Durham St Nicholas, Durham Genealogy

England Durham

Parish History
"The former church of St. Nicholas was an ancient structure, situated on the north side of the market-place, and consisted of a nave and aisles, with chancel and square tower. This edifice was very plain, and indifferently built, being constructed of small and perishable stones, and appears to have been erected at different periods; but there are no records to show the date of its foundation, which is by some authors supposed to be coeval with the first settlement of the Saxons in this city. It was replaced by the present handsome structure in 1858, the late Marchioness of Londonderry and the Rev. G. T. Fox contributing £1000 each towards its erection, the remainder being raised by public subscription. It is built of stone, and consists of nave and chancel, with north and south aisles to each. A handsome tower, through which is the principal entrance, stands on the south side of the building, and is terminated by a fine spire 160 feet high. The style of architecture adopted is that of Late Decorated, which is harmoniously maintained throughout.

"This church formerly contained four chantries, viz, St. Mary's, value £4, founded by Hugo de Querringdon; St. James, value £5, 18s. 4d., founded by Thomas Cockside and Alice his wife; the Holy Trinity, of the value of £7, 13s. 10d.; and Saints John the Baptist and Evangelist, value £6, 16s. 4d., founded by Thomas Kirkley, rector of Whitbury. The two chapels on Elvet Bridge were also chantries belonging to this church, in which there was anciently a guild, called Corpus Christi Guild, established by virtue of a licence from Bishop Langley, according to the ancient mode of instituting fraternities of merchants, before any royal charters were granted for that purpose. The benefice was formerly a rectory, appropriated to Kepier Hospital, by Bishop Neville, in 1443; and so continued until the dissolution, when it became the property of the crown. The living was formerly a perpetual curacy of the certified value of £13, 19s. 4d. The living is a vicarage in the patronage of Lord Londonderry, valued at £250, and in the incumbency of the Rev. Henry Elliott Fox, M.A."

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

St. Nicholas', containing 2757 inhabitants, is a perpetual curacy; net income, £87; patron and impropriator, the Marquess of Londonderry. The church is of considerable antiquity; it was repaired in 1768, and an east window added.

From: 'Durham - Dymock', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 110-121. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50932 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.

The Parish Registers for the period 1540-1963 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Du.SN).

Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections DDR/EA/PBT/2/86 [March 1740-March 1741] July 1787- 1836 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at FamilySearch Historical Records. The initial 1740/1 transcripts are heavily damaged.

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.

Census records
Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Poor Law Unions
Durham 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
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