Heworth, Durham Genealogy

England Durham



Parish History
St Mary's Church Heworth was an ancient chapelry in the parish of Jarrow. The earliest chapelry on the site can be dated circa 685 A.D. from the coins found in 1812 and believed to have been laid under the foundation stone of that chapel, built in the reign of King Ecgfrid who died in that year. A reference in 1214 to the chapel and other references prior to rebuilding in 1684. Subsequent enlargement took place in 1711 and the present church was built in 1822.

In 1834 Heworth St Alban was created as a parish from within the parish boundaries.

HEWORTH, NETHER, a chapelry, in the parish of Jarrow, union of Gateshead, E. division of Chester ward, N. division of the county of Durham, 2¼ miles (E. S. E.) from Gateshead; containing, with BillQuay, Upper Heworth, and Windy-Nook, 7126 inhabitants. This chapelry, which is bounded on the north by the Tyne, comprises an area of 2806 acres, whereof about two-thirds are arable, and the remainder meadow and pasture. The surface is varied with gentle undulations sloping towards the river, and some of the higher grounds command interesting prospects. The soil is generally clay, resting on freestone, and the lands are under profitable cultivation; the freestone is of excellent quality for building, and large quantities of it have been sent to Sunderland for the construction of the pier of that port: the neighbourhood abounds also in good coal. There are large chemical-works in the chapelry, one of which is the oldest establishment of the kind in the kingdom. The manufacture of brown paper, earthenware, and bottles, is very extensive; there are copperasworks and works for lamp-black and different colours, and several vessels of large burthen have been constructed at this place. Here are two stations on the Brandling Junction railway.

The present chapel was erected in 1822, close to the site of the ancient structure, at an expense of £2026, raised by subscription, aided by a grant of £500 from the Incorporated Society; it is a neat cruciform edifice in the early English style, with a square embattled tower, and contains 981 sittings, of which 687 are free. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of Drewett Brown, Esq., who has four turns, Cuthbert Ellison, Esq., who has three, and Sir Thomas Clavering, Bart., who has one turn of presentation; net income, £148, with a good residence near the chapel. In the burial-ground is an obelisk, inscribed to the memory, and recording the names and ages, of 91 persons who were killed by an explosion of fire-damp in the Felling colliery, in 1812, and were buried here; also a monument to the memory of Richard Dawes, A.M., author of the Miscellanea Critica. A tithe rent-charge of £143 is paid to the incumbent, one of £15 to the incumbent of Jarrow, of £112 to the Dean and Chapter of Durham, and of £37 to other impropriators. There are places of worship for Independents, Wesleyans of the Old and New Connexion, and Primitive Methodists. At Wardley are remains of a Roman camp, the moat of which is nearly entire. A vase, containing coins of Egfrid, King of Northumbria in 684, was found in the chapelyard some years since. Lord Stowell, judge of the admiralty court, was born here in 1745.Heswall - Hexham', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 497-501. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51028 Date accessed: 24 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/2/137 June 1768- March 1875 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at Family Search Historical Records. Further transcripts for Heworth St Mary can be found in the Jarrow transcripts under DDR/EA/PBT/2/152 for June 1768- March 1809

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 1696-1990 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Hew).

Poor Law Unions
Gateshead 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
For parish history : http://www.stmaryschurchheworth.com/