Wolviston, Durham Genealogy

England Durham



Parish History
Wolviston St Peter an Ecclesiastical Parish in the county of Durham, created in 1738 from chapelry in Billingham Billingham, Durham Ancient Parish. Other places in the parish include: Newton Bewley.

WOLVISTON, a chapelry, in the parish of Billingham, union of Stockton, N. E. division of Stockton ward, S. division of Durham county, 4½ miles (N. by E.) from Stockton, on the road to Sunderland; containing 588 inhabitants. The church of Durham probably held lands here under ancient grants of the manor and the church of Billingham; and other portions, extending in time to nearly the whole vill, were acquired by purchase or exchange from various proprietors. The chapelry comprises upwards of 4000 acres. The soil is chiefly a sound clayey loam, well adapted for wheat and beans, with fertile patches peculiarly suited to the culture of potatoes and turnips: about two-thirds of the whole are under tillage. The scenery is pleasing; the views embrace the Tees bay, near Redcar, and the Cleveland hills for many miles. The Clarence, and the Stockton and Hartlepool railways pass about a mile and a quarter from the village, at which point the Billingham station is fixed; and about four miles further to the east is Port-Clarence, where is the terminus of the Clarence railway. In the chapelry are some tile-works, a brick-yard, and a pottery on a limited scale. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Durham, with a total net income of £250; there is a glebe of 60 acres in portions of land variously situated, and the incumbent has also a farm near Billingham, of 60 acres. The tithes, vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, have been commuted for £337. 16. The chapel is dedicated to St. Peter; it was enlarged in 1830, and is a neat stone structure, consisting of a nave and chancel, with a handsome tower. Here is a place of worship for Wesleyans; also a school on the national plan, built, with a house for the master, in 1836, and capable of admitting 120 scholars. In 1838, a handsome brick building was erected in the village by the Marchioness of Londonderry, containing twelve apartments, for six aged persons, chiefly widows.

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/2/280 1794-1871 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 1759-1990 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Wo).

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

Poor Law Unions
Stockton 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.