Slaley, Northumberland Genealogy

England Northumberland



Parish History
Slaley St Mary the Virgin is an Ancient Parish and the religious history of the village may be traced to the 13th and 14th century. There is a documentary reference to a church at Slaley at this time, but it has since been rebuilt. A millstone quarry once operated at Slaley and is known from historical documents. Much of medieval life was dominated by religion and monasteries are known in the nearby area at Blanchland and Hexham. These religious houses developed great estates away from the main church and the Hermitage and Chapel of St Mary, given to Kelso Abbey in Scotland, may lie in this or the neighbouring parish of Broomhaugh and Riding. The wealth of these houses may have attracted Scottish raiders, known to have attacked Blanchland and en route Merchingley.

SLALEY, a parish, in the union of Hexham, E. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland, 5½ miles (S. E. by S.) from Hexham; containing 547 inhabitants. It comprises about 7430 acres of land, lying south of the Devil's water and Dipton, and west of Heeley burn. Prior to the inclosure of Bulbeck common in 1771, a great portion of the district was moory waste; but nearly the whole is now under cultivation, and the parish has assumed a pleasing appearance, adorned with thriving woods and plantations. Some of the buildings have been much improved of late years, and others have been superseded by modern erections, covered with blue or grey slates, instead of thatch. Here is a valuable stone-quarry. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £103; patron, T. W. Beaumont, Esq.; impropriators, R. Trevelyan and H. Witham, Esqrs. The foundation stone of a new church was laid on the 25th of May, 1832; the old church had become a mass of ruins, and totally unfit for the celebration of divine service.

From: 'Slackstead - Slawston', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 118-120. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51282 Date accessed: 18 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 Registers
Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/232 Date: 1762-1888 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.

Slaley, St Mary the Virgin: Records of baptisms 1703-1971, marriages 1722-1991 and burials 1720-1910 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1703-1812 and marriages 1722-1812 for this parish, and Boyd's Marriage Index includes marriages 1725-1812. An indexed transcript of baptisms 1703-1851, marriages 1722-1851 &amp; burials 1720-1851 for Slaley (microfiche PR203) 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.

Nonconformist Records

 * Early Wesleyan Methodist chapels in this area belonged to Hexham W.M. Circuit. Records for 1797-1836 can be seen at Northumberland Collections Service and are included on the IGI.

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

Poor Law Unions
Hexham 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.