Whitchurch, Shropshire Genealogy

England   Shropshire



Whitchurch is a market town in north Shropshire, England, close to the county border with Cheshire and also Wrexham in Wales. It is reputed to be the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire.

Archaelogocal evidence suggests that the area was settled by Neolithic and Bronze Age people. The Cornovii Celtic people settled throught the area around 500 BC.

The Romans settled in the area around AD 52 or 70 and built the fort of Mediolanum and a town soon grew around this fort. The name translates as "The place in the middle of the plain", and is derived from its location, being on the Shropshire-Cheshire plain on the important Roman road between Deva Victrix (Chester) and Viroconium Cornoviorum (Wroxeter).

The area eventually became part of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia.

The town's modern name comes from the white church, and refers to a Norman church made from local white stone. The current church of St Alkmund, built in 1712 using sandstone, stands on the site of the Norman church.

For several centuries the town was famous for its clockmakers and cheesemakers.

Civil Records
The parish of Whitchurch originally formed part of the Wem &amp; Whitchurch Registration District when it was created on 1 Jul 1837. A separate registration district was created for Whitchurch in 1853.

Church Records
The following records for Whitchurch are available on the IGI:

Bishop's transcripts held at Lichfield Record Office Bap 1674-1858 Marr 1674-1851 Bur 1674-1858

Nonconformist Church Records
The following records for Whitchurch are available on the IGI: