Place:Allendale, Northumberland, England

Watchers
NameAllendale
Alt namesHesley Wellsource: Family History Library Catalog
Allendale Townsource: variation
Allenheadssource: township and village in parish
Allendale Commonsource: parochial area to the south of the town
Broadside with Forestsource: township and village in parish
Cattonsource: township and village in parish
Keenleysource: settlement in parish
West Allendalesource: township and village in parish
Wooley Burnfootsource: settlement in parish
TypeChapelry, Civil parish
Coordinates54.896°N 2.257°W
Located inNorthumberland, England
See alsoHexham, Northumberland, Englandancient parish in which it was a chapelry
Tynedale Ward, Northumberland, Englandancient county division in which it was located
Hexham Rural, Northumberland, Englandrural district of which it was part 1894-1974
Tynedale District, Northumberland, Englanddistrict municipality covering the area 1974-2009
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog
source: Family History Library Catalog
source: Family History Library Catalog
source: Family History Library Catalog


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

Allendale, often marked on maps as "Allendale Town", is a village and civil parish in southwest Northumberland, England. At the 2001 UK census, the parish had a population of 2,120, decreasing to 2,021 at the 2011 UK census. The local economy is predominantly based on agriculture (notably sheep farming) and tourism, although of late it has become a popular commuter town for Newcastle upon Tyne.

Allendale was a chapelry in the ancient parish of Hexham and became a separate civil parish in 1866. In 1897 a second civil parish named West Allen was created out of sections of Allendale parish. To the south of the town of Allendale is a large "parochial area" known as Allendale Common and beyond it the settlement of Allenheads (see below).

The two later maps of Northumberland listed below show that the parishes of Allendale and West Allen were each made up of a number of detached portions interspersed by other areas labelled with single letters late in the alphabet and listed as "lands common to Allendale and West Allen".

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

"ALLENDALE, a small town, a parish, and a [registration] subdistrict in the [registration] district of Hexham, Northumberland. The town stands on the Allen rivulet, and on the Allendale railway, 9 miles SW of Hexham. It has a post office under Carlisle; and is a polling place. A weekly market is held on Friday; and fairs on the Friday after 12 May, and 29 Oct., and 22 Aug.
"The parish is cut into eight divisions (some of them called grieveships), "Allendale town", "Catton", "Keenty", "Broadside", "High Forest", "Low Forest", "Park", and West Allen"; and it contains the townships or villages of West Allendale, Catton, Keenley, Broadside with Forest, and Allenheads. Acres: 37,267. Real property: £64,716, of which £27,373 are in mines. Population: 6,401. Houses: 1,155. Much of the surface is moorish, bleak, hilly, and mountainous. The property is much subdivided. Lead mines are worked to the extent of about 2,500 tons of metal in the year; and there are several smelting-houses, with very extensive flues. Coal also is worked; and some silver and rock crystal are found. Allenheads, at the sources of the Allen, 7 miles S of the town of Allendale, is in the neighbourhood of the lead mines, and has a post office of its own name under Carlisle. An ancient camp occurs at Old Town. The living of Allendale is a rectory in the diocese of Durham. Value: £250. Patron: W. B. Beaumont, Esq. The church was built in 1807. The [perpetual] curacies of St. Peter, Ninebanks, and West Allen are separate benefices. Values: £120, £150, and £100. Patron of all: W. B. Beaumont, Esq. There are Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels and a free grammar school. The Allendale railway was authorized in 1865; joins the Newcastle and Carlisle near Hexham; was opened to Langley in 1867, to Catton-road in 1868; and was to be prolonged to Allenheads.
"The [registration] subdistrict of Allendale comprises Allendale parish and Haydon chapelry. Acres: 50,955. Population: 8,622. Houses: 1,589."

From 1894 until 1974 Allendale parish was part of Hexham Rural District. In 1974 rural districts were abolished and Allendale became part of the Tynedale District until 2009 when Northumberland became a unitary authority.

Economic History

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

Local mining for lead has occurred since Roman times, with the first smelting mill being constructed in the 1600s. The significant growth of Allendale Town and the surrounding villages was fuelled by that of the local lead-mining and smelting industries in the nineteenth century.

In 1869, the Hexham to Allendale railway was opened to provide improved transport, but its opening coincided with a rapid decline in the industry due to cheap imports of lead. The last mines in the area closed in 1894 (although an attempt was made to re-open the mine at Allenheads in the 1970s).

With the closure of the lead mines, the population rapidly declined and Allendale became a popular tourist destination for Edwardian Tynesiders seeking a country escape. The railway was finally closed to passengers in 1930 and to goods in 1950.

Allenheads

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

Allenheads is a village in Northumberland, England, situated in the Pennines to the north of Weardale. Allenheads is situated 8 miles further south along the river East Allen from Allendale. Being a former lead mining community, it is widely believed that it would not have existed if it wasn't for the industry, it being too high in altitude for other types of settlement, even sheep farming.

A Vision of Britain through Time provides the following description of Allenheads from John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles of 1887:

"Allenheads, vil., Allendale par., SW. Northumb.; P.O."

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 Allendale, Northumberland. 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.
This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Allenheads. 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.