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Winston

"Winston Parish contains but one township, which includes the villages of Newsham and Winston, the estates of Barford-on-the-Hill, Heighley (of Heighcliffe) Hall, Osmondcroft, and Westholme, and part of that of Stubb House. It is bounded on the north and east by Gainford parish, on the west by the chapelry of Whorlton, and on the south by the river Tees. The area of the parish is 2961 acres, and its annual value is £4971.

"The village of Winston occupies the ridge of a hill overlooking the Tees, and contains a public-house and a few tradesmen's shops. The Tees is here crossed by a fine stone bridge, if a single arch, which was long considered by the architects the largest in Europe. It is the segment of a circle, measuring 112 feet span, 22 feet broad, and 20feet between the parapet walls. The material employed is a hard blue ragstone, and the elevation renders the road nearly level with the Yorkshire side. It was erected in 1763-64, from the design of Sir Thomas Robinson, Bart., of Rokeby; and when most of the bridges in the north of England were washed away by the great flood in 1771, Winston Bridge remained uninjured. The river scenery in this neighbourhood is very fine, being almost equal to any on the Tees.

"Newsham is a pleasant little village, two miles north-west of Winston, on a by-road running from the Barnard Castle and Gainford turnpike to Staindrop. It was anciently the property of the Earls of Westmorland, and is now held by W. T. Hustler, Esq., who built the chapel, which is at present not in use. It was the chapel-of-ease to Winston; but, owing to some difficulty in appointing the curate, no service has been held for two years."

[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan , London, 1894]

Cemeteries

The monumental inscriptions in the churchyard have been transcribed, indexed and published by the Cleveland Family History Society.
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Census

"Census populations for Winston were:- 1801 - 307; 1811 - 284; 1821 - 287; 1831 - 327; 1841 - 293; 1851 - 301; 1861 - 342; 1871 - 336; 1881 - 334; 1891 - 312."

[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan , London, 1894]

The 1851 Census Index (booklet 66) published by the Cleveland Family History Society may be of value to researchers interested in this parish.

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Church History

"The Church, an Early English edifice, dedicated to St. Andrew, is situated on elevated ground to the east of the village, and close to the steep and lofty bank of the Tees. Much of it was rebuilt in 1846, including an open timber roof, and an octagonal bell-tower and spire at the south-west angle of the building, and many other portions. The original church, of which there are few remains, dates from about 1220. The old baptismal font, with its sculptured dragons and festoons of flowers, &c., has been preserved, together with a portion of a Saxon cross and a fourteenth century tomb-cover. Roman stones are also to be found built into the chancel walls; and there are two ancient brasses, the earlier one (fifteenth century) being to the memory of John Purlles; the other (sixteenth century) is to Richard mason. In the south wall of the chancel is a piscina, enclosed in a trefoil niche. The church consists of nave, chancel and south aisle, is entered by a porch on the south, and will accommodate about 170 persons."

[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan , London, 1894]

There is a picture (17 kbytes) of the parish church of St. Andrew, Winston; supplied by George Bell.

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Church Records

"The parish register commences in 1572." [From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan , London, 1894]

The Parish Registers for the period 1572-1976 are deposited at Durham County Record Office, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL (EP/Wi).

Index to the Baptisms 1813-1840 (17 kbytes).

Index to the Burials 1813-1840 (11 kbytes).

Marriage indexes for 1754-1837 (11 kbytes) from the George Bell Collection of Durham and Northumberland Indexes.

The Marriages (1754-1837) are included in the Joiner Marriage Index.

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