Berkeley Genealogical Records
Berkeley Birth & Baptism Records
An index to births registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of birth certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
Digital images of baptism registers, searchable by a name index. These records detail relationships between parents and their children and may detail where they lived and how they made a living.
Digital images of baptism registers, searchable by a name index, essentially recording births, but may include residence, father's occupation and more.
Digital images of baptism registers, searchable by a name index. These records detail relationships between parents and their children and may detail where they lived and how they made a living.
Digital images of baptism registers, searchable by a name index, essentially recording births, but may include residence, father's occupation and more.
Berkeley Marriage & Divorce Records
An index to marriages registered throughout England & Wales. This is the only national marriage index that allows you to search by both spouse's names. Provides a reference to order copies of marriage certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
Digital images of marriage registers, searchable by a name index. They typically record marital status and residence. Details may also be given on a party's parents, age and parish of origin.
Digital images of marriage registers, searchable by a name index. They are the primary marriage document before 1837. They typically record residence and marital status, though may contain age, father's name and other details.
Digital images of marriage registers, searchable by a name index. They typically record marital status and residence. Details may also be given on a party's parents, age and parish of origin.
Digital images of marriage registers, searchable by a name index. They typically record marital status and residence. Details may also be given on a party's parents, age and parish of origin.
Berkeley Death & Burial Records
An index to deaths registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of death certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
Digital images of burial registers, searchable by a name index. They record the date someone was buried, their age & residence.
Digital images of burial registers, searchable by a name index. Lists the deceased's name, residence and age. Some records may contain the names of relations, cause of death and more.
Digital images of burial registers, searchable by a name index. Lists the deceased's name, residence and age.
A name index linked to digital images of the burial registers of the church. Records document an individual's date of death and/or burial, age and residence. Some records may contain the names of relations, cause of death and more.
Berkeley Census & Population Lists
An index to and digital images of records that detail 40 million civilians in England and Wales. Records list name, date of birth, address, marital status, occupation and details of trade or profession.
The 1911 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
Four lay subsidies that record tax levied on real estate.
An index to 14,195 wills proved by the Consistory Court of Gloucester. The index includes the testor's name, residence, occupation document type and reference.
The 1901 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
Newspapers Covering Berkeley
A record of births, marriages, deaths, legal, political, organisation and other news from the Gloucester area. Original pages of the newspaper can be viewed and located by a full text search.
A local newspaper including news from the Cheltenham area, family announcements, business notices, advertisements, legal & governmental proceedings and more.
A searchable newspaper providing a rich variety of information about the people and places of the Cheltenham district. Includes obituaries and family announcements.
Local news; notices of births, marriages and deaths; business notices; details on the proceedings of public institutions; adverts and a rich tapestry of other local information from the Gloucester district. Every line of text from the newspaper can be searched and images of the original pages viewed.
A searchable newspaper providing a rich variety of information about the people and places of the Bristol district. Includes obituaries and family announcements.
Berkeley Wills & Probate Records
Searchable index and original images of over 12.5 million probates and administrations granted by civil registries. Entries usually include the testator's name, date of death, date of probate and registry. Names of relations may be given.
Digital images of over 85,000 wills and inventories, searchable by a name index. The records may provide information on possessions, land held and family relationships.
An index to wills proved in the Consistory Court of Gloucester. The index includes the testator's name & residence.
An index to probates and administrations granted by the Consistory Court of the Bishop of Worcester. Contains the deceased's name, occupation, residence and whether the grant was for probate or administration. Also lists which records contain an inventory.
An index to estate administrations performed by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. The index covers the southern two thirds of England & Wales, but may also contain entries for northerners.
Berkeley Immigration & Travel Records
A name index connected to original images of passenger lists recording people travelling from Britain to destinations outside Europe. Records may detail a passenger's age or date of birth, residence, occupation, destination and more.
A full index of passenger lists for vessels arriving in the UK linked to original images. Does not include lists from vessels sailing from European ports. Early entries can be brief, but later entries may include dates of births, occupations, home addresses and more. Useful for documenting immigration.
An index to and images of documents recording over 1.65 million passengers who arrived in Victoria, Australia, including passengers whose voyage was paid for by others.
Details on over 600,000 non-British citizens arriving in England. Often includes age and professions. Useful for discerning the origin of immigrants.
Details on thousands of 17th century British immigrants to the U.S., detailing their origins and nature of their immigration.
Berkeley Military Records
A digital library containing artifacts and commentary relating to military history in Gloucestershire. Includes a database of soldiers and digital images of all kinds of military paraphernalia and ephemera.
A chronological account of the war from the perspective of part of Gloucestershire. Contains lists of many men from the area who served.
A list of names found on World War One monuments in Gloucestershire, with some service details.
A list of names found on World War Two monuments in Gloucestershire, with some service details.
A searchable list of over 100,000 British Army POWs. Records contains details on the captured, their military career and where they were held prisoner.
Berkeley Court & Legal Records
Abstracts of records detailing the deaths of landowners in Gloucestershire and the inheritance of their lands.
Abstracts of inquisitions post mortem from the Court of Chancery from the reign of Charles I. These records were made on the death of landowners and can contain considerable details on landholdings and families. Ages are often recorded.
Abstracts of records detailing the deaths of landowners in Gloucestershire and the inheritance of their lands.
Abstracts of records detailing the deaths of landowners in Gloucestershire and the inheritance of their lands.
Transcriptions of pleas brought before a court. They largely concern land disputes.
