Gloucestershire

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Gloucestershire Towns & Parishes

Gloucestershire Parish Maps (Overview)

There are just too many parishes to provide a single, easily navigable map of Gloucestershire, showing all of them at once, so the whole has been split into more easily navigable sections, the division based on HUNDRED boundaries. Click on a portion of the image on the right for a larger map of that area, showing individual parishes, or on one of the areas listed below. Forest of Dean (West of the Severn) North Gloucestershire South Cotswolds Central Gloucestershire Bristol Diocese

HUNDREDS

The Hundred is our legacy from the Anglo Saxon system of government, which had evolved prior to the Norman Conquest. For the purposes of administration, the Shires (or Counties) were subdivided into groupings of around one hundred units. Various options are available for what consituted a unit - here are some:-

1. One hundred households - the one I prefer.
2. One hundred acres of (cultivated) land.
3. 100 armed knights to serve the monarch - practical, to say the least!
   [q.v. GENUKI/Lancashire - Historical Geography]

The "Hundreds" in turn were sub-divided further into groups of ten or a dozen households, possibly giving rise to the parish unit, although at the time it was more like a "Neighbourhood Watch" scheme, where each member of these small communities was held accountable for the good conduct of his fellows. An alternative explanation is that the "hundred" constituted one hundred acres of cultivated land. Whichever the case, it would seem that there was no absolute size, as the areas now identified as hundreds vary enormously in extent. In the north of England the hundreds were known as "wapentakes" - from Old Norse vapnatak - "weapon-taking"; in Northumberland, Cumberland and Durham, the equivalent use appears

Disclaimer:

Whilst we take every care to keep the information on our web pages accurate, we disclaim any warranty or representation, express or implied about its accuracy, completeness or appropriateness for a particular purpose. Thus you assume full responsibility for using the information we provide, and you understand and agree that neither GENUKI as an organisation nor any of its maintainers are responsible or liable for any claim, loss or damage resulting from its use.

Specifically, these Maps are designed for the assistance of those pursuing their Family History research, and parish boundaries and place name spellings relate to the 19th century. They are not intended to provide guidance for those looking for places in the present day, nor to reflect any particular preference in spelling, other than for the purposes of identifying places for Family History research.

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[Maps prepared by Rosemary Lockie based on an idea by Phil Mustoe]

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