In a message dated 23/03/2004 17:52:13 GMT Standard Time, wilds@emirates.net.ae writes: I hope someone can help me, on the 1851 census I have someone listed as born in Byker Hill in 1785 can anyone tell me what church would have been the local church for this area at the time. Debbie: At the time Byker Hill was the extreme eastern end of Newcastle All Saints parish, so that would be the parish church. A Chapelry was founded in 1768, based on St Ann's Church, which was nearer to Byker Hill than was All Saints. However, there are no registers of St Ann's before 1812, and even then they have long gaps in them, where a jealous Vicar of All Saints kept insisting that all baptisms etc were performed at the parish church and none at St Ann's! There are several lengthy notes in the registers to that effect, though successive Curates of St Ann's ignored the Vicar and even the Bishop! As far as you are concerned the C of E parish church, and the best place to seek the baptisms etc, would be All Saints - assuming they were C of E, of course. However, just yards away on the other side of Byker Hill there was the edge of the parish of Longbenton (Township of Walker), so if you are completely stuck you might like to think about that one. I should mention, though, that Longbenton parish church was even further from Byker than was All Saints. Byker Hill, as part of Byker, became built-up with long brick terraces of houses and "Tyneside flats", but in 1785 it would have been quite rural. There was an important coal mine there (I have a facsimile of a miner's bond from it, published in the 1970s in Newcastle University's "Coal from Newcastle" Archive Teaching Unit) and the other local industry was stone quarrying. I have a feeling there was also at least one windmill on the hill-top. It would have been most interesting to have been on Byker Hill in the days before it was built-up, as it would have been possible to see, probably quite clearly, the line of HadrIan's Wall as it came up to the summit of the hill on the east from Wallsend (Segedunum), on the line of the present Fossway, and passed over the top, proceeding westwards along the line of the present Shields Road towards Newcastle (Pons Aelius). There may have been quite a lot of it left in 1785. Geoff Nicholson 57 Manor Park, Concord, WASHINGTON, Tyne & Wear NE37 2BU NBL/DUR family history research in depth by THE local expert. Record searching service: you name the records, I search them!

Hello All Just wanted to say a big thankyou to Geoff for his very interesting and informative reply to my question. It never ceases to amaze me the wealth of knowledge that people on the list have. Thanks for taking the time and trouble to provide such a comprehensive reply. Best wishes Debbie Wild DUBAI U.A.E. www.wildfamily.info ----- Original Message ----- From: <GNicresearch@aol.com> To: <ENG-DURHAM-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:06 PM Subject: Re: [ENG-DUR] Byker Hill Church > In a message dated 23/03/2004 17:52:13 GMT Standard Time, > wilds@emirates.net.ae writes: > > I hope someone can help me, on the 1851 census I have someone listed as born > in Byker Hill in 1785 can anyone tell me what church would have been the > local church for this area at the time. > > Debbie: > At the time Byker Hill was the extreme eastern end of Newcastle All Saints > parish, so that would be the parish church. A Chapelry was founded in 1768, > based on St Ann's Church, which was nearer to Byker Hill than was All Saints. > However, there are no registers of St Ann's before 1812, and even then they > have long gaps in them, where a jealous Vicar of All Saints kept insisting > that all baptisms etc were performed at the parish church and none at St > Ann's! There are several lengthy notes in the registers to that effect, though > successive Curates of St Ann's ignored the Vicar and even the Bishop! As far > as you are concerned the C of E parish church, and the best place to seek the > baptisms etc, would be All Saints - assuming they were C of E, of course. > However, just yards away on the other side of Byker Hill there was the edge > of the parish of Longbenton (Township of Walker), so if you are completely > stuck you might like to think about that one. I should mention, though, that > Longbenton parish church was even further from Byker than was All Saints. > Byker Hill, as part of Byker, became built-up with long brick terraces of > houses and "Tyneside flats", but in 1785 it would have been quite rural. There > was an important coal mine there (I have a facsimile of a miner's bond from > it, published in the 1970s in Newcastle University's "Coal from Newcastle" > Archive Teaching Unit) and the other local industry was stone quarrying. I > have a feeling there was also at least one windmill on the hill-top. > It would have been most interesting to have been on Byker Hill in the days > before it was built-up, as it would have been possible to see, probably quite > clearly, the line of HadrIan's Wall as it came up to the summit of the hill > on the east from Wallsend (Segedunum), on the line of the present Fossway, > and passed over the top, proceeding westwards along the line of the present > Shields Road towards Newcastle (Pons Aelius). There may have been quite a lot > of it left in 1785. > Geoff Nicholson > 57 Manor Park, Concord, WASHINGTON, Tyne & Wear NE37 2BU > NBL/DUR family history research in depth by THE local expert. > Record searching service: you name the records, I search them! > > > ==== ENG-DURHAM Mailing List ==== > A-Z of BRITISH GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH > by Dr Ashton Emery > http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/EmeryPaper.html >