Gloucester, Gloucestershire Genealogy

England Gloucestershire  Gloucester (city) Guide to Gloucester history, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

History
Known anciently as Ancient British ‘Caer Glow’, Roman ‘Glevum’ or Saxon ‘Gloweceastra’; Gloucester has stood proud at the crossroads of history for more than 2000 years.

The actual city of Gloucester was founded in AD 97 by the Romans under Emperor Nerva as Colonia Glevum Nervensis as a fort on the western borders of England.

Due to its proximity to Wales, as well as its closeness to the River Severn, it has been an important frontier town defending England from Welsh incursions since before the Norman conquest. The origins of its name can be traced to Caerloyw in the modern Welsh.

Gloucester was captured by the Saxons in 577. Its situation on a navigable river, and the foundation in 681 of the abbey of St Peter by Æthelred, favored the growth of the town; and before the Norman Conquest of England, Gloucester was a borough governed by a port-reeve, with a castle which was frequently a royal residence.

It was at Gloucester that William the Conqueror ordered the vast survey of his new land that ended up as the Domesday Book.

Gloucester was granted its first charter in 1155 by King Henry II. The privileges of the borough were greatly extended by the charter of King John (1200), which gave freedom from toll throughout the kingdom and from pleading outside the borough.

In the Middle Ages the main export was wool which came from the local hilly area called the Cotswolds and was processed in Gloucester; other exports included leather and iron (tools and weapons).

In 1580 Gloucester was awarded the status of a port by Queen Elizabeth I. It has always had links to the sea through its access to the River Severn that flows into the Irish sea. The fact that the River Severn is navigable all the way north past Worcester, a distance of 140 miles.

Located almost exactly halfway between the bustling seaport of Bristol and the powerhouse of Midlands industry of Birmingham, Gloucester fulfilled a central role as Britain’s most inland port. Large sea-going vessels would bring their cargoes up to Gloucester where many would then be off loaded onto smaller crafts, such as the longboats, which would take the goods on up into the Midlands.

Cemeteries (Civil)
Gloucester Cemetery and Crematorium Address: Phone:
 * Coney Hill Rd,
 * Gloucester GL4 4PA
 * +44 1452 396902

Following are websites that may also help:


 * Findagrave
 * Ancestry Gloucester

Parishes
The city of Gloucester is considered un-parished, and only one parish is now listed. It is Quedgeley. The following website provides listings of all Gloucestershire parishes:


 * Gloucestershire parishes

Non Conformists

 * Elim Christian Centre (Elim Pentecostal Church), Park End Road, Gloucester, GL1 5AN
 * Redeemed Christian Church of God, Overcomers House Gloucester, Parry Hall, Parry Road, GL1 4RZ
 * Redeemed Christian Church of God, Jesus Kingdom City, Worcester Street, Kingsholm, Gloucester, GL1 3AS
 * Kingfisher Church, Moor Street, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL1 4NJ
 * One Church Gloucester, Assemblies of God (AOG) Pentecostal Church, Off Baneberry Road Gloucester GL4 6NY
 * City Church Gloucester, Newfrontiers, The George Whitefield Centre, 107 Great Western Road, Gloucester,GL1 3NF
 * Gloucester Community Church, St Luke’s, Stroud Road, Gloucester, GL1 5JR
 * Grange Baptist Church, Grange Road, Tuffley, Gloucester GL4 0PD
 * Clearspring Church, Unit 6G Morelands Trading Estate, Bristol Road, Gloucester GL1 5RZ
 * St Peter's Church, Gloucester
 * St John's Methodist Church, Northgate Street, Gloucester GL1 2AN
 * Southgate Evangelical Church, 146 Southgate Street, Gloucester GL1 2EX
 * Brunswick Baptist Church, 52-56 Southgate Street, Gloucester GL1 2DR

In addition,the following are also to be found in Gloucester:


 * The Roman Catholic Church
 * The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints
 * 6 Muslim Mosques
 * 1 Buddhist Center
 * 1 Hindu Temple

Civil Registration
Civil registration is the recording of births, marriages and deaths in England and began in 1837. Civil registration records were recorded at the local registration office and the National registration offices. If you cannot find the civil registration in one index, search the other index as they are different indexes.


 * Gloucestershire BMD records
 * FreeBMD UK
 * UK National Archives BMD

Local Histories

 * The Local History Society for Gloucester
 * World History Encyclopedia

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Gloucester Map from Explore Gloucestershire


 * Vision of Britain Gloucester Gazetteer

Newspapers
Newspapers for Gloucester:


 * Guide to Gloucestershire Newspapers
 * Gloucester Citizen
 * Map of Gloucester – Great Britain, Atlas and Index of Parish Registers on Ancestry.com (link to Ancestry); map originally from The Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers by Cecil R. Humphery Smith.

Occupations
The city of Gloucester has long been associated with the development of the Aerospace industry. However the British name 'Gloucester' proved to be difficult for International Business, so the name was shortened to GLOSTER. Specific achievements for the area were the development of the first UK jet, and turbojet. Aerospace is still a major occupation in the area.

Flour milling has been a major industry for centuries, the county being a prime source for wheat and other grain crops. Agriculture has always been a mainstay of the County.

In addition Gloucester has a number of large insurance companies. Other occupations include parts suppliers for the automotive industry, industrial electronics and metrology, construction, and nuclear power plant servicing.

Civil opportunities include the University of Gloucester, a major employer in the region, plus city and county employers such as the Gloucester City Council as well as the Gloucestershire County Council.

