Gateshead, Durham Genealogy

England Durham

Parish History
Gateshead St Mary the mother-parish for Gateshead is an ancient parish and the church is reputed to date in part from the twelfth century. It suffered damage from a major explosion in Gateshead in 1854 and required substantial rebuilding.

The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £27. 13. 4., and in the patronage of the Bishop of Durham. The church is an ancient and venerable cruciform structure, with a square embattled tower, which, with part of the nave, was rebuilt in 1740; though greatly altered by modern additions and repairs, it displays some fine specimens of the Norman and decorated English styles of architecture. Its interior was enlarged in 1839 with 487 sittings; and in the chancel is a beautiful window representing the Annunciation, in stained glass, presented in 1823, by Mr. Price. The chapel of ease dedicated to St. Edmund was erected in 1808, at a cost of £1331, raised by subscription; in the burial-ground is an obelisk to the memory of 222 persons who died of the cholera from December 26th, 1831, to November 5th, 1832. The hospital of St. Edmund, now called King James's Hospital, to which the chapel is attached, was founded in 1245, by Bishop Farnham, who endowed it for a master and three chaplains. It subsisted till the Reformation, but its charter having been lost, and its revenue converted to other purposes, it was refounded in 1610, by James I., for a master and three poor brethren; the mastership being appropriated to the rector of Gateshead. In 1811, the foundation was by act of parliament extended to the reception of three elder and two younger brethren, who are all appointed by the master; the income is about £455 per annum. The dilapidated chapel of the Holy Trinity, in High-street, has been restored by subscription, in the original style, and displays a beautiful specimen of early English architecture; it was opened for divine service as a chapel of ease on the 15th of October, 1837: the east window is embellished with the armorial bearings of the promoters of the restoration, in stained glass. At Bensham is a church, the first stone of which was laid in July, 1846. There are places of worship for Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists, Methodists of the New Connexion, Independents, and Presbyterians. The union of Gateshead comprises nine parishes or places, and contains a population of 38,747.From: 'Gateshead - Gedding', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 283-287. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50978&amp;amp;strquery=gateshead Date accessed: 05 March 2011.

The former church of St Mary now houses Gateshead Visitor Centre.

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/2/112 1769-1840 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at FamilySearch Historical Records.

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 1559-1979 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Ga.SM).

Poor Law Unions
Gateshead 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.