Rock, Northumberland Genealogy

Parish History
Rock was created as a chapelry from Embleton, Northumberland Ancient Parish in 1767.

ROCK, a chapelry, in the parish of Embleton, union of Alnwick, S. division of Bambrough ward, N. division of Northumberland, 4¾ miles (N. N. E.) from Alnwick; containing 227 inhabitants. It comprises about 2000 acres, of which the greater part is arable; the lands are interspersed with plantations, and the scenery embraces fine sea-views, and views of Bambrough Castle, Dunston, and Holy Island. Limestone and sandstone are obtained, and there is coal, but not at present wrought. Rock Hall, the seat of the Bosanquet family, owners of the soil, was repaired and enlarged some years since; the remaining portion of the old mansion, covered with ivy, has a venerable appearance. The great north road runs through the township. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar of Embleton; net income, £50. The chapel, dedicated to St. Philip and St. James, consists of a nave and chancel, with a Saxon doorway, and contains a handsome monument to Col. Salkeld, a former proprietor of the place; the edifice was repaired in 1805. Curious fossils have been dug up from the limestone-quarry.

From: 'Rock - Rodsley', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 686-690. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51242 Date accessed: 11 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 DDR/EA/PBT/ 2/211 1769 -1847 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at FamilySearch Historical Records Engineering work will be undertaken in future to improve access to the Parish Register transcripts.

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.

Rock, St Philip and St James: Records of baptisms 1769-1911, marriages 1771-1780, 1861-1981 and burials 1768-1914 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1769-1812 for this parish, and Boyd's Marriage Index includes marriages 1771-1780. Transcripts of baptisms 1769-1812, marriages 1771-1780 and burials 1768-1812 for Rock are available at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept. A transcript of monumental inscriptions at Rock (microfiche TN74) 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
Alnwick 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.