Blyth, Northumberland Genealogy

Parish history
Blyth was formed as a chapelry in Earsdon Ecclesiastical Parish in Northumberland.

Church of England Bishops' transcripts exist from 1762 in the Earsdon transcripts. The two Blyth parishes were formed as chapelries, Blyth St Cuthbert was formed from Earsdon parish, Blyth St Mary from Horton parish.

A chapel of ease, Blyth St Mary, was built in 1864 at the west end of Blyth market; this became a parish church in 1897. Another church in Horton Parish, Newsham St Bede, had its origins around 1916 and served the mining villages of Newsham and New Delaval. As the population moved, so did the church, and the present building is the fourth. It is located on Newcastle Road, Blyth and was consecrated in 1957.

BLYTH, SOUTH, or Blyth Nook, a sea-port and chapelry, partly in the parish of Horton, but chiefly in that of Earsdon, union of Tynemouth, E. division of Castle ward, S. division of Northumberland, 9½ miles (E. S. E.) from Morpeth, 16 (N. N. E.) from Newcastle, and 283 (N. N. W.) from London; containing, with the lordship of Newsham, and exclusively of that part of the town which is in the parish of Horton, 1921 inhabitants. The river and port were of much importance to the bishops of Durham in ancient times, and are named in the records with the Tyne, Wear, and Tees, as subject to their jurisdiction, with all the royal rights appertaining to their possession. The place was the property of a younger branch of the Cramlingtons in the reign of Elizabeth, and in the time of Charles I. was possessed by Robert Cramlington; but his estate being sequestrated by the parliament, it was purchased by a wealthy London merchant, by whom it was sold to Col. Thomas Ratcliff; and is now in the possession of Sir M. White Ridley, Bart., a descendant of the family to which the martyred Bishop Ridley belonged. In August, 1795, the Duke of York, accompanied by Prince William of Gloucester, reviewed the troops encamped on the coast of Northumberland, upon Blyth sands, the whole force consisting of 13 regiments, who performed their various evolutions in the presence of nearly 60,000 persons.From: 'Bloxworth - Bocking', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 286-290. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50809 Date accessed: 08 March 2011.

= Parish Records =

It is necessary to search both Earsdon and Horton parishes for earlier Blyth. Bishop's transcripts collection for both parishes are online at Record Search. The majority of Blyth baptisms, marriages will be found Earsdon (Northumberland) Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/88 Date: 1762-1844 Contents: Including transcripts from Blyth, 1762-1844 and this collection is available online at Record Search. Horton (Northumberland) Reference number: DDR/EA/PBT/2/140 Date: 1762-1856 is also available online.

Blyth, St Cuthbert: Records of baptisms 1860-1985, marriages 1885-1970 and burials 1859-1864, 1962-1967 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. Bishops' Transcripts for the original chapel at Blyth for the period 1762-1844 are deposited at Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections, Palace Green, Durham City. A transcript of monumental inscriptions at Blyth Old Chapel (microfiche TN72) 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.

Blyth, St Mary: Records of baptisms 1864-1965 and marriages 1864-1979 are available at Northumberland Collections Service.