Tynemouth, Northumberland Genealogy

Parish History
The old church in Tynemouth Priory was the original parish church of Tynemouth, but by the seventeenth century this was unusable. It was replaced by Christ Church (consecrated 1668) in the adjoining town of North Shields. This was enlarged in 1792.

For many years Christ Church alone served the needs of a very large and growing population. Around 1840, however, Holy Saviour Church at Tynemouth Priory and Holy Trinity in North Shields were brought into use, and these attained parish status in 1861. In the latter year three more churches, St Paul's, Whitley Bay; St John's, Percy Main; and St Peter's, Tynemouth, further subdivided the ancient parish. In subsequent years several more churches were added, including North Shields, St Augustine, which was consecrated on November 18th 1884, and which has the distinction of being the first to be consecrated in the new Diocese of Newcastle.

The parish, which occupies the south-eastern corner of the county, locally termed Tynemouthshire, is about 4½ miles in length, from north to south, and about 3 miles in extreme breadth. It is bounded on the south by the river Tyne, and on the east by the sea; and comprises 5915 acres, of which 1300, previously tracts of moorland, were inclosed under acts of parliament in the reign of George III., and brought into cultivation. The surface, though generally level, is in some parts elevated; the soil is strong and fertile, and well adapted for wheat and beans. The district abounds with coal; ironstone is found in moderate quantity, and there are some strata of magnesian limestone, which scarcely occurs in other parts of the county. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £24. 19. 4., and in the patronage of the Duke of Northumberland, with a net income of £298; impropriators, the duke, and the guardians of the poor. The great tithes of the township of Tynemouth have been commuted for £171. The church, situated in North Shields, was erected in 1668, and consecrated by Bishop Cosin, after the conventual church had fallen into decay; it was built of brick, with a tower of stone, and almost entirely rebuilt of stone in 1792. A church dedicated to the Holy Saviour was erected at a cost of £2500, by subscription, aided by grants from the ChurchBuilding and Diocesan Societies, and was consecrated in August 1841. It is a handsome cruciform structure of stone, in the later English style, with a tower surmounted by a spire, and contains 700 sittings, of which 350 are free. The church is endowed with £700; the vicar officiates, assisted by a curate. In the western part of North Shields is Trinity chapel of ease. The Wesleyans have a meeting-house; and at Cullercoates and in North Shields are places of worship for various denominations. The union of Tynemouth comprises 25 parishes or townships, containing a population of 55,625 personsFrom: 'Tydd - Tywardreth', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 407-411. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51359 Date accessed: 08 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/2/255 Date: 1762-1851 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at FamilySearch Historical Records. Engineering work will be undertaken in future to improve access to the Parish Register transcripts.

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.

Tynemouth Parish Church - North Shields, Christ Church: Records of baptisms 1607-1979, marriages 1607-1981 and burials 1607-1979 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. Baptisms 1607-1908, marriages 1607-1909, banns 1763-1778, 1815-1824, and burials 1607-1924 can also be seen at Tyne and Wear Archives Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1607-1734 and marriages 1607-1733 for this parish, and Boyd's Marriage Index includes marriages 1607-1733. Transcripts of baptisms, burials and marriages 1607-1734 are available in the Local Studies Departments of Newcastle Central Library and Gateshead Central Library. Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept. also has a transcript of monument inscriptions.

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
Tynemouth 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.