Bellingham, Northumberland Genealogy

= Parish History =

Bellingham parish was formerly a chapelry to the extensive parish of Simonburn, which was divided into six parishes by an act of the 51st of George III., cap. 194 in 1811. It comprises the townships of Bellingham, East Charlton, West Charlton, Leemailing, Nook, and Tarretburn

BELLINGHAM (St. Cuthbert), a parish, and the head of a union, in the N. W. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland; comprising the townships of Charlton East and West Quarters, Leemailing, The Nook, and Tarretburn Quarter; and containing 1730 inhabitants, of whom 672 are in the market-town of Bellingham, 30 miles (W. N. W.) from Newcastle, and 298 (N. N. W.) from London. This place, from the remains of several camps apparently of Roman origin, is supposed to have been occupied by that people; but little of its early history is recorded. The Lords de Bellingham are said to have had a castle, or baronial seat, here, erected on an eminence still called Hall Field, and of which there are some slight remains. In the reigns of Richard II. and Henry IV. the manor and castle were in the possession of Richard de Bellingham; the estate afterwards became the property of the Earl of Derwentwater, upon whose attainder it was given to the governors of Greenwich Hospital. The town is pleasantly situated on the northern bank of the North Tyne, between that river and a stream called Hareshaw burn, over which, near the eastern extremity of the town, a good stone bridge was erected in 1826. The rocks on each side of the burn rise precipitously to the height of 100 feet, and the water at Hareshaw-linn has a perpendicular fall of thirty feet. The smelting of iron-ore has been recently introduced by the Hareshaw Company, who have erected furnaces for the purpose, and the works already afford employment to 250 persons: many are also employed in the iron and coal mines, which are extensively worked; and sandstone of good quality for building is quarried. Fairs for cattle are held on the first Saturday after the 15th of September, and on the 12th of November. The powers of the county debt-court of Bellingham, established in 1847, extend over the registration-district of Bellingham. This was formerly part of the extensive parish of Simonburn, which was divided into six distinct parishes by act of parliament in 1811; it comprises by measurement 20,124 acres, of which from 7000 to 8000 are moorland, abounding with grouse and other game. The living is a rectory not in charge, in the patronage of the Governors of Greenwich Hospital: the tithes have been commuted for £203, and there is a rectory-house, with gardens attached. The church is of great antiquity, and the only one in the district which has survived the Reformation. It is possible that the churches of the Northumbrian border were occasionally, like those of Cumberland, used as places of retreat in cases of sudden attack from the marauding Scotch; and the thickness of the walls, the heavy stone arched roof, and narrow slits for windows, induce a belief that the church here was constructed with this object. The building consists of a chancel and nave, a chantry chapel on the south side, and a small bell-tower; the roof is finely groined, and the chancel contains many mural tablets and monuments. The churchyard, occupying an elevated situation, forms a beautiful terrace overlooking the river. There is a place of worship for Seceders from the Scottish Church; also a Roman Catholic chapel. The poor law union of Bellingham comprises thirty-seven parishes and places, and contains a population of 7462.

From: 'Bellasis - Bemerton', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 203-207. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50791 Date accessed: 14 March 2011.

= Parish Records =

Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections DDR/EA/PBT/2/21 1762-1846 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at Record Search. Images for the Parish Register Transcripts have not yet been loaded at Record Search.

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.

Bellingham: Records of baptisms 1684-1960, marriages 1754-1966 and burials 1687-1960 are available at Northumberland_Collections_Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1684-1875 and marriages 1754-1880 for this parish, but it is not included in Boyd's Marriage Index. An indexed transcript of baptisms 1684-1851, marriages 1754-1851 &amp; burials 1687-1851 for Bellingham (microfiche PR201) is published by Northumberland and Durham Family History Society, and this is also available in book form at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept. A transcript of monument inscriptions for is also available at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept.

= Nonconformist Records =


 * Bellingham, St Oswald [Hesleyside] (Roman Catholic): Baptisms 1794-1941, marriages 1941-1993 and deaths 1881-1966. Transcripts of baptisms 1794-1837 and deaths 1775-1790 are available at Northumberland_Collections_Service and at Newcastle Central Library, Local Studies Dept; and the I.G.I. includes births/baptisms 1794-1837.
 * Northumberland_Collections_Service also has the following records for nonconformist churches located in this parish:
 * Bellingham United Free Church Circuit (Methodist) - Baptisms 1892-1921
 * Bellingham (Presbyterian) - Births/baptisms 1803-1988.