Place:Bellingham, Northumberland, England

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

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

Bellingham is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, to the northwest of Newcastle upon Tyne and is situated on the Hareshaw Burn at its confluence with the River North Tyne.

The Heritage Centre is the local museum. It has exhibitions on the Border Counties Railway, the Border reivers, mining, farming, the photography of W P Collier, and the Stannersburn Smithy. It has a database of local family names and one of old photographs. It also holds special exhibitions of historical or artistic interest, and readings and performances by poets, storytellers, musicians and dancers.

From 1735 the parish rectors at Bellingham were under the patronage of the Governors of Greenwich Hospital. The Governors stipulated that the rectors were to be graduates of Oxford or Cambridge and naval chaplains. Bellingham Rectory was one of six such rectories in the Simonburn area.

The population, according to the UK census of 2011, was 1,334. Bellingham was originally a chapelry in the ancient parish of Simonburn, but became a ancient parish itself in 1811. As an ancient parish it included the townships of Charlton (East and West), Leemailing, Nook and Tarretburn. From 1894 it was part of Bellingham Rural District. In 1958 Bellingham ceased to be a civil parish when it was absorbed into the civil parish of Tarset.

The townships of Leemailing, Nook and Tarretburn were each made into a civil parish in 1866, but all lost that status in 1886 and were absorbed back into Bellingham. They have all been redirected here. East Charlton and West Charlton continue to exist as a single civil parish named Charlton.

Leemailing

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

"LEEMAILING, a township in Bellingham parish, Northumberland, on the North Tyne river, 1 mile NW of Bellingham. Population: 234. Houses: 48. Hesleyside here is the seat of the Charltons, and has a neat domestic chapel. Stone is largely quarried."

Nook

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

"NOOK, a township in Bellingham parish, Northumberland; at the confluence of the rivers Reed and North Tyne, 2 miles S E of Bellingham. Population: 53. Houses: 10. The manor belongs to the Duke of Northumberland."

Tarretburn

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

"TARRETBURN, a township in Bellingham parish, Northumberland; 4½ miles NW of Bellingham. Population: 206. Houses: 41."

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.