Whitburn

"Its population in 1801 was 675; in 1811, 843; in 1821, 856; in 1831, 1001; in 1841, 1061; in 1851, 1203; in 1861, 1215; in 1871, 1343; in 1881, 2001; and in 1891, 3738 souls."

[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]

"The Church, which is picturesquely situated near the centre of the village, is an Early English structure, dating from the early part of the thirteenth century. It consists of chancel, nave. With north and south aisles, south porch, and western tower, with stunted spire; the latter, with the upper stage of the tower, are later additions, the date of which is ascribed to the close of the fifteenth century. The present rector has succeeded in compiling a complete list of his predecessors from 1245. The church underwent a thorough restoration in 1868. The living is a rectory, valued in the Liber Regis at £39, 19s. 4 1/2d.; gross income. £1400; patron, the Bishop of Durham.

"The Chapel-of-Ease at Cleadon is a neat stone building in the Early English style, erected in 1869, at a cost of £1000. It consists of nave and apsidal chapel, containing three lights, and will seat 220."

[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]

There is a picture (13 kbytes) of the parish church of St. Mary, Whitburn; supplied by George Bell.

"The parish register commences in 1570." [From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]

The Parish Registers for the period 1579-1936 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Whit).

Baptisms for 1813 - 1839 (43 kbytes) from the George Bell Collection of Durham and Northumberland Indexes.

Marriage indexes for 1579-1837(43 kbytes) from the George Bell Collection of Durham and Northumberland Indexes.

The Marriages (1579-1837) are included in the Joiner Marriage Index.

The following records for churches in the ancient parish of Whitburn are also available at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL:-

• Cleadon 1911-1984 (EP/Cl).
• Cleadon Park 1926-1990 (EP/CP).

 "Cleadon Township, whose area and population are returned with Whitburn, is the principal portion of that parish, and comprises the rural village of Cleadon, Whitburn Colliery, and Marsden. The chief industries of this parish consist of coal-mining, farming, and quarrying limestone. Near the Whitburn colliery there is a large paper and pulp manufactory. The coal is worked by the Harton Coal Co., Limited, who have recently acquired the Marsden royalties and Whitburn colliery.

"The village of Cleadon is about a mile and a half west-north-west from Whitburn. It is small, and stands at the junction of four roads, with a neat stone chapel-of-ease on the south-east, and several good residences in and around.

"The village of Whitburn, one of the most attractive in the county, is most pleasantly situated on the southern declivity of an eminence, commanding a beautiful prospect of the surrounding country and the sea. To the north of the village, the Lizard commands a landscape not less varied than extensive. Immediately to the south-east, Souter Point, the most projecting point of land between the Wear and the Tyne; the grotesque rocks of Marsden; and beyond, a fine curve of the shore, and bold, jutting headland, crowned with the shattered monastery of Tynemouth. The village itself is extremely pretty, being beautifully laid out, and possessing many fine residences with well-kept grounds.

"Whitburn Colliery, as its name implies, is purely a colliery village, about a mile and a half north of Whitburn, occupied by the miners engaged at the Harton Coal Co.'s pit. Here is an iron mission chapel served from Whitburn, and a Wesleyan chapel, a small brick building, built in 1884, which will seat about 200.

"Marsden is a continuation of Whitburn Colliery, comprising, besides the famous Rock, a small station on a line belonging to the colliery owners; close by are extensive limestone quarries, also the property of the Harton Coal Company.

"The Bents, a pleasant little fishing village on the south of Whitburn, is where the fishing boats are moored. On the smooth sands here there is good bathing during the summer."

[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]

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You can see maps centred on OS grid reference NZ407623 (Lat/Lon: 54.953421, -1.366339), Whitburn which are provided by:

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