The Parish Registers Of More Shropshire 1569-1812

The Parish Registers of More, 1569-1812

Step back in time. Walk the ancient churchyard. Hear the whispers of your forebears.

Imagine tracing your family's story through over 250 years of English history. From the final years of Queen Elizabeth I's reign, through the turmoil of the English Civil War, to the height of the Georgian era, the small parish of More in the heart of Shropshire was a tapestry of life, love, and loss. Now, you can hold the threads of that story in your hands.

This meticulously compiled and faithfully transcribed volume of The Parish Registers of More, Shropshire (1569-1812) is the cornerstone for any family historian with roots in this captivating corner of England. It is not just a list of names; it is the key that unlocks the door to your ancestral past.

Why These Registers Are Invaluable for Your Research:

Direct Lineage Connection: Find the baptisms of your ancestors, the marriages that bound families together, and the burials that marked their passing.
Break Through Brick Walls: Overcome genealogical dead-ends with primary source data that often predates census records by centuries.
Discover a Wider Family Network: Identify witnesses, godparents, and neighbouring families to build a richer, more detailed picture of your ancestor's community.
Experience History Firsthand: See how national events like the Plague, the Civil War, and the Napoleonic Wars touched the lives of ordinary people in a rural Shropshire parish.

More Than Just Names: The Land of Legends Your Ancestors Knew
Your ancestors in More did not live in a vacuum. They lived in a landscape steeped in myth and folklore, where every hill, forest, and stream had a story. Their world was one of deep belief, superstition, and wonder.

As you trace their names, consider the legends they grew up with, stories told by the fireside on cold Shropshire nights:

The Legend of Wild Edric and the Fairy Bride
The parish of More lies in the shadow of the Long Mynd, the wild and misty hills that are the domain of one of Shropshire's most famous legendary figures: Wild Edric (Eadric the Wild). A Saxon noble who resisted the Norman Conquest, his story took on a life of its own. Legend says he married a fairy princess from the Stiperstones, a woman of unearthly beauty who brought him prosperity on the condition that he never speak a cross word to her. When he broke his vow, she vanished back into the earth, and Edric was left to roam the hills with his faithful hounds forever.

Your 17th or 18th-century ancestors would have known this tale intimately. They would have looked out at the mists rising from the valleys and believed that on certain nights, you could still see Wild Edric and his hounds on the hunt—a portent of war or national disaster. Was your great-great-grandparent one of the villagers who whispered that Edric would one day return to save England in its hour of greatest need?

Ghosts of the Old Church and the Haunted Lanes
Shropshire is a county with a reputation for the supernatural. While the specific legends of More's church are quiet, the surrounding area is rife with tales. The nearby ancient manor houses and lonely lanes are said to be haunted by "Grey Ladies," spectral figures of tragic women from centuries past. Your ancestors would have walked these lanes after dusk, perhaps quickening their pace as they passed a particular old oak tree or crossroads, believing them to be haunts of spirits or even the meeting places of witches.

By studying these registers, you are not just finding names and dates. You are placing your family firmly within this world of legend, understanding the very fabric of the community that shaped their lives and beliefs.

What You'll Find Inside This Essential Volume:
Complete Transcriptions: Clear, easy-to-read transcriptions of the original entries for:
Baptisms (1569-1812)
Marriages & Banns (1569-1812)
Burials (1569-1812)

Comprehensive Indexes: A full surname index allows you to quickly and easily locate every mention of your family lines.

Historical Introduction: Gain valuable context with an introduction to the parish of More, its church, and the nature of the records themselves.
Notes on Handwriting and Oddities: Helpful notes to guide you through peculiarities in the original 16th, 17th, and 18th-century script and record-keeping.