Edmondbyers, Durham Genealogy

England Durham



Parish History
Edmundbyers is an ancient parish and the church of St Edmund is of saxon origin and has a list of rectors from 1275.

EDMONDBYERS (St. Edmund), a parish, in the union of Weardale, W. division of Chester ward, N. division of the county of Durham, 5 miles (W. S. W.) from Shotley-Bridge; containing, with the chapelry of Hunstonworth, 1014 inhabitants, of whom 458 are in the township of Edmondbyers. This parish, which is situated on the road from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, viâ Shotley-Bridge, to Stanhope, and bounded on the north and east by the river Derwent, comprises about 5000 acres, of which 2168 are arable, producing excellent crops of wheat, barley, and oats, and the remainder moorland. Lead-ore is found, and one of the earliest mills for fusing it was established by the Blacket family in the reign of Charles II.; the London Lead Company erected works here in 1800, and two mines recently opened are now in full operation. Stone of excellent quality for building is quarried to a great extent, for the supply of the neighbouring district. The Pontop and South Shields railway passes on the east. The village consists of cottages scattered round a small green, on the descent of a hill washed by the Birdenhope beck, which falls into the Derwent; the houses are of stone raised from the quarries of the place. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £6. 11. 4., and in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Durham, with a gross income of £230, including the rent of a glebe of 121 acres: the tithes of Edmondbyers township have been commuted for £141. The church is a neat edifice in the early English style, and consists of a nave and chancel, the latter supported on short buttresses. At Hunstonworth is a distinct incumbency. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

From: 'Edlington - Egdean', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 147-150. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50941 Date accessed: 29 March 2011.

The church west wall contains an "eye" window to ward off witches and churchyard contains a burial for a 1792 alleged witch.

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.

The Parish Registers for the period 1717-1987 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Ed).

Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections DDR/EA/PBT/2/92 1765-1849 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at FamilySearch Historical Records. Additional transcripts for 1872 for the Edmundbyers Friends may be found under DDR/EA/PBT/2/93 and further searches are advisable in Allendale, Alston,Edmundbyers and Haltwhistle Friends.

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.

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

Poor Law Unions
Weardale 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.