Place:Heddon on the Wall, Northumberland, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Heddon on the Wall is a village in Northumberland, England, located on Hadrian's Wall. Heddon on the Wall is roughly 9 miles (14 km) west of the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, and just outside Throckley. The population in the UK census of 2011 was 1,563.

Prior to the 1960s, Heddon on the Wall was a small village with an economy based strongly on traditional industry including farming and coal mining. Large-scale coal mining close to the village began in the late 1950s with the opening of the Bays Leap, a 120 hectares (300 acres) opencast mine site located a short distance north of Heddon-on-the-Wall. The site supported seven coal seams at its peak, and evidence was found of earlier mine shafts. Bays Leap closed in 1966.

Heddon on the Wall was an ancient parish and became a civil parish in 1866. From 1894 it was part of Castle Ward Rural District. In 1955 it absorbed the civil parishes of East Heddon, Houghton and Closehouse, Rudchester, West Heddon and Whitchester. All but Rudchester had been townships in the ancient parish. From 1974 until 2009 it was part of the Castle Morpeth District of Northumberland. Northumberland is now a unitary authority.

Townships in the Parish

• Eachwick
• East Heddon
• Houghton and Close House
• West Heddon
• Whitchester

Research Tips

• Northumberland Archives previously known as Northumberland Collections Service and Northumberland County Record Office. Now based within Woodhorn Museum in Ashington and providing free access to numerous records for local and family historians alike.

Full postal address: Museum and Northumberland Archives, Queen Elizabeth II Country Park, Ashington, Northumberland, NE63 9YF; Phone: 01670 624455

There is a branch office in Berwick upon Tweed.

• Northumberland and Durham FHS covers both Northumberland and County Durham. The Family History Society have a research centre in Percy House in central Newcastle upon Tyne (full address on website), open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm. Browse the website to see what else the society can provide.
• Further information from GENUKI
• Ordnance Survey map of Northumberland 1832 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time. This map includes the boundaries of the various Wards (or "hundreds") in existence at that time.
• Ordnance Survey map of Northumberland 1900 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time
• Ordnance Survey map of Northumberland 1944 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time
• English Jurisdictions 1851, a parish finding aid provided by FamilySearch, particularly helpful in large towns and cities.
• Unfortunately, there is no Victoria County History for Northumberland.