Aldford, Cheshire Genealogy

Guide to Aldford, Cheshire ancestry, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Parish History
In 1848 - ALDFORD (St. John the Baptist), is a parish, in the union of Great Boughton; comprising the townships of Aldford and Churton in the Higher, and those of Buerton and Edgerley in the Lower, division of the hundred of Broxton, S. division of the county of Chester.

Aldford St John the Baptist is an Ancient parish and includes: Buerton, Edgerley, Churton by Aldford, and Buerton near Chester.

The church was built in 1866 on the site of a previous church to a design by John Douglas at the expense of Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster. At the base of the tower is a list of rectors going back to about 1300. The church is a Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas. Its benefice is combined with those of St Peter's Church, Waverton, Cheshire and St Mary's Church, Bruera, Cheshire.

Today, Aldford is a village and civil parish in the county of Cheshire, England, south of Chester in the Cheshire West and Chester Unitary authority.

Non-Conformist Churches
Methodism was introduced into Chester c.1746 and the first local Methodist Society was formed at the home of Richard Jones in Love Lane in 1751. The growth of Methodism was encouraged by visiting preachers, including the Rev. John Wesley, who made periodic visits. In 1764, the Chester Society built the Octagon Chapel at the Bars, Foregate Street, which became the headquarters of an extensive circuit. A small group seceded from the Octagon Chapel c.1795, to form an independent society in Trinity Street, which later joined the Methodist New Connexion, also known as the United Methodist Church. In the early 1820s, Primitive Methodism, a rival branch to the Wesleyans, came to Chester. The first meeting place was in Steven Street and in 1823, a chapel was built in Steam Mill Street. Support for Primitive Methodism grew rapidly and by 1889, there were three circuits based upon Chester, as opposed to the single Wesleyan circuit.

In 1932, the three main branches of Methodism (Wesleyan, Primitive and United Methodist) came together to form the Methodist Church. However, there remained four separate circuits based upon Chester until 1959 and the final unification of the circuits took place in 1963. From an early period, Methodist churches were organised in circuits, each of which was based upon a headquarters church and served by a number of preachers, who visited the churches in rotation. This organisation is reflected in the records, some of which relate specifically to the circuits and others to the numerous circuit churches, many of which have now closed.

Aldford, Methodist Chapel (Primitive). Built in 1891, closed in 1979. Registers 1963–1974 are at the Cheshire Record Office.

Non-Conformist Records
Circuit records include minute books; schedule books; account books; roll books of class members; circuit plans and circuit reports. Records of churches include baptism and marriage registers; minute books; account books; roll books; correspondence; and printed material. In addition to the records referred to below, there are unlisted records relating to various circuits and churches comprising:


 * 24 bundles, 18 other items, c.1815-1983 (CR 55; CR 459) Circuits St. John Street (CR 55/1-42; CR 55/2/1-10) This circuit was established c.1765, with headquarters at the Octagon Chapel until 1812, when the Wesleyans moved to St. John Street. It amalgamated with Hunter Street Circuit in 1959.
 * 49 volumes., 1 bundle, 2 other items. 1788-1963 George Street (CR 55/130; CR 55/2/11-13; CR 78/1-38; CR 94/1-29) This Primitive Methodist circuit was established in 1825, with headquarters in Steam Mill Street. The circuit headquarters moved to George Street in 1863 and in 1963, it amalgamated with Grosvenor Park Circuit and Tarvin Road Circuit.
 * 61 volumes., 10 bundles 1834-1970 Hunter Street (CR 55/133-141; CR 226/13-18, 20, 22, 24-32, 34) This Primitive Methodist circuit was established in 1874, with headquarters in Commonhall Street. The circuit headquarters moved to Hunter Street in 1899 and in 1959, it amalgamated with St. John Street Circuit.
 * 27 volumes. 1874-1959 Tarvin Road (CR 55/156-165; CR 94/38) This Primitive Methodist circuit was established in 1889, with headquarters in Tarvin Road. It amalgamated with Grosvenor Park Circuit and Hunter Street Circuit in 1963.
 * 9 volumes., 2 bundles. 1890-1963 Grosvenor Park (CR 55/171-173; CR 2/14-18) This circuit was established in 1959, when St. John Street Circuit amalgamated with Hunter Street Circuit. In 1963, it amalgamated with George Street Circuit to form the present Chester Circuit.
 * 5 volumes., 2 bundles, 1 other item 1953-63 Chester (CR 55/2/19-25) This circuit was established in 1963.
 * 4 bundles, 3 other items 1958-82 Churches Aldford (CR 55/2/26-31) This church opened in 1891, replacing a previous church built in 1883. It closed in 1979. Its records include a baptism register, 1963-74.
 * 3 volumes., 2 docs., 1 other item 1861-1979

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from 1 July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. Here are two excellent Internet sites with birth, marriage and death indexes available:


 * FreeBMD
 * Cheshire BMD

Registration Districts

 * Great Boughton (1837–69)
 * Chester (1870–1937)
 * West Cheshire (1937–74)
 * Chester &amp; Ellesmere Port (1974–98)
 * Cheshire West (post1998)

Poor Law Unions

 * Tarvin (previously Great Boughton) Poor Law Union, Cheshire

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

See also England Cheshire Probate Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

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

Websites
Alford on GENUKI