Some of the sources we use to research your family history are shown
below. Most of the sources are applicable to all English counties, but some
are unique to Gloucestershire.
Civil Registration Birth,
Marriage and Death Indexes
These indexes are searched for the births, marriages and deaths that took
place after 1 July 1837. They do not give any precise information, but
provide the necessary reference for ordering a copy of the civil
registration certificate from the General Register Office (GRO), that
assists in proving your ancestry.
Parish Registers
Pre 1837, we turn to Parish Registers to find the baptisms, marriages and
burials of your ancestors. Parish registers were introduced in 1538 and vary
in their condition and survival rate. Early registers were on paper,
when parchment was introduced from 1558, the older records were supposed to
have been copied over, although many were not and have been lost. A parish may
not have a complete set of registers for a variety of reasons. It was common
for them to be eaten by mice, get damaged in floods, or fires may have even
completely destroyed them. Before pre-printed registers were introduced,
even the amount of information they contained varies according to how enthusiastic a
vicar was at recording.
Generally, birth dates are not recorded in baptism registers, but most
children were baptised within a few weeks of their birth. Later baptism
registers include the names of both father and mother, their abode and the
fathers’ occupation. Earlier entries, however, may only give the father’s
name, which can be very disappointing! Occasionally the vicar of a parish may
actually record extra information in the registers, such as at St Lawrence Church, Stroud,
where he not only gave the names of the parents of the child being baptised, but also that
of the mother’s father:
7 January 1787 baptised Jane daughter of John Hopson by his wife Mary
daughter of Richard Biddle. Paid 3d
Marriage registers after 1837, are in the same format at the civil
registration certificates, but with the added advantage of having your
ancestors’ signatures (or marks) on them. Pre 1837, the entries don’t
usually give occupations or father’s names. Most of the early marriage
entries just contain the name of the bride and groom. Sometimes you may not
even get that! Here is a entry from the Barnwood parish register for 1659:
William Young was married to Hester his wife ye 1st December
Burial registers usually give only a person’s name, abode and age at
death. Depending on the vicar, earlier burials may include a note as to a
child’s parents, or whether a woman was a wife of someone, only occasionally
do they give a cause of death.
Example of a 1763 burial entry from Sandhurst parish register:
Jane
Daniel relict of the above John Daniel.
Only a few parish registers are available to view on the internet.
However, if your ancestors came from Gloucestershire, we have access to
these parish registers at Gloucester Record Office.
Bishops Transcripts
From 1598 the churchwardens were required to copy the entries in the
parish register from the preceding year and send the transcript to the
Bishop. These transcripts can prove useful in providing information when the
original parish register is missing or damaged. Bishops transcripts for the
Gloucester diocese are available at Gloucestershire Archives.
The International Genealogical
Index (IGI)
A free resource available online, the IGI is a database of genealogical
records, originally compiled by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints (the Mormons) for their religious reasons. It contains millions of
international entries of baptisms and marriages (and a few burials). Many of
the English and Welsh entries have been compiled from parish registers from
the 16th century to the early 1900s. The IGI is invaluable as a
resource in finding ancestors, but should be used with caution as there are
a vast number of entries which have been submitted and which are unreliable,
as well having many missing parishes. We always
recommend that the original parish register is consulted when using the IGI.
Non-Conformist Registers
From the mid 1600s, people who did not belong to the established Church
of England, were considered non-conformists. This includes: Baptists,
Congregationalists, Jewish, Methodists, Presbyterian, Quakers, Roman
Catholics, and Unitarians. Gloucestershire Archives has registers of many of
the non-conformist chapels in Gloucestershire.
UK Census Returns 1841-1911
The UK census is taken every ten years; the returns
from 1841 onwards are of the most benefit for family historians. Most Record
Offices will have copies for their particular county, but if you want access
to the whole country you need to use an online subscription site.
Census returns are fantastic
resources for researching family history. Whilst the information on 1841
census is a little vague, later census returns list all the people living in
a household, their relationship to the head of the house, ages, occupations
and where they were born, as well as any infirmity they might have. The 1911
census is the only one which is written by the householder themselves, and
as well as the foregoing information, it also shows how long a couple have
been married and how many children they have had.
Wills, Administrations and
Inventories Proved in the Diocese of Gloucester 1541-1858
Before 1858 the proving of wills and the granting of
letters of administration was carried out in church courts. Gloucestershire
Archives is the depository of Gloucester diocesan wills. Proportionately,
very few people left wills, but where they exist they are invaluable for
family historians especially for establishing family relationships. A word
of caution though, family relationships were not always as we know them
today. Sometimes inventories, giving wonderful details about the possessions
of the deceased, may have also survived.
