Glenwright Name Study - Haltwhistle Origins

Date: 1650 to 1800
Location: Haltwhistle, Northumberland, England
Surname/tag: Glenwright

Contents 1 The Glenwright Families of Haltwhistle 1.1 Haltwhistle 1.2 Haltwhistle Parish Records 1.3 The early Glenwright families of Haltwhistle 1.4 Unidentified burials relating to Haltwhistle Glenwright families

The Glenwright Families of Haltwhistle

This page is part of the Glenwright Origins page.

Haltwhistle

The second concentration of Glenwright families prior to 1750 occur in the parish of Haltwhistle, the next town of significant size, and located 9 miles west of Haydon Bridge along the South Tyne and the ancient road (A69). It is the westernmost parish in Northumberland and the last significant village on the east side of the Pennines. Haltwhistle is also known as the “centre of Britain” because is sits at the geographic center of Britain (if you include Scotland and Wales).

Haltwhistle is rather unique in that while part of Northumberland, its early legal records were recorded in the ecclesiastical courts of the Bishops of Durham, rather than the manorial courts of the Earl of Northumberland. This stemmed from the time of Henry VIII. Henry Percy, the 6th Earl of Northumberland, was betrothed to Anne Boleyn in 1523, prior to Henry VIII claiming her as his own wife. Needless to say, relations between the Earls of Northumberland and the British royalty were irreparably broken. So Henry gave legal jurisdiction over much of western Northumberland to the Bishops of Durham, who supported him in the House of Lords.

From some time, we saw multiple families and some stray records. But my recent (2016) discovery of John Glenwright’s 1688 estate inventory and Cuthbert Glenwright’s 1697 Last Will tie many of them together.

Haltwhistle Parish Records

Parish registers from Haltwhistle dating back to 1656 have been preserved, but they contain a gap between 1661 and 1668. This becomes a limit to our research here. Furthermore, the early registers are in poor shape, nearly unreadable and many pages have damaged edges.

The early Glenwright families of Haltwhistle

The earliest Glenwright records in Haltwhistle are spotty because of the state of the parish registers. They are inconsistent before the early 1690s. We have found the following:

• Thomas Glenwright "of Haltwhistle Town" (buried 1656 or 1657)
• Christopher Glenwright "of Roodpath" (will probated 1666)
• Margaret Glenwright (will probated 1670)
• Edward Glenwright "of Roodpath" (buried 5 Sep 1697), likely Christopher's son or brother.

The records contain two significant families, though:

• John Glenwright "of Rowfoot" (estate inventory 1688)
• Cuthbert Glenwright "of Haltwhistle Town" (died Apr 1698)

And a few smaller families. None of these seem to have produced a male line past the early 19th century:

• Margery (Glenwright) Corbit (married 1694)
• Thomas Glenwright (son born 1710)
• John Glenwright "of Haltwhistle" (married 1725, died Apr 1763). We believe this John was the third son mentioned in the 1713 Will of Nicholas Glenwright of Heugh House, Haydon Bridge.
• Jane (Glenwright) Stobbart (married 1757)
• Elisabeth (Glenwright) Cousins (born abt.1733, married 1762)
• Cuthbert Glenwright (married 1787), who could be the son of John Glenwright "of Haltwhistle" listed above

Unidentified burials relating to Haltwhistle Glenwright families

1. Margaret Glenwright (B21)
   • bur. Feb 25, 1751/52 Haltwhistle Holy Cross

Margaret is listed as “daughter of John, widow of Haltwesle”, and I don’t know for certain how to interpret that.

1. John Glenwright B24)
   • bur. Nov 25, 1788 Haltwhistle Holy Cross

Weaver, living at Gallowside

1. John Glenwright (B22)
   • bur. Sep 29, 1794 Haltwhistle Holy Cross

This is almost certainly one of the men above, but I haven’t determined which one. The parish register lists John as living at “College”. I can’t find a place specifically called that. Is it remotely possible that he was a young man attending a college somewhere (maybe Durham?) and the body was returned home for burial?

1. Esther Glenwright (B23)
   • bur. June 5, 1795 Newcastle upon Tyne St. John

We know she is somehow related to the family of John (B1.2.1) who moved to Newcastle, but we don’t know whether she was a granddaughter, daughter-in-law, daughter, etc.

1. Margt Glenwright (B25)
   • b. calculated as 1727 or 1728
   • d. April 1803 Widen Clough Side, Haltwhistle
   • bur. Apr 20, 1803 Haltwhistle Holy Cross

age 75, living in Widen Cleugh Side

1. Margaret Glenwright (B26)
   • b. calculated as 1763 or 1764
   • d. Oct 18, 1808 West Hall, Haltwhistle
   • bur. Oct 20, 1808 Haltwhistle Holy Cross

age 44, wife of John, living at West Hall