Cradley, Worcestershire Genealogy

England Worcestershire

Parish History
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CRADLEY, a chapelry, in the parish of HalesOwen, union of Stourbridge, Lower division of the hundred of Halfshire, Stourbridge and E. divisions of the county of Worcester, 1 mile (N. W. by N.) from Hales-Owen; containing 2686 inhabitants. This place is situated on the river Stour, by which it is separated on the north and north-west from the county of Stafford; it consists of 781a. 1r. 20p. of well-cultivated land, and is intersected by the road between Stourbridge and Hales-Owen. The surface is hilly, and the vicinity abounds with diversified and highly picturesque scenery. The Cradley iron-works were established two centuries ago, and in 1839 works were erected for chain-cables, anchors, anvils, &amp;c.: the manufacture of nails, traces, gun-barrels, and various other articles in iron, is carried on to a considerable extent. There are also mines of coal in the township, but of inferior quality. The Dudley canal passes at the distance of two miles. About a mile from the village is a remarkable salt-spring, and an attempt was made to introduce the manufacture of salt, but without success: the water was subsequently analyzed, and found to be strongly impregnated with sulphate of soda, magnesia, and other mineral substances; and warm and cold baths were erected on the spot, now called Cradley Spa, and, from the beauty of their situation, much frequented. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income £150; patrons and impropriators, certain Trustees. The chapel was erected about the year 1789, and is situated on the brow of a hill commanding an agreeable prospect; it is a neat brick building, and underwent a thorough repair in 1824-5. There are places of worship for Baptists, Wesleyans, and Unitarians. In a large wood, called Cradley Park, are vestiges of a moat which surrounded some ancient building.

From: A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 713-717. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50902 Date accessed: 26 April 2011.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records
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Census records
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Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Worcestershire Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
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