Place:Horncliffe, Northumberland, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

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

Horncliffe is a village in the county of Northumberland, England. It lies on the south bank of the River Tweed about 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Berwick upon Tweed, and about 3 miles (5 km) north east of Norham and is the most northerly village in England. It had a population of 403 in the UK census of 2011.

A Vision of Britain through Time provides the following description of Horncliffe from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72:

"HORNCLIFFE, a village and a township in Norham parish, Northumberland. The village stands on the river Tweed, at the boundary with Scotland, adjacent to Union-Bridge and to the Northeastern railway, 4½ miles SW of Berwick-upon-Tweed; and has a post office under Berwick, and an English Presbyterian or Free church. Union Bridge was constructed in 1820, at a cost of about £7,500, after designs by Sir Samuel Brown, R.N.; is a suspension bridge for carriages, the first of its kind ever constructed; has the carriage-way 27 feet above the surface of the stream; and measures 368 feet in length, and 18 feet in width.

"The township comprises 606 acres. Population: 299. Houses: 68. The higher grounds command a fine view of the Tweed and the Merse."

Horncliffe was a township in Norhamshire within the county of Durham until 1844, subsequently in Northumberland. It became a separate civil parish in 1866. From 1894 until 1974 it was part of Norham and Islandshires Rural District. In 1955 the neighbouring parishes of Loanend, Longridge and Norham Mains were abolished and absorbed into Horncliffe. In 1974 rural districts were abolished and Horncliffe became part of the Berwick upon Tweed District until 2009 when Northumberland became a unitary authority.

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.