OPC Vacancy or Vacancies
There are many options of cover available for Swindon and the Surrounding areas should anyone wish to take on a small area of this major industrial town then please ask. A new page can be created for any parts of the town that anyone may wish to adopt.
Contiguous Parishes (our neighbours)
Chiseldon – Haydon Wick – Lydiard Millicent – Lydiard Tregoze – Rodbourne Cheney – Stratton St. Margaret – Wroughton
Websites of Interest
Swindon Advertiser – For local news
Swindon Borough Council – For local information
Parish Registers Held at Bristol Record Office
BTs 1838-1859
BT’s 1881-1884 for Swindon Cemetery
Parish History
Swindon is by far the largest town in Wiltshire and the only major industrial centre. It has many churches and chapels. It has been decided therefore that Swindon be separated into different parishes for the purpose of this project. The OPC for Swindon (this page) will take on the responsibility of the town itself to include mostly the non-conformist establishments and general town information. OPC’s may then volunteer to take on different parishes within the Swindon environs. A new page will be set up for each. Two churches have already been established as separate but alas they have no volunteer to care for them these are St. Marks and Christchurch. Further down of this page is a list of other churches that can be adopted as a single item. To volunteer please contact the administrator via the contact us tab at the top of this page.
For centuries, Swindon was a small market town with Holy Rood as its parish church. In the 1840’s Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s decision to site the railway engine repair works here transformed the town. The area known as New Town housed the railway workers; they had their own market, public houses, hospital and a new church – St Mark’s. In 1900, New Town and Swindon joined together to became the Borough of Swindon.
A Nostalgic Look at 1900s Swindon Published in 1979 A Short History of Swindon (You Tube Video 2013)
Newspaper Items 1800-1849 Facts and Figures About Wiltshire 1874 Jefferies Land – A History of Swindon and Its Environs 1896
Civil Registration
1837 – 1898 Highworth Registration District
1898 – Present Swindon Registration District
Twin Towns
Buildings and Land
Archaeology
Henry Munday 1669 Trade Token 1983
Agriculture
County Agriculture Report 1847 Cattle Plague Regulations 1867
Canal
Notice of Intended Construction of the Wilts & Berks Canal 1793
Cemeteries
Radnor Street
Radnor Street Cemetery Gallery
Whitworth Road
Whitworth Road Cemetery Gallery
Farms
Sale of Contents of Broome Farm 1847
Fire Certificates
Richard Smith 1863 21 Cambria Place 1866
General Items
Hospitals
Victoria Hospital
Weekly Accounts
Maps
Ordnance Survey Map 1816 Ordnance Surveyor’s Drawings 1818
Parks and Leisure
Coate Water
Coate water was constructed as a reservoir in around 1830 to top up the canal which ran through Swindon. Coate was fed by the River Cole. In 1913, Swindon Corporation bought Coate Water plus 80 acres of surrounding land for £10,000. The area today is used as a boating lake and nature reserve. A popular retreat for locals from the hustle and bustle of the industrial metropolis that is Swindon. See also the parish page of Liddington for information regarding Coate
Queens Park
Queens Park opened to the public in 1953 to commemorate the Coronation of Elizabeth II. It was originally clay pits, and since the 1700’s had been used as brick works. I the latter part of the 19th Century, Thomas Turner owned them and he built many houses in Swindon. His own home was where the Grove now stands.
Town Gardens
The gardens were formerly a stone quarry, and much of the stone extracted was used to build houses in Bath Road, Swindon. A competition was launched to design the Gardens and following this the Gardens were opened in 1894.
Listed Buildings
Grade II
Oasis Leisure Centre
The centre was open from 1976 until 2020, receiving its grade II listing in December 2021. It was designed by Peter Sargent. The Manchester rock band Oasis took their name from the venue after they had seen a listing for the Inspiral Carpets Tour on a poster the Gallagher brothers had on the wall of their shared bedroom.
