Glenwright Name Study - Haydon Bridge Origins

Date: 1628 to 1800
Location: Haydon Bridge, Northumberland
Surname/tag: Glenwright

Contents 1 The Glenwright Families of Haydon Bridge 1.1 Haydon Bridge 1.2 The early Glenwright families of Haydon Bridge 1.3 Parish Records 1.4 Other disconnected Glenwright Records in and nearby Haydon Bridge

The Glenwright Families of Haydon Bridge

This page is part of the Glenwright Origins page.

Haydon Bridge

The Glenwright family with the earliest connected records and most records prior to 1750 attended the chapel in the village of Haydon Bridge, occasionally called Aydon in early records. Haydon Bridge is located 28 miles west of Newcastle on the north bank of the South Tyne where the ancient Roman road that runs up the valley and eventually over the Pennines to Cumberland crosses the South Tyne for the first time. The Roman road called the “Stanegate” (essentially the route of the modern-day A69) was built in 71 A.D. Hadrian’s Wall was built some distance to the north 44 years later. The village was named after the ancient bridge here that spanned the South Tyne.

The parish of Haydon and its chapel at Haydon Bridge was administered from the parish of Warden across the river. This parish is one of several large ancient parishes in western Northumberland, but not one of the gigantic ones in the mountain wastes to the northwest. Many of the smaller surrounding parishes were divided off in the 18th and 19th centuries. The large size of the parishes in rural Northumberland (some having 100 times the land area of parishes in other counties) have benefits and drawbacks to researchers. Because the records are all together, they are more accessible. But because of the large geographic span of each parish, research of common surnames can be confusing.

The early Glenwright families of Haydon Bridge

At the dawn of parish records in 1654 (christenings) and 1655 (marriages), we see three Glenwright families in Haydon Bridge – Gilbert (died 1657 with no proven sons) (not to be confused with the Gilbert from Newbrough), John Glenwright (died May 1705), and Anthony, plus a few assorted fragments. Initially, we see these families associated with two adjoining farms.

Gilbert lived at Prior House, a farm two miles west of Haydon Bridge on a small stream (the Honeycrook Burn) about 1/3 mile north of the South Tyne River.

Anthony lived at Whinnetly Farm immediately to the south and southeast of Prior House. Whinnetly used to be a farm along the north slopes of the South Tyne valley. Later, he appears to have migrated about 15 miles downriver to Ryton in Durham.

In the late 19th century, a lead ore seam was found underneath the Whinnetly farm and the adjoining Whitechapel Farm to the west of Prior House. In the early 20th century, the Whinnetly farm was torn down to build the mining works, and no longer exists. Interestingly enough, the Admiralty Records held in the General Records Office, Kew, record that the mineral rights under the estates of Prior House and Whinnetly were sold together in 1892, indicating that both farms were owned by the same seller three hundred years later.

John was living at Whinnetly Farm when his first wife died, but he died at Prior House.

In the next generation, we see a Nicholas Glenwright (abt.1665-1713), whom might well be one of the unnamed children of John Glenwright. It appears that all the descendants of the Haydon Bridge Glenwright family descend from Nicholas.

Parish Records

As we look at the records for Haydon Bridge, we also must keep in mind gaps in the records. Records for the following years were never kept, lost, or destroyed:

-Christenings: before 1654, Nov 1664 – early 1677, mid 1677- Oct 1682

-Marriages: before 1655, June 1663 – Apr 1688, June 1688 – June 1695

-Burials: before Apr 1683, Mar 1694 – Mar 1695

The net effect of these gaps is that the start of consistent records is not 1654, but 1695.

Other disconnected Glenwright Records in and nearby Haydon Bridge

Anne (Glenwright) Hutchinson (abt.1635-) married Christopher Hutchinson in Haydon Bridge on 30 Jul 1658.

William Glenwright, was christened 25 Nov 1691 at Hexham Abbey St. Andrew. He was the son of (another?) Anthony Glenwright.

Ann Glenwright, died 1793 in Sunnyside, Allendale, buried at Allendale St. Cuthbert on 4 Mar 1793. All the Allendale Glenwrights appear to descend from Nicholas from Haydon Bridge. In my records, I list her as person A21. I have not entered her because I expect her to be a duplicate.