, Low Bridge, Milk Market, Mount Pleasant, Mushroom, North Shields, North Shore, the Oil Mill, Ouseburn, Painters Heugh, Pandon, Pandon Bank, Percy Main, Pity Me, the Quay, Shieldfield, the Side, South Shields, St. Anthony’s, St. Ann’s, St. Lawrence, St. Peter’s Quay, Stockbridge, Two Mile Stone, Tyne Brewery, Walker, Wall Knowls or Knoll, West House, Willington, and Windmill Hills.

Sample baptisms, including two men baptized long after their births:

• 1 Jan 1819 Jane Reay, of Burnbank, daughter of David (waterman) & Ann Reay
• 20 Feb 1820 Hugh Gwilliam Pringle, of Pity Me, born 13-Aug 1812, son of Joseph (waterman) & Elizabeth Pringle
• 17 Oct 1821 William Dunlop, of Grinding Chare, born 8-Mar 1782, son of John (tailor) & Jane Dunlop, born at Newtonards, County of Down, Ireland
• 23 Dec 1821 Elizabeth Hair, of Tyne Street, daughter of Joseph (sawyer) & Ann Hair

Sample burials:

• 15 Mar 1819 Frances Greathead Wilkin, of Barras Bridge, age: 29
• 23 Jan 1820 Mary Pendleton, of Trinity House, age: 64, N.B. Notice for the funeral was sent to this church but the friends afterwards changed their mind & the body was interred at Gateshead.
• 2 Oct 1821 Barbara Humble, of Dog Bank, age: 100 years and 5 months, widow
• 28 Nov 1824 Isabella Pow, of Forth Street, age: 70
• 5 Aug 1827 Catharine Pearson, of Manor Chare, age: 88

The Newcastle Library has posted some interesting old photos of Newcastle here – just click on any photo to enlarge it and read the caption:

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/newcastlelibraries/with/4081619646/

British History Online has some interesting descriptions of the old streets and sections of Newcastle:

• http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43337
• Use the Previous & Next arrows at the very bottom of the page to “turn” the pages of this book.

6,566 burials at Gateshead East Cemetery, covering 1893-1896.

Besides many street addresses in Gateshead, residences mentioned include Bensham, Carr’s Hill, Cumberland Street Mission House, Deptford House, Felling, Felling Gate, Felling Shore, Friars Goose, Greengates, High Teams,  Mount Greenwich, Mount Pleasant, New Gateshead, Newcastle, Old Engine, Old Fold, Redheugh, Salt Meadows,  Shipcote, South Shore, Teams, Tyne Main Colliery, and Wind Mill Hills.

Because these are municipal cemetery records, not church burial records, they present many more genealogically useful details. 99% of these records give either an occupation, a parent or husband’s name, or information about how the person died. Some samples:

• 1 Jan 1893 Ann Swan, of 45 Worcester Street, age: 64, widow of John Swan
• 14 Nov 1893 Minnie Gardiner, of 45 James Street, age: 20, daughter of Watson Gardiner
• 29 Nov 1896 Hannah E. Miles, of 37 Moore Street, age: 86, wife of James Miles
• 31 Dec 1896 Jonathan Robson, of 104 Clayton Street, age: 52, draughtsman, died at the Royal Infirmary, body brought from Jarrow parish

In this burial, the address where she died may lead you to another relative:

• 30 Aug 1896 Mary Patrick, of 7 Haydn Street, age: 82, widow of Jacob Patrick, died at 14 Holly Street, Jarrow

Here is somebody who was far from home:

• 5 Jul 1893 William Little, of Newark, New Jersey, USA, age: 89, gentleman, died at 40 Kearney Street

This one also gives the family’s religion:

• 27 Jun 1895 David Murray, of 15 Bridge Street, age: 4, son of William Murray, Salvation Army, drowned near Gateshead Quay

1,079 baptisms and 903 burials at Washington Holy Trinity in Chester-le-Street district, covering 1828-1847. 1828-1835 and 1845-1847 are from the Bishop’s Transcript; the rest are from the parish register.

Residences mentioned include Ayton [Eighton] Banks, B Pit, Barmston, Barmston Forge, Biddick Burn, Birtley, Black Fell, Blue House, Brandy Row, Chester-le-Street, Cox Green, East House, F Pit, Fatfield, G Pit, Galloping Green,  Glebe House, Havannah, Hillthorn, Holling Hill, Lane House, Lane Pit, Light Pipe Row, Little Usworth, Low Stanley in Tanfield parish, Mile or Mill Pit, Mount, Mount Stables, Nailor’s Shops, New Washington, New York, North Biddick, Old Engine, Old Stables, Oxclose, Raff Yard, Red Row, Sea Row, South Shields, Springwell Colliery, Usworth, Waggon Row, Washington, Washington Row, Washington Stables, Washington Staiths, Washington Windmill, Washington Woodside, Waterloo, and Wrekenton.

