Beckford Gloucestershire Family History Guide
Beckford is an Ancient Parish in the county of Gloucestershire. Ashton under Hill is a chapelry of Beckford.
Beckford is now in Worcestershire and is part of Wychavon district.
Other places in the parish include: Bangrove, Didcote or Didcot, and Grafton.
Parish church: St John the Baptist
Parish registers begin: 1538
Nonconformists include: Roman Catholic
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
- Great Washbourne
- Oxenton
- Overbury
- Dumbleton
- Winchcombe
- Ashton under Hill
- Teddington Worcestershire
- Alderton
Parish History
Beckford
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
Beckford, a village and a parish in Winchcomb district, Gloucester. The village stands near the Ashchurch and Evesham railway, 7 miles SW of Evesham; and has a r. station, and a post office under Tewkesbury.
The parish includes also the hamlets of Bangrove, Didcote, and Grafton. Acres, 2,650. Real property, £2,454. Pop., 473. Houses, 103. The property is divided among a few. Beckford Hall is the seat of Hattil Foll, Esq. The manor was given, in the time of Henry I., to the Abbey of St. Martin in Normandy; and passed, after the suppression, first to Eton college, next to Fotheringhay, next to Sir Richard Lee.
The living is a vicarage, united to the p. curacy of Ashton-under-Hill, in the diocese of Gloucester and Bristol. Value, £317. Patron, the Rev. Dr. Timbrill. The church is Norman, was recently restored, and has a lofty tower, crowned with pinnacles. Charities, £47.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales 1851
Beckford, a parish in the hund. of Tibaldstone, union of Winchcomb, county of Gloucester; 5½ miles east-north-east of Tewkesbury, in the neighbourhood of the Cheltenham and Great Western union railway.
Living, a vicarage in the archd. and dio. of Gloucester, valued at £16 16s. 10d.; united with the curacy of Ashton-under-Hill; gross income £319. Patron, in 1835, the Rev. Dr Timbrill. The church is a very ancient structure. The great and small tithes of the townships of Beckford, Grafton, Ashton-under-Hill, and Bengrave, the property of the lay-impropriators and the vicar, were commuted in 1773.
The Roman Catholics had a chapel here; but now meet in a private chapel at Overton. “Here probably was one of the Saxon monasteries, about which the contest was in the synod of Clovesho, in the year 803, between the bishops of Worcester and Hereford. It is more certain that this manor was given, in the time of Henry I., to the abbey of St Martin and St Barbara in Normandy, commonly called St Barbe-en-Auge, by Rabellus Camerarius; and that a prior and canons were sent over, and it became a cell to that foreign house, which was of the order of St Austin.
Upon the suppression of alien priories, this was bestowed by King Henry VI. upon Eaton college, when it was reckoned to them at the yearly value of £56 6s. 8d.; but afterwards by King Edward IV. on Fodringhey. And, as parcel of the possessions of this last-mentioned college, it was granted, 1° Edward VI., to Sir Richard Lee.” — Tanner’s Not. Mon. Charities connected with the parish produce £46 yearly. Pop., in 1801, 375; in 1831, 433. Houses 86. Acres 2,650. A. P. £2,106. Poor rates, in 1837. £84.
Source: The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales; A Fullarton & Co. Glasgow; 1851.
Bangrove
Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales 1850
Bengrave, included in Beckford par.
Source: Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales; Second Edition; C. W. Leonard, London; 1850
Grafton
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
Grafton, a hamlet in Beckford parish, Gloucester; 6 miles SSW of Evesham. Real property, £1,328. A landslip of about 16 acres, from the side of Breedon hill, occurred here in 1764, and entirely covered the pasture-grounds below.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales 1851
Grafton, a hamlet in the parish of Beckford, county of Gloucester; 6 miles south-south-west of Evesham. Tithes of this hamlet commuted in 1773. A singular circumstance took place near this hamlet in 1764. About 16 acres of land slipped from the side of Breedon-hill and entirely covered the pasture grounds below. The accident was attributed to incessant heavy rains. It is said that on the day previous to the land slip a horse discovered the insecurity of the ground and refused to pass.
Source: The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales; A Fullarton & Co. Glasgow; 1851.
