Knaresdale, Northumberland Genealogy

England Northumberland

Parish History
Knaresdale St Jude was an ancient parish and the 14th century church was demolished in the 19th century for a replacement church. Knaresdale church history includes the following dispute about a memorial in the church yard:

Hodgson's History of Northumberland Pt II Vol III page 80

"We hide the following disgraceful doggerel on a tombstone, near the church door of Knaresdale in the smallest type our printer's office affords:- "In memory of Robert Baxter, of Far-house, who died Oct 4 1796, aged 56. Also of etc. All you who please these lines to read, It will cause a tender hearts to bleed; I murdered was upon the fell, And by the man I knew full well; By bread and butter which he laid, I being harmless, was betrayed. I hope he will remembered be That laid that poison there for me." This Robert Baxter, on his way home to his sheep on the fell, found some bread and butter, neatly folded up in paper, and soon after eating it, was seized with violent convulsions, and died - under the belief that a malicious neighbour, with whom he had lately quarrelled, had in it laid a poisoned bait to kill him; and though the report was current and much believed, no inquest was holden on his body - (Mack. ii 320). A tombstone, bearing some doggerel calumnies, was refused, by the incumbent, to be put up in the chapel-yard in Heworth; but in his absence in London, in 1819, to procure funds to re-build the chapel, it obtained forcible entrance, and was set up; and he found he could not remove it. Certainly, some easy remedy should exist for such foul indecencies."

KNARESDALE, a parish, in the union of Haltwhistle, W. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland, 6 miles (N. W. by N.) from Alston-Moor; containing 491 inhabitants. The parish derives its name from the Knar, a rough mountain torrent which intersects the western portion of it from west to east; it is bounded on the west by the county of Cumberland, and comprises by computation 7144 acres, of which 2144 are good arable, pasture, and meadow land, and the remainder open common. The common is in general a bleak and sterile moorland, but is supposed to abound in mineral wealth; and it has been said that the Romans had formerly a lead-mine in Knaresdale. The village is situated on the South Tyne, and on the road from Brampton to Alston; but until the road was made to the colliery at Hartley-Burn, the place was difficult of access, and the manners and mode of living of the people were exceedingly rude. Slaggyford, also on the South Tyne, according to tradition, was once a markettown, and had a fair; it is still the largest village in the parish. Williamston, which occupies a situation equally beautiful, is on the opposite side of the river; and the hamlet of Eals, seated in a sheltered spot on its right bank, is remarkable for its old plum-trees and some fine ash-trees, and has a bridge of two arches. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £4. 18. 9., and in the patronage of the Crown: the tithes have been commuted for £117, and the glebe comprises 22 acres, with a rectory-house surrounded by tasteful gardens. The church is on a dry knoll; the old edifice having become greatly out of repair, the present building was erected in 1833, at a cost of £300: the churchyard embraces a wide view. There are two places of worship for Wesleyans. On the side of a fell is a mineral spring, called Snope's Well, formerly in high repute. The Rt. Hon. Thomas Wallace was raised to the peerage by the title of Baron Wallace of Knaresdale, in 1828: his lordship died in 1844.

From: 'Knaresdale - Knock', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 706-708. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51085 Date accessed: 14 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.

Parish Records
Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/161 Date: 1769-March 1856 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.

Knaresdale, St Jude: Records of baptisms 1695-1863, marriages 1695-1955 and burials 1695-1887 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1695-1812 and marriages 1703-1812 for this parish, and Boyd's Marriage Index includes marriages 1701-1812. Transcripts of baptisms 1695-1812, marriages 1701-1812 and burials 1695-1812 for Knarsdale are available in the Local Studies Departments of Newcastle Central Library and Gateshead Central Library. A transcript of monumental inscriptions for Knarsdale (up to 1910) is available at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept.

= Nonconformist Records =

Early Wesleyan Methodist chapels in this area belonged to Alston W.M. Circuit. Records for 1810-1951 can be seen at Cumbria Record Office in Carlisle.

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

Poor Law Unions
Haltwhistle 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.