Crook, Durham Genealogy

= Parish History =

Crook St. Catherine was created in 1845 from the parish of Brancepeth St. Brandon.

Parts of this parish became part of these parishes: Stanley [nr. Crook] St. Thomas Apostle and Martyr (1872); Sunnybrow St. John (1889) St. Catherine’s Church was built in 1841–3. In 1845 Crook was set up as a separate parish (originally as a parochial chapelry within the parish of Brancepeth, but by 1859 as a completely separate parish).

The Crook parish boundaries in 1845 encompassed quite a large area. However the actual increase in population probably exceeded even the diocesan estimates and within thirty years the parish was sub-divided. First in 1872, the whole of the northern part was removed to form the separate parish of St. Thomas, Stanley; and then in 1889, the eastern end of the parish was split off, creating the major part of a new parish of St. John’s, Sunnybrow.

After these changes, Crook parish consisted of the then built up area of Crook, most of Billy Row and a small rural area to the west. This caused difficulties over the subsequent years as new housing gradually extended the built up area of Crook outside the 1889 parish boundaries. This anomaly was corrected in 1996 and the whole of the built up area of Crook is now once again part of the parish of St. Catherine’s.

= Parish Records =

Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/68 Date: 1844-1848 related material at DULASC: Crook transcripts October-December 1843 are included with Brancepeth transcripts DDR/EA/PBT/2/40 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at Record Search.

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 1843-2004-1979 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Cro).

= Non Conformist Records =

Crook Our Lady Immaculate and St. Cuthbert Roman Catholic Church Parish Registers for the period 1853-1981 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall. Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Cro 1).