Biddestone Genealogical Records
Biddestone 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.
Baptism registers are the primary source for birth documentation before 1837, though are relevant to the present. They record the date a child was baptised, their parents' names, occupations, residence and more.
A database of over 76,000 names found in documents held by Bath Archives. It contains extracts from coroners, criminal, non-conformist, poor law and schools records; wills, vaccination registers, rate books, freemen's apprentices and more.
A growing index of births registered in the county. Records include a reference to the sub-registration district, making it easier to order the correct certificate.
Transcriptions of Wiltshire baptisms covering around 50% of Anglican places of worship.
Biddestone 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.
A database of over 76,000 names found in documents held by Bath Archives. It contains extracts from coroners, criminal, non-conformist, poor law and schools records; wills, vaccination registers, rate books, freemen's apprentices and more.
A growing index of marriages registered in the county. Records include a reference to the sub-registration district, making it easier to order the correct certificate.
Abstracts of marriage licences granted by the Vicar-General in London. These licences could be used to marry in any church in the Province of Canterbury.
An index to over 262,000 marriages, including Quaker marriages and marriages of Wiltshire residents in other counties. Available on CD or as a lookup service.
Biddestone 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.
A database of over 76,000 names found in documents held by Bath Archives. It contains extracts from coroners, criminal, non-conformist, poor law and schools records; wills, vaccination registers, rate books, freemen's apprentices and more.
A growing index of deaths registered in the county. Records include a reference to the sub-registration district, making it easier to order the correct certificate.
Transcriptions of around 1,800 records from Quaker death records. They include ages, relations, residences and more.
A service charged at £12 an hour to search transcripts of of baptism and burial indexes. Includes some Quaker and Methodist records.
Biddestone 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.
An index to names listed in a document listing those liable for militia service.
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.
The 1891 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 Biddestone
Original images of a local newspaper, searchable via a full text index. Includes news from the Bath area, business notices, obituaries, family announcements and more.
A searchable newspaper providing a rich variety of information about the people and places of the Bristol district. Includes obituaries and family announcements.
Abstracts of articles published by the Bath Chronicle.
A considerable run of the newspaper for 1761. Original images, searchable by an OCR index.
A regional newspaper covering the counties of Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire Hampshire and Berkshire. It covers local and national news, family announcements, business news, legal proceedings and more.
Biddestone 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.
A database of over 76,000 names found in documents held by Bath Archives. It contains extracts from coroners, criminal, non-conformist, poor law and schools records; wills, vaccination registers, rate books, freemen's apprentices and more.
An index to 295,609 wills of people who lived in or were connected to Devon. The wills they reference can contain a great deal of genealogical information.
An index to 90,000 wills, including name, occupation, year of probate, residence and more.
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.
Biddestone Immigration & Travel Records
Abstracts of over 20,000 removal orders, which provided legal backing to move people to their parish of settlement.
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.
Biddestone Military Records
Transcriptions of war diaries covering 15 regiments during World War I & II. The records detail war action and record names, generally those of officers.
Photographs and transcriptions of monuments commemorating those who lost their lives in battle.
An account of the regiment's part in the South African War.
An index to names listed in a document listing those liable for militia service.
A list of names found on World War One monuments in Wiltshire, with some service details.
Biddestone Court & Legal Records
A database of over 76,000 names found in documents held by Bath Archives. It contains extracts from coroners, criminal, non-conformist, poor law and schools records; wills, vaccination registers, rate books, freemen's apprentices and more.
Abstracts of records detailing the deaths of landowners in Wiltshire and the inheritance of their lands.
Abstracts of records detailing the deaths of landowners in Wiltshire and the inheritance of their lands.
Abstracts of records detailing the deaths of landowners in Wiltshire and the inheritance of their lands.
Calendars to names occurring in over 65,000 legal documents.
Biddestone Taxation Records
A database of over 76,000 names found in documents held by Bath Archives. It contains extracts from coroners, criminal, non-conformist, poor law and schools records; wills, vaccination registers, rate books, freemen's apprentices and more.
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.
