Seaham, Durham Genealogy

England Durham



Parish History
The parish of Seaham was created from the ancient Parish of Dalton le Dale, Durham and has a Norman church. The dedication of the church was changed from that of St Andrew to St Mary the Virgin. There are references to the church dating back to 1501 although the building shows signs of much earlier construction and is the only surviving building of the original Saxon Village. The church was founded by King Athelston in 930AD. It has both Saxon and early Norman masonry in its nave, a 13th century chancel and west tower. Over the 16th century porch door is a late 18th century sundial with an unusual verse, now illegible, which begins: "The natural clockwork by the mighty one wound up at first and ever since has gone....."

Other places in the parish include: New Seaham, Seaham Colliery, Seaton and Slingley, Seaton with Slingley, and Seaton with Slingsby.

SEAHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Easington, N. division of Easington ward and of the county of Durham, 6 miles (S. by E.) from Sunderland; containing, with the township of Seaton with Slingley, 327 inhabitants, of whom 153 are in Seaham township. The parish comprises 2871a. 37p. It is bounded on the east by the sea, and is separated from Seaham Harbour, in the parish of Dalton-le-Dale, by a rivulet, over which is a neat wooden bridge. The surface is varied, commanding some fine views, and the scenery abounds with interesting features. Seaham Hall, formerly the manor-house of the Milbank family, and now the property of the Marquess of Londonderry, is a stately mansion, occupied occasionally by his lordship as a marine residence, and beautifully situated in tastefully ornamented grounds, with prospects of the sea, of Redcar, and the mouth of the Tees. The living is a vicarage, endowed with the rectorial tithes, and valued in the king's books at £5. 0. 5.; patron, the Marquess: the tithes have been commuted for £400, and the glebe consists of 180 acres. The church is an ancient structure with a square embattled tower, and is on rising ground, conspicuous in the landscape; it contains an elegant font. In the register is the signature of Lord Byron, whose marriage was solemnized at Seaham Hall. The parsonage-house is a handsome building in the Elizabethan style.

From: 'Seabeach - Seathwaite', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 36-40. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51261 Date accessed: 21 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/2/220 1769-1850 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 1646-1967 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Sea).

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

Poor Law Unions
Easington 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
Contributor: add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.