Parish History[edit | edit source]

All Saints Stranton is an ancient parish including Brierton and Seaton Carew. In 1841 Seaton Carew formed a chapelry and in 1859 Christ Church West Hartlepool was formed within the Stranton parish.

The church is Norman but has had several alterations and additions with inscribed dates of 1664 and 1699. In 1890 restoration of the interior was carried out.

As West Hartlepool grew in population the number of churches grew and Stranton's role in the area diminished.

Parish Records[edit | edit source]

Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections DDR/EA/PBT/2/245 1762-1844 Parish Register transcripts are available to search free online at Record Search.

The dates of the post-1760 transcripts have been noted in detail and sometimes only cover years. For most parishes in the collection there are gaps in the sequence of transcripts. It is advisable to consult the original parish registers for these years and events.

The Parish Registers for the period 1580-1995 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Str).

The following records for churches in the ancient parish of Stranton are also available at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL:-

West Hartlepool, Christ Church 1854-1973 (EP/Ha.CC).
West Hartlepool, St. Aidan 1890-1995 (EP/Ha.SA).
West Hartlepool, St. James 1870-1956 (EP/Ha.SJ).
West Hartlepool, St. Matthew 1902-1945
West Hartlepool, St. Nicholas 1929-1933
West Hartlepool, St. Oswald 1892-1977 (EP/Ha.SO).