Societies
The website listed below will provide details on all associations that might be of interest for Family History.
 * Gloucester History Associations

The Gloucestershire Family History Society Clarence Row Alvin Street Gloucester GL1 3AH Tel: 01452 524344 The Gloucestershire Family History Society

Archives
The Central Archives for the County of Gloucester are located in the city of Gloucester. Clarence Row, Alvin Street Gloucester,GL1 3DW Telephone: 44 (0) 1452 425295 email: archives@gloucestershire.gov.uk Gloucestershire Archives

Another source for Archives is GENUKI:


 * GENUKI Gloucestershire

Websites

 * Gloucestershire Family History


 * Findmypast Gloucestershire


 * Familysearch Gloucestershire Church Records

HISTORY
Ancient British ‘Caer Glow’, Roman ‘Glevum’ or Saxon ‘Gloweceastra’; Gloucester has stood proud at the crossroads of history for more than 2000 years.

The actual city of Gloucester was founded in AD 97 by the Romans under Emperor Nerva as Colonia Glevum Nervensis as a fort on the western borders of England.

Due to its proximity to Wales, as well as its closeness to the River Severn, it has been an important frontier town defending England from Welsh incursions since before the Norman conquest. The origins of its name can be traced to Caerloyw in the modern Welsh.

Gloucester was captured by the Saxons in 577. Its situation on a navigable river, and the foundation in 681 of the abbey of St Peter by Æthelred, favoured the growth of the town; and before the Norman Conquest of England, Gloucester was a borough governed by a portreeve, with a castle which was frequently a royal residence.

It was at Gloucester that William the Conqueror ordered the vast survey of his new land that ended up as the Domesday Book.

Gloucester was granted its first charter in 1155 by King Henry II. The privileges of the borough were greatly extended by the charter of King John (1200), which gave freedom from toll throughout the kingdom and from pleading outside the borough.

In the Middle Ages the main export was wool which came from the local hilly area called the Cotswolds and was processed in Gloucester; other exports included leather and iron (tools and weapons).

In 1580 Gloucester was awarded the status of a port by Queen Elizabeth I. It has always had links to the sea through its access to the River Severn that flows into the Irish sea. The fact that the River Severn is navigable all the way north past Worcester, a distance of 140 miles.

Located almost exactly halfway between the bustling seaport of Bristol and the powerhouse of Midlands industry in Birmingham, Gloucester fulfilled a central role as Britain’s most inland port. The large sea going vessels would bring their cargoes up to Gloucester where many would then be off loaded onto smaller crafts, such as the longboats, which would take the goods on up into the Midlands.



In 2009, Gloucester Day was revived as an annual day of celebration of Gloucester's history and culture. The day originally dates from the lifting of the Siege of Gloucester in 1643, during which the city held out against Royalist forces during the First English Civil War.

LOCATION
Gloucester is the county town of the county of Gloucestershire. The city is located on the eastern bank of the River Severn, sheltered by the Cotswolds to the east, while the Forest of Dean and the Malvern Hills rise to the west and north, respectively.

Gloucester is a port, linked via the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal which runs from Gloucester's docks to the Severn Estuary, allowing larger ships to reach the docks than would be possible on the tidal reaches of the river itself, which go well north of the city to Haw Bridge.

RELIGION
Gloucester has many churches associated with the mainstay Church of England, and historically has also had many dissenting chapels.

According to tradition, Christianity was adopted in Britain in AD170 under King Lucius, who according to local legend built St Mary de Lode, Gloucester’s oldest church.

Gloucester was the host of the first Sunday school in England; this was founded by Robert Raikes in 1780. In the neighborhood around St Mary de Crypt there are slight remains of Greyfriars and Blackfriars monasteries, and also of the city wall.

INDUSTRY
Originally Gloucester was known as a walled city and market town. However during the eighteenth century, Gloucester developed into an industrial center thanks to nearby deposits of iron ore, coal and timber from the Forest of Dean. These deposits are now mined out. The city was also famed for its pin manufacturing and bell founding.

The Victorian era saw the completion of the Gloucester-Sharpness Canal which brought further growth to the timber industry and opened up the city to Scandinavia.

Gloucester’s industry continued to expand into the twentieth century adding aircraft production (including the first allied jet, the Gloster E28 designed by the legendary Frank Whittle). The company was named GLOSTER, due to the difficulty for non English speaking people to spell GLOUCESTER. Additionally, the city became known for the manufacture of railway rolling stock, motorbikes and the matches.

As most of these industries have disappeared, Gloucester is undergoing something of a modern day renaissance, rediscovering and celebrating its rich history.

CIVIL REGISTRATION
Birth, marriages and deaths records have been kept by government since July 1837 to the present day. Prior to that, local parishes of the Church of England, and local branches of other faiths were the only repositories of this information. The following link provides access for Gloucester records:


 * Gloucester


 * Gloucestershire BMD records


 * Parish records

CENSUS RECORDS
Census records for Gloucester can be found using the following links:


 * UK census on line


 * Genuki Gloucestershire census records

PROBATE RECORDS
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by several locations for Gloucester. Please follow the links below:


 * Gloucestershire wills and probate records


 * Ancestry Gloucestershire probate wills and records


 * Findmypast Gloucestershire

CEMETERIES AND GRAVES
The links to information on cemeteries for Gloucester follow:


 * Gloucester city information


 * Genealogy links for Gloucestershire cemeteries


 * billion graves for Gloucestershire


 * Family Search for Gloucestershire

GENEALOGY SOCIETIES AND GENEALOGY

 * Archives for Gloucester


 * Gloucestershire Family History Society


 * Gloucestershire county family history links


 * Billion graves for Gloucestershire