Genealogy Chat

Thought it might be useful to have a thread on clergy research? rest in a Reply.

Church of England There is a clerical directory - Crockfords. It has an online site, but most of the specific info requires a subscription. Perhaps I might contact them and suggest that it might be worth having a pay-as-you-go section. Except that they don't have much historical stuff. This is from their site: http://www.crockford.org.uk <<< Historical data This web site carries information that goes back as far as 1968 since that was the first time that the database was put in an electronic form. There are no current plans to do the retrospective work on earlier editions although if the web site proves popular, we may carry out this work in the future. However, there are other sources of information on the Internet that may prove useful to you if you are looking for information that goes back further than 1968. 1540 to 1835 http://www.theclergydatabase.org.uk/ The Clergy of the Church of England Database (CCEd) is a collaborative project gathering biographical data on clergymen for the period 1540-1835 from archives in England and Wales, and making it available online. There is also information on dioceses, including lists of bishops, and on locations where clergy served. The terminal date of the project (1835) marks the period at which biographical data about clergymen becomes more accessible due to such publications as the Clergy List (and, later, Crockford's Clerical Directory). 1835 to 1967 http://www.lambethpalacelibrary.org Lambeth Palace Library is the historic library of the archbishops of Canterbury and the principal library and record office for the history of the Church of England. The Library focuses on ecclesiastical history, but its rich collections are important for an immense variety of topics from the history of art and architecture to colonial and Commonwealth history, and for innumerable aspects of English social, political and economic history. It is also a significant resource for local history and genealogy. The library can be contacted and they are happy to check their printed sequence of Crockford's Clerical Directory and other printed sources to answer specific enquiries. They will take enquiries for any period, since they do have some relevant sources (e.g. published alumni lists for universities) in addition to Crockford's Clerical Directory. >>> I'll put in an update eventually when I find their contact info for Lambeth Palace library. (Having trouble remembering where I saw some specificly useful stuff - obviously there's material on their website.). Christine

ArchiveCDBooks has images of some historical editions of Crockfords on CD, e.g. Crockfords Clerical Directory 1868 (Reference #1032) Crockfords directories are a superb source of information for those with ancestors in the clergy. The contents are similar to the earlier Clergy Lists but are much more detailed, giving vital personal information about each individual, such as where they studied, when they matriculated and all of their previous posts. Price: £15.11 £17.75 Including VAT at 17.5%

Christine Thankyou so much this information is wonderful. Just checking to see if the British Library has a copy. Might be able to combine a trip to the FRC with a walk to the BL. Thankyou again Wendy

Most libraries have a copy of Crockfords in their reference section. You just have to watch out as to how recent it is. Christine

Many parish churches have a list of incumbents> So if you want details of who was the vicar in that parish in a specified year, or want to know how long your Rev relly was in the parish, might be worth putting out a feeler to see if it's anyone's local church. Jay

It is well worth contacting the current vicar of the church, especially if your ancestor had been in that parish for a long time. The vicar in the church that I wrote to sent me a little booklet about past vicars of the church which included my relative and even had a picture of him. Also, check the local newspapers around the time of his death because as a respected member of the community there will almost certainly be a write-up about him. Lyla

Hi, I also have a relative who became a Minister (in the USA) - using the census/ WW1 Draft registration , i managed to locate a church he had worked in. I emailed them and they very kindly sent me a history of their church which had his picture and a list of other churches he had served in. Allowing me to shoot off even more emails!!! I received a book (again with the church history) from another on the list. Found out where and when he died (am still working on his obit.) and even received emails from parishoners who remembered him . Am still waiting for other churches to reply to my emails but regardless of whether i gain any extra info or not , i would certainly suggest you get in touch with a church if you know they were there - after all the worst they can say is they can't help but just maybe you'll get as lucky as i did! Good luck, Karen

There is an extensive database of C of E clergy who worked in New Zealand. The website address is http://www(.)kinderlibrary(.)ac(.)nz/resources/bishop/index(.)htm Many clergy worked here for a few years before moving on or returning home. Most of the information is about colonial clergy through to the early part of last century. Good luck searching. Christine in NZ

Also it's quite possible that he would have left a will - worth checking anyway. My chap left some money to a few parishioners but the bulk of it went to the foreign missions even though his brother's wife and daughter were in the workhouse.

I have a copy of 1995/96 Crockfords - probably too recent for most queries but if anyone thinks their clergyman might still have been alive then I'm willing to do a look up Judith

nudge for future reference

I have a copy of CROCKFORDS 1989/90 I also have CATHOLIC DIRECTORY 1993 (i.e. similar but for Roman Catholic Church - in England and Wales) Just in case that's helpful for anyone. Christine (Thanks for that idea, Judith)