Greystead, Northumberland Genealogy

England Northumberland  Northumberland Parishes

Parish History
GREYSTEAD, or Gaystead, a parish, in the union of Bellingham, N. W. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland, 20 miles (N. W.) from Hexham; containing, with the townships of Chirdon and Smalesmouth.

GREYSTEAD St Luke includes Chirdon and Smalesmouth, which were separated from the ancient parish of Simonburn by act of parliament, in 1811, and consists principally of moors and mountains and high Forest.

The church, situated on the south side of the North Tyne on the main road to Falstone and Kielder, is a plain building of stone in the Gothic style, consisting of nave, south porch and low embattled western tower, containing one bell: the church was restored and reseated in 1879, and has 150 sittings. The register dates from the year 1818. The living is a rectory, average tithe rent-charge £126, net yearly value £150, including 15 acres of glebe, with residence, in the gift of the Commissioners of Greenwich Hospital, and held since 1886 by the Rev. Francis William Ames, of Trinity College, Dublin. [Kelly's Durham and Northumberland Directory (1890), p.774.]

GREYSTEAD, or Gaystead, a parish, in the union of Bellingham, N. W. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland, 20 miles (N. W.) from Hexham; containing, with the townships of Chirdon and Smalesmouth, 219 inhabitants. This place, which is intersected by the river North Tyne, formed part of the extensive parish of Simonburn, which was divided in 1811, by act of parliament, into six distinct parishes. That of Greystead comprises by computation 16,010 acres, whereof 15,700 are pasture, 260 arable, and about 50 wood. The surface is varied; the soil in the valley here, which is narrow, is very fertile, but a considerable portion of the parish is unproductive moorland. The living is a rectory not in charge; patrons, the Governors of Greenwich Hospital: the tithes have been commuted for £150, and the glebe consists of 14 acres. The church was consecrated in 1818.

From: 'Grewell - Grimston, North', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 340-343. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50991 Date accessed: 14 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.

Parish Records
Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/117 Date: 1818-1852 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. Greystead, St Luke: Records of marriages 1819-1976 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. Greystead is not included in the IGI or in Boyd's Marriage Index. A transcript of monumental inscriptions (microfiche TN84) 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.

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

Poor Law Unions
Bellingham 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