Berkeley Taxation Records
Four lay subsidies that record tax levied on real estate.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
This vital collection details almost 1.2 million properties eligible for land tax. Records include the name of the landowner, occupier, amount assessed and sometimes the name and/or description of the property. It is a useful starting point for locating relevant estate records and establishing the succession of tenancies and freehold. Most records cover 1798, but some extend up to 1811.
An index linked to original images of registers recording apprenticeship indentures. Details are given on the trade and nature of apprenticeship. Many records list the parents of the apprentice.
A compilation of records from the Court of the Exchequer primarily dealing with taxes and land. These records are in Latin.
Berkeley Land & Property Records
Abstracts of records detailing the deaths of landowners in Gloucestershire and the inheritance of their lands.
Abstracts of inquisitions post mortem from the Court of Chancery from the reign of Charles I. These records were made on the death of landowners and can contain considerable details on landholdings and families. Ages are often recorded.
Four lay subsidies that record tax levied on real estate.
Abstracts of records detailing the deaths of landowners in Gloucestershire and the inheritance of their lands.
Abstracts of records detailing the deaths of landowners in Gloucestershire and the inheritance of their lands.
Berkeley Directories & Gazetteers
An exhaustive gazetteer, containing details of settlement's history, governance, churches, postal services, public institutions and more. Also contains lists of residents with their occupation and address.
A directory of residents and businesses; with a description of each settlement, containing details on its history, public institutions, churches, postal services, governance and more.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key historical and contemporary facts. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions. Also contains a list of residents and businesses for each place.
Berkeley Cemeteries
Photographs and descriptions of Gloucestershire's most illustrious church monuments, often featuring effigies, medieval inscriptions and heraldic devices.
Images of millions of pages from cemetery and crematoria registers, photographs of memorials, cemetery plans and more. Records can be search by a name index.
Photographs and transcriptions of millions of gravestones from cemeteries around the world.
Profiles of several hundred mausolea found in the British Isles.
Several thousand transcribed memorials remembering those connected with the nautical occupations.
Berkeley Obituaries
The UKs largest repository of obituaries, containing millions of searchable notices.
A growing collection currently containing over 425,000 abstracts of obituaries with reference to the location of the full obituary.
A collection of 364 obituaries of Quakers from the British Isles. The volume was published in 1849 and includes obituaries of those who died in late 1847 through 1848.
This transcribed and searchable work by Sir William Musgrave contains 10,000s of brief obituaries. The work is a reference point for other works containing information on an individual.
A text index and digital images of all editions of a journal containing medical articles and obituaries of medical practitioners.
Berkeley Histories & Books
A history of Catholicism in South West England with biographies of noted Catholics. Contains details of the Dominican, Benedictine, and Franciscan orders.
A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.
Photographs of monuments, stained glass windows, fonts, memorials and other architectural facets of parish churches in Gloucestershire.
Low-resolution photographs of 379 CoE churches in the county.
Photographs and images of churches in Gloucestershire.
Berkeley School & Education Records
A name index connected to digital images of registers recording millions of children educated in schools operated by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education. Records contain a variety of information including genealogical details, education history, illnesses, exam result, fathers occupation and more.
A name index linked to original images of registers recording the education and careers of teachers in England & Wales.
A name index linked to original images of short biographies for over 120,000 Oxford University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
A transcript of a vast scholarly work briefly chronicling the heritage, education and careers of over 150,000 Cambridge University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
A searchable database containing over 90,000 note-form biographies for students of Cambridge University.
Berkeley Occupation & Business Records
A database of profiles of Gloucestershire pubs and breweries.
An introduction to smuggling on the west coast of Britain & the Isle of Man, with details of the act in various regions.
A list of Gloucestershire boys who were apprenticed to the Carpenters Company in London. Includes father's names.
A list of Gloucestershire boys who were apprenticed to the Company of Stationers in London. Includes father's names.
Histories of Gloucestershire pubs, with photographs and lists of owners or operators.
Pedigrees & Family Trees Covering Berkeley
A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
Berkeley Royalty, Nobility & Heraldry Records
A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.
Pedigrees compiled from a late 17th century heraldic visitation of Gloucestershire. This work records the lineage, descendants and marriages of families who had a right to bear a coat of arms.
Photographs and descriptions of Gloucestershire's most illustrious church monuments, often featuring effigies, medieval inscriptions and heraldic devices.
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
Berkeley Church Records
The parish registers of __PLACE__ provide details of births, marriages and deaths from 1578 to 1812. Parish registers can assist tracing a family as far back as 1578.
The parish registers of __PLACE__ are a collection of books essentially documenting births, marriages and deaths. Their records can assist tracing a family back numerous generations.
An index to and images of registers recording over 2.25 million baptisms, marriages and burials.
A history of Catholicism in South West England with biographies of noted Catholics. Contains details of the Dominican, Benedictine, and Franciscan orders.
Photographs of monuments, stained glass windows, fonts, memorials and other architectural facets of parish churches in Gloucestershire.
Biographical Directories Covering Berkeley
A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
Brief biographies of Anglican clergy in the UK.
A directory containing lengthy biographies of noted British figures. The work took over two decades to compile. Biographies can be searched by name and are linked to images of the original publication.
Berkeley Maps
Digital images of maps covering the county.
A useful map of the county, charting settlements and important landmarks, such as turnpikes, parks, castles, abbeys etc.
Detailed maps covering much of the UK. They depict forests, mountains, larger farms, roads, railroads, towns, and more.
