Lechlade, Gloucestershire Genealogy

England   Gloucestershire

Parish History
The Church of St. Lawrence

(Insert picture Lechlade St. Lawrence Parish Church.jpg)

"The Parish Church - Though it is known that a church previously occupied the site, the present church of St. Lawrence was built towards the end of the 15th century. Started in 1470, using local stone from a quarry at Taynton near Burford, and completed in 1476, the whole building is in one style of architecture, early Perpendicular.  Prior to 1502 it was known as the church of St. Mary, but Catherine of Aragon ordered that it be renamed St. Lawrence, after a Spanish saint born in Aragon.  Local wool merchants would probably have furnished money for the building."

"The church has the usual Perpendicular plan, with nave, aisles and chancel, and the exterior is very generously decorated with gargoyles and other grotesque sculptures. The fabric of the interior was plain with little decorative work.  This served to show off the rich and beautiful woodwork of the screens in the chancel, choir and chapels.  All this has now disappeared through various refurnishings of the interior over the years.  An exception is the door leading from the chancel to the vestry.  Among the details in the carvings on this four hundred year old door is a pomegranate, the badge of Catherine of Aragon.  In 1882 the vicar and parishioners engaged in the task of clearing and reseating the whole interior.  Box pews were replaced by the present open type ones, and the fabric of the church, the pillars and arches, were stripped of the remains of the 15th century shrines, canopies and carvings, and were revealed in their simple beauty." "The tower holds a peal of six bells, their dates ranging from 1595 to 1911. In the spire is still the Angelus bell or "Ting Tang," which rang a nightly curfew until 1850, and which is still used at some services." "Many old headstones exist in the churchyard, the oldest decipherable date reading 1687, though it is obvious that burials took pace before that date."1 1 (See previous URL for additional information on the history of the church of St. Lawrence.)

Church of St. Lawrence Panoramic View from the Thames River (Insert picture Lechlade Church Panorama.jpg) Gliding along the Thames River, one is struck with a quiet reverence when the Church of St. Lawrence comes into view. A sweeping glance from the banks of the river across the verdant lawn, up the small hill to the church and then to the perpendicular spire reaching up as though to pierce the sky, one if filled with a feeling of pervading peace that blesses the land and those who are traveling upon the river.

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, non conformists 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

Census records
Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link 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 Gloucestershire 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.