"The town of Sunderland is situated on the river Wear, 272 miles north by west from London, 144 from Manchester, 135 south-east from Edinburgh, 77 north from York, 72 from Carlisle, 12 east by south from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and 13 north-east from Durham. It includes the whole of the parish of Sunderland, and a portion of that of Bishopwearmouth on the south side of the river Wear, with a portion of Monkwearmouth on the north side, the junction being effected by a magnificent iron bridge of one stupendous arch, thus forming one large, populous, and commercial town, the whole of which is generally denominated Sunderland.
"Sunderland Township, from which this large town takes its name, is but small in area, having only 220 acres, which forms the south-eastern position of the town, including some of the poorest and lowest parts of the town. Its ratable value in 1893 was £56,465."
[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]
"Its population in 1861 was 17,107; in 1871, 16,861; in 1881, 15,333; and in 1891, 14,558.""
[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]
"Sunderland Parish Church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was erected in 1719, and consecrated by the Bishop of London, September 5th the same year. It is built of brick with stone dressings, and comprises nave, aisles, chancel, and square western tower. The exterior of the building is very plain and unprepossessing; the interior is little better, being disfigured by galleries, pews, and the ornamentation peculiar to the manner and period. Sunderland was separated from the parish of Bishopwearmouth by Act of Parliament in 1719, and constituted a distinct and independent rectory, the burgesses having previously erected the present church, vestry, and rectory? house upon part of one of the common fields, called the Intack, where they also enclosed a piece of ground for a cemetery. The remains of "Jack Crawford," a monument of whose exploit stands in the park, are interred here. The tower contains an illuminated clock and a peal of eight bells , the church contains sittings for 1400 persons; the parish register commences parish in 1719. The living is a rectory, the gross annual value of which is estimated at £ 660. Patron, the Bishop of Durham; rector, Rev. Thomas Randell, D.D."
[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]
There is a picture (11 kbytes) of the parish church of Holy Trinity, Sunderland; supplied by George Bell.
"The parish register commences in 1719." [From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894]
The Parish Registers for the period 1719-1988 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Su.HT).
Marriage indexes for
from the George Bell Collection of Durham and Northumberland Indexes.
The Marriages (1719-1837) are included in the Joiner Marriage Index.
The following records for churches in the ancient parish of Sunderland are also available at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL:-
Brian Pears has supplied a file giving a description of, and listing all 183 children killed in, the Victoria Hall Calamity of 16th June 1883.
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