Wark, Northumberland Genealogy

England Northumberland

Parish History
Wark St Michael is an Ecclesiastical Parish created in 1811 from chapelry in Simonburn Ancient Parish and includes: Acklington, Amble, High Shitlington, Low Shitlington, Shitlington High Quarter, Shitlington Low Quarter, and Warksburn. "The church, erected in 1814-18, at the cost of the Governors of Greenwich Hospital, at a cost, including the rectory house, of £7,410, is a plain edifice of stone in the Gothic style, consisting of quasi-chancel, nave and an embattled western tower containing one bell: it was reseated with open benches, re-decorated throughout, and a new oak pulpit and lectern introduced in 1883-4, at a cost of £550, raised by subscription; the chancel was restored, and a stained east window and reredos erected at the same time, at the expense of Mrs. Taylor, of Chipchase Castle; the stone font, a memorial to the Rev. Hugh Taylor M.A. some time curate in charge here, who died April 9th, 1883, was presented by Miss Taylor of Humshaugh; in the vestry is a Sunday School library of 200 volumes; there are 180 sittings, all free. The register dates from the year 1818. The living is a rectory, tithe rent-charge £280, net yearly value £270, including 9 acres of glebe, with residence, in the gift of the Lords of the Admiralty, and held since 1888 by the Rev. William Edmund Smith B.A. of St. John's College, Cambridge." [Kelly's Durham and Northumberland Directory (1890), p.1065.]

WARK, a parish, in the union of Bellingham, N. W. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland; containing, with the townships of Warksburn, and Shitlington High and Low Quarter, 940 inhabitants, of whom 490 are in Wark township, 12 miles (N. W. by N.) from Hexham. The manor was a royal possession in the time of Queen Elizabeth. It was granted to the Earl of Suffolk in 1603, and afterwards sold to the Earl of Derwentwater, by whose son it was forfeited for high treason, upon which it was given, together with his other large estates, to Greenwich Hospital. The parish is one of the six into which Simonburn was divided in 1814, under the authority of an act of parliament obtained in 1811. It is bounded on the east by the North Tyne, across which is a ferry; and comprises 20,944a. 1r. 2p., whereof 20,579 acres are meadow and pasture, 95 woodland, and 270 road and waste. The village was considerably improved a few years since, by the erection of a handsome row of houses, with stone taken from some extensive ruins. The living is a rectory not in charge, in the patronage of the Governors of Greenwich Hospital, who erected the handsome church, which was opened on Aug. 10th, 1818, and also built a parsonage-house, the whole at the cost of £7410, exclusively of the ground: the tithes have been commuted for £330, and there is a small portion of glebe land. The Presbyterians and Wesleyans have places of worship. A school is endowed with £45 per annum, and a house for the master; and the parish has a fund for apprenticing children, and the relief of the poor. About half a mile north of the village are, the site of an old church; a tumulus; and a cairn, in which urns and other relics have been found. Within the parish, also, are vestiges of several fortifications, said to have been thrown up by Edward III.; and on the bank of the river is Moat Hill, formerly occupied by a tower. There are two mineral springs in the neighbourhood, slightly impregnated with sulphur.

From: 'Ware - Warlingham', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 464-470. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51377 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/2/261 Date: 1818-1844 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.

Wark St Michael: Records of baptisms 1818-1966, marriages 1818-1979 and burials 1820-1960 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1818-1875 and marriages 1818-1877 for this parish, but it is not included in Boyd's Marriage Index. A transcript of monumental inscriptions at Wark (microfiche TN84) 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 Marriage Bonds and Allegations (FamilySearch Collection)

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
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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Web sites
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