Denwick Civil Parish

Denwick Civil Parish in Northumberland was created on the 30th September 1894 out of the rural parts of the Civil Parish of Alnwick. Unusually, the new civil parish was divided into two separate areas, to the north and south of the town of Alnwick. The southern portion is known as "Denwick Detached".

Denwick (village), Broomhouse, Heckly, Heckly-Grange, Loaninghead, and Whitehouse

Denwick Detached includes: East Cawledge, Greensfield Moor, Hobberlaw, Middle Cawledge Park, Rugley, St Margaret's, Shiel Dykes, Snipe House & West Cawledge Park

172 (2021 Census)

267 (2011 Census)

266 (2001 Census)

Historical

Ancient Townships

(in modern CP area)

Denwick

Population:

• 210 (1841 Census)
• 181 (1851 Census)
  • these population returns included Cannongate township (not part of Denwick CP)

Gazetteer:

• Denwick (Lewis, 1848)
• Denwick (Whellan, 1855)

Alnwick South Side

Population:

• 297 (1841 Census)
• 278 (1851 Census)

Gazetteer:

• Alnwick South Side (Whellan, 1855)

Abbeylands

Population:

• 295 (1841 Census)
• 345 (1851 Census)
  • these population returns included Cannongate township (not part of Denwick CP)

Gazetteer:

• Abbeylands (Lewis, 1848)
• Abbeylands (Whellan, 1855)

Hulne Park

Population:

• 106 (1841 Census)
• 116 (1851 Census)

Gazetteer:

• Hulne Park (Whellan, 1855)

Townships generally became civil parishes in their own right in 1866 (see below). However, this was not the case with the townships in the ancient parish of Alnwick. 

Alnwick Parish (St. Michael)

Population:

• 4,719 (1801 Census)
• 7,319 (1851 Census)

Gazetteers:

• Alnwick Parish (Lewis, 1848)
• Alnwick Parish (Whellan, 1855)

The parish covered a wider geographical area compared to todays Alnwick Civil Parish.

Ancient parishes refer to the parishes before the split between ecclesiastical (church) and civil parishes in the 19th century. They had a parish church and often were composed of multiple townships and chapelries. In many cases, townships and parishes were originally based on the territory of manors from the feudal system during medieval times. Civil parishes were created following the Poor Law Amendment Act 1866, in which Church of England parishes, extra-parochial areas, townships and chapelries, became "civil parishes" which could set their own poor rate (tax). Then the reforms of Local Government Act 1894 established elected civil parish councils (or parish meetings for parishes with less than 300 residents) and created urban and rural districts. Boundaries of parishes and civil parishes may have changed over time.

Bambrough (ward)

Alnwick Poor Law Union, formed in 1836. 

Alnwick Union Workhouse was built in 1841 on Wagon Way Road, south-east of Alnwick, built to house 120 inmates. Prior to that there were smaller workhouses in Alnwick, Birling and Warkworth.

Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 parishes were grouped into Unions, each of which had to build a workhouse if they did not already have one. It ended the old system of locally provided poor relief which had come under strain as numbers out of work grew, following increasing mechanisation of agriculture and the economic downturn after the Napoleonic Wars, along with changing social attitudes. The workhouse provided those unable to support themselves financially with accommodation and work. Inmates were generally segregated into men, women, boys and girls. 

The workhouse system was abolished by the Local Government Act 1929, but many workhouses lived on as ‘Public Assistance Institutions’ until the National Assistance Act 1948.

District Council:

Alnwick Rural District formed in 1894. The district was abolished in 1974, following the Local Government Act 1972.

Alnwick District from 1974 to 2009. Alnwick District covered the area of 4 former districts (Alnwick Urban District, Amble Urban District, Alnwick Rural District and Rothbury Rural District).

The district council was abolished when Northumberland became a unitary authority on the 1st of April 2009.

Major Boundary Changes

1894 - Denwick Civil Parish created from the rural parts of Alnwick Civil Parish.

County / Unitary Authority

The ancient county of Northumberland was enlarged following the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844; Bedlingtonshire, Norhamshire, Islandshire, the Farne Islands and Monks' House all became part of Northumberland. Up to then they had been enclaves of County Durham.

Northumberland County Council formed 1889.

Major boundary changes came into effect on the 1st April 1974. This followed the Local Government Act 1972, which formed the non-metropolitan county of Northumberland. This excluded the City of Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside, which up to then had been part of Northumberland, but now became part of the newly formed Tyne & Wear.

Northumberland County Council became a unitary authority on the 1st of April 2009.