Durham County Archives, Durham County Hall

The archives for the county of Durham are located inside the Durham county hall, a short walk from Durham railway station in Durham city. There is actually no need to carry a map with directions while you are travelling on foot as the location is well signposted as you leave the train station from the main entrance. The visitor has to register with the front desk to receive a badge, which has your name attached and is returned before you leave the building at the end of the day or when your business is concluded. The most important requirement for the researcher is to make a booking online or by calling the records office at least two weeks in advance. The booking ensures the vacancy of a microfilm reader and the archivists are ready for your visit.

I did not know about the booking procedure, before I had left for my trip abroad from Australia. When I did check the website the night before flying to the UK, the website was actually unavailable. The booking procedure was actually noticed the night before visiting the county hall, while checking the directions. I thought I would turn up in person and see if I was able to gain access. The gamble did pay off as I was allowed to enter the archives for my family history research as it was a quiet day. The requirements for the research room are as follows, Pencils only, loose sheets of paper, no pens, no notepads and no folders are allowed in the room. Lockers are provided for the researcher just outside the research room.

The archivists were extremely helpful and did explain about what records are available and where they are located amongst the filing cabinets. The records held are the usual BDM’s records (Birth, Death and Marriages) for the registration districts. These do include baptisms and burials, along with the records for those who were non conformists. Books located in the microfilm reading room provide the numbers to the microfilm, which are located in the draws with numbers on the front. Inside the draws are the microfilms with numbers written on the box. After choosing the correct one the researcher then places bookmark, so they can replace when finished with the record. The records go up to the mid 1900s and county newspapers on microfilm are also held like the Durham Examiner. These are explained as being weeklies and do not hold BDM records, but insights into what life would have been like during the time periods. Census records up to 1901 and list of cemeteries within the county were also available. Other records held did include information about the collieries throughout Durham County with specific dates they were in use like the Heworth Colliery.

The county of Durham’s registration districts were larger than I had expected while visiting the research room. The people I was researching couldn’t be found, although I might not have the actual registration districts correctly specified as they maybe in another district altogether or even county. The thought did occur, the family members might be non conformists. I have not given up with my research into Durham County, but will do more research into the registration districts. Most of the records I have are from civil registrations, so the locations may hold answers in future research.

Durham Records Office 

Woodhorn Colliery museum and Northumberland archives

Woodhorn Colliery museum and Northumberland archives

The archives for the county of Northumberland are located at the Woodhorn Colliery museum, outside the township of Ashington. The Woodhorn Colliery closed in the 1980s and has a rich history about the area and the hardships of the miners, which included accidents.  The mine was a source of employment for people as young as 12 years, who all worked long hours in shifts day and night. Several original buildings are still visible, although the shafts are covered, but are pointed out with signage that explained the buildings purpose. The museum is a welcome distraction to the archives and does follow the footsteps of the minders right until the late 1980s from the strikes and layoffs amongst other events that came along during the time of the mine’s operation.

The easiest way of getting to the archives is to catch a bus to the town of Ashington from the Haymarket station in Newcastle or you could drive yourself, if you do know the way. The journey takes around an hour and you do have to be careful in which stop you get off at or else you will get lost. The closest stop, which I later found out, was actually at the hospital or the football club. The walk is not too bad and the location is signposted from the main road to Queen Elizabeth II Park. There are several short cuts for those who are walking including one across the railway line if you don’t want to walk along the driveway. The museum grounds have plenty of parking, which you have to pay for and entry into the museum grounds are free.

The archives are located above the museum shop and first time visitors have to fill out an application form, where they will receive a research card that is handed to the front office once you enter and can be collect once you leave. The researcher has to sign in and out, when entering and leaving for security reasons and in case there is an emergency, where people have to leave the building. Bags and larger items are to be stored in lockers that are provided for researchers to use.  The archives has plenty of natural light from large windows, even when overcast.

Pencils are to be used, but you are allowed to bring in folders and note pads with your research. Depending on the registration district you are researching they can change depending on the timeline you are researching. Districts can grow, split or merge within other districts nearby.The district of South Shields could be known as part of Tynemouth during earlier times, which is interesting, when I am researching the surname of Tynemouth. The supervisor did explain the name is not common, but they did have a Tynemouth working for the archives in the past. The archives do not hold military records due to the fact they are now all on Ancestry.com. If you cannot find the WW1 records, then they do not exist as they were destroyed by fire during The Second War.

The records are found by the call numbers in the books and you do not need to book before your visit, unlike other research rooms, although checking the website for visiting information is recommended. The microfilm readers are easy to use if you have used one before and the archivists are happy to help if there are problems. Laminated maps of the registration districts are available for purchase for £2 each. The BDM (Birth, Death and Marriage) registrations are not the only records held by the archives as they hold census, cemetery records and books about various parts of the county of Northumberland. There are several books about diocese and estate records from some prominent people in the county. Some business records are also held depending on the time period. Given enough time, the researcher can find a treasure trove of information about the area and their families.

When arriving at the Colliery museum the researcher / visitor can be deceived into thinking the only records held by the archives are about the different collieries throughout the county. The archives and colliery museum are not the only places to visit as there are extensive walking trails and a nearby lake. Before entering the archives in the main building have a wander and look around the colliery to learn not only about the area, but the people too who lived and worked for the different companies. Donations towards maintaining the archives and the colliery museum are recommended especially, when donation boxes are provided throughout the building.