Kirkhaugh, Northumberland Genealogy

Parish History
Kirkhaugh is an Ancient parish and forms a substantial border with the neighbouring county of Cumberland.

Kirkhaugh the Church of the Holy Paraclete. The Holy Paraclete is the Holy Spirit as embodied in the dove. “Paraclete” is translated from the Greek “paracletos” which means “the one who stands along side you to help you”. There is no other church in England bearing this dedication. The Church was designed by the rector, Octavius James, without the benefit of an architect in 1849 although it occupies a very ancient site and is mentioned in medieval writings. The 1851 census shows Octavius James and his family at Clarghyll Hall about two miles away from the Church but across the Ayle Bum in Cumberland.

Sadly Kirkhaugh lost both her rector and her records in a fire at Clarghyll Hall in 1898. Parish Records are therefore of limited use to those researching ancestors. The Bishop's Transcripts are therefore valuable due to the loss of material.

KIRKHAUGH, a parish, in the union of Haltwhistle, W. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland, 2½ miles (N. W. by N.) from AlstonMoor; containing about 300 inhabitants. This parish, so called from its church being situated on a haugh, comprises 6657 acres, of which 5381 are common or waste; it is divided by the South Tyne into two nearly equal parts. The soil is light, and the surface hilly; the higher lands are mostly covered with heath, and abound with grouse, and the lower grounds are watered by the South Tyne. Cultivation is confined to the borders of the river, from which the mountains on each side rise with a rapid irregular ascent. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £4. 7. 8½., and in the patronage of R. R. Saunders, Esq.; net income, £70. The church is a neat rustic edifice, with a nave 41 feet and a chancel 9½ feet long, and contains a few monuments. William de Kirkhalgh granted the advowson to Nicholas de Vetriponte, as an appurtenance to the manor of Aldeston, in which state it descended to the Hiltons, and from them to the Ricardsons, &amp;c. Castle Nook, in the parish, is the site of a Roman station, occupying an area of nearly nine acres, and defended on the west by ten breastworks and trenches. At the north-east corner a sudatory was discovered in 1813, from which flows a copious spring of clear water: near to the eastern wall is the Maiden-way; and in the vicinity, a Roman altar, with fragments of a colossal statue, was found some years since. Here, according to Camden, an inscription was set up, and a palace built, in honour of the Emperor Antoninus, about the year 213, by the third cohort of the Nervii. The Rev. John Wallis, author of a History of Northumberland, 1769, was born at Castle Nook in the year 1714.

From: 'Kirkdale - Kirk-Linton', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 697-701. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51083 Date accessed: 14 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/2/156 Date: 1760-1844 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.Kirkhaugh, Holy Paraclete: Records of baptisms 1760-1958, marriages 1761-1957 and burials 1760-1954 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. Microfilm copies of marriages for the period 1761-1837 can be seen at Tyne and Wear Archives Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1760-1823 and marriages 1761-1876 for this parish, and Boyd's Marriage Index includes marriages 1760-1812. Transcripts of baptisms 1760-1824, marriages 1761-1824, burials 1760-1824 and of monumental inscriptions for Kirkhaugh are available at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept.

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

Poor Law Unions
Haltwhistle 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
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 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
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