Congresbury, Somerset Genealogy

England Somerset  Somerset Parishes

Parish History
CONGRESBURY (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of Axbridge, hundred of Winterstoke, E. division of Somerset, 12 miles (S. W. by W.) from Bristol; containing 1380 inhabitants. This place is supposed to have derived its name from St. Congar, son of an eastern monarch, who in 711 fled from his father's court, to avoid a marriage to which he was disinclined, and ultimately settled here, where he built an oratory, and, receiving a grant of land from Ina, King of the West Saxons, founded an establishment for twelve canons: he afterwards proceeded on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where he died, and his remains were brought for interment in the monastery that he had founded. The parish is situated on the road from Bristol to Weston-SuperMare, and bounded on the west by extensive marshes, connected with the river Yeo, and stretching to the Bristol Channel; it comprises an area of 4400 acres by measurement. Iron-ore of an excellent kind abounds in the higher parts adjoining Wrington Hill, and is extensively wrought by the trustees of Queen Elizabeth's Hospital at Bristol, to whom the land belongs. Limestone of good quality is also abundant. The village is a polling-place for the eastern division of the county; in the centre of it is an ancient lofty cross. A grant was obtained from Henry III., by Jocelyn, Bishop of Bath, for a market and a fair, of which the former has been long discontinued, but the latter is still held on the 14th of September. The living is a vicarage, with that of Wick St. Lawrence annexed, valued in the king's books at £42. 1. 8., and in the patronage of R. Hunt, Esq.; appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Wells. The vicarial tithes of Congresbury have been commuted for £530, and those of Wick for £250; the rectorial tithes have been commuted for £190: the rectorial glebe comprises 10 acres, and the vicarial 10. The church is a handsome structure, with a tower and lofty spire, and contains details of various styles.

From: 'Compton-Dundon - Congresbury', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 675-678. URL: http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50893 Date accessed: 25 April 2012.== Resources ==

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
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 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
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