Parish Records
FamilySearch
Parish Registers
Marriages Out of Parish
| Details | Place of Marriage |
|---|---|
| Richard New, of Beckford, & Elizabeth Coles, 27 Nov. 1793 | Alstone |
| John Wells, of Beckford, & Mary New, 4 Oct. 1796 | Alstone |
| William Cook, of Beckford, & Sarah Pain, 22 Dec. 1803 | Alstone |
Directories
Beckford Kellys Gloucestershire Directory 1863
Beckford is a village and parish, 4 miles north-east from Ashchurch station on the Bristol and Birmingham railway, 6 north-east from Tewkesbury, 9 north from Cheltenham, and 6 north-west from Winchcomb, in Tibbaldstone hundred, Winchcomb union and county court district, East Gloucestershire, rural deanery of Campden, Gloucester archdeaconry, bishopric of Gloucester and Bristol. The village is situated on the river Carrant, a little off the high road from Tewkesbury to Evesham.
The church of St. John the Baptist is an old building in the Norman style, and has two fine arches of that period, viz., the porch and chancel arch; it consists of a nave, aisle, chancel, and handsome high tower in the middle, crowned with pinnacles, and contains a clock and a peal of 6 fine-toned bells; it has been repaired at great expense, and decorated in the interior; there are two mural tablets, one to the Wakeman and one to the Timbrill families. The register commences in 1549.
The living is an endowed vicarage, with the cbapelry of Ashton-under-Hill annexed, value £400 yearly, with residence and 213 acres of glebe land, held by the Ven. Archdeacon Timbrill, D.D., rector of Dursley, of Worcester College, Oxford. Here is a Sunday school for children of both sexes, supported by the vicar. Beckford Hall was the ancient mansion of the Wakeman family, but it has been recently purchased by Hattil Foll, Esq., J.P., who is the lord of the manor. In the grounds, among other interesting features, is an avenue of box, 160 yards in length, which has attained a great height and size. A saline spring runs through the parish.
The population in 1861 was 473; acreage 2,655: the soil is good, both arable and pasture, and consists of— first stratum (top of hill), oolite limestone; second, upper lias; third, marlstone; fourth (valley), lower lias. Mr. John Freeman, Edward Holland, Esq., the Vicar, Edward B. Blackburne, Esq., Samuel Gist, Esq., Mr. Bluck, Hattil Foll, Esq., J. P., and Mr. Woodward, are chief landowners. There are charities of £20 yearly value given in bread to the poor, and £30 for such uses as the trustees think proper. Beckford comprises the hamlets of Grafton, Bangrove and Didcot.
Grafton is distant 1 mile north-east, Bangrove, 1 mile and a half south, and Didcot, 1 mile and a halt east.
Parish Clerk, Richard Cotton.
Beckford.
Badham George, esq. Beckford house
Faulkner Rev. William
Foll Hattil, esq. J.P. Beckford hall
Smith Mr. Job
Timbrill The Ven. Archdeacon, D.D. Vicarage
Timbrill Robert, esq
Commercial.
Bluck Thomas, farmer
Burge Nathan, saddler & harness makr
Clements Charles, tailor
Cresswell Thomas, Beckford inn, & farmer & butcher
Foort Charles, grocer & baker
Freeman Joseph, farmer
Saunders Herbert, carpenter & wheelwright
Smith James, grocer & draper
Tranmar William, farm bailiff to Hattil Foll, esq
Wagstaff John, plumber & painter
White William, blacksmith
Didcot.
Smith Henry, farmer
Baylis John, carpenter
Crump John, farmer
Richardson Samuel, farmer
Bangrove.
Evans Joseph, farmer
Martin Thomas, farmer
Post Office. — Charles Foort, receiver. Letters arrive by foot post from Tewkesbury post & money order office at 9 a.m.; dispatched 4 p.m
Police Station, George Dutton, sergeant
Registrar of Births & Deaths, Daniel Edington, Clceve
Carrier. — Henry Drinkwater, to Tewkesbury, on Wednesday; to Cheltenham, on thursday & Saturday
Source: Post Office Directory of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and the City of Bristol, Printed and Published by Kelly and Co., Old Boswell Court, St. Clement’s, Strand, London. 1863.
