Whorlton, Durham Genealogy

England Durham



Parish History
Whorlton was a chapelry within the ancient parish of Gainford. The chapelry of St Mary was rebuilt in 1853.

WHORLTON, a chapelry, in the parish of Gainford, union of Teesdale, S. W. division of Darlington ward, S. division of the county of Durham, 3½ miles (E. S. E.) from Barnard-Castle; containing 286 inhabitants. This place formed part of the forfeited estates of the Earl of Westmoreland, and was purchased from the commissioners of the crown lands; the manor subsequently became the property of the Sanderson family. The chapelry is situated on the river Tees, over which is a handsome suspension-bridge, erected in 1831, after a design by Mr. Green, of Newcastle, and which connects the two counties of Durham and York; the surface is pleasingly varied, and the higher lands command a fine view of the Rokeby grounds and other interesting scenery. The soil near the river is rich and fertile, in other parts a strong clay; limestone of inferior quality abounds, which forms an excellent material for roads. There are some petrifying springs. The chapel stands near the edge of a precipitous cliff overlooking the river: the living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar of Gainford, with 57 acres of glebe. The Independents have a place of worship.

From: 'Whitton - Whorlton', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 561-564. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51402 Date accessed: 30 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
To find the names of the neighbouring parishes, use England Jurisdictions 1851. In this site, search for the name of the parish, click on the location "pin", click Options and click List contiguous parishes.

Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections DDR/EA/PBT/2/273 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at FamilySearch Historical Records. The Library entry incorrectly refers to the parish as in Northumberland perhaps due to confusion with Newburn parish Northumberland which contains Whorlton.

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.

The Parish Registers for the period 1626-1982 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Who).

Poor Law Unions
Teesdale Poor Law Union, Durham

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Durham 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.