Castle Eden, Durham Genealogy

England Durham  Durham Parishes



Parish History
The parish church dedicated to St James was built in 1764 by Rowland Burdon Esq. An earlier parish church is indicated by the surviving parish registers from 1694.

EDEN, CASTLE (St. James), a parish, in the union of Easington, S. division of Easington ward, N. division of the county of Durham, 5½ miles (N. W. by W.) from Hartlepool, and 10½ (E. by S.) from Durham; containing 558 inhabitants. This place, which appears to have derived its name, originally Yewden, from its baronial castle and its situation near a valley abounding with yew-trees, was during the heptarchy of considerable importance, and formed part of the territories of Tildred, by whom the manor was given to the monastery of Chester-le-Street. After the Conquest, it was granted, with numerous other lordships, to Robert de Brus, who annexed it to the endowments of the priory of Guisborough, which he had founded in 1129, on condition of the prior's erecting and endowing a chapel here within ten years from the date of the grant, which was subsequently confirmed by his descendant, Peter de Brus. The manor remained in the possession of the priory till its dissolution, and about a century afterwards passed to the Bromley family, in the county of Warwick, from whom it was purchased by Rowland Burdon, Esq., whose descendant, of the same name, is the present proprietor. The parish is situated on the road from Stockton to Sunderland, and within a mile of the sea-coast, comprising an area of 1933 acres, of which about 440 are arable, 1085 meadow and pasture, 350 woodland and plantations, and the remainder roads and waste. On the north and south boundaries are denes, extending in nearly a parallel direction from the western confines of the parish for about four miles, and terminating on the coast: Castle-Eden dene, on the north, presents a striking combination of picturesque and romantic scenery. The soil is generally a strong fertile clay well adapted for all kinds of grain, with moderate portions of excellent turnip-land: limestone of inferior quality is procured for burning into lime; and coal is also found, at a great depth beneath the limestone, and of very superior quality. There are an iron-foundry and a large brewery; and great facilities are afforded by railways. Pettysessions are held monthly. Castle-Eden House, the seat of Mr. Burdon, is a handsome and spacious modern mansion, erected on the site of the ancient castle, and finely situated on an eminence commanding a good view. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £150; patron, Mr. Burdon; appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Durham, whose tithes have been commuted for £91. The church, which is near the village, was rebuilt in 1764, by the grandfather of the present patron, and is a neat structure, with a tower surmounted by a spire. A church has been built in the western portion of the parish, which is noticed under the head of Wingate-Grange.

From: 'Eccleston - Edgbaston', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 139-144. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50939 Date accessed: 21 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.

The Parish Registers for the period 1694-1974 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/CE).

Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections DDR/EA/PBT/2/50 1769-1851 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.

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

Poor Law Unions
Easington 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.