Great Bookham, Surrey Genealogy

Parish History

BOOKHAM, GREAT (St. Nicholas), a parish, in the union of Epsom, hundred of Effingham, W. division of Surrey, 2½ miles (W. S. W.) from Leatherhead; containing 963 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 3242 acres, of which 1446 are arable, 629 meadow and pasture, 264 woodland, 105 acres gardens and buildings, 23 public road, and 775 common. Within the parish is the estate of Polesden, which was the property of Sheridan, soon after whose decease it was purchased by Joseph Bonsor, Esq., whose son, of the same name, is the present possessor. The living is a discharged vicarage, endowed with a moiety of the rectorial tithes, and valued in the king's books at £9. 17. 3½.; patron, the Rev. W. Heberden. The rectorial tithe rent-charge is £442, and the vicarial £165; there are 12 acres of glebe. The church is an ancient structure in the early English style, and contains numerous handsome monuments. Sir George Shiers, Bart., in 1690 bequeathed a rent-charge of £36. 3. for apprenticing children, and other charitable purposes.

From: 'Bonchurch - Borden', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 302-305. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50812 Date accessed: 01 June 2010.

Resources

Civil Registration

Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records

Contributor: Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts, non conformist and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

Census records

Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Probate records

Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Surrey 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

Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.

Web sites

Contributor: Add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.