Property Sales
Public Houses
Public Houses Gallery Beerex Festival 1976
Red Cow Inn, Princes Street – Demolished 1969
Railways
Proposed Swindon, Marlborough & Andover Railway 1872 Swindon & Highworth Light Railway 1880
Great Western Railway
Accidents
Clerks
1863-1963
Surnames A – F Surnames G – K Surnames L – R Surnames S – Z
Estates Department
Former Swindon Employee Promotion 1940
Helping Hand Fund
Hospital Fund Members 1948
Carriage Works, Running Shed Small Departments Small Departments, Retired
Medical Society Members 1948
Carriage Works Carriage Works, General Offices Carriage Works, Retired Carriage Works, Running Shed Locomotive Department
Railway Village
Staff Association
Roads
Calne, Hilmarton & Lyneham Turnpike Roads 1847
Tram System
Sales by Auction
Building Land on The Sands 1868 Buildings and Land 1902
Crime and Legal Matters
Assault
Assault by Edward Pavior 1875 Assault by George Bailey 1877 Pub Landlord Threatened to Horsewhip a Solicitor 1883
Bastardy and Child Support
Bastardy Examinations 1878 Bastardy Examination Gough (Roman) v Ackrill 1878 Ruth Fisher Child Support 1878
Courts
Court Cases Adjourned – lack of Magistrates 1940
Miscellaneous Items
Crime Reports 1800-1849 Thomas Tuck Charged with Forgery 1818 Crime Reports 1850-1899 Court Appearance of Sophia Harford 1859 Crime Reports 1900-1949
Murder
Murder at Purton by Henry Harman 1874
Prisons and Prisoners
Committed to the Devizes House of Correction 1800-1849 Inmates of Gloucester Gaol 1815-1879
Quarter Sessions
Court Appearances
Theft
Acquitted of Purse Theft 1870 Labourers Steal Stones 1870 Charges Against Girl and Stepmother 1878 John Avies Theft Charge 1883
Directories
Education
Gorsehill School Football Team 1927/28 Recalled 1987
Lethbridge Road School
School Admissions Register 1913-1914
Emigration and Migration
To Canada
Employment and Business
Advertising
Agriculture and Land
Agricultural Labourers
Aspects of the Lives of Wiltshire Agricultural Labourers c1850
Gamekeepers
Gamekeepers Certificates 1807 Gamekeepers Certificates 1834
Markets & Agricultural Shows
Swindon Livestock Market Prizes 1874
Apprentices
Wiltshire Society Apprentices
Apprentice records published here may not necessarily mean that the apprentice was from the parish but was apprenticed to a master within the parish
Wiltshire Society Apprentices
Robert Dare 1839 (Unsuccessful Aplicant)
Aviation
Certificates
Richard Adams 1919 Stanley Ashton 1938 Ian Mackenzie 1951 Henry George Morkot 1917
Banking and Finance
Ramsbury Building Society Advertisement
Chamber of Commerce
Community Services
Police
Wiltshire Police
Wiltshire Constabulary 1858 Worthy Porter – Climbing the Ranks 1834-1881 Police Inspector A. E. Mitchell 1887-1940 Police Sergeant Reakes Retires 1932
Metropolitan Police Pension Records
Joseph Anslow 1878-1904 Charles Austin 1885-1910
Markets
Mechanics
Swindon Mechanics Institution 1847 Mechanical Engineer – James Henry Baker 1923
Medicine
Dentistry
Dental Services 1846 Advertisement R. L. Pinniger 1853
Doctors and Surgeons
Deaths
Registrations
Medical License Extract for Robert Heath 1665 General Medical Council Registrations 1859-1959
Nursing
Trained Nurse – Annie Mary Booth 1857-1893
Miscellaneous Items
New Business Venture 1846 Employment Wanted & Offered 1850-1899 Colliers of Swindon 1858 National Trade Exhibition 1902 Coopers Metals Ltd. 1956
Postal Services & License Distributors
British Postal Service Appointments 1737-1969 Hair Powder Tax Stamp Distributors 1801
Shopkeeping
Shopkeeper Shames Debtors 1940
Swindon Waterworks Company
The company was founded on the 23rd July 1857 with a shareholding of £10,000 in £1 shares. An Act of Parliament in 1895 allowed the Borough of Swindon to acquire the company and the remaining shareholders on 18th March 1895 when the company was dissolved are listed here. It must be noted that not all of the names listed are necessarily from Swindon however many were local traders and dignitaries.
Trades Unions
Transportation
Transport
Buses
Railways (see Buildings and Land Section above)
Miscellaneous Documents
Non Conformity and Other Places of Worship
Baptist Tabernacle Church
| Pastors of the Tabernacle 1855-1971 | History of the Tabernacle 1855-1977 | Baptist Church Anniversary 1878 |
| Tabernacle Baptist Church 2009 |
Newport Street Congregational Chapel – Baptist (closed 1939)
Family Notices
Holy Rood (Swindon Parish Church)
Holy Rood
Holy Rood Gallery Holy Rood Interior Gallery
Primitive Methodist Chapel
Swindon Free Church
Letter to the Editor – Grain for Beer Concerns 1941
Wesleyan Methodist Chapel
Churches to be adopted as separate items or to be combined with this page
All Saints – Baptisms 1908-1969, Marriages 1930-1969, Burials 1949-1984
St. Andrew – Baptisms 1957-1981, Marriages 1959-1991, Burials 1992-1998
St. Augustine – Baptisms 1885-1982, Marriages 1908-1972, Burials 1948-1987
St. Barnabas – Baptisms 1890-1998, Marriage 1890-1992, Burials – None listed
St. John The Baptist – Baptisms 1960-1970, Marriages 1961-1992, Burials 1960-1998
St. John The Evangelist – Baptisms 1883-1956, Marriages and Burials – None listed
St. Luke – See Tab Below
St. Paul – Baptisms 1881-1965, Marriages 1881-1964, Burials 1881-1904
St. Paul (Covingham) – Baptisms and Burials – None listed, Marriages 1971-1985
St. Peter (Penhill) – Baptisms 1955-1992, Marriages 1956-1997, Burials – None listed
St. Saviour – Baptisms 1890-1938, Marriages – None listed, Burials 1963-1979
St. Timothy Liden – Baptisms and Burials – None listed, Marriages 1977-1995
Any of the above may be adopted as separate parish pages to volunteer please contact Teresa Lewis (Administrator) via the contact us tab at the top of the page.
Sunday School Exam Successes 1963
People and Parish Notables
Accidents
Associations, Clubs, Organisations, and Societies
Friendly Societies
Wiltshire Friendly Society
Oddfellows
Scouts
St. John’s Ambulance Brigade
Promotion for Swindon Man 1940
Women’s Groups
Women’s Missionary Federation Meeting 1941
Y. M. C. A.
Bankruptcy
Default Hearing – Alfred Hunt 1878 Saga of Thomas Pope 1891
Census Returns
Census 1841 (Ed 7 only) 1851 1881 (Part 1) 1881 (Part 2)
The 1881 Census has been split into 2 parts due to the file size
Census 1881 – People in caravans and sleeping rough at Swindon Fair
Elections, Politics and Polls
Electoral Registers & Voters Lists
Voters lists Revisions 1843 Electoral Lists Revision Court 1902 Voters List 1832
Polls
Poll of Freeholders 1772 Poll Book 1818 Poll Book 1868
Members of Parliament
Members of Parliament 1783-1918
Members of Parliament
William Wavell Wakefield 1935-1945
Political Matters
Family Notices
Funeral Reports
Mr. W. H. Bell 1940 William George Prowse 1940 George Sandford 1940 Fred Sweet 1940
Inquest Reports
Inquests After the Great Flood of January 1841 Inquest Reports 1850-1899 James Gowenlock 1866 William Pratt 1872 Emmanuel Tuck 1850
Miscellaneous Items
Monumental Inscriptions Out of County 1781 Secrets of Farming Book Subscribers 1863 Pilgrimage to Richard Jefferies Grave 1915 Childrens Corner Evening Advertiser 1948
Obituaries
Obituaries, Death & Funeral Notices 1917
Edward Heavens 1930 Charles Howse 1896 Alice Maude McDonagh 1938
Parish Notables
| Isambard Kingdom Brunel – Railway Engineer and Designer, 1806-1859 | Diana Dors – Actress, 23-10-1931-04-05-1984 | Harold John Fleming – England International Footballer & Swindon Town Player, 1887-1955 |
| John Francome – National Hunt Jockey, TV Presenter & Author 1952 – | Sophie Grigson – Cookery Writer and Chef, 1959 – | Justin Hayward – Musician, 1946 – |
| David Hempleman-Adams – Adventurer and Explorer, 1956 – | Nick Hewer – Business Advisor and TV Presenter, 1944 – | Mary Higgs – Social Reformer, 1857-1934 |
| David Howell – Golfer, 1975 – | Mark Lamarr – Comedian, Radio and TV Presenter, 1967 – | Melinda Messinger – Glamour Model and TV Presenter, 1971 – |
| Desmond Morris – Ethologist and Writer, 1928 – | Edith Bessie New, Suffragette 1877-1951 | Andy Partridge – Musician, Producer, Singer & Songwriter, 1953 – |
| Billie Piper – Actress and Singer, 1982 – | Bob Sweet – Director of Exhibitions, RHS |
People News
People News 1850-1899 Miss Garrard Contest 1966
Royal Visits
Personal Research Items
Tuck Family Research Burial Extracts – These items were donated by Ken Tuck and contains entries that may or may not relate to the Tuck family however they have been published as such. Many references to Quaker entries may be found from across the county.
