Whitburn St Mary

Parish Notes Durham

Whitburn St Mary

[Population 1911: 4,406 incl. 210 persons enumerated in the South Shields Union Workhouse Cottage Homes]

The Parish
Church
Townships
Topography
History

Its Records
The Parish Chest
Non-Parochial Records
Monumental Inscriptions
Indexes

Church

The parish church of St Mary is an ancient edifice of stone, in the Early English and Decorated styles, consisting of chancel, late Norman nave of five bays, aisles, vestry, organ chamber, and a western tower with short spire containing a clock and 2 bells of 14th century date, dedicated respectively to, and bearing representations of, St Andrew and the Virgin and Child, with inscriptions in Lombardic characters: there are thirteen stained windows, including two to the late Sir Hedworth Williamson, 8th bart. one to Thomas Barnes and another to Dame Anne Elizabeth Williamson, d.1878: there is also a very interesting and almost unique pointed oval window and a low-side window: the arcade on the south side is supposed to be the work of Bishop Pudsey: some early mediæval grave covers have been built into the walls: there are a fine stone font and a lectern of carved oak: the church affords sittings for 450 persons: at the entrance to the churchyard is a lych gate. The register dates from 1570. The living is a rectory, net yearly value £1,124, including 60 acres of glebe, with residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Durham, and held since 1923 by the Rev. William Peter Mayor, of St. John's College, Cambridge, and surrogate. [Kelly's Durham Directory (1925), page 571.]

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The Parish Chest

EP/Whit 40 Burials 1798-1812

Name & Abode	Descent, Profession, Trade, &c.	Died	Buried	Age
A man about 30 years of age A lad about 16	mariners in the Elizabeth of North Shields	Apr 5 or 6 1799	-	shipwrecked on Whitburn Sands
A man found among the rocks	-	-	June 20 1799	-
A drowned person	found among the rocks name unknown	Mar 21 1807	Mar 21 1807	Supposed to have been shipwrecked
A drowned person	found among the rocks name unknown	-	Feb 16 1808	Supposed to be one of 19 fishermen lost in a storm at Blythe Jan 14 1808
A female thrown ashore	apparently aged, no marks nor clothes except white dimity pockets, one stocking & slippar, remains of a dark-coloured petticoat	-	June 14 1812	-

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Non-Parochial Records

Newcastle Courant 17/1/1845 A fat pig was killed belonging to Mr Wm Purvis, of Whitburn Bents, which, though only 8 months old, weighed 19st. 5 lb., of 14 lbs. to the stone.

Newcastle Courant 26/7/1861 There is now living at Whitburn, a widow, who is in her 93rd year. She has lived in one house since she was three years of age, and does not recollect sleeping one night out of the house during that long period.

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Monumental Inscriptions

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