Trimdon, Durham Genealogy

England Durham

Parish History
Trimdon St Mary was created in 1755 from chapelry in Kelloe Ancient Parish. With the development of the colliery village of Trimdon a second church was established in 1874:

"The Church, dedicated to St. Paul, situated in Trimdon Colliery, is a plain brick structure, with stone facings, in the Early English style, consisting of nave only. It was built by subscription, at a cost of £1200, two acres of land being given by the Wilkinson family. The interior fittings are of pitch pine, and will seat 200 persons. This church was built for the ecclesiastical district of Deaf Hill cum Langdale, which was formed chiefly out of Trimdon parish."

[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]

TRIMDON (St. Mary Magdalene), a parish, in the union of Sedgefield, S. division of Easington ward, N. division of the county of Durham, 9 miles (S. E.) from Durham; containing 382 inhabitants. The soil is a strong clayey loam, with a substratum of limestone. Large pieces of lead-ore have been dug up in the neighbourhood, though no mine has yet been opened; coal is raised, and shipped at Hartlepool. The village is situated on the summit of a hill, aud commands extensive and beautiful views. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £96; patron and impropriator, William Beckwith, Esq., whose tithes have been commuted for £175. 14.: there is a parsonage-house, and the glebe contains 120 acres. A lectureship was endowed before 1730, with £21. 5. a year, by John Smith, Esq. A national school is endowed with £12 per annum; and an estate purchased with various bequests, and let for £32 per annum, is applied in apprenticing children and relieving poor persons.

From: 'Trill - Trowse-Newton', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 392-395. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51354 Date accessed: 21 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 Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/253 Date: 1783-1856 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at Family Search 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 1720-1987 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Tr).

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


 * Deaf Hill cum Langdale 1884-1987 (EP/DH).
 * Trimdon Grange 1918-1989 (EP/TrG).

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

Poor Law Unions
Sedgefield 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.