Sport
Cycling
National Cyclists Union Meeting in Bristol 1888
Football
Horse Racing
Swindon & Burderop Race Meeting 1846
Hunting
Vale of the White Horse Hunt Puppy Show 1874
Pigeon Racing
Pigeon Racing Annual Awards 1956
Shooting
Sportsmen & Women
New Sportsmens Church Service 1930
Swimming
Poor Law, Charity and The Workhouse
Charity
Thomas Arthur Beale and his Collecting Dog, Bruce. 1905-1915 Reason for the Empress of Abyssinia’s Cancelled Visit 1941 Charity Run in Aid of Hope for Tomorrow 2014
Swindon & District Benevolent Fund
YMCA
General Poor Law Matters
Medical Relief 1837 Public Assistance Administration 1948
Removal Orders
Workhouse
Workhouse Crime
Workhouse Inmates
Tramps admitted to the Workhouse 1847
Workhouse Supplies
Probate
Death & Estate Notice of William Ford, 1954 Probate and Estate Notice of John Kemble 1840
Parishioners Wills
Mary Miller Jenner 1832 (Walcot)
War, Conflict and Military Matters
War Memorials & Military Gallery
Boer War
Wiltshire Imperial Yeomanry Casualties 1899-1902
Crimea
Veterans
General Military Items
Chelsea Pensioners 1808-1828 Military Matters 1850-1899
Royal Navy
Deserters in Australian Newspapers 1885
Naval Attestation
James Clack 1859 Edwin Kennett 1854
Wiltshire Regiment
Return of the Wiltshire Regiment 1902 Servicemen & Families with the 1st Wilts. Regt. in South Africa 1911 Front Line Cricket Match Wilts v RAMC 1914-1918
WWI
Awards
Victoria Cross Recipient Daniel Marcus William Beak 1918
British Red Cross/Voluntary Aid Detachment
V.A.D. & Red Cross Hospitals 1914-1918 Phyllis Baynton 1915-1917
Casualties
Calne & District Casualty Lists WWI Casualty Biographies of WWI For King and Country 1916
All Young Lions
This item was transcribed from an article, the author of which is unknown to us. We know the list includes men of Swindon who died during WWI and had connections to The Swindon Works and the North Wilts technical College. The page numbers refer to the original article page on which the casualty is named. Access the list here
Biographies
Albert Edward Abbott 1915 Tom Fox 1916 George Edward Knight 1917 George Henry Green Taylor 1917
War Memorials and Books of Remembrance
Proposed Memorial 1904 Bell Ringers Book of Remembrance is St. Pauls Cathedral Library WWI GWR 9 & 19A Shops Memorial WWI & WWII Postal Services Memorial, Swindon WWI & WWII
Wiltshire Regiment in WWI
WWII
Casualties
Casualty Biographies of WWII Civilian Casualties 1939-1945
Biographies
Alfred Astle 1944 Abraham Robert Mutter 1941
Chaplains
Charity
Swindon Mayoress Fund for Swindon Service Personnel 1941
News Reports
Sudden Death of ARP Warden 1940 Killed in Action – Maurice L. Gauntlett 1940 Local Heroes 1941 Bravery in Air Raid 1941
Prisoners of War
Ronald William Lyford 1941 Anthony Robert Mutter 1941
Red Cross
Royal Air Force
Sport
Soldiers in Boxing Matches 1940
Parish of St. Luke
St. Luke
Church of St. Luke
Parish Registers held at WSHC
Baptisms 1903-1950
Marriages None Listed
Burials None Listed
Crime and Legal Matters
The Parish of St. Mark, New Swindon
The Church of St. Mark
St. Mark’s was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott and built in 1845 for the residents of New Swindon.