Extracts from a couple of Gloucestershire wills:
In his will of 1729, William Daniel, yeoman of
Sandhurst, gives “to my son George Daniel all my carpenters tools wood and
timber in my shop …”
In his will of 1752, Samuel Morris, yeoman of Barnwood,
left his youngest son Samuel Morris “ye best bed with all ye furniture
thereto belonging…”
National Probate Calendar for
wills in England and Wales 1861-1941
After 1858 wills were proved in the Principal Probate
Registry and District Registries. Using this calendar, which is available on
a subscription website, we can find out whether your ancestor left a will.
Brief details of the person, including where they lived, the executor(s) and
the value of their estate are normally shown. A copy of the will can be
ordered for a fee. If the will was proved in Gloucester, we may be able to
view the probate copy of the will at Gloucestershire Archives.
Pallot’s Marriage Index
Useful for searching for marriages between 1780 and
1837, Pallot’s Index covers all but two of the 103 parishes of the old City
of London, as well as more than 2,500 parishes in 38 counties outside
London. The index is available from subscription websites.
Phillimore’s Marriage
Transcriptions
William Phillimore transcribed marriage registers from
all over England, when he died in 1914 he had covered 1200 parishes.
Although not every parish is covered, and they are not all indexed, the
transcriptions can prove useful in identifying a marriage.
Roe’s Gloucestershire Marriage
Index Brides and Grooms
Available for viewing at Gloucester Record Office,
these index some marriages that took place in Gloucestershire parishes pre
1800, with separate volumes for brides and grooms.
Gloucestershire Marriage
Allegations
A marriage by licence avoided the delay and publicity
of having banns read, and allowed the parties to marry away from their
normal place of residence. Sometimes wealthier people married by licence as
a status symbol, on other occasions a couple married by licence if the
bride was pregnant. The allegations (statements) made to obtain a licence,
give the names of the parties, occupation, marital status, residence,
sometimes precise ages, and the church where the intended marriage was to
take place. If either party was under age, parental consent was shown. We
are fortunate in Gloucestershire in that many of these marriage allegations
have survived and may be viewed at the Archives.
Bigland’s Memoral Inscriptions of
Gloucestershire
Ralph Bigland (1712-1784) was a cheesemaker by trade,
but his interest in antiquarian matters saw a change of career and he became
an Officer of Arms in 1757, rising through the heraldic hierarchy until he
was made a King of Arms in 1773. From 1750, Bigland travelled all over
Gloucestershire recording historical information about the parishes, as well
as memorial inscriptions on both grand monuments and more modest
gravestones. After his death, his son and others continued his work. There
are now four volumes of Historical, Monumental
and Genealogical Collections Relative to the County of Gloucester,
from the original papers of the late Ralph Bigland, Garter Principal King of
Arms, edited by Brian Frith, which are available for inspection at the
Gloucestershire Archives. Many of the monuments Bigland recorded have long
since disappeared or the inscriptions worn away, so this record is
invaluable in the search for Gloucestershire ancestors.
In this example from
Sandhurst parish, three generations of a family are mentioned in one
inscription:
Joan Daniell wife of John Daniel daughter of Thomas Brawn 28 Jul 1763 aged
60 and Jane Smith their daughter 4 May 1764 aged 27.
Calendar of the Registers of the
Freemen of the City of Gloucester 1641-1838
A man could become a freeman in four ways: by apprenticeship, by
patrimony, by purchase or by gift of the city corporation. Being a Freeman
of the City was very prestigious as only Freemen
could make or sell most types of goods within the city bounds, become
councillors, vote in elections for the borough's parliamentary seats, and
hope for a place in one of the city's alms houses in old age.
Gloucestershire Archives holds a copy of this volume and can provide
valuable information on links between father and sons.
An example entry of a Freeman listed in the register::
8 February 1773 Sam Daniell, Joiner and
Carpenter, son of William Daniell, Victualler
John Smith’s Men and Armour for
Gloucestershire 1608
A useful volume for family historians, as it claims to
list all the able-bodied men fit for military service in the county of
Gloucestershire in 1608. Listed in parishes, it gives names, occupations,
approximate ages and their stature.
One example from this book is listed in the Hundred of
Botlowe, Dymocke [Dymock]:
Guy Hill, yeoman, between fifty and threescore
[60], of the tallest stature fit to make a pykeman, a trained soldier and
William Hill his sonne, about twenty, and of middle stature fit to make a
musketyer [musketeer].
