Guestwick, Norfolk Genealogy

England   Norfolk



Parish History
Guestwick St Peter is an Ancient parish in the Diocese of Norwich.

The tower is part of the old Saxon church on the site; the remainder of the church was rebuilt in the 15th century and has subsequently been renovated.

In the Domesday Book, Guestwick is mentioned but as the settlement of Guistthwaithe and is described as an area of pasture land used by the people of the nearby village of Guist. By the beginning of the 11th century it has been recorded that the settlement had its own church and so had become independent. To the north of the church can be found the Congregational Chapel which is one of the earliest in England. It was built in 1652 but has been altered in 1809 and again in 1840. The one time minister John Godwin was the father of the political philosopher William Godwin and the grandfather of Mary Godwin who became Mary Shelley who is best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818).

Guestwick is a village [ and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is 19.6 miles (31.5 km) south-west of Cromer, 18.7 miles (30.1 km) north-west of Norwich and 131 miles (211 km) north-east of London. The village lies 10.2 miles west of the nearby town of Aylsham. The village lies far from any major roads.

For the purpose of local government the civil parish is within the Broadland district.

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.


 * Aylsham 1837-1938
 * Norwich Outer 1939-1974
 * Norwich

Church records
Contributor: Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts, non conformist 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

Norfolk_Record_Office reference PD 5/ 1-4, 50

This parish does not appear at FamilySearch Historical Records as no microfilm for the parish is held A search of the Family History Library Catalogue indicates that the following Archdeacon's transcripts are on film but these have not yet been converted to digital images for publication

See also

England_Norfolk_Church_of_England_Parish_Registers_and_Bishops’_Transcripts_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records)

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.

Index for the Census may be searched at FamilySearch Historical Records

http://www.1881pubs.com/ for details of public houses in the 1881 census

Non-Conformist Chapels
The Congregational Chapel at Guestwick is one of the earliest in England. It was built in 1652 but has been altered in 1809 and again in 1840. The one time minister John Godwin was the father of the political philosopher William Godwin and the grandfather of Mary Godwin who became Mary Shelley who is best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818).

The original timber framed chapel was replaced by the surviving brick built building which is now a private house.



See also Norfolk Churches website http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/guestwickchapel/guestwickchapel.htm

Church records for Guestwick Congregational Church, 1694-1854 Microfilm copy of original records in the Norfolk Record Office, Norwich, England.

Norfolk Record Office reference: FC 11/1. Guestwick Church Book, 1694-1854 With account of the congregation from 1652 and lists of members, record of births etc.

Baptisms and deaths, 1694-1854. FHL BRITISH Film 2299708 Item 2

Births, baptisms and burials at the Independent united congregations at Briston and Grestwick, Norfolk, 1786-1840

Microfilm of original records at the London Public Record Office, London. RG-4 series no. 1344

see also

England Nonconformist Index for RG 4-8 (Record Groups 4-8)

England Nonconformist Index for RG 4-8 (Record Groups 4-8) (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Poor Law Unions
Aylsham Poor Law Union

Norfolk Poor Law Unions

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Norfolk 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
http://www.achurchnearyou.com/guestwick-st-peter/ for information about the parish.

http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-227816-church-of-st-peter-guestwick for listed building status

http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/guestwick/guestwick.htm for photographs of the church.