Maps showing settlements, features and some buildings in mainland Britain.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
Berkeley Reference Works
A beginner’s guide to researching ancestry in England.
Compiled in 1831, this book details the coverage and condition of parish registers in England & Wales.
A comprehensive guide to researching the history of buildings in the British Isles.
A service that provides advanced and custom surname maps for the British Isles and the US.
A dictionary of around 9,000 mottoes for British families who had right to bear arms.
Civil & Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction
Historical Description
Berkeley, pleasantly situated on a branch of the Severn, in the beautiful Vale of Berkeley. This is a very ancient corporate town, under the government of a mayor and twelve aldermen. The town chiefly consists of one street of mean buildings, and carries on a considerable trade in timber, coal, malt, and cheese. The weekly market is on Tuesday. The living of Berkeley is in the gift of Earl Berkeley; the parish is the largest in the county. A new bridge over the Severn, on the road leading to Ross, is lately erected, from the plan of Mr. Smirke.
A Religious House existed here in the reign of Edward the Confessor, and a traditional tale has long been current, that it was a nunnery, and that the frail sisters were dispossessed of their estates, with the manor, by the craft of Earl Godwin, who found means to introduce into this community a profligate young man, by whom the nuns were seduced, which conduct being reported to the king, the nunnery was dissolved, and its possessions granted to the earl.
Berkeley Castle appears to have been founded by Roger de Berkeley, soon after the Conquest. Its form approaches nearest to that of a circle; and the buildings are contained in a regular court, with a moat. The keep, the most ancient part, is flanked by three semi-circular towers, and a square one of later construction. Its walls are high and massive: the entrance into it is under an arched door, with ornamental sculpture in the Norman style. Here Edward II was barbarously murdered by the order of his Queen and Mortimer, her infamous paramour, in September 1327. A small apartment called the dungeon-room, over the flight of steps leading into the keep, is shewn as the place where the cruel deed was committed. At that time all the light it received was from arrow slits. During the Civil Wars, Berkeley Castle was held for the King, but being besieged, surrendered to the Parliament after a siege of nine days.
The Church at Berkeley, dedicated to St. Mary, appears to be of the time of Henry the Second. Here is a curious monument to the memory of the second Lord Berkeley and Margaret his first wife. The tower, erected about sixty years ago, stands at some distance from the church. In the church-yard is the whimsical and well-known epitaph written by Dean Swift to the memory of Dickey Pearce, the Earl of Suffolk’s Fool.
Of the Vale of Berkeley it was observed by William of Malmsbury, as being "rich in corn, productive of fruits in some parts by the sole favour of nature, in others by the art of cultivation, enticing even the lazy to industry, by the prospect of a hundred-fold return. You may see the highways clothed with trees, bearing apples, not by the grafter’s hand, but by the nature of the ground itself; for the earth of its own accord rears them up to fruit, and that excellent in flavour and appearance, many of which wither not under a year, nor before the new crops are produced to supply their place. Neither has any county in England more numerous or richer vineyards, or which yields grapes more abundantly, or of better flavour; as the wine is but little inferior to that of France in sweetness. The villages are very thick, the churches handsome, and the towns populous and many. ’’
The Stroudwater hills partake both of the Cotswold and the Vale character. The southern extremity is the most various in soil and surface. The woodlands, chiefly beech, have much decreased.
BERKELEY is a town and parish comprising the market town of Berkeley, with the tithings of Alkington, Breadstone, Hamfallow, Hinton and Ham and Stone, in the Northern division of the county, head of a petty sessional division, in Berkeley hundred, Thornbury union, Dursley county court district, and in the rural deanery of Dursley and archdeaconry and diocese of Gloucester. The town is near the navigable river Severn, with a station half a mile north on the Sharpness branch from Berkeley Road junction on the Bristol and Birmingham section of the Midland railway; it is also 3 ½ miles south from the Gloucester and Berkeley canal, 114 from London, 15 south-south-west from Gloucester, 8 from Thornbury and 19 north from Bristol. The town was constituted a borough in the reign of Edward I. and was then governed by a mayor and aldermen; but the charter has been annulled, and the corporation was dissolved in 1885 under the provisions of the “Municipal Corporations Act, 1883” (46 and 47 Vict. c. 18): the mace, presented to the corporation by one of the former lords of Berkeley, has been returned to Lord Fitzhardinge, the present owner of the Castle. This place confers the title of earl and baron on the Berkeley family. The town is lighted with gas by a company. On December 4th, 1894, five parish councils were formed, under the “Local Government Act, 1894” (56 and 57 Vict. c. 73), to control respectively Berkeley borough and each of the tithings of Alkington, Hamfallow, Hinton and Ham and Stone; the tithing of Breadstone is managed by a “parish meeting.” The church of St. Mary is a large and ancient edifice of stone, chiefly of the Decorated period, but with portions of Late Norman and Early English date, consisting of large chancel with Berkeley chapel on the south side, nave of seven bays, aisles, north