Durham County Record Office County Hall Durham DH1 5UL Telephone (0191) 383 3253 e-mail: record.office@durham.gov.uk website: www.durham.gov.uk/recordoffice HANDLIST 9 : RECORDS OF GENEALOGICAL INTEREST ON MICROFILM Issue 6 February 1998 The Durham Record Office has a large collection of microfilms and microfiche, most of which are of interest to the family historian. The microforms fall into several categories and mostly are kept on open access in the microfilm reading room. 1 Parish registers All the Church of England parish registers held in the Record Office are filmed on arrival in the Office and the films are kept in the M42/ sequence. The parishes for which registers are held are listed in Handlist 2 and various detailed finding aids are available in the Record Office. 2 Non-conformist church registers All registers in this category are filmed on their arrival in the Record Office and the films are kept in the M5/ sequence. Handlist 1 gives a summary guide to the registers available and more detailed finding aids are available in the Record Office. 3 Census returns The Record Office holds microfilms of the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 Censuses for the historic County of Durham. They are kept in the M27/ , M3/ , M9/ , M18/ , M54/ , M76/ and M81/ sequences respectively, and finding aids (including street indexes) are available. The microfiche index to the 1881 census for Durham, Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmoreland and Yorkshire is also available. 4 Newspapers All the bound newspapers in the Record Office are available on film: Auckland Chronicle (1868 - 1970) M61/1-155 Auckland Mercury (1875 - 1878) M71/1-3 Auckland Times (1862 - 1910) M60/1-18 Auckland Chronicle - Aycliffe edition (1964 - 1970) M61/217-227 Bishop Auckland Herald (1854 - 1856) M56/1 Blaydon Courier (1947 - 1963) M75/1-10 Consett Chronicle (1923 - 1969) M61/53-77, 103-106, 115-215 Consett Guardian (1937 - 1970) M72/1-23, M61/213-217 Durham Advertiser (1814 - 1985) M1/1-156 Durham Chronicle (1820 - 1970) M57/1-117 Peterlee Chronicle (1969 - 1970) M57/151-153 Seaham Weekly News (1938 - 1969) M57/118-151 South Durham & Cleveland Mercury (1870 - 1906) M73/1-26 South Durham Herald (1868) M63/1 Spennymoor Times (1875 - 1878) M61/1-3 Stanley News (1914 - 1970) M61/33-90, 102-185 Washington Chronicle (1968 - 1970) M57/112-118 5 Hearth Tax returns These records (the originals of which are in the Public Record Office) cover 1663-1666 and 1674, and give the names of individuals with chargeable and non-chargeable hearths and the numbers of hearths. Some of the records are damaged and some are illegible. The microfilms are numbered M6/1-2. 6 Electoral registers All the registers from 1833 have been filmed and are available in the M67/ sequence. 7 Durham Obituaries Obituaries of prominent Durham City inhabitants (and some others of importance in the County) appeared in the Durham Directory from 1856 to 1916. The obituaries have been brought together on film with an index. The microfilm is numbered M29/1. 8 Quarter Sessions Order Books The Order Books are the formal registers of proceedings at Quarter Sessions and, on microfilm, cover the period from 1616 to 1883. From the late eighteenth century some volumes contain indexes. The microfilms are numbered M7/1-20. The Rough (or draft) Order Books have also been microfilmed for the period 1735 - 1854 and are numbered M7/39-45. 9 Land Tax Assessments Duplicate copies of the annual assessment to the Land Tax deposited with the Clerk of the Peace served as a register of parliamentary electors. The assessments give the names of owners and occupiers of land and the tax payable. The Assessments cover the period 1759 - 1831 (with gaps) and their microfilm numbers are M7/20-33. 10 Indictment Rolls Indictments were the first stage in the process by which individuals were brought to trial at Quarter Sessions. The Rolls list the accused's name and the charge (sometimes with a note of the plea); those for the period 1596 - 1823 (with gaps) have been microfilmed and are numbered M7/34-37. 11 Other Quarter Sessions records Process books (memoranda of presentments, indictments and information listing the name, residence and occupation of those indicted and the charge) for 1619 - 1778 (with gaps) are filmed on M7/38. Abstracts of orders (printed orders of public interest) for 1823 - 1883 are microfilmed on M7/38. Militia family relief payments (papers giving details of men serving in the militia, and their families) for 1807 - 1811 are on M7/38. Returns of Roman Catholic Chapels and priests and non-conformist meeting houses for 1791 - 1854 are on microfilm M7/39. Returns of farmers near the coast, 1796, are on microfilm M7/39. Registers of Roman Catholic estates (giving details of the estates, tenants, rents, tithes, etc.), 1717 - 1782, are on M7/46-49. 12 International Genealogical Index (IGI) The IGI produced by the Mormon Church is available on microfiche. The 1992 edition is held for the counties of Durham, Northumberland, Yorkshire, Cumberland and Westmorland and the total index for the United Kingdom is available in the 1984 edition. 13 Boyd's Marriage Index Boyd's Index to Marriages in Durham parishes, 1538 - 1837, is available on microfiche. 14. Index to wills and administrations A microfilm copy of the indexes to the registers of wills prepared in, and administrations granted by, the Consistory Court of Durham is numbered M65/1-3. N.B. The original probate records are not held in the Record Office but in the Archives and Special Collections Section of Durham University Library. 15. Crematorium and cemetery registers All registers in this category are filmed on their arrival in the Record Office and the films are kept in the M78/ sequence, which also contains films of some registers not held in the Record Office. Handlist 10 gives a summary list of the registers available HANDLISTS:HANDLIST09.DOC/23-Jan-03/11:53 page 2