St Oswald in Lee, Northumberland Genealogy

England Northumberland  Northumberland Parishes

Parish History
LEE, ST. JOHN, a parish, in the union of Hexham, S. division of Tindale ward and of Northumberland, 1½ mile (N. N. E.) from Hexham; There are chapels of ease at Bingfield and Wall.

St Oswald in Lee was created in 1733 from the parish of St John Lee, Northumberland otherwise known as St John of Beverly an Ancient parish. The various parishes associated are  listed below:

St Oswald in Lee, St Oswald: 1733-1879, 1888 (1888)


 * Created from parts of St John Lee, St John of Beverley
 * All to St Oswald in Lee with Bingfield St Mary 1879
 * Reformed from parts of St Oswald in Lee with Bingfield St Mary 1888
 * Daughter parishes/churches: [Wall, St George] 1897;
 * Sometimes called "Heavenfield, St Oswald in Lee" or "Wall, St Oswald in Lee"

LEE, ST. JOHN, a parish, in the union of Hexham, S. division of Tindale ward and of Northumberland, 1½ mile (N. N. E.) from Hexham; containing 1947 inhabitants. This is an extensive parish, consisting of the townships of West Acomb, Anick, AnickGrange, Bingfield, Cocklaw, Fallowfield, Hallington, Portgate, Sandhoe, and Wall, and comprising by computation 15,000 acres. The soil is in general good, and the surface varied and picturesque; it is rich in mines of coal and lead, and well watered by the Tyne and the northern branch of that river. The parish contains several villages and hamlets, but no village of its own name. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £280; patron, T. W. Beaumont, Esq.: the impropriation belongs to the Misses Smith and the family of Errington. The church, dedicated to St. John of Beverley, and situated on a fine eminence on the northern side of the Tyne, was noted for an annual procession made to it by the monks of Hexham; the east end was rebuilt in 1819, and the west end, with the spire, in 1842. There are chapels of ease at Bingfield and Wall.

From: 'Leck - Leeds', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 46-55. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51100 Date accessed: 18 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

 * St John Lee, St John of Beverly: Records of baptisms 1669-1961, marriages 1664-1983 and burials 1664-1983 are available at Northumberland Collections Service.

Bishops' Transcripts for the periods 1740-1744, 1751-1778 and 1780-1836 are deposited at the Borthwick Institute, University of York, and those for the period 1837-1858 are deposited at Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections, Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/218 Date: 1837-1858. These parish register Transcripts can be viewed online in image collection St John Lee at FamilySearch Historical Records. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1664-1836 (with gaps) and marriages 1664-1836 for this parish, and Boyd's Marriage Index includes marriages 1664 1812 and banns 1754-1812 for Lee Saint John Parish. Transcripts of baptisms, burials and marriages 1664-1812 are available at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept. Northumberland and Durham FHS publish a transcript of baptisms and burials 1664-1851, and marriages 1684-1851, arranged alphabetically (microfiche PR211).


 * Bingfield, St Mary: There are no deposited registers or microfilm copies for this parish, but Bishops' Transcripts for 1773 only are deposited at the Borthwick Institute, University of York.


 * St Oswald In Lee [Heavenfield], St Oswald: Records of marriages 1881-1992 are available at Northumberland Collections Service.
 * Wall, St George: No deposited registers or microfilm copies.
 * Transcripts of monumental inscriptions at St John Lee (microfiche TN89) and Heavenfield (microfiche TN79) are published by Northumberland and Durham Family History Society and these records are also available in book form at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Department.

= Nonconformist Records =


 * Beaufront and Woodhead (Roman Catholic): Records of baptisms 1774-1796, marriages 1784-1795, deaths 1779-1796 are available at Northumberland Collections Service.
 * Woodhead (Roman Catholic): Records of baptisms 1774-1796, marriages 1789-1795 and deaths 1776-1796 are available at Northumberland Collections Service.

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

Poor Law Unions
Hexham 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