CLENT

Descriptive Notes:

Directories:
CLENT, a parish in the southern division of the hundred of SEISDON, county of STAFFORD, though locally in the lower division of the hundred of Halfshire, county of Worcester, 3¼ miles (S. S. E.) from Stourbridge, containing 885 inhabitants. The living is a vicarage, with the perpetual curacy of Rowley-Regis annexed, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Worcester, rated in the king's books at £8. 16. 5½ and in the patronage of the Crown. The church is dedicated to St. Leonard. There are places of worship for Baptists and Wesleyan Methodists. The infant king of Mercia, St. Kenelm, is supposed to have been murdered here in 819, by order of his sister Quendrida, but the body, having been subsequently discovered, was buried in Winchcombe abbey, which had been founded by his father. Here is a free school for the children of poor parishioners, founded by John Amphlett, Esq., in 1704; the master, who instructs thirty children, has a house to reside in, with a garden attached, and the interest of £200, A Sunday school was also commenced, in 1788, by Thomas Waldrou, Esq., who supported it during his lifetime, and at his death, in 1800, bequeathed £500 for that purpose; eighty children receive instruction. [Topographical Dictionary of England 1831 by Samuel Lewis]

Status:
Ancient Parish [25]
In Worcestershire in time of Domesday Book, soon thereafter considered in Staffordshire (S.Seisdon Hundred). For civil purposes transferred in 1844 to Worcestershire (Halfshire Hundred).
Included in Staffordshire a chapel at Rowley Regis, which had a separate civil identity early in Staffordshire and a separate Ecclesiastical Parish in 1848. [25]

Location:
O.S. Ref: SO929793
5 miles S.W. of Halesowen
The parish comprises the hamlets of Upper and Lower Clent. Holy Cross is a district in Clent parish. Walton is a hamlet, ½ mile S.E. [57]
Adams Hill and Rumbow are hamlets [11]

Parish Church:
St. Leonard

Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction:
Archdeaconry of Worcester until 1974, Archdeaconry of Dudley (1974 - *) & Diocese of Worcester [1] [25]

Hundred:
In S.Seisdon, Staffordshire though locally in Lower Halfshire, Worcestershire [44]

Poor Law Union:
Bromsgrove [3]

Adjoining Parishes:
Hagley; Halesowen; Romsley; Belbroughton; Broom; Churchill [1]

Parish Registers:

		Coverage	Source
Microform at WLHC	Christenings	1562-1997	[5]
	Marriages	1562-1975	[5]
	Burials	1562-1961	[5]
	Banns	1755-99, 1906-59	[5]
Originals at WRO	Banns	1755-1815	[12]

Bishops' Transcripts:
Begin 1612 Worcestershire Library and History Centre [22]

International Genealogical Index (IGI):
[19]

		Coverage
Parish Registers	Births / Christenings	1562-1611; 1700-1877
	Marriages	1562-1611; 1700-1885
Bishops' Transcripts	Births / Christenings	1612-1700 (60%)

Register Copies:
At Society of Genealogists [68] :-
Christenings, Marriages & Burials 1562-1626, Christenings & Burials 1636-1642, 1654-1812, M 1636-42, 1654-1805, banns 1789-1815 [Microfilm.] - Published: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1982
St. Leonard: Christenings, Marriages & Burials 1561-1837, banns 1754-1813 - Published Staffordshire Parish Registers Society 2004 - Authors: Ball, Johnson & Bloore, Peter D

Nonconformist:
Lower Clent Wesleyan Methodist: M1919-1958 Worcestershire Library and History Centre [30]

Monumental Inscriptions and Associated Documents:
St.Leonard BMSGH microfiche [53]
St.Leonard Worcestershire Library and History Centre [51]
Notes on epitaphs (c.1870) Worcestershire Library and History Centre [51]
St. Leonard: Worcestershire monumental inscriptions, vol. 7 [Typescript.] - Published Birmingham : Birmingham & Midland Society for Genealogy & Heraldry, 1989 - Author Wright, Mr 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:
1851-1901 at Worcestershire Library and History Centre [14]

Search Services (Fee paying) - BMSGH and Independent:
Burial 1660-1860 Worcestershire Burial Index
Marriage see Worcestershire Marriage Index

Manorial Records:
Worcestershire Record Office [50]
Abstracts of admissions and surrenders 1716-1927, [19th-20th cent.]; Account book re legal transactions 1842-90; Chief rents 1871-2; Court book 1840-70; Court roll 1716-1840, 1872-1925; Customs 1729-1840
Church Clent: Index of court rolls 1886; Court rolls 1886-95; List of tenants on court rolls with details of the type of land they occupy 1886; Steward's fees and other papers [19th cent]

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 parochial records of Clent : in Midland Antiquary, vol. 3, 1884, pp. 49 - Published , 1884 - Author Amphlett, John Society of Genealogists
A short history of Clent - Published London : Parker & Co. 2, 1890 - Author Amphlett, John Society of Genealogists

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© Arthur Lewis and contributors 2008
Comments, additions, corrections etc to Arthur Lewis
Last updated on 27th March 2008

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