Ovingham, Northumberland Genealogy

= Parish History =

Ovingham St Mary the Virgin is an Ancient Parish and was consecrated about the year 1050. It is thought that it was built on the site of an even earlier Christian meeting place marked by a standing cross, a fragment of which is under the church pulpit. The building has three distinct architectural styles - a Saxon tower, a Norman doorway and early English Nave and Chancel. The registers date from 1679. Part of the former vicarage, located to the south of the church, dates from around 1378. In 1823 a Chapel of Ease dedicated to St George was built in the village of Mickley and this became a distinct parish in 1867. Ovingham Parish was further subdivided with the formation of the parishes of Prudhoe, St Mary Magdalene in 1880 and Wylam, St Oswin in 1886.

= Parish Registers =

Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/203 Date: 1762-1869 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at Record Search.

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.

Ovingham, St Mary the Virgin: Records of baptisms 1679-1928, marriages 1679-1999 and burials 1680-1913 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1679-1812 and marriages 1679-1812 for this parish, and Boyd's Marriage Index includes marriages 1679-1812 and banns 1751-1812. Transcripts of baptisms, burials and marriages 1679-1812 for Ovingham are available in the Local Studies Departments of Newcastle Central Library and Gateshead Central Library. A transcript of monumental inscriptions is available at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept and the Northumberland and Durham FHS have published these on fiche (microfiche TN97).