Place:Wylam, Northumberland, England

Watchers
NameWylam
TypeTownship, Civil parish
Coordinates54.974°N 1.821°W
Located inNorthumberland, England
See alsoOvingham, Northumberland, Englandancient parish in which it was a township
Tynedale Ward, Northumberland, Englandancient county division in which it was located
Hexham Rural, Northumberland, Englandrural district of which it was part 1894-1955
Tynedale District, Northumberland, Englanddistrict municipality covering the area 1974-2009
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Wylam is a village and civil parish in the county of Northumberland. It is located about west of Newcastle upon Tyne.

It is famous for the being the birthplace of George Stephenson, one of the early railway pioneers. George Stephenson's Birthplace, his cottage, can be found on the north bank of the Tyne east of the village centre. It is owned by the National Trust but is not open to the public in 2021 on account of COVID-19.

Wylam has further connections with the early railway pioneers. The steam locomotive engineer Timothy Hackworth, who worked with Stephenson, was also born here. William Hedley who was born in the nearby village of Newburn attended the village school. He later went on to design and manufacture Puffing Billy in 1813, two years before George Stephenson produced his first locomotive Blücher. Christopher Blackett as lord of the manor in the first 30 years of the 19th century provided the entrepreneurial drive that encouraged these engineers.

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

"WYLAM, a township, with a village, in Ovingham parish, Northumberland and; on the river Tyne and on the Newcastle and Carlisle railway, 8¼ miles W of Newcastle. It lies mainly on the N side of the river, [and] partly on the S side; and has a wooden bridge over the river, a post-office designated Wylam, Northumberland, a [railway] station, a shot factory, a blast furnace for pig iron, extensive collieries, stone quarries, two Methodist chapels, and a national school. Acres: 930. Population: 1,040. Houses: 194. [Wylam] Hall was anciently a peel. George Stephenson, the famous engineer, was a native."

Wylam was a township in the ancient parish of Ovingham and became a separate civil parish in 1866. From 1894 until 1974 it was part of Hexham Rural District. In 1974 the civil parish became part of the Tynedale District which was abolished in 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.
This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Wylam. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.