Research Notes

Parish Notes Northumberland

Walker Christ Church

[Population 1911: 14,798 incl. 220 persons enumerated in a Hospital for Infectious Diseases]

Church

Christ Church, erected in 1848, is a building of stone in the Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, north porch and a southern tower containing a clock and one bell: most of the windows are stained, and there are 500 sittings. The register dates from the year 1848. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £424, with residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Newcastle, and held since 1920 by the Rev. Norman Gearey Hounsfield L.Th. of Hatfield Hall, Durham. St. Christopher's Church Mission Room, in Fisher street, Low Walker, was erected in 1888, and will seat about 300 persons. [Kelly's Northumberland Directory (1925), page 229.]

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History

Newcastle Courant 16/9/1859 (8e) A vestry meeting has been called at Walker, and a burial board been constituted, for the purpose of taking the necessary proceedings for enlarging the burial ground. The government inspector intends to view the churchyard some time in the month of October.

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Non-Parochial Records

Newcastle Courant 2/12/1853 The large iron screw steam-ship Menura, Capt. Stamp, built lately at Walker for the Sydney trade, sailed on Monday for London.

Newcastle Courant 11/4/1856 WALKER.- A neat obelisk monument has been erected in Walker Church-yard, by the workmen of Walker Iron and Alkali Works, to the memory of the eight unfortunate persons whose deaths were occasioned by the boiler explosion, October 8th, 1855.

Newcastle Courant 31/12/1858 On Thursday evening, the members and friends of the Low Walker Mechanics' Institution had their annual ball in the moulding loft of Messrs C. Mitchell and Co., Low Walker. About 300 ladies and gentlemen were present. The ballroom was decorated with evergreens, artificial flowers, flags, and devices.

Newcastle Courant 9/3/1860 The Walker Volunteer Rifle Corps is making great progress in drill. In the 1st company, Henry Bell, Esq., has been elected captain, R.J. Latimer, Esq., lieut., and R. Cooke, Esq., ensign. In the 2nd company, B.J. Thompson, Esq., has been elected captain, J.G. Swan, Esq., lieut., and T. Crawford, Esq., ensign.

Newcastle Courant 5/7/1861 WALKER.- On Sunday afternoon, a young lad, named William Allen, belonging to the brig William Frazer, of Colchester, was drowned in the river Tyne. It appeared that his vessel is lying at Walker, and that he was in the act of going ashore for one of the crew, when he fell out of the boat and was drowned; the body was soon afterwards got out of the water, but life was extinct.

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Monumental Inscriptions

IN
LOVING
REMEMBRANCE OF
THE REV. C. THOMPSON
35 YEARS VICAR OF WALKER
WHO DIED AUGUST 27TH 1881
AGED 67 YEARS
I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVETH

ALSO OF SARAH ELIZABETH
WIFE OF THE ABOVE
WHO DIED NOVEMBER 5TH 1885
AGED 74 YEARS

THE FAMILY BURIAL PLACE OF
WILLIAM AND JANE TATE OF WALKER

In Memory of William Tate Born May 25^th 1811 Died Oct^r 8th 1870
and Jane his Wife Born April 9^th 1812 Died April 4^th 1897

William Tate Born July 20^th 1843 Died May 29^th 1844
Sarah Grace Tate Born Sept^r 19^th 1849 Died July 12^th 1863
Henry Thomas Tate Born April 26^th 1845 Died January 5^th 1864
Mary Tate Sister of William Tate Died Feb^ry 29^th 1864 aged 61 Years.

ERECTED
BY THE WORKINGMEN OF
WALKER IRON WORKS.
TO THE MEMORY OF THE LATE
JOHN WILLIAMS,
OF WALKER,
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE
MARCH 1OTH 1854. AGED 63 YEARS
HE WAS A NATIVE OF WALES,
A FRIEND TO EVERYONE,
AND WAS LOVED BY EVERYONE
AS A GOOD CHRISTIAN.

LAITH Y BYN.
Bu'n gyfaill ir Gwaredwn;
Tra yma yn y byd;
Bu'n ddiwyd a llafurnus,
Nes iddo fyn dya fud:
Cadd gyfaill ynyr a fan,
A chraig o daneinlra'd;
Mae bedd... ...g yda'r Iesu,
O fewn y ...lwla. - B.D.

HANNAH WILLIAMS WIFE of The
Above died Sepr 3^RD 1856 Aged 59 years.

IN MEMORY OF
JAMES NELSON
5^TH SON OF
WILLIAM and ANN NELSON
LATE OF WALKER NOW OF
MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA
who died 16 Sep^T 1852
Aged 18 years.

An Obelisk near the church reads:

In the midst
of Life
we are in Death.

ERECTED
BY THE WORKINGMEN OF
WALKER IRON AND
ALKALE WORKS
AND THEIR FRIENDS.

TO THE MEMORY OF

JOHN JAMES     AGED 33
JOSIAH JENKINS      33
EVAN LLOYD          26
ABRAHAM DIXON       25
MARTIN BRODERICK    25
PATRICK DONNELY     19
THOMAS GRIFFITHS    10
JOHN PORTER         10

WHOSE DEATHS
WERE OCCASIONED BY THE
EXPLOSION OF A BOILER
IN THE ROLLING MILLS
October 8th 1855.

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