Backwell, Somerset Genealogy

Somerset Parishes

Parish History
BACKWELL (St. Andrew), a parish, and formerly a market-town, in the union of Bedminster, hundred of Hartcliffe with Bedminster, E. division of Somerset, 7¼ miles (S. W. by W.) from Bristol; containing, with the hamlets of Churchtown, Downside, Farley, Moorside, and West-town, 1161 inhabitants. It includes some extensive collieries, and some quarries producing a kind of calcareous stone of a reddish colour, variegated with blue and white veins, and which is susceptible of a very high polish. The weekly market, granted by Edward II. has been long discontinued; but a fair for cattle and pedlery is held on the 21st of September. The living consists of a sinecure rectory and a discharged vicarage; the rectory valued in the king's books at £11. 16. 3., with a net income of £253; the vicarage valued at £6. 19. 9½., with a net income of £144; patron of both, the Marquess of Bath.From: 'Babcary - Badgeworth', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 124-128. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50773 Date accessed: 06 March 2011.

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 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

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.

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.