Thockrington, Northumberland Genealogy

England Northumberland

Parish History
Thockrington Church, the oldest parish church in Northumberland, is perched on an outcrop of the Whin Sill, about a mile to the north of the Hexham to Alnmouth 'Corn Road' between Colwell and Little Bavington, and some 700 feet above sea level. Despite its remoteness the church is visited by many who value its tranquillity, and its landscape.

An Ancient parish which includes Bavington Little, Carrycoats, Sweethope, and Thockrington.

St Aidan Church Thockrington Church, latterly attributed to St. Aidan as patron saint, was built by the Norman family of Umfraville in 1100 AD. It remained in their possession, with adjoining lands, until 1226, when they were forfeited to the Archbishop of York as compensation for disturbances to the peace of the Prior of Hexham and damage done to the Archbishop's lands by Robert Umfraville. The Archbishop assigned the church and its revenues as an endowment for a prebend in his cathedral in York. This arrangement lasted 625 years, until the death of the last prebend in 1851, when it was merged into the diocese of Durham. However, the association continues; there is still the Tockerington stall at York Minster.

THOCKRINGTON, a parish, in the union of Bellingham, N. E. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland; containing, with the townships of Little Bavington, Cary-Coats, and Sweethope, 193 inhabitants, of whom 42 are in Thockrington township, 10½ miles (N. by E.) from Hexham. This parish, which is bounded on the west by the Roman Watling-street, comprises 6814 acres, and in its more elevated parts commands extensive views over a well cultivated country. Here are some quarries, the produce of which is used for building, and for making lime; a very excellent coalmine is in operation, and in the parish is also a rich lead-mine, but not at present worked. The small hamlet which is the head of the parish is said to have been once a good village containing numerous farmers. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Rev. Sir Robert Affleck (the impropriator), with a net income of £48: the glebe is situated near East Woodburn, upon the banks of the Rede, and consists of 155 acres. The church is a very ancient edifice, standing on a lofty eminence. There is a place of worship for Primitive Methodists. A stone about 5½ feet long, and neatly chiselled at one end, supposed to have been used by the Romans, was found on the Watling-street here, two feet below the surface, by some workmen, in 1839. About 100 yards to the south of the spot, Mr. Forster, M. P., met about twenty gentlemen on the 6th of October, 1715, and after leading them to some rising ground adjacent, and being joined by the Earl of Derwentwater with his servants and attendants all mounted and well armed, harangued them on the advantages of raising Prince James Stuart to the throne. W. G. Shafto, Esq., the proprietor of the Cary-Coats estate, has caused the stone discovered on the Watling-street to be set up in the place where Mr. Forster addressed his followers.

From: 'Thockrington - Thormanby', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 328-330. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51334 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/2/249 Date: 1815-1862 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.

Thockrington, St Aidan: Records of baptisms 1715-1936, marriages 1736-1936 and burials 1735-1929 are available at Northumberland Collections Service .The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1715-1753 and marriages 1736-1874 (with gaps) for this parish, but it is not included in Boyd's Marriage Index. Transcripts of baptisms 1715-1851 and marriages and burials 1736-1851 are available at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept. A transcript of monumental inscriptions at Thockrington (microfiche TN79) 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.

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

Poor Law Unions
Bellingham 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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