Stanhope, Durham Genealogy

England Durham



Parish History
Stanhope is an ancient parish and the largest in County Durham. St Thomas the Apostle is a Norman church in origin with later alterations and additions include a chantry added in 1225. The following are the parishes referred to, as having formerly been comprised in the original parish of Stanhope - Eastgate, Frosterley, Heathery Cleugh, Rookhope, St. John's Weardale, and Westgate. Frosterley parish also comprises a portion of Wolsingham. These parishes grew from chapelries within the parish of Stanhope. Other places within the parish include Bishopley, Forest Quarter, Hollinhope Common, Newlandside, Park Quarter and Stanhope Quarter.

STANHOPE (St. Thomas the Apostle), a small town, a parish, and the head of the union of Weardale, in the N. W. division of Darlington ward, S. division of the county of Durham; containing upwards of 9000 inhabitants, of whom about 2000 are in Stanhope-Quarter, 5¾ miles (W.) from Wolsingham. Stanhope Park is remarkable in history as the place where, on the incursion of the Scots in the reign of Edward III., that monarch encamped his forces; and on an eminence to the west of the village might formerly be seen the remains of an ancient fortress demolished by the Scots upon that occasion. The parish is divided into four quarters, including six townships. These quarters are, Newlandside, which contains 3816 acres of inclosed land, and a common, named Bollihope, of 7000 acres; Stanhope quarter, which comprises 3725 acres inclosed, and 7200 common; Park quarter, which has 12,326 acres of land inclosed, and 500 common named Sunderland; and Forest quarter, which consists of 8124 acres inclosed, and 11,876 common. The village is situated on the northern side of the river Wear; and near its western extremity is Stanhope Hall, an ancient mansion regularly defended by a curtain, formerly the residence of the family of Featherstonhaugh, to whom the manor belonged. With the exception of that part of the parish on the banks of the river, the country is rugged and mountainous, exhibiting, however, in parts, much picturesque beauty, diversified with waterfalls, and rocks and caves of limestone fringed with natural wood. The district is rich in minerals. Lead-ore is wrought upon a very extensive scale, in some works near the Wear, belonging to T. W. Beaumont, Esq., and to the London Lead Company; the vicinity also abounds with ironstone and limestone of excellent quality. Of the produce of Mr. Beaumont's mines, a tenth part belongs to the Bishop of Durham, and a ninth to the rector of the parish. The terminus of the Pontop and South Shields railway for the conveyance of goods and mineral produce is within a mile of the town: extensive limekilns have been erected; and large quantities of lime are forwarded by the railroad to the northern parts of the county, together with a portion of the lead smelted in the district, and some ironstone. Coal is obtained from Medomsley in return, but not to any great extent. A market was granted to the inhabitants by charter of Bishop Langley in 1421, but it has been discontinued; fairs are held on the Wednesday before Easter, the second Friday in September, and December 21st, the last for cattle. Petty-sessions for the division take place every month; and a court baron occurs occasionally at Frosterley. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £67. 6. 8., and in the patronage of the Bishop of Durham, with a net income of £4660: the glebe comprises 220 acres; the predial tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £700. The church, which is situated on a slope to the north of the town, has a tower of great thickness, which was probably used as a keep in former times: the nave has round pillars supporting circular arches; the chancel is large, with oak stalls. At Rookhope is a chapel of ease, built by the late Bishop Barrington. Two oratories, one at Eastgate and the other at Frosterley, where divine service is performed every Sunday, have been built during the incumbency of the present rector; and at Heatherycleugh and Weardale are separate incumbencies. There are meeting-houses for dissenters in various parts of the parish. The union of Weardale, of which the workhouse is at Stanhope, comprises four parishes, and contains a population of 10,174. In the Park quarter is a small camp, evidently of Roman construction; and a Roman altar, said to have been found on Bollihope, is preserved in the rectory. Among the incumbents of the parish have been, Bishop Butler, whose celebrated Analogy of Religion is said to have been composed in this retirement; and Dr. Phillpotts, Bishop of Exeter. Viscount Hardinge, the late governor-general of India, and his gallant brother, Captain Hardinge, who fell in action in the East Indies, were brought up at Stanhope, of which their father, the Rev. George Hardinge, was rector.

From: 'Stanghoe - Stanmore, Little', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 183-186. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51297 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/2/239 August 1762-1833 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at FamilySearch Historical Records. These include some transcripts for June 1771-1812 for St John's Chapel -in-Weardale. There is also a separate series of transcripts for St John's Chapel- in- Weardale. Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/264 Date: May 1774-1840 Related material at DULASC: Some St John's Chapel-in-Weardale transcripts June 1771-1812 are included with Stanhope transcripts DDR/EA/PBT/2/239 The St John's Chapel-in-Weardale transcript images have not yet been loaded and await engineering.

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 1609-1974 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/St).

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

Census records
Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Poor Law Unions
Weardale 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.