Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland Genealogy

Guide to Newcastle upon Tyne history, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

History
Newcastle-Upon Tyne (to be distinguished from Newcastle-under Lyme in Staffordshire) is the premier city of northwest England.

Newcastle upon Tyne, known commonly and locally as just Newcastle, is located on the north bank of the river Tyne. It is about 280 miles north of London, but in close proximity to Leeds, Sheffield, and Manchester. It is about 9 miles from the North Sea, and the river is navigable for oceangoing vessels as far as the city docks.

The ground beneath the city is formed from Carboniferous strata of the Middle Pennine Coal Measures Group—a suite of sandstones, mud-stones and coal seams which generally dip moderately eastwards. To the west of the city are the Upper Pennine Coal Measures and further west again the sandstones and mud-stones of the Stainmore Formation. The area to the west of the city has been known for centuries as the source of much of the coal for north east England.

The first recorded settlement in what is now Newcastle was Pons Aelius, a Roman fort and bridge across the River Tyne. It was given the family name of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who founded it in the 2nd century AD. The population of Pons Aelius at this period was estimated at 2,000.

The Emperor Hadrian is known in history as the roman Emperor who commissioned the structure known as Hadrian's Wall. This wall, a huge civil undertaking, stretches across northern England from the west to the East, and was about 85 miles long. It's function was to act as a barrier or deterrent for the marauding Scottish hordes that were pillaging northern England.

Fragments of Hadrian's Wall are still visible in parts of Newcastle, particularly along the West Road.

After the Roman departure from Britain, completed in 410, Newcastle became part of the powerful Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, and became known throughout this period as Monkchester. Throughout the Middle Ages, Newcastle was England's northern fortress. Incorporated first by Henry II, the city had a new charter granted by Elizabeth in 1589.

From 1530, a royal act restricted all shipments of coal from Tyneside to Newcastle Quayside, giving a monopoly in the coal trade to a cartel of Newcastle burgesses known as the Hostmen. This monopoly, which lasted for a considerable time, helped Newcastle prosper and develop into a major town. The phrase taking coals to Newcastle was first recorded contextually in 1538. The phrase itself means a pointless pursuit.

The status of city was granted to Newcastle on 3 June 1882. In the 19th century, shipbuilding and heavy engineering were central to the city's prosperity; and the city was a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution. This revolution resulted in the urbanization of the city. In 1817 the Maling company, at one time the largest pottery company in the world, moved to the city. The Victorian industrial revolution brought industrial structures that included the 2 1⁄2-mile (4.0 km) Victoria Tunnel, built in 1842, which provided underground wagon ways to the staithes. Newcastle was also one of the first cities in the world to be lit up by electric lighting.

Cemeteries (Civil)

 * Newcastle cemeteries and graves


 * West Road Crematorium and Cemetery (opened 1934) Newcastle upon Tyne NE5 2JL Tombstone Inscriptions


 * All Saints Cemetery (opened 1857) Jesmond Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 1NL TombstoneInscriptions


 * Heaton Cemetery (opened 1890) Benton Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7DS Tombstone Inscriptions


 * Elswick/St Johns Cemetery (opened 1856) St Johns Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 7TE


 * Hollywood Cemetery (opened 1943) Hollywood Avenue Newcastle upon Tyne


 * Jesmond Old Cemetery (opened 1836) Jesmond Road Newcastle upon Tyne Tombstone Inscriptions


 * Lemington Cemetery (opened 1906) Union Hall Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE15 7JS


 * North Gosforth Cemetery (opened 1878) Coach Lane Newcastle upon Tyne


 * St Andrews Cemetery (opened 1857) Tankerville Terrace Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 3BU


 * St Nicholas Cemetery (opened 1858) Nuns Moor Road Newcastle upon Tyne

Church Records
The city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne includes the following pre-1850 parishes, in order of founding date:


 * St Nicholas (the original parish church, with records from 1558) St Nicholas became a cathedral church when the Diocese of Newcastle was created in 1882 and is now St Nicholas Cathedral one of the smaller cathedrals in England.
 * All Saints (ancient chapelry, created as a separate parish in 1808, with records from 1600)
 * St Andrew (ancient chapelry, created as a separate parish in 1808, with records from 1597)
 * St John (ancient chapelry, created as a separate parish in 1808, with records from 1587)
 * St Anne (chapelry, created as a separate parish from All Saints in 1843)
 * St Peter (created as a separate parish from St Andrew's in 1844)
 * All Saints, St. John the Baptist, and St. Andrew. There are places of worship in Newcastle for Baptists, the Society of Friends, Independents, Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists, Methodists of the New Connexion, members of the Scottish Kirk, Sandemanians, Swedenborgians, Unitarians, Roman Catholics, and others.

parish registers of christenings, marriages and burials are available online for the following years:

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.

Non Conformist Churches

 * 1613-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index (dates may vary by parish)

Other Christian groups meeting regularly in Newcastle include:


 * Apostolic Church
 * Baptists
 * Chinese Christian
 * Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
 * Greek Orthodox
 * Jehovah's Witnesses
 * Methodist
 * Pentecostal
 * Presbyterian
 * Roman Catholic
 * Salvation Army Church
 * Seventh Day Adventists

Non Christian faiths include the following:


 * Buddhist
 * Hindu
 * Humanists
 * Muslim
 * Sikh

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.

Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths:
 * UKBMD; Northumberland
 * Forebears.io; Northumberland
 * Southside Tyne BMD records
 * Newcastle BMD records Civic Centre Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8PS, UK Phone:+44 191 278 7878

Genealogy From Periodicals
Hanson, Marjorie. Does Hannah Ring a Bell. History, photos and family of John Bainbridge and Ann Hodgson, with the following surnames: Stevens, Burfort, Bell, Mellish, Greene, Livermore, Burford. Family moved around Gateshead, Morland, Carlisle, Newcastle, with a branch emigrating to Australia, Ballarat, in 1852. Article in Northumberland &amp; Durham Family History Society Journal. vol.35,no2, pages 43-46. Family History Library Ref. 942.8 B2jo v.35, no2. (summer 2010)

Thompson, Christopher. Jonathan Richarson: Quaker. History of the Richardsons originally of Hull. The author was given a family tree which was drawn up in 1829, and went back to the 17th Century. The article is a history of the family, who latterly went into Banking, and Mining. One of the relatives marrying a Rev. Robert George Willis, who was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Descendants were in Hull, Newcastle Upon Tyne and Shotley Bridge. Picture of Amelia Willis nee Richardson, and Shotley Bridge Spa. Article in the Northumberland and Durham Family History Society Journal, vol.34,no.2. page 54-56. Family History Library Reference, 942.8 B2jo v.34, no.2. (summer 2009)

Moore, Philip. My Danish Ancestors. History of William and Wilhelmine Neilson, William stowed away on a ship to North Shields, England in 1863. A brother Frederick came also. Picture of the Neilson family dated 1905. Names mentioned are Moore, Freeman, Todd, Wragge, Atkinson, and Lewins. A descendant moves to Newbottle, and to Galt, Ontario, Canada. Article dated 1786-1901. Article in Northumberland &amp; Durham Family History Society Journal, vol. 35 no.2. pages 63-65. Family History Library Reference 942.8 B2jo v35.no.2. (summer 2010) vol. 35, no.2.

Owen, J. Philip. A Northumbrian Musician. William Gillies Whittaker D. Mus. F.R.C.O. History of William Gillies Whittaker and his wife Mary Ann, and descendants on both the paternal and maternal side. Parents were: John Whittaker and Mary Jane nee Gillies, and William and Susannah Walton Gillies with the following surnames:  Turner, Heads, Pearson, Taylor, Siddell, Purves, Watkins, Swan, Percey, with photos. Article dated 1799-1976, and is found in the Northumberland &amp; Durham Family History Society, vol. 35. no.4, pages 127-131, Family History Reference 942.8 B2jo vol.35,no.4.

Local Histories

 * History of Newcastle: Newcastle City Council
 * local histories: Newcastle upon Tyne
 * The History of Newcastle upon Tyne by Henry Bourne
 * Newcastle upon Tyne, a Modern History by Robert Collis and Bill Lancaster
 * British History: Newcastle
 * Newcastle upon Tyne, A Modern History by Robert Colls

Maps and Gazetteers

 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Google maps: Newcastle
 * old maps on line: Newcastle
 * Via Michelin: Newcastle
 * Vision of Britain: Newcastle
 * groups: Newcastle Gazetteer
 * Newcastle street map
 * forebears Newcastle

Newspapers

 * The Chronicle Live
 * The Northern Echo
 * The Independent; Newcastle
 * The Journal Daily

Occupations
Newcastle is the commercial, educational and, in partnership with nearby Gateshead, the cultural focus for North East England. As part of Tyneside, Newcastle's economy contributes around £13 billion to the UK GVA. The Central Business District is in the center of the city, bounded by Haymarket, Central Station and the Quayside areas.

While the major industries of ship building and coal mining have declined, Newcastle is building up a core of employers in the electronics, aerospace, and banking arenas. There are also several major Universities within the city proper, and this contributes to the potential for educators in the region.

Finally retailing is huge in the city, and contributes significantly to the economy. In 2010, Newcastle was positioned ninth in the retail center expenditure league of the UK. There are several major shopping areas in Newcastle City Center. The largest of these is the Eldon Square Shopping Center, one of the largest city center shopping complexes in the UK. The main shopping street in the city is Northumberland Street. In a 2004 report, it was ranked as the most expensive shopping street in the UK for rent, outside London.

Newcastle has one of the most diversified economies in the Northern Uk. As such it provides employment opportunities in many diverse areas. Major employment is provided in the following sectors:


 * Primary & Utilities 0.4%
 * Information & communication 4.0%
 * Manufacturing 5.0%
 * Financial & insurance 4.5%
 * Construction 3.4%
 * Property 1.9%
 * Automotive trades 1.3%
 * Professional/Scient./Techn. 8.8%
 * Business admin/supp. services 7.2%
 * Retail 8.6%
 * Public admin & defence 10.5%
 * Transport & storage 3.6%
 * Education 11.6%
 * Accomodation & food services 7.0%
 * Health 16.0%
 * Arts/entertain./other services 5.0%

Major employers include the following companies, well known in the UK: Sage PLC (Business Services), Ward Hadaway and Eversheds (Professional Services),Bellway (Construction), Fenwick, John Lewis, Debenhams (Retail, Northern Rock (Banking & Financial Services), BAE Systems, Duco Ltd, Chieftain (Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering), Greggs plc (Food and drink), and Go Ahead Group (Worldwide Transportation).

Probate Records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Northumberland Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Societies

 * Northumberland and Durham Genealogy Society
 * Local Newcastle genealogy records
 * Newcastle antiquaries
 * Forebears, Newcastle
 * genuki Northumberland

Archives

 * tyne and wear archives
 * Newcastle City Council Archives and Museums
 * The National Archives: Newcastle Library
 * Tyne and Wear Archives and Museum Newcastle Discovery Blandford Square Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4JA, UK Phone: +44 191 277 2248 Website

Websites

 * Newcastle upon Tyne
 * Newcastle upon Tyne Key economic Facts
 * Newcastle City Council
 * Northumberland County Council