porch with parvise, and a detached embattled tower, about go feet in height, with pinnacles, and containing a clock and 6 bells; in the chancel is a memorial window to Dr. Edward Jenner F.R.S, the discoverer of vaccination, d. 25 January, 1823, erected by public subscription in 1873, at a cost of £500: and there are others to Sir Maurice Frederick Fitzhardinge Berkeley, 1st Baron Fitzhardinge, d. 17 October, 1867, to Mrs. Woolwright, Mrs. Palairet, James and Elizabeth Croome, Mr. Cooke, the Hon. Elton Vivian Gifford, d. 2 July, 1893, and to Francis William Fitzhardinge Berkeley, 2nd Baron Fitzhardinge, d. 29 June, 1896, and to members of the Hickes family: in the church is an altar tomb with recumbent effigies, in alabaster, to Thomas 2nd Baron Berkeley, ob. 1361, and Jane (Ferrers), his wife; on another tomb is an effigy in white marble to James 6th Baron Berkeley, ob. 1463; and there is a third tomb, with alabaster effigies and inscription, to Sir Henry Berkeley kt. 7th Baron Berkeley, ob. 26 November, 1613, and Catherine (Howard), his wife; there are other memorials to Charles, 2nd Earl of Berkeley K.B. d. 24 September, 1710, and Elizabeth, wife of Sir Thomas Berkeley, ob. 1635: the walls of the church retain a great deal of mural painting, ranging from the 13th to the 15th century, most of which has been renewed; the space above the chancel arch has remains of a “Doom,” and other spaces over the splays and sills of the windows are also decorated, chiefly with grotesque patterns in red and black; the reredos of stone, representing the four Evangelists with our Lord in the centre, was erected in 1881 by Lady Fitzhardinge to the memory of her father and mother: the font is Norman and dates from about 1120: the church was thoroughly restored and re-seated in 1865—6, under the direction of the late Sir G. Gilbert Scott RA. at a cost of about £5,000, defrayed by the 1st Baron Fitzhardinge and the parishioners; during the progress of the work an inscribed Roman tile and two bases of columns were found; in 1889 the tower was restored at a cost of £100: there are sittings for 950 persons. The register dates from the year 1653. The living is a vicarage, yearly value £450, including 5 acres of glebe, with residence, in the gift of Lord Fitzhardinge, and held since 1884 by the Rev. Jonathan Lett Stackhouse MA. of Trinity College, Dublin, and Exeter College, Oxford, and domestic chaplain to Lord Fitzhardinge. The district church of St. John, at Purton, is a building of stone in the Early English style, erected in 1874 at a cost of £1,000, and consists of nave with apse, south porch and an open western turret containing 1 bell: there are 120 sittings. The iron church of St. Michael, at Breadstone, was opened December 19th, 1878, and has 100 sittings. The school-chapel at Wick, erected by the landed proprietors of the parish in 1875, is a building of stone, seating 100 persons. The Mission chapel of St. Maurice, in the hamlet of Newport, 1 ½ miles south-east, and near the road from Bristol to Gloucester, erected at a cost of about £200, and opened on Wednesday, August 8, 1883, is a plain structure of wood, consisting of chancel, nave, south porch, and a bell-turret in the centre of the nave containing 1 bell: the communion table is of carved oak, and between the chancel and nave is a rood screen surmounted by a cross: the chapel will seat about 120 persons. A new mission room used chiefly for Sunday school purposes and week-night services, was dedicated by the Bishop of the diocese in October, 1896, and will seat about 100 persons. The Congregational chapel, built in 1836, was restored in 1896 at a cost of over £300, and affords 273 sittings. There is a Wesleyan chapel, built in 1805, and seating 208 persons; and another at Halmore, erected in 1829; there is also a Baptist chapel at Woodford and one at Newport, built in 1710 and rebuilt in 1825. The cemetery, at the north end of the town, opened in 1866, at a cost of £1,600, is 3 acres in extent, and has a lych gate, used as a mortuary chapel, and a house for the sexton; it is under the control of a joint committee of fourteen members. The Berkeley Institute, consisting of a reading room and a library of 300 volumes, was opened in 1888. The kennels of the Berkeley fox hounds are at Ham. Lord Fitzhardinge is the master; Bristol, Gloucester and Cheltenham are convenient places for hunting visitors. The Berkeley Hunt Agricultural Society holds an annual show on the August bank holiday, of cattle, horses and dairy produce, the cheese show being the largest in the county. The trade consists chiefly in coals, timber and cheese. Near the station are the premises of the Vale of Berkeley Dairy Co. Limited. Fairs are held on the 14th of May and second Monday in December, for cattle and pigs, and markets are held on the first Wednesday in each month excepting May and December. The Cottage Hospital, established in 1877, was in 1886 named “The Berkeley Hospital”; it has twelve beds and is now managed by a committee of which Lord Fitzhardinge is president and Georgina, Lady Fitzhardinge, lady president. There are numerous charities, amounting in the whole to £130 yearly. Edward Jenner M.D. (Edin. and Oxon.), F.R.S, who introduced the practice of vaccination, was born here May 17, 1749, being the son of the Rev. Stephen Jenner, then vicar of Berkeley; he died January 25, 1823, and was buried in the church. The manor embraces nearly thirty parishes, and is one of the most exensive in the kingdom: it was granted by William the Norman to Roger de Berkeley, lord of Dursley, who having espoused the cause of King Stephen in opposition to the Empress Matilda, was, on the accession of Henry II. deprived of the title and estates, which were then conferred in 1154 upon Robert Fitzhardinge, a wealthy citizen of Bristol, who assumed the title of Baron de Berkeley.
