Delve into City's past - via a computer
Released: 11 April 2008
Details of hundreds of thousands of baptisms, marriages and burials which have taken place in Wolverhampton over four centuries have been made available on the internet for the first time.
History hunters keen to delve into their family’s past can now do so at a click of a button thanks to a new service provided by Wolverhampton City Council’s Archives and Local Studies service.
A series of indexes have been put together by volunteer Pat Galloway to help people track down details of baptisms, marriages and burials which took place in parishes around Wolverhampton as long ago as the 16th century.
The indexes detail baptisms, marriages and burials at local Church of England churches between 1751 and 1903, in the parish of Bilston between 1684-1837 and at the area’s Methodist church from 1726 to 1957, baptisms and marriages at St Peter’s Church between 1538 and 1875, baptisms and burials in Willenhall from 1727 to 1837 and burials at Merridale cemetery from 1850 to 1937.
City archivist David Bishop said: “These lists give details of hundreds of thousands of key life events that have taken place over a period of 400 years.
“They will be of real interest to anyone undertaking research into their family history, and will help genealogists find that elusive missing ancestor.
“Even more than that, these lists give you a real feel for the Wolverhampton of the past. As well as names, in many entries you can find out about the professions undertaken by people, where they lived and also where they came from.”
The index also includes some surprising and disturbing revelations. They include details of the baptism at St Peter's Church on April 13, 1684, of a girl called Fortune, “a child whom her mother unnaturally left in a barn in Wolverhampton and ran away...”
Another baptism, this time in Bilston on March 3, 1754, describes Jemima, “a child found in a basket in Bilston Street beyond the toll gate and both the father and mother are unknown.” An unhappy end to this story is found in a burial record just 10 days later which reads: “13 March, 1754, Jemima. Child found in a basket 10 days ago. Parents unknown”.
The records can also throw up the entirely unexpected, such as the burial in Bilston on January 7, 1829, of a man named Seignior Castelle. Aged 24, he was described as “a traveller exhibited in this town as a living skeleton: He was a perfect skeleton and had been so from his fourth year”.
David Bishop said: “These indexes are a rich source of information about the Wolverhampton of the past, and only hint at some of the stories that lay behind them.
“They were compiled by one of our most dedicated volunteers, Pat Galloway, who has done so much to help us make our collections – and therefore the history of Wolverhampton – more accessible to everyone.
“Without her help, and the help of others like her, the Archives service wouldn't be the success it is today.”
To access the indexes, visit www.wolverhamptonhistory.org.uk/resources/familyhistory
Issued by the press office.