Beckford Kellys Gloucestershire Directory 1856
Beckford is a township, village, and parish, 4 miles north-east from Ashchurch station on the Bristol and Birmingham railway, 6 north-east from Tewkesbury, 6 north from Cheltenham, and 6 north-west from Winchcomb, in Tibbaldstone Hundred, Winchcomb Union, East Gloucestershire, Gloucester archdeaconry, and bishopric of Gloucester and Bristol. The village is situated on the river Carrant, a little of the high road from Tewkesbury to Evesham.
The church of St. John the Baptist is an old building in the Norman style, and has two fine arches of that period, viz., the porch and chancel arch. It consists of nave, aisle, chancel, and handsome high tower in the middle, crowned with pinnacles, and contains a clock and a peal of 6 fine-toned bells. It has been lately repaired at great expense, and decorated in the interior. There are tow mural tablets, one to the Wakeman and one to the Timbrill families.
The living is an endowed vicarage, with the chapelry of Ashton-under-Hill annexed, worth £400 yearly, with residence and 213 acres of glebe land, in the gift and incumbency of the Ven. Archdeacon Timbrill, D.D. Here is a Sunday school for children of both sexes, supported by the vicar.
Beckford Hall, the ancient mansion of the Wakeman family, is now occupied by John Woodward, Esq. The grounds are fine; among other interesting features is an avenue of box, which has attained a great height and size; it is 160 yards in length, and would well repay a visit. A saline spring runs through the parish.
The population, in 1851, was 450; acreage, 2,655; the soil is good, both arable and pasture, and consists of – first stratum (top of hill), oolite limestone; second, upper lias; third, marlstone; fourth (valley), lower lias. Walter Wakeman, Esq., is lord of the manor, and Mr. John Freeman, Edward Holland, Esq., the vicar, Edward B. Blackburne, Esq., and Miss Baldwin, and Samuel Gist, Esq., are chief landowners. There are charities of £20 yearly value given in bread to the poor, and £30 for such uses as the trustees think proper. Beckford comprises the hamlets of Grafton, Bangrove and Didcot.
Grafton is distant 1 mile north-east; Bangrove, 1 ½ miles south; and Didcot, 2 ½ miles east.
Beckford
Gentry
Badham George, esq.
Faulkner Rev. William
Nind John, esq.
Smith Mr. Job
Timbrill the Ven. Archdeacon, D.D. Vicarage
Woodward John, esq. Beckford hall
Traders
Burge Nathan, saddler
Carless James, Beckford inn
Clements Charles, tailor
Cotton Richard, parish clerk
Dunn Thomas, farmer
Foort Charles, shopkeeper, shoemaker & postmaster
Freeman Joseph, farmer
New Joseph & William, farmers
New Charles, carrier
New Charles M. farmer
Nind John, farmer
Osborne Thomas, wheelwright
Peart William, grocer & draper
Sanders William, blacksmith
Smith James, grocer &c.
Taylor Thomas, carrier
Wagstaff John, plumber & painter
Woodward John, farmer, Beckford hall
Didcot
Smith Henry, farmer
Grafton
Traders
Baylis John, carpenter
Crump John, farmer
Izard Sarah (Mrs.), farmer
Bangrove
Evans Joseph, farmer
Martin Thomas, farmer
Post Office. – Charles Foort, receiver. Letters arrive by foot-post from Tewkesbury post & money order office at 9 a.m.; dispatched 4 p.m.
Registrar of Births & Deaths, & Relieving Officer, Geo. Hemming Jackson, Winchcomb.
Parish Clerk, Richard Cotton
Police Station, Thomas Chandler, sergeant
St. John’s Church, the Ven. Archdeacon Timbrill, D.D. vicar
Carriers to: –
Tewkesbury – Thomas Taylor & Charles New, wed
Cheltenham – Thomas Taylor & Charles New, sat
Source: Post Office Directory of Gloucestershire with Bath and Bristol. Printed and Published by Kelly and Co., 19, 20 & 21, Old Boswell Court, St. Clement’s, Strand, London. 1856.
Family History Links
Administration
- County: Gloucestershire
- Civil Registration District: Winchcomb
- Probate Court: Court of the Bishop of Gloucester (Episcopal Consistory)
- Diocese: Pre 1836 – Gloucester, Post 1835 – Gloucester and Bristol
- Rural Deanery: Campden
- Poor Law Union: Winchcombe
- Hundred: Tibaldstone
- Province: Canterbury