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England Dover (city)

Guide to Dover (city) history, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.



HISTORY
Recent studies have shown that mariners from the Eastern Mediterranean sailed to the British isles for tin as early as 1,000 B.C. Certainly there was ongoing trade and communications between the Celtic tribes of Britain, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, as early as 400 B.C.

Dover’s history, because of its proximity to France, has always been of great strategic importance to Britain. Archaeological finds have shown that there were Stone Age people in the area; and that by the Bronze Age the maritime influence was already strong.

The name Dover was first recorded in Latinized form as Portus Dubris. With the coming of the Romans Dover became more important, and was made part of their communications network.

Dover figured largely in the Domesday Book as an important borough. It also served as a bastion against various attackers from the times of the Vikings, then William the Conqueror, and always the French during the 100 year war.

While Plymouth became the main Naval port for the developing British navy, Dover was also a large replenishment port, and because of its location, the major defense port at the east end of the English Channel.

The railway reached Dover from two directions: the South Eastern Railway's main line connected with Folkestone in 1844, and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway opened its line from Canterbury in 1861.

During the period of WWII, tunnels were built into the Dover cliffs for military purposes. Additionally, a large number of heavy duty naval batteries were built along the coast adjacent to the city. Dover also played a significant roll as the main port for the armada of small ships during the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force stranded at Dunkirk by the German armies.

Today, Dover has become the primary port for transshipment of goods and people to France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Ferries are now operated frequently between Dover and Dunkirk, for the northern routes, and Dover to Calais for the southern routes.



In 2009, Gloucester Day was revived as an annual day of celebration of Gloucester's history and culture. The day originally dates from the lifting of the Siege of Gloucester in 1643, during which the city held out against Royalist forces during the First English Civil War.

LOCATION
Gloucester is the county town of the county of Gloucestershire. The city is located on the eastern bank of the River Severn, sheltered by the Cotswolds to the east, while the Forest of Dean and the Malvern Hills rise to the west and north, respectively.

Gloucester is a port, linked via the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal which runs from Gloucester's docks to the Severn Estuary, allowing larger ships to reach the docks than would be possible on the tidal reaches of the river itself, which go well north of the city to Haw Bridge.

RELIGION
Gloucester has many churches associated with the mainstay Church of England, and historically has also had many dissenting chapels.

According to tradition, Christianity was adopted in Britain in AD170 under King Lucius, who according to local legend built St Mary de Lode, Gloucester’s oldest church.

Gloucester was the host of the first Sunday school in England; this was founded by Robert Raikes in 1780. In the neighborhood around St Mary de Crypt there are slight remains of Greyfriars and Blackfriars monasteries, and also of the city wall.

INDUSTRY
Originally Gloucester was known as a walled city and market town. However during the eighteenth century, Gloucester developed into an industrial center thanks to nearby deposits of iron ore, coal and timber from the Forest of Dean. These deposits are now mined out. The city was also famed for its pin manufacturing and bell founding.

The Victorian era saw the completion of the Gloucester-Sharpness Canal which brought further growth to the timber industry and opened up the city to Scandinavia.

Gloucester’s industry continued to expand into the twentieth century adding aircraft production (including the first allied jet, the Gloster E28 designed by the legendary Frank Whittle). The company was named GLOSTER, due to the difficulty for non English speaking people to spell GLOUCESTER. Additionally, the city became known for the manufacture of railway rolling stock, motorbikes and the matches.

As most of these industries have disappeared, Gloucester is undergoing something of a modern day renaissance, rediscovering and celebrating its rich history.

CIVIL REGISTRATION
Birth, marriages and deaths records have been kept by government since July 1837 to the present day. Prior to that, local parishes of the Church of England, and local branches of other faiths were the only repositories of this information. The following link provides access for Gloucester records:


 * Gloucester


 * Gloucestershire BMD records


 * Parish records

CENSUS RECORDS
Census records for Gloucester can be found using the following links:


 * UK census on line


 * Genuki Gloucestershire census records

PROBATE RECORDS
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by several locations for Gloucester. Please follow the links below:


 * Gloucestershire wills and probate records


 * Ancestry Gloucestershire probate wills and records


 * Findmypast Gloucestershire

CEMETERIES AND GRAVES
The links to information on cemeteries for Gloucester follow:


 * Gloucester city information


 * Genealogy links for Gloucestershire cemeteries


 * billion graves for Gloucestershire


 * Family Search for Gloucestershire

GENEALOGY SOCIETIES AND GENEALOGY

 * Archives for Gloucester


 * Gloucestershire Family History Society


 * Gloucestershire county family history links


 * Billion graves for Gloucestershire