Biddestone Land & Property Records
A database of over 76,000 names found in documents held by Bath Archives. It contains extracts from coroners, criminal, non-conformist, poor law and schools records; wills, vaccination registers, rate books, freemen's apprentices and more.
Abstracts of records detailing the deaths of landowners in Wiltshire and the inheritance of their lands.
Abstracts of records detailing the deaths of landowners in Wiltshire and the inheritance of their lands.
Abstracts of records detailing the deaths of landowners in Wiltshire and the inheritance of their lands.
An index to freeholders who voted in the election. Also names tenants of properties.
Biddestone 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 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 contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
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.
Biddestone Cemeteries
An index to vital details engraved on over 290,000 monuments across the county of Wiltshire.
Photographs and descriptions of Wiltshire'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.
Biddestone 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.
Biddestone 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 and images of churches in Wiltshire.
Extensive galleries of parish churches in Wiltshire.
An index of windmills in the county, with brief notes and some photographs.
Biddestone School & Education Records
A database of over 76,000 names found in documents held by Bath Archives. It contains extracts from coroners, criminal, non-conformist, poor law and schools records; wills, vaccination registers, rate books, freemen's apprentices and more.
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.
Biddestone Occupation & Business Records
A database of over 76,000 names found in documents held by Bath Archives. It contains extracts from coroners, criminal, non-conformist, poor law and schools records; wills, vaccination registers, rate books, freemen's apprentices and more.
An index to over 100,000 patient records covering Wiltshire.
Histories of Wiltshire pubs, with photographs and lists of owners or operators.
Profiles of coal and metal mines in the south of England.
Short histories of former public houses, with photographs and lists of owners or operators.
Pedigrees & Family Trees Covering Biddestone
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.
Biddestone Royalty, Nobility & Heraldry Records
A detailed history of the county's hundreds, parishes and religious houses.
Photographs and descriptions of Wiltshire'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.
Over 600 pedigrees for English and Welsh families who had a right to bear a coat of arms.
Biddestone Church Records
The parish registers of Biddestone are a collection of books essentially documenting births, marriages and deaths from 1605 to 1837.
A database of over 76,000 names found in documents held by Bath Archives. It contains extracts from coroners, criminal, non-conformist, poor law and schools records; wills, vaccination registers, rate books, freemen's apprentices and more.
A history of Catholicism in South West England with biographies of noted Catholics. Contains details of the Dominican, Benedictine, and Franciscan orders.
Extensive galleries of parish churches in Wiltshire.
An index to names and places mentioned in act books of the Province of Canterbury. It records various licences and conferments, such as marriage and physician licences.
Biographical Directories Covering Biddestone
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.
Biddestone Maps
Digital images of maps covering the county.
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.
Maps of parishes in England, Scotland and Wales. They are useful in determining which parish records may be relevant to your research.
Biddestone 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
BIDDESTONE is a village, divided formerly into two parishes, viz. St. Peter and St. Nicholas, but amalgamated by a Local Government Board order March 25, 1884; the parish is miles north from Corsham station on the Great Western railway and 4 west from Chippenham, in the North Western division of the county, hundred, petty sessional division, county court district, and union of Chippenham, and in the rural deanery of Chippenham and archdeaconry and diocese of Bristol. The church of St. Nicholas is an ancient edifice of stone in the Norman style, consisting of chancel, nave, south porch and a curious old belfry over the chancel arch containing one bell: there are sittings for 200 persons. The register dates from the year 1688. The living consists of the rectory of St. Peter and vicarage of St. Nicholas, with the vicarage of Slaughterford annexed, net yearly value £120, with 5 acres of glebe and residence, in the gift of Winchester College, and held since 1898 by the Rev. Frederick Tearle. St. Peter’s church has been taken down, and the turret now stands in the gardens in Castle Combe parish. There are Baptist and Primitive Methodist chapels. The charities include one of £18 yearly value, left by Lady James, to be distributed in clothes and coals at Christmas; and another of £5 10s. yearly, for the deserving poor at Christmas, left by W. Little; these are invested in the New 2 ½ per Cent. Consols. Maj.-Gen. Lord Methuen C. B. C. M. G. who is lord of the manor, and Sir John Poynder Dickson-Poynder bart. M. P. of Hartham Park, are the principal landowners. The soil is brash; subsoil, blue marl. The chief crops are wheat, barley and pasture lands. The area is 1,945 acres; rateable value, £1,828; the population in 1891 was 493.
