TYNE & WEAR ARCHIVES USER GUIDE 3 METHODIST REGISTERS 1. Registers before 1791 From its origins in the 1730s until the death of John Wesley in 1791 Methodism was closely connected with the Church of England. Many Methodists also attended the parish church (until their gradual exclusion) and hence were usually baptised, married, and buried by the Church of England clergy; entries, therefore appear in the parish registers, sometimes under a separate section for ‘dissenters'. A few Methodist registers survive from the later part of this period. The earliest for Tyne and Wear dates from 1787 - a register of baptisms in the Orphan House, Newcastle (MF 286). 2. 1791-1837 After the death of Wesley, Methodism soon became a separate denomination. It was governed by a Conference and organised nationally as a `Connexion' divided into Districts each made up of Circuits consisting of a number of individual churches or `societies'. During this period there were several divisions in Methodism all of which produced their own registers. The most important were: Wesleyan Methodists: the original and largest group Methodist New Connexion: formed in 1797 Primitive Methodists: originated in Staffordshire in 1807-8 and spread rapidly, especially in northern England Bible Christians: formed in Devon in 1815 and centred mainly in the south west, but there was a group of chapels in Northumberland later taken over by the Primitive Methodists Wesleyan Methodist most of these groups joined in 1857 to Association form the united Methodist Free Churches Wesleyan Reformers: (UMFC) Registers were sometimes kept for individual churches, sometimes for a group of churches or a whole circuit in the same volume. Size of churches seems to have been the determining factor. Circuit registers are perhaps more common amongst the Primitive Methodists and Methodist New Connexion. 1 3. Surrender of Registers, 1837 After the Civil Registration Act many non-parochial registers were deposited with the General Register Office and later transferred to the National Archives, London. Others were transferred subsequently in 1858-59. Microfilm copies of many of these registers are held locally. A number of Methodist registers were not surrendered and still survive locally, eg Wesleyan baptisms, North Shields from 1808. 4. Methodist Union In 1907 the Methodist New Connexion, Bible Christians and UMFC united to form the United Methodist Church (UMC) In 1932 the Wesleyan Methodists, Primitive Methodists and United Methodists united to form the Methodist Church of Great Britain. 5. Types of Registers (a) Baptism: most Methodist registers are of baptisms. They commence in the late eighteenth century and are not only useful to the genealogist but contain information for analysis of social origins etc. (b) Marriages: under the Hardwicke Marriage Act of 1753 all nonconformists except Quakers were required to marry in parish churches. After 1837 Methodists could marry in their own churches but only in the presence of the Registrar in whose records all such marriages were entered. This remained the case until 1898 when the Marriage Act permitted the appointment of ‘authorised persons' to act as registrars of