NORTHUMBERLAND
"The most northerly county of England. It
lies next to Scotland, on the German Ocean, and is bounded by Durham and
Cumberland. It extends about 70 miles in length, and 50 in breadth; and
contains 12 market towns, and 460 parishes. The air is not so cold as might be
imagined from the latitude in which it lies; and the snow seldom lies long in
Northumberland, except on the tops of the hills, some of which are above 2000
feet high. The soil is various; the eastern part being fruitful, having very
good wheat and most sorts of corn, with rich meadows on the banks of the
rivers; but the western part is generally barren, it being mostly heathy and
mountainous. It yields lead; and is one of the most productive and best
coal-fields in England. Iron and glass-works are its principal manufactories;
and it has some fisheries. This county is well watered by rivers, the principal
of which are the Tyne, Tweed, and Coquet. Alnwick is the county-town, but the
largest and richest is Newcastle. Population, 250,278. It returns 8 members to
parliament." [From Barclay's Complete and Universal English Dictionary,
1842]
- Anyone whose ancestors had brushes with the law might find these
publications of interest:
- "Tough Times and Grisly Crimes: A History of Crime in Northumberland and
Durham" by Nigel Green - ISBN 0 9551635 0 1 - published in 2005
by Nigel Green Media.
- "The Dark Side of the Dale: The Grim, Gruesome and Grisly History of the
Derwent Valley" by Tony Kearney - ISBN 0 9548242 0 2 -
published in 2004 by Dark Dale Publications of Shotley Bridge, Co Durham.
- "Old Murders and Crimes of Northumberland and Tyne & Wear" by
Paul Heslop - ISBN 1 902527 65 8 - published in 2002 by
The People's History Ltd of Seaham, Co Durham.
- "Northumberland and Durham ... The Sinister Side" by Steve Jones
- ISBN 1 870000 49 8 - published in 1999 by
Wicked Publications.
- "Classic Murders of the North East" by Albert A. Thompson - ISBN
1 874358 23 0 - published in 1998 by
Forum Press/True Crime
Library.
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- References to records and monumental inscriptions for several burial
grounds can be found on the parish pages. (See the
parish index page.)
- Northumberland
Collections Service
has burial and grave records from several cemeteries in the county.
- Tyne & Wear Archives Service has
useful
records from many cemeteries in
in Tyne and Wear.
- Newcastle Local Studies Library has a large
collection of Monumental Inscriptions.
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- Northumberland - Census - links and information.
- Calvinistic Methodist Ministers in
Northumberland, 1887 from: The Diary of the Calvinistic Methodists, for
1887. Edited by the Rev. E. Jerman, Wrexham and Joseph Evans, Swansea.
Published for the General Assembly of the Calvinistic Methodists by Hughes
& Son, Hope Street, Wrexham.
- A full listing of the Bishops of Durham from
955 AD to the present day. (Until 1882, when the Diocese of Newcastle was
formed, the Diocese of Durham included the county of Northumberland).
- A sketch of Ernest Roland Wilberforce
(1840-1908) who was Bishop of Newcastle-upon-Tyne from 1882 to 1895, and Bishop
of Chichester from 1895 until his death.
- Methodist
Churches in 1940 in the "Carlisle", "Middlesbrough and Darlington",
"Newcastle-upon-Tyne" and "Sunderland and Durham" Districts. This includes all
of Northumberland and Co Durham.
- Anglican Parishes and Chapels of Ease attempts
to illustrate the changes in the parish structure of the county from the 16th
century to modern times.
- Information on
Parishes,
Churches and Chapels in the Catholic Diocese of Hexham and
Newcastle.
- The North-East
Catholic History Society.
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- Search the GENUKI Gazetteer.
The GENUKI Gazetteer covers the whole of England, Wales and Scotland and can be
searched by place-name (or part of a place-name) or Ordnance Survey Grid
References (six-figure, eg NZ183848). If there are multiple place-names
matching the name you enter, you will initially be presented with a drop-down
list of the matching place-names with their distances and bearings from Morpeth,
Northumberland.
