BRETFORTON

Descriptive Notes:
The famous medieval Fleece Inn at Bretforton, originally a farmhouse, first became a licensed house in 1848. It is a black-and-white half-timbered house, now owned by the National Trust and is still in use as a village inn.

Directories:
BRETFORTON, a parish in the upper division of the hundred of BLACKENHURST, county of WORCESTER 3¾ miles (E.) from Evesham, containing 451 inhabitants. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the peculiar jurisdiction of the Bishop of Worcester, rated in the king's books at £6. 5, endowed with £600 private benefaction, and £1100 parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of the Rev. Dr. Timbrill. The church is dedicated to St. Leonard. [Topographical Dictionary of England 1831 by Samuel Lewis]

Status:
Ancient Parish [25]

Location:
O.S. Ref: SP093438
On the Gloucestershire border of the County, 4 miles east of Evesham on the B4035

Parish Church:
St. Leonard

Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction:
Archdeaconry & Diocese of Worcester [1] [25]

Hundred:
Upper Blackenhurst [11] [25] [28]

Poor Law Union:
Evesham [3] [25]

Adjoining Parishes:
South Littleton; Church Honeyboume; Saintbury (Gloucestershire); Willersey (Gloucestershire); Badsey; Offenham [1]

Parish Registers:

		Coverage	Source
Microform at WLHC	Christenings	1538-1900	[5]
	Marriages	1538-1950	[5]
	Burials	1538-1895	[5]
	Banns	1825-1939	[5]
Transcripts at WLHC	Christenings	1538-1751 (The Marres Family)	[27]
	Marriages	1538-1752	[27]
	Burials	1538-1783 (The Marres Family)	[27]
	General	1538-1837	[27]
Originals at WRO	Banns	1755-77	[12]

Bishops' Transcripts:
Begin 1613 Worcestershire Library and History Centre [22]

International Genealogical Index (IGI):
[19]

		Coverage
Parish Registers	Births / Christenings	1838-1875
	Marriages	1538-1876
Bishops' Transcripts	Marriages	1538-1837 (100%)

Register Copies:
St. Leonard: Christenings, Marriages & Burials 1538-1837 BMSGH microfiche
Christenings1538-1837; Marriages1538-1837; Burials 1538-1837 Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Records Office

At Society of Genealogists [68] :
Christenings & Burials 1538-1837, Marriages 1538-1704, 1717-1837, banns 1752-60, 1825-35 [includes stray entries of Christenings, Marriages & Burials occurring outside parish Christenings 1547-1835]: a transcript of the register of the parish church, Bretforton in the county & Diocese of Worcester, vol. 1 & 2 - Published , 1908 - Author: Shawcross, W H (trans.)
Christenings(Index) 1838-75 [Microfilm.] - Published: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1973

Monumental Inscriptions and Associated Documents:
St.Leonard BMSGH microfiche [53]
St.Leonard Worcestershire Library and History Centre [51]
St. Leonard: Worcestershire monumental inscriptions, vol. 6 [Typescript.] - Published Birmingham : Birmingham & Midland Society for Genealogy & Heraldry, 1987 - Author: Bushell, Linda et al. Society of Genealogists [59]

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]

Search Services (Fee paying) - BMSGH and Independent:
Burial 1538-1860 Worcestershire Burial Index
Marriage see Worcestershire Marriage Index

Manorial Records:
Worcestershire Record Office [50]
Court roll 1552; Proceedings of manorial court of Bretforton (in Eveshsam Abbey Court Book) 1543

Parish Records on microform at Worcestershire Library and History Centre [13]
Churchwardens & overseers accounts 1816-36

Schools Records:
The following school records are original documents. Note reference number and contact staff at Worcestershire Record Office:
Bretforton C P School
Infants' Dept Log book - 1916 - 36 - Ref: BA 1072
Log book - 1943 - 69 - Ref: BA 6152
Mixed Dept Log books (2 vols) - 1877 - 1943 - Ref: BA 1072

A handlist of other records of schools and of other educational establishments held by Worcestershire Record Office for this parish can be found here.

Other Sources:
The story of our ancient village; or historical memorials of the parish of Bretforton in the vale of Evesham, Worcestershire (1890) - Published Evesham, 1890 - Author: W.H.Shawcross Society of Genealogists

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© Arthur Lewis and contributors 2008
Comments, additions, corrections etc to Arthur Lewis
Last updated on 19th March 2008

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