Northumberland Family History

Archives

• Northumberland Archives
  See what records they hold, where they’re located and how to access their collections.
• Newcastle Register Office
  Here you can search BMDs and other records relating to Newcastle only.
• Tyne & Wear Archives
  Based in Newcastle, Tyne & Wear Archives is home to thousands of documents relating to the five local districts of Newcastle, Sunderland, Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside.

BMDs & Parish Records

• Free BMD
  Has good coverage of Northumberland for births, marriages and deaths after 1837.
• Northumberland Parish Records
  For baptisms, marriages and burials from 1538 onwards.

Cemeteries

• Northumberland Memorial Inscriptions
  Search nearly 42,000 monumental inscriptions, which often show additional family names, and dates.
• Northumberland Gravestones
  Thousands of names and images from cemeteries around the county.
• Wallsend, Holy Cross Cemetery
  There are 1,567 free records in the index.

Electoral Registers

• Electoral Rolls 1832-1932
  Search over 3 million records for the county of Northumberland.
• Poll Book of Northumberland 1832
  A book printed in 1833 which has the names of those registered to vote in the Southern Division of Northumberland.

Forums

• RootsChat Northumberland
  Ask a question about your Northumberland family history or find others who are researching the same families.

Historical Directories

• Directory 1855
  History, topography, and directory of Northumberland, comprising a general survey of the county, and a history of the town and county of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, with separate historical, statistical, and descriptive sketches of the boroughs of Gateshead and Berwick-upon-Tweed, and all the towns, wards, and manors.Plus a list of the seats of the nobility and gentry.
• Directory 1847
  General directory of the town and county of Newcastle upon Tyne and surrounding cities, towns and villages.

Local History

• Northumberland Communities
  The Northumberland Communities website contains 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.
• The Place-Names of Northumberland
  Find some history in an online book about the towns and villages of Northumberland.
• Highways and Byways in Northumbria
  A fascinating look into the past with descriptions and illustrations of routes to and from places in Northumberland.

Maps

• Old Northumberland Maps
  Many old maps and plans from the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s, including Newcastle.

Military Records

• Northumberland Fusiliers 1881-1920
  Records of the “Fighting Fifth” during the Boer and First World Wars.
• North Northumberland WWI
  Records of those killed, wounded or taken prisoner, with many soldier photos.

Societies

• Northumberland & Durham Family History Society
  The Northumberland & Durham Family History Society has a research centre in Newcastle where you can search for your family history. There are different branches throughout the region where monthly meetings are held. Anyone can join the society and get help and advice.

Wills

• North East Inheritance Database
  An online database of pre-1858 probate records (wills and related documents), from Northumberland and County Durham.