WORCESTER ST JOHN THE BAPTIST BEDWARDINE

Descriptive Notes:

Directories:
BEDWARDINE (ST. JOHN), a parish in the lower division of the hundred of OSWALDSLOW, county of WORCESTER, comprising the townships of St. John Bedwardine and Bishop's Wick, and containing 2424 inhabitants, of which number, 1161 are in the township of St. John Bedwardine, 1 mile (S.W. by W.) from Worcester. The living is a discharged vicarage, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Worcester, rated in the king's books at £13. 6. 8., and in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Worcester. The church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is an ancient edifice, partly in the Norman, but chiefly in the later style of English architecture. The parish takes its name from its having been allotted to supply the table of the monks of Worcester with provisions. The village, pleasantly situated on an eminence rising from the western bank of the Severn, forms a suburb to the "city of Worcester, from which it is separated by the river Severn. A fair is held on the Friday before Palm-Sunday, on which day (by ancient usage, originating in a grant of certain privileges to the bailiffs and corporation, by the prior of Worcester, in the reign of Edward IV,) the mayor and corporation of Worcester walk in procession through the village. [Typographical Dictionary of England 1831 by Samuel Lewis]

Status:
Ancient Parish [25]
Originally a chapel in Wick Episcopi, which was itself a chapel in Worcester St. Helen Ancient Parish. Wick Episcopi was a separate parish in 1283 but later abandoned. Worcester St John the Baptist Bedwardine was consecrated in 1371 as the parish church.

The Ecclesiastical boundary was altered in :
1910 to help create Broadheath Ecclesiastical Parish
1924 to help create Cotheridge with Crown East Ecclesiastical Parish

Civilly known as 'Bedwardine St John'. It was abolished civilly in 1894, the part in the County Borough created as Worcester St. John Bedwardine City Civil Parish. The remainder was created Worcester St. John Bedwardine County Civil Parish.[25]

Location:
O.S. Ref: SO840544
Boughton and Upper and Lower Wick are hamlets in the parish. [57]

Parish Church:
St. John, Junction of Bromyard Rd. (A44) and Bransford Rd. (A4103), St. Johns

Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction:
Archdeaconry & Diocese of Worcester [1]

Hundred:
Lower Oswaldslow [44] [25]

Poor Law Union:
Worcester (1836-94) [3] [25]

Adjoining Parishes:
Worcester St Clement; Worcester College Precinct; Worcester St Michael Bedwardine; Worcester St Peter; Powick; Bransford; Cotheridge; Wichenford; Hallow [1] [ Worcestershire Library and History Centre ]

Parish Registers:

		Coverage	Source
Microform at WLHC	Christenings	1558-1948	[5]
	Marriages	1559-1980	[5]
	Burials	1558-1977	[5]
	Banns	1820-73, 1901-57	[5]
Transcripts at WLHC	Christenings	1558-1774	[27]
	Marriages	1559-1812	[27]
	Burials	1558-1774	[27]
Originals at WRO	Banns	1964-91	[12]

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

International Genealogical Index (IGI):
[19]

		Coverage
Parish Registers	Births / Christenings	1558-1875

Register Copies:
At Society of Genealogists [68] :
Marriages (Index) 1559-1812: Boyd's marriage index [Typescript.] - Published , 1925-55 - Author: Boyd, Percival ed
Christenings 1558-1655, 1662-63, 1673-1812, Marriages 1559-1639, 1677-1812, Burials 1558-1639, 1677-1812 [Microfilm.] - Published Salt Lake City : Genealogical Society of Utah, 1962
Christenings 1558-1774, Marriages 1559-1639, 1677-1812, Burials 1559-1639, 1676-1774 [Microfilm.] - Published Salt Lake City : Genealogical Society of Utah, 1962
Christenings 1813-70, Marriages 1813-37, Burials 1813-42 [Microfilm.] - Published Salt Lake City : Genealogical Society of Utah, 1962

Monumental Inscriptions and Associated Documents:
At Worcestershire Record Office [51] :
St John: Epitaphs
Memorials (1934)
At Society of Genealogists [59] :
St. John in Bedwardine: MIs: in Bloom's Worcestershire Monumental Inscriptions, part 2 [Manuscript.] - Author: Bloom, J Harvey (trans.)

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 transcript on open shelves at HQq942.4465031

Search Services (Fee paying) - BMSGH and Independent:
Burial 1559-1851 Worcestershire Burial Index
Marriage see Worcestershire Marriage Index

Manorial Records:
Worcestershire Record Office [50]
St. John's: Court rolls 1377-87, 1388-98
St. John in Bedwardine - Hardwick: Copy of copy of court roll [c.1830]

Parish Records on microform at Worcestershire Library and History Centre [13]
Day book 1709-65
Register of apprentices 1803-36
Examination book concerning settlements 1746-1807, 1817-20
Parish meeting minute book 1838-75
Vestry meeting minute book 1876-1958
PCC minute book 1920-51
A typed manuscript of the parish registers from 1558-1812 with a few miscellaneous bits & bobs 20th cent

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© Arthur Lewis and contributors 2008
Comments, additions, corrections etc to Arthur Lewis
Last updated on 3rd April 2008

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