Whickham, Durham Genealogy

England Durham



Parish History
Whickham is an Ancient Parish in the county of Durham. Other places in the parish include: Fellside, Lowland Dunston, Lowside, Swallwell, and Swalwell.

WHICKHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Gateshead, E. division of Chester ward, N. division of the county of Durham; containing, with the townships of Fellside, Lowside, and Swalwell, 4319 inhabitants, of whom 923 are in Whickham township, 3½ miles (W. S. W.) from Gateshead. The parish comprises about 6000 acres, of arable and pasture land in nearly equal portions, with a small quantity of wood: the Derwent divides it from Winlaton, on the west. A coal-mine is in operation 5 and at Dunston are some alkali-works, and a large factory for patent anchors. The village, which contains several neat and well-built houses, is pleasantly situated on an eminence overlooking the vales of Tyne and Team to the north and to the east, and commanding also an extensive prospect over the rising grounds across the Tyne. Gibside, the seat of William Hutt, Esq., is an ancient and splendid mansion, situated in spacious grounds embosomed in magnificent woodland scenery, and approached through a wood of venerable oaks: at the end of a fine terrace, nearly fronting the house, stands an elegant private chapel; and in the grounds is a Doric column 140 feet in height, surmounted by a colossal figure of Liberty. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £20. 8. 11½., and in the patronage of the Bishop of Durham: the tithes have been commuted for £464, and the glebe consists of 107 acres. The church retains vestiges of considerable antiquity, amidst much of modern repair and alteration; is embellished with a square tower; and has a nave, aisles, and chancel: in the interior are eight plain square-edged Norman arches, and a bold chancel arch of the same style. The rectoryhouse stands at some distance across the road, to the west. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans; also a school, erected about 1711 by Robert Tomlinson, D.D., incumbent, and supported by various bequests subsequently made by him and others, together with subscriptions and the payments of the children. John Hewett, in 1738, left a small fund for apprenticing children; and about £30 per annum, the produce of benefactions, are distributed among the poor. In the parish is a bed of calcined earth, caused by the English, when pressed by the Scottish army under Leslie, setting fire to their camp, the flames of which communicated with a seam of coal that burnt with great fury for some years. The parish register, which commences in 1575, contains many allusions to the plague, and some also to the incursion of the Scottish army, part of which was quartered here after the rout at Newburn. 'Whicham - Whistones', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 540-543. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51397 Date accessed: 24 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/2/266 April 1767-1853 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 1576-1983 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Whm).

The following records for churches in the ancient parish of Whickham are also available at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL: -


 * Dunston, Christ Church 1872-1976 (EP/Dun.CC).
 * Dunston, St. Nicholas 1929-1978 (EP/Dun.SN).
 * Swalwell 1905-1989 (EP/Swa).

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

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.