National School (mixed), built in 1841, for 100 children; average attendance, 90.
Most Common Surnames in Biddestone
| Rank | Surname | Incidence | Frequency | Percent of Parent | Rank in Chippenham Hundred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baker | 15 | 1:28 | 1.69% | 18 |
| 2 | Ware | 14 | 1:30 | 22.95% | 869 |
| 3 | Wicks | 13 | 1:33 | 4.64% | 191 |
| 3 | Hulbert | 13 | 1:33 | 4.02% | 153 |
| 3 | Barnfield | 13 | 1:33 | 52.00% | 1,606 |
| 6 | Beazor | 12 | 1:36 | 92.31% | 2,374 |
| 7 | Bishop | 10 | 1:43 | 2.16% | 78 |
| 7 | Little | 10 | 1:43 | 2.48% | 102 |
| 7 | Beard | 10 | 1:43 | 10.10% | 570 |
| 7 | Hand | 10 | 1:43 | 7.81% | 434 |
| 11 | Brixey | 9 | 1:47 | 90.00% | 2,760 |
| 12 | Blake | 8 | 1:53 | 1.19% | 41 |
| 12 | Cullimore | 8 | 1:53 | 66.67% | 2,472 |
| 12 | Bence | 8 | 1:53 | 15.38% | 980 |
| 12 | Howel | 8 | 1:53 | 66.67% | 2,472 |
| 12 | Alsip | 8 | 1:53 | 100.00% | 3,156 |
| 17 | Davis | 7 | 1:61 | 0.50% | 5 |
| 17 | Cousins | 7 | 1:61 | 13.46% | 980 |
| 17 | Grinman | 7 | 1:61 | 100.00% | 3,480 |
| 17 | Eazel | 7 | 1:61 | 100.00% | 3,480 |
| 21 | Elliott | 6 | 1:71 | 1.80% | 145 |
| 21 | Brain | 6 | 1:71 | 5.94% | 559 |
| 21 | Bushell | 6 | 1:71 | 12.50% | 1,025 |
| 21 | Ponting | 6 | 1:71 | 1.88% | 159 |
| 21 | Beazer | 6 | 1:71 | 27.27% | 1,739 |
| 21 | Towsend | 6 | 1:71 | 54.55% | 2,605 |
| 21 | Jasiner | 6 | 1:71 | 100.00% | 3,860 |
| 28 | Smith | 5 | 1:85 | 0.12% | 1 |
| 28 | Lewis | 5 | 1:85 | 0.66% | 31 |
| 28 | Jennings | 5 | 1:85 | 3.40% | 365 |
| 28 | Woodman | 5 | 1:85 | 2.81% | 308 |
| 28 | Gifford | 5 | 1:85 | 25.00% | 1,832 |
| 28 | Jacques | 5 | 1:85 | 83.33% | 3,860 |
| 28 | Burchell | 5 | 1:85 | 3.60% | 392 |
| 28 | Ballinger | 5 | 1:85 | 11.90% | 1,110 |
| 28 | Weecks | 5 | 1:85 | 100.00% | 4,298 |
| 37 | Watson | 4 | 1:107 | 2.88% | 392 |
| 37 | King | 4 | 1:107 | 0.29% | 6 |
| 37 | Bull | 4 | 1:107 | 0.74% | 58 |
| 37 | Coates | 4 | 1:107 | 4.40% | 610 |
| 37 | Bush | 4 | 1:107 | 1.48% | 201 |
| 37 | Aldridge | 4 | 1:107 | 4.26% | 598 |
| 37 | Jaques | 4 | 1:107 | 28.57% | 2,259 |
| 37 | Hatter | 4 | 1:107 | 3.15% | 437 |
| 37 | Neat | 4 | 1:107 | 5.97% | 794 |
| 37 | Archard | 4 | 1:107 | 4.00% | 568 |