marriages in duplicate registers. Hence, before 1837 all Methodist marriages should appear in the parish registers and between 1837 and 1898 only in the records of civil registration. Separate Methodist marriage registers are normally found only after 1898. (c) Burials: a few Methodist churches had their own burial grounds but burial registers are uncommon and none survive for Tyne and Wear. Most Methodist burials were entered into the parish register or, later, in the records of civic cemeteries or crematoria. Abbreviations x = baptisms; m = marriages; MF = microfilm copy Please enquire in advance about access to any unlisted collections. 2 CIRCUIT REGISTERS Blaydon PM (MC.BL3) (MF) x 1885-1933 Burnopfield PM See White-le-Head Gateshead WM (MC.GA6) (MF) x 1812-37 (MF), 1837-83 Gateshead, Bensham Road WM (MC.GA3) (MF) x 1875-1939 Gateshead PM (MC.GA12) (MF) x 1855-91 Gateshead, First PM (MC.GA4) (MF) x 1891-1935 Gateshead, Second PM (MC.GA5) (MF) x 1891-1938 Gateshead South, Burnopfield Section (MC.GA2) (MF) x 1938-62 (see also White-le-Head) Gateshead South, Prince Consort Road Section (MC.GA2) (MF) x 1938-63 Gateshead West, Burnopfield Section (1247/8) x 1933-38 (see also White-le-Head) Gateshead West, Chopwell Section (1254/3) x 1935-51 Gateshead West, Dunston & Swalwell Section (MC.GA5/1/4) (MF) x 1935-53 Haltwhistle PM (MF) x 1851-98 Haltwhistle WM (MF) x 1844-1941 Hetton-le-Hole PM (MC.HE1) (MF) x 1864-1947 3 Hetton United Methodist (MC.HE2) (MF) x 1874-1923 Highfield District (former PM) (4442 – unlisted) x 1921-36 Houghton-le-Spring PM (MC.HS1) (MF) x 1911-50 Houghton-le-Spring WM (MC.HS1) (MF) x 1840-1964 Jarrow PM (MC.JA2) (MF) x 1884-1936 Jarrow Methodist Circuit (MC.JA4) (MF) x 1936-58 Lemington PM (MC.NC11) (MF) x 1885-1960 Newcastle East WM (MF) x 1833-37 Newcastle Primitive First x 1877-92 see MC.NC17/1/1 (MF) Newcastle Primitive Second (MC.NC10) (MF) x 1885-1938 Newcastle Primitive Second, Lemington Branch x 1889-94 included in Lemington PM Circuit (MC.NC11) Newcastle Primitive Third (MC.NC17) (MF) x 1892-1935 Newcastle WM See Newcastle, Brunswick and Newcastle, Shieldfield North Shields PM (4067 – unlisted) x 1909-44 North Shields WM (1033/1-5) (part MF) x 1808-1910, 1805-37 Ryton WM (MC.RY1) x 1879-1933 Ryton and Prudhoe (MC.RY1) x 1933-59 Shotley Bridge PM, Mickley Square Branch x 1885-89 included in Lemington PM Circuit (MC.NC11) 4 South Shields PM (1096/3-11, 415) x 1843-1940 South Shields WM (1096/56) (MF) x 1837-1941 South Shields Amalgamated PM and UM (1096/416) x 1939-48 South Shields Section II (1096/418) x 1940-48 Sunderland & Stockton Circuit (MF) x 1823-37 Sunderland First PM (MC.SU5) (MF) x 1843-1930 Sunderland Third PM (MC.SU11 & MC.SU1) (MF) x 1843-1934 Sunderland Fourth PM (MC.SU7) (MF) x 1915-60 Sunderland North (MC.SU1) (MF) x 1931-43 Sunderland South WM (MC.SU2) (MF) x 1838-69 White-le-Head (later Burnopfield) PM (1247/1-10) x 1873-1962 CHURCH REGISTERS Benton (WM) (C.LO2) (MF) x 1905-61 m 1906-22, 1932-66 Benton Square (1242/10) x 1940-77 Bells Close (WM) (C.LM2) (MF) x 1839-1968 m 1926-73 Benwell, Bond Memorial (WM) (441/16; 777/1-2; 5558 unlisted) x 1874, 1880-2001 Bill Quay, Station Road (C.FE3) (MF) x 