CASTLEMORTON

Descriptive Notes:

Directories:
CASTLE-MORTON, a parish in the lower division of the hundred of PERSHORE, county of WORCESTER, 5 miles (W. S. \V.) from Upton upon Severn, containing 788 inhabitants. The living is a discharged perpetual curacy, annexed to the vicarage of Longdon, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Worcester, rated in the king's books at £ 5. 8. 6 ½ . The church, dedicated to St. Gregory, is a very ancient structure, with a fine old tower and steeple: opposite to it is an artificial mound, fifty feet high, surrounded by a moat, or ditch, supposed to have been thrown up to protect the church during the civil war in the reign of Charles I. There are charitable bequests for the poor amounting to about £30 per annum. [Topographical Dictionary of England 1831 by Samuel Lewis]

Status:
A chapel in Longdon Ancient Parish. It had separate civil identity early. It became a separate Ecclesiastical Parish 1880 as 'Castle Morton'.[25]

Location:
O.S. Ref: SO795372
4 miles south of Malvern Wells

Parish Church:
St. Gregory

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

Hundred:
Lower Pershore [11] [25] [28]

Poor Law Union:
Upton-upon-Severn [3] [25]

Adjoining Parishes:
Little Malvern; Welland; Longdon; Berrow; Birtsmorton; Eastnor (Herefordshire); Ledbury (Herefordshire) [1]

Parish Registers:

		Coverage	Source
Microform at WLHC	Christenings	1558-1878	[5]
	Marriages	1651-1953	[5]
	Burials	1558-1931	[5]
	Banns	1754-96 c30 marriage licences and banns certificates 1916-69	[5]
Originals at WRO	Banns	1867-19[41]	[12]

Bishops' Transcripts:
Begin 1609 Worcestershire Library and History Centre [22]

International Genealogical Index (IGI):
[19]

		Coverage
Parish Registers	Births / Christenings	1558-1878
	Marriages	1654-1753
Bishops' Transcripts	Births / Christenings	1609-1641; 1660-1700 (74%)
	Marriages	1609-1700 (92%)

Register Copies:
Marriages(Index) 1609-41: Boyd's marriage index [Typescript] - Published , 1925-55 - Author Boyd, Percival ed. Society of Genealogists [68]
Marriages 1609-41 (BTs) [Photocopy.] - Published , 1928 - Author: Challen, W H (trans.) . Society of Genealogists [68]

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 1660-1851 Worcestershire Burial Index
Marriage see Worcestershire Marriage Index

Parish Records on microform at Worcestershire Library and History Centre [13]
Visitors book 1932-77
Assessment for the relief of the poor, Rate book Oct 1877
The Winbury Dole List of recipients of gifts of bread, 1869-1911
Letter book of correspondence between trustees of Castlemorton Church & Poor Lands with the Charity Commissioners 1868-73
Letter book of correspondence between trustees of Castlemorton Church & Poor lands & the Poor Law board 1869-73
C15 deeds re Castlemorton & Castlemorton School 1692-1920
C10 faculties & associated documents 2oth cent.
Inventory of ornaments & other goods 1870
C30 Insurance papers & letters mainly re Castlemorton Church, 20th cent.
C100 letters, accounts, receipts etc, re restoration of Castlemorton Church, Castlemorton School & the creation of Holly Bush parish 1871-1972
C25 letters, wayleave agreements etc. re Vicarage 1955-58

Schools Records:
The following school records are original documents. Note reference number and contact staff at Worcestershire Record Office:
Castlemorton School
Log book - 1870-1914 - Ref: BA 1037/1

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:
A number of local history books relating to the Malvern area are listed by the Malvern Family History Society on their website. More details can be found at (www.mfhs.org.uk). The list includes:

CASTLEMORTON FARMER John Rayner Lane 1798 – 1871. ISBN 0 9529366 0 7 - Author & publisher,  Pamela Hurle. Illustrations by Charles Grant

---

© Arthur Lewis and contributors 2008
Comments, additions, corrections etc to Arthur Lewis
Last updated on 31st August 2008

---