Durham County Record Office: the official archive service for County Durham and Darlington

Baptisms and burials 1798-1812

Examples of baptism and burial entries from the parish register of Auckland, St. Andrew, in 1798 and 1800.

The Barrington Registers

Baptism and burial registers in the diocese of Durham contain more information than usual between 1798 and 1812.

Here are two pages from a single register, belonging to Auckland St. Andrew's parish, showing baptism and burial entries.

Baptism entries, Auckland, St. Andrew, 1800 (EP/Au.SA 1/5) - Copyright © Durham County Record Office.

The register entries are especially useful to family historians during this period because the Bishop of Durham, Rev. Shute Barrington, ordered that more detailed information should be kept in baptism and burial registers.

Between 1798 and 1812 each baptism entry should give the date of baptism, name of the child, date of birth, position in the family, the occupation and abode of the father, and the maiden name and place of origin of the mother.

Burial entries, Auckland, St. Andrew, 1798 (EP/AU.SA 1/5) - Copyright © Durham County Record Office

Burial registers give the name and abode of the deceased, his parentage, occupation, the date of death, date of burial, and age.

In Whickham parish, the Barrington registers were continued until 1819, in addition to the new registers introduced by George Rose's Act in 1813.