Ryhope, Durham Genealogy

England Durham

Parish History
Ryhope St Paul was created as a chapelry in the ancient parish of Bishopwearmouth St Michael, Durham. The church was built in 1873.

RYHOPE, a chapelry, in the parish of BishopWearmouth, union of Sunderland, N. division of Easington ward and of the county of Durham, 3 miles (S.) from Sunderland; containing 868 inhabitants, of whom 423 are in the township of Ryhope. The chapelry comprises the townships of Ryhope, Burdon, Silksworth, and Tunstal; the first contains 1570 acres of good arable and meadow land. The soil is generally of a light sandy nature, and very favourable for the production of rye, potatoes, and barley. The village, which is one of the pleasantest in the county, is situated on the verge of a fine tract of country, bordered by the ocean, and in the summer season is much frequented for the purpose of bathing. The road from Sunderland to Stockton passes through it, and the railway to Durham and Hartlepool skirts it on the south and east. The chapel was erected in 1826, chiefly through the exertions of the late Bishop Gray, then rector of Bishop-Wearmouth, and Captain Dale; it is a neat structure in the early English style, and cost nearly £700. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Rector, and endowed with the sum of £100 by Captain Dale, to which the Hon. and Rev. Dr. Wellesley, the present rector, has added £100 per annum. In 1834, a commodious house for the incumbent was erected by subscription, at a cost of about £600. The tithes of the township have been commuted for £210. 17. payable to the rector, £141. 2. to the impropriators, and £36. 16. to the head master of Kepier grammar school.

From: 'Rutchester - Ryton-Woodside', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 719-725. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51251 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/2/214 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 1827-1986 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Ry).

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

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
Sunderland 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
http://www.ryhope-village.co.uk/index.htm