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England Devon  Plymouth (city)

Guide to Plymouth history, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.



History
Plymouth is a city on the south coast of Devon, England, about 37 miles (60 km) south-west of Exeter and 190 miles (310 km) west-south-west of London. It lies between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound to form the boundary with Cornwall.

Geologically, Plymouth has a mixture of limestone, Devonian slate, granite and Middle Devonian limestone. Plymouth Sound, Shores and Cliffs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, because of its geology.

To the north and north east of the city is the granite mass of Dartmoor; the granite was mined and exported via Plymouth. Rocks brought down the Tamar from Dartmoor include ores containing tin, copper, tungsten, lead and other minerals.

Upper Paleolithic deposits, including bones of Homo sapiens, have been found in local caves, and artifacts dating from the Bronze Age to the Middle Iron Age have been found at Mount Batten showing that it was one of the main trading ports of the country at that time.

An unidentified settlement named 'TAMARI OSTIA' (mouth/estuaries of the Tamar) is listed in Ptolemy's Geographia and is presumed to be located in the area of the modern city.

It is well known that tin from Cornish tin mines was being shipped from this area to the middle east at least by 800 BC, and that Phoenician sailors were regular visitors to these shores. The harbor at Plymouth is ideally suited for trade of this kind.

Plymouth castle served to protect Sutton Pool, which is where the fleet was based in Plymouth prior to the establishment of Plymouth Dockyard. In 1512 an Act of Parliament was passed for further fortifying Plymouth, and a series of fortifications were then built, including defensive walls at the entrance to Sutton Pool.

Plymouth was the home port for successful maritime traders, among them Sir John Hawkins, who led England's first foray into the Atlantic slave trade, as well as Sir Francis Drake, Mayor of Plymouth in 1581 and 1593.[16] According to legend, Drake insisted on completing his game of bowls on the Hoe before engaging the Spanish Armada in 1588. Plymouth Hoe is a prominent hill at the entrance of Plymouth harbor, one of the best natural harbors in the world. A picture of the Hoe follows:



Throughout the 17th century Plymouth had gradually lost its preeminence as a trading port. By the mid-17th century commodities manufactured elsewhere in England cost too much to transport to Plymouth and the city had no means of processing sugar or tobacco imports, although it did play a relatively small part in the Atlantic slave trade during the early 18th century.

With the start of the Industrial Revolution however, Plymouth grew as a commercial shipping port, handling imports and passengers from the Americas, and exporting local minerals (tin, copper, lime, china clay and arsenic).

During the First World War, Plymouth was the port of entry for many troops from around the Empire and also developed as a facility for the manufacture of munitions.

As the primary HQ for the British navy, the city was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe in WWII, in a series of 59 raids known as the Plymouth Blitz. This was largely due to Plymouth's status as the major Royal Navy port for the Atlantic fleet.

Post-war, Devonport Dockyard was kept busy refitting aircraft carriers such as the Ark Royal and, later, nuclear submarines while new light industrial factories were constructed in the newly zoned industrial sector attracting rapid growth of the urban population. The army had substantially left the city by 1971, with barracks pulled down in the 1960s, however the city remains home to the 42 Commando of the Royal Marines. It is still the home of the largest operational naval base in Western Europe – HMNB Devonport.

Cemeteries (Civil)
Wolverhampton has 4 civil cemeteries. They follow:

Bushbury Cemetery:


 * Address:
 * 86 Underhill Ln
 * Wolverhampton WV10 8NS
 * Phone: +44 1902 556070

Merridale Cemetery:


 * Address:
 * 56 Jeffcock Rd
 * Wolverhampton WV3 7A

Bilston Cemetery:


 * Address:
 * Cemetery St
 * Bilston WV14 6BN
 * Phone: +44 1902 554992

Danescourt Cemetery:


 * Address:
 * 5 Coppice Ln
 * Wolverhampton WV6 9BS

Parishes
Wolverhampton has a number of Anglican churches. A list follows:

All Saints:


 * Address:
 * All Saints Rd
 * Wolverhampton WV2 1EL
 * Phone: +44 1902 422642

Christ Church, Tettenhall Wood:


 * Address:
 * Coniston House, 9 Church Rd
 * Wolverhampton WV6 8LJ
 * Phone: +44 1902 751116

St Jude's:


 * Address:
 * St Jude's Rd
 * Wolverhampton WV6 0EB
 * Phone: +44 1902 753360

St Leonard's


 * Address:
 * Walsall St
 * Bilston WV14 0AT
 * Phone: +44 1902 491560

St Luke's


 * Address:
 * 122 Goldthorn Hill
 * Wolverhampton WV2 3HU
 * Phone: +44 1902 340261

St Martin of Tours:


 * Address:
 * Dixon Street
 * Parkfields, Wolverhampton WV2 2BG
 * Phone: +44 1902 341030

St Nicholas:


 * Address:
 * Church Rd
 * Codsall, Wolverhampton WV8 1EH
 * Phone: +44 1902 842168

St Philips's


 * Address:
 * 128 Church Rd
 * Wolverhampton WV3 7EN
 * Phone: +44 1902 341943

Non Conformists
There are many other christian denominations represented in Wolverhampton. A list of the major denominations follows:


 * Baptists
 * Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
 * Evangelical
 * Orthodox
 * Jehovah's Witnesses
 * Methodist
 * Pentecostal
 * Penn Christian Church
 * Seventh Day Adventist

Non Christian communities include:


 * Buddhist
 * Hindu
 * Jewish
 * Muslim
 * Shinto
 * Sikh
 * Taoist

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The following article civil registration tells more about these records.

BMD records for the Wolverhampton area can be found at the following:


 * Wolverhampton Council


 * West Midlands BMD


 * UK BMD, Staffordshire

Local Histories

 * Wolverhampton History.org


 * Local Histories: Wolverhampton


 * A History of Wolverhampton by Chris Upton


 * https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolverhampton-alec-brew/1111811713?ean=9780752420653&st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Core+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP78860 Wolverhampton: A Century of Change by Alec Brew]

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Old Maps of Wolverhampton


 * Michelin map of Wolverhampton


 * England Maps: Wolverhampton


 * A Gazetteer of lock and key makers


 * History and Gazetteer of Staffordshire

Newspapers

 * The Express and Star


 * The Birmingham Mail


 * The Wolverhampton West Magazine

Occupations
The economy of Wolverhampton is now dominated by the service sector, with 74.9% of the city's employment being in this area. The major sub-components of this sector are public administration, education and health. These contribute 32.8% of the total employment opportunities in the city.

Distribution, the Hotel Sector, and Restaurants are the next largest provider of occupations, with 21.1% of all employment positions.

Finance and IT contribute to 12.7% of the employment field.

There are still some specialty engineering and aerospace companies providing services and employment opportunities.

Societies

 * Wolverhampton Civic and History Society


 * Family History Society of Cheshire and Staffordshire


 * genuki: Staffordshire


 * Birmingham and Midlands Genealogy Org.

Archives

 * Wolverhampton City Archives


 * The National Archives: Wolverhampton


 * Black Country History: Wolverhampton Archives


 * Staffordshire Archives

Web Sites

 * Wolverhampton City Council


 * wikipedia; Wolverhampton