Whittonstall, Northumberland Genealogy

England Northumberland



Parish History
Whittonstall St Philip and St James a chapelry of Bywell_St_Peter,_Northumberland.

"WHITTONSTALL is a chapelry, township and village, the property of the Commissioners of Greenwich Hospital, to whom the manorial rights belong. It was separated from Bywell St. Peter's parish, and became a distinct chapelry for ecclesiastical purposes, in 1774, when it received an augmentation from Queen Anne's bounty. It comprises the townships of Whittonstall and Newlands, the former of which contains 1,968 acres, and its rateable value is £1,673 10s. Population in 1821 was 146; in 1831, 175; in 1841, 184; and in 1851, 198 souls. Here is a drain-tile manufactory, which is carried on by Mr. William Dinning. THE VILLAGE of Whittonstall is situated about three and a half miles south by east of Bywell. THE CHAPEL is a plain stone building, containing about 305 sittings, and was erected in 1832, from the materials of the former chapel, on whose site it partly stands. The living is a perpetual curacy in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of Durham, and incumbency of the Rev. Richard Marshall. The register of this chapelry commences in 1754. WHITTONSTALL SCHOOL was erected by subscription in 1846; it is self supporting, and under government inspection" [From History, Topography, and Directory of Northumberland, Whellan, 1855].

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.

Parish Records
Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/271 Date: 1774-1871 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.

Whittonstall, St Philip and St James: Records of baptisms 1774-1960, marriages 1754-1959 and burials 1774-1960 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1774-1875 and marriages 1750-1877 for this parish, but it is not included in Boyd's Marriage Index. Transcripts of baptisms and burials 1774-1851 and marriages 1750-1851 are available at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept. A transcript of monumental inscriptions at Whittonstall (microfiche TN73) is published by Northumberland and Durham Family History Society and these records are also available in book form at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Department

Nonconformist Records

 * Whittonstall Methodist marriages 1928-1950 can be seen at Northumberland Collections Service.
 * Early Primitive Methodist chapels in this area belonged to Hexham P.M. Circuit. Records for 1824-1837 are included on the IGI (listed as Bull Bank or Bethania Chapel). Early Wesleyan Methodist chapels in this area belonged to Hexham W.M. Circuit. Records for 1797-1836 can be seen at Northumberland Collections Service and are included on the IGI.

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

Poor Law Unions
Hexham 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

Web sites
Contributor: add any relevant sites that aren't mentioned above.