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Northumberland Towns & Parishes

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STAMFORDHAM

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

"STAMFORDHAM parish comprises the townships of Bitchfield, Black-Heddon, Cheeseburn Grange, Fenwick, Hawkwell, Heugh, Ingoe, Kearsley, Matfen (East), Matfen (West), Nesbit, Ouston, Ryal, and Wallridge. It is bounded on the north by Bolam, on the west by St. John Lee and Halton, on the south by Corbridge and Ovingham, and on the east by Heddon-on-the-Wall and Newburn. It is about five and a half miles long, by four and a half broad, and contains an area of 18,089 acres. Population in l801, 1,652; in 1811, 1,813; in 1821, 1,827; in 1831, 1,736; in 1841, 1,777; and in 1851, 1,781 souls. This parish comprises the finest part of Tindale Ward; it is well wooded, and some of the lands are occasionally enriched by the overflowing of the river Pont, which rises a little to the south of St. Oswald's, in the parish of St. John Lee, and after passing through Ponteland, to the west of the marshy lake called Prestwick Carr, it empties itself into the Cat-raw, which proceeds in a north-easterly direction to Stannington Vale, and then assumes the name of the 'Blyth' river, under which name the united streams flow to the sea at Blyth." [From History, Topography, and Directory of Northumberland, Whellan, 1855].

Census

• The 1851 Census Index (microfiche CN14) 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 Matfen, Holy Trinity; and also information about Ryal, All Saints under the headings Church and Monumental Inscriptions.
  
  

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Church Records

• Stamfordham - Church Records - links and information.
  
  

Civil Registration

• This area is now within Northumberland Central Registration District. Certificates of birth, death and marriage can be obtained from: Superintendent Registrar, Register Office, 94 Newgate Street, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 1BU. 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 Matfen and Stamfordham from the FreeFoto.com website.
  
  
• Castle Morpeth Borough, Northumberland, UK, England
  
  
• The Northumberland Communities website includes pages relating to Stamfordham. 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 Stamfordham Parish is included in:- Northumberland County History Committee, History of Northumberland, Volume 12. Newcastle, A. Reid, 1926. (Available on fiche from Ancestral Indexes).
  
  

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Maps

• Stamfordham - Maps - links and information.
  
  

Military Records

• A transcript of Matfen War Memorial provided by Ancestral Indexes.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Stamfordham Parish was part of Castle Ward Poor Law Union. The Union Workhouse was located near the village of Ponteland. 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 Castle Ward Workhouse.
  
  

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