Wallasey, Cheshire Genealogy

England Cheshire  Wallasey

Parish History
St Hilary's Church, Wallasey is an Ancient Parish in the town of Wallasey, Wirral, Merseyside, England. It consists of a church built in 1858–59 and the separate tower of a former medieval church. The first church is thought to have been built in Saxon times and was probably built of timber and of which there is no trace. Several stones have been found of a Norman structure on the site. It is thought that a new church was built between 1162 and 1182 by William de Waley. This was rebuilt and a tower added during the reigns of Edward I and Edward II. The next rebuilding was in the age of Henry VIII when the tower of 1530 was reconstructed. In 1757, the church was described as ruinous and it was rebuilt. A church has been on this site since before 902AD when the Vikings named the hamlet here Kirby in Walea - 'the village with the church on the island of the foreigners'. The church site overlooks the pre-Roman sea route to Parkgate, Chester and major parts of North West England. Today, it overlooks the motorway leading to the Irish ferries and the Mersey Tunnel access to Liverpool. There are only eight churches in Britain named after the French Bishop of Poitiers, St Hilary, who fought against early heresies and contributed to the Council of Nicea in 325AD and the Nicene Creed. It is likely that these churches named after St Hilary were founded by another French Bishop, St Germanus, who came from near Poitiers and who was invited as a missionary by the 5th century English church. The present church is at least the sixth one on the site, with an older tower (1530) standing alone in the churchyard which had been part of two earlier churches. The fifth church burnt down in 1857. A competition for the design of the new church was won by architects J W &amp; J Hay of Liverpool, and using stone donated by a local quarry, was completed in 1859 in a style felt to be in keeping with the new wealth and status of the rapidly expanding Liverpool and Merseyside port and economy. The church contains a lot of fine 19th and 20th century stained glass as well as an early 'Father Willis' organ designed by the then organist, W T Best, later to become the great organ virtuoso of Victorian England.

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.

Registration Districts

 * Wirral (1837–61)
 * Birkenhead (1861–1936)
 * Wallasey (1936–98)
 * Wirral (1998+)

Church records
To find the names of the neighboring 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.

Wallasey, St. Hilary (C of E). An ancient parish church, originally serving the townships of Liscard, Poulton cum Seacombe and Wallasey. Registers of Baptisms 1574–1993, Marriages 1574–1988 and burials 1574–1946 have been deposited at the Cheshire Record Office. The parish church is also known as St. Hillary's Church. Cheshire Record Office Call Numbers: P302/4484/5-9, 16-17; P302/5998/1-4, 8-14.

Bishop's transcripts for Wallasey, 1600-1878 Records are not arranged in strict chronological order. Some intermittent years are missing. Cheshire Record Office no.: EDB/208

Wallasey, St. Nicholas (C of E), Newport Avenue/Bayswater Road. A parish church since 1911. Registers of Baptisms 1911–1963 and Marriages 1912–2000 have been deposited at the Cheshire Record Office (no burials).

Cheshire Record Office call number: P267/1/1-2. Marriages, 1912-1926. FHL BRITISH Film 2262947 Items 12 - 13 Leasowe, St. Chad (C of E). Twickenham Drive. A separate parish from 1957, serving parts of Bidston, Hoylake, Moreton and Wallasey.. Registers of Baptisms from 1955 and Marriages from 1958 are held at the church (no burials).. Wallasey, St. Saviour, Radnor Drive (Free C of E).

Non-Conformist Churches
Wallasey, Church of the English Martyrs (Roman Catholic), St. George's Road. Founded 1902. Wallasey, Methodist Chapel (Wesleyan), Brighton Street/Victoria Road. Built in 1839, closed in 1966. Registers of marriages 1902–1964 are at the Cheshire Record Office. Wallasey, Methodist Chapel (New Connexion). Built in 1884, closed in 1935. Registers 1909–1934 are at the Cheshire Record Office. Wallasey, Methodist Chapel (Wesleyan), Claremont Road. Built in 1885, rebuilt in 1910. Wallasey, Methodist Chapel (Wesleyan), Manor Road. Founded 1893, Built in 1904. Wallasey, Methodist Chapel (Wesleyan), Oakdale Road. Founded 1899, closed in 1943. Registers 1932–1935 are at the Cheshire Record Office. Wallasey, Methodist Chapel (Primitive), Poulton Road. Built in 1904, demolished 1944. Registers 1916–1949 are at the Cheshire Record Office. Wallasey, Methodist Chapel (Wesleyan), Oxton Road. Founded 1905, rebuilt in 1961. Wallasey, Presbyterian Chapel. Founded 1877, Built in 1900. Wallasey, United Reformed Church, Marlowe Road. Built in 1913.

Census records
Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

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

 * Wirral (1836–61)
 * Birkenhead (1861–1930)

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
Contributor: Add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.