Wiltshire baptism records - findmypast

[ElizabethHerts]

"Over half a million Wiltshire baptism records dating back to 1530 available

Hot on the heels of 100in100, we’re delighted to announce the release of over 55,000 more Wiltshire parish baptism records.
Records predating normal parish collections

Spanning the years 1530 to 1886, the 580,361 baptism records now available comprise transcripts of the registers from over 150 Wiltshire parishes compiled by Wiltshire Family History Society.

The Wiltshire baptisms are very unusual, as some of the earliest records in the collection are 484 years old, predating the vast majority of parish records.

The records begin in 1530, eight years before the Vicar General of England, Thomas Cromwell, ordered all of the nation’s parish churches to keep a record of all baptisms, marriages and burials.
Famous figures in our baptism records

The county of Wiltshire has produced a number of notable individuals, including the architect Sir Christopher Wren, whose baptism record can be found within the collection.

The Wiltshire parish baptisms add to Findmypast’s already extensive collection of Wiltshire records, that includes over 290,000 Wiltshire Memorial Inscription Index records, 67,000 Wiltshire Quarter Session Calendars and 20,593 Wiltshire removal orders."


Off to have a look!

[kiterunner]

Took me a while to realise there were no images. I realise it says transcripts but I was too impatient to read it all before I started searching!

[kiterunner]

Some more parishes have been added.

[Rick]

Thanks Elizabeth - I now know that the rather boringly-named Mary Taylor is the daughter of the more exotically-named Ursula Shrapnel !!

I've been stuck on that one for years.

[ElizabethHerts]

I have a Wiltshire ancestor named Ursula too, Rick. She is Ursula Eldridge and her mother was Ursula Kent.

[Rick]

Mary also has a sister, Ursula Taylor, so I wasn't surprised that the baptisms revealed that it was also their mother's name. They are from Bradford Upon Avon. I knew their father was David and I've now found a marriage for a Daniel Taylor (of Oldham, Lancs) to Ursula Shrapnel the year before the first child was baptised. I have to assume it's a mistranscription - Daniel & David look very similar on paper. Haven't found anything else on Ursula as yet, but Shrapnell is quite common in Bradford.

[kiterunner]

They have added over 600,000 more transcriptions.