Blockley, Worcestershire Genealogy

England Worcestershire  Worcestershire Parishes

Parish History
"BLOCKLEY (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in the union of Shipston, Upper division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, Blockley and E. divisions of the county of Worcester, 3¼ miles (N. W. by W.) from Moreton; surrounded by Gloucestershire and a small portion of Warwickshire; comprising the townships of Blockley, and the hamlets of Aston Magna, Dorne, Ditchford, Draycot, and Paxford; and containing 2136 inhabitants, of whom 1412 are in the township of Blockley. There is a place of worship for Baptists." BLOCKLEY (St. Peter and St. Paul), a parish, in the union of Shipston, Upper division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, Blockley and E. divisions of the county of Worcester, 3¼ miles (N. W. by W.) from Moreton; surrounded by Gloucestershire and a small portion of Warwickshire; comprising the townships of Blockley, and the hamlets of Aston Magna, Dorne, Ditchford, Draycot, and Paxford; and containing 2136 inhabitants, of whom 1412 are in the township of Blockley. It consists of 7571 acres, of which 3190 are arable, 4035 meadow and pasture, and 341 wood; the soil is rich and fertile. The surface is irregular and undulated, and the scenery produced by its shady groves, fruitful vales, and sloping hills, is very pleasing: the land is in good cultivation. There are several silk-mills, worked by small streams which rise in Dovedale, a short distance hence. Fairs are held on the Tuesday next after Easter-week, for cattle, and Oct. 10th, for hiring servants; a manorial court is occasionally held under the Bishop of Worcester, who is lord of the manor, and the petty-sessions for the division are held here. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £54; net income, £762; patron and appropriator, the Bishop: the tithes were commuted for land in 1772. The church is partly Norman, and partly in the early English style; the interior is spacious, and consists of a nave, chancel, and north aisle, with a small gallery at the west end, and is appropriately decorated: the tower was rebuilt in 1725, at the expense of the inhabitants. At Aston is a separate incumbency. There is a place of worship for Baptists. Premises for a school upon the national plan, were built some years since by Lord Northwick; the endowment, arising from various sums bequeathed by the ancestors of his lordship, amounts to £12. 14. per annum. In a charter of King Burhred, dated 855, mention is made of a monastery which then existed, and which was subsequently annexed to the bishopric of Worcester: the bishops had a palace here. The Roman Fosse-way passed between this village and Moreton, and urns and other Roman remains have been found on Moor Hill. There are several chalybeate springs From: 'Blennerhassett - Bloxwich', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 282-286. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50808 Date accessed: 30 December 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
Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

Census records
Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

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
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 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Reference
Worcester Branch of the Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry