Place:Darlington Ward, Durham, England

The 1832 map illustrating the wards of County Durham (listed below) divides the county into only four wards: the Northern Division made up of Chester Ward to the northwest of the smaller Easington Ward on the North Sea coast, and the Southern Division made up of Stockton Ward on the west and Darlington Ward on the east. Durham Ward, which was only established in 1829, does not appear on the map.

Norhamshire and Islandshire located to the north of Northumberland at the time of the map were transferred to Northumberland in 1844.

A Vision of Britain through Time) quotes from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72:

"Darlington Ward commences 2 miles east of the town; goes northward to the vicinity of Durham; is bounded along the south and the south-west by the river Tees; and extends westward to the boundaries with Westmorland and Cumberland. Acres: 278,251. Population: 113,167. Houses: 21,379."

Parishes and Townships

Ancient parishes are listed in bold type.

Research Tips

• County Durham Archives. Durham County Record Office is located on the Lower Ground Floor of County Hall, the administrative headquarters of Durham County Council, in Durham City.
• Northumberland and Durham FHS covers both Northumberland and the northern part of 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.
• The Cleveland, North Yorkshire & South Durham Family History Society covers the southern part of County Durham as well as the Tees Valley and North Yorkshire on the south side of the River Tees. Their homepage includes a map to show the society's coverage. (Once again, full address and other details on the website)
• Further information from GENUKI
• Ordnance Survey map of Durham 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 Durham 1900 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time
• Ordnance Survey map of Durham 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, the Victoria County History for Durham is limited in its coverage. It only includes the cathedral city of Durham, including an account of the cathedral itself. Also covers Stockton Ward in the south-east of the county (bordering North Yorkshire) including Hartlepool and Stockton on Tees.