Place:Belford, Northumberland, England

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Belford is a village and civil parish surrounded by rich pastoral farmland, in Northumberland, England, about halfway between Alnwick and Berwick upon Tweed, a few miles inland from the east coast and just off the Great North Road, the A1. At the 2001 UK census it had a population of 1,055, increasing to 1,258 at the 2011 UK Census.

A Vision of Britain through Time provides the following description of Belford from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72:

"BELFORD, a small town, a township, a parish, a [registration] subdistrict, and a [registration] district, in Northumberland. The town stands on a gentle eminence, about a mile W of a [railway] station of its own name on the Northeastern railway, 15 ¼. Miles SSE of Berwick. It is neatly built; contains a church, two dissenting chapels, and a workhouse; has a head post office, a market-place, and two chief inns; and is a seat of petty sessions. The church was lately rebuilt, is in the early English style, and has a lofty tower. A weekly market is held on Wednesday; fairs, on Tuesday before Whitsunday and 23 Aug.; and races, in September.

"The township includes the town, and comprises 2,698 acres. Population: 1,067. Houses: 204.

"The parish includes also the townships of Ross, Elwick, Easington, Easington-Grange, Middleton, and Detchant. Acres: 11,604; of which 2,224 are water. Real property: £11,901. Population: 1,724. Houses: 329. The property is divided among five. Belford Hall is the seat of the Rev. J. D. Clark. Coal, lime, and freestone occur. Traces of an ancient chapel are on a rising-ground near the town; and remains of a very strong Danish camp, encompassed by a deep ditch, are not far distant. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Durham. Value: £147. Patron, the Rev. J. D. Clark." [Data for the registration sub-district and the registration district have been omitted.]

Belford was originally a chapelry in the ancient parish of Bamburgh, but became an ancient parish itself very early. It was located in the Bamburgh Ward of Northumberland. It became a civil parish in the 19th century. From 1894 it was part of Belford Rural District. In 1955 it absorbed the neighbouring parishes of Mousen and Warenton. In 1974 rural districts were abolished and Belford became part of the Berwick upon Tweed District until 2009 when Northumberland became a unitary authority.

Notes

• No information has been found as to when Belford ceased being part of Bamburgh ancient parish, save the word "early" in A Vision of Britain through Time.
• GENUKI's list of registration districts states that Belford was a detached portion of County Durham transferred to Northumberland in 1844.

Townships in Ancient Parish

• Detchant
• Easington
• Easington Grange
• Elwick
• Middleton
• Ross

Research Tips

• Northumberland Archives previously known as Northumberland Collections Service and Northumberland County Record Office. Now based within Woodhorn Museum in Ashington and providing free access to numerous records for local and family historians alike.

Full postal address: Museum and Northumberland Archives, Queen Elizabeth II Country Park, Ashington, Northumberland, NE63 9YF; Phone: 01670 624455

There is a branch office in Berwick upon Tweed.

• Northumberland and Durham FHS covers both Northumberland and County Durham. The Family History Society have a research centre in Percy House in central Newcastle upon Tyne (full address on website), open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm. Browse the website to see what else the society can provide.
• Further information from GENUKI
• Ordnance Survey map of Northumberland 1832 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time. This map includes the boundaries of the various Wards (or "hundreds") in existence at that time.
• Ordnance Survey map of Northumberland 1900 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time
• Ordnance Survey map of Northumberland 1944 provided by A Vision of Britain through Time
• English Jurisdictions 1851, a parish finding aid provided by FamilySearch, particularly helpful in large towns and cities.
• Unfortunately, there is no Victoria County History for Northumberland.