Stanhope, Durham Genealogy

England Durham

Parish History
Stanhope is an ancient parish and the largest in County Durham. St Thomas the Apostle is a Norman church in origin with later alterations and additions include a chantry added in 1225. The following are the parishes referred to, as having formerly been comprised in the original parish of Stanhope - Eastgate, Frosterley, Heathery Cleugh, Rookhope, St. John's Weardale, and Westgate. Frosterley parish also comprises a portion of Wolsingham. These parishes grew from chapelries within the parish of Stanhope. Other places within the parish include Bishopley, Forest Quarter, Hollinhope Common, Newlandside, Park Quarter and Stanhope Quarter.

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/2/239 August 1762-1833 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at FamilySearch Historical Records. These include some transcripts for June 1771-1812 for St John's Chapel -in-Weardale. There is also a separate series of transcripts for St John's Chapel- in- Weardale. Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/264 Date: May 1774-1840 Related material at DULASC: Some St John's Chapel-in-Weardale transcripts June 1771-1812 are included with Stanhope transcripts DDR/EA/PBT/2/239 The St John's Chapel-in-Weardale transcript images have not yet been loaded and await engineering.

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 1609-1974 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/St).

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
Weardale 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.