Christ Church Parish, Lancaster, Virginia

United States   Virginia    Christ Church Parish (Lancaster Co.)

History
Located near Weems. Christ Church Parish has served Lancaster County, Virginia for over two centuries. It is also known as Great Christ Church Parish (not to be confused with Christ Church Parish in Middlesex County).

Robert "King" Carter helped finance the building of this brick church.

The parish absorbed St. Mary's Whitechapel Parish in 1752.

Founded

 * abt 1670

Biography

 * Brown, Katherine L. and Nancy T. Sorrells. People in Profile: Christ Church Parish, 1720-1750, Lancaster County, Virginia. Online bookstore. (Discusses Anderson, Banton, Bell, Biscoe, Buckles, Conway, Edwards, Gordon, Jones, Landon, Lawson, Maughon, Palmer, Perkins, Reeves, Rob, Swan, and Wright parishioners.)
 * Brown, Katherine L. Robert "King" Carter: Builder of Christ Church. Online bookstore.
 * "John Carter, Robert Carter and Historic Christ Church," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 52 (2002).

Cemetery
The cemetery is no longer in use.

A survey of the graves at Christ Church was published in 2002. (pages 67-68).

Genealogy

 * Sorrells, Nancy T. Landholders &amp; Landholdings: Christ Church Parish, Lancaster County, Virginia. Online bookstore. Includes a parish map identifying all known landowners in the parish between 1720 and 1750.

Parish History
Meade's 1861 history of Christ Church Parish is available online.


 * Brown, Katherine L. and Nancy T. Sorrells. Christ Church, Lancaster County, Virginia. Online bookstore.
 * Dawe, Louise Belote. "Christ Church, Lancaster County, Virginia," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 18 (1968).
 * "The Early Churches of Northern Neck (Beulah Hinton Marsh)--Aquia Church in Stafford County, Christ Church Lancaster County, Farnham Church in Richmond County, Lamb's Creek Church in King George County, St. Mary's White Chapel in Lancaster County, St. Paul's Church in King George County, Yeocomico Church in Westmoreland County--Baptist Churches of White Marsh in Lancaster, Morattico Baptist, Nomini in Westmoreland, Farnham in Richmond, Hanover Baptist in King George," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 2 (1952).
 * Herndon, Richard T. "The Restoration of Historic Christ Church," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 24 (1974).
 * Mason, George Carrington. "The Colonial Churches of Northumberland and Lancaster Counties, Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 54, No. 2 (Apr. 1946):137-151; Vol. 54, No. 3 (Jul. 1946):233-243. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Peirce, Elizabeth Combs. "Saint Marys White Chapell, Parish Church of Saint Marys White Chapell Parish, Lancaster County," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 5 (1955).
 * Rawley, Heath J. "Glebe Lands on Carter's Creek Lancaster County, Virginia," Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. 15 (1965).

William G. Stanard's history of Christ Church, Lancaster County, Virginia (1907) has been digitized by Google Books.

Parish Records
Colonial parish registers have been lost.

Vestry Books
The original vestry books are kept at the Library of Virginia. Copies:.

Tupper published abstracts:


 * Tupper, Margaret H., ed. Vestry Book, 1739-1786: Christ Church Parish, Lancaster County, Virginia. Online bookstore. Available at Virginia Historical Society. Includes St. Mary's White Chapel Parish records.
 * Tupper, Margaret H., ed. Vestry Book, 1832-1869: Christ Church Parish, Lancaster County, Virginia. Online bookstore.

Websites

 * Historic Christ Church (official website)
 * Christ Church Lancaster, The Historical Marker Database
 * Christ Church, The Historical Marker Database