Ordination papers (from 1730)
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Durham diocese has been served over the years by thousands of deacons and priests, most of whom will have been local men. Family historians interested in tracing a Durham clerical ancestor can search the ordination papers, one of a number of our collections useful in this regard, and which include details of the ordinand's college and parish, certificates of theological learning and of baptism. There are many other sources for researching Durham clergy discussed in more detail in the guide below.
Ordination
papers catalogue and background description |
![]() Letters Testimonial of the Provost and Fellows of Queens College, Oxford, dated and sealed 19 April 1784. The signatories attest to the 'good Life and Conversation' of their student Thomas Lancaster, and that he had lived amongst them 'as a faithful Subject of the King's Majesty & as a Dutiful Son of the Church of England'. Testimonials such as this were required for persons wishing to be ordained a deacon. Lancaster was ordained on 1 May 1784. Ref: DDR/EA/CLO/3/1783/4. |