"The parish of Easington is bounded on the north by Hawthorn, on the south by Castle Eden, on the east by the sea, and on the west by Shotton and Haswell. It comprises the township of Easington and part of Shotton.
"Easington Township contains 5217 acres, and its annual value is £7169, 13s.
"The village of Easington, which gives its name to the ward and deanery, is situated on the turnpike road between Stockton and Sunderland, seventeen miles north of the former, and ten south of the latter place. It stands on elevated ground, which gradually slopes towards the sea, and its church tower affords a good landmark to sailors in the neighbourhood of the coast.
"Little Thorpe, or Thorpe-Nigh-Easington, is a hamlet about a mile south of Easington, and is included in the same manor."
[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]
Easington
"The population in 1801 was 487; in 1811, 542; in 1821, 593; in 1831, 693; in 1841, 812; in 1851, 916; in 1861, 1073; in 1871, 1428; in 1881, 1260; and in 1891, 1262 persons."Haswell Township
"The number of inhabitants in 1801 was 93; in 1811, 114; in 1821, 115; in 1831, 263; in 1841, in consequence of the opening out of new coal mines, it had increased to 3981; in 1851 the numbers were 4356; in 1861, 4165; in 1871, 5623; in 1881, 6156; and in 1891, 6276 souls."Hawthorn Parish
"The population in 1801 was 114; in 1811, 118; in 1821, 140; in 1831, 162; in 1841, 177; in 1851, 183; in 1861, 227; in 1871, 268; in 1881, 282; and in 1891, 330."Shotton Parish
"The population in 1811 was 286; in 1821, 264; in 1831, 272; in 1841, 603; in 1851, 1607; in 1861, 1871; in 1871, 3130; in 1881, 2131; and in 1891, 1975 souls."[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]
"The Church, dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, is of ancient date, and, previous to its restoration, in 1853, was one of the most interesting edifices in the country, the few remaining portions of which are of the Norman period. The church is said to have been rebuilt in the early part of the thirteenth century; the existing tower, of Norman date, probably belonged to the original structure. The most notable features of the interior are the nave arcades and chancel arch. The church is extremely well proportioned, the original plan remaining unaltered."
[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]
There is a picture (22 kbytes) of the parish church of St. Mary the Virgin, Easington; supplied by Richard Hird.
"The parish register commences in 1571." [From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]
The Parish Registers for the period 1606-1988 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Ea).
Marriage indexes for 1570-1837 (63 kbytes) from the George Bell Collection of Durham and Northumberland Indexes.
The Marriages (1570-1837) are included in the Joiner Marriage Index.
The following records for churches in the ancient parish of Easington are also available at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL:-
The following records are available for non conformist churches in the parish:-
There are descriptions of the following new parishes within the ancient parish of Easington:-
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