| 37 | Humpries | 4 | 1:107 | 66.67% | 3,860 |
| 48 | Butler | 3 | 1:142 | 0.61% | 69 |
| 48 | Gale | 3 | 1:142 | 0.47% | 46 |
| 48 | Brewer | 3 | 1:142 | 1.10% | 199 |
| 48 | Gay | 3 | 1:142 | 1.31% | 237 |
| 48 | Lapham | 3 | 1:142 | 8.82% | 1,280 |
| 48 | Whitebread | 3 | 1:142 | 15.00% | 1,832 |
| 48 | Arman | 3 | 1:142 | 6.12% | 1,016 |
| 55 | Taylor | 2 | 1:213 | 0.17% | 9 |
| 55 | Martin | 2 | 1:213 | 0.31% | 44 |
| 55 | Cooper | 2 | 1:213 | 0.35% | 55 |
| 55 | Young | 2 | 1:213 | 0.25% | 26 |
| 55 | Parsons | 2 | 1:213 | 0.28% | 36 |
| 55 | Coleman | 2 | 1:213 | 0.66% | 174 |
| 55 | Howell | 2 | 1:213 | 0.57% | 138 |
| 55 | Carpenter | 2 | 1:213 | 0.38% | 59 |
| 55 | North | 2 | 1:213 | 1.23% | 331 |
| 55 | Gibbons | 2 | 1:213 | 1.54% | 423 |
| 55 | Tanner | 2 | 1:213 | 0.40% | 62 |
| 55 | Adam | 2 | 1:213 | 40.00% | 4,298 |
| 55 | Giddings | 2 | 1:213 | 0.53% | 122 |
| 55 | Trotman | 2 | 1:213 | 2.86% | 764 |
| 55 | Hazel | 2 | 1:213 | 6.25% | 1,334 |
| 55 | Billett | 2 | 1:213 | 2.41% | 655 |
| 55 | Selman | 2 | 1:213 | 1.28% | 346 |
| 55 | Gits | 2 | 1:213 | 100.00% | 6,102 |
| 73 | Brown | 1 | 1:426 | 0.06% | 2 |
| 73 | Green | 1 | 1:426 | 0.13% | 32 |
| 73 | Collins | 1 | 1:426 | 0.17% | 52 |
| 73 | Mason | 1 | 1:426 | 0.52% | 284 |
| 73 | Bird | 1 | 1:426 | 0.43% | 232 |
| 73 | Bartlett | 1 | 1:426 | 0.27% | 130 |
| 73 | Townsend | 1 | 1:426 | 0.17% | 51 |
| 73 | Archer | 1 | 1:426 | 0.48% | 259 |
| 73 | Muir | 1 | 1:426 | 50.00% | 6,102 |
| 73 | Farmer | 1 | 1:426 | 0.49% | 268 |
| 73 | Head | 1 | 1:426 | 0.41% | 226 |
| 73 | Clifford | 1 | 1:426 | 0.35% | 187 |
| 73 | Sargent | 1 | 1:426 | 1.03% | 579 |
| 73 | Walter | 1 | 1:426 | 1.56% | 828 |
| 73 | Wiltshire | 1 | 1:426 | 0.16% | 47 |
| 73 | Sayers | 1 | 1:426 | 14.29% | 3,480 |
| 73 | Ling | 1 | 1:426 | 6.67% | 2,175 |
| 73 | Hemmings | 1 | 1:426 | 2.56% | 1,165 |
| 73 | Duck | 1 | 1:426 | 0.65% | 354 |
| 73 | Wait | 1 | 1:426 | 0.74% | 402 |
| 73 | Simpkins | 1 | 1:426 | 0.31% | 150 |
| 73 | Combe | 1 | 1:426 | 100.00% | 7,174 |
| 73 | Richens | 1 | 1:426 | 0.57% | 315 |
| 73 | Brind | 1 | 1:426 | 1.59% | 840 |
| 73 | Armand | 1 | 1:426 | 100.00% | 7,174 |
| 73 | Dicketts | 1 | 1:426 | 25.00% | 4,820 |