Washington, Durham Genealogy

England Durham

Parish History
Washington is an Ancient Parish in the county of Durham. Other places in the parish include: Barmston and North Biddick.

WASHINGTON, a parish, in the union of Chesterle-Street, E. division of Chester ward, N. division of the county of Durham; containing, with the chapelry of Usworth, the township of Barmston, and part of North Bidick, 2396 inhabitants, of whom 941 are in Washington township, 5½ miles (S. E.) from Gateshead. The township comprises 1802 acres. The surface of the parish generally is elevated about 100 feet above the river Wear, which flows on the south and south-east. The soil is various, but in a good state of cultivation, producing excellent crops; and the scenery embraces extensive views, including the cathedral of Durham, the vale of Wear, and Gateshead Fell. There are several quarries of fine building-stone, and one of firestone of great value; and three coal-mines are in operation, affording employment to 700 or 800 hands. A small manufactory of magnesia and other chemicals belongs to Hugh Lee Pattinson, Esq., of Gateshead. The river is navigable for small vessels as high as the staiths on the southern border of the parish, about a mile from the village; and the Pontop and Shields, and the York and Newcastle, railways pass through the parish. The Hall, a large gavel-ended mansion with windows divided by stone mullions and transoms, stands a little south of the church. The village is scattered, and on irregular, broken ground. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £18, and in the patronage of the Bishop of Durham: the tithes have been commuted for £528, and the glebe comprises 130 acres of good land, with a parsonage-house. The church is a neat structure, erected in 1832. At Unsworth is a separate incumbency. There are several sulphureous springs. The family of Washington, the American general, is said to have come from this place.

From: 'Wasdale - Waste-Lands', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 482-484. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51380 Date accessed: 22 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/2/263 1765-1847 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.

The Parish Registers for the period 1604-1986 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Wa).

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

Poor Law Unions
Chester le Street 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.