Elsdon, Northumberland Genealogy

England Northumberland

Parish History
Elsdon is an Ancient Parish in the county of Northumberland and includes: Elsdon Ward, Horsley, Horsley near Otterburn, Monkridge, Monkridge-ward, Otterburn, Otterburn-ward, Rochester, Rochester-ward, Troughend, Troughend-ward, Woodside, and Woodside-ward. ELSDON (St. Cuthbert), a parish, partly in the union of Bellingham, and partly in that of Rothbury, S. division of Coquetdale ward, N. division of Northumberland; comprising the townships or wards of Elsdon, Monkridge, Otterburn, Rochester, Troughend, and Woodside; and containing 1680 inhabitants, of whom 282 are in Elsdon township, 18½ miles (W. N. W.) from Morpeth. The river Rede rises at the foot of the Carter mountains, which separate England from Scotland, and runs through a great part of the parish; it gave name to the franchise of Redesdale, the lords of which, from a very remote time, exercised many royal privileges, such as trying causes before their own justices, &c. The inhabitants of the district were marked by many peculiar features; in the reign of Elizabeth, they lived in sheds, during the summer months, pasturing their cattle on the moorlands, and plundering and levying contributions upon their neighbours on both sides of the border. The parish comprises 74,918 acres, of which 1756 are arable, and 477 woodland. A large portion consists of dreary moors, but nearly two-thirds are well adapted for rearing black-cattle and sheep, having been much improved by the drainage of the heaths and morasses; oats and barley ripen in most seasons, but wheat seldom comes to perfection. The eastern part rests upon beds of limestone, and the western upon porphyry and basalt, with some mountain limestone. The township of Elsdon contains 6403 acres, of which 374 are arable, and the remainder pasture. Elsdon common, containing 10,245 acres, was inclosed in 1729. The Castle was erected in the 14th century, by Sir Robert Taylboys, whose arms are on the south parapet; it is a strong tower-building, now the rectory-house, the lower story of which is spanned by a single arch. A market was formerly held, which had been granted by Edward I., in 1281, to William de Umfraville, at the same time as the fair, which latter (for cattle, sheep, and linen and woollen cloth) is held on August 26th. The village consists of a circular row of houses, having in the centre a green of several acres. The living is a rectory valued in the king's books at £20, and in the patronage of the Duke of Northumberland: the tithes have been commuted for £800, and the glebe contains 64 acres. The church is a large cruciform structure, supposed to have been built soon after the time of Richard II.: some years since, in clearing away the earth against the north transept, upwards of 100 skeletons were discovered. At Byrness is a separate incumbency, in the gift of the rector. North-east of the village are the Moat Hills, which, from the relics discovered in them, seem to have been raised by the Britons, and afterwards occupied by the Romans.

From: 'Elmstead - Elsworth', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 164-167. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50946 Date accessed: 14 March 2011.

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.

Parish Records
Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections DDR/EA/PBT/2/98 Date: 1762-1830 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at FamilySearch Historical records The images for Elsdon have not yet been loaded at FamilySearch Historical Records and await the future reloading by our engineers This is a known issue and part of a large re-engineering to for this collection.

Related materials (elsewhere): Transcripts for 1720 are among the Howe manuscriptsDurham Bishop's Transcripts: The Howe Manuscript Collection at Durham Cathedral Library.

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. Elsdon, St Cuthbert: Records of baptisms 1672-1980, marriages 1672-1976 and burials 1672-1926 are available at Northumberland Collections Service. The International Genealogical Index (I.G.I.) includes baptisms 1672-1812 and marriages 1672-1780 for this parish, and Boyd's Marriage Index includes marriages 1672-1780. Transcripts of baptisms, burials and marriages 1672-1812 for Elsdon are available in the Local Studies Departments of Newcastle Central Library and Gateshead Central Library.

FamilySearch Historical Records includes England Durham Marriage Bonds and Allegations (FamilySearch Collection)

Census records
Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Poor Law Unions
Rothbury Poor Law Union, Northumberland

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.

Maps and Gazetteers
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 * England Jurisdictions 1851
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Web sites
Contributor: add any relevant sites that aren't mentioned above.