Place:Minsterworth, Gloucestershire, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Minsterworth is a village in Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the border of the City of Gloucester, on the north bank of the River Severn (effectively on the western side of the river) and on the A48 road between Gloucester and Chepstow.

Minsterworth is governed by a parish council. The parish includes the village of Calcott's Green. The population of the village as at the 2011 census was 444. The population in mid-2014 was 470 people, with 70 people aged 0–15, 270 people aged 16–64 and 135 people aged 65+. The higher levels of government are Tewkesbury Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council.

The village has a long history, at one stage being held by the rebellious baron Simon de Montfort. Its economy used to be heavily involved with salmon-fishing in the Severn, as illustrated by a carving in the local church of three salmon caught in a fishing net. Fishing for elvers remains an important activity. The local church, St Peter's, lies right next to the river, with three ancient yews in the churchyard. It was rebuilt by Henry Woodyer (who had earlier worked on the nearby church in Highnam) in 1870, but contains many older features such as a fifteenth-century baptismal font, a Jacobean pulpit and part of a fourteenth-century cope.

The village has a church (St Peter's), a primary school (Minsterworth C of E) and a village hall. In December 2017, the primary school was forced to shut down due to a lack of pupils. The Severn Bore Inn, butchers shop and waterski club, often attributed to the village, actually lie outside the parish boundary. It also has a number of listed buildings dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.

The village of Minsterworth is an Acorn Class 2 area and is one of the more desirable areas in Gloucestershire and the most desirable village in close proximity to the city of Gloucester. Average incomes are higher than average for Gloucestershire and England with the total weekly household income for 2007-2008 estimated at £720, compared to £673 for both Gloucestershire and England as a whole. Interest in current affairs is high.

The village is one of the best places to view the Severn Bore, where people can be seen surfing and water skiing from the local water ski club.

F. W. Harvey, war poet and broadcaster, dubbed the "Laureate of Gloucestershire", is buried in the village churchyard.

Minsterworth parish was transferred from East Dean Rural District to Gloucester Rural District in 1953.

Registration Districts

• Westbury-on-Severn Registration District (1837 - 1937)
• Gloucester Rural Registration District (1937 - 1974)
• Gloucester (post-1974) Registration District (1974 - 2006)
• Gloucestershire Registration District (2006 - )

Research Tips

• Gloucestershire Archives in Gloucester is where paper and microfilm copies of all records for this part of Gloucestershire are stored.

Online sources which may also be helpful:

• GENUKI gives pointers to other archive sources as well as providing some details on each parish in the county. The emphasis here is on ecclesiastical parishes (useful before 1837)
• A listing of all the Registration Districts in England and Wales since their introduction in 1837 and tables of the parishes that were part of each district and the time period covered with detailed notes on changes of parish name, mergers, etc. Do respect the copyright on this material.
• The FamilySearch Wiki for Gloucestershire provides a similar but not identical series of webpages to that provided by GENUKI
• A Vision of Britain through Time has a group of pages of statistical facts for almost every parish in the county
• Unfortunately, A History of the County of Gloucester in the Victoria County History series provided by the website British History Online does not cover this part of the county
• Ancestry.co.uk has recently added Gloucestershire Burials, 1813-1988; Confirmations, 1834-1913; Baptisms, 1813-1913; Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1813; and Marriages and Banns, 1754-1938. (entry dated 1 Aug 2015)
• There is a brief reference to Minsterworth in the Victoria County History.