Place:Merrington, Durham, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

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

"MERRINGTON, a village and a township in Auckland [registration] district, and a parish partly also in Durham and Stockton [registration] districts, Durhamshire. The village stands on an eminence, 1½ mile SSE of Spennymoor [railway] station, and 3¾ ENE of Bishop-Auckland; adjoins the ground on which the English forces encamped before the battle of Neville's Cross; commands a very extensive view, along the valley of the Wear, and to the hills of Yorkshire; is a large place; and has a post office, of the name of Kirk-Merrington, under Darlington.

"The township comprises 1,934 acres. Real property: £3,331; of which £275 are in mines. Population in 1851: 504; in 1861: 926. Houses: 160.

"The parish contains also the townships of Ferryhill, Chilton, and Hett. Acres: 8,024. Real property: £12,165; of which £4,172 are in mines, and £17 in quarries. Population in 1851: 2,673; in 1861: 4,046. Houses: 767. The property is much subdivided. Coal is worked. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Durham. Value: £300. Patrons: the Dean and Chapter of Durham. The old church was Norman, and of interesting character; and was the scene, in 1144, of a furious fray between W. Comyn, who had usurped the bishopric of Durham, and three barons of the bishopric palatinate. The present church was built in 1854, on the site of the old one and in imitation of it; is of oblong form, with a massive central tower 60 feet high; and retains the chancel screen of the old church. The churchyard contains an incised coffin-shaped stone, said to mark the grave of Hodge of Ferry, who slew the famous Brawn. The vicarage of Ferryhill is a separate benefice. There are a national school, and charities £19."

Merrington was an ancient parish in the Darlington Ward and, after 1829, of the Durham Ward of County Durham. It was made a civil parish in the 19th century and became part of the Auckland Rural District when it was formed in 1894. In 1935 the parish was abolished and the land divided between the newly created parishes of Spennymoor and Merrington Lane. Merrington Lane has since been absorbed into Spennymoor.

Townships in Parish

• Chilton
• Ferryhill
• Hett

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.