England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Bedlington St Cuthbert

The Parish

The parish of Bedlington lies in southeastern Northumberland forming a stretch of the county's eastern, North Sea, coat. Bedlington is located roughly 12 miles north of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and 6 miles southeast of the market town of Morpeth. Bedlington sits just under 2 miles west of the coastal main route, the A189 between Newcastle upon Tyne and Ashington, at the junction of two relatively smaller A roads the A193, leading to Blyth, and the A1068. At the time of this transcript Bedlington was a relatively small town on the banks of the River Blyth, a centre for iron working since medieval times, the industrial revolution saw massive growth as iron works extended, collieries were opened and the town expanded dramatically. Bedlington  was especially noted for its production of heavy iron products, the nearby Blyth allowing easy transport to the coast and onward mainly to domestic markets in the south. Coal was extensively mined to power those works and the local hard sandstone was also exploited for producing grinding & whet-stones of an excellent quality. Away from the heavy industry the rural parts saw a largely mixed farming economy with both arable & pastoral forms present. The sprawl of railway development throughout this industrial part of the county brought mainly freight lines to Bedlington, there is still no passenger station. In more recent times much of the heavy industry has declined and Bedlington has become somewhat post-industrial, growth of other employment opportunities in light industry and the service sector has mitigated that decline somewhat. Bedlington sits just 3 miles from the sea and the River Blyth drains to that through a deeply cut valley. Bedlington is sited at around 50 metres above the sea, land is only gently undulating outside the deep-cut valley and local heights reach to just 74 metres to the southwest. Northumberland parishes are typically fairly extensive and Bedlington was no exception, covering close to 9,000 acres it would have supported a population of close to 1,500 parishioners. Like most of the north of England, Bedlington is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Cuthbert's church sits on the southern side of the A193 as it passes through, at the junction with Church Lane and set slightly into the latter road. Whilst the church has very early origins little of that period remains as the church was extensively rebuilt, mainly in the 19th century. From the earliest times Pevsner notes the Norman Romanesque style of the 12th century remaining in the nave and the chancel arch, which clearly interested him as he spends some time describing the arch's structure describing it as "an uncommonly interesting piece of late Norman building". Medieval additions to this 12th century foundation are limited, a southern chapel, resembling a porch, is 14th century and Decorated in style. Changes came a plenty in later times, the 18th century saw major change with the nave turned through 90 degrees and given an extensive northern projection, the chancel was also rebuilt in that time but that change lasted barely a century. The Victorians took their turn in the 19th century, that new chancel being rebuilt in the mid 19th century and the western tower, largely 12th century until then, being completely rebuilt too in 1868. Parking near to the church is difficult, Church Lane being too narrow, but spaces are set aside off the A193 for local shopping which may be used. The churchyard is elevated much above street level with a flagged, rising, pathway leading to the entrance. Sadly the churchyard is extensively covered in mature trees making for a challenging subject once leaves are present.