Pelton, Durham Genealogy

England Durham

Parish History
Pelton was created as a parish within the ancient parish of Chester-le-Street in 1842. it includes Edmondesley,Ouston, part of Holmside and Urpeth.

PELTON, an ecclesiastical district, in the parish and union of Chester-le-Street, Middle division of Chester ward, N. division of the county of Durham, 2 miles (W. by N.) from Chester-le-Street; containing 2500 inhabitants. The township of Pelton is intersected by the Pontop and South Shields railway, and comprises 998 acres of land, of which two-thirds are pasture, and the remainder arable: the soil is principally a dry gravel, and the western part of the township is very hilly, and beautifully wooded. Two public quarries are worked for the use of the freeholders. The village is straggling, and situated on high ground. A little to the east of it is the Flatts, a large house of brick, once the seat of the Allans, of whom Thomas Allan, Esq., who died in 1741, was one of the principal coal-owners on the river Wear; it subsequently passed to the Lambton family, by purchase. South Pelawe colliery, partly in the township, was opened in 1839, and is of 70 fathoms' depth. The district comprises Urpeth, Ouston, Pelton, and half of Edmondsley: the living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Incumbent of Chester-le-Street; net income, £160, with a house. The church, a neat edifice in the early English style, was erected in 1842, at a cost of £1500, and is dedicated to the Trinity. There are several schools within the district, in connexion with the Church; and the Independents and Methodists have each a place of worship.

From: 'Peckforton - Pembury', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 542-545. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51207 Date accessed: 22 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/2/204 1845-1870 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 following records for churches in the ancient parish of Chester-le-Street are also available at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL:-


 * Birtley 1850-1994 (EP/Bir).
 * Burnmoor 1868-1987 (EP/Bu).
 * Fatfield 1876-1992 (EP/Fa).
 * Pelton 1842-1992 (EP/Pe).

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
Chester le Street 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.