Morpeth, St James the Great, Northumberland Genealogy

Parish history
Morpeth St James the Great was was created in 1846 after it's foundation:

Illustrated London News 3/8/1844 MORPETH, July 25.- The foundation stone of an intended new church has this day been laid in this town by Lord Morpeth. The church is dedicated in memory of St. James the Great.

Built from local stone to the designs of Mr. Benjamin Ferrey in the Norman style; started in 1844, the church was consecrated in 1846.

The choir vestry was added in 1887 to mark the jubilee of its major benefactor - the then Rector Canon F.R. Grey. The heavily carved oak memorial rood screen was the combined work of a class of amateur woodcarvers at the turn of the century.

The nave windows are clear glass with roundels depicting scenes from the life of Christ as also do the elaborate murals in the apse. [The Newcastle Diocesan Gazetteer (1982), page 117.]

The church was created as a second parish for the town from the Morpeth, Northumberland Ancient parish.

Parish records
Morpeth, St James: Records of marriages 1891-1959 are available at Northumberland Collections Service.

Civil Registration Districts

 * Morpeth
 * registration events may be searched online at Free BMD

Poor Law Unions
For more information on the history of the workhouse, see Peter Higginbotham's web site: www.workhouses.org.uk and http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Morpeth/Morpeth.shtml

Maps

 * England Jurisdictions 1851

Web Sites
http://www.parishofmorpeth.org.uk/stjames/index.html church website with history and artwork of the church

http://www.parishofmorpeth.org.uk/ for information about the parish

http://northumberland-cam.com/churches/morpeth.htm for images of Morpeth