Bolam, Northumberland Genealogy

England Northumberland



Church History
Bolam is an ancient parish and includes Bolam Vicarage, Bradford, Bradford near Morpeth, Gallow Hill, Gallowhill, Harnham, Shortflatt, and Trewick.

BOLAM (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union, and partly in the W. division, of Castle ward, but chiefly in the W. division of Morpeth ward and N. E. division of Tindale ward, N. and S. divisions of Northumberland; comprising the townships of Trewick, Bolam, Bolam-Vicarage, Gallow-Hill, Belsay, Bradford, Harnham, and Shortflatt; and containing 603 inhabitants, of whom 66 are in the township of Bolam, and 17 in that of Bolam-Vicarage, 9½ miles (W. S. W.) from Morpeth. It derives its name from being situated on a bol, or high swell of land. The old town of Bolam had its grant of a market and fair from Edward I., and consisted of a castle, a church, and two rows of houses running from east to west: the tower of the castle was standing some years since; and on the commanding hill near Bolam House, the seat of Lord Decies, where it stood, are intrenchments of a period anterior to the Conquest. The parish comprises upwards of 7000 acres, of which 1116 are in the township of Bolam. A large portion of the soil is a dark earth resting on clay, and there are fine portions of a sandy loam with a substratum of freestone, and also coal and limestone; in the township of Bolam a great part is rich grass land, interspersed with many thriving plantations, and a small but picturesque lake has been formed by the noble owner. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £6. 13. 4., and in the patronage of the Crown: the great tithes have been commuted for £247. 3. 8., and the vicarial for £72. 10. 6.; the glebe consists of about 130 acres. The township of Bolam-Vicarage comprises only the glebe land, lying on the eastern side of the church, which is of the Norman style. A branch of the Watling-street, called the "Devil's Causeway," may be distinctly traced about a mile westward; and near it are two large barrows, and a stone pillar of rude form, with a tumulus which, on being opened, was found to contain a coffin. On an intrenched rock, on the north-east side of Bolam moor, is a British camp.From: 'Bockleton - Bolehall', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 290-295. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50810 Date accessed: 12 March 2011.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church Records
Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections DDR/EA/PBT/2/37 years 1759-1760, 1769-1835 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at FamilySearch Historical Records; however images for this parish have not yet loaded and await engineering in future.

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.

Bolam, St Andrew: Records of baptisms 1662-1957, marriages 1662-1991 and burials 1662-1898 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1661-1812 and marriages 1661-1812 for this parish, and Boyd's Marriage Index includes marriages 1662-1812 and banns 1786-1812. Transcripts of baptisms, burials and marriages 1661-1812 are available at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept. A transcript of monumental inscriptions at Bolam (microfiche TN76) is published by Northumberland and Durham Family History Society and these records are also available in book form at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Department.

FamilySearch Historical Records includes England Durham Marriage Bonds and Allegations (FamilySearch Collection)

Census records
Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Poor Law Unions
Castle Ward Poor Law Union, Northumberland

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Northumberland Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
Contributor: add any relevant sites that aren't mentioned above.