Salisbury (city), Wiltshire Genealogy

Guide to Salisbury (city) history, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.



HISTORY
The correct name for the city is SARUM, either old Sarum for the historic city, or New Sarum that was the city's official name until 2005. The Roman name Sorviodunum was a Latinised form of the Celtic name as well.

The hilltop at Old Sarum lies near the Neolithic sites of Stonehenge and Avebury and shows some signs of early settlement. It commanded a salient between the River Bourne and the Hampshire Avon near a crossroads of several early trade routes. During the Iron Age, a hill fort (oppidum) was constructed around it sometime between 600 and 300 BC.

Preferring settlements in bottom lands like nearby Wilton, the Saxons largely ignored Old Sarum until the Viking invasions led King Alfred to restore its fortifications.

Following the Norman invasion, a motte-and-bailey castle was constructed by 1070. The castle was held directly by the Norman kings; its castellan was generally also the sheriff of Wiltshire.

Osmund, a relative of William the Conqueror, was responsible for the codification of the "Sarum Rite", as well as the work that resulted in the Domesday book, which was probably presented to William at Old Sarum.

The original cathedral was consecrated on 5 April 1092 but suffered extensive damage in a storm, traditionally said to have occurred only five days later. Bishop Roger refurbished and expanded Old Sarum's cathedral in the 1110s.

The present Cathedral building in New Sarum—the present Salisbury Cathedral—began in 1221. The site was supposedly established by shooting an arrow from Old Sarum, although this is certainly a legend: the distance is over 3 km (1.9 mi). The main body was completed in only 38 years. (The 123 m or 404 ft tall spire, the tallest in the UK, was built later.) This cathedral is considered one of the most beautiful in all of Europe. New Sarum was made a city by a charter from King Henry III in 1227 and, by the 14th century, was the largest settlement in Wiltshire.

In the 12th., 13th., and 14th. centuries, through to the early 15th. century, Salisbury was a major center of the woolen industry. However in about 1450 a number of riots broke out in Salisbury probably due to its declining fortunes in the cloth industry.

Salisbury was the site chosen to assemble James II's forces to resist the Glorious Revolution in the late 1600's. James II failed in this attempt, and Salisbury became, thereafter, only a major market town for the Wiltshire region.

Salisbury Cathedral also holds one of 5 copies extant of the original MAGNA CARTA. It is located within the cathedral.

LOCATION
Salisbury is located about 90 miles almost due west of London, in a shallow valley. The geology of the area, like much of South Wiltshire and Hampshire, is largely chalk.

It is located on the same plain, and close to, Stonehenge and Avebury, two world famous ancient henges in the area.

RELIGION
Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, and one of the leading examples of Early English architecture. The main body of the cathedral was completed in only 38 years, from 1220 to 1258. The cathedral has the tallest church spire in the United Kingdom (123m/404 ft).

It contains the world's oldest working clock (from AD 1386) and has the best surviving of the four original copies of Magna Carta (all four original copies are in England).

Salisbury and the surrounding area have always been of religious importance and many of the medieval religious societies had houses in the area. They have since fallen into ruin.

ECONOMY
Salisbury holds a Charter market on Tuesdays and Saturdays and has held markets regularly since 1227. In the 15th century the Market Place had three crosses. The Poultry Cross whose name describes its market. The cheese and milk cross indicated that market which was in the triangle between the HSBC bank and the Salisbury Library. There was a third cross near the site of the present war memorial and this marked a woolen and yarn market.

From 1833 to its demolition in the mid-1980s, the Salisbury Gas Light &amp; Coke Company, who ran the city's gasworks, were one of the major employers in the area.

Today, Salisbury only functions as a regional market town, as well as the contribution to its economy from tourism.

CIVIL REGISTRATION
Birth, marriages and deaths records have been kept by government since July 1837 to the present day. Prior to that, local parishes of the Church of England, and local branches of other faiths were the only repositories of this information. There are several locations for BMD records for Salisbury. These follow:


 * Wiltshire county records


 * Wiltshire and Swindon archives


 * UKBMD records

CENSUS RECORDS
Census records for Salisbury can be found using the following links:


 * genuki for Wiltshire


 * Forebears, Salisbury

PROBATE RECORDS
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by several locations for Gloucester. Please follow the links below:


 * Wiltshire county probate records for Salisbury


 * Findmypast Salisbury wills


 * UK Govt will UK Government Probate records office

CEMETERIES AND GRAVES
The links to information on cemeteries for Salisbury follow:


 * Salisbury City Cemeteries


 * Wiltshire County Council


 * Devices Road cemetery


 * London Road cemetery

GENEALOGY SOCIETIES AND GENEALOGY

 * Wiltshire Family History Society


 * genuki, Wiltshire


 * Findmypast Wiltshire


 * Salisbury FHS lectures