Sample baptisms:

• 20 Jan 1828 Robert Hall, of Mount, son of Richard Mallams (reputed father) & Ann Hall (spinster)
• 3 Oct 1830 Thomas Cook, of Washington, son of Thomas (pitman) & Elizabeth Cook, a posthumous child
• 4 Nov 1832 Charlotte Corbit, of Little Usworth, daughter of Joseph (husbandman) & Charlotte Corbit, baptized at Usworth chapel
• 13 Jul 1837 Thomas Trotter, of North Biddick, son of John (huckster) & Mary Trotter, aged 3 years old, received into the congregation this day
• 24 Oct 1846 William Doxford, of Washington, child of Joseph (pitman) & Ann Doxford, baptized at Benton. Rec’d into the congregation [on this date].

Washington’s ancient Norman-style church was deemed unsafe in 1830 and was demolished in 1832 and immediately rebuilt, reopening in May 1833. The Norman burial vaults below the church were blamed for the insecure structure, but the instability may have actually been caused by subsidence as a result of coal mining in the area. From Apr 1832 to Dec 1832, all of baptisms in the Washington register were actually performed at Usworth chapel, which itself had just been rebuilt. From Jan 1833 to Aug 1834, a further 46 baptisms were at Usworth chapel (out of 144 baptisms in the Washington register for that period). Usworth was a chapelry of Washington parish until Usworth became its own separate parish in April 1835.

Sample burials – two tragic mining accidents, one case of cholera, and one very old person:

• 22 Nov 1828 Henry Gilderoy, of Washington Row, age: 9, one of 14 unfortunate individuals killed by an explosion in Washington New Pit on 20 Nov and interred by Coroners Warrant
• 15 Dec 1831 Isabella Cowen, of Light Pipe Row, age: 52, died of the Malignant or Indian Cholera after 9 hours illness
• 12 May 1833 Lancelot Ridley, of Mount, age: 18, 1 of 20 individuals here killed by an Explosion in the Springwell Colliery May 9th and buried by Coroner’s warrant. 47 in all lost their lives.
• 15 Aug 1841 John Laws, of Waggon Row, age: 106

There was also a small outbreak of smallpox in early 1833 that claimed half a dozen lives.

You can take a little tour of the Washington parish church here and read more about its history here.

207 baptisms at Haughton-le-Skerne in Darlington district and 177 burials, covering 1852-1860, plus burials for Apr-Dec 1882. This fills a gap we had and gives us continuous baptisms at Haughton-le-Skerne for 1765-1882 and burials for 1765-1937.

Residences mentioned besides Haughton include Barmpton, Brafferton, Burdon, Coatham Mundeville, Cowton, Darlington, Egglestone, Fighting Cocks, Forth Moor, Great Burdon, Harrowgate, Lingfield, Little Burdon, Middlesbrough, Morton, Myer’s Flat, Redhall, Skerningham, Stockton, Stressholme, Throstle Nest, Whessoe, and Whinbush.

Sample baptisms:

• 21 Jul 1852 Laidman Wilkinson, of Haughton le Skerne, child of Mary Wilkinson
• 12 Aug 1860 Mary Hannah Dixon, of Egglestone, daughter of Matthew Rainer Dixon (joiner) & Annie Fewster Dixon

Sample burials:

• 15 Nov 1852 Rev’d Thomas Dalton, of Haughton, age: 36, Curate of Haughton
• 11 Apr 1882 Margaret Henderson, of Harrowgate, Whessoe, age: 67

689 baptisms and 370 burials at Hamsterley St. James covering 1765-1790. Residences mentioned besides Hamsterley include Apeshield, Bedburn Hall & Mills, Blazing Hill, Burnley Row, Butterknowle, Copley Bent, Crane Row, Crow Houses, Didridge, Eudon (Eden) Leazes, Fitches, Folly, Gaunless, Gyll Bank, Haggerlees, Hamsterley Town Head, High Bank, High Wham, Hole Eel, Hoppiland, Kazellee (Kay’s Lea), Knave’s Mire, Lane House, Littleburn, Loop, Low Shipley, Low Wham, Lynburn, Mayland, Moorhill, Morley, Pennington Rake, Podge Hole, Pooltree, Potters Cross, Rackwood Hill, Rainsfield, Ravensford, Rootford (Redford), Rowntree, Salter Burn, Shipley, Shull, Snape Gate, Softley, Southside, St. Helen Auckland, Stone Chester, Trow Lane, Weather Hill, West Pitts, and Wham.

Sample baptisms:

• 6 Jan 1765 Alice Naseby, of Potters Cross, daughter of Samuel & Ann Naseby
• 11 Apr 1773 Jasper Smith, son of Elizabeth Smith, a bastard child (a stranger)
• 17 Nov 1790 John & Joseph Gills, of Southside, sons of Richard & Elizabeth Gills

Sample burials:

• 13 Feb 1765 Thomas Vasey, of Bedburn Hall, son of Anthony & Ann Vasey
• 6 Feb 1777 Richard Ghram [Graham], of Southside, the younger
• 26 Apr 1790 Mary Dixon, of Hamsterley, wife of John Dixon (the elder), P [=poor]