Belford, Northumberland Genealogy

England Northumberland



Parish History
St Mary Belford was created as a chapelry in the ancient parish of Bamburgh in 1735. The parish included Detchant Easington, Easington Grange, East Grange, Elwick, Middleton and Ross.

BELFORD (St. Mary), a parish, and the head of a union, partly in Islandshire, but chiefly in the N. division of Bambrough ward, N. division of Northumberland; comprising the townships of Delchant, Easington, Easington-Grange, Elwick, Middleton, and Ross; and containing 1789 inhabitants, of whom 1157 are in the market-town of Belford, 48 miles (N. by W.) from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and 318 (N. by W.) from London. The parish comprises about 7500 acres. The town is situated on a gentle eminence within two miles of the sea, of which, and of Holy Island, the Farne Islands, and Bambrough Castle, there is a fine view from the high ground on the north: the foundations of an ancient chapel may still be traced on Belford crag. It has a very pleasing appearance, and consists principally of two spacious streets, intersected by a few narrow lanes; the houses are irregularly built: the inhabitants are amply supplied with water. The neighbourhood abounds with diversified scenery and agreeable walks. Belford is mainly indebted for its rise to the spirited exertions of Mr. Dixon, a former proprietor of the manor, who built several houses on a larger and more convenient scale, cleared away unsightly objects, and established a woollen-manufactory, a tannery, &amp;c.: his father had previously procured the privilege of holding a market and fairs. The parish abounds with coal, limestone, and freestone; and considerable quantities of cockles, called Budle cockles, are got upon the coast. The market is on Tuesday, and is noted for corn, much of which is sold for exportation; the fairs are on the Tuesday before Whitsuntide, and Aug. 23rd. The powers of the county debt-court of Belford, established in 1847, extend over the registration-district of Belford. The Newcastle and Berwick railway passes between the town and the sea-coast. The living is a perpetual curacy, endowed with 191 acres of land in two distant parishes; net income, £147; patron and impropriator, the Rev. J. D. Clark. The church is at the north-western extremity of the town, and has been lately rebuilt in the early English style. There are places of worship for the United Secession and Presbyterians. The poor law union of Belford comprises 34 townships, of which 33 are in the county of Northumberland, and one in the county of Durham; and contains a population of 6421. About a mile to the southwest of the town is a quadrilateral intrenchment, having an entrance on the north-east, and defended by a wide ditch and a double rampart: it is by some supposed to have been a stronghold, or place of security from the incursions of the Scots, during the border wars; by others it is thought to be of Danish origin. There are a few mineral springs.

From: 'Beesby - Belgrave', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 199-203. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50790 Date accessed: 20 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 Registers
Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections DDR/EA/PBT/2/20 1760-1868 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at FamilySearch Historical Records; however the images for this parish have not yet been loaded to the FamilySearch Historical Records site.

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.

Belford, St Mary: Records of baptisms 1701-1977, marriages 1702-1972 and burials 1701-1956 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1701-1812 and marriages 1702-1812 for this parish, and Boyd's Marriage Index includes marriages 1702-1812. Transcripts of baptisms, burials and marriages 1701-1812 are available at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept.

Part of the parish of Belford transferred in 1844 from "North Durham" North Durham references in the Durham Bishop’s Transcripts collection 1700-1900

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

Poor Law Unions
Belford 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

Web sites
Contributor: add any relevant sites that aren't mentioned above.