Parish Registers held at WSHC
Baptisms 1845-1966
Marriages 1846-1990
Baptisms 1845-1881
Parish History
Civil Registration
1837 – 1898 Highworth Registration District
1898 – Present Swindon Registration District
Urban District Council
New Swindon & Urban District Council Election Letter from John Williams 1899
Buildings and Land
Property Sales
Crime and Legal Matters
Animal Related Crime
People and Parish Notables
Family Notices 1850-1899 Family Notices 1900-1999
Census Returns Transcripts
1841 (Part)
War, Conflict and Military Matters
Royal Navy
Casualty George F. Gardner, HMS Captain 1870
The Parish of Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch Gallery Christchurch Burial Ground Gallery
The Church of Christchurch
Incumbents 1302-1885 Proposed New Church 1847
Parish Registers Held at WSHC
Baptisms 1623-1975
Marriages 1624-1988
Burials 1623-1992
Parish History
Civil Registration
1837 – 1898 Highworth Registration District
1898 – Present Swindon Registration District
Buildings and Land
The remains of the original parish church, Holy Rood, can still be seen today. Christchurch, replaced Holy Rood in 1851.
People and Parish Notables
Funeral Reports
Covingham
Parish Church of St. Paul
People and Parish Notables
War, Conflict & Military Matters
War Memorials & Military Gallery
Liden
Buildings and Land
Liden Lagoons
These lagoons were man made in the early 1970’s as flood storage for South Dorcan. Today the area is a popular fishing location for young people and home to many birds. One of the most popular birds to be seen here are the Canadian Geese.
Walcot
Baptist Movement in Swindon
Cambria Place Baptist Chapel
By 1882 there were only a few members and they approached Fleet Street Baptist Church to take charge, which they agreed to do. The Chapel was sold to them for £55, the amount due to the Monmouthshire Association.
Cambria Place
This chapel was built in 1866 for the Welshmen and their families who came to Swindon about the middle of the 19th century to work in the G.W.R. works. For many years sermons were preached in Welsh The chapel could accommodate 250. In 1882 the church placed itself under the superintendence of the Fleet Street Baptist church, which later moved to the Tabernacle, Regent Circus, and in 1964 was still a dependent church of the Tabernacle. A schoolroom was provided in 1905. (source: British History Online)
Fleet Street Baptist Church
Church Book
Fleet Street Baptist Chapel – 1848
Fleet Street Baptist Chapel Minutes
Fleet Street Baptist Chapel Membership
Fleet Street Baptist Chapel – Surname Index
This was the first General Baptist chapel in Swindon and was opened in 1849. Its earliest congregation consisted mainly of Baptists who had formerly attended the Stratton Green chapel, and for the first few years the Revd. Richard Breeze superintended both chapels. Fleet Street remained subordinate to Stratton Green until 1855 when an independent church was formed with 24 members and Breeze became its first pastor. In 1868 the chapel was enlarged to seat 520 and a schoolroom was added. Soon after this mission work was begun in the Gorse Hill district and in 1882 a mission church, dependent upon Fleet Street, was built there. In the same year the Baptist chapel in Cambria Place also became dependent upon the Fleet Street church.
By 1879 accommodation had become inadequate and in 1886 the congregation moved to the Tabernacle in Regent Circus, opened that year. The Fleet Street chapel was demolished, although the schoolroom was left and was still standing, used as a store, in 1951. [source: British History Online]
By March 1883 with the increase in the number of Membership (about 245) and not sufficient seating for them all; the Church Committee decided that further accommodation was required.
