Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire Genealogy

England   Hertfordshire  Hertfordshire Parishes

Parish History
WHEATHAMPSTEAD (St. Helen), a parish, in the union of St. Alban's, hundred of Dacorum, county of Hertford, 5 miles (N. N. E.) from St. Alban's; containing 1871 inhabitants. The rebellious barons here assembled their forces against Edward II., in 1311, on which occasion two nuncios, sent by the pope, endeavoured to restore peace between the contending parties, when the papal authority was rejected by the former. The parish comprises 4999a. 2r. 30p., of which 3543 acres are arable, 714 pasture and wood, 473 in homesteads and gardens, and 26S common and waste. The St. Alban's races are held on the ground called No-man's Land, which extends into this parish. The living is a rectory, with that of Harpenden annexed, valued in the king's books at £42. 1. 10½.; net income, £1356; patron, the Bishop of Lincoln. The incumbent's tithes have been commuted for £770; the glebe comprises 40 acres, and a rent-charge of £576 is payable to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster. The church is a cruciform structure, chiefly of early English character, with a central tower, and contains 500 sittings, of which 200 are free; the font is a curious specimen of the early decorated style. There is a place of worship for Independents. James Marshall, in 1719, bequeathed some property, the rental of which, amounting to £184. 15. per annum, is equally divided between the parishes of Wheathampstead and Harpenden, and expended in apprenticing children. John Bostock, abbot of St. Alban's, a learned divine and poet in the time of Henry VI., was born here, and was commonly called John of Wheathampstead.

From: Lewis, Samuel A., A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848)

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
Contributor: Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts, non conformist and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

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

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

Web sites
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