Whittingham, Northumberland Genealogy

= Parish History =

Whittingham St Bartholomew is an ancient parish. A 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.

= Parish Records =

Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/270 Date: 1760-1879 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at Record Search.

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.

Whittingham, St Bartholomew: Records of baptisms 1662-1976, marriages 1659-1991 and burials 1658-1960 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1661-1875 and marriages 1659-1812 for this parish, but it is not included in Boyd's Marriage Index. A transcript of monumental inscriptions at Whittingham (microfiche TN71) 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 =


 * 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.