Woodhorn, Northumberland Genealogy

England Northumberland



Parish History
Woodhorn St Mary the Virgin is an Ancient Parish and includes: Lynmouth, Newbiggin, Newbiggin by the Sea, Newbiggin near Morpeth, North Seaton, South Linton, West Hartford, Woodhorn Demesne, Bebside, Cowpen, East Hartford, Ellington, Hirst, Hurst, Linmouth, and Lynemouth.

WOODHORN (St. Mary), a parish, in the union, and E. division of the ward, of Morpeth, N. division of Northumberland, 8 miles (E. N. E.) from Morpeth; containing, with the chapelry of Newbiggin, and the townships of Cresswell, Ellington, Hurst, Linmouth, North Seaton, and Woodhorn-Demesne, 1618 inhabitants, of whom 168 are in the township of Woodhorn. This place formed part of the barony of Hugh de Balliol, and subsequently belonged to the families of Valence, Denton, Widdrington, and others. The parish is nearly five miles in length from north to south, and about two miles and a half in breadth, and is bounded on the east partly by the sea; the soil is generally fertile, and the grounds about Woodhorn and Woodhorn-Demesne are esteemed the finest grazing land in the county. In the township are 1294 acres. The village, situated on a fertile plain within a mile of the sea, consists of some well-built houses and numerous cottages; the road to Morpeth branches off from it in one direction by Bothal and Pegsworth, and in another by Longhirst, forming two lines of streets, of which the latter is much the longer. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £21. 15. 7½.; net income, £650; patron, the Bishop of Durham. The rectory was granted to the priory of Tynemouth, and is now the property of the Mercers' Company, London, and the incumbent of Hampstead. The church is a very ancient structure in the Norman style, consisting of a nave, aisles, and chancel, and a tower, on the outside wall of which are the armorial-bearings of the Widdringtons and Ogles, with a male figure in the attitude of prayer. There is a chapel of ease at Newbiggin, and at Cresswell is a separate incumbency. Viscountess Bulkeley in 1826 bequeathed £500, afterwards invested in the purchase of £642 three per cent, consols., of which the dividends are distributed among the poor at Christmas.From: 'Woodhall - Woodley', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 654-657. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51425 Date accessed: 11 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 Records
Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/281 Date: July 1760-1878 Contents: Including transcripts from Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, 1828-1868 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.

Woodhorn, St Mary the Virgin: Records of baptisms 1605-1973, marriages 1605-1972 and burials 1605-1986 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1605-1812 and marriages 1605-1811 for this parish, and Boyd's Marriage Index includes marriages 1606-1812 and banns 1754-1812. Transcripts of baptisms, burials and marriages 1606-1812 are available at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept. A transcript of monumental inscriptions at Woodhorn (microfiche TN93) 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.

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

Poor Law Unions
Morpeth 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.