At the Church Committee Meeting of September 1884 it was decided that there were 3 courses of action
1st – Building a Chapel at Old Swindon retaining the present Place without alteration
2nd – Pulling down the present Chapel & building another on the enlarged site obtained by adding the Ground now occupied by the Chapel House & yard
3rd – Selling the present Premises and removing to another Site.
After much discussion the 3rd option was decided upon as a Site has been offered for sale by the Rolleston Estate Trustees in Regent Street opposite Yorke Place.
The new Baptist Tabernacle Chapel opened on 20th October 1886.
Gorse Hill Baptist Chapel
A small chapel was built at Gorse Hill in 1883 as a result of mission work by the Fleet Street Baptists. In 1904 a larger chapel was built at the corner of Beatrice Street and Cricklade Road, and the original chapel was given up, but not demolished In 1913. Gorse Hill was constituted a separate church, having been until then dependent upon the Tabernacle. It was still in use in 1964. source: British History Online) – For information regarding Gorse Hill please refer to the Stratton St. Margaret Page
The Swindon Collection
The Swindon Collection, housed at Swindon Library, are happy to answer family history and local studies questions. They have a huge resource collection, not just for Swindon and the immediate area, but for many other Wiltshire parishes too. They work closely with local history and heritage groups throughout the county and, with their valuable assistance, are often able to provide information that might otherwise allude researchers. The services of The Swindon Collection are provided free of charge (except in very exceptional cases).
Contact Details
Swindon Collection: Local Studies & Family History, Central Library, Regent Circus, Swindon, SN1 1QG
Phone: 01793 463238
Email: Contact at the Swindon Collection
Web: The Swindon Collection
Flickr: Photographic gallery
Parishes Covered
We are able to assist with queries for all parishes within the Borough of Swindon:-
| Bishopstone (Nr. Swindon) | Blunsdon St. Andrew | Broad Blunsdon | Castle Eaton |
| Chiseldon | Hannington | Haydon Wick | Highworth |
| Hinton Parva | Inglesham | Liddington | Lydiard Tregoze |
| Rodbourne Cheney | Sevenhampton | South Marston | Stanton Fitzwarren |
| Stratton St. Margaret including – Hyde – Kingsdown – Lower Stratton – Upper Stratton | Swindon including – Christ Church – New Swindon – Old Swindon – St. Mark’s | ||
| Wanborough | Wroughton | ||
Plus we also can help with 4 non-borough parishes (collected because they are contiguous or too close/important to ignore!)
Cricklade Lydiard Millicent Purton Wootton Bassett
Some key resources from our collection:
Every available book, report, pamphlet, leaflet and poster we can obtain for the above parishes and masses of Wiltshire-wide material.
Complete microfilm runs of all local newspapers (inc. Swindon Evening Advertiser from 1854, and North Wilts Herald from 1861).
Microfilm of original parish registers for all Borough parishes (as listed above), Bishop’s Transcripts and census.
Early Poll Books (from 1705-1831) & electoral registers (1945 to date).
Complete GRO BMD (1837-1999) & the GRO Overseas indices on fiche.
Street, trade and telephone directories (from 18th Century to date).
All available printed & microfiche transcriptions, indexes and finding aids, including everything we can get produced by the WFHS.
Free access to Find My Past Community Edition) across all Swindon Libraries.
Free online access to The Times Digital (from 1785), British 19th Century Newspapers, The Illustrated London News and more great premium sites.
Staff magazines for GWR, British Rail, Garrards, Wills Tobacco, Vickers-Armstrong (based at South Marston) and more.
Massive map collection – from earliest Ordnance Survey.
c20,000 photographs, slides and other images.
3 microfilm and 3 microfiche readers with printing.
Public self-service photocopiers with free scanning up to A3.
Fully searchable catalogue.
Monthly talks & drop-in sessions by Archivists from the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre, Chippenham.
Regular local and family history talks and other events.
Dedicated team of staff happy to help where they can!
Anyone wishing to visit the Collection in person will be welcomed by the friendly and helpful staff who will be very happy to assist you and show you around
