Place:Tynemouth Registration District, Northumberland, England

A registration district in the United Kingdom is a type of administrative region which exists for the purpose of civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths and civil partnerships. It has also been used as the basis for the collation of census information.

Registration districts in England and Wales were created with the introduction of civil registration on 1 July 1837 and were originally co-terminous with poor law unions. Their existence as autonomous entities came to an end in 1930, when the relevant administrative county or county borough was made responsible. A subsequent series of reforms of local government has resulted in the responsibility today being held by the relevant county council, unitary authority, metropolitan district, or London borough. (Source:Wikipedia)

An excerpt from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72 as reproduced in A Vision of Britain through Time describing the registration sub-district and the Registration District of Tynemouth in the mid to late 19th century.

"The [registration] sub-district consists of [Tynemouth], Cullercoates, Whitley, and Monkseaton townships. Acres: 3,489. Population: 18,266. Houses: 2,880.

"The [registration] district comprehends also North Shields, Wallsend, Long-benton, Earsdon, and Blyth sub-districts; and comprises 39,737 acres. Poor rates in 1863: £25,493. Pop. in 1851: 64,248; in 1861: 77,955. Houses: 13,212. Marriages in 1863: 717; births: 3,310, of which 181 were illegitimate; deaths: 1,911, of which 963 were at ages under 5 years, and 30 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60: 5,355; births: 27,347; deaths: 16,482. The places of worship, in 1851: were 12 of the Church of England, with 6,965 sittings; 3 of English Presbyterians, with 1,500 [sittings]; 4 of United Presbyterians, with 1,273 [sittings]; 4 of Independents, with 1,815 [sittings]; 1 of Baptists, with 690 [sittings]; 1 of Quakers, with 400 [sittings]; 25 of Wesleyans, with 6,512 [sittings]; 7 of New Connexion Methodists, with 2,066 [sittings]; 13 of Primitive Methodists, with 2,686 [sittings]; 11 of Wesleyan Reformers, with 2,132 [sittings]; 2 undefined, with 200 [sittings]; 2 of Roman Catholics, with 700 [sittings]; 1 of Latter Day Saints, with 50 attendants; and 1 of Jews, with 30 [sittings]. The schools were 36 public day-schools, with 3,768 scholars; 85 private day-schools, with 3,416 [scholars]; 63 Sunday schools, with 7,234 [scholars]; and 2 evening schools for adults, with 39 [scholars].

Research Tips

Brett Langston's list of Registration Districts in Northumberland lists the civil parishes included in the registration district along with the dates of joining and leaving.