WARNING: The correct use of any parish data from this project requires initial reading of the GENERAL NOTES as well as of the specific PARISH NOTES.
Registers missing: 1619-1692, 1711-1759 (but BT available for certain missing years - see below)
Register mixed to 1752, then Ba and Bu mixed to 1812.
Register misordered/gaps: The register regularly misorders entries chronologically.
Up to 1752 the register is occasionally misordered, either by dates not entered chronologically, or by pages (perhaps by mis-binding). Misordering by dates of single entries or several contiguous entries occurs occasionally and irregularly up to 1871.
Contraction marks: These are not transcribed and the missing letter(s) - sometimes uncertain - have not been consistently added. Hence note that the following surnames as transcribed in fact end with a contraction sign (e.g. Warto = Warton or Wartonn) or less often have an intermediate contraction sign (e.g. Covetry = Coventry): Apprento, Covetry, Ledso, Pemberto/Peberto, Warringto, Warto,
Whole year or large part (with smaller gaps in other years, and particularly of marriages omitted in some years after 1812): 1559-80, 1582-1602, 1606-1608, 1611-1613, 1616, 1620, 1625, 1628-9, 1632-5, 1637-65, 1667-8, 1670, 1673, 1677-8, 1683, 1686-9, 1691-8.
Bu 1562 early entries illegible
Bu 1563-1568 missing, probably when copied
Ba/Ma 1563-1567 entries take year date from head of page, but no 1565 date and entries misordered, so doubts about the year date of a number of the entries
Ba ?1564/04/04 (Yong) might be Bu
Ba 1578/02/14 ‘Meols Parva’
Ba 1580/07/31 (Covetry) left-hand margin has ‘R’, right-hand ‘C’
Ba 1580/08/14 (Wright) in margin ‘43 1623’
Ba 1581/10/21 (Blundell) in margin ‘R.B.’
Ba 1584/10/04 (Warrington) in margin ‘W.R. 1584’
Ba 1590/08/07 (Rathbonn) since Ba earlier, must be Bu
Bu 1591/09/05 (Covetry) might be Ba
Ba 1591/10/10 (Andrew) in margin ‘Caldy’
Ba 1592/11/14 (Holland) after this ‘His name was Sweete Face’
Ba 1593/10/22 (Andrew)in margin, large letters ‘T.A.’
Ba 1595/08/29 (Neubould) in margin ‘R.N.’
Ba 1595/12/07 (Rumer) the following entry, in a later hand, clarifies a difficult entry and changes the spelling of the surname: this sort of addition occurs in respect of some later entries.
Ba 1597/03/29 (Covetry) in margin ‘M Co’
Bu 1598/04/31 (Goldsmith) date thus
Ba 1600/12/09 (Wartonn) in left margin ‘Ex libris’, in right margin indecipherable word(s)
1601, end of year (March) totals of Ba, Bu, Ma
Ba heading, ‘Pfct Register of all the christenings, weddings and Burials within the parish West Kerbie / Roger Younge / Thomas Linacer / Gard’
Ba 1617/01/09 inserted among Ba the following statement:
‘Memorandum that whereas Robtus Johnson the sonne of Richard Johnson of West Kirbie of the age of nyne yeares upon the 14th daie of November Ano Dom 1602: And Ellen Johnson he newe wiefe beinge of the age of 13 yeares upon the 18th daie of Auguste Ano 15999 were coupled and ioyned together in wedlocke upon the 10th daie of Fenruarie ano 1611 before Willmus Glegg Esqr: Richard Johnson John Wrighte Thomas Rabone George Winstanley Willmus Liniker Ann Yonge and others ---- Now this Register dothe further recorde that the said Robtus Johnson and Ellen his wiefe in the presence of the forenamed William Glegg Richard Johnson John Wrighte George Winstanlie Willmus Liniker Thomas Urnston Thomas Coventrie Henricus Andrewe Christopher Crosse Richard Rymm Johane Limiker and Ellen Johnson have given both their mutuall consent unto the forenamed wedlocke & have accepted eyther of them the one of the other to live together as man and wiefe duringe their lyves accordinge unto the holie estate of Matrimonie
Testime Nuchus Setchell clericus curat ibidem uppon 28 Jannuarie 1616’
Ba 1618/01/17 (Anton), 1618/02/00 (Warrington) are BT entries not in the PR
Bu 1697/03/02 ‘In this year Mr Williamson parson of this parish died and was buried at Livepoole’
Bu 1698/03/16 ‘William Walker Magister Artium entered Curat. under the Reverend Dr Rich. Wroe D.D. The First of September Anno Domini 1697’
Ba 1703/09/02 (and Bu 1703/09/19), written after entry, [illegible] Exd. p Tho. Davies Surveyr
Ba 1706/04/27, written after entry, Exd. p H. Lockwood Surveyr
after Bu 1788/08/25 ‘Duty pd. to here’, a note subsequently repeated at intervals
Bu 1825/08/22 marginal note ‘No. 233 reasonably supposed to be the body of Lieut. Henry George Miller R.N. ofLiverpool. G.H.P. Sept. 3d 1825’, and a small sketch of a mark on the drowned man’s shirt
Bu 1869/09/23 note ‘In temporary licensed building. The Church being under repair.’
