Brereton cum Smethwick, Cheshire Genealogy

England Cheshire  Brereton cum Smethwick

Parish History
Brererton cum Smethwick, St Oswald, Cheshire is an Ancient parish including Smethwick.

Raymond Richards relates that there was a chapel at Brereton from the reign of Richard I (1189-99). Canon Sladden in Beside the Bright Stream relates that Sir William Brereton built a church at Brereton about 1200 to fulfill a promise he made while on the third crusade and dedicated it to St. Oswald of Northumberland.

Brereton was originally in the parish of Astbury, Cheshire and became a parish in its own right in the reign of Henry VIII (1509-47). The original chapel was probably made of wood as some is still visible at the junction of the nave and chancel. The church was rebuilt in the 15th century in the late Perpendicular style. Like many other churches in the area, St. Oswald's was restored in the 19th century by Gilbert Scott. Raymond Richards in his book Old Cheshire Churches is very critical of Scott's work. In particular he disliked the removal of old oak and its replacement by pitch pine and imported wood, which he thought alien to a mediaeval church. Among the many features of interest inside the church are the 17th century altar rails and 16th century Flemish choir stalls. The font bears the date of 1660. Many decorated mediaeval fonts in Cheshire were destroyed by Puritans in the Civil War period. There is also a parish chest with three locks. On display near the south door is a bell of 1591. The church registers begin in 1538. The list of ministers goes back to Gilbert de Brereton in 1297.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records
To find the names of the neighbouring parishes, use England Jurisdictions 1851. In this site, search for the name of the parish, click on the location "pin", click Options and click List contiguous parishes.

Parish registers for Brereton-cum-Smethwick, 1538-1972 Cheshire Record Office reference: P138/1/1-4, P138/2, P138/3/1-3; P138/4, P138/3205/1, P138/6125/1.

An index for Cheshire parish registers is available online in FamilySearch Historical Records (formerly Record Search)

Here is a list of church registers on microfilm at the Family History Libraryin Salt Lake City.

Bishop's transcripts of Brereton-cum-Smethwick, 1593-1840 Early text in Latin.Cheshire Record Office reference: EDB 34.

An index for Cheshire, Church of England, Bishop’s Transcripts (Diocese of Chester) is available online in FamilySearch Historical Records (formerly Record Search)

Non-Conformist Churches
Brereton, Methodist Chapel (Primitive). Built in 1882, closed c.1923.

Non-Conformist Records:

Cheshire Record OfficeReference EMS 86 Brereton cum Smethwick Brereton Methodist Chapel Date 19th century - 20th century Various records1882-1923 Their website is | here.

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Cheshire Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Poor Law Unions
Congleton Poor Law Union, Cheshire

Registration Districts

 * Congleton

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain