Yesterday I went to an ancestral haunt of mine, Cresswell village on the Northumbrian coast. My Storey family lived here from at least the 1760s until the mid-1800s. Cresswell was and still is a small village. Little more than one hundred years ago the little cottages were occupied by fisherfolk. Historically Cresswell was a township in the parish of Woodhorn.
My 3x Great Grandfather Adam Storey was born and raised in Cresswell, but moved south to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea when he married Ann Renner. His parents, Adam and Hannah lived their entire lives in the village, eventually dying there in 1869 only days apart. Hannah's maiden name was Mills, another Cresswell fishing family.
My first direct link with the village is in 1762 when William Story, my 5x Great Grandfather was born there. He was later baptised at St Mary the Virgin, Woodhorn. On William's baptism only his father's name is recorded, written as "Adam Story".
The second direct link to Cresswell village is from 12 February 1776 when Margaret Storie [sic] was buried at Woodhorn. Margaret was described as "Wife to Adam Storie of Creswell". An added remark was that she drowned. I can only assume that Margaret was my 6x Great Grandmother.
The church in Cresswell is dedicated to St Bartholomew and was built in 1836 by the Baker Cresswell family, however burials did not begin in the churchyard until 1899.
James Storey a younger brother of my 3x Great Grandfather Adam was buried at Cresswell when he died in 1901. Five years later in 1906 his second wife Isabella Oliver was laid to rest with him.
Nowadays Cresswell is a local tourist spot with a couple of caravan parks which are popular with families in the summer. The beach is a big attraction, truly highlighting how beautiful the Northumbrian coast is. There is only one shop in Cresswell, which sells the holiday essentials. And the ice cream is very nice too!
 |
| Cresswell village. 19 July 2015 |
 |
| Cresswell beach |
My first direct link with the village is in 1762 when William Story, my 5x Great Grandfather was born there. He was later baptised at St Mary the Virgin, Woodhorn. On William's baptism only his father's name is recorded, written as "Adam Story".
 |
| St Mary the Virgin, Woodhorn, Northumberland. |
 |
| Margaret Storie's burial. Extract from the Durham Bishop's Transcripts. |
The church in Cresswell is dedicated to St Bartholomew and was built in 1836 by the Baker Cresswell family, however burials did not begin in the churchyard until 1899.
 |
| The gravestone of James and Isabella Storey at Cresswell. |
*
OUR FATHER AND MOTHER IS GONE BEFORE
TO THAT CELESTIAL SHORE,
THEY HAVE LEFT THEIR FRIENDS BEHIND
THEY HAVE ALL THE STORMS OUTRODE,
FOUND THE REST WE TOIL TO FIND,
LANDED IN THE ARMS OF GOD
*
 |
| Cresswell's token shop. |
No comments:
Post a Comment