1884-1956 5 Bill Quay, Wellfield Terrace (C.FE4) (MF) x 1928-72 m 1952-72 Birtley, Durham Road (WM) (C.BI1) (MF) x 1892-1958 m 1949-63 Birtley, Station Road x 1947-74 (MF) Blackhall Mill (C.WI8) x 1931-66 m 1956-64 Blaydon, Albert Street (PM) (C.BL1) (MF) m 1905-44 Blaydon, Shibdon Road, St John (WM) (C.BL5) (MF) m 1903-44 Blaydon, Trinity (C.BL2) (MF) x 1863-1974 Blaydon Haughs (PM) x see Blaydon Primitive Methodist Circuit (MC.BL3) Boldon Colliery, Ebenezer (C.BO2) (MF) x 1948-67 m 1920-66 Boldon Colliery, Hedworth Lane (C.BO6) x 1997 – 2014 m 1993 - 2004 Boldon Colliery, Park (WM) (C.BO3) (MF) x 1872-1926 Brunswick Village (C.DI2) (MF) x 1952-72 Bulman Village see Gosforth, Salters Road Burnopfield (UM) (1247/83-85) x 1863-1940 Burnopfield, Grove Terrace (WM) (1247/88) x 1941-53 Burradon (UM) (C.BU1) (MF) x 1884-1902, 1908-73 6 Burradon (Bethel) x 1934-35 included in Gosforth, West Avenue (C.GO4) Byker (WM) (MF) see Newcastle, Brunswick x 1787-1837 Byker, Ballast Hills (PM) see Newcastle, Ballast Hills Carr Hill, Gateshead (PM) x see Gateshead Primitive Methodist Circuit (MC.GA12) and Gateshead Primitive Methodist First Circuit (MC.GA4) Castletown (PM) (C.SU42) (MF) x 1934-62 Chester-le-Street, Central x 1962-72 (MF) Chester-le-Street, Durham Road x 1943-79 (MF) Chester-le-Street, Ouston x 1947-58 (MF) Chirton WM see North Shields, Chirton Chopwell, Trinity (C.WI6) (MF) x 1908-61 m 1910-84 Chopwell, West (1254/3; C.WI6; 887/23) (part MF) x 1935-51, x 1952-57 included in Chopwell, Trinity m 1947-56 Clara Vale Methodist Church x 1973 – 2007 m 1935 - 2001 Colliery Row (WM) (C.FCS1) (MF) x 1951-71 m 1924-76 Cowgate, Stamfordham Road (WM)(C.NC37) (MF) x 1932-46 Coxlodge (UM) (C.GO1) (MF) x 1907-60 7 Crawcrook Centenary (PM) (C.CK2) (MF) x 1924-50 Crawcrook, Robert Young Memorial Chapel (C.CK3) m 1966-96 Crookhill (WM) (C.RY3) x 1938-80 m 1962-79 Deptford, George Street (UM)(C.SU43) (MF) x 1888-1938 Dinnington (C.DI1) (MF) x 1874-1994 Dudley, Bethel (PM) (C.DY2) (MF) x 1934-35 included in Gosforth, West Avenue (C.GO4), 1937-99 m 1967-98 Dudley, Weetslade Road (C.DY1) (MF) x 1947-64 (see C.DY2/4/4) m 1953-64 Dunston, Ravensworth Road (1113/96) x 1939-51 Dunston (UM) x 1894-99 included in Coxlodge (C.GO1) Dunston, Wood Street (887/24, 25) m 1945-63 Durham, Old Elvet (WM) (MF) x 1815-37 Earsdon (C.EA1) (MF) x 1945-65 Easington Lane (WM) (C.EL1) (MF) m 1927-53 East Holywell (1033/35) x 1909-33 East Jarrow (WM) (1096/327/2) x 1865-78 Edmondsley West End (WM) x 1916-72 (MF) 8 Eighton Banks, Jubilee Avenue (PM) (C.EIG1) (MF) x 1938-80 (not complete) m 1984 - 1994 Eighton Banks, Mount Chapel (C.EIG2) (MF) x 1878-1995 m 1954-77 Fatfield m 1937-77 (MF) Fawdon see Coxlodge Felling, Crowhall Lane (MNC) (C.FE2) m 1934-50 Felling, Holly Hill (WM) x 1884-1955 (4253 unlisted) m 1931-1979 (1085/1-9) Fence Houses, Station Avenue (C.FCS6) (MF) x 1957-77 Fir Tree x 1964-84 (MF) Ford Vicarage Lane (WM) (C.SU44) (MF) x 1867-1960 m 1899-1957 Forest Hall (C.LO6) (MF) x 1939-55 Gateshead, Bank Street (PM) (C.GA1) x 1955-66 Gateshead, Beechwood Gardens (Lobley Hill) (2707 unlisted) x 1941-87 Gateshead, Bensham Road (WM)(C.GA2) (MF) x 1939-62 m 1907-60 Gateshead, Bethesda/New