Whalton, Northumberland Genealogy

Guide to Whalton, Northumberland ancestry, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Parish History
WHALTON, a parish, in the union and W. division of Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland, containing, with the townships of Newham, Ogle, and Riplington. The church is a venerable edifice of freestone. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

Additional information:

Whalton is an Ancient Parish and includes: Newham, Newham near Morpeth, Ogle, and Riplington. There were mediaeval villages at Ogle, Shilvington, Twizell and Riplington. The incursion of Scottish raiders meant that fortifications were needed; indeed one of the highest points in the parish is called Watch Hill and hints at the vigilance needed at this time. Towers were built at The Old Rectory in Whalton, at Kirkley, and at Ogle where the Ogle family built Ogle Castle. The strength of religion was strong in the medieval period and the Ogles sponsored alterations to the Church of St Mary Magdalene as the main parish church, and a further possible chapel at Ogle itself.

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
parish registers of christenings, marriages and burials are available online for the following years:

Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/265 Date: 1769-1825 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.

Whalton, St Mary Magdalene: Records of baptisms and marriages 1661-1900 and burials 1661-1889 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1661-1812 and marriages 1661-1812 for this parish, and Boyd's Marriage Index includes marriages 1661-1812. Transcripts of baptisms, burials and marriages 1661-1812 are available at Tyne and Wear Archives Service and in the Local Studies Departments of Newcastle Central Library and Gateshead Central Library. A transcript of monumental inscriptions at Whalton (microfiche TN90) is published by Northumberland and Durham Family History Society and these records are also available in book form at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept.

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

Genealogy From Periodicals
History of the family of Richard and Eleanor Short of Newham, in Northumberland. Family also came from Berwick on Tweed, and Penshaw in Durham. Article dated 1861-2005, and has a facsimilie of The Parade, Berwick, where one of the ancestors lived. Trainer is another surname mentioned. Article in The Northumberland &amp; Durham Family History Society Journal, vol. 31,no.1, pages6-7, Family History Library Reference. 942.8 B2jo v.31.no.1. Spring 2006.

Poor Law Unions
Castle Ward 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