Whittingham, Northumberland Genealogy

Guide to Whittingham, Northumberland ancestry, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Parish History
WHITTINGHAM (St. Bartholomew), a parish, in the union of Rothbury, N. division of Coquetdale ward and of the county of Northumberland with the townships of Callaley with Yetlington, Glanton, Lorbottle, Great Ryle, Little Ryle, and Shawdon. A Roman Catholic chapel is maintained by the ancient family of Clavering, and there is a place of worship for Presbyterians.

Additional information:

Whittingham St Bartholomew is an ancient parish. Other places in the parish include: Callaley, Callaley and Yetlington, Callaly and Yetlington, Eslington, Glanton, Barton, Little Ryle, Lorbottle, Shawdon, Shawdon and Woodhouse, Thrunton, and Great Ryle.

An old stone cross which stands near the eastern gate of the churchyard may be evidence of early Christian worship on the site long before the building of any church. In 684 A.D. a religious assembly took place here for the election of Cuthbert of Lindisfarne to be bishop, perhaps in a church of wood and wattles. There is a record of the consecration of a church at Whittingham in 735 A.D. This is assumed to be a stone building. The earliest existing stonework dates from about 900 A.D. and is most clearly seen in the lower half of the tower.

In the early medieval period there was probably a settlement in Whittingham as the remains of an Anglo-Saxon church can be seen be seen in the fabric of the Church of Saint Bartholomew. Although much of the early church was destroyed in the 19th century, some early quoins in the tower, nave and aisles can be seen. The place-name ‘Whittingham’ itself has the elements –ham and –ing, which are thought to indicate early Anglian settlements.

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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
The Church of England (Anglican) became the official state religion in 1534, with the reigning monarch as its Supreme Governor. Non-Conformist refers to all other religious denominations that are not the official state religion.

Church of England
Chapelry is a church or churches built in a large ecclesiastical parish to help the members attend worship services closer to their homes.

Online Parish Records Table

Due to the increasing access of online records: Hover over the collection's title for more information Other Websites These databases have incomplete parish coverage.
 * Individual parish coverage for databases in this table are inconsistent and should be verified
 * Dates in the following table are approximate
 * Joiner Marriage Index - Northumberland ($)
 * The Genealogist Parish Registers - Northumberland ($)
 * UK Websites for Parish Records - Links to online genealogical records
 * Online Genealogical Index - Links to online genealogical records

Non-Conformist Churches (All other Religions)

 * 1717 England & Wales, Roman Catholics, 1717 at FindMyPast ($), index and images (coverage may vary)
 * 1613-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index (dates may vary by parish)


 * Callaly Castle (Roman Catholic): Records of baptisms 1796-1839, 1841-1876, marriages 1801-1840 and deaths 1797-1881 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes births/baptisms 1796-1839. Transcripts of baptisms 1796-1839, marriages 1801-1840 and deaths 1797-1881 are available at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept.
 * Whittingham (Roman Catholic): Records of baptisms 1881-1940 and deaths 1881-1962 are available at Northumberland Collections Service.
 * Glanton (Presbyterian): Records of births/baptisms 1784-1836 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes births/baptisms 1784-1837. Transcripts of baptisms 1784-1837 are available at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept.

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

Poor Law Unions
Rothbury Poor Law Union, Northumberland

Probate Records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Northumberland 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