Seaham, Durham, England Genealogy: Difference between revisions

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(Census records from 1841 to 1921 are available online. See England Census for more resources. <br>)
(Census records from 1841 to 1921 are available online. See England Census for more resources. <br>)
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Revision as of 09:16, 29 May 2025


Guide to Seaham, Durham family history and genealogy: parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Seaham
Seaham St Mary the Virgin Durham.jpg
Seaham St Mary the Virgin Durham
Type Ecclesiastical Parish
Civil Jurisdictions
County Durham
Hundred Easington
Poor Law Union Easington
Registration District Easington
Records Begin
Parish registers 1841
Bishop's Transcripts None
Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions
Rural Deanery Easington
Diocese Durham
Province York
Probate Court Court of the Bishop of Durham (Episcopal Consistory)
Archive
Durham Record Office


Parish History[edit | edit source]

SEAHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Easington, N division of Easington ward and of the county of Durham, 6 miles S by E from Sunderland.[1]

Additional information:
The parish of Seaham was created from the ancient Parish of Dalton le Dale, Durham and has a Norman church. The dedication of the church was changed from St Andrew to St Mary the Virgin. There are references to the church dating back to 1501 although the building shows signs of much earlier construction and is the only surviving building of the original Saxon Village. The church was founded by King Athelstan in 930 AD. It has both Saxon and early Norman masonry in its nave, a 13th century chancel and west tower. Over the 16th century porch door is a late 18th century sundial with an unusual verse, now illegible, which begins: "The natural clockwork by the mighty one wound up at first and ever since has gone....."

Other places in the parish include: New Seaham, Seaham Colliery, Seaton and Slingley, Seaton with Slingley, and Seaton with Slingsby.

Resources[edit | edit source]

Find Neighboring Parishes[edit | edit source]

Use England Jurisdictions 1851 Map

  • Type the name of the parish in the search bar
  • Click on the location pin on the map
  • Choose Options from the pop up box
  • Click "List Contiguous Parishes" to find the neighboring parishes

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Civil Registration[edit | edit source]

Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day.

Church Records[edit | edit source]

The Church of England (Anglican) became the official state religion in 1534, with the reigning monarch as its Supreme Governor.
Non-Conformist refers to all other religious denominations that are not the official state religion.

Church of England[edit | edit source]

Due to the increasing access of online records:

  • Individual parish coverage for databases in this table are inconsistent and should be verified
  • Dates in the following table are approximate

Hover over the collection's title for more information

Seaham Online Parish Records
Collections
Baptisms
Marriages
Burials
Indexes and images
Indexes only
Indexes and images
Indexes only
Indexes and images
Indexes only
FamilySearch Collections-Durham
1500s-1900s
-
1500s-1900s
-
1500s-1900s
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Bishop's Transcripts - FamilySearch Catalog
1700s-1800s
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1700s-1800s
-
1700s-1800s
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FreeREG
-
1500s-1900s
-
1500s-1900s
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1500s-1900s
Findmypast-Durham ($)
1500s-1900s
-
1500s-1900s
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1500s-1900s
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Ancestry-England Select Births, Marriages, Death, and Burials ($)
1500s-1900s
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1500s-1900s
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1500s-1900s
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Databases with Known Incomplete Parish Coverage
Boyd's Marriage Indexes-FMP (Free)
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-
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1500s-1800s
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National Burial Index-FMP (Free)
-
-
-
-
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1800s-1900s

Other Websites
These databases have incomplete parish coverage.

Nonconformist Records[edit | edit source]

"Nonconformist" is a term referring to religious denominations other than an established or state church. In England, the state church is the Church of England.

Census Records[edit | edit source]

Census records from 1841 to 1911 are available online. For access, see England Census Records and Indexes Online. Census records from 1841 to 1891 are also available on film through a FamilySearch Center or at the FamilySearch Library.


Poor Law Unions[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Durham Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.

Websites[edit | edit source]

Seaham on GENUKI

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Lewis, Samuel A.,A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 36-40. Date accessed: 27 July 2013.