Keynsham, Somerset Genealogy

England Somerset

Parish History
KEYNSHAM (St. John the Baptist), a parish, the head of a union, and formerly a market-town, in the hundred of Keynsham, E. division of Somerset, 7¼ miles (W. N. W.) from Bath; containing, with the tything of Chewton-Keynsham, 2307 inhabitants. The parish comprises 3500 acres; the surface is undulated, and the scenery abounds with variety and beauty. The town is situated upon the Avon, which is navigable hence to Bath, and across which is a bridge leading into Gloucestershire. On the river are some mills belonging to a brass and copper company at Bristol; and several of the inhabitants are employed in the preparation of flax. The Great Western railway passes through the parish. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £11. 19. 7.; patron, the Duke of Buckingham. The tithes belonging to his grace have been commuted for £135, the vicarial tithes for £170, and those belonging to the trustees of the Bristol charities for £116. 7.; the vicarial glebe comprises 5½ acres. The church is a spacious edifice in the later English style. There are places of worship for Baptists and Wesleyans; also a school endowed in 1705 with £20 per annum by Sir Thomas Bridges, who likewise built an almshouse for six widows. The poor-law union of Keynsham comprises 19 parishes or places, of which 14 are in the county of Somerset, and 5 in that of Gloucester; and contains a population of 21,710. An abbey of Black canons was established by William, Earl of Gloucester, about 1170, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, St. Peter, and St. Paul; its revenue, at the Dissolution, was valued at £450. 3. 6. There is a mineral spring.

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

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 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.