St John,Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland Genealogy

= Parish History =

St John the Baptist was created as a chapelry in St Nicholas Newcastle upon Tyne ancient parish in 1808.

This parish consisted of the townships of Benwell, Elswick, St John and Westgate. The last two were part of the city and county of Newcastle, and all of these areas are now within the City of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

The Church of St John the Baptist, Grainger Street/Westgate Road was built in the thirteenth century and the pinnacled tower added some two hundred years later. The tower rises directly from the pavement of Grainger Street.

The expansion of the "village" of Benwell led to the building of a chapel of ease, St James' Church, in Benwell Lane. It was completed in 1832 and became a parish church in 1843. The establishment of munitions factories along the banks of the Tyne, and the resulting huge increase of population in Elswick, resulted in several more churches being built in that area. Elswick, St Paul, in Havelock Street was built in 1854; Elswick, St Stephen, in 1868; Elswick, St Philip, in St Philip's Close, in 1869; and St Matthew's on Summerhill Street, in 1870.

= Parish Records =

Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections DDR/EA/PBT/2/192 March 1748-May 1748, January 1749-March 1749,1762-1854 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at Record Search.

The dates of the post-1760 transcripts have been noted in detail and sometimes only cover years. For most parishes in the collection there are gaps in the sequence of transcripts. It is advisable to consult the original parish registers for these years and events.

Newcastle, St John: Records of baptisms 1587-1914, marriages 1587-1958 and burials 1587-1853 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. These records, and banns 1754-1820, 1877-1970, can also be seen at Tyne and Wear Archives Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1587-1812 and marriages 1587-1812 for this parish, and Boyd's Marriage Index includes marriages 1587-1812 and banns 1653-1675, 1751-1812. Transcripts of baptisms, burials and marriages 1587-1812 and of monumental inscriptions for Newcastle, St. John are available at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept.