Lesbury, Northumberland Genealogy

England Northumberland



Parish History
Lesbury St Mary is an Ancient Parish and Alnmouth, Northumberland was formerly a chapelry of Lesbury.Other places in the parish include: Bilton, Hawkhill, Wooden, and Worden.

LESBURY (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Alnwick, partly in the S. division of Bambrough ward, and partly in the E. division of Coquetdale ward, N. division of Northumberland; containing, with the townships of Alnmouth, Bilton, Hawkhill, and Wooden, 1108 inhabitants, of whom 404 are in the township of Lesbury, 4 miles (E. by S.) from Alnwick, on the road to Warkworth. This parish, which is on the river Aln, and bounded on the east by the sea, comprises by computation 3947 acres; it contains good quarries of limestone and freestone. The village is pleasantly situated on the banks of the Aln, over which is a neat bridge, and the surrounding scenery is agreeably diversified; about two miles below the village, the river falls into the ocean at Alnmouth, where considerable quantities of grain are shipped for the London and other markets. There is a very extensive flour-mill. The Newcastle and Berwick railway, opened in 1847, crosses the Aln here. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £8. 2. 10., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £326; impropriators, S. Ilderton and J. Cookson, Esqrs. The tithes for the townships of Alnmouth, Hawkhill, and Lesbury have been commuted for £484 payable to the impropriators, and £298 to the vicar; there are about 5 acres of glebe. The church is a very ancient structure. Perceval Stockdale, author of several volumes of poetry, and the intimate friend and associate of Johnson, Garrick, and Goldsmith, was vicar of the parish.From: 'Lenham - Levens', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 68-74. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51104 Date accessed: 11 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/2/166 Date: 1765-1847 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.

Lesbury, St Mary: Records of baptisms 1690-1950, marriages 1689-1972 and burials 1691-1856 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. Bishops' Transcripts for the period 1765-1847 are deposited at Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections, Palace Green, Durham City. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1690-1812 and marriages 1689-1812 for this parish, and Boyd's Marriage Index includes marriages 1689-1812 and banns 1751-1800. Transcripts of baptisms and burials 1690-1812 and marriages 1689-1812 are available in the Local Studies Departments of Newcastle Central Library and Gateshead Central Library

Alnmouth, St John the Baptist: Records of baptisms 1877-1903, marriages 1878-1901 and burials 1890-1904 are available at Northumberland Collections Service.

Nonconformist Records
Early Wesleyan Methodist chapels in this area belonged to Alnwick W.M. Circuit. Records for 1791-1837 can be seen at Northumberland Collections Service and are included on the IGI. FamilySearch Historical Records includes England, Durham Diocese, Marriage Bonds and Allegations (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Poor Law Unions
Alnwick 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
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.