N.B. The following dates are as regularly recorded on almost each page, and as transcribed, but are not necessarily the full period of service. The names of clergy serving on odd single occasions are not listed.
Clergy:
1626 Nich. Sochell curate
1666 Thos. Glebe
1697 - Williamson
1697 Rich. Wroe
1697 Wm. Walker, curate
1711-1719 Tho. Richardson curate
1726-1757 Geo. Hodson curate
1758-1779 Wm. Robinson curate
1779 L. Wetenhall minister
1780-1814 James Newton.
N.B. hereafter curates tend to serve only for a few years, and listing of them here has therefore been abandoned.
1826 T.T. Trevor rector
1835-1858 J. Slade rector
1860-1871 T. Eaton.
N.B. occasional clergy officiating after 1753 at marriages have their name transcribed within entries but not their title, which is often given (being from neighbouring parishes); those officiating after 1812 at baptisms and burials, when so recorded, are not noted in the transcription.
Churchwardens:
1601 Nycholas Maddocke/Roger Young;
1603 Roger Younge /Thomas Linacer;
1619 Jos. Coventrie, Jn. Harrison;
1621 Wm. Warrington, Rbt. Irmeston;
1624 Thos. Andrew, Thos. Picke;
1666 Jn. Molyneux, Hy. Liniker;
1711 Thos. Ainsdaile, Samll. Anton;
2.3.1713 = ?1712 Thos. Hoole, Jno. Ainsworth;
1713 Jos. Younge, Samll. Pemberton;
1714 Jn. Mathews, Jn. Newbolt;
1715 Wm Dalby, Thos. Monnerly;
1716 Geo. Bennett, Jno. Whiteside;
1718 Samll. Wharton, Rich. Newbolt;
1719 Jos. Jennings, Jno. Tottey;
1720 Peter Widdens, Thos. Harrison;
1721 Josiah Day, Simon Matthews;
1722 Thos. Yedards, Richd. Rimmer;
1723 Rich. Rimmer, Jno. Hulmes;
1727 Daniel Rathbone;
1759 Thomas Hicock;
1760 Thos. Youds, Thos. Pemberton;
1761 George Day, Nathaniel Huntington (non-literate);
1762 Thos. Stanford, Thos. Brown;
1763 Wm. Ainsworth, John Washington;
1764 Thos. Bartley;
1765 Thos. Bartley, Isaac Jones, Jos. Smith (non-literate);
1766 John Huntington, Thos. Smith;
1767 Rich. Hooton, Daniel Daulby;
1769 Sam. Daulby, Jos. Sutton;
1770 Thos. Hicock, Wm. Threlford;
1772 John Wharton, John Crofts;
1777 Thos Guile, Geo. Day;
1778 John Chatterton, Wm. Ronsson;
1779 and 1780 Geo. Day, Thos. Stanford;
1781 John Brown, Sam. Dunn;
1782 Sam. Daulby, Francis Joy;
1783 Tim. Renton, Thos. Washington;
1784 Peter Lowe, Jos. Oxton;
1785 Thos. Pemberton, John Cookson;
1786 Josiah Day, Thos. Broster;
1787 Jn. Chatterton, John Wharton;
1788 Jos. Jones, Peter Philips;
1789 and 1790 Sam. Daulby, Jn. Chatterton;
1791 R. Godwin, Thos, Washington;
1792 James Rainford, Wm. Roberts;
1793 Jos. Smith, Wm. Chatterton;;
1794 John Urmson, Thos. Oxton;
1795 Thos. Daulby, Thos. Bennett;
1796 John Brown, Peter Guile;
1797 Thos. Brown, Hy. Little;
1798 Josiah Day, Jn. Broster;
1799 Wm. Strother, Simon Crofts;
1800 Jos. Jones, Jn. Hulston;
1801 Jn. Pemberton, Wm. Postlethwaite;
1802 Jn. Cookson, Edw. Phillips;
1803 Jn. Ball, Thos. Washington;
1804 Peter ?, Peter ?;
1805 Jos. Smith, Thos. Wharton;
1806 Josiah Day, Jos. Oxton;;
1807 Hy. Brown, Thos. Guile;
1809 Benj. Parkin, Thos. Brown;
1811 Jn. Delemore, Jn. Hazlehurst;
1812 Jn. Rainford, James Nichols