Berkeley Castle, now the residence of Lord Fitzhardinge, is one of the most ancient and interesting feudal fortresses yet remaining in England; it was rebuilt in the latter end of the 12th century by Prince Henry (afterwards Henry II.) and the above-named Robert Fitzhardinge, and has remained in the possession of his descendants down to the present time: it consists of an outer courtyard, entered through a low, but massive, gateway tower, and once surrounded by various buildings, the foundations of which still exist, an inner courtyard, still inclosed by buildings, and lastly the circular keep, which forms part of the north-west side of this courtyard, projecting into and extending beyond it. Beyond the low embattled wall which bounds the outer ward, are terraced gardens, with lawns, shaded by finely grown firs and cedars: in the outer ward hangs a bell, once in a Buddhist temple near Ningpo, but brought to England by Capt. Dewe C.B. and presented by him to the late Lord Fitzhardinge. Another arched gate, with portcullis grooves, conducts to the inner ward, which has on the south-east the great hall, 62 by 32 ft. and 32 ft. in height; the windows are filled with heraldic stained glass, on the walls hang family and other portraits and armour, and over the fireplace are suspended the remains of two standards carried at Culloden (16 April, 1746) by the regiment of Augustus, 4th Earl of Berkeley K.T.: a wide staircase of black oak leads to the chapel, which retains its original painted roof, and on the wall under the arched passage leading to it are traces of black letter texts in French and Latin, taken from the book of Revelations, and dating from about 1400; the windows contain ancient stained glass, and some of the original floor tiles remain; adjoining the chapel, and forming the south side of the courtyard, are several drawing-rooms, and music and breakfast rooms, hung with portraits and tapestry; the keep, reached from this ward by a flight of steps, is nearly circular, and has walls about 50 feet in height, with several projecting semi-circular bastions, and strengthened by buttresses; the enclosed area, about 25 feet higher than that of the inner courtyard, is now chiefly turfed, but there are buildings containing bedrooms on the south side, and on the north is the longitudinal structure called “Thorpe’s tower,” from which an extensive view is afforded of the Vale of Berkeley. In this castle, after experiencing all the indignities and cruelties that could be conceived, the unfortunate Edward II. was murdered by his keepers-Sir Thomas Gournay and Lord Maltravers-21 September, 1307; above the steps leading to the keep is an apartment called “King Edward’s room,” and shown as the place where the deed was committed; but the scene of this murder was more probably the “dungeon room,” which is in the bastion adjoining the steps on the other side; beneath this chamber is a dungeon 28 feet deep. The castle was besieged by the Parliamentary forces in 1645, and surrendered upon honourable terms, but was afterwards given back to George, 8th Baron Berkeley K.B. on condition of its being rendered incapable of defence; the castle is open to visitors on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays on payment of a small fee; and the proceeds are devoted to the support of local charities. White Cliff Park, one mile south-west of the castle, is the property of Lord Fitzhardinge; it is about 336 acres in extent, and is used as a deer park. Lord Fitzhardinge,-Mr. Thomas Breadstone Croome, of Breadstone, and Rev. Sir Edward Harry Dutton Colt bart. MA. rector of Monk Okehampton, Devon, are the principal landowners. Newport Towers is the seat of Thomas Gadd Matthews esq. J.P. and Wickselme is occupied by Thomas Parnell Parnell esq. MA. The soil is various, with sand and clay; subsoil, marl, clay and gravel. The chief crops are wheat, barley and beans. The area of the entire parish is 13,420 acres of land, 2,320 of water; rateable values-Berkeley, £2,628; Alkington, £9,015; Breadstone, £2,918; Ham and Stone, £7,412; Hamfallow, £5,847; Hinton, £16,000; the population in 1891 was, Berkeley, 890; Alkington tithing, 1 mile east, 818; Breadstone tithing, 2 miles north-east, 120; Ham tithing, half-a-mile south, and with Stone, population, 830; Hamfallow tithing and Halmore and Wanswell hamlets, 1 mile north, 1,020; Hinton tithing and Purton hamlet, 3 miles north, 1,629; and Stone chapelry, 3 miles south.
Petty Sessions are held at the Petty Sessional Court about every three weeks, on Wednesdays, at 11 a.m. The following places are included in the Petty Sessional Division:-Berkeley & all the tithings therein, viz.: Alkington, Breadstone, Hamfallow, Hinton & Ham & Stone.
National, erected in 1861, & supported by Lord Fitzhardinge, for 184 boys, 184 girls & 100 infants; average attendance, 150 boys, 125 girls & 80 infants.
National, Wick, (held in the chapel, for 60 children; average attendance, 7.
Public Elementary, Purton (mixed & infants), built in 1871 for 200 children, & supported by Mr. George Muller, of Ashley Down Orphanage, Bristol; average attendance, 85 boys & girls & 55 infants.
