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England Bedfordshire  Luton (city)

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



History
The earliest settlements in the Luton area were at Round Green and Mixes Hill, where Paleolithic encampments (about 250,000 years old) have been found. Settlements re-appeared after the ice had retreated in the Mesolithic period around 8000 BC. Traces of these settlements have been found in the Leagrave area of the modern town. Remains from the Neolithic period (4500–2500 BC in this area) are much more common. A particular concentration of Neolithic burials occurs at Galley Hill. The most prominent Neolithic structure is Waulud's Bank – a henge dating from around 3000 BC. From the Neolithic age onward, the area seems to have been populated, but without any single large settlement. Luton itself is believed to have been founded by the Anglo-Saxons sometime in the 6th century, and named for its situation on the River Lea.

After the establishment of the Danelaw in the east of England and the unification of the remaining English kingdoms in the west, Luton stood on the border between Christendom and Heathenism which ran up the River Lea from London through to Bedford.

The Domesday Book records Luton as Loitone and also as Lintone. Agriculture dominated the local economy at that time, and the town's population was around 700 to 800.

In 1121 Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester started work on St Mary's Church in the centre of the town. The work was completed by 1137. A motte-and-bailey castle which gives its name to the modern Castle Street was built in 1139. During the Middle Ages Luton is recorded as having six watermills. Mill Street, in the town center, takes its name from one of them.

By 1240 the town is recorded as "Leueton". One "Simon of Luton" was Abbot of Bury St Edmunds from 1257 to 1279. The town had a market for surrounding villages in August each year, and with the growth of the town a second fair was granted each October from 1338. The agriculture base of the town changed in the 16th century with a brick-making industry developing around Luton; many of the older wooden houses were rebuilt in brick.

The hat making industry began in Luton in the 17th century and became synonymous with the town. By the 18th century this industry dominated the town. Hats are still produced in the town but on a much smaller scale.

The town grew strongly in the 19th century. In 1801 the population was 3,095. By 1850 it was over 10,000 and by 1901 it was almost 39,000. Such rapid growth demanded a railway connection but the town had to wait a long time for one. The first train to Dunstable ran on 3 May 1858.

In the 20th century, the hat trade severely declined and was replaced by other industries. In 1905, Vauxhall Motors opened the largest car plant in the United Kingdom in Luton. In 1914 Hewlett & Blondeau aviation entrepreneurs built a factory in Leagrave which began aircraft production built under license for the war effort; the site was purchased in 1920 by new proprietors Electrolux domestic appliances, and this was followed by other light engineering businesses. In 2000, Vauxhall announced the end of car production in Luton; the plant closed in March 2002. At its peak it had employed in excess of 30,000 people. Vauxhall's headquarters remain in the town, as does its van and light commercial vehicle factory.

The 21st. century has seen Luton largely changed from a small manufacturing center to a bedroom city for London. The only major construction of any significance has been the development of Luton Airport, which was originally opened in 1938, owned and operated by the council. Today it is one of 4 major airports serving the capital.

Cemeteries (Civil)
Luton has only one cemetery and crematorium. The name and address follows:

Vale Cemetery and Crematorium


 * 111 Butterfield Green Road
 * Luton, Bedfordshire, England

Some useful websites for access to Luton graves follow:


 * findagrave.com


 * billion graves: Luton Vale Cemetery

Parishes
Luton has a number of Anglican Churches. They follow:

St Mary's


 * Church Street
 * Luton, Bedfordshire LU1 3JF

St Paul's


 * New Town Street
 * Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 3EB

St Francis'


 * Carteret Road
 * Luton, Bedfordshire LU2 9JZ
 * Tel 01582 451132

St Luke's


 * High Street
 * Leagrave
 * Luton, Bedfordshire LU4 9JY

Non Conformists
The following Christian churches are active in Luton:


 * Baptist churches
 * Chinese Christian
 * Hope Church
 * Methodist
 * Pentecostal
 * Roman Catholic
 * Salvation Army
 * Seventh Day Adventist
 * Ukrainian Greek Catholic

Additionally the following non-Christian groups have assemblies in Luton:


 * Buddhist
 * Hindu
 * Muslim

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths records have been kept by government since July 1837 to the present day. Prior to that, local parishes of the Church of England, and local branches of other faiths were the only repositories of this information.

Luton does not have its own BMD office.

Useful sites follow:


 * ukbmd: Bedfordshire


 * Bedfordshire County Council


 * genuki Bedfordshire records

Local Histories

 * local histories: Luton


 * History of Luton by Anne Allsopp


 * Luton Past and Present by Robert Cook

Maps and Gazetteers

 * oldmapsonline: Bedfordshire


 * my-towns: Luton

Societies

 * Bedfordshire Family History Society


 * Bedfordshire local history association

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