Genealogy Chat

Hello to all,

I am new to this and just wondered if there was any way to go further back than church records.

I have my 8 x great grandfather Henrici Goodhead 1660 from the St Modwens church records Burton on Trent, but the church did not exist before this time.

Would there have been anywhere else that kept records of local people? Monks in the Burton abbey perhaps?

Regards

Neil

HENRICUS GOODHEAD Pedigree
Male


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Event(s):
Birth:
Christening: 03 JUL 1686 Burton Upon Trent, Stafford, England

Death:
Burial:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parents:
Father: HENRICI GOODHEAD Family
Mother: SARAE

Hen. Goodhead Pedigree
Male


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Event(s):
Birth:
Christening: 03 FEB 1711 St Modwen, Burton Upon Trent, Stafford, England

Death:
Burial:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parents:
Father: Johan. Goodhead Family
Mother: Hannae

according to this the parish registers go back to the 1500's

Church of England Registers
The parish register of the parish church of St Modwen, Burton, commences in 1538. The original registers for the period 1538-1921 (Bapts), 1538-1980 (Mar) & 1538-1914 (Bur) are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office.
Bishops Transcripts, 1663-1882 (with gaps 1765-73) are deposited at Lichfield Record Office.
A transcript of the registers for the period 1790-1837 (Marriages only) has been published by the Birmingham & Midland SGH.
The register of the church of Holy Trinity, Burton, commences in 1824. The original registers for the period 1824-1968 (Bapt), 1844-1969 (Mar) & 1826-1969 (Bur), are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office. Banns for the period 1882-1965 are deposited at Burton upon Trent Archives.

In the 7th century Christianity came to Burton-on-Trent in the form of a nun who became known as St Modwen. St Modwen built a wooden church and small settlement on an island in the middle of the river Trent, the name of that island Andresey.

St Modwen spent seven years at Burton-on-Trent, together with two other Irish nuns called Lazar and Althea. They are credited with performing many miracles on this Andresey Island. A well there was said to have special healing properties particularly those connected with the eyes. St Modwen and her companions also went on a pilgrimage to Rome and on their return built another church nearby at Stapenhill, near to where St Peter's Church now stands.

St Modwen journeying to Langfortin in Scotland where she died, but her body was returned to Burton-on-Trent for burial.

Unfortunately the wooden church and the shrine to St Modwen on Andresey Island was destroyed by the Danes around 874AD.

In 1004AD Wulfric Spot, (Earl of Mercia) founded a Benedictine Abbey on the banks of the River Trent, near to the site of St Modwen's first church. Wulfric Spot removed the remains and relics of St Modwen from Andresey Island and placed them within a shrine in the Abbey Church.

Hence are derived the connections between the three Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire lodges.
Abbey Lodge No 624 - Our mother lodge
St Modwen's Lodge No 4850 - our sister lodge
Andresey Lodge No 6408

So although Abbey Lodge is the oldest, St Modwen's Lodge next and Andresey Lodge the youngest, in history Andresey is the oldest, St Modwen next and Abbey the youngest.

I think I read somewhere that someone started their genealogy research one afternoon in the local records office and by 5pm was back to the 11th century (paternal line only). He was lucky enough to find that the family were frequently mentioned in the manorial records for the village.

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GOODHEAD Henry Servant Unm M 15 Waggoner's boy Burton on Trent, Staffs Newhall Derbyshire 1861
GOODHEAD Mary Lodger Unm F 21 School mistress Burton on Trent, Staffs Newhall Derbyshire 1851

You will probably find that if you are lucky some of your branches may lead to parishes where records exist from the mid 16th century when many parish records begin. Sadly many places have lost their records over time and usually you can't track ancestors that far back.

Beyond there you have to look at all sorts of other records. If you get lucky then ancestors may be recorded on land records, tithes, wills and all sorts. Many may be in the local records office.

If you find an ancestor from the aristocracy you may be very lucky and find that there are well documented genealogies for them because their marriages were business arrangements and land contracts. These were very well recorded and can whizz you back hundreds of years.

But then you can come across ancestors who make one appearance on the 1841 census and are recorded as being from out of county. That can lead to a dead end before you've hardly started.

Good luck

Sue

nudging for Neil

Ann - Many thanks for the information it is much appreciated. I have my direct line sorted from myself through to 1660, so was really a general question about where one might begin to look once the earliest church records were exhausted. I was not aware that there were parish records dating from 1538 at the Stafforshire records office, so that will have to be my next stop. Thanks again.

Ivy - Thanks for the reply - back to the 11th century in one afternoon!! Wow, that's some going. I can't believe I would be that lucky. If I could go back just one more generation I would feel I had done well.

Sue - Thank you for the pointer to the local records office and land records, tithes and wills etc. I just wasn't sure where to go next after church records. Looks like this is the next step if I want to go back further. Many thanks.

Regards

Neil

Does anyone have any knowledge of early English Christian names?

I have ancestors in the 1600's with the names Henrici, Johannes , Henricus and Radulphus. I have Googled the names many times but but can't seem to find their origin.

They sound as if they might be Dutch to me, but I have seen the names appearing elsewhere from that period, which suggests they might be early English names.

Anyone have any ideas?

Regards

Neil

. Radulphus de Barton ( ? - after 1154)
Radulphus de Barton was living in County York, England during the reign of King Henry II (1154-1189

No Neil

Those are the Latin versions of English names!

Henrici, Johannes , Henricus and Radulphus

Henry, John and Randolph (Henrici ending in i is plural so means more than one Henry)

Many parish records were written in Latin in the early days. Some even later

Sue

Sue

Many thanks, that explains a lot.

I had read that Burton on Trent was known for alabaster carving in the 1500 - 1600's and that they employed many Dutch craftsmen, hence my first impression that the names might be Dutch. Just shows how easily you can get misled!

Thank you for clearing that up - it's nice to be English again ;-)

Regards

Neil

see - didn't I tell you there were some clever people on this site!!!!

Ann X

Yes Ann, you were right - thanks for tip.

Sue - So, just to get this right in my thick head. You say the names were written in Latin, does that mean the men were still known by their English names e.g. Henry or did they use the Latin version Henrici?

Neil

Yes they were known by their English names.

It was just the clerk who recorded the parish records or those who wrote wills etc writing the records formally.

Through the earlier medieval period many records were in Latin and I have got wills for ancestors in the 16th century waiting for me to try and decipher them. My Latin was never good and it is hard enough reading old writing in English!

Sue

Thanks again Sue.