Twickenham St Mary the Virgin, Middlesex Genealogy

England   Middlesex   Middlesex Parishes

Parish History
TWICKENHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Brentford, hundred of Isleworth, county of Middlesex, 9 miles (W. S. W.) from London, on the road through Isleworth to Hampton Court; containing 5208 inhabitants. The name of this place, formerly written Twicknam, is said to refer to its position on two brooks that flow into the river Thames, one at each end of the village. Twickenham is deservedly admired for the beauty of its scenery, enlivened by the windings of the Thames, and embellished with handsome seats and tasteful villas; and has been the favourite retreat of the statesman and the poet. At the southern extremity of the village, fronted by a lawn sloping to the stream, was Pope's villa; and towards the north, in a delightful situation on the river, is the mansion that was occupied by Louis Philippe, late King of the French, when Duke of Orleans. Strawberry Hill, formerly the residence of Horace Walpole, is also an interesting object as seen from the river, in the middle of which, nearly opposite to the church, is an island called Twickenham Ait. This island comprises about eight acres, chiefly pleasure-grounds, and in the centre is the Eel-Pie House, noted for the last two centuries as a favourite resort for refreshment and recreation to water parties, and persons repairing hither for the amusement of fishing; the old building was taken down in 1830, and a commodious edifice, comprising a good assembly-room measuring 50 feet by 15, erected on the site. There are powder and oil mills in the parish. Fairs are held annually on Holy-Thursday and August 9th and 10th. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £11; net income, £717; patrons, the Dean and Canons of Windsor; impropriator, H. Pownall, Esq. The church, mostly rebuilt in 1714, is a plain structure of brick ornamented with stone, of the Doric order, with an ancient embattled tower of the 11th century: in the interior is a monument to the memory of Pope, erected by Bishop Warburton; and another to Mrs. Clive, the actress. Midway between Twickenham and Richmond is Montpelier chapel, erected about 1721, and in the gift of the Rev. Dr. Parish. A district church on the common, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and in the patronage of the Bishop of London, of which the first stone was laid August 31st, 1840, was consecrated in July, 1841; it was built and endowed by subscription, and is in the early English style, an interesting specimen of a village church. There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans; also a national school formed in 1809, by the union of three schools, and the appropriation of some endowments belonging to them, amounting to £133 per annum. Six boys and one girl of this parish are eligible for instruction and apprenticeship, or to be put to service, on the foundation of John and Frances West, who conveyed estates in trust to the Governors of Christ's Hospital for that purpose; £20 being paid with each boy, and £5 with each girl.

From: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis (1848), pp. 404-407. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51358 Date accessed: 21 April 2010.

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
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Census records
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Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Middlesex 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
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 * England Jurisdictions 1851
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Web sites
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