Elton, Durham Genealogy

England Durham



Parish History
Elton St John is an Ancient Parish and its currrent church was built in 1840 to replace the previous church on the same site.

ELTON, a parish, in the union of Stockton, S. W. division of Stockton ward, S. division of the county of Durham, 3 miles (W. S. W.) from Stockton; containing 92 inhabitants. This parish, which derives its name from Eld, old, and the adjunct town, comprises by measurement 1300 acres; and is situated on rising ground, facing the south, and presenting fine views of the Cleveland hills: stone is quarried for the roads. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £7. 1. 5½., and in the gift of the Rev. Albany Wade, and T. Jefferson Hogg, Esq., the former having two turns, and the latter one: the tithes have been commuted for £170, and the glebe comprises 70 acres. The church, rebuilt in 1841, in the later English style, by the Rev. Albany Wade, at a cost of £500, has a fine Anglo-Norman arch, preserved from the old edifice, separating the nave from the chancel, in which latter is an effigy of Sir William Gower, a crusader.

From: 'Eltham - Ely', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 167-173. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50947 Date accessed: 29 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 DDR/EA/PBT/2/99 1762-1838 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 Registers for the period 1539-2000 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Elt).

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

Census records

 * According to Genuki.org.uk"The number of inhabitants in 1801 was 78; in 1811, 76; in 1821, 105; in 1831, 103; in 1841, 92; in 1851, 84; in 1861, 108; in 1871, 90; in 1881, 113; and in 1891 it was 106." Taken from: [History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]
 * 1851 Census by the Cleveland Family History Society is available on FHL Film # 1519258 Item 1

Poor Law Unions
Stockton 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.