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Northumberland Towns & Parishes

Nearby places

WARK

The location of the Parish of Wark (shown in green).
[View a zoomable and navigable Map of the Area provided by Multimap.]

"WARK parish comprises the townships of Shitlington (High) Quarter, Shitlington (Low) Quarter, Wark, and Warksburn, which were formerly a portion of the extensive parish of Simonburn, from which they were severed and made into a distinct parish, by the act of 51 Geo. III. cap. 194. It comprises an area of 22,986 acres, and its population in 1801, was 728; in 1811, 783; in 1821, 866; in 1831, 861; in 1841, 940; and in 1851, 865 souls. There are traces of numerous encampments in various parts of this district. The Raven's Crag, so called from its being the solitary and secure retreat of that bird, is a steep range of freestone rocks, situated at the southern extremity of the parish. At the west end of these lofty crags, there is a fine spring overshadowed by a natural arch, and in its vicinity, are broken masses of rock lying in the wildest disorder." [From History, Topography, and Directory of Northumberland, Whellan, 1855].

Census

• The 1851 Census Index (microfiche CN20) published by the Northumberland and Durham Family History Society may be of value to researchers interested in this parish.
  
  

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Church History

• The Ancestral Indexes website provides information about Wark, St Michael.
  
  

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Church Records

Church of England Records.

• Wark on Tyne, St Michael: Records of baptisms 1818-1966, marriages 1818-1979 and burials 1820-1960 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. Bishops' Transcripts for the period 1818-1844 are deposited at Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections, Palace Green, Durham City. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1818-1875 and marriages 1818-1877 for this parish, but it is not included in Boyd's Marriage Index. A transcript of monumental inscriptions at Wark (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.
  
  
  • A photograph of Wark, St Michael supplied by George Bell.
    
    

Adjacent Parishes.

• The following parishes are adjacent to Wark:- Bellingham, Birtley, Greystead, Haltwhistle, Simonburn.
  
  

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Civil Registration

• This area is now within Northumberland West Registration District. Certificates of birth, death and marriage can be obtained from: Superintendent Registrar, Register Office, Abbey Gate House, Market Street, Hexham, Northumberland NE46 3LX. If ordering certificates from a District Office, please note the following:
  
  
  1. The cost of a certificate is currently (from 1st April 2003) £ 7.00 - send a Sterling cheque payable to the Superintendent Registrar plus return postage or two International Reply Coupons;
  2. The G.R.O. (St Catherine's) Index references are of no value;
  3. For marriage certificates, the precise place of marriage must be given;
  4. Civil Registration in England and Wales began on July 1st 1837.
     
     

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Description and Travel

• Photographs of Wark from Les Bell's Northumberland Cam website.
  
  
• The Northumberland Communities website includes pages relating to Wark-on-Tyne. They provide "a range of learning resource material that reflects Northumberland's heritage, providing a base for studying the County's history. The website provides a starting point for understanding the development of communities in Northumberland. It also seeks to illustrate the range of sources for family and local history research that are available via Northumberland Archives Service."
  
  

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Gazetteers

• The section of The National Gazetteer (1868) relating to this parish - transcribed by Colin Hinson.
  
  

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History

• The history of Wark Parish is included in:- Northumberland County History Committee, History of Northumberland, Volume 15. Newcastle, A. Reid, 1940. (Available on fiche from Ancestral Indexes).
  
  

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Maps

• Wark - Maps - links and information.
  
  

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Wark Parish was part of Bellingham Poor Law Union. The Union Workhouse was located in the town of Bellingham. Some records are held at Northumberland Collections Service, but these are of limited genealogical value.
  
  
• Peter Higginbotham has provided details, a map and photographs of Bellingham Workhouse.
  
  

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