Thetford St Mary the Less, Norfolk, England Genealogy
Guide to Thetford, Suffolk and Norfolk ancestry, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.
| ' | |
| Type | Ancient Parish |
| Civil Jurisdictions | |
| County | Suffolk |
| Hundred | Thetford |
| Poor Law Union | Thetford |
| Registration District | Thetford |
| Records Begin | |
| Parish registers | 1653 |
| Bishop's Transcripts | 1605 |
| Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions | |
| Rural Deanery | Thetford |
| Diocese | Norwich |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Probate Court | Court of the Archdeaconry of Norwich |
| Archive | |
| Suffolk Record Office | |
Parish History[edit | edit source]
THETFORD, a borough and market-town, having exclusive jurisdiction, and the head of a union, locally in the hundred of Shropham, W. division, of Norfolk, and the hundred of Lackford, W. division of Suffolk, 79 miles (N. N. E.) from London. Thetford comprises the parishes of St. Cuthbert, containing 1543; St. Peter, 1184; and St. Mary the Less. There are places of worship for the Society of Friends, Independents, Wesleyans, and Roman Catholics.[1]
Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk Thetford Wikipedia
It is the site of the ruined Thetford Priory: Thetford Priory Wikipedia and Thetford Priory English Heritage
The redundant Parish Church of St Mary the Less Bury Road Thetford Norfolk has been designated as a grade II* listed building British listed building The building is 11th century in origin but is largely 14th century with 15th century tower. The Diocese of Norwich has placed the redundant church for sale and planning consent for redevelopment to a four bedroom residential property lapsed without sale to a private owner.
The church is situated in Old Bury Road just south of the Little Ouse River and is near Bridge Street in the southern part of the town. The parish is extensive and extends beyond the Norfolk county boundary to include rural parts of Suffolk and Thetford Forest see Thetford Forest Wikipedia
The parish of St Mary the Less is partly in Norfolk and partly in Suffolk and neighbours Thetford St Cuthbert, Norfolk Thetford St Peter, Norfolk Elveden, Suffolk and Santon Downham, Suffolk
Francis Blomefield in the many chapters devoted to Thetford history refers to St Mary the Great 'Thetford, chapter 9: Of the state of the city in the Confessor's Time', An Essay towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: volume 2 (1805), pp. 42-43. at British History Online
Confusion about the church being in the county of Suffolk lies in an incorrect gazetteer entry. The church is in the Norfolk County and GENUKI includes transcripts for its registers in the Norfolk page for Thetford.
The history of the churches of Thetford Norfolk are found in Frences Blomfield 'Thetford, chapter 15: Of the Parish churches in the town', An Essay towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: volume 2 (1805), pp. 59-76. at British History Online.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Find Neighboring Parishes[edit | edit source]
Use England Jurisdictions 1851 Map
- Type the name of the parish in the search bar
- Click on the location pin on the map
- Choose Options from the pop up box
- Click "List Contiguous Parishes" to find the neighboring parishes
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
- 1719-1900 Recording of Tombstones in St. Mary's Churchyard, Thetford, Norfolk(*) at FamilySearch Catalog - images
- Inscriptions in Thetford Churchyard(*) at FamilySearch Catalog - images
Civil Registration[edit | edit source]
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day.
- See England Civil Registration for online resources and information.
Church Records[edit | edit source]
The Church of England (Anglican) became the official state religion in 1534, with the reigning monarch as its Supreme Governor.
Non-Conformist refers to all other religious denominations that are not the official state religion.
Church of England[edit | edit source]
Due to the increasing access of online records:
- Individual parish coverage for databases in this table are inconsistent and should be verified
- Dates in the following table are approximate
Hover over the collection's title for more information
| Thetford St Mary the Less Online Parish Records | ||||||
| FamilySearch Collections-Suffolk | ||||||
| FamilySearch Parish Registers – Suffolk | ||||||
| Bishop's Transcripts - FamilySearch Catalog | ||||||
| FreeREG | ||||||
| Findmypast-Suffolk ($) | ||||||
| Ancestry Church of England BMD-Suffolk ($) | ||||||
| Ancestry-England & Wales, Birth, Christening, Marriage and Death Indexes ($) | 1500s-1900s |
1500s-1900s |
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| Databases with Known Incomplete Parish Coverage | ||||||
| Boyd's Marriage Indexes-FMP (Free) | ||||||
| National Burial Index-FMP (Free) | ||||||
Other Websites
These databases have incomplete parish coverage.
- Joiner Marriage Index - Suffolk ($)
- The Genealogist Parish Registers - Suffolk ($)
- UK Websites for Parish Records - Links to online genealogical records
- Online Genealogical Index - Links to online genealogical records
Nonconformist Records[edit | edit source]
"Nonconformist" is a term referring to religious denominations other than an established or state church. In England, the state church is the Church of England.
- 1717 England & Wales, Roman Catholics, 1717 at Findmypast - index & images ($); coverage may vary
Census Records[edit | edit source]
Census records from 1841 to 1911 are available online. For access, see England Census Records and Indexes Online. Census records from 1841 to 1891 are also available on film through a FamilySearch Center or at the FamilySearch Library.
Poor Law Unions[edit | edit source]
England Norfolk Poor Law Union Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Suffolk Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.
Websites[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Lewis, Samuel A., A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 321-326. Date accessed: 09 October 2013.
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