Tanfield, Durham Genealogy

England Durham



Parish History
Tanfield St Margaret was created 1768 from a former chapelry in Chester le Street, Durham Ancient Parish and originally included Beamish,  Lintz Green Tanfield, Shield Row, Stanley, Tantobie, Whit-le-Head, Burnopfield, Lintz Ford, and Hill Top. A considerable portion of this extensive parish has been used in the formation of new parishes, the last being the parish of Beamish.

TANFIELD, a chapelry, in the parish of Chesterle-Street, union of Lanchester, Middle division, of Chester ward, N. division of Durham, 7 miles (S. W.) from Gateshead; containing 3000 inhabitants. This chapelry, which includes the lordship of Beamish and the constablery of Lintz-Green, is bounded on the north by the river Derwent, and comprises 6863 acres, of which 700, chiefly arable land, are the property of the Marquess of Bute. The common, consisting of 1040 acres, was divided under an act of parliament, in 1800. The surface is irregularly broken into hills, and the soil generally poor and unproductive. The substratum is chiefly coal; and at Tanfield-Leigh, the marquess and his partners have a colliery of excellent steam-coal, which was opened in 1829, at a depth of 60 fathoms: it is extensively wrought, and the produce sent to Gateshead and South Shields, where it is shipped. The South Tanfield colliery is the property of Messrs. James Reid and Company, of Newcastle; the coal is good, and is shipped from the North dock at Sunderland. Tanfield arch, a stately structure of stone, was erected by certain of the coal-owners, at an expense of £12,000, to replace an arch of wood constructed for facilitating the transit of the coal wagons across a ravine; it is 130 feet in span, and rises from abutments 9 feet high to a height of 60 feet, forming a continuation of the level road. The village consists of houses irregularly built on the declivity of a hill sloping to the north, and near the river Houghwell, which discharges itself into the Tyne a little above Gateshead. The manufacture of paper is carried on in two mills. Tanfield constituted a prebend in the collegiate church of Chester-le-Street, the dean of which was bound to maintain a chaplain here; and at the Dissolution, some provision was made out of the small tithes for the support of a perpetual curate. The chapel, dedicated to St. Margaret, was rebuilt by subscription, in 1749, with the exception of part of the chancel, in which is an ancient piscina: the living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of Lord Ravensworth; net income, £140, with a glebe of two acres. The tithes, which are held by his lordship and others, have been commuted for £466.

From: 'Tamerton-Folliott - Tapton', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 297-300. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51327 Date accessed: 26 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.

Church records
To find the names of the neighbouring parishes, use England Jurisdictions 1851. In this site, search for the name of the parish, click on the location "pin", click Options and click List contiguous parishes.

Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/248 Date: March 1765-1844 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. "The parish register has been lost or destroyed up to 1719." [From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]

The Parish Registers for the period 1719-1959 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Ta).

The Marriages (1813-1837) are included in the Joiner Marriage Database.

The following records for churches in the ancient parish of Tanfield are also available at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL:-


 * Beamish 1876-1978 (EP/Bea).
 * Burnopfield 1873-1974 (EP/Bur).
 * Dipton 1884-1979 (EP/Dip).
 * Rowlands Gill 1904-1976 (EP/RG).
 * Stanley see Beamish (above).

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
Lanchester Poor Law Union,Durham

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Durham 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.