BMSGH HomeBLOCKLEY
Descriptive Notes:Directories:
BLOCKLEY, a parish situated in a detached portion of
the upper division of the hundred of OSWALDSLOW county of WORCESTER,
surrounded
by Gloucestershire and a small portion of Warwickshire, comprising the
hamlets
of Aston Magna, Blockley, Ditchford, Dome Draycott, Northwich, and
Paxford, and
containing 1890 inhabitants, of which number, 1158 are in the hamlet of
Blockley, 3¼ miles (N. W. by W.) from Moreton in the Marsh.
The living is a
vicarage, in the peculiar jurisdiction and patronage of the Bishop of
Worcester, rated in the king's books at £54. The church,
dedicated to St. Peter
and St. Paul, is partly Norman, and partly in the early style of
English
architecture: the tower was rebuilt in 1725, at the expense of the
inhabitants.
A neat chapel has recently been erected by the Baptists. The village,
which is
situated on elevated ground, contains several neat dwelling-houses, and
presents a clean and pleasing appearance: here 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 October 10th,
for hiring
servants. A charity school for twenty boys and six girls is partly
supported by
bequests, and partly by subscription. Pursuant to a statute passed in
the 9th
of George IV, the magistrates for the county came to a resolution, at
the
general quarter sessions held at Worcester, in October 1829, to alter
the divisions
of the county, making Blockley the head of one division, the petty
sessions for
which are held here. The Bishop of Worcester is lord of the manor, and,
by his
steward, occasionally holds a manorial court. Previously to the
Reformation
here was a palace in which the prelates resided, but the only memorial
of it is
in the name of a hill opposite to the vicarage, called the Parks. In a
charter
of King Buhrred, dated in 855, mention is made of a monastery, which
then
existed, and which was subsequently annexed to the bishoprick of
Worcester. The
Roman Fosse-way passed between this village and Moreton in the Marsh.
Urns and
other Roman remains have been found on Moor Hill and there are several
chalybeate springs. [Topographical
Dictionary of England 1831 by Samuel Lewis]
Status:
Ancient
Parish [25]
The
township
of "Blockley" was in Worcestershire (Oswaldslow
Hundred"), as was the hamlet of Aston Magna. Aston
Magna became a separate Ecclesiastical Parish
in 1847 [15]
& [57].
Blockley
included in Warwickshire (Kington Hundred) a
chapel at Stretton on the Fosse, which had some separate rights from
1351, but
was completely independent by the end of the 14th cent. Blockley was
entirely
Worcestershire thereafter. Blockley transferred from Worcestershire to
Gloucestershire
in 1931. [25]
Location:
O.S.
Ref: SP164349
About 4 miles N.W. of Moreton-in-Marsh along the A44 and
B4479
Aston Magna
is a hamlet and
ecclesiastical parish, formed in 1847 from the civil parish of
Blockley, 2 1/2 miles north from Moreton-in-Marsh. Paxford, 3 miles
north from Moreton-in-Marsh; Draycott, 1 mile
north; Ditchford, 4 1/2 miles S.W. by W from
Shipston;
Dorn, a mile north from Moreton-in-Marsh, and Northwick 1 3/4
miles south from Chipping Camden are hamlets in this parish. [57]
Parish Church:
St.Peter
& St.Paul, The
Square, Blockley
Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction:
Archdeaconry & Diocese
of Worcester until 1919 when transferred to the Diocese of Gloucester. [25]
Hundred:
A detached
portion
of upper Oswaldslow in Worcestershire,
surrounded by Gloucestershire & a small portion of Warwickshire
[44]
[11]
[28]
Poor Law Union:
Shipston on Stour [3]
Adjoining Parishes:
Ebrington
(Gloucestershire); Stretton on the Foss (Warwickshire);Todenham
(Gloucestershire); Gt Wolford (Warwickshire); Little Compton
(Warwickshire); Lower Lemington (Gloucestershire); Evenlode;
Moreton-in-the-Marsh (Gloucestershire); Batsford (Gloucestershire);
Bourton on
the Hill (Gloucestershire); Snowshil (Gloucestershire); Broadway;
