Eccleston, Cheshire Genealogy

EnglandCheshireCheshire ParishesEccleston

Parish History
Eccleston St Mary's is an ancient parish and is situated on the estate of the Duke Westminster and includes: Eaton, Wrightington, Parbold, and Heskin.

There was a medieval church on the site which was entirely rebuilt in 1809 by William Porden for Earl Grosvenor. A chancel was added in 1853. This was replaced by the present church in 1899, designed by G. F. Bodley for the 1st Duke of Westminster at a cost of £40,000.

It is believed that the name of the village derives from the Latin for 'Meeting Place'

Formerly a township in Broxton Hundred, it includes the hamlets of Belgrave and Morris Oak. Eccleston is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, and close to Chester. The village is situated on the estate of the Duke of Westminster who maintains his ancestral home at nearby Eaton Hall.

Registration Districts
Here is a list of districts that have included Eccleston since 1837, with dates of inclusion:


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

Registration events can be searched on-line at Cheshire BMD

Church Records
Eccleston parish registers of christenings, marriages and burials have been indexed by the following groups:

Eccleston, St. Mary (C of E). An ancient parish church serving the townships of Eaton (near Chester) and Eccleston. Records are deposited at the Cheshire Record Office. These include:


 * Registers of baptisms 1593–1892, marriages 1593–1833 and burials 1593–1885. CRO call number: P87 1/1-2, P87/2, P87/3/1-2, P87/4.
 * Bishop's transcripts for Eccleston, 1599-1879 Early entries in Latin. Cheshire Record Office call number: EDB 86.

Records have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. These include:

Poor Law Unions
Poor Law Unions were geographic areas made up of a number of parishes, and first came into being in rural areas around 1700. However, we refer here to the poor law unions created as a result of the passing of the New Poor Law Act in 1834. Poor Law Unions, with boards of guardians, were established throughout England and Wales, and each union had an institution or workhouse where the poor and indigent were sent when they were unable to care for themselves or provide for their families. The directors of the institutions kept careful records of admissions and discharges and of life within the workhouse walls, and also of those who received 'out-relief' which enabled them to stay in their own homes. These records may provide you valuable information about your poorer ancestors.

Eccleston was included in the following 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)

Records
Some records are deposited at the National Archives at Kew near London and others are deposited at county record archives. To learn about records, try the following:


 * Contact the Record Office.
 * Search the Family History Library Catalog for records of the poor law unions.
 * Check the three-volume guide Poor Law Union Records by Jeremy Gibson and Colin Rogers, published by the Federation of Family History Societies. The guide is available at many archives and libraries. (Family History Library book 942 P37gj; vol. 1- South-East England and East Anglia, vol. 2- The Midlands and Northern England, vol. 3- South-West England, The Marches and Wales.)

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