Dodleston, Cheshire Genealogy

EnglandCheshireCheshire ParishesDodleston

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



''Part of this parish is in Flintshire, Wales. See also Higher Kinnerton''

Dodleston is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, situated on the border between England and Wales. Dodleston was a township in Broxton Hundred. It included the villages of Higher Kinnerton (in Wales) and Lower Kinnerton and the hamlets of Balderton and Gorstella.

Parish History
"Dodleston, St. Mary is an ancient parish, partly in Cheshire, originally including Dodleston and Lower Kinnerton (Cheshire) and partly in Flintshire, Wales, including Higher Kinnerton (Flintshire). A church has been on this site, adjacent to a former motte and bailey castle, since at least medieval times but only the base of its tower, which dates from the early 16th century, remains. The remainder of the church was rebuilt in 1870 in perpendicular style by John Douglas. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Chester."

In the 1800s - "DODDLESTON, is a village and a township in Great Boughton district, Cheshire; and a parish partly also in t county of Flint. The village stands near the boundary with Wales, and near the Chester and Shrewsbury railway, it is 2½ miles SW of Saltney railway station, and 4½ miles SSW of Chester. The township includes also the hamlet of Gorstella . The parish contains likewise the townships of Lower Kinnerton and Higher Kinnerton ; and its post town is Pulford, under Wrexham. There are a Primitive Methodist chapel.

Church records
Dodleston St Mary parish registers of christenings, marriages and burials have been indexed by the following groups:

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 Doddleston, 1570-1983: The parish church is known as St. Mary's. Higher Kinnerton is a township in Doddleston parish. [Cheshire Record Office call number: P 115/1/1-6, P 115/2/1-2, P 115/3/1-2, P 115/4, P 115/8, P 115/6491/1-2.]

Bishop's transcripts for Dodleston, 1584-1872 Cheshire Record Office call number: EDB 78.

Non-Conformist Churches
Dodleston, Methodist Chapel (Primitive). Built in 1867.

Non-Conformist Records:

The registers of the Chapel have been indexed by the Dodleston Family History Group and are available on microfiche at the Cheshire Record Office.

Formed in 1985, this is a small research group of some 12 to 15 members who meet at roughly monthly intervals in each other's homes during the winter months and have visits to local places of interest during the summer. In 1994, the Group published Dodleston: the History of a Marcher Parish (now out of print). It has also transcribed and published in printed and microfiche formats the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church, Dodleston (1570-1970) and All Saints' Church, Higher Kinnerton (1868-1970), as well as a full record of the inscriptions on the gravestones in St. Mary's churchyard. The printed and microfiche copies of these can be referred to at Cheshire County Record Office, Chester. Considerable work has also been undertaken on the Parish Tithe Map of 1839-42, the Eaton Rentals, the Census returns, Churchwardens' Accounts, and Court Leet records for the parish.

The parish includes a part of Flintshire and is of ancient foundation. Within its boundaries lie a Norman motte and bailey castle, the remains of two 17th-century duck decoys, a large mediaeval moated site, and four ancient homesteads. For many years, much of the area was owned by the Grosvenors of Eaton Hall, whilst in the base of the church tower are the graves of Sir Thomas Egerton, who was Chancellor to Queen Elizabeth I and James I, his first wife, and his son Thomas.

Further information from:

Bernard Dennis, M.B.E., 68 Penfold Way, Dodleston, Chester CH4 9NL Tel. 01244 660102 Mob. 07966 436073

Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from 1 July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. Here are two excellent Internet sites with birth, marriage and death indexes available:


 * FreeBMD
 * Cheshire BMD

Registration Districts

 * Great Boughton (1837–69)
 * Chester (1870–1937)
 * West Cheshire (1937–74)
 * Chester and Ellesmere Port (1974–98)
 * Cheshire West (post 1998)

Poor Law Unions

 * Great Boughton (1837–53) Tarvin (previously Great Boughton) Poor Law Union, Cheshire
 * Hawarden Poor Law Union (1853–71)
 * Chester Poor Law Union(1871–1930)

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.

see also England Cheshire Probate Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)

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