Trade and Street Directories
There were many different directories produced
throughout England, which list principal residents, as well as those
engaged in trades and professions. Many carry shop and business
advertisements. The Gloucestershire Archives has a selection of trade
directories dating from the late 18th century relevant to
Gloucestershire; these include Morris & Co Commercial Directory & Gazetteer,
Kelly’s Post Office Directory, Pigots, Directory and Slater’s Commercial
Trade Directory.
Gloucestershire Electoral
Registers and Poll Books
The poll books from 1763 and the electoral registers from 1832 are
available to search at Gloucestershire Archives. These give the names of
those entitled to vote in Gloucestershire. They do not include every person
over the age of 21 years until 1922.
Coroners’ Records
When a person died suddenly, perhaps as a result of an accident, or in suspicious
circumstances, etc, an Inquest was held. You will usually see this recorded
on the death certificate. Many coroners’ records have not survived; those
that have not been destroyed will usually be found at the local County
Record Office. Gloucestershire Archives holds Coroners’ records from the Gloucestershire Coroners from
1844, but they are not complete, especially for Cheltenham and North
Cotswold areas. Only a few older records survive. Records of less than 75 years can only be accessed through
the Coroner’s Office. Often the local newspapers will include detailed
reports of Coroners’ Inquests, which can be a good deal more interesting to
read and may provide more detail.
Criminal Records
If your ancestor was a criminal in England or Wales, he or she may appear
in the court records. Quarter Sessions took place four times a year in
England and Wales, with the more serious cases, in particular those subject
to capital punishment or transportation, were held at the Assizes. These
courts were held from the Middle Ages until 1971 when they were replaced by
Crown Courts. Less serious offences were heard at the Petty Sessions, which
are nowdays called Magistrates' Courts.
Gloucester Record Office holds the records for Gloucestershire Quarter
Sessions from around the mid-17th Century, and the Petty Sessions from the
mid-19th Century and for the Petty Sessions from the mid-19th Century.
Admission registers and other records of the Gloucester County Gaol and
Houses of Corrections from 1780s to 20th Century. Some prisoners of
Gloucester Gaol between 1880 and 1906 were photographed, especially if they
were frequent offenders!
Admission registers for Gloucester County Gaol and Houses of Correction
can provide the prisoner's parish of residence, age, and sometimes include
more detailed information such as family, behaviour and personal appearance!
This information is always wonderful to find, as it can help bring your
ancestors to life in a way that parish records or the census alone, cannot.
Here is one example from the Gloucester County Gaol Register:
1st February 1862, Henry Harding, Blakeney, Labourer, aged 19,
height 5'1", brown hair, light hazel eyes, oval visage, fresh complexion,
large scar right leg, scar right breast, small moles right side neck.
Charged with stealing nine toilet covers and 6lb cheese the property of
Alfred Butler at Blakeney. Quarter Sessions 19th March 1862. Pleaded guilty
of larceny. Ten calendar months hard labourer in the Penitentiary.
Discharged 17th January 1863. Native of Wiltshire, single, unemployed last
three weeks, previously worked on the Railway at Blakeney for nearly twelve
months. Church.
and another example of what can be found in the Gloucester County Gaol
Register:
On 10th March 1873 Edward Bassett of Stroud, Labourer,
aged 26 and Sydney Rogers of Stroud, Bricklayer, aged 23, height 5’4”, brown
hair, grey eyes, oval visage, fresh complexion, scar centre of forehead,
anchor outside right forearm, mole back of left shoulder, were charged with
stealing at Painswick on the 9th March 1873 one iron pot and one tea cup the
property of one Thomas Selwyn, also stealing two tame rabbits, one apron and
three quarters of a peck of potatoes, the property of one John Lewis, also
stealing at Stroud on the 9th of March 1873 two live tame hen fowls the
property of one Alfred Wyman.
Tried at the Quarter Sessions on 19th March 1873. Both found
guilty after a previous conviction. Edward sentenced to six months hard
labour, Sydney sentenced to nine months hard labour and five years police
supervision. Discharged on 18th December 1873 after serving term.
Sydney’s religious persuasion: church. Other details: married, native of
Stroud, known to PC Hill eight years – has been here for stealing and
assault – wife Elizabeth Rogers, Ridlers Row, Whites Hill, Stroud.
Also on 10th March 1873 Elizabeth Taylor, a Tailoress of Stroud aged 25, and
Elizabeth Nicholls, a Tailoress from Stroud, aged 25, were both charged with
receiving the above knowing the same to have been stolen. Both were
acquitted.
Other sources which we can research on your behalf include:
- Poor law and workhouse registers
- School records
- Maps
- Cemetery registers
- Newspapers, including:
- The Gloucester Journal 1722-1992
- The Citizen 1876-2003
- Military records
- Passenger lists