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Links to further information:
- Mission & Ministry
- Heritage & Church Guide
- Restoration & Development Links to external websites from pages within this site are made in good faith but no responsibility can be taken for their content or any changes therein. Such links should open in a new window
Heritage and Archives
Other places to look!
Over the centuries all sorts of items have been given away, taken (!) or found their way to other churches, museums and other places.Whilst our knowledge of these is only partial it does give an interesting list of other places to visit and find something of Frome's past while you are there.
Other websites
- A wide range of relevant material, including extracts from old church records and the 1840 Tithe apportionment can be found on the fromeresearch website
- Much useful local information is held at Frome Museum whose exhibitions and archives are worth the visit.
Note regarding parish registers and their contents:
The format and content of parish registers has changed significantly over the centuries.It is important to note that they were often only written up annually from rough books (we hold some early C19 examples of rough books) and that errors of transcription did occasionally occur in that process.
The following dates have particular significance:
- 1538 – The keeping of parish registers was mandated but many parishes took time to implement this. Only a small percentage of parishes have surviving registers from this period.
- 1598 - Copies of entries in registers were to be sent to the bishop of their diocese: known as Bishop’s Transcripts.
- 1643-1659 – Registers were very variably kept during the English Civil War and the Commonwealth period which followed. Some registers of this period contain a lot of extra detail, some do not survive at all. Marriages in particular may be missing as they may have been conducted by deposed or deprived ministers and never entered into any register.
- 1711 – Register pages were supposed to be ruled and numbered though this was widely ignored.
- 1733 – The use of Latin in registers is prohibited.
- 1752 – Calendar reform took effect in September 1752.(NB Scotland had changed in 1600). Prior to this the year commenced on 25th March, so any register entry for December 1750 would have been followed by January 1750. The 11 day adjustment made that year resulted in the start of the UK tax year moving from 25th March to 5th April.
- 1754 – Hardwicke’s Marriage Act (passed in 1753) came into force which required a separate marriage register. Marriage entries now contained the names of witnesses and signatures of the couple. Banns were now reuqired and these registers may also survive. Many forms of clandestine marriage now became illegal.
- 1763 – The minimum age for marriage was now set at 16. Those under 21 needed the consent of parents Before this date marriage of girls of 12 and boys of 14 was possible. Individuals that are over 21 often have their age listed simply as of “full age”.
- 1812 – George Rose’s Act. New pre-printed registers were to be used for separate baptism, marriage and burial registers as a way of standardizing records.
- 1837 - Civil registration introduced. A format of register was used with a fuller range of information recorded.
Transcripts and extracts from Frome Selwood parish archives:
Unless otherwise indicated files are in .htm webpage format. The larger files such as the marriage finding aid are in .csv or .zip compressed EXCEL format as the file size in HTML would be excessive [Excel's own 'save as' to .htm makes the marriage finding aid into an 83MB .htm file and even going via .csv to .htm gives a 1.5MB .htm file which is too large to be fair on dial-up connections!]- Transcript of assorted leases relating to properties which stood
on the church forecourt before the making
of Bath Street
- Details of collections made 1661-63, 1674-77 and 1687-89
in reponse to appeals by way of 'church briefs' to assist other places and people
in need
- Transcripts of C18 Vestry meetings:
- An indexed transcript of the Vestry minutes held at St John's
has been published as a 48page A4 booklet ISBN 0 9530026 2 4 (Price £5 plus P&P)
A sample of the information contained in the volume can be read in the Minutes
taken during 1790-1800.
This was the century when the church Vestry meeting fulfilled most of the functions of the modern local authorities from education and highways to health and welfare of the poor.
- An indexed transcript of the Vestry minutes held at St John's
has been published as a 48page A4 booklet ISBN 0 9530026 2 4 (Price £5 plus P&P)
A sample of the information contained in the volume can be read in the Minutes
taken during 1790-1800.
- Sample of information in 1745 Church Rates for
surnames beginning with the letter A in each of the three tithings of the parish
- List (18KB) of Apprentices in early C18 from Vestry Book
- List (.pdf file) of Benefactions from Tables set up
in 1681 and removed in 1860's
- List (84KB image) of Churchwardens
- List (453KB) of Vestry Meeting Attendance for early/mid C18
- Download 293KB .csv file: Finding Aid for marriages at St Johns from 1813 to 1853
NB you will need to download this file and then use a text editor or preferably any spreadsheet program to view the data. - Download 260KB .ZIP compressed EXCEL file: Finding Aid for Marriages at St John's from 1813 to 1853
NB you will need to download this file and then unzip the file on your computer - Download 91KB .ZIP compressed HTML file (2MB uncompressed): Index for Baptisms at St John's from 1813 to 1821
NB you will need to download this file and then unzip the file on your computer
- List (122KB) of Woodlands Baptisms from 1872 to 1903
- Download 19KB .ZIP compressed EXCEL file: Transcript of Baptisms at Woodlands from 1872 to 1903
NB you will need to download this file and then unzip the file on your computer
The number of marriages recorded 1558-1853 and notes about missing information can be found here