Chipping Campden (Gloucestershire) [1]
Parish
Registers:
| Coverage | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Transcripts at WLHC | Christenings | 1813-70 | [27] |
| Marriages | 1871-2000 | [27] | |
| Burials | 1763-1812 | [27] | |
| General | 1538-1812 | [27] |
Bishops' Transcripts:
Begin 1612 Worcestershire Library and History Centre [22]
International Genealogical Index (IGI):
[19]
| Coverage | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bishops' Transcripts | Births / Christenings | 1613-1700 |
| Marriages | 1613-1700 |
Register Copies:
At Gloucestershire Archives
Christenings 1538-1958; Marriages 1539-1979; Burials1538-1980
Ts: Christenings 1538-1812; Marriages 1539-1754; Burials1538-1812
Index: Christenings 1538-1812; Marriages1539-1754; B1538-1812
At Society of Genealogists [68]
Christenings 1538-1901, Marriages 1538-1753, 1813-37, Burials 1538-1855, Banns 1754-1800 [Microfiche.] - Published Gloucester : Gloucestershire County Council
Marriages(Index) extracts 1543-1651: Boyd's marriage index [Typescript.] - Published , 1925-55 - Authors: Roe, E A & Boyd, Percival ed
Nonconformist:
At Gloucestershire Archives :
Baptists: Births1813- 41, Marriages1864- 67, Burials1865 (Indexed)
Church rolls: Baptists1822-1959
Blockley & Paxford 1961-77
Ebenezer: Marriages 1925-67
Monumental Inscriptions and Associated Documents:
MIs in the churchyard: Worcestershire Churchyard Inscriptions [Manuscript.] - Published , 1917 - Author: Bloom, J Harvey Society of Genealogists [59]
-1719 Bigland Gloucester Gloucestershire Archives
MIs at Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Record Office
Census Records:
Access to all the censuses between 1841 and 1901 is now widely available on the library edition of Ancestry.co.uk at most record offices. You are strongly advised to book time on their computers before making a visit.
Many commercial organisations have issued CDs and DVDs covering all the censuses from 1841 to 1901.
Some repositories offer census details on microfiche as listed below:
1841-1901 at Worcestershire Library and History Centre [14]
1851 61 81 91 Gloucestershire Archives
1841 51 61 71 91 Stratford Upon Avon Library
At Society of Genealogists :-
1851 Gloucestershire FHS (CD) - Published Gloucestershire FHS 2001
Gloucestershire 1851 Census index & transcription, vol. 24 : HO 107/2044; HO 107/2074; HO 107/2076 (parts) - North East Gloucestershire [parishes in cross county districts - Evesham, Stratford on Avon & Shipston on Stour registration districts]: Index to the 1851 Census for Gloucestershire [Microfiche.] - Published Gloucestershire FHS, 1999
Warwickshire 1891 census returns: Shipston on Stour registration district RG 12/2484-2486 [Microfilm.]- London Public Record Office 2003
Manorial Records:
Worcestershire Record Office [50]
Compotus rolls 1383-4, 1458-9, 1514-5, 1524-5, 1526; Court rolls 1544-5, 1575 Jury presentments, suit rolls, valuations, lists of residents and accounts 1663-1856; Manor books 1781-1860; Rental 1695-1702, 1759-69, 1769-1805; Surveys, valuations, manor books, rent rolls etc 17th-19th cents
Schools Records:
A handlist of the records of schools and of other educational establishments held by Worcestershire Record Office for this parish can be found here.
Other Sources:
"The History of Blockley in the County of Worcester" by Alfred J Soden (1875) Society of Genealogists
Name index of overseers of the poor papers for parishes Abenhall - Moreton Valance [Microfiche.] - Published Gloucester : Gloucestershire FHS, 1999 - Authors: Loosley, John & Bright, John (comps.) Society of Genealogists
Website: www.rootsweb.com/~engcots/blockley.html - Links to people researching families in Blockley, Paxford, Dorn, Aston Magna, Draycott and surrounds
© Arthur Lewis and contributors 2008
Comments, additions, corrections etc to Arthur Lewis
Last updated on 19th March 2008