England
& Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index |
The ParishThe parish of Kidderminster is located in the extreme northwest of Worcestershire forming not only part of the border with neighbouring Shropshire (through the shared parish of Dowles) but also with a short stretch of Staffordshire. Kidderminster is one of the major towns of its county and is located on the banks of the River Stour (a significant tributary of the Severn) about 14 miles north of the county town of Worcester. Kidderminster is a major crossroads with the A456 running to it from Birmingham meeting the A449 running north from Worcester. Kidderminster is reputed to have a pre-Roman origin but these claims are disputed. The earliest clear reference to a settlement here is in 736 when land was granted by the Mercian King to Earl Cynuberht for the founding of a minster, the presumed predecessor of today's church. Granted borough status by the early 13th century Kidderminster grew as a significant weaving centre and market for the local area, the local "Kidderminster Stuff", a coarse woollen fabric, was used to cover floors and this gradually transcended into the industry which grew Kidderminster substantially. Renewed for its carpet making which was introduced in 1736 and by 1784 there were 300 carpet looms within the town. With the arrival of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal trade exploded and this was further enhanced when railway lines from Oxford & Wolverhampton linked the town to the rest of the nation. Population grew with the trade, rising by almost 4 times the starting population of what had been a large market town. Whilst some decline in the basal industry has occurred, today Kidderminster is still a major industrial centre and market for its hinterland and has spread almost 2 miles from both north to south and also from east to west. The Stour drains the parish southwards running the short distance to join the Severn at Stourport from here it continues south to reach the sea through the Bristol Channel. Kidderminster's centre lies at around 40 metres above the sea rising steadily to the western suburbs at close to 70 metres, land continues to rise to the northwest topping out at nearly 180 metres near Trimpley. Kidderminster parish was extensive, one of the largest in the area, it covered an area of close to 11,500 acres although this included that area within the chapelry of Lower Mitton. As stated the population grew substantially from close to 4,000 at the start of this transcript reaching nearer 17,000 by its end. In Domesday times Kidderminster was a holding of King William and a profitable one too, offering an impressive 25 ploughs, 4 leagues of forest together with 3 mills, a fishery and 2 salthouses it is clear to see why the King kept this for himself. |
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Register No | Covering Dates | Deposited With | Register Style | Quality Standard | Comments |
1 |
8th April 1754 - 2nd April 1767 |
Worcestershire Archive & Archaeology Service -
Reference - 850KIDDERMINSTERSTMARY/8426/2b/i |
Standard preprinted and self-numbered combined Banns &
Marriage register with 4 entries per page |
Grade 2 Register - not a perfect read but with a low
likelihood of misreads |
None |
2 | 3rd April 1767 - 6th October 1777 | Worcestershire Archive & Archaeology Service - Reference - 850KIDDERMINSTERSTMARY/8426/3a/i | Standard preprinted and self-numbered Marriage register with 4 entries per page | Grade 3 Register - there are sufficient quality issues with this register to indicate that some misreads will occur albeit few in number | There is significant staining to this register which impedes the legibility of the entries, as a consequence some misreads may be present |
3 | 7th October 1777 - 8th February 1789 | Worcestershire Archive & Archaeology Service - Reference - 850KIDDERMINSTERSTMARY/8426/3a/ii | Standard preprinted and self-numbered Marriage register with 4 entries per page | Grade 2 Register - not a perfect read but with a low likelihood of misreads | None |
4 | 21st February 1789 - 29th December 1802 | Worcestershire Archive & Archaeology Service - Reference - 850KIDDERMINSTERSTMARY/8426/3b/ii | Standard preprinted and self-numbered Marriage register with 4 entries per page | Grade 2 Register - not a perfect read but with a low likelihood of misreads | None |
5 | 29th December 1802 - 29th December 1812 | Worcestershire Archive & Archaeology Service - Reference - 850KIDDERMINSTERSTMARY/8426/3c/ii | Standard preprinted and self-numbered Marriage register with 4 entries per page | Grade 2 Register - not a perfect read but with a low likelihood of misreads | None |
6 | 3rd January 1813 - 31st December 1821 | Worcestershire Archive & Archaeology Service - Reference - 850KIDDERMINSTERSTMARY/8426/4a/ii | Standard Rose style preprinted and prenumbered Marriage register | Grade 2 Register - not a perfect read but with a low likelihood of misreads | None |
7 | 15th January 1822 - 2nd July 1832 | Worcestershire Archive & Archaeology Service - Reference - 850KIDDERMINSTERSTMARY/8426/5a/i | A nonstandard register which does not follow the style of Rose, it is nonstandard in being personalised to the parish, carrying no numbering other than that added by the clerk and having a nonstandard layout to the grid | Grade 2 Register - not a perfect read but with a low likelihood of misreads | None |
8 | 8th July 1832 - 25th June 1837 | Worcestershire Archive & Archaeology Service - Reference - 850KIDDERMINSTERSTMARY/8426/6a/i | A nonstandard register which does not follow the style of Rose, it is nonstandard in being personalised to the parish, carrying no numbering other than that added by the clerk and having a nonstandard layout to the grid | Grade 2 Register - not a perfect read but with a low likelihood of misreads | None |
Churchill
with Blakedown St James
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Chaddesley
Corbett St Cassian
Stone St Mary |
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Ribbesford
St Leonard
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Stone
St Mary
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Yearly date links: 1754 1755
1756 1757
1758 1759
1760
1761 1762
1763 1764
1765 1766
1767 1768
1769 1770
1771 1772
1773 1774
1775 1776 1777
1778 1779 1780
1781 1782 1783
1784 1785 1786
1787 1788 1789
1790
1791 1792 1793
1794 1795 1796
1797 1798
1799 1800
1801 1802
1803 1804
1805 1806
1807 1808
1809 1810
1811 1812
1813 1814
1815 1816
1817 1818
1819 1820
1821 1822
1823 1824
1825 1826
1827 1828
1829 1830
1831 1832
1833 1834
1835 1836
1837
Corrections to Tinstaafl Transcripts