Most Common Surnames in Berkeley
| Rank | Surname | Incidence | Frequency | Percent of Parent | Rank in Berkeley Hundred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smith | 166 | 1:31 | 1.59% | 1 |
| 2 | King | 96 | 1:53 | 5.11% | 23 |
| 3 | Price | 76 | 1:67 | 3.32% | 17 |
| 4 | Baker | 65 | 1:78 | 3.30% | 22 |
| 4 | Long | 65 | 1:78 | 4.92% | 47 |
| 6 | Nelmes | 59 | 1:86 | 12.97% | 198 |
| 7 | Woodward | 56 | 1:90 | 6.38% | 96 |
| 8 | Phillips | 55 | 1:92 | 3.58% | 32 |
| 8 | Browning | 55 | 1:92 | 7.98% | 127 |
| 10 | Jones | 50 | 1:101 | 0.75% | 2 |
| 10 | Taylor | 50 | 1:101 | 1.34% | 5 |
| 10 | Fryer | 50 | 1:101 | 18.38% | 365 |
| 13 | Cole | 44 | 1:115 | 3.05% | 39 |
| 14 | Knight | 41 | 1:124 | 3.33% | 56 |
| 15 | Lewis | 36 | 1:141 | 1.27% | 11 |
| 16 | Watts | 35 | 1:145 | 2.74% | 53 |
| 17 | Bennett | 34 | 1:149 | 1.60% | 19 |
| 18 | Davis | 33 | 1:154 | 0.62% | 4 |
| 18 | Mills | 33 | 1:154 | 2.11% | 31 |
| 20 | Brown | 32 | 1:158 | 1.02% | 7 |
| 20 | Hughes | 32 | 1:158 | 2.89% | 65 |
| 20 | Hill | 32 | 1:158 | 1.32% | 16 |
| 20 | Webb | 32 | 1:158 | 1.31% | 15 |
| 24 | James | 31 | 1:163 | 1.07% | 10 |
| 24 | Pick | 31 | 1:163 | 16.23% | 521 |
| 26 | Powell | 30 | 1:169 | 1.42% | 20 |
| 26 | Cornock | 30 | 1:169 | 17.05% | 555 |
| 28 | Allen | 28 | 1:181 | 1.90% | 36 |
| 28 | Summers | 28 | 1:181 | 5.42% | 177 |
| 28 | Merrett | 28 | 1:181 | 4.92% | 154 |
| 31 | Cook | 26 | 1:195 | 1.06% | 14 |
| 32 | Harris | 25 | 1:203 | 0.73% | 6 |
| 32 | Ruther | 25 | 1:203 | 100.00% | 2,853 |
| 34 | Trotman | 24 | 1:211 | 6.00% | 236 |
| 35 | Williams | 23 | 1:220 | 0.39% | 3 |
| 35 | Thomas | 23 | 1:220 | 0.77% | 8 |
| 35 | Organ | 23 | 1:220 | 3.97% | 146 |
| 35 | Gaston | 23 | 1:220 | 41.07% | 1,547 |
| 39 | Clarke | 22 | 1:230 | 1.83% | 57 |
| 39 | Morgan | 22 | 1:230 | 0.84% | 12 |
| 39 | Palmer | 22 | 1:230 | 1.75% | 54 |
| 39 | Barrett | 22 | 1:230 | 3.83% | 150 |
| 39 | Barton | 22 | 1:230 | 6.23% | 272 |
| 39 | Smart | 22 | 1:230 | 2.28% | 83 |
| 45 | Nicholls | 21 | 1:241 | 2.87% | 118 |
| 45 | Perkins | 21 | 1:241 | 4.74% | 209 |
| 45 | Groves | 21 | 1:241 | 6.80% | 316 |
| 48 | Wood | 20 | 1:253 | 1.33% | 33 |
| 48 | Ford | 20 | 1:253 | 1.49% | 44 |
| 48 | Newman | 20 | 1:253 | 1.68% | 58 |
| 48 | Hale | 20 | 1:253 | 1.48% | 43 |
| 48 | Neale | 20 | 1:253 | 4.48% | 206 |
| 48 | Millard | 20 | 1:253 | 3.73% | 171 |
| 48 | Denning | 20 | 1:253 | 16.95% | 801 |
| 55 | Nash | 19 | 1:267 | 2.11% | 95 |
| 55 | Poole | 19 | 1:267 | 1.83% | 71 |
| 55 | Cope | 19 | 1:267 | 31.15% | 1,441 |
| 55 | Driver | 19 | 1:267 | 9.95% | 521 |
| 55 | Everett | 19 | 1:267 | 23.75% | 1,166 |
| 60 | Reeves | 18 | 1:282 | 4.71% | 248 |
| 60 | Hawker | 18 | 1:282 | 4.36% | 228 |
| 60 | Hodder | 18 | 1:282 | 30.00% | 1,462 |
| 60 | Timbrell | 18 | 1:282 | 10.23% | 555 |
| 60 | Rodman | 18 | 1:282 | 21.69% | 1,133 |
| 65 | Hall | 17 | 1:298 | 0.92% | 24 |
| 65 | Savage | 17 | 1:298 | 5.45% | 313 |
| 65 | Pegler | 17 | 1:298 | 5.61% | 325 |
| 65 | Hobby | 17 | 1:298 | 34.69% | 1,730 |
| 69 | Cooper | 16 | 1:317 | 1.24% | 52 |
| 69 | Watkins | 16 | 1:317 | 1.21% | 46 |
| 71 | Roberts | 15 | 1:338 | 0.69% | 18 |
| 71 | Cooke | 15 | 1:338 | 2.85% | 175 |
| 71 | Pratt | 15 | 1:338 | 8.77% | 567 |
| 71 | Hadley | 15 | 1:338 | 9.80% | 624 |
| 71 | Tudor | 15 | 1:338 | 9.87% | 629 |
