Heddon on the Wall, Northumberland Genealogy

England Northumberland



Parish History
Heddon on the Wall St Andrew is an Ancient Parish in the county of Northumberland and includes: Eachwick,East Heddon, Houghton and Closehouse, West Heddon, and Whitchester.

HEDDON, EAST, a township, in the parish of Heddon-on-the-Wall, union, and W. division, of Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland, 8 miles (N. W. by W.) from Newcastle; containing 42 inhabitants. It is situated about a mile to the north of the road from Newcastle to Harlow Hill, and comprises 842 acres of land. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £12. On a farm called Heddon Laws, are some remarkable tumuli. HEDDON-ON-THE-WALL (St. Philip and St. James), a parish, in the union, and partly in the W. division, of Castle ward, but chiefly in the E. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland; comprising the townships of Eachwick, Heddon-on-the-Wall, East and West Heddon, Houghton with Closehouse, and Whitchester; and containing 753 inhabitants, of whom 391 are in the township of Heddon-on-the-Wall, 7 miles (W. by N.) from Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Heddon derived the affix to its name from its being intersected by the wall of Severus, which may be still traced in several places, and of which the fosse is visible throughout the parish. It anciently formed part of the extensive possessions of the lords Greystock, from whom it descended to the late Earl of Carlisle, who sold it. The parish is situated on the road from Newcastle to Hexham and Carlisle, and is bounded on the south by the river Tyne, here a delightful stream, and on the north by the Pont; it comprises about 4880 acres, of which 1480 are in the township, the latter in the proportion of three-fourths arable and one-fourth pasture. The soil is generally loam alternated with sand and clay, and of good quality; and the surface, though chiefly level, has a gradual ascent from the bank of the Tyne, along which the village, seated on a hill, amidst beautiful and diversified scenery, commands a fine view to Gateshead. Heddon land-sale colliery, which was opened a century ago, produces excellent household and steam coal, wrought at the same time with a valuable clay; the clay is made into fire-bricks, crucibles, draining-tiles, &amp;c. There are also two quarries of freestone, from which blocks of immense size may be obtained. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor, with a net income of £252, and a vicarage-house, rebuilt in the Elizabethan style in 1841; the impropriation is owned by Mrs. Bewicke. The great tithes of the township of Heddon have been commuted for £140, and the small tithes for £82; the vicarial glebe consists of 17 acres. The church, which belonged to Blanchland Abbey, is an ancient structure, the east end of the chancel being a fine specimen of Norman architecture; it was enlarged in 1841. Many Roman remains are found. Heddon, West HEDDON, WEST, a township, in the parish of Heddon-on-the-Wall, union of Castle ward, E. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland, 8½ miles (W. N. W.) from Newcastle-upon-Tyne; containing 26 inhabitants. It is situated near the Roman wall, above a mile north-west from Heddon, and consists of 328 acres, set out in two farms. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £51.From: 'Heavitree - Hednesford', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 462-466. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51021 Date accessed: 12 March 2011.

The modern parish of St Andrew Heddon-on-the-Wall is in the Corbridge deanery of the diocese of Newcastle.

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/2/132 Date: April 1727-March [1728], 1762-1848 Related materials (elsewhere): A 1727 transcript survives among the Durham Cathedral Muniments (ref DCD/D/AB/6). 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.

Heddon-On-The-Wall, St Andrew: Records of baptisms 1656-1959, marriages 1659-1978 and burials 1654-1968 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. Bishops' Transcripts for the period 1727-1728, 1762-1848 are deposited at Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections, Palace Green, Durham City. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1664-1875 and marriages 1664-1856 for this parish, but it is not included in Boyd's Marriage Index. A transcript of monumental inscriptions at Heddon (microfiche TN80) 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 Newcastle West W.M. Circuit. Records for 1788-1837 can be seen at Northumberland Collections Service, Tyne and Wear Archives Service and are included on the IGI (listed as Brunswick Place or Orphan House).

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

Poor Law Unions
Castle Ward 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.

http://www.achurchnearyou.com/heddon-on-the-wall-st-andrew/ for information about the parish

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heddon-on-the-Wall for history of the parish church and dedicatory names

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/heddon-on-the-wall-hadrians-wall/