Abbots Leigh, Somerset Genealogy

Guide to Abbots Leigh, Somerset ancestry, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Parish History
ABBOTS-LEIGH, parish in Bedminster district, Somerset; on the left bank of the Avon, near Rownham ferry, 3½ miles WNW of Bristol.

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.


 * Bedminster 1837-1896
 * South Bristol (Gloucestershire) 1896-1899
 * Long Ashton 1899-1936
 * Weston super Mare 1936-1974
 * Avon registers are now in North Somerset registration service The Register Office, 41 The Boulevard, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1PG. Telephone: 01934 627552. Fax: 01934 412014.

Church Records
Church records are the main source for identifying people prior to 1837 when civil registration began. It is also a main source after 1837 in conjunction with civil registration. The Church of England was formed in 1536, after King Henry VIII severed all ties to the church in Rome. Each local parish was responsible to register all marriages, baptisms and burials starting in 1538.

parish registers of christenings, marriages and burials are available online for the following years:

Church records on microfilm
Church Vital Records


 * Most years are covered.
 * Most years are covered.
 * Most years are covered.
 * Most years are covered.
 * Most years are covered.
 * Most years are covered.
 * Most years are covered.

Bishops Transcripts


 * Most years are covered.

Known issue Events attributed to Abbots Leigh in the England Bristol Church of England Parish Registers and Bishops’ Transcripts index have been found to refer to other parishes in the collection.

Census Records
Census information is provided by many public libraries in Britain in fiche collections and is available online at Ancestry (fee payable) The following filming by the Genealogical Society of Utah is available for this parish.



Poor Law Unions
The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 placed the responsibility for the care of the poor in England and Wales, from 1834 onward, on Poor Law Unions. The Poor Law Unions and their workhouses took over this responsibility from the Church of England parishes. Prior to 1834 a few parishes or collections of parishes had established a few workhouses to help relieve the poor and provide indoor relief in the form of food, clothes and shelter.

Register of preachers 1839-1896 Incumbents papers 1814-1923 Vestry minutes 1788-1923 Overseers rates &amp; disbursements 1792-1836 Churchwardens papers 1843-1923 Churchwardens accounts 1840-1849 1785-1927 Churchwardens memoranda book 1834-1858 Charities accounts 1742-1927 Misc. charity papers 1717-1927 Miscellaneous 1759-1774 VAULT BRITISH Film 1749479 Items 2-12

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

School Records
School records are a primary source for genealogists. The admission registers of schools administered by local authorities, perhaps from the 1870s but more frequently from 1902, usually show under the date of entry, the child's name and address and his or her date of birth. Some registers, but not all, also show the name and occupation of the parent or guardian, the name of the previous school attended and the reason for leaving.



Tax Records
In 1692 the British government instituted another innovative scheme to increase revenue which came to be known as the land tax.



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

Websites
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SOM/Abbotsleigh/index.html

http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-33400-churchyard-cross-in-the-churchyard-and-to British Listed Buildings online