| 71 | Lusty | 15 | 1:338 | 4.67% | 300 |
| 77 | Evans | 14 | 1:362 | 0.57% | 13 |
| 77 | Wilks | 14 | 1:362 | 4.70% | 333 |
| 77 | Drinkwater | 14 | 1:362 | 5.65% | 400 |
| 77 | Waldron | 14 | 1:362 | 25.00% | 1,547 |
| 77 | Rudge | 14 | 1:362 | 3.80% | 261 |
| 77 | Mabbett | 14 | 1:362 | 19.72% | 1,286 |
| 77 | Timbrill | 14 | 1:362 | 51.85% | 2,683 |
| 77 | Nibblett | 14 | 1:362 | 58.33% | 2,915 |
| 77 | Saniger | 14 | 1:362 | 70.00% | 3,335 |
| 86 | Ward | 13 | 1:390 | 2.36% | 163 |
| 86 | Brooks | 13 | 1:390 | 2.02% | 135 |
| 86 | Fowler | 13 | 1:390 | 1.98% | 132 |
| 86 | Howell | 13 | 1:390 | 1.57% | 105 |
| 86 | Weaver | 13 | 1:390 | 2.39% | 168 |
| 86 | Hickman | 13 | 1:390 | 18.06% | 1,269 |
| 86 | Sherwood | 13 | 1:390 | 18.57% | 1,298 |
| 86 | Hazell | 13 | 1:390 | 7.65% | 572 |
| 86 | Clutterbuck | 13 | 1:390 | 2.91% | 206 |
| 86 | Shipp | 13 | 1:390 | 7.30% | 549 |
| 86 | Niblett | 13 | 1:390 | 3.69% | 275 |
| 86 | Hinder | 13 | 1:390 | 12.75% | 924 |
| 86 | Stinchcombe | 13 | 1:390 | 6.13% | 470 |
| 86 | Croome | 13 | 1:390 | 10.40% | 760 |
| 86 | Sumsion | 13 | 1:390 | 43.33% | 2,491 |
| 101 | Townsend | 12 | 1:422 | 1.32% | 89 |
| 101 | Butcher | 12 | 1:422 | 5.38% | 442 |
| 101 | Beard | 12 | 1:422 | 1.28% | 85 |
| 101 | Love | 12 | 1:422 | 9.92% | 781 |
| 101 | Leonard | 12 | 1:422 | 2.65% | 201 |
| 101 | Mallett | 12 | 1:422 | 21.82% | 1,571 |
| 101 | Stratford | 12 | 1:422 | 5.94% | 496 |
| 101 | Dowell | 12 | 1:422 | 21.43% | 1,547 |
| 101 | Pinnell | 12 | 1:422 | 8.89% | 711 |
| 101 | Vaisey | 12 | 1:422 | 34.29% | 2,205 |
| 111 | Clark | 11 | 1:461 | 0.65% | 29 |
| 111 | Parker | 11 | 1:461 | 0.85% | 50 |
| 111 | Ball | 11 | 1:461 | 1.14% | 81 |
| 111 | Gregory | 11 | 1:461 | 2.34% | 193 |
| 111 | Boulton | 11 | 1:461 | 1.71% | 137 |
| 111 | Britton | 11 | 1:461 | 1.13% | 80 |
| 111 | Workman | 11 | 1:461 | 1.70% | 134 |
| 111 | Fear | 11 | 1:461 | 5.24% | 476 |
| 111 | Bendall | 11 | 1:461 | 4.09% | 373 |
| 111 | Gazzard | 11 | 1:461 | 9.73% | 837 |
| 111 | Dimery | 11 | 1:461 | 25.00% | 1,873 |
| 122 | Cox | 10 | 1:507 | 0.48% | 21 |
| 122 | Bailey | 10 | 1:507 | 1.09% | 88 |
| 122 | Andrews | 10 | 1:507 | 1.15% | 97 |
| 122 | Burton | 10 | 1:507 | 4.72% | 470 |
| 122 | Lane | 10 | 1:507 | 0.70% | 40 |
| 122 | Miles | 10 | 1:507 | 1.10% | 91 |
| 122 | Wilkins | 10 | 1:507 | 0.91% | 67 |
| 122 | Hooper | 10 | 1:507 | 0.87% | 61 |
| 122 | Manning | 10 | 1:507 | 3.12% | 300 |
| 122 | Clifford | 10 | 1:507 | 1.75% | 153 |
| 122 | Beckett | 10 | 1:507 | 20.41% | 1,730 |
| 122 | Wilkes | 10 | 1:507 | 4.29% | 423 |
| 122 | Ashby | 10 | 1:507 | 30.30% | 2,311 |
| 122 | Withers | 10 | 1:507 | 3.09% | 294 |
| 122 | Grove | 10 | 1:507 | 10.87% | 1,018 |
| 122 | Greenfield | 10 | 1:507 | 37.04% | 2,683 |
| 122 | Reece | 10 | 1:507 | 9.52% | 894 |
| 122 | Wakeman | 10 | 1:507 | 14.93% | 1,342 |
| 122 | Brinkworth | 10 | 1:507 | 5.46% | 539 |
| 122 | Cullimore | 10 | 1:507 | 4.08% | 406 |
| 122 | Screen | 10 | 1:507 | 7.81% | 746 |
| 122 | Jobbins | 10 | 1:507 | 12.05% | 1,133 |
| 122 | Darnley | 10 | 1:507 | 90.91% | 5,063 |
| 122 | Shatford | 10 | 1:507 | 45.45% | 3,113 |
| 122 | Gazard | 10 | 1:507 | 10.20% | 961 |
| 122 | Kingscote | 10 | 1:507 | 13.51% | 1,232 |
| 122 | Alpass | 10 | 1:507 | 32.26% | 2,433 |
| 149 | White | 9 | 1:563 | 0.30% | 9 |