- Search the place index for the 1891 census.
The index includes "Registration District", "Registration Sub-district", "Place",
"PRO Piece Number" and "LDS Film Number". Enter the place-name in the text-box
and press the "Search" Button.
- A Northumberland Place-Name Index.
- The section of The National Gazetteer (1868) relating
to the county - transcribed by Colin Hinson.
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- Northumberland - History - links and information.
- Tyne and Wear Archives, User Guide 8 -
Records
of the Jewish Community.
Please note that the consent of the depositor is required for
access to these records.
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- Northumberland - Maps - links and information.
- Tyne and Wear Archives'
User
Guide 9 "summarises the more important administrative, financial and
clinical records of local hospitals, sanatoria and specialised medical
institutions. In part 2 it lists records produced by hospital boards and
committees, and in parts 3 and 4 details of Medical and Nursing Associations,
and personal papers respectively. This guide does not include information about
sources for public health".
- Cholera Inquiry
Commission Report 1854. On 31st December 1853 a commission was established
to inquire "into the causes which have led to, or have aggravated, the late
outbreak of Cholera in the towns of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gateshead and
Tynemouth." And on 15th July 1854 the commission presented this report.
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- The Insitute for Name Studies at Nottingham University has provided a
Key to English Place Names giving the derivation of place names throughout
the country including
places
in Northumberland. (Pop-ups must be ebabled in your browser.)
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- A list of subscribers to the relief
fund which was set up following an accident at Cullercoats in 1848 in which
five fishermen were drowned. The list includes many Tyneside businessmen and
nobility.
- Anyone researching a JOHNSON/JOHNSTON/JOHNSTONE ancestor can
get help and advice on their research by joining the
Clan Johnston/Johnstone
Association (UK), which has its headquarters in the North-East.
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- The following regional and local newspapers have web sites. Most include
news and features from their pages:
- The Sunderland Echo covers
a neighbouring area.
- Newcastle Local Studies Library has a large collection of
local newspapers. Many
early
Newcastle newspapers
can also be seen at Gateshead Central Library, Local Studies Department.
- Births, Marriages and Deaths Index, from the Morpeth Herald published by
the
Felton and Swarland Local History Society.
- Volume 1, April 1860 - March 1861
- Volume 2, April 1861 - March 1862
- Volume 3 covering April 1862 - March 1863 is currently being prepared.
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- The
Northumberland
and Durham Family History Society. (The society publishes a quarterly
journal, and meets at Gateshead, Durham, Hexham, Newcastle, Fenwick, Blyth, South
Shields,
and Sunderland, and has a London Branch which meets at the Society of
Genealogists.)
- The Felton and Swarland Local History Society:- Membership enquiries
should be sent to:- Mr David Bradbrook, 2 Kenmore Road, Swarland, Morpeth,
Northumberland, NE65 9JS, United Kingdom.
- The Association
of Northumberland Local History Societies
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- Listing of Electoral Registers and Poll
Books at Newcastle Local Studies Library.
- Tyne and Wear Archives
User
Guide 17, Voting Records
- The Northumberland Poll Book of 1826 - Published on CD by
S & N Genealogy Supplies.
This publication is searchable and gives the full name of the voter, their area
of residence, freehold property and the way they voted. (Please note that
the Northumberland Poll Book does not include the Borough of Newcastle upon
Tyne and that only the property-owning classes were entitled to vote).
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The list of Northumberland towns and parishes is now on a
separate page.
Find help, report problems, or contribute information.
This county is maintained by Brian Pears
with help and additional information provided by a number of
other volunteers..
[Last updated:
5th March 2008, 16:17 GMT
- Brian Pears]
Copyright © GENUKI and Contributors 1996-2006
GENUKI is a registered trade mark of the
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