Penshaw, Durham Genealogy

England Durham



Parish History
Penshaw was created a parish in 1752 from chapelry in Houghton le Spring Ancient Parish and includes: Bournmoor, Murnmoor, South Biddick, Offerton, and Newbottle.

The Church of All Saints is a plain stone edifice, erected 1746, and consists of nave and chancel; the windows in the latter are of stained glass bearing representations of the Baptism, Resurrection, and Ascension, and were presented by Sir George Elliot in 1889, in memory of his brothers and son. The church contains sittings for about 450 persons. The living is a rectory in the gift of the Bishop of Manchester, gross value £430; Rev. James Moore, B.A. rector."

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

PAINSHAW, or Pensher, a township, in the parish and union of Houghton-le-Spring, N. division of Easington ward and of the county of Durham, 3 miles (N. by E.) from Houghton; containing 1912 inhabitants. This township comprises 1054a. 3r. 12p., of which 542 acres are arable, 355 grass-land, 44 wood, and 112 waste; it is situated on the road from Sunderland to Chester-le-Street, and is the property of the Marquess of Londonderry and the Earl of Durham. The surface is varied, and the higher grounds command extensive and interesting prospects, one of which, from the churchyard, embraces the cathedral of Durham; the scenery is enriched with wood, mostly oak. The soil is partly clay, but chiefly a rich loam producing abundant crops; the substrata are principally freestone, limestone, and firestone, of which last considerable quantities are sent to various parts. The York and Newcastle railway has a station here. The church of Painshaw, dedicated to All Saints, was erected in 1746, and a cemetery was added to it in 1756: the living is a district rectory, in the gift of the Bishop of Durham, with an income of £380. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans in the village, and also in the hamlet of Shiney-Row. On Painshaw Hill is a monument in the Grecian style, erected to the memory of the late Earl of Durham, after a design by John and Benjamin Green, of Newcastle.

From: 'Packington - Pakefield', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 525-530. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51202 Date accessed: 24 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/205 Date:1762-1865 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 1754-1994 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Pen).

The following records for churches in the ancient parish of Penshaw are also available at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL:-


 * Burnmoor 1868-1987 (EP/Bu). * Shiney Row 1910-1987 (EP/SR).

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

Poor Law Unions
Houghton le Spring 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.