| 149 | Martin | 9 | 1:563 | 0.62% | 37 |
| 149 | Young | 9 | 1:563 | 0.62% | 38 |
| 149 | Sharp | 9 | 1:563 | 3.63% | 400 |
| 149 | Dunn | 9 | 1:563 | 1.82% | 185 |
| 149 | Dean | 9 | 1:563 | 2.76% | 289 |
| 149 | Field | 9 | 1:563 | 2.74% | 286 |
| 149 | Short | 9 | 1:563 | 1.37% | 133 |
| 149 | Hoare | 9 | 1:563 | 4.25% | 470 |
| 149 | Jenner | 9 | 1:563 | 6.87% | 727 |
| 149 | Brain | 9 | 1:563 | 0.85% | 69 |
| 149 | Ashford | 9 | 1:563 | 16.36% | 1,571 |
| 149 | Chard | 9 | 1:563 | 6.92% | 733 |
| 149 | Eyles | 9 | 1:563 | 6.72% | 717 |
| 149 | Ponting | 9 | 1:563 | 5.11% | 555 |
| 149 | Cove | 9 | 1:563 | 13.24% | 1,320 |
| 149 | Parslow | 9 | 1:563 | 6.98% | 741 |
| 149 | Phillipps | 9 | 1:563 | 16.36% | 1,571 |
| 149 | Gabb | 9 | 1:563 | 4.66% | 518 |
| 149 | Dowdeswell | 9 | 1:563 | 5.39% | 580 |
| 169 | Johnson | 8 | 1:633 | 0.79% | 75 |
| 169 | Wright | 8 | 1:633 | 0.93% | 100 |
| 169 | Thompson | 8 | 1:633 | 1.07% | 112 |
| 169 | Grant | 8 | 1:633 | 2.86% | 357 |
| 169 | Pearce | 8 | 1:633 | 0.45% | 25 |
| 169 | Stone | 8 | 1:633 | 0.74% | 68 |
| 169 | Marsh | 8 | 1:633 | 1.56% | 178 |
| 169 | Gardner | 8 | 1:633 | 0.54% | 35 |
| 169 | Barber | 8 | 1:633 | 3.43% | 423 |
| 169 | Francis | 8 | 1:633 | 2.14% | 255 |
| 169 | Herbert | 8 | 1:633 | 0.93% | 100 |
| 169 | Chandler | 8 | 1:633 | 1.19% | 130 |
| 169 | Tanner | 8 | 1:633 | 0.89% | 94 |
| 169 | Langford | 8 | 1:633 | 8.89% | 1,041 |
| 169 | Isaac | 8 | 1:633 | 4.02% | 505 |
| 169 | Churchill | 8 | 1:633 | 3.98% | 499 |
| 169 | Canning | 8 | 1:633 | 14.04% | 1,526 |
| 169 | Redford | 8 | 1:633 | 80.00% | 5,399 |
| 169 | Pullin | 8 | 1:633 | 2.75% | 341 |
| 169 | Grafton | 8 | 1:633 | 47.06% | 3,738 |
| 169 | Heaven | 8 | 1:633 | 2.56% | 311 |
| 169 | Agg | 8 | 1:633 | 5.23% | 624 |
| 169 | Ayris | 8 | 1:633 | 80.00% | 5,399 |
| 169 | Glastonbury | 8 | 1:633 | 7.69% | 906 |
| 169 | Spill | 8 | 1:633 | 13.11% | 1,441 |
| 169 | Askins | 8 | 1:633 | 80.00% | 5,399 |
| 169 | Kemmett | 8 | 1:633 | 26.67% | 2,491 |
| 169 | Hurcumb | 8 | 1:633 | 100.00% | 6,299 |
| 197 | Moore | 7 | 1:724 | 0.81% | 99 |
| 197 | Bell | 7 | 1:724 | 2.57% | 365 |
| 197 | Robertson | 7 | 1:724 | 3.43% | 488 |
| 197 | Adams | 7 | 1:724 | 0.54% | 51 |
| 197 | Chapman | 7 | 1:724 | 1.23% | 154 |
| 197 | Porter | 7 | 1:724 | 1.23% | 154 |
| 197 | Hopkins | 7 | 1:724 | 0.60% | 60 |
| 197 | Osborne | 7 | 1:724 | 1.52% | 196 |
| 197 | Carpenter | 7 | 1:724 | 1.58% | 211 |
| 197 | Hyde | 7 | 1:724 | 2.41% | 343 |
| 197 | Moody | 7 | 1:724 | 4.19% | 580 |
| 197 | Humphries | 7 | 1:724 | 1.64% | 218 |
| 197 | Corbett | 7 | 1:724 | 6.03% | 814 |
| 197 | Shore | 7 | 1:724 | 14.58% | 1,761 |
| 197 | Phelps | 7 | 1:724 | 0.95% | 116 |
| 197 | Daw | 7 | 1:724 | 7.22% | 978 |
| 197 | Hacker | 7 | 1:724 | 4.07% | 566 |
| 197 | Woollard | 7 | 1:724 | 77.78% | 5,792 |
| 197 | Tiley | 7 | 1:724 | 3.29% | 467 |
| 197 | Ayliffe | 7 | 1:724 | 10.94% | 1,394 |
| 197 | Phillimore | 7 | 1:724 | 11.11% | 1,415 |
| 197 | Portlock | 7 | 1:724 | 7.14% | 961 |
| 197 | Marling | 7 | 1:724 | 28.00% | 2,853 |
| 197 | Griffey | 7 | 1:724 | 20.59% | 2,253 |
| 197 | Dunbabin | 7 | 1:724 | 100.00% | 6,949 |
| 197 | Lindell | 7 | 1:724 | 87.50% | 6,299 |
| 197 | Charrett | 7 | 1:724 | 100.00% | 6,949 |
| 197 | Beakeman | 7 | 1:724 | 100.00% | 6,949 |