After Ma 1708 ‘Memorandum. To all ensewing parson of West Kirby that Joseph Jennings and John Barclay have noe heighway up through the parsonage ground to their ground but by the Lane that was stopt by Dr Wroe himselfe upon my information that I had from others by reason that ther ground is nothing but a pairt of the Townfeild through Joseph Jennings outlosed [? enclosed] it in anno 1707 and that the way is in through the toune feild over the Betsons headland or su-s [?]’
Between 1709 Bu and Ma
‘Memorandum.
The 10 of September 1709 the Common was divided, and the seaventh Lott fell to the Rd Dr Richard Wroe and doll stones marked with his name was sett accordingly at both ends and middle thus’
D with one + [large serif cross] at the RW tope and P for parsonage
Between 1709 Bu and Ma ‘Memorandum. To all ensewing parosn of west Kirby that ther is noe heigh way downe towards the sea through the parsonage Ground but by permission which I stopped in February 1709 of which I was acquainted by Mr Dermott of the Millhouses and s/vall others who informed me by reason of s/vall who pretended it as their heighway and turned them about. Mr W sons the late parsone permitted them, and therefore incroached upon me a stranger untill I wa informed.’
On back of 1675 BT, the following ? recipe/list: ‘One pound of hops 8d; one quarter of pepper 4d; one pound of currants 6[d]; two pound of (?) kea.in ge; 3 pence of nutmeg; 2 pence m andegall (?); 2 peaneworth of kloves and mace; 2 pounds of sope 6[d].’
After 1676, ‘P[er] Publication’ added in BT in another hand, hence 1676-1690 unless Licence stated, entered as Banns (BS)
In some years 1675-1682 two copies of the year sheet of BT, in 1681 in English and Latin, the latter perhaps torn from from missing PR, in 1680 and 1682 the sheets in different hands (with the name variant) Floid/Lloyd)
In January-March 1697/8, and occasionally thereafter, the double year dates are recorded in the PR, although the register continues to sectionalise by OS years.
From 1700 Residence given in the left-hand margin, sometimes at variance with the residence in the entry (therefore both copied, one in AI).
In 18th century burials, ‘by certificate’ often appears, with the name of a neighbouring parish, especially Overchurch - the significance of this is not understood
Whereas in 1759-1765 burials are intermixed with ‘christenings’, in 1776-1772 they appear separately, perhaps written up at the end of a year
West Kirby, originally a large but thinly-populated parish on Deeside, at the NW tip of the Wirral peninsula, in the mid nineteenth century had formed out of it the parishes of Hoylake and Frankby with Greasby. Previous neighbouring parishes, to east Wallasey, Bidston, Upton; to south Thurstaston. The church, St Bridget’s, reconstructed in the 1870s but with medieval elements, takes its name from a semi-mythical Irish saint, testifying to a tenth-century Viking-Irish settlement.
With much poor farm land, mostly a fishing village (at West Kirby), a lying-off port (at Hoylake), and from c1750 an occasional leisure resort, until the coming of the railway, when population expanded rapidly (census 1801 148, 1851 435, 1901 4,542). A rectory of the dean and chapter, with non-resident rectors until Victorian times, run by curates. On the route from River Dee to Ireland, so the registers record many drownings.