Rainton, Durham Genealogy

England Durham



Parish History
St Mary West Rainton was built as a parish church in 1864, but the chapelry of Rainton built in 1825 was a chapelry within the parish of Houghton le Spring, Durham. The chapelry and parish included Cocken, Moorhouse and West Rainton. The parish was created by order in Council 15 May 1838.

St Cuthbert East Rainton was created as a parish in 1866 from West Rainton St Mary parish. Subsequently the parishes of Chilton Moor St Andrew (1872) and Moorsley St Oswald (circa 1947) were created from its boundaries.

RAINTON, EAST, a township, in the parish and union of Houghton-le-Spring, N. division of Easington ward and of the county of Durham; containing 1414 inhabitants. This place, formerly called Reynington, was a manor and park belonging to the convent of Durham, and after the Dissolution was given to the new cathedral, though the tithes, which belonged to the house of Kepier, passed into lay hands. The township includes the modern village of Middle Rainton, and comprises 849a. 17p., of which 481 acres are arable, 344 meadow and pasture, and 24 waste. Many of the inhabitants are employed in the neighbouring coal-mines, the produce of which is shipped at Sunderland: Plain pit exploded, and destroyed a number of persons, in 1817, and again in 1823. The Durham Junction railway passes through the township. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £134, and the remainder for £38. 16. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

RAINTON, WEST, a township, in the parish and union of Houghton-le-Spring, N. division of Easington ward and of the county of Durham, 4¼ miles (N. E.) from Durham; containing 1054 inhabitants. This place, like East Rainton, belonged to the great convent at Durham. The township comprises by measurement 1688 acres, of which 1310 are arable, 358 grass-land, and 20 waste; the surface is undulated, the soil clay, and the scenery embraces fine views of Durham, &amp;c. The population has increased of late years in proportion to the great extension of the neighbouring collieries; and facilities of conveyance are afforded by the Seaham railway, which is joined in the township by the Durham Junction line. A chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, formerly existed, but there are now no traces of it: the present church of Rainton was erected in 1825, at an expense of £1400, and the living is a rectory, with an income of £300, in the patronage of the Bishop of Durham. A rent-charge of £240. 0. 11. has been awarded as a commutation for the tithes of the township. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans.

From: 'Radnage - Raithby', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 630-633. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51229 Date accessed: 24 March 2011.

In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described West Rainton like this:

RAINTON (West), a village, a township, and a chapelry, in Houghton-le-Spring parish, Durhamshire. The village stands ¾ of a mile N E of Leamside-Junction r.station, and 4¼ N E by N of Durham; and has a post-office under Fence-Houses. The township comprises 1, 788 acres. Real property, £5, 722; of which £2, 100 are in mines, and £810 in railway s. Pop., 1, 447. Houses, 308. The manor belonged once to a convent at Durham, and belongs now to the Dean and Chapter of Durham. The chapelry is more extensive than the township; and was constituted in 1838, and re-constructed in 1866. Pop., about 3,000. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Durham. Value, £310.* Patron, the Bishop of Durham. A new church was built in 1864. There are a Wesleyan chapel and national schools.

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/2/208/1 1825-1839 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at FamilySearch Historical Records. The transcripts for this period have been included in the Houghton-le-Spring image assembly 1825-1839 and await engineering correction.

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 1825-1987 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/WR).

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

Poor Law Unions
Houghton le Spring 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.