Place:Somerford Keynes, Gloucestershire, England

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NameSomerford Keynes
Alt namesSummrefordsource: Domesday Book (1985) p 114
TypeVillage, Civil parish
Coordinates51.667°N 1.983°W
Located inGloucestershire, England     (1897 - )
Also located inWiltshire, England     ( - 1897)
See alsoMalmesbury (hundred), Wiltshire, Englandhundred in which it was located
Cirencester Rural, Gloucestershire, Englandrural district in which it was situated 1894-1974
Cotswold District, Gloucestershire, Englandmunicipal district of which it has been a part since 1974
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the following text is based on an article in Wikipedia

Somerford Keynes is a small village in Gloucestershire, close to the River Thames, a couple of miles from its source. Until 1897 it was located in the county of Wiltshire and its position is midway between Cirencester in Gloucestershire and Swindon and Malmesbury in Wiltshire. The parish population at the 2011 census was 479.

The Wikipedia article on Somerford Keynes has a reference to the Somerford Keynes Parish website which states:

"There has been a Christian settlement here since at least AD685, the year that the building of Gloucester Cathedral started. We also know the Romans were here, and archaeological digs before gravelling have shown evidence of much earlier occupation. Until 1897 we were in Wiltshire. On the formation of the civil parishes and proper County Councils in that year, the locals chose to be in Gloucestershire (by 3 votes to 2!!). In those days we had a pub, a school, at least one shop and a vicar to ourselves (Shorncote was amalgamated with us in the 1880s)."

Shorncote was previously a civil parish within Wiltshire.

The manor was held in 1211 by William de Cahaignes, an ancestor of the Keynes family. A description of the manor house can be found in Wikipedia which also includes a Keynes family tree covering the 19th and 20th centuries. Expanding this tree could be a project for a member of WeRelate.

Somerford Keynes is located close to the River Thames and Thames Path about five miles (8 km) from its source and is situated in the Cotswold Water Park. Much of its area is covered with reservoirs.

Registration Districts

Research Tips

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)

A collection of online source references for the County of Wiltshire will be found on its county page.

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Somerford Keynes. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.