Brockley, Somerset Genealogy

Somerset

Parish History
BROCKLEY (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union of Bedminster, hundred of Chewton, E. division of Somerset, 9 miles (S. W.) from Bristol; containing 171 inhabitants. This parish, which is beautifully situated on the road from Bristol to Weston-super-Mare, comprises by computation 700 acres. There are some quarries of limestone of excellent quality. Lead-ore exists in the eastern part of the parish, and there are numerous basaltic columns, similar to those forming the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. About a quarter of a mile to the south-east of the church, is a strikingly romantic glen called Brockley-Coombe, nearly a mile in length, inclosed on each side by steep banks of rugged rocks, rising to the height of nearly 300 feet, and thickly interspersed with trees of luxuriant growth. The Bristol and Exeter railway skirts the parish, about a mile to the north of the church. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £9. 18. 4.; net income, £128; patrons, the Trustees of the late Rev. Wadham Pigott. The church is an ancient structure, with a square embattled tower, and a south porch; the interior displays much elegance.From: 'Brockhampton - Bromeholme', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 392-395. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50833&amp;amp;strquery=brockley Date accessed: 05 March 2011.

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.