Haughton le Skerne, Durham Genealogy

England Durham



Parish History
St Andrew Haughton le Skerne is an ancient parish and includes Brampton, Haughton-le-Skerne and Coatham Mundeville.

HAUGHTON-LE-SKERNE (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of Darlington, partly in the S. E. division of Darlington ward, and partly in the S. W. division of Stockton ward, S. division of the county of Durham, 1¾ mile (N. E. by E.) from Darlington; containing, with the townships of Great Burdon, Barmpton, Morton-Palms, Whessoe, and Coatham-Mundeville, and the chapelry of Sadberge, 1518 inhabitants, of whom 576 are in the township of Haughton. This parish is situated on the river Skerne, a tributary to the Tees, and comprises 10,215 acres, of which 1903 are within the township; of these latter about 1000 are arable and in cultivation, 839 meadow and pasture, 18 wood and plantations, and the remainder roads and waste. The surface is nearly level, and the scenery, in some parts enriched with wood, is generally of pleasing character; the soil varies from a light gravel to a retentive clay. The village forms one long and spacious street, neatly built, and there are several handsome houses, the residence of opulent families. The Stockton and Darlington railway passes through part of the township for about a mile and a quarter. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £53. 6. 8., and in the patronage of the Bishop of Durham; the tithes have been commuted for £1011. 17. 6.; the glebe comprises 250 acres. The church is an ancient stucture, chiefly in the Norman style of architecture, with a square tower; but it has suffered much from injudicious alterations. There is a chapel of ease at Sadberge. The Wesleyans have a place of worship. Bishop Butler, author of the Analogy, was rector of the parish prior to his elevation to the see of Durham.

From: 'Haughton-le-Skerne - Haveringland', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 444-447. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51015 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.

Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections DDR/EA/PBT/2/127 1765-1882 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.

The Parish Registers for the period 1569-1972 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/